Psychotic Distraction writesChesney’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Chesney.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members’ picks.)

In alphabetical order…

• Backyard Babies – Them XX (Versity Rights)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  Sweden’s long-running glam/punk staalwarts commemorate their 20th anniversary with an extravagantly packaged 3CD/1DVD/120 page 10X10 hard-covered collection, spanning the band’s entire career from their 1994 debut Diesel and Power to their excellent 2009 self-titled release. A massive collection of hard-to-find B-sides/live tracks/remixes, a complete video anthology, an excellent 80 minute documentary, and over 300 photos from this Swedish Grammy-winning band that just can’t seem to make a dent in the American market.
• Blessure Grave – Judged by Twelve, Carried by Six (Alien8)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  Bizarre and menacing electro/gothic rock from California that could’ve just as easily been released in 1983 as 2010. A release that would fit comfortably between your Bauhaus, Joy Division and early Sisters of Mercy albums. Sadly, it appears the band called it quits in November after only two years.
• Grinderman – Grinderman 2 (Mute)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  Mr. Nick Cave steps away from the piano, picks up the guitar, and lets loose some of the gnarliest punk-infused blues (blues-infused punk?) since…well, Grinderman’s 2007 debut. Cave and three fellow Bad Seeds prove that their first album was no fluke, and that Grinderman can indeed stand on it’s own four legs. Also of note: Nick Cave’s excellent novel ‘The Death of Bunny Munro’, released in 2009.
• The Jim Jones Review – Burning Your House Down (Punk Rock Blues)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  The 2nd full-length release by former Thee Hypnotics frontman/lunatic Jim Jones is (somewhat) more controlled than their 2008 self-titled debut, but no less visceral. A howling slab of raging garage punk & soul, delivered with the intensity of a young Jerry Lee Lewis jamming with members of the New Bomb Turks and Zen Guerilla. One of most blazing live acts on the circuit, to boot.
• Killing Joke – Absolute Dissent (Spinefarm)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  Killing Joke’s fourteenth album (!) and their first since 1982’s Revelations to feature the original line-up (Jaz Coleman, Geordie Walker, Youth, and Paul Ferguson) is the perfect mix of 2006’s Hosannas from the Basement of Hell and 1996’s Democracy (and maybe a touch of 1994’s Pandemonium), along with the cerebral lashings one has come to expect from the band. Truly a band that has not only refused to mellow with age, but have become more agitated and outspoken over their 30+ year career.
• Kylesa – Spiral Shadow (Season of Mist)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  If one were to pinpoint the exact location bewteen Neurosis, The Melvins, Sonic Youth, and Baroness, that area would likely be Savannah GA’s Kylesa. Their fifth full-length release is the band’s third to utilize their thunderous two-drummer attack, and guitaris Phillip Cope’s production is absolutely top-notch and leaves no riff unappreciated.
• Negative Approach – Live at the Double Door (Chicago IL); Sunday, October 10, 2010.
  Every so often a show comes along that reminds me of why I do this. I had been waiting upwards 20 years to see Detroit’s hardcore legends; not only did they not disappoint, they blew my expectations clear out of the water. Frontman John Brannon is still one of the most ferocious and maniacal frontmen of the past 25 years, and the band as a whole did everything absolutely note-perfect: no talk, all action. Inspiring.
• Swans – My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to The Sky (Young God)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  After a 12 year hiatus and a half-dozen albums with Angels of Light (among other countless projects), Swans mainman Michael Gira brings one of the most groundbreaking and influencial bands of the past 30 years back in full force (don’t you dare call it a ‘reunion’, Gira warns), and the results are predictably levelling. Gira’s creative output over the past 3 decades is absolutely mind-blowing in its consistency, and this album ranks with some of his finest work. Also of note: if you haven’t yet read Gira’s hard-o-find 1995 collection The Consumer, hunt down a copy ASAP.
• Triptykon – Eparistera Daimones (Century Media)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  The debut full-length from former Celtic Frost mainman Thomas G. Warrior’s latest musical endeavor is a logical extension of CF’s 2006 epic Monotheist: a monsterous wall of all-encompassing, cavernous noise that stretches out over 9 songs and 80+ minutes. A dense, sprawling album that rewards heavily with repeated listenings.
• Umberto – From the Grave (Permanent)
  BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  The debut release from sometime Expo-70 collaborator Matt Hill is the classic ‘soundtrack for a film that doesn’t exist’, and that film happens to be a late 70’s Italian zombie gorefest. Sinister analog synth grooves that call to mind Dario Argento and Lucio Fulci’s darkest moments. The soundtrack to the greatest horror movie I’ve never seen.

Mike Pakowski writesMike Pakowski’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Mike Pakowski.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

1. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This in my opinion was not only the best album of 2010 but could also be considered one of the best albums of the past decade. I think a true testament to what makes an album great is an ability to still move you months after it has been released. Teen Dream came out in January and it's been nearly a full year and I still absolutely adore it just as much, if not more, then when I first heard it. Just a beautiful record from start to finish and also one of the most romantic albums to come out in quite some time.
2. The National – High Violet (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   An amazing album from a group whose sound and depth has gotten better with age. Matt Berninger's songwriting has always been a fantastic combination of angst, dark humor and reflection, and those elements remain on High Violet, however they are bit more mature as many members of the band have transitioned nicely into a new phase of adulthood. By no means has this softened the band, in fact it's made them better musicians. It's a very powerful piece of music.
3. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   A fantastic dance-rock album that showcases the absolute genius of James Murphy & Co. The man is a rock star whether he wants to be or not. "Dance Yrself Clean" is just a flat out brilliant song. One of the most entertaining albums of the year hands down. And seeing them live was one of the highlights of my year. Bravo sir!
4. Four Tet – There Is Love In In You (Domino)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   I am amazed by this album. It's such an incredible blend of hypnotic beats and rhythms that one minute will have you dancing and the next will have you lost in deep thought. Every time I listened to There Is Love In You I discovered something new. Just a great album from start to finish.
5. How to Dress Well – Love Remains (Lefse)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This was an album that completely blew my mind. I've been struggling on how to describe what it is about Love Remains that is so amazing and I think that is one of the things I love about it. It is hauntingly beautiful, stunning, and sounds like nothing else I've heard this year. I guess I'm better at describing it than I thought!
6. Twin Shadow – Forget (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   There are plenty of albums released this year that harken back to new wave days of the 1980's. However George Lewis Jr. (AKA Twin Shadow) just did it so much better on Forget, somehow even making the album sound modern. Dreamy, catchy beats along with heartfelt, achingly romantic lyrics ("As If It Wasn't Enough Just To Hear You Speak They Had To Give You Lips Like That" from the incredible track "Tyrant Destroyed") made this one of my favorites. In a year filled with many an 80's pop revival record, Twin Shadow's Forget stands alone.
7. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Def Jam)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Thank you Mr. West for being an egomaniac with a sense of humor and a bit of a sensitive side. Thank you for name dropping pretty much every possible luxury brand in the universe (I had no idea Versace made sofas) in a way that made me laugh instead of gag. Thank you for "Monster", thank you for "Runaway", and thank you for My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I'm With Team Kanye!
8. Love Is All – Two Thousand and Ten Injuries (Polyvinyl)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   I had very little exposure to Love Is All until hearing Two Thousand and Ten Injuries. After listening to this album I couldn't wait to hear more. I love this band and I love this album. Lead singer Josephine Olausson's voice is adorable and her lyrics are sassy, sweet, angry and honest. What amazed me most was the bands ability to compliment her lyrics with such insanely fun and energetic music. It's pure Swedish punk-bubblegum bliss.
9. Dissapears – Lux (Kranky)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   A garage-rock album that just takes off and is unapologetic and gritty. Lux is fuzzy, fast and loud. I can think of much worst things than to be compared to the Velvet Underground. It's only a matter of time before another band is compared to Disappears.
10. Candy Claws – Hidden Lands (Twosyllable)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Hidden Lands is a gorgeous album that is dream-pop unlike anything I've heard before. It's a sound that is smart, mesmerizing, and the fact that the band had no prior experience with keyboards and synthesizers blows my mind. This album doesn't have songs or singles instead it has mini-symphonies. Absolutely addictive.

2010 Honorable Mentions:
Jason Adasiewicz - Sun Rooms (Delmark)
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs (Merge)
Gold Panda - Lucky Shiner (Ghostly International)
Foals - Total Life Forever (Sub Pop/Warner Bros./Transgressive)
Janelle Monáe - Archandroid (Atlantic)

CHIRP DJ writesCarolyna Wheat’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Lina Mas Fina (aka Carolyna Wheat).

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

1. Actress – Splazsh (Honest Jon's)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   There isn’t an album that I’ve played more according to my semi-accurate i-tunes counter. Headphones locked on my ears, racing down LakeShoreTrail on my bike, Fiona, I move faster than I would with out these beats: deep, penetrating, electro-grooves. The track “Lost” puts me into ecstatic meditation and keeps me positive living in the urban environment, surrounded by so many personalities.
2. Salem – King Night (IAMSOUND)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This entire album crushes my nightmares and brings greater purpose to my subwoofer. Long live grinding vibrations spooking my inner ear enough to dizzy me with wicked wonder.
3. Best Coast – Crazy for You (Mexican Summer)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   For those moments when you just can’t get that special someone out of your mind, here is a cutie lady, unlucky in love. Lyrics born from her break-up dangle with a lo-fi yet realistic teen-angsty pop. She wrote a letter, in twelve tracks, each under or at 3 minutes highlighting the ups and downs of a sensitive yet passionately adorable galpal lost in her mind about a boy. It’s just too too, opposed to so so!
4. Gold Panda – Lucky Shiner (Ghostly International)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This album takes me on a trip to China, the basement house party and into the caverns of my imaginative mind. Every track has a little something special and the expressions vary like all the musicians Ghostly represent. It’s happy, it’s calming, it’s fun...it’s a must have for 2010.
5. Shawn Lee – Sing a Song (Ubiquity)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This album can break through pessimism like a cat can spring onto the kitchen counter. Longtime lover of soul/r&b/jazz and all things groovy, Shawn Lee represents the ultimate “Come up to my room, I’ll play you some tracks” guy. Oh, no, really, cup my face in your hands and kiss me, gently. Yes, thank you Sing a Song album, your tunes turn me on.
6. Sufjan Stevens – The Age of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Wait, I though he was going to make an album about every state? Uh, next plan, here is definitely a new state of mind. Once again, his lyrics can bring me to tears as they relate to every moment of my life. So, it’s thoughtful that the words Sufjan’s angels whisper nightly in his dreams can be presented on this delicate yet experimental tender album.
7. Yeasayer – Odd Blood (Secretly Canadian)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   “Speak up for yourself, son, no matter what anybody else does.” These lyrics, and then some, have been my 13 year old son’s mantra this year. The tracks on Odd Blood are an inventive example of first-wave vibes alongside peppy, self-help lyrics. When listening, I feel like I’m wrapped up in my wool blanky, lying on my teenage bed writing in my diary circa ’88 while shouting lyrics like “Don’t give up on me.” Or “ No, you don’t move me anymore, and I’m glad that you don’t because I can’t take it anymore.” Aw, adolescent crushes empowered by kick-ass dance inspired optimism, right here. It came out in the early 2010, and it still feels so good to jam.
8. Alex B. – Moments (Elm & Oak)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Variable moments of un-quantized beats bring this electronic musician to a pleasurably novel place. Tracks aren’t too long and they are playfully in a sequence that flow together giving this album listener a little fuel for the long car ride or jog. It’s raw, it’s funky, it’s rightly representin’.
9. Indian Jewelry – Totaled (We Are Free)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This album is a phenomenal background soundtrack ripe for the art meets music world. I know because I’ve played it start to finish enough to enjoy it’s raucous misbehavior among melodies. There is a hidden sense of order that feels so rough and improvisational. The quality of the lyrics and instrumentation fits into a category all by itself. It’s creative, innovative and thus earns itself a place in an Avante Garde of 2010.
10. Greie Gut Fraktion – Baustelle (Monika Enterprise)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Yet another one of these unique examples of found sound meets kraut-rock-electronica meets social activism. I was rocking out to Mischmaschine this summer when an SUV of boys rolled their tinted windows down and said “Damn girl, you seem deep into those beats.” It was true, I was almost riding my bike with my eyes closed taking in every nuance of the environment in my head phones coupled with the sonic space of the city. This album is like an assembly plant where every unusual part has an incredible opportunity to be built into the inspired whole.

Honorable Mentions:

Brian Eno - Small Craft On A Milk Sea (Warp)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Grafitti - Before Today (4AD)
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (DFA)
Eskmo - Eskmo (Ninjatune)
Allo Darlin’ - Allo Darlin’ (Fortuna Pop)

Re-release:
Dara Puspita (1966-1968) (Sublime Frequencies)

Mike Bennett writesMike Bennett’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ Mike Bennett.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

Since CHIRP went live this past January, I’ve been exposed to more great new music than ever. As a result, there are roughly 50 or so albums that I considered for this list, and many of them I never would have been exposed to had I not been doing a show on CHIRP. So much good stuff this year. These are my favorites:

1. Janelle Monáe – The Archandroid (Atlantic)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This stunning debut album is a showcase for the multi-faceted talents of Ms. Monae. Not only is she an amazingly rangy and emotive singer, she effortlessly blends together many types of pop and R & B music on this album. Monae touches upon everything from Stevie Wonder to James Brown to Prince to torch singers to George Clinton and beyond, reaching back to move forward. This concept album is arty as hell, but it also had some of the catchiest and well-composed songs of the year.
2. Superchunk – Majesty Shredding (Merge)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Superchunk has never made a bad record, but in expanding their sound over the years, they brought the rock a lot less. Coming off a long hiatus, the band gets back to its reason for being -- tight melodic burst of power pop laced punk, with intelligent lyrics and passion to spare. This sounds like a bunch of songs designed either to open or close shows, playing almost like a greatest hits album.
3. Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (Def Jam)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Because he’s not as flashy as Andre 3000, folks may have overlooked the talents of Big Boi. His first true solo album (some may count Speakerboxxx) proves how he may have actually defined Outkast’s sound, embracing a wide array of funk and R & B sounds. His flow is as good as ever, and the variety of the music and plentiful hooks make this a joy.
4. Jason & The Scorchers – Halcyon Times (Courageous Chicken)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   The first Scorchers album in over a decade is perhaps a tad slicker than in band’s mid-’80s cowpunk glory days, but Jason Ringenberg is still a great hillbilly singer and Warner Hodges is a masterful guitarist, and the energy and spirit is there. Even better, they cooked up their best batch of songs since their debut album, with great lines like “tonight he’ll kill a six pack/just to watch it die.”
5. The National – High Violet (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   The essential National style did not change on this album. But they found a way to make their subtly anthemic rock sound even fuller without overwhelming their center, singer Matt Berninger. Combined with wise lyrics tackling adult themes, the band proves that you can be a grown up without making Dad Rock.
6. Rose Elinor Dougall – Without Why (Scarlett)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   After making fizzy retro-’60s pop with The Pipettes, Dougall struck out on her own to make moodier music with a ‘60s flavor. The result is reminiscent of Nicole Atkins and Richard Hawley, but on a slightly smaller scale with equal emotional intensity.
7. Judson Claiborne – Time and Temperature (La Société Expéditionnaire)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This is one of those albums that sounds like it could have been made 40 years ago, yet it has a 2010 feel. Christopher Salveter’s folky constructions bridge the gap between The Band and Midlake, with his strong compositions benefiting from great arrangements and terrific production.
8. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti -- Before Today (4AD): There are a lot of low and mid-fi artists, but most seem that way out of laziness. Not Ariel Pink. By marrying hazy production to R & B tinged pop hooks, he has created an alternative AM gold universe, where everything sounds like a quirky hit blasting through a transistor radio.
9. Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil (Anti)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Roky still has that haunted, weathered voice and his concerns are primarily spiritual on this extremely resonant effort. Okkervil’s Will Sheff not only weeded through hundreds of Roky’s demos to come up with these dozen recordings, he and his band then found the right musical settings for every song.
10. Jason Moran – Ten (Blue Note)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Moran follows in the tradition of great pianists like Thelonious Monk, but he’s never been afraid to experiment, incorporating hip-hop, blues, classical and other genres into his music. Never has he so expertly balanced his traditional and experimental sides, creating an album that is formally precise yet still romantic, playful and even a bit funky at times.

Honorable Mentions:
Rumer – Seasons Of My Soul
Adam Franklin & Bolts of Melody – I Could Sleep For A Thousand Years
Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
Mose Allison – The Way Of The World
John Mellencamp – No Better Than This
Christian Scott – Yesterday You Said Tomorrow
The Bees – Every Step’s A Yes
Archie Bronson Outfit – Coconut
Kelley Stoltz – To Dreamers
The Streets On Fire – This Is Fancy

Best Live Show:
The Joy Formidable, Schubas

Five Novels You Should Read:
David Mitchell, The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet
Chang-Rae Lee, The Surrendered
Jonathan Franzen, Freedom
Boris Akunin, He Lover Of Death
Adam Levin, The Instructions

DJ Bylamplight writesKumar McMillan’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ and Tech Director Kumar McMillan.

(Click here to get the complete list of CHIRP Radio members' picks.)

1. Reading Rainbow – Prism Eyes (HoZac)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This album started when husband and wife duo Reading Rainbow recorded three songs in one day for Shaking Through studios. It's raw, simple, and full of emotion. It might get overlooked if you're already sick of the beach / garage sound that hit new levels of hype in 2010 but don't miss out on this. Seriously. Every moment perfectly follows the last and the combination of Rob and Sarah's voice is exquisite. They belt out some killer, blissed out minor-key harmonies and the song writing is full of subtle nuance. The layered vocal harmonies are actually pretty complex and intricate at times (e.g. the way it climbs on I See The Light). It's the kind of album you might hear in the background at a clothing shop, not really paying attention, until about halfway through where you drop everything and ask the clerk what that beautiful sound coming out of the speakers is. As with most full length LPs deemed worthy enough for release on HoZac, this is truly a start to finish labor of love. By the way, they have the coolest myspace username evar. Look it up.
2. Jed and Lucia – Superhuman Heart (Ubiquity)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This album gets referred to a lot as California sunshine pop but it's not a 60s revival album. It's more like what The Free Design might produce today if Boards of Canada loaned them some of their synths and drum machines. It has the same playful melodies and free spirit and is often backed by acoustic guitar for sunshine pop authenticity. The subtle electronic sounds are warm and inviting, while all songs are rooted in these lovely, mystical folk vocals. After listening start to finish you get this feeling that you've just woken up from an epic dream where you can't remember every last detail but you remember how vivid and strange everything was. It has an atmosphere to it -- an openness -- like one might experience after a vision quest deep in the desert. I come back to this album again and again for that feeling.
3. Quadron – Quadron (Plug Research)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This duo from Copenhagen captured my heart the moment I heard the angelic vocal inflections of front woman Coco O. She could easily be mistaken for an ebony diva from Philly with her range and depth. It was released in March but I still put it on time and time again -- the secret to its success is how silky smooth it sounds. The production pulls from the soft electronics of 90s R&B to soul dripping 60s horn arrangements, and then there are those amazing breathy vocal harmonies. Songs like Day, as it opens with a majestic baritone clarinet before Coco O begs, "Day, treat me bright / Treat me warm;" it just melts my heart. This is a phenomenal listen start to finish, melancholy at times but always sincere.
4. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   I'm a sucker for shoegaze / dream pop but this album will reach deep into your consciousness and change you. Right about halfway through, something clicks and the rest just falls into place. As with most things Bradford Cox has a hand in, it swirls and floats and lifts you up, lets you down easy. This album is, in its entirety, an impressive work of art. Its shimmering melodic texture ebbs and flows and the structure of each song builds on the last. Each wall of gorgeous harmonic sound and each progression feels so perfect, so well crafted. At the end you are rewarded by a majestic, shining prize in the epic piece, He Would Have Laughed. However, it's an ending that wouldn't be near as effective without every leading minute.
5. Reds and Blue – Son of The Stars (Addenda)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   As co-owner of the Addenda label I'd be in the wrong business if one of the releases I had worked tirelessly to put out didn't make my best of the year list. Son of the Stars gripped me right from the beginning in the way it shifts and progresses in mysterious ways. The drums dance around negative space and completely mess with your head if you try to follow each stab and shuffle. The vocals are in a new wave style yet are completely submerged in a murky abyss of harmonic soup. The album has been in the works for years and it shows; it's a monumental cathedral of collaboration between a talented trio of musicians and outside collaborators from all corners of the Chicago scene. The sound crosses over from post rock to dub and even simmers down into a heavy Black Sabbath pace at times. I honestly can't stop listening to this album.
6. Bird Show Band – Bird Show Band (Amish)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   This sounds like a lost Bruce Ditmas live album as Moog destroyer Ben Vida improvised with a crew of Chicago all-stars one day in the legendary Shape Shoppe studio. It bubbles and squeaks and twists your brain into a pulp. But it's not alienating like some free jazz -- it's controlled and calculated. You can sense the acute listening that was taking place throughout the entire session. This is one of those jazz albums where something extremely exciting was etched into time and thankfully it was caught on tape. It's been in my heavy rotation all year.
7. The Budos Band – The Budos Band III (Daptone)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Yep, you guessed it, this is the third album from massive Staten Island afro-soul ensemble, The Budos Band. As their bio accurately states, "The cobra is poised to strike if anyone dares challenge The Budos on their quest." This album is literally that cobra. It is by far their most viscous, dark, and sinister melodic masterpiece. It cuts you like a razor and takes no prisoners. It makes you want to commit malicious crimes using it as a soundtrack. I didn't fully appreciate how intricate these compositions were until I saw them performed live--full horn section, keyboards, guitars, percussion--on the big stage this summer at the Chicago Folk and Roots Festival. It blew me away. This album for me is partly a souvenir from that show but is also a huge milestone for this band. They have transcended the classic afrobeat tendencies (the Fela sound, etc), proving that the Budos is real.
8. Various Artists – Turkish Freakout: Psych Folk Singles 1969-80 (Bouzouki Joe)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   For some reason 2010 was the year in which all rare Turkish psychedelia from the 60s and 70s finally saw the light of day. This comp of reissued 7"s and select songs from LPs has some crossover with others like Anatolia Rocks but each song is a gem and the track order is careful and poignant. These records are impossible to find but you've probably heard bits and pieces when sampled by the Gaslamp Killer, a huge Turkish psych collector in LA. Just like 60s rock, the rhythms cross over into funk and soul, but unlike western rock, the Turkish sound is emblazoned with heavy minor-chord emotion. The beautiful and somewhat melancholy vocals from singers like Beyaz Kelebekler offer a glimpse into a dark and mysterious time in Turkish history. Above all, the funky rhythm shared by all of these records is breathtaking; it's unlike anything produced in modern times.
9. Qwel & Maker – Owl (Galapagos)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Since I'm a west coast kid I'm a harsh critic of Midwest hip hop; Chicago emcees usually sound like cheap imitations of Busdriver to me. However, the third album from Qwel & Maker is a new milestone in independent Midwest hip hop. It actually has more of classic east coast sound but don't read too much into that. It just sounds smooth. It samples some really choice funk and soul cuts and packs a punch on every well composed verse of rhymes. The Galapagos4 label is a little inconsistent for my tastes but I'm glad I crossed paths with this release -- it's been in my heavy rotation ever since.
10. The Alps – Le Voyage (Type)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    I've only just discovered this modern psych/folk band and this album really caught my ear. The title is for real; it honestly takes you on a voyage. From beginning to end each melody and texture bends into the next, captivating your imagination. It's very visual. Their sound thrives on all the best parts of 70s psych, the epic glory of Hawkwind or the unpredictability of King Crimson. And just as any decent psychedelic album should, it comes complete with sitar and crickets.

Honorable Mentions:
Various Artists – Let's Boogaloo Vol. 5
The Limiñanas – The Limiñanas
The Streets on Fire – This is Fancy Javelin (tracks: "Unforgettable Super Lady", 'Moscow 1980")
cassette/podcast: Andean Ocean Mixtape
Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
Kings Go Forth – The Outsiders are Back
Various Artists – Afro-Beat Airways: West African Shock Waves (Ghana & Togo 1972-78)
Lobisomem – Concussus
Casino vs. Japan – Night On Tape
Warpaint – "Undertow"
Tame Impala – "It Is Not Meant To Be"

What a great year for new music!