Owen Harris writesOwen Harris’ Best Of 2010

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

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

1. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   As confirmed by James Murphy, this album doesn’t signal the end of LCD Soundsystem per se, but future endeavours may involve less touring in support. Or more. Their previous long-play outing, Sound Of Silver, is still a high-rotate turntable showing at the Kiwi pad, but it’s in the live arena – festival or club - where LCD come into their own. Their Coachella performance closing out Friday night was a weekend highlight, 20-ft disco ball and all, and similarly the Metro performance threatened to tear the roof off the sucker. And yes, Nancy rocks! Fave tracks? Opener Dance Yrself Clean, Pow Pow, I Can Change.
2. Sharon Van Etten – Epic (Badabing)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Sharon’s 2nd full-length outing is, indeed, gorgeously epic. I was lucky enough to catch her 6 or so months back at the now-legendary Chris Knox Stroke Benefit concert in NYC, and was impressed. Now, I’m bummed I missed her gig at Lincoln Hall supporting Junip. Word has she blew them off the stage. This LP has been on high-rotate and I’ll probably still be listening in decades to come. Standouts? Hard to choose, but if pressed, Peace Signs & One Day.
3. The Fall – Your Future, Our Clutter (Domino)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Mark E. Cha Cha! To my ears their best since Kurious Oranj, but don’t ask me about most in-between. The riffs are their, the Mancunian mumble is in full effect, and reports from their recent Auckland NZ gig suggest The Fall have never been better. We saw them there in the early 80’s, bootlegged by Chris Knox as Fall In A Hole. Check out Bury Pts. 1 + 3
4. Stan Ridgeway – Neon Mirage (A440)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   The man will need no introduction to many, but to the rest he’s best known for Mexican Radio back in his Wall Of Voodoo days. Stanard has been pretty prolific ever since, and even organizes musical train adventures around the Southwest. His current album Neon Mirage is right up with the best of Wall of Voodoo, with an eclectic mix of musical styles from ubiquitous country steel guitar to bossa-nova rhythms. His stories are colourful, told with a vivid musical palette.
5. The Puddle – Playboys In The Bush (Fishrider)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   George Henderson is a Kiwi music legend. The Puddle have been around in one form or another for many a year, but their latest Playboys In The Bush is arguably their best. Check out the epic Valhalla which in a live setting is even more powerful. Other personal faves include What I Believe and Sleepy People.
6. Dear Time's Waste – Spells (Self-Released)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Kiwi Clare Duncan has crafted yet another collection of beautiful song, in some cases even more delicate than those on her debut EP, Room For Rent. Check out Alice, Swallowed, We Are Where We Were Before
7. The Phoenix Foundation – Buffalo (EMI)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   These Wellingtonians from NZ have churned out yet another great album, just as diverse and different as the last. Here’s hoping we have a proper US tour soon! Buffalo, Pot, Bitte Bitte
8. Grayson Gilmour – No Constellation (Flying Nun)
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   Grayson is the first signing to the recently re-purchased and re-juvenated Flying Nun records out of NZ, which has indie musical pedigree going back to 1981. The songs are largely in the orchestrated pop vein, with a definite Kiwi edge. I look forward to more. Pure pop for now people! I Am a Light, Pearly Whites
9. Gil Scott-Heron – I'm New Here (XL)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   It’s not Winter In America or Pieces of a Man, but it’s a new Gil album, which many predicated would never happen. Produced by XL Recordings owner Richard Russell, it has a contemporary edge, with spoken interludes adding rather than detracting from the grittiness of the delivery and material. A solid listen, standouts include Me and the Devil and New York Is Killing Me. Welcome back, Gil.

DJ Betynka - It's 12 O'Clock Somewhere writesElizabeth Ramborger’s Best Of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members’ top albums of 2010. The next list is from CHIRP Radio DJ and treasurer Elizabeth Ramborger.

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

My first year of DJing on CHIRP has brought a lot of new and different music my way and I’m glad to say this by-no-means-exclusive-or-even-in-any-particular-order list is influenced by the wealth of new music I’ve been exposed to from fellow DJs. It’s also been an incredibly busy year and odd that I haven’t had as much time to really process music coherently. No matter! Spending Xmas day on my couch, looking out on the snow in Ukie Village and cataloguing some of my favorites from 2010 is about the best way I could hope to spend an afternoon.

1. Stornoway – The Beachcombers’ Windowsill (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   first heard this release one afternoon when I was getting frustrated working on some paperwork at the studio. Billy Kalb threw it on and quietly backed out of the office and it did the trick. There’s something about Stornoway that makes me think of other great British songwriters…it led me to dig out some old Kirsty MacColl and Billy Bragg. Beautiful stuff that just hits me the way music should. They’re also a nice group of lads who can pull off their lyrical sincerity, raising mundane moments up into simple grandeur.
2. The Fresh & Onlys – Play It Strange (In The Red)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   The prolific Fresh & Only’s brought us their best yet, improving on their previous lo-fi neo-surf-garage-psych-jangle releases with an album that haunts and twinkles and stomps.
3. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Ironically it’s with his supposed last LCD Soundsystem record that I fall completely in love with James Murphy. One of the best moments of the summer was LCD Soundsystem taking the stage at Pitchfork—the Chicago skyline, the moon coming out…Murphy brings a warmth to his shows that took me completely off guard. Swoon.
4. Robyn – Body Talk (Konichiwa_
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   I’m listing the whole she-bang of EPs here, too. From hipster guilty pleasure to full-on pop star, Robyn’s come a long way.
5. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Great hooks and beauty all over this one with a good dose of jangle.
6. Sonny and the Sunsets – Tomorrow Is Alright (Soft Abuse)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Sonny Smith strikes me as being a modern-day Jerry Lee Lewis. The Sunsets emerge from the San Francisco scene along with favorites the Fresh & Onlys and Thee Oh Sees, but with a humor and swagger all their own. “Love Among Social Animals” will put a smile on your face.
7. Beach House – Teen Dream (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   I hate to admit I didn’t realize the lead singer was a girl. Sort of like Yaz? The “dream pop” categorization sums it up. A beautiful album you can listen to over and over and over again
8. Judson Claiborne – Time and Temperature (La Société Expéditionnaire)
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   Solid local folk rock. A gorgeous album from start to finish.
9. Jonsi – Go (XL)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   “Go Do” is my inner indie Nike slogan, propelling me out into the sun to just do it. Whatever it is, it will be good.
10. Eddy Current Suppression Ring – Rush To Relax (Goner)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    It seems appropriate to close out this list with a band that formed at a work Christmas party (at a vinyl pressing plant!). I overlooked them awhile back when recommended to me by a friend, but this release led to an immediate purchase of their back-catalogue. Infectious garage punk. An unfortunate middle-booking at the Empty Bottle just led them to steal the show.

Other Odds and Ends

The Liminana’s – “I’m Dead” 7” (HoZac)
ooo! French pop at it’s new best! And on a local label!

Radar Eyes – “Not You Again” (B-side, HoZac Hookup Klub Record 12)
my favorite little local release, this has a nice shambolic indie pop vibe.

Black Tambourine – s/t (Slumberland)
best reissue

Posies – Blood/Candy (Rykodisc)
my favorite band ever but this wins worst Thax Douglas reference award. Oh Jon and Ken, what were you thinking?

Tony Breed writesTony Breed’s Best of 2010

Throughout December CHIRP Radio presents its members' top albums of 2010. The next list is from local cartoonist, CHIRP Radio DJ, and Marketing Co-Director Tony Breed.

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

It’s been a great year for music, which makes it a hard year for making a top 10 list. (I could easily have made a top 20.) As usual, I labored too hard over this list, and will want to rearrange it in a few month’s time anyway. Well. I can stand by my decisions through the end of the year, anyway.

1. Janelle Monáe – The Archandroid (Atlantic)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   It’s a little bit rock and a little bit soul and a little bit hip hop and a little bit 1960’s Disney musical. Janelle Monáe debut full-length album is impressively diverse, but more importantly, it works, start to finish. It’s also proof that the album format is still vital – don’t just buy the songs you like from iTunes, buy the whole thing and listen to it start to finish.
2. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   James Murphy’s latest (and last, so he says) album is his best yet. This Is Happening mines the depths of 1980’s synthpop (think The Human League) without sounding like a retro fetishist. I think I’m OK with this being the last LCD Soundsystem album (because I suspect Murphy has developed this idea as far as it will go), but I do hope we continue to hear from him in other projects.
3. Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Brilliant. Newsom is also an artist who just keeps getting better. OK, I accept that she’s not for everyone. But if you haven’t made your mind up, this is the album to check out. The music on Have One on Me is complex and dense and gorgeous. I recommend listening to it on headphones.
4. Shearwater – The Golden Archipelago
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   More good headphones music. The Golden Archipelago explores the theme of life on islands in 11 lush and heady tracks with that prog-rock edge I find so irresistible.
5. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Before Today (4AD)
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   Nothing sounds like Ariel Pink except Ariel Pink. And to be honest, I never really got it before. Some songs I liked, but generally I could take or leave the albums. I don’t really know what it is about Before Today that is so good, but I just love this album. It’s got a wistful, nostalgic quality to it — but not idealized; murky, like memory.
6. Kings Go Forth – The Outsiders Are Back (Luaka Bop, Inc.)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Hot, from start to finish. Kings Go Forth revisit disco and funk and make you want to get up on the floor and dance.
7. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma (Warp)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Avant garde music makes you think, but it’s not always easy on the ears. Cosmogramma is good music and a good listen. The album includes both samples of Sun Ra and samples of people playing ping pong. All that could have been very good, or terrible. Fortunately for us, it’s excellent.
8. Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can (Astralwerks)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   It’s entirely possible that out of all my picks for this top ten list, this is the album I will end up listening to the most. It’s not the lyrics, though they are good; it’s not the beautiful melodies – it’s Laura Marling’s gorgeous, gorgeous voice that really carries this album.
9. Martha & The Muffins – Delicate (Muffin Music)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   After an 18 year hiatus, Mark Gane and Martha Johnson are back with new material. Frankly, I was worried. This is one of my favorite bands; what if it wasn’t good? Comeback material is so often weak. Well, no worries, this album is pretty great.
10. Canasta – The Fakeout, The Tease, and The Breather (Canasta)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    One of my favorite local bands, Canasta makes smart, catchy chamber pop. The Fakeout, the Teaser, and the Breather further develops the band’s sound. I have special affection for “Choosing Sides”, a cheerful-sounding tune about an ordinary, ugly divorce.

• Honorable Mention:
  Laurie Anderson — Homeland
  Arcade Fire — The Suburbs
  Broken Social Scene — Forgiveness Rock Record
  Elvis Costello — National Ransom
  Dungen — Skit I Alt
  In Tall Buildings — In Tall Buildings
  Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings — I Learned the Hard Way
  The National — High Violet
  Yeasayer — Odd Blood
• Songs of The Year:
  Songs so good that I’m afraid I might overplay them. I could certainly play them every show and never get tired of them.
  
  Mark Ronson & The Business Intl — "Lose It (In The End)" [feat. Ghostface Killah & Alex Greenwald] Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  Yeasayer — "O.N.E." Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  In Tall Buildings — "The Way to a Monster’s Lair" Amazon / Insound / iTunes
  Laurie Anderson — "Only an Expert" Amazon / Insound / iTunes

Nicole Oppenheim: Ear Candy writesNicole Oppenheim’s Best of 2010

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

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

1. Sleigh Bells – Treats (Mom & Pop Music)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Not only was this album the soundtrack to virtually every summer party I attended, but songs from it were also featured prominently on every road trip mix I heard this year. For good reason: the songs are chock full o’ infectious grooves, thunderous guitar riffs, and sugary-sweet vocals. What more could you want from a pop record? I’ll admit I was disappointed by Sleigh Bells’ live performance at Pitchfork, but I dare you to play “Crown on the Ground”, “A/B Machines”, or “Kids” without wanting to dance around your living room. I’m reasonably sure it’s impossible.
2. Dum Dum Girls – I Will Be (Hozac/Sub Pop)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Whispery female vocals, Shoegaze throwback melodies, poignant lyrics? Sign me up! That’s pretty much all that needs to be said about this record. Oh, and if you didn’t like it for some reason, don’t try to friend me on Facebook. It’s not going to work out for us.
3. The Vaselines – Sex With an X (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Like many people my age, I first heard of The Vaselines thanks to Nirvana, who covered their songs on MTV Unplugged. I listened to them. I liked them. I (regrettably) forgot about them. Thankfully, I rediscovered The Vaselines when this album was released this fall. Again, it’s a near-perfect pop record (do you sense a theme to this list?) with a really great sense of humor. Does it get better than the title track, “I Hate the 80s”, or “Mouth to Mouth”? So many standout singles on this one, it’s hard to believe they all fit on one album.
4. The National – High Violet (4AD)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   As much as I love clever pop music, there’s also a significant place in my heart for songs about heartache, depression, and general world-weariness. Enter The National. On a personal level, 2010 is not remotely in contention for Best Year Ever status. Not that 2010 was horrible, but it wasn’t earth-shatteringly great, either. For all the bumps in the road, it was nice to have an album like this to listen to. The songs didn’t magically make everything better, but the music was there for commiseration. It was like having a messy heart-to-heart over a beer with your best friend. It hurts so good.
5. Robyn – Body Talk (Konichiwa)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Before Pitchfork this summer, I liked Robyn. After Pitchfork this summer, I LOVED her. It was something like 4000 degrees the day of her performance and there’s this pale little pixie decked out in a leather and knit dress, dancing and singing her heart out. She never missed a beat and kept the crowd on its feet the whole time. She even swore in two languages when talking about how hot it was. Oh, Robyn. You made my bitter, shriveled heart grow at least three sizes that day. Finally! An intelligent woman who calls her own shots on her own label, no less, and plays awesome pop music you don’t feel guilty for loving. This is pop perfection. Thank you, Robyn!!
6. Wolf Parade – Expo 86 (Sub Pop)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Anyone who knows me well won’t be shocked to see this record on my top ten of the year. I loves me some Wolf Parade. I’ll admit it. WP’s sound changes with each album, which is one of the things I like most about them. They aren’t afraid to experiment and grow as artists. And unlike many bands, Wolf Parade is at their best when they are growing and changing. Expo 86 is not just another Apologies to the Queen Mary. It’s a record that can stand on its own with tracks like “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)”, “Little Golden Age”, and “Two Men in New Tuxedos”. It’s also great to see and hear a band come into its own. On previous albums, it was obvious who penned each track. Not so on this one. The magic is in the mystery.
7. The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack (Kemado)
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   Garage rock + Surf rock = you know this band’s from the West Coast. And if their debut album is anything like what we can expect from them in the future, I’m one happy, happy camper. Each song on this album is simple and poppy. You’ll find yourself humming snippets from various tracks for days after listening to them. Their sound is nothing trail-blazing; it’s three-chord garage rock with some surf thrown in for good measure. But it is TIGHT. It’s not about re-inventing the wheel. It’s about making the best wheel possible.
8. Deloran – Subiza (True Panther Sounds)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   Just another reason to love Barcelona. Delorean hails from the Spanish city and already has quite the following in Europe. It’s about time we Yanks started taking notice—this is Delorean’s fourth album, after all. What is so great about Delorean’s music is that it’s so clean. There are the odd thumps and yelps here and there, but generally, it’s just a smooth beat with vocals that meld perfectly into the song. Each track offers something different—kind of like that box of chocolates Forrest Gump was always talking about. You never know what you’re going to get, but you know it will be tasty.
9. The Depreciation Guild – Spirit Youth (Kanine)
   BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
   If my emotions had a sound, it would be this. Shoegaze-y melodies, fuzzy vocals, classic dream pop-ery. It’s all sorts of pastel colored cotton candy in your head. And it’s awesome. Again, no shocker that some of the members of The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (who made my favorite record of 2009) are also in The Depreciation Guild. Every track deserves a listen, but standouts are: “Trace”, “Blue Lily”, “Spirit Youth” and “Through the Snow”. If loving electro-dream pop is wrong, I don’t wanna be right.
10. Hot Chip – One Life Stand (Astralwerks)
    BUY: Amazon / Insound / iTunes
    Another true confession: I heart the Pet Shop Boys. I don’t think you could have grown up in the ’80s and NOT loved them, but I digress. Hot Chip is a pop band with some seriously dance-tastic grooves, not unlike the Pet Shop Boys. There’s the synth sound, the falsetto vocals, the posh accents. But there are also some risks taken here that secured Hot Chip a place in my Top Ten. While every song on this album could certainly be described as a “dance track”, there is still a wide variety. You get ballads, hard-and-fast club mixes, melodic mid-tempo beats, and classic pop songs. If it’s worth dancing to, these guys can make it happen. So, do yourself a favor. Put away all the neon spandex and Aqua-Net and put on a new pop record like this one. The ’80s were fun, but the future of pop is better. Trust this.