Five Favourite Albums of the Year
No, not mine, that’s a secret for a little while longer. Well, at least until I figure out which five they are at least, which might take another week or so. No, this is yours. For those of us sleeping off hangovers from Thursday’s drinking, and preparing to give ourselves whole new ones tonight, I think this might be the perfect diversion: simply list, in order, your five favourite albums of the year.
I am not sure how to score this, frankly. I could either award five points for a number one, four for a two and so on, or just add up each mention as a single vote like I did with the songs of the year – what do you think? Perhaps when you add your answers you could give me a steer on how to score it – one mention, one vote or sliding scale.
As this week’s five songs, I have picked one from each of last year’s top five albums, but I feel obliged to point out that Timber Timbre was actually re-released this year on a UK label (the brilliant Full Time Hobby), so is very much eligible for this year’s vote. And if I were to nudge you in any one direction that would probably be it. It’s a fucking incredible album, and would be very highly placed in my own list this year had I not already included it last year.
Timber Timbre – Magic Arrow (from Timber Timbre)
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Navigator – Danger Dragon (from Bad Children)
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Withered Hand – Providence (from Good News)
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Samantha Crain – Get the Fever Out (from Songs in the Night)
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Trembling Bells – When I Was Young (from Carbeth)
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Steve Mason – Boys Outside
I Am Kloot – Sky At Night
Kid Canaveral – Shouting At Wildlife
Alasdair Roberts – Too Long In This Condition
Cold Seeds – Cold Seeds
As I can’t bring myself to rate my top five in a particular order, I would favour the one-point-per-mention rating. (Maybe Timber Timbre could be winning the special extra made-up best re-release in 2010 prize.)
Ah, guten Morgen Herr Toad.
Anyone who’s been reading The Tidal Wave this week will know these already but in terms of contributing to the debate here they are again:
1. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
3. Foals – Total Life Forever
4. The Last Battle – Heart of the Land, Soul of the Sea
5. Caribou – Swim
Here we go
1. Lisbon – The Walkmen
2. High Violet – The National
3. The Meat Of Life – Clem Snide
4. Let It Sway – Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
5. The Soft Pack – The Soft Pack
Honourable mentions to: Futureheads, Freelance Whales, Frightened Rabbit, Sky Larkin and Josh Ritter
1. The Scottish Enlightenment – St Thomas
2. The Strange Death of Liberal England – Drown Your Heart Again
3. These New Puritans – Hidden
4. Dag for Dag – Boo
5. Archie Bronson Outfit – Coconut
Honourable mentions also to Foals (although more of a live band for me), Trips and Falls, the John Knox Sex Club and the Savings and Loan.
I was also a bit conflicted about Timbre Timbre, as although I would probably rate it above all the above, it just doesn’t feel like a 2010 release to me (and, rather sadly, I only know this as I checked but I did vote for it last year..)
Scoring – crikey – too tired to care (which is actually Matthew’s fault, but was a great gig last night so thank you).
Normally I’d say 5 for a 1st etc, but then the positions in my top 5 depend what mood I’m in..
Mr. November – I’m not hugely fond of that particular Clem Snide album, but I am glad someone loves it. Great band!
Over on the blog I cheated and had three sharing first place, don’t suppose I’ll get away with that here, so:
1. Kid Canaveral – Shouting At Wildlife
2. The Scottish Enlightenment – St Thomas
3. Mitchell Museum – The Peters port Memorial Service
4. RM Hubbert – First & Last
5. Mammoeth – Nascent
i got interested in them as a band largely through your own promptings.
Yeasayer – Odd Blood
Gorillaz – Plastic Beach
Robyn – Body Talk
The Drums – The Drums
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
1) Titus Andronicus: The Monitor
2) Broken Social Scene: Forgiveness Rock Record
3) Beach House: Teen Dream
4) Crystal Castles: Self Titled (II)
5) Sleigh Bells: Treats
1. “Method” – 30 Pounds Of Bone
2. “I Speak Because I Can” – Laura Marling
3. “Winter Of Mixed Drinks” – Frightened Rabbit
4. “Nothing Hurts” – Male Bonding
5. “Subjection” – Your Loyal Subjects
and seeing as I made a top ten, you may as well suffer the others:
6. “Phosphene Dream” – The Black Angels
7. “Boys Outside” – Steve Mason
8. “The Wants” – Phantom Band
9. “All Creatures Will Make Merry” – Meursault
10. “Side Show” – The Burns Unit
If you are going to score the albums, I’d like to give Laura Marling one. Thanks!
1. Four Tet – There’s Love in You
2. No Age – Everything in Between
3. Caribou – Swim
4. Sexy Entourage – I Am Trees and I’ve Got Wood
5. LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
1. The Scottish Enlightenment – St Thomas
2. The Walkmen – Lisbon
3. The National – High Violet
4. Broken Records – Let Me Come Home
5. The Savings and Loan – Today I Need Light
Honourable mentions to: I Build Collapsible Mountains, Mitchell Museum, The Last Battle, The Phantom Band, The Morning Benders, Margot & The Nuclear So and So’s, Loch Awe, Meursault & Yusuf Azak……..This would have been so much easier if it had been top 50 albums of the year!
I’d go for the one-point-per-mention rating.
Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
Blue Sky Black Death – Third Party
Gil Scott-Heron – I’m New Here
The Consulate General – Person Number
The Japanese War Effort – I Will Leave You Now And Two Loudspeakers Will Take My Place
I think just one point per mention, but that’s mainly because I can’t decide how to number these.
In no particular order:
The National – High Violet
eagleowl – Into The Fold
Thee Silver Mt Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-La-La Band – Kollaps Tradixionales
Efterklang – Magic Chairs
Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
Honourable mentions to Deerhunter, Twin Shadow, Woodenbox, Sparrow & The Workshop (I cheated last year and counted Into The Wild and Sleight Of Hand as one album = Crystals Fall), The Last Battle and The Fruit Tree Foundation/Music Like A Vitamin – First Edition.
Field Music
Woodpigeon
Meursault
Broken Records
Arcade Fire
Surfer Blood
The Savings and Loan
Twin Shadow
The National
Peter Wolf Crier
(making a list of 5 was not possible)
Reissues
Black Sabbath – Heaven and Hell
Bruce Springsteen – Darkness…..
Random buy of the year
Blondie – Parallel lines (£3 from Fopp)
awesome year music wise
I’ve got very bad at listening to whole albums, to my great distress, and too skint to buy many. I tend to come to things post-lists, or post-gig and so have probably listened to the Withered Hand record most this year, having only got it right at the end of last year. (Not having listen at all until after I saw him play live, it’s a terrible band name and put me off even downloading tracks from this blog!)
I’m crap at lists. There’s probably loads of albums I’ve not heard in full that I might have put in a top 5…
Mystery Jets – Seratonin
The Black Keys – Brothers
The Phantom Band – The Wants
Four Tet – There Is Love In You
Silver Columns – Yes And Dance
Oh and single point per title I think, mine are in no particular order, I’m not a character out of a Nick Hornby novel.
Joanna Newsom – Have One On Me
The National – High Violet
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
Caribou – Swim
Also loved albums by Mavis Staples, Damien Jurado and LCD Soundsystem…
I like the point per vote system as I’m too much of a wuss to order mine
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
All Creatures Make Merry – Meursault
Bank Place Locomotive Society – Tango In The Attic
Losing Sleep – Edwyn Collins
Lucky Shiner – Gold Panda
The Scottish Enlightenment – St Thomas
I LIKE TRAINS – He who saw the deep (did I mention they had a new album out?)
Archie Bronson Outfit – Coconut
Paul Vickers and the Leg – itchy grumble
Dag 4 dag – Boo
plus best newcomer John Knox Sex Club
Honorable mentions for Meursualt (who were really worth hanging around for last night even if it meant a day of feeling cream crackered at work today – cheers guys and Matthew a great night), Foals, TSDOLE, and The savings and Loan.
I guess it should be 1 Point per entry as some people can’t decide in which order to place things.
1. Arcade Fire- The Suburbs
2. Frightened Rabbit- The Winter Of Mixed Drinks
3. The Eclipse Soundtrack (I know, I know….shhhhh)
4. Broken Bells- Broken Bells
5. Shearwater- Archipelago
Yuck.
High Violet – The National by a country mile. Nothing else has grabbed me this year, but mainly because I’ve been away from the local scene and skint.
I can’t actually think of anything else that beats a huge pile of things from last year. I’ve found some stuff in end of year lists but they’re still too new to have really worked their way in.
What a pathetic year for my music loving abilities! More of these small Scottish bands need to get on Spotify.
I’ve not finished my top 10 yet, so you can have my 10-5. That wont help your poll in the slightest so I’ll butter you up by saying there’s a Song, By Toad album still to come!
10. The Last Battle – Heart Of The Land, Soul Of The Sea
9. Steve Mason – Boys Outside
8. Woodenbox With A Fistful Of Fivers – Home And The Wild Hunt
7. The Kays Lavelle – Be Still This Gentle Morning
6. Thirty Pounds Of Bone – Method
5. Curators – Is This A Private Fight?
My brain isn’t functioning well enough at this moment to choose five, i will try later, but i think one point per vote is the best way because not everyone is ordering their list. Just in case my brain never functions well enough again to choose five, can you give Timber Timbre a point from me? Is that allowed? Because it’s all kinds of awesome. Oh, and Tricia, you deserve a high five for being brave enough to mention anything to do with Twilight.
01 – Wild Nothing – “Gemini”
02 – Xiu Xiu – “Dear God, I Hate Myself”
03 – Infinite Body – “Carve Out The Face Of My God”
04 – Jefre Cantu-Ledesma – “Love Is A Stream”
05 – The National – “High Violet”
[...] At the time of going to press, Last Year’s Girl hadn’t yet published her chart but if I were a betting man, I’d stick a few quid on the National figuring highly; and while Matthew from Song, By Toad dithers over his personal choices, he’s calling on readers to nominate their favourites. [...]
Oh, Blood Red Shoes – Fire Like This. Awesome.
Fuck, I’ve been out shopping for dinner and returning PAs and stuff, so there’s a fair bit to catch up on here!
Wilf – Is there a new I Like Trains album out? Really? Fuck, if only you’d mentioned it before!
David – if you want to email me your five I could include them in the vote without giving the game away. Only if you can be arsed of course.
Tricia – if your other choices weren’t very good your whole vote would be in danger of being disqualified for even mentioning that Colossal Abortion of Staring and Sighing in an Unimaginably Meaningful Way.
Oh, and a couple of clarifications of The Rules are probably helpful.
Enough people haven’t even ranked their choices (fair enough) that I think we’re going to go with one mention = one vote.
And (Chutters!) if you mention more than five without making your top five clear, I will just pick my personal favourite five from your list and discount the rest. Harsh but, I feel, entirely fair.
Ah. Hmmm. Didn’t expect that pingback to actually appear in this thread. Sorry folks!
Well I had to approve it, but I don’t think it lowers the tone. Carry on!
fud!
Meursault
Broken Records
Twin Shadow
The National
Peter Wolf Crier
1. the Phantom Band – the Wants
2. Kid Canaveral – Shouting At Wildlife
3. Admiral Fallow – Boots Met My Face
4. RM Hubbert – First & Last
5. the Unwinding Hours -s/t
Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers – Home and Wild Hunt
Sparrow and the Workshop – Crystal Falls
Phosphorescent – Here’s to Taking it Easy
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
Cheers Chutters. Just because we’re glad to see you occasionally doesn’t mean you can flaunt the rules. It’s be anarchy if we let that happen – just look at Wikileaks.
Becky, is this because you listen to most albums on Spotify at work? I had stopped listening to whole albums for a while, but getting a record player sorted that out. One of the best purchases I’ve made in a long time.
So, preliminary scores so far (updated to include Dav’s vote, which I’d somehow missed):
1. The National – High Violet (BOOOOO-ring!)
2. Meursault- All Creatures Will Make Merry
=3. The Scottish Enlightenment – St. Thomas
=3. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
5. Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
It’s a pretty diverse vote, too. Lots and lots of albums with one vote. I kind of expected that with the favourite song vote, but I expected this to have more of a consensus. Good work.
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep
Gemini – Wild Nothing
Sparrow & the Workshop – Crystals Fall
Tracey Thorn – Love & Its Opposite
(mentioned in despatches: Hot Chip, The Love Language, Meursault, The National, Scottish Enlightenment, Broken Bells, Caribou, Kid Canaveral)
Worst album of the year: Vampire Weekend: Contra **checks that no-one’s voted for this one yet!**
They haven’t. They would have been tarred and feathered if they had. Mind you Tricia voted for the Twilight soundtrack, which takes even more courage, fair play to her!
Meursault- All Creatures Will Make Merry
Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
Inspector Tapehead – Duress Code
Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks
Robin Gray – Strangers with Shoes
I have no idea if Robin Gray’s album was released this year or last. Sorry. But I’m leaving
I am going to put mine in order… just for my own clarification rather than anybody elses…
1. Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
2. Foals – Total Life Forever
3. The National – High Violet (sorry Matthew)
4. Bombay Bicycle Club – Flaws
5. Kid Canaveral – Shouting At Wildlife
Honourable mention goes to White Denim and the ‘Last Day of Summer’ free download that they released in September (I’m not sure it counts as an album but it’s fucking ace)
MATTHEW!
It’s unfair to give updates on rankings – it might influence choices.
Might.
A contribution to the toad diversity targets – I can never be sure when albums have come out, so apologies if these aren’t technically from this year:
1. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma
2. Massive Attack – Heligoland
3. Portico Quartet – Isla (this one’s definitely from last year!)
4. Adam Beattie – We’ll Wave From the Shore (completely unbiased choice)
5. Andrew Bird – Noble Beast
I guess this shows how infrequently I actually buy new stuff!
Phil – it might influence it, but I just want to prove that I am actually counting and therefore properly doing my bit while I wait for the votes.
The National
Meursault
Broken Records
Sparrow & The Workshop
Yeasayer
Fuck off Matthew, I’m voting for The National, I’m sorry if I’m offending your delicate sensibilities of obscurity.
just thought – the electropapknit comp. maybe deserves a wee mention. not that comps count…
Yep, I only just regained access to Spotify and that’s my major source of music time. I could buy a record player, but then the amount of time I actually spend at home is tiny, and thus not worth the investment. Kids, don’t get a job in the USA. It sucks.
One vote please for Jonnie Common’s Hit Record (because I forgot to put Hand To Hand in my top five songs last week – and it was probably my favourite song of the year – I’m such a div on times.)
Plus The Savings & Loan, Broken Records, Meursault and Silver Columns, for example.
Also, can I use my other three votes tactically to try and knock down the Arcade Fire? It’s shit.
I’m with Becky on that.
Keep the Jonnie Common and use the other four as anti-Arcade Fire votes.
The Phantom Band – The Wants
Grovesnor – Soft Return
Roots Manuva meets Wrongtom – Duppy Writer
Squarepusher Shobaleader One – d’Demonstrator
Born Ruffians – Say It
Timber Timbre – I dont care. It’s good enough to be voted for twice in my opinion.
Inspector Tapehead – Duress Code
Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
The National – High Violet
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Dianna, I’m probably voting for it too, which is one of the reasons why it offends me!
You know, that fella up there really reminds me of Tommy from that popular beat combo The Found.
Forgot to give Her Name is Calla’s new album ‘the quiet lamb’ a mention. It does have some great songs on it although as much as I like the band it will have to go down as flawed genius as it takes a lot of concentration to listen to the whole thing in one go – i’d still recomend it though.
Having heard the Arcade Fire album it sounded pretty mediocre to me
I obviously need to listen to the latest National album although i’m a bit sceptical as their earlier output didn’t do it for me
I am joining the Arcade Fire anti-vote brigade. I am not allowed to vote in this, so I might use all five votes to stop them getting any.
An update on the standings thus far:
1. Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
2. The National – High Violet
=3. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
=3. Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
5. Broken Records – Let Me Come Home
Not the National? Christ. Even I’m going to be voting for the fucking National, much as it pains me to do it, given their ubiquity. I really want to be an iconoclast on this one, but can’t really, truly, honestly do it!
Listen to it Wilf! Boxer didn’t grab me at all, a couple of songs were interesting, but not spectacular. It took a few goes to get into High Violet, but when it hit, it really was astounding.
Well I can definitely muster a vote for Broken Records – make that my number 3! I wish I’d have heard it live, because I’m sure I would like it a lot more then. Haven’t even heard Kid Canaveral, so that’s a bit unfair. What’s at number 6?
Has everyone gone to the pub? It’s three post mentalism time!
1. Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
2. Harlem – Hippies
3. Deerhunter – Halcyon Digest
4. The Morning Benders – Big Echo
5. Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
Hmm, still deciding…I’d obviously like to include the Last battle and Chris Bradley, but as I released those, that wouldn’t be impartial.
Meursault, Broken Records and Kid Canaveral from the scottish contingent, definitely, Delorean, and Flying Lotus, were pretty awesome too. And the Mogwai live album was phenomenal.
I liked the Arcade Fire album more than the National Album, though I seem to be one of the few people in the world to have heard the Twin Shadow album…
Maybe I’ll come back when I have actually done my best of year list…
It’s just not Christmas until the TPMs start.
Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
Admiral Fallow – Boots Met My Face
The Last Battle – Heart of the Land, Soul of the Sea
Scottish Enlightenment – St Thomas
If we are calling out the worst album(s) of the year too, can I nominate whatever pish that quavery-voiced harpy Ellie Goulding released?
I really, really, really dislike her.
“that wouldn’t be impartial.”
Nothing about music is impartial, Ed, I wouldn’t worry about it!
Becky, three-post mentalism? By five o’clock? Pull yourself together young lady.
Okay, fuck it, I’ll join you!
Woooot – blarglefindblattersplarge! Pour me some fucking gin!
Now that is three-post mentalism.
In no particular order:
1 Deerhunter – Halycon Digest
2 Steve Mason – Boys Outside
3 Phantom Band – Wants
4 Tame Impala – Innerspeaker
5 Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock
Both the Scottish and the Canadian Echo & the Bunnymen are neck and neck at the moment.
Hello Peej! Broken Social Scene? You? Surely not!
Matthew, can i give five votes to Timber Timbre, seeing as i’m not going to get round to picking five and i don’t want Arcade Fire to get any?
Hello Matthew! Meursault? You? Surely not!
Thirty Pounds of Bone – Method
Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
Chris T-T – Love Is Not Rescue
The National – High Violet
Field Music – Measure
If anyone was disappointed with Vampire Weekends album this year then maybe they should try Tango in the Attics, just a suggestion. And they’re Scottish, that’s always a plus on here is it not?
Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
Admiral Fallow – Boots Met My Face
The Last Battle – Heart of the Land, Soul of the Sea
Hidden Orchestra – Night Walks
Endor – Endor
Peej, I actually haven’t picked Meursault. Not that I wouldn’t but I have forbidden myself from picking bands on the label. Basically this is just because I don’t want to have to tell them which one of them is the ginger stepchild and which is the golden-curled apple of my eye – so it’s just spinelessness really.
Laura, whilst I massively applaud the sentiment, I am afraid I can’t do it.
Craig, are you suggesting that if we thought VW was shit, we should try Tango in the Attic, because that’s real shit for you? Because that’s what it kinda reads like.
Or if we thought VW was shit, but want to hear that kind of thing done well, then Tango in the Attic have done it.
And Scottishness isn’t a plus on principle, just in practise. I guess local music is something you can get a lot more involved in, so I suppose it always ends up being that bit more rewarding. I don’t love Scottish bands because of patriotism, just because I’m more involved and I know them all a lot better.
Rubbish. Ok. I’ll pick another bloody four, i totally have NO order though, i suck:
Wild Nothing, The National, Xiu Xiu & The Scottish Enlightenment (but it took me AGES to dig that).
Apart from the first one, these are in no particular order:
>The National – High Violet
(It’s not so much the album of the year as the year of that album)
>Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
>Laura Marling – I Speak Because I Can
(yes, yes. baws to the lot of ye)
>Balmorhea – Constellations
>Eluvium – Simlies
(Bit of an ambient/instrumental year, 2010, and these two haven’t fallen out of my ‘now playing’ pile all the way through.)
1 – Duffy and the Doubters – Scriptural Supplies
2 – Duffy and the Doubters – Scriptural Supplies
3 – Duffy and the Doubters – Scriptural Supplies
4 – Duffy and the Doubters – Scriptural Supplies
5 – Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
1. The national – high violet.
2. Micah p hinson and the pioneer saboteurs
3. Sufjan Stevens – age of adz
4. damien jurado – saint bartlett
5.65daysofstatic – we were exploding anywayp
1. the national -high violet
2. the phantom band – the wants
3. damien jurado – saint bartlett
4. deertick – the black dirt sessions
5. arcade fire – the suburbs
Blimey, tighter than a nun’s chuff. The voting so far:
=1. Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
=1. The National – High Violet
3. Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
4. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
5. Broken Records – Let Me Come Home
I am going to close the vote some time on Sunday, but generally speaking chatter on the Friday Fives peters out from about now onwards, so I don’t expect that many more votes. How everso crucial those votes could be though! It’s just like the fucking X-Factor, really it is.
(Fez’s Laura Marling vote is right up there with Tricia’s Twilight one in terms of coolness though!)
I guess not many people on Song by Toad wasted their teenage years at the Mission/Bradford Rios. But for those that did, this is the best and sillest thing I’ve seen in a long time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uguXNL93fWg
I don’t think you have to understand anything more than Teh Funniez to find that entertaining.
I can’t give five best as I only have three. But I can give five (in my humble opinion) that I think are not as good as some people say they are. In fact I don’t think they are that good at all, but who the hell am I.
1. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
2. The National – High Violet
3. Vampire Weekend – Contra
4. Kanye West (and I was actually pulling for this one) – My Dark Twisted
Fantasy
5. Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
I know this is hateful…really I can be quite a positive person!
Still stressing about a top 10 but these dudes are all in there
The National
Avi Buffalo
Local Natives
Spoon
Hurts (a bit gay I know!) – that sounds dodgy
Other ones that will feature are
Sufjan Stevens
The Walkmen
Still debating about the rest. Hugs to David who put The Kays Lavelle in his Top 10. My mum hates it!
How do I get a picture on my profile? I would like a hairy bear.
Titus Andronicus!? Alright, it is massively over the top and doesn’t sustain itself at all times, but it is awesome, messy fun. The National, for all I love it, is an album I can entirely understand people finding boring, as that’s how I felt about it for a long time.
The others are just shit though, so no disagreement there.
Top grinching though, well done!
Graeme are those five your top five, then?
1. Chemical brothers – Further
2.Avi Buffallo – Avi Buffalo
3. Autechre – move of ten
4. Crystal castles – crystal castles
5. Harlem – Hippies
Would of snuck Huartron hey judas in but I cant tell if its 2009 or 2010
My album listening has been pretty sporadic this year – no idea what I’ve been doing with my life instead!
If I had to pick a Top 5 though it would be, in no particular order because I can’t be bothered:
The National – High Violet
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire (sorry kids!)
White Pines – The Falls
Jonsi – Go
The Tallest Man On Earth – The Wild Hunt
And can I put in a minus vote for Kanye?
Not necessary. He’s getting nowhere in this one!
Arcade Fire : The Suburbs
Broken Records : Let Me Come Home
Admiral Fallow : Boots Met My Face
Wilco (The Album)
Woodpigeon : Die Stadt Musikanten
I know, but I hate to think of him even having one vote!
Here are my favorite five.
1. Micah P. Hinson and the Pioneer Saboteurs (hands down my favorite for 2010)
2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
3. Aias – A La Piscina
4. The Morning After The Night Before – James
5. The Magnetic Fields – Realism
Having gotten that out of the way, Matthew, I want to take the opportunity to say that Song, By Toad is my favorite music blog and I hope you have a very successful both in the blog and with the record label. I am particularly fond of the Toadcasts and the Friday Five particularly because I’ve learned about bands I used to read about in college but never really listened to like Nick Cave, Tom Waits, and specially Neutral Milk Hotel (probably my favorite band).
http://www.internationaltapes.com/reviews/jeff-mangum-live-at-the-schoolhouse/
Ah shit, I meant that they do the Vampire Weekend thing better than Vampire Weekend did on Contra, I actually enjoyed that album by the by. Tango is like a scruffier, lower-fiey (?!) version from Fife.
I agree with you there, it does give you the chance to get more involved, for example I’ve seen Tango about 20 times due to them being from just down the road.
I hope Meursault win this.
Bit late this week, I was having a Pogues evening and then a ‘how the hell to we get home from Manchester in this?’ middle of the night. I’ve not read the thread yet so here’s mine
1) Meursault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
2) Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
3)The Kidnapping of Akira the Don by Joey2tits – Akira the Don and Joey2tits
4)Male Bonding – Nothing Hurts
5) Kid Canaveral – Shouting at Wildlife
The Books – The Way Out
Ólafur Arnalds – “…And They Have Escaped the Weight of Darkness”
Active Child – Curtis Lane
The Japanese War Effort – I Will Leave You Now, And Two Loudspeakers Will Take My Place
Keaton Henson – “Dear…”
@Cogstar – we have the same number 4! Do you want to come round my house and mosh to the Senseless Things with me?!
Good plan, I’ll pick up some Thunderbird wine to make it an authentic nostalgia evening. I did find myself leaping around the room to Nothing Hurts last week, I should possibly have more decorum at my age but I was great fun.
I don’t know if it counts as an album proper, but I’d have to go for
King Cresote – Nth Bit Of Strange
as i probably listened to my recording from homegame as much as anything else this year.
Completin my top five would be
Phantom Band – The Wants
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Mogwai – Special Moves
Meusault – All Creatures Will Make Merry
plus kudos for your DJ sets at the Kid Canaveral show yesterday. Added up to a cracking day in all.
Right, BETTING ENDS!
Thanks Tom, it was a lot of fun. One of those occasions where you know you can get away with playing more or less anything, which is always rather liberating.
I will now add up the scores and deliver the final verdict.
Sufjan Stevens – Age of Adz
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
Clem Snide – The Meat of Life
Tame Impala – InnerSpeaker
Titus Andronicus – The Monitor
Oh poop, I’m late. Ah well. For what it’s worth, then.
Well, it wouldn’t have made a difference to the results anyway, but no matter, nice of you to chip in!
Sorry Im late, but been listening to a couple of albums again.
In no particular order, and some may have only come to my attention this year, so might not be chronolgically perfect in terms of release.
1. Band of Joy ; Band of Joy ( Robert Plant, and no I dont like the Zep)
2. Edwyn Collins ; Losing Sleep
3 Avi Buffalo
4 Mumford and Sons
5 Noah and The Whale; The first days of spring
Fortunately, that wouldn’t have altered the final score either, so there will be no gnashing of teeth on seeing this list!
goodo, cant have that. Merry Christmas.