Say When? 2010!

Here they are ladies and non-ladies, the best songs of 2010. I made no effort to be fair and balanced (suck it Kanye) or thorough and exhaustive (although I picked up way more songs than I expected to). I tried to limit one song per artist, but of course there are some collaborations in there and one or two instances where I included a second song just because I liked it. I included two Cee Lo Green songs (because "Fuck You" was released early as a single and doesn't really seem to fit in with the rest of The Lady Killer) and two Gorillaz songs (because "Doncamatic" was released separately as a single and it's mostly a Daley song anyway).

Also, my selection from Sufjan Stevens is 25 minutes long. Oops! Anyway, here are the superlatives for this year:

Best Album: Heartland by Owen Pallett

This album is simply brilliant. Pallett has proved that he is just as imaginative in his songwriting as he is with his composing. Choosing a song from this album to include was the toughest challenge I faced in arranging this playlist, because there were several very strong contenders. In the end, I stopped trying to decide which song was best and went with an easier choice. I ended up picking "E Is For Estranged" not only is it one of the strongest tracks on the album, but also because it didn't really seem to belong on the album. It seemed to be something left over from an earlier era and didn't fit into the narrative of the album. Since the record is a concept album and follows a story line throughout, I thought it would be optimal to pick the song that best stood on its own, since not knowing the story might detract from listening to the other songs. SO BUY THIS ALBUM.

Best Rock Album: Sea of Cowards by The Dead Weather

This album kicks so much ass. Seriously, there's not a bad track on this record. Some of the best rock songs I've heard in a long time.

Best Rap Album: Devoir d'insolence by Z.E.P.

I have no idea what's being said on this record but I don't care, I just really like the music.

Best R&B Album: The Archandroid by Janelle Monáe

While this album isn't as catchy and immediately accessible as Cee Lo's The Lady Killer, it is easily one of the most imaginative and eclectic albums of the year.

Best New Artist: The Rubberbandits

Best Swedish Artist: The Tallest Man on Earth

And so here's the list! It's designed to fit on three audio CDs. Originally I planned to limit it to one disc but the thing totally blew up. I figured it would be better to just it super long than to have to make decisions and cut things out. The songs are arranged so that if you were to listen to them all on disc at once they would flow together nicely. So if you get all these songs you can make your own playlist and listen to them!

1. "O Death (Traditional)" by Lauren O'Connell

2. "The Wild Hunt" by The Tallest Man on Earth

3. "You Are" by Punch Brothers

4. "When I Decide" by My Terrible Friend

5. "A Simple Life" by Philip Selway

6. "You Are Not Alone" by Mavis Staples

7. "Thieves" by She & Him

8. "Too Many Miracles" by Badly Drawn Boy

9. "The Suburbs" by Arcade Fire

10. "Another Day" by Pomplamoose

11. "Cousins" by Vampire Weekend

12. "Latin Lover" by Mi Ami

13. "Trans-Continental Hustle" by Gogol Bordello

14. "I Can't Hear You" by The Dead Weather

15. "Better Things" by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

16. "Written In Reverse" by Spoon

17. "Tighten Up" by The Black Keys

18. "Fair Game" by The Like

19. "Stranger" by Dr. Dog

20. "Vaporize" by Broken Bells

21. "Drunk Girls" by LCD Soundsystem

22. "Rhinestone Eyes" by Gorillaz

23. "Fuck You" by Cee Lo Green

24. "How I Got Over" by The Roots featuring Dice Raw

25. "Tightrope" by Janelle Monáe featuring Big Boi

26. "She Needs Me" by Fyfe Dangerfield

27. "E Is For Estranged" by Owen Pallett

28. "Little Houdini" by Sage Francis

29. "Good Soldier" by Flobots

30. "Impossible Soul" by Sufjan Stevens

31. "Animal Arithmetic" by Jónsi

32. "No One But You" by Doug Paisley

33. "Take Me Back" by Aloe Blacc

34. "Hard Times" by John Legend & The Roots

35. "A Town Called Obsolete" by Andreya Triana

36. "Wildflower" by Cee Lo Green

37. "Horse Outside" by The Rubberbandits

38. "Come On Sister" by Belle & Sebastian

39. "Doncamatic" by Gorillaz featuring Daley

40. "It's On" by Roots Manuva

41. "Krylon" by Skyzoo & Illmind

42. "I Count the Ways" by Bostich + Fussible

43. "Nique la France" by Z.E.P.

44. "Tudo Bem" by Garotas Suecas

45. "The Glitter Prize" by The Posies featuring Kay Hanley

46. "Marken Lag Stilla" by Dungen

47. "Alphaville" by Working for a Nuclear City

48. "Goldskull" by Miniature Tigers

49. "Telephone" by The Black Angels

50. "Hey Cool Kid" by Cloud Nothings

51. "I'd Rather Be Alone" by Cheap Time

52. "Waterfall" by The Fresh & Onlys

53. "Chickens In Love" by Edward Sharpe and The Magnetic Zeros

54. "Adultery" by The Extra Lens

55. "Babies" by The 1900s

56. "So Sleepy" by Fiona Apple, Punch Brothers & Jon Brion

So that's the list! Go out and listen to some music!

Album Review: "Heartland" by Owen Pallett

The third album by Owen Pallett (formerly known as Final Fantasy) is a concept album that tells the story of a farmer named Lewis, and his adventures in the fictional land of Spectrum. The songs are Lewis' words to his maker, one-sided conversations with the god of Spectrum, Owen.

The album opens with "Midnight Directives", a fanciful piece that builds from a mysterious intro into a bubbling bit of call and response. Immediately, the record hits a slow patch starting with the Mission Impossible bass line of "Keep the Dog Quiet".

Things pick up, however, with "Lewis Takes Action", a bright track that proves to be one of the best on the album. It is here that the listener gets a real good look at the character of Lewis, riding on his horse Imelda towards adventure. Boastful, Lewis proclaims "I have a message for the acolytes/I am your man for a wifey fight." Pallett gives us a great image of the ultra-violent farmer brandishing a whip and shooting fire from his fingers.

The plucky tone of "Lewis Takes Action" is cut immediately with abrupt slashes of strings in "The Great Elsewhere". Originating in burbling keyboards and glitchy electronic sounds, this song builds until Pallett's voice is almost overpowered by the orchestra when he sings "My words were drowned out by the sound/Of the motors and rowers, the ship as it ran aground".

Next comes the comparatively stark "Oh Heartland, Up Yours!" and the bright "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt", which might be the gem of the album. The bubbling piece shows Lewis, on his horse, riding across the plains. He's on a mission that he doesn't understand but he has to keep going. He's hot and has to take off his shirt and is gazed upon lustily by the deity, Owen. However, Lewis is defiant and he says "If what I have is what you need/I'm never going to give it to you."

The record stays with the silly for a moment with the cartoonish, time-shifting "Flare Gun" before moving on to something a bit more delicate with "E Is for Estranged". Lyrically, this song seems to be a departure from the narrative of the album. The song seems to be told from Pallett's point of view ("If pathos is borne, borne out of bullshit - in formal attire/I'll score you a string ensemble") and deal with the reflections of a father concerning his son ("I saw my son at seventeen/The shutters made projections on his naked frame"). I felt as though it could've come from He Poos Clouds, as though it were a companion piece to "Many Lives -> 49 MP", which is told from a son's point of view, looking into the future.

Musically, this album is an ambitious step from 2006's He Poo Clouds, as Pallett is joined by a full orchestra (the Czech Symphony Strings and the St. Kitts' Winds). The full, dynamic sound makes for epic arrangements. However, while the orchestration is one of the album's greatest strengths, it is sometimes its greatest weaknesses, as the arrangements can sometimes be overblown and overpowering. For instance, on "Mount Alpentine", Pallett's vocals are almost inaudible under the strings.

However, my opinion regarding the orchestration on this album is due mostly to the love I have for Owen Pallett's live performances. I often much prefer the stripped-down simplified versions of these songs. There is an intimacy and subtlety that is sometimes lost in the grandiose orchestra versions. Overall, however, this album is great, perhaps Pallett's best works to date.

Check out a full-orchestra performance of "Lewis Takes Action" here.

Watch Owen perform "E Is for Estranged" solo here.

Watch Owen play "The Great Elsewhere" with Thom Gill here.

Watch Owen play "Lewis Takes Off His Shirt" solo here.

Music News

Apparently, Owen Pallett has dropped his stage name and will no longer be known as Final Fantasy. Personally, I am relieved to learn this since, I've always felt really nerdy saying I like Final Fantasy's music.

"What, the video game?"

"No, the little Canadian guy who plays violin and RPGs."

Well, I think it's good he's going by his own name anyway. I thought it was a bad move to name himself after popular video game from the beginning (and by beginning I mean the first time I heard of him).

Anyway, if you want to read about Pallett's decision, here's an article for you.

Pallett has said that at some point his previous albums will be repackaged and released under his own name.

Owen Pallett's new album, Heartland drops on January 12th.

Music You Should Listen To: THOMAS

The first time I saw Thom Gill was at a Final Fantasy concert. He was doing back-up for violinist/wizard Owen Pallett, playing guitar, percussion, and back-up vocals. I have recently discovered that Gill has his own band, called THOMAS.

The music that this band makes sounds churning blend of soul, funk, jazz, and electronic influences. The constant experiment in genre-mashing is propelled by skillful guitar work and soulful vocals. Their first single "Don't Think, Just Hate", sounds like a strange mash of 90's guitar rock and 80's pop crooning. To say the least it will be very interesting to see what this band comes up with.

Check out Thom Gill's sweet dance moves in the video for "Don't Think, Just Hate" and check out THOMAS on their Myspace page.