The flurry of annual ‘best-of’ lists is, in many ways, a bit irritating. The pomposity with which websites and publications announce their favourite records of the year grates slightly. But end of year lists still have their uses. For those normal people that have neither the time nor the inclination to keep up with every release on every miniscule Scandinavian label, they provide a useful digest of some of the year’s best music. And, for us, they provide a fun excuse to look back on the records we have particularly enjoyed over the past 12 months.
While most end of year lists concentrate solely on albums, this one will be a little different. Many of our favourite releases have been EPs or singles – or, even, DVDs. So think of this more as a compendium of some of the year’s best music, in whatever form it may take. So, in alphabetical order…
Ólafur Arnalds – Found Songs
Earlier this year Arnalds recorded seven tracks in seven days and gave them away via Twitter. Found Songs sees these tracks collected and given a ‘proper’ release. Fragile, Yann Tiersen-esque arrangements and occasional electronics create an engrossing and often disturbing record.
Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
Yes, the man is blessed with a preternatural ability for whistling. But more than that, he has a firm grasp on the epic and the beautiful. Assured, accomplished, but never over-done, tracks like ‘Anonanimal’ perfectly showcase a unique combination of highly evolved folk and a hip hop-esque lyrical flow.
Tyondai Braxton – Central Market
For sheer ambition alone, Central Market deserves a place in this list. That Braxton broadly fulfils this ambition reinforces his position as one of the most exciting musicians working today. Exploring the space between contemporary classical and the controlled aggression that Battles have honed so well, Central Market is a stand-out record in its own right – but also one that hints at even better things to come.
Cymbals Eat Guitars – Why There Are Mountains
Yes, there is a lot of Pavement in here. But Why There Are Mountains is also a lush, joyous record that beautifully expresses the sadness and belligerence of the outsider and, ultimately, the cinematic wonder of America. Plus, in ‘Indiana’ it provided one of the best tracks of the year.
Dead Man’s Bones – Dead Man’s Bones
A record that did not receive the attention it deserved on this side of the Atlantic, Dead Man’s Bones is a compelling homage to ’50s schlock-horror and an exorcising of the ghost obsession suffered by songwriters Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. With Langley School-esque children’s vocals courtesy of the Silverlake Conservatory of Music, Dead Man’s Bones is an accomplished genre exercise shot through with genuine and troubling emotion.
Dinosaur Pile-Up – The Most Powerful EP In The Universe [EP]
The future of modern music is unlikely to be altered by Dinosaur Pile-Up, but this really isn’t the point. Unashamedly grunge-tastic riffs and witty lyrics are a winning combination, and The Most Powerful EP mines this rich seam to great effect. This is just plain fun. Put ‘Opposites Attract’ on and, before you know it, you won’t be able to take it off repeat.
Gold Panda – Miyamae [EP]
2010 will be the year of Gold Panda. This, the best of three EPs the artist released this year, is a collection of organic electronica, meandering across the divide between downbeat techno and ‘folktronica’ . Odd loops and unexpected samples create a bittersweet atmosphere; not quite uplifting, not quite unhappy. Gold Panda (known to his mum as Derwin) has recently made a lot of this year’s releases available as free downloads – make sure you seek them out if you are one of the half dozen people that hasn’t already listened.
Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind [single]
A uniquely uplifting homage to one of the greatest cities on earth, ‘Empire State of Mind was the standout track from The Blueprint 3. The subject matter is not particularly heavyweight, but it doesn’t matter; this sounds honest and fresh in a way that much of Jay-Z’s recent output has not. Plus, the Jools Holland performance, with Bridget Kelly taking on Alicia Keys’ vocal duties, is a classic piece of television.
J Dilla – Jay Stay Paid
The legend of J Dilla may soon be better known than his actual creative output. The premature death of James Dewitt Yancey left a significant hole in the Detroit hip-hop scene, and this compilation is a suitably impressive document of his contribution to it. Compiled by Dilla’s mother and Pete Rock, and with appearances from the likes of DOOM and Raekwon, this has the feel of a true labour of love, rather than a money-making scheme.
Ke$ha – Tik Tok [track]
One of the best vocal performances of the year, and easily one of the most impressive releases in terms of production values, this is amongst our most-played tracks of the past couple of months. This is really all about the processed vocals; Ke$ha’s voice is chopped up into blink-and-you’ll-miss-them triplets, vocodered to perfection. If the album contains anything as good as this, it will be amongst the best of next year.
Ben Klock – One
On a personal note, this writer spent much of the year exploring minimal music. I spent weeks on end convinced that the guitar band was dead. Ben Klock has taken the tenets of minimalism and turned them inside out, creating an aggressive, uncomfortable record. Downtempo intros give way to orchestral eruptions, creating surprise after surprise throughout. Listen to album opener ‘Coney Island’, and terrify yourself into sitting through the rest.
Micachu – Jewellery
It requires someone with knowledge of the science of music to deconstruct pop to the extent seen on Jewellery. Micachu (22-year old Mica Levi to her family) studied composition, had a piece commissioned by the London Philharmonic while still at university, and drafted in avant-garde pioneer Matthew Herbert to produce her debut – and all of these things show. There is every chance that, at some point in the not too distant future, Jewellery will be justifiably looked back on as an important record.
Moderat – A New Error [track]
A beautiful, slow-burning instrumental built around ever-increasing layers of synths, ‘A New Error’ is the opener from Moderat’s self-titled LP. A collaborative effort between Modeselektor and Aparat, Moderat’s second album never quite lived up to the promise of ‘A New Error’. But this track is almost enough on its own.
Oceansize – Feed To Feed [DVD package]
Releasing a ten-year retrospective in the middle of your career seems like a risky proposition. But with Feed To Feed, a massive three-CD, four-DVD package, Oceansize produced the perfect reminder of why they remain so vital. With live performances of each of their albums (and they are very, very good live), this beautiful release proves they are still one of the bands to beat.
Raekwon – Only Built 4 Cuban Linx…Pt. II
Vying with Dilla (who actually contributes to Only Built…) for the best hip-hop release of the year, this is everything you could want from a Wu-Tang release. Despite the quality of the guest spots, this is all about Raekwon; his cinematic lyricism is demonstrated through a series of pull-back-and-reveal tales of…well, mainly about petty crime, actually. A troubling, disturbing, fiercely intelligent record.
Ramona Falls – Intuit
This is a perfect example of a side project that will almost certainly overshadow the original outfit. Ramona Falls, the solo venture from Menomena man Bret Knopf, is all loops and St Vincent-esque vocal stylings (particularly on ‘Always Right’). Standout tracks like ‘Clover’ demonstrate a firm grasp on dynamic, approaching epic but always avoiding histrionic. A criminally overlooked record that speaks of even better things yet to come.
Shield Your Eyes – Shield Em
Stef Ketteringham, lynchpin of Shield Your Eyes, is a contemporary guitar hero. Extracting unholy squeals from his battered instrument, Ketteringham creates the sorts of sounds that will make your future children want to pick up a guitar. Shield Em is a tightly wound, shrieking thing, full of discordance but never anything less than accessible.
Shoes And Socks Off – Hand-Reared Suburban Piglet
Continuing a theme…Toby Hayes, erstwhile member of Shield Your Eyes, has probably created this writer’s most-played record of the year. A dirty, difficult, heartfelt record that is better introduced in our Shoes And Socks Off interview.
Soap&Skin – Lovetune for Vacuum
Quite what horrors have occurred during Anja Plaschg’s short life are unknown but, on the evidence of Lovetune for Vacuum, one suspects they are many and disturbing. Pleschg has created a haunting record, taking elements of laptop-folk and wrapping them in funereal piano arrangements, claustophobic production and frankly terrifying vocals. A majesterial, accomplished debut.
Solange – Stillness Is The Move [track]
This, the standout track from Dirty Projectors’ breakthrough record, already sounded like a Beyonce hit-in-waiting. Thankfully her sister pipped her to the post, bringing double-tracks aplenty and a brace of ’70s samples to produce one of the great pop tracks of the year. A shame, then, that it never got a proper release.
St Vincent – Actor
Annie Clark, the tousle-haired, raven-esque songwriter behind the St Vincent moniker, released one of our favourite albums of 2007 with Marry Me. Her sophomore record, Actor, is an altogether darker affair. St Vincent remains bizarrely overlooked by the mainstream; consistently lyrically fantastic, she would prove the perfect antidote to so many of the pseudo-troubadours that clogged up 2009′s release schedules.
Sufjan Stevens – BQE
I don’t much like Sufjan Stevens. I find him affected, calculated, histrionic. It turns out, though, that when he isn’t singing he knows how to make a fantastic record. BQE, Stevens’ homage to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, is a sprawling work that brings a pop sensibility to modern composition. Certainly to be listened to in full (don’t bother trying to cherry-pick tracks), this is an ambitious project that suggests Stevens’ talents have been misdirected in the past.
Three Trapped Tigers – EP1 [EP]
Of all the emergent bands of 2009, Three Trapped Tigers may well prove to be most worthy of attention. A trio of virtuoso musicians playing music that is both absurdly complex and wonderfully danceable, TTT are engrossing live and on record. The band were apparently not entirely convinced by Gordon Raphael’s production on this, their first release, but to this listener it has yielded a furious, tightly controlled half hour of blissfully intelligent music.
Tubelord – Our First American Friends
Anticipation for the first Tubelord album was high, given the quality of their early single releases. On first listen it was something of a disappointment, let down in great part by its production. But, given some time, Our First American Friends reveals itself as a thoughtfully constructed, multi-faceted record. Positioned perfectly at the nexus of ‘serious guitar band’ and unashamed pop outfit, Tubelord have proved themselves to be perpetually entertaining.
Volcano Choir – Unmap
Bon Iver’s debut record, one of the most over-played of 2008, contained one track worthy of the praise heaped on it. ‘The Wolves (Acts I and II)’ was built around Justin Vernon’s multi-tracked, vocodered voice, and provides a good hint of the content of Unmap. A collaboration with Collections of Colonies of Bees, this record is adventurous in terms of both composition and production. Far superior to For Emma, Forever Ago.
Why? – Eskimo Snow
Yoni Wolf is undoubtedly one of the greatest lyricists working today. He could sing over the next Pigeon Detectives record and it would still be wonderful. Eskimo Snow was unfairly maligned on release for being something of a step backwards after the cast-iron classic that is Alopecia. But on his latest outing Wolf and his band demonstrate an increasing maturity, a burgeoning roots influence and, perhaps most importantly, the enduring capacity of his lyrics to encapsulate every emotion you have ever experienced in a handful of perfectly chosen words.
Worriedaboutsatan – Arrivals
There were few records finer than Arrivals released this year. So patently the work of perfectionists, this is close to flawless. A common complaint amongst those unfamiliar with minimal music is that there just isn’t enough going on. Even a cursory listen to Arrivals gives the lie to this myth. A complex, perfectly judged collection of tracks, each throbbing with real, human emotion despite the equipment used to create them, Arrivals is a masterpiece – and a tantalising glimpse of the future for an outfit destined for wonderful things.
