*Each Fave Track has a link so you can listen to it*
Got to admit I knew nothing of the man before listening to this, I had heard of the Czars but never listened, and was also intruiged to hear a Midlake album I might enjoy after not really liking The Courage of Others. This album marries classic 70s singer songwriting but with nicely sharp and incisive lyrics and an amazing voice.
Fave Track - Sigourney Weaver
A covers album (well one original) of socially conscious soul songs from the 60's and 70's might not seem that great an idea on paper but it really works. Inspired by Barack Obama's 2008 election and the mood of the USA at the time, John Legend, The Roots and others set out to cover lesser known soul songs. While there is a Marvin Gaye cover, I was mostly ignorant of the rest of the songs, so I probably got to enjoy it more than if I knew all the originals.
Fave Track - Our Generation (The Hope of the World)
An album that is pure classic indie pop could be too twee for most but is so well crafted it should definitely be listened to. It's just one of those albums that instantly puts a smile on your face mainly due to a certain innocence to the lyrics and music that echo artists such as Belle & Sebastian, Jonathan Richman, The Magnetic Fields and Jens Lekman. Putting them in that company should be recommendation enough (or warning depending on yourself) .
Fave Track - If Loneliness Was Art
Hailing from California but based in New York, The Morning Benders realesed their follow up to 2008's "Talking Through Tin Cans" on Rough Trade. The album starts off brilliantly with "Excuses" and maintains a similar quality throughout. Their video for Promises is cool as well by the way.
Fave Track - Excuses
An album that immediately reminds you of nearly every guitar band you ever liked is pretty cool in my book. With flavours of Pavement, Weezer and many more this album hits you straight on and makes you wanna either pick up your guitar again or just play the tennis racquet in front of the mirror, the choice is yours.
Fave Track - Swim
The oldest sounding 20 year old (and I mean that in a good way) returned after her debut "Alas, I Cannot Swim" with another solid album. "Devil's Spoke" and "Rambling Man" are just two songs that quite clearly show a growth in her songwriting and sound which may have been helped by working with Ethan Johns, and suggests that an amazing album from her is only around the corner.
Fave Track - Rambling Man
At the start of the year Deerhunter were a band I only really knew existed rather than listened to, but after seeing Bradford Cox at ATP this year in his Atlas Sound alter ego I was won over and gave this a go and found some simply brilliant melodies and straight up tunes when I must admit I was expecting a sonic barrage instead, which was nice.
Fave Track - Memory Boy
Neil Hannon returned to his more well known nom de plume after his concept cricket album. With songs like the hear-it-once-and-it's-not-leaving-your-head-ever "At The Indie Disco", "Assume The Perpindicular", "The Complete Banker" and "Neapolitan Girl", it's safe to say his gift for writing expertly crafted chamber-pop songs is still intact, as is his gift from being heartfelt one minute and sharply satirical the next.
Fave Track - Neapolitan Girl
The Idaho native returns with possibly his most diverse album. Gone mostly are the light touches of humour and fun little wordplays, that made him such an easy songwriter to like early on in his career (like I don't think the man could write a song like Me & Jiggs now), but his ability to write songs that sound epic and whose lyrics are more eloquent and evocative has obviously grown, personally I would love to see the two combined somehow.
Fave Track - Southern Pacifica
Produced and mostly written by Beck, this album was meant to mirror the experience of an MRI that Gainsbourg had to experience after suffering a cerebral haemorrhage, but in saying that the album is lot more easy to listen than going through that experience I'd imagine, The album does contain a lot of what you'd expect from Beck's albums, but she does manage to make the songs her own.
Fave Track - Trick Pony
My Year In Music 2010 - Albums 20 - 11
My Year In Music 2010 - Top Ten Albums
