Rockfeedback Records of the Year 2010 #20-11
By: Samuel Smith, Dan Monsell, Tim Dellow, Thomas Hannan, Stan Morgan, Fred Mikardo-Greaves, Adam Hartley, Hayley Leaver
20) Surfer Blood – Astro Coast
Into the hornet-nest Buzz of all Buzzes, Surfer Blood's debut single 'Swim' was released. While other, more meek song might have shrunk back and allowed themselves to be drowned out (poor surf related pun #1), 'Swim' puffed up its chest and, with a stadium-destroying power chord riff and barfed out blizzard of reverb roared "SWIM TO REACH THE END!" while innocent bystanders wet themselves in shock. When their debut album Astro Coast was dragged forcibly in the wake of this monstrous tidal-wave of rock (pun #2) it was clear that Surfer Blood rose far above the buzz to write one of the catchiest indie-pop albums of the year - track after track of melodically hook-laden, surprisingly thoughtful and mature power-pop. (Samuel Smith)
LISTEN - Surfer Blood - Swim
19) LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
In which the king of New York clubland proves once again with a swoop of his ever-so-knowing hand how to sit atop his loft apartment throne, commanding over all the Eno-obsessed geeks, art-rock dribblers, pop kids and dancefloor youths scurrying beneath. Murphy's mastering of a certain unexplainable post-modern cool continues to burst out from all of his music. Lyrically however there's a real difference here, as we find him a mess of confusion, anxiety and mid-life crisis throughout. Ironically, this sees Murphy's way with words at its strongest yet, as he reaches for the stars of universality, dealing with relationships and personal feelings in place of his usual discussion of New York, city life and modern culture. Bowie seems to hang over him all through the record, and it's a spirit that fills and inspires rather than drags him into the turfs of mimicry. Said to be potentially his last - a sad state of affairs if so - this is a real classic work that will surely be dug out and cherished for plenty many years from now. (Daniel Monsell)
LISTEN - LCD Soundsytem - Drunk Girls
18) Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Laura Marling is an artist doomed to face countless youth-emisms and patronising ‘old before her years’ descriptions until, well, until she’s old enough to qualify for a free bus pass, so it seems. Having released a Mercury Prize-nominated album at the age of eighteen, collaborating with a number of incredible artists old enough to be her respective mother/father, and as of yet managing to retain critical respect and an air of down to earth calm, she makes the rest of us look rather lazy. Marling seems to sum up I Speak Because I Can with her words, “I believe we are meant to be seen, and not to be understood”: a testimony to the women she sings of, but also to the complexity with which the album teems. I Speak Because I Can gives away something different upon each listening, something impossible to decipher but easy to swallow as a stunning effort from a young woman refusing to submit to any notion of subservient muse. (Hayley Leaver)
LISTEN - Laura Marling - Rambling Man
17) Field Music – Measure
Having spent some years focusing on their own School of Language and The Week That Was projects, there was a little yelp of delight from refined indie fans everywhere when the brothers Brewis announced they were re-uniting and working on a third long player. And what a (double) album it was - in a year where it was perhaps hard to isolate those that could really be seen as classic, the ambition of the twenty tracks of Field Music (Measure) presented an almost overwhelming art-rock creativity from first listen, and kept on giving and giving on every listen thereafter. Whilst there are moments where the opportunities where there to disappear into Rick Wakemen black holes of musical whimsy on a work that is markedly more prog than previous (and at times the McCartney and XTC influences hanging over them push them into both washy and mildly unnecessary respectively) what was equally impressive was the slew of excellent songs throughout, with not many wrong steps taken through essentially two albums worth of music. This is a really important record for 2010, if only for it's purely motivated efforts to create something to cherish and hold up as a whole, something that felt quite lacking in a year in modern rock that produced lots that was very good, but not much excellent. (Dan Monsell)
LISTEN - Field Music – Them that do Nothing
16) Big Boi – Sir Luscious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty
With Outkast's worryingly long hiatus still ongoing, Big Boi stepped up to prove that he didn't need Andre 3000 any more to prove that he's still one of the world's best. Rolling into one all the personas he's flitted between for the duration of his career - Sir Lucious Leftfoot, Daddy Fat Sax, General Patton - he stepped up to produce a good old fashioned hip-hop record as steeped in tradition as it was richly inventive. Over brilliant beat after brilliant he shifted seamlessly from weed paranoia ('Fo Yo Sorrows') to sunshine-flecked brilliance ('Shine Blockas') to peerless decrying of the current clan of rap posers ('You Ain't No DJ') and everything between. Combined with an impeccable guestlist ranging from protege Janelle Monae on the glorious 'Be Still' to T.I. and Gucci Mane, and throw in one of the party anthems of the year in 'Shutterbugg', and you've got a record that combines grace and irreverence, wit and gravitas in a way only he knows how. On this form, Andre might want him back sharpish, but the question is; when he's making records this good, does Big Boi still need him? (Fred Mikardo-Greaves)
LISTEN - Big Boi - The Train Pt. 2 (Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty HQ)
15) Various Artists – Kompakt Pop Ambient 2010
This series, an ambient techno comedown partner to the ever excellent Total compilations, has been curated by label co-founder Wolfgang Voigt (aka GAS) for ten years now. This anniversary edition brings together familiar names, highlighting its past but also pushing in new directions, and it’s largely completely stunning. If the critical nonchalance usually afforded to these compilations is largely based on their consistency and regularity continues for another ten years, it would be a shame; for there are worse sins for a label than being consistently brilliant, and this at times soothing, at times unnerving collection of wonderfully unique sounds is certainly that. (Tim Dellow)
LISTEN - The Orb - Glenn Coe
14) Wildbirds & Peacedrums – Rivers
The combination of two fine EPs named Iris and Retina, the double disc release of Rivers capped off a remarkable year for this fine, fine band – their umpteenth remarkable year in a row, it seems. The records - variously themed around experiments with choral vocals as opposed to Mariam’s lone singing, and the melodic capacities of the steel drum - didn’t so much expand on their minimalist, primal template as shift it to the side for a moment, and in doing so stumbled across many quite beautiful passages. ‘The Wave’ and ‘Bleed Like There Was No Other Flood’ go to the top of the increasingly lengthy list we’ve titled ‘Wildbirds & Peacedrums Songs That Are Exceptional’. (Thomas Hannan)
LISTEN - Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rockfeedback Session
13) Sleigh Bells – Treats
Considering the weight of the sound of this record, the fact that it’s created by only two people is almost baffling. The guitars are heavy, the beats are heavier – reminiscent of the sounds one used to create using the DJ setting on the keyboards your school provided in music class, only brutal. Amidst the entire clamour, it comes as a genuine shock when you’re finally treated to Alexis Krauss’s vocals, only to find them to be amongst the sweetest in the world. It takes a while to get used to, but once you’re in, Sleigh Bells really are an incredible sound. In fact, after a few listens, you wouldn’t describe it as heavy at all. Such a prediction might come as a shock if you’re listening to Treats for the first time, however, bear with it and it’ll reveal its subtleties. The contrast between the cacophonous music and the cleanness of Krauss’ voice creates a curious phenomenon whereby they seem to even each other out, leading to some moments that could even be described as serene. (Adam Hartley)
LISTEN - Sleigh Bells - Infinity Guitars
12) The National – High Violet
The National have slowly been building the kind of momentum that makes them serious contenders for the Best Band in the World. High Violet acts as a middle ground between their previous two albums, with both the immediateness of Alligator and the slow-burning intensity of Boxer, creating an album which marks the pinnacle of their career so far. ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’ is probably the best pop song they’ve ever written, while ‘Afraid of Everyone’ and ‘Conversation 16’ might just be the best songs they’ve ever written, full stop. High Violet is undoubtedly the most complete The National album to date, and laid to rest any fears that the band would fall into the trap of disappearing up their own arse in pomposity. (Stan Morgan)
LISTEN - The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio
11) Four Tet – There Is Love In You
Unlike many artists this year, Four Tet’s Kieran Hebden decided his fifth album proper would stay reassuringly close to his previous work, and proved to be all the better for it. The result was an album that sounds progressive, yet refined, and served as a precursor to the stream of similar sample-based electronica later in the year. It’s futile to try to pick a standout track in an album of highlights, but the beat-driven ‘Love Cry’ will probably be track that you’ll tell your friends about. Showing a change of style isn’t necessary to create a classic, There Is Love in You proved to be an outstanding addition to Four Tet’s already outstanding back catalogue. (Stan Morgan)
LISTEN - Four Tet - Angel Echoes
Rockfeedback Records of the Year 2010 – #50-41
Rockfeedback Records of the Year 2010 – #40-31
Rockfeedback Records of the Year 2010 – #30-21
Rockfeedback Records of the Year 2010 – #20-11
Rockfeedback Records of the Year 2010 – #10-01
Artists in this article: Surfer Blood, LCD Soundsystem, Laura Marling, Field Music, Big Boi, Wildbirds & Peacedrums, Sleigh Bells, The National, Four Tet