Even though I find it harder and harder to keep track of new releases I was quite happy with 2010. Nothing "new" or mindblowing but a lot of inspired stuff, mostly cross-over or well-crafted sound revivals. Electronic music remains undead (at best) and I didn't hear any hip hop that interested me the slightest bit. Unlike 2009, there were no Rock n Roll releases I was looking forward to, anyway … so no disappointment in that corner, either.
After reading Julian Cope's "Krautrocksampler" I listened quite a bit to Can, Neu!, Achim Reichel and Amon Düül II. Old can be new, thanks, Julian :)
No debuts made it on my list, which is possibly a sign that I am becoming an old fart. You can see the librarian approach in my short descriptions...
Black Keys - Brothers
Fat, super-heavy and groovy blues. Lush instrumentalisation but precise to the dot and not a single tone too much. 50% Muddy Waters, 25% AC/DC and 25% Bee Gees. Beautifully produced. Their best so far.
Jaga Jazzist - One-Armed Bandit
Jazz meets Prog-Rock does not sound good to me yet it somehow nails the sound of Jaga Jazzist - and it's a superb album. They do what I always wished the Cinematic Orchestra would do in their time. Perfect to stare into the night or the lanscape to.
Flying Lotus / Cosmogramma
Headphone music. It has been described as an "electronic space opera" and I would agree but actually I have no idea what this music is about :) However, I love the sounds and rhythm patterns, it's like a mad aural short film festival.
Grinderman - Grinderman 2
Grinderman is the noisy alter ego of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - and the incarnation I prefer. Fuzzed-out, dirty, comical and swaggering punk-blues with amazing sonic twists. Ten times better than The Dead Weather.
The Young Gods - Everybody Knows
Surprisingly mellow album by the Swiss electro/noise veterans. A happy marriage of new and old and raw and gentle sounds - like Hendrix meets modern ambient.
Paul Weller - Wake up the nation
Age doesn't necessarily have a wisening effect on Paul Weller but his musical competence has reached Mount Olympus. Man-rock and Man-soul. Great songwriting, great attitude.
The Bambi Molesters - As the dark wave swells
They've always played technically impeccable surf rock but sometimes that gets old quickly. Here they do the right thing by adding orchestral strings and advancing into cinematic soundscapes without losing the reverb twang.
Chris Joss - presents Monomaniacs 1
By now I am afraid that Chris Joss will land on my fave list with every album even though he never does anything new. Feverish high-speed electro funk and groove instrumentals that any self-respecting Club DJ with ears can play up and down to make people ask "what cool shit is that"?
Black Mountain - Wilderness Heart
Pure retro, hiya Deep Purple, Mountain and Led Zep…I admit it. Thankfully they stopped the jamming and pure riffing to craft a collection of beautiful and sophisticated songs. Works for me. Again and again.
Cee-Lo Green - The Lady Killer
A Chameleon-like record: You can hear the 70s, the 80s, the 00s, Stax, Motown, Philly-Sound, Disco, Michael Jackson and Hip Hop - yet it's none of it. Good in the car, the living room and on the mp3 player. This Chameleon is a crafty little bugger with a mighty swagger.
John Grant - Queen of Denmark
A fantastic adult pop album. A lot of Gene Clark and bit of The Beatles and The Carpenters. Songs of exquisitely elegiac beauty and pleasantly depressing lyrics.
The Bamboos - 4
Super-uplifting and energetic funk and soul. Wah-Wah Guitars, Horns, Bongos, Hammond - it's all there and played with utmost expertise and style. Gets the Blues Brothers memorial award for getting me into a good mood.
No comments:
Post a Comment