Albums of the Year For 2011

Let me just say that this has been the best year in music since 2005 in my opinion. It actually may even be a bigger in music this year than any since my inception into the underworld that is Indie Music, which was around 2001 (my Freshman year in High School). I decided to just do a Top 50 in one shot instead of doing tracks too and releasing it over the period of a week. So here it is!

50. Sepalcure - Sepalcure

49. TV On the Radio - Nine Types of Light

48. SBTRKT - SBTRKT 

47. Kurt Vile - Smoke Ring For My Halo

46. Tom Waits - Bad As Me

45. Toro Y Moi - Underneath The Pine

44. Adele - 21

43. Nicolas Jaar - Space Is Only Noise

42. Battles - Glass Drop

41. Smith Westerns - Dye It Blond

40. The Pains of Being Pure at Heart - Belong

39. Radiohead - King of Limbs

38. Fucked Up - David Comes To Life

37. Jay-Z and Kanye West - Watch The Throne

36. Oneohtrix Point Never - Replica

35. The Antlers - Burst Apart

34. The Horrors - Skying

33. Future Islands - On The Water

32. Zola Jesus - Conatus

31. Yuck - Yuck

30. Kate Bush - 50 Words For Snow

29. Drake - Take Care

28. PJ Harvey - Let England Shake

27. Washed Out - Within and Without

26. Real Estate - Days

25. Cults - Cults

24. Explosions in the Sky - Take Care, Take Care, Take Care

23. Atlas Sound - Parallax

22. Destroyer - Kaputt

21. Tyler, The Creator - Goblin

20. Beirut - The Rip Tide

19. EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

18. Iceage - New Brigade

17. Panda Bear - Tomboy 

16. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation

15. Wild Beasts - Smother

14. Cut Copy - Zonoscope

13. Neon Indian - Era Extrana

12. The War on Drugs - Slave Ambient

11. Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues 

10. Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

9. Tune-Yards - WHOKILL

8. The Weeknd - House of Balloons 

7. Austra - Feel It Break

6. James Blake - James Blake

5. St. Vincent - Strange Mercy

4. Bon Iver - Bon Iver

3. John Maus - We Must Become the Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

2. M83 - Hurry Up, We're Dreaming

1. Girls - Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Review Session: The Big Blitz

I have fallen very behind on this blog and I apologize for that. But the reason is because of my drinking. Not that I am an alcoholic, but I have started a new blog in which I drink and review a beer everyday for a year! It's called The Beer Year. You should check it out if you haven't already. But I am about to make up for it in a big way! These are albums I have really liked this summer so they are going to have good scores. 

Bon Iver - Bon Iver

After a hugely successful debut album, Bon Iver's Justin Vernon decided to take his soft three piece and turn it into a big band with a big sound. He pretty much knocked it out of the park on this one. It is epically beautiful. It's was like seeing Paris for the first time or watching my wife walk down the aisle at my wedding. The tracks "Perth", "Michicant", and "Calgary"are gorgeous. However they are nothing compared to the gleaming spectacle that is "Holocene". It is one of the best tracks of the past few years.  And if you take a look at the track list and wonder where the hell are all of these places, just know that Vernon named the songs after places in his mind when he listened to the song, not actual places that exist. That is pretty cool to me.

Rating - 9.0

Gang Gang Dance - Eye Contact

I really didn’t understand or like Gang Gang Dance’s debut album a couple of years ago, but they manage to grab my attention this go around with their more accessible, yet expansive sophomore album, Eye Contact. They are really the only band in the world that makes music like the do. It is all over the place, but so together at the same time. It is remarkable the number of sounds they use to create a single track. Just check it out for yourself.


Rating - 8.4


 

Cut Copy - Zonoscope

This is the third album from the Australian electronic dance group. Each of their albums have been well critiqued and successful in sales. So clearly they have the formula down. But sometimes this can lead to a stagnate album, but Zonoscope seems to be the most creative and grand album of the lot. Tracks like "Need You Know" and "Where I'm Going" are completely new to Cut Copy's style. They even finish the album with the mountainous 15 minute "Sun God". If you are looking to dance it up right, give Zonoscope some attention.

Rating - 8.5

The Antlers - Burst Apart

The last album The Antler's released in 2009 was a concept album about two people's journey to death by cancer while they lay in Hospice together. It was the most emotional, heart-breaking album that I have ever heard. It ripped my insides out during parts of it. This album is completely different. It is more of a rock album, no concept and less serious. While it does examine the individual as Hospice did, it is a living self. There are some great tracks on here and totally worth a listen or two.

Rating - 8.0

Beirut - The Rip Tide

-       Beirut is one of my favorite bands in the world and I think Zack Condon can do no wrong. I know it is a fault and that my score is biased, but his music really hits with me. He does it again on his mature, relaxed third album, The Rip Tide. It is less globally influenced and more concentrated on one’s self, whether that is Condon’s or someone else’s that is unclear. This is best enveloped in the beautiful track “The Peacock”. I loved the uplifting feel to this album and I hope you will like it too.

Rating - 8.1 

tUnE-yArDs - W H O K I L L

Despite the gimmicky type with which tUnE-yArDs spells their name, this is a pretty special artist. Merrill Gabrus has one of the most dynamic voices in music right now. She can sound powerful and determined or beautiful and complacent. There is a huge difference between those sounds and she can sing anywhere in between as well. She uses a multitude of instruments, loops and sounds to create a funky, wild album that is truly unique.

Rating - 8.5

John Maus - We Must Become The Pitiless Censors of Ourselves

This is my surprise album of the year. John Maus had spent most of his music career unfocused and lost within himself and behind his best friend Ariel Pink. While Ariel Pink was making ground-breaking albums and partying his life away, Maus was complacent to make simple music and party along with Pink. Then Maus broke free from his self constraints and made this album. It is fervent, fanatical, fathoming and at times frenetic. So far, this is my favorite album of the year. From top to bottom the track list is unstoppable. I feel that Maus has made one of those albums that people like my look for. It has character, great tunes, originality and a slight of hand that is tough to describe. You may not get what I am saying, because I barely do, but just listen to the damn thing. 


Rating - 9.1 

Review Session: New Artists

Here are some new artists that have been making waves in the music world. A couple of these albums may crack my Top 10 at the end of the year.

The Weeknd - House of Balloons

The Weeknd is the stage name of Toronto- based R&B singer Abel Tesfaye. To get his music out he created 3 mix tapes: House of Balloons, Thursday and Echoes of Silence. So far, the first two have been released to wild success, but House of Balloons is of up most importance because it may be the greatest R&B record of all time! Not even kidding with that statement. I am not an R&B aficionado, but can you name three great albums of the genre? Didn’t think so, but now you can name House of Balloons!

 P.S. – This is BABY-MAKING MUSIC!!!

Rating - 8.9

EMA - Past Life Martyred Saints

-       The debut album from Erika M. Anderson, EMA, comes after she to California and lived in the Oakland Ghetto. She is a skinny white girl from South Dakota. I have to be honest. I don’t see the logic there. But hell, it worked well. She found herself and her sound. She sounds like Kim Gordon from Sonic Youth and creates these intricate post grunge-rock tracks that are introspective and profound. A helluva an album here!

Rating - 8.3

Iceage - New Brigade

-       Stereogum has made the profound statement that Iceage are the saviors of punk rock. Well, Ladies and Gents they may be right. New Brigade rips holes in your ear drums, kick starts your adrenaline rush, and will start many a mosh pit. It is exciting to here a punk rock album that people from all walks of music can like and relate to. Rock out with your Cock out to Iceage's New Brigade!

Rating - 8.4 

Cults - Cults

-       Of all the artists on this blog post Cults have gained the most attention for their fun indie pop ambiance. The duo from Manhattan has been labeled as a crossbreed of Phil Spector and The Kills (Ironic since Phil Spector is a killer). Their self-titled debut album was labeled Best New Music from Pitchfork, a top pick from NME and Under The Radar, and their song “Go Outside” has been labeled “The best Summer Song of 2011” by me. The definitely have what it takes to be great, and they started with this debut album. 

 Rating - 8.4

Washed Out - Within and Without

I was able to see Washed Out in concert last Winter as he opened up for Beach House. Despite the fact that he had not released a full LP he was gaining a lot of momentum in the music world. All of the time and travel came to a culmination on this album. It's ghostly, effervescent sound is slightly limiting, but on this album it is challenging enough to provoke immediate and grand feelings. Of the 5 New Artists I have talked about this is the hardest album to wrap yourself in, but somehow it really draws me in. 

Rating - 8.2

Featured Artist: Austra

Austra

My local Indy radio station is WKNC 88.1 and they are one of the best college radio stations in the nation. They were even nominated for an MTVU Woodie for Best College Radio Station. Not bad! Well, they usually have a band or two that the obsess over each month. A few months ago it was Austra. Soon after hearing a song or two from them, I too began to obsess over them. They are a New Wave band from Canada who have created a dynamic, over-arching sound that mixes elements from electronica, dance and classical music together. They are lead by Katie Stelmanis whose middle name is Austra, which is the Latvian Goddess of Light. That's like if my middle name was Zeus, pretty sweet. The trio is completed by drummer Maya Postepski and bassist Dorian Wolf. Even though the share the workload in writing the music, Stelmanis is at the front and center of everything they do, hence the picture above. 

Their debut album, Feel It Break was released by Domino Records on May 17th of this year. Critical acclaim, fanfare and comparisons followed soon there after. They have everything a successful band needs. A lead singer with a powerful and memorable voice, great rhythmic foundations, monster bridges, and sensational hooks. They sound like Bjork, The Knife and Zola Jesus had a very crazy musical orgy, made a baby and gave all of their best gifts to the child. That is a loud statement to make, but Austra has backed me up already. Feel It Break is simply brilliant! It moves fluidly, it pulls your energy and it tugs on all areas of the mind. Stereogum even had it in the Top 5 of their albums of the First Half of the Year. It will most likely make my Top 10 for the year. Austra will beat your heart to a pulp, beat your brains to mush and your feet will keep dancing all the while!

Check Out These Tracks:

- Beat And The Pulse

- Spellwork

- Shoot the Water

- The Noise 

Featured Artist: Robyn

For Those of you just learning about good music, the above photo is Swedish Popstar Robyn. She had a massive hit about 15 years ago called "Do You Know" and another in 2005 called "With Every Heartbeat". She has won 10 Swedish Grammies, which is a big deal because pop music in Sweden is like County-Western in Nashville. And in 2010 she released Body Talk Pt. 1 and Pt. 2. This was a two part album which had more singles than a strip club! I mean at least 10 of the 16 songs were strong enough to be released on their own. It even made my Top 50 Albums of 2010 list. She won an American Grammy nomination for her single "Dancing On Your Own". I am not a huge fan of the Grammy's for a majority of music genres, but they usually hit the nail on the head for Pop/Dance music.

She is a genuine triple-threat. She can obviously sing and dance, but she was an actor for a while and both her parents are actors. And, I know you are saying, "Kyle, that is great and all, but what about Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Brittany Spears, Usher, or the Black Eyed Peas. Well, this is what sets Robyn apart from all them. She is quintessentially an artist. The rest of them are performers making music. Maybe this will help make my point. If Picasso were a pop artist he would be Robyn. If Penn and Teller were to be pop artists, they would be the Black Eyed Peas. Robyn is only rivaled, in my opinion, by Justin Timberlake. I think she wins by a hair.

Rather then read my babble about my opinions. Watch this video she just put out for her latest single "Call Your Girlfriend". Pitchfork.com had this to say about it, "a true command performance, a hall-of-fame effort from an artist at the absolute peak of her powers." It is one of the greatest 3 and a half minute performances in history. That includes TV and Film. Enjoy!

Review Session: Wild Beasts' Smother

Smother by Wild Beasts

I think most people who listen to indie music have that one band they feel they discovered in some cosmic way. Well, Wild Beasts is mine. I didn't really discover them, but I found a couple of tracks they had released about a year before their debut album Limbo, Panto came out. I thought they were the next movement in indie music with their operatic, steampunk sound. Limbo, Panto was amazing, and their sophomore album Two Dancers was even better. Smother comes out soon, and I gave it a few advanced listens and it is interesting. Most of the tracks are thoughtful, progressive, and sound so damn good. A few are incomplete, but still better than 99% of the bands out there.

Wild Beasts have a sense of elegance you get with bands such as Beirut and Fleet Foxes that hark on elements of music from past centuries. And Smother is a huge move for Wild Beasts in my mind, because Smother is completely different than the first two albums. They use the piano to perfection in song such as "Lion's Share" and "Albatross". Electronics weave their way in and out beautiful, sophisticated lyrics. Hayden Thorpe, known for his atomic falsetto, sticks to high pitches and tones, and Tom Fleming chimes in with his alter-ego masculine voice. The album moves along steadily and is evenly spread, and not too thinly I may add. Smother creates new sensations for me and it feels breathtaking in a small way.

I can see why someone may not like Smother as much. It doesn't have that one phenomenal track like "Devil's Crayon" or "Two Dancers", maybe "Albatross" fits that bill, but I think it has a deeper repertoire. I truly love this album and it has some great nooks and crannies that need discovering. It has some kinks that could have been worked out before hand, but these guys are so good at getting their sound correct. Which is hard to do on your third album with such a distinct sound. If you haven't listened to them before, check out their first two albums first. The progression of Wild Beasts has been joyful and I think their future is bright still.

Rating = 8.5

Review Session: The Blitz

Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes

I read a preview of this album back in March and the thing they emphasized about it was that it was darker and harder than their self-titled debut. Well, I have listened to Helplessness Blues multiple times and all I can think is, "Are they fucking nuts?" It is lighter and softer, minus their own version of Radiohead's National Anthem at the end of "The Shrine/An Argument". This album is simple, delightful and fresh. It is not as evocative as their first album, and they fail to complete some very important thoughts. But it is sweet, compact and makes you ask for more.

Rating = 8.5

Tomboy by Panda Bear

In 2007, Person Pitch had it's knob slobbered all over by Pitchfork, which named it Best Album of the Year and gave "Bros" it's Track of the Year. If you look back to my Top 21 of 2007 IT WASN'T EVEN ON THERE! It was good, I admit, but it is really only three really great songs and 4 really average songs. Not a really good album. Tomboy is different though. It doesn't have any great songs, but all of the songs are really good. I know this isn't a great evaluation, but it is Panda Bear. You expect the same pedal-mushing, voice-overlapping, sonic-booming, heady music that he always does. Tomboy is a complete album, something Noah Lennox is doing for the first time.

Rating = 8.3

Belong by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart

A couple of days after this album dropped I was at the Cat's Cradle watching them play with Twin Shadow. I do not like to listen to a band leading up to their show, so I didn't listen to the new album. However, I made two observations at the show. One, Twin Shadow was amazing (and over shadowed Pains) and Two, Pains' new songs didn't sound great live. So, then I listened to the album and I was truly impressed by it. It didn't matter that the songs weren't all that good live, on an album they were refreshing and guided. They used less power and more finesse. It is more heart-felt and less in your face. Ironically, I felt it did Belong (Get it!).

Rating = 8.3

Goblin by Tyler, the Creator

Awesome, hardcore, pounding, insane, ghetto-fabulous, in-your-face, mind-blowing, disgusting, creative rap music from Odd Future's ringleader!!!

Rating = 7.8

Someone Great: The Final LCD Soundsystem Show

April 2nd, 2011 will live in infamy as the last day LCD Soundsystem ever played a show. I hope it isn't true, but I think it is. Madison Square Garden hosted 25,000 hipsters listening to 3 and half hours of music from one of the greatest bands to ever live. I wish I was there but I at least found the webstream. I have it below for anybody else that wishes to witness the greatness.

Enjoy!

SETLIST
Set 1:
“Dance Yrself Clean”
“Drunk Girls”
“I Can Change
“Time to Get Away”
“Get Innocuous!”
“Daft Punk Is Playing At My House”
“Too Much Love”
“All My Friends”
“Tired”

Set 2:
45:33 Part One
45:33 Part Two (ft. Reggie Watts)
“Sound of Silver”
45:33 Part Four
45:33 Part Five (ft. Shit Robot)
45:33 Part Six
“Freak Out/Starry Eyes”

Set 3:
“Us V. Them”
“North American Scum” (ft. Régine Chassagne, Win Butler, and Will Butler of Arcade Fire)
“Bye Bye Bayou” (Alan Vega cover)
“You Wanted A Hit”
“Tribulations”
“Movement”
“Yeah”

Encore 1:
“Someone Great”
“Losing My Edge”
“Home”

Encore 2:
“All I Want”
“Jump Into The Fire” (Harry Nilsson cover)
“New York, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down”

When someone great is gone. We're safe, for the moment. Saved, for the moment.

Thanks LCD!

Featured Artist: The Joy Formidable

The Joy Formidable

The Joy Formidable are very different than the other bands I usually feature. For one, their Welch. Despite that, the big reason they are so different is because I fully expect them to be selling out Millennium Stadium in Cardiff some day, which they opened for Paul McCartney at in 2010. These guys are going to be huge. How do I know? Well, the have the same exact epic, power-pop, three-piece formula Muse has except The Joy Formidable is talented!

Formed in 2007 by Ritzy Bryan (Vocals and Guitar), Rhydian Dafydd (Bass), and Matt Thomas (Drums), The Joy Formidable have earned comparisons to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The Besnard Lakes. They have toured the world, played Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds Festivals, and named to many "Watch" lists. All on the strength on their debut album titled The Big Roar. And may I say that this is one of the most appropriately titled albums ever! It is a ruckus of loud, powerful, sensational tracks. Epic in nature and delightful in passing The Big Roar is a fine album that shows future promise of this threesome. But the biggest reason I think they will be so big is because of their live shows.

They are spirited, vigorous and most importantly fun. They were in Durham last week and as much as I wanted to see them, I just wasn't feeling well enough to go. I know I missed out because of the first hand accounts of the show that I read about or talked to people about gave them an A+. Here is a video that somewhat represents what i am talking about. The sound quality isn't great, but you get the gist.

Anyways, check out the album, and listen to them before they sell out. The music is great, but not the typical indie rock that I listen to. Which makes it a little more special.

Tracks to Check Out:

- Whirring

- The Greatest Light Is The Greatest Shade

- A Heavy Abacus

- The Everchanging Spectrum Of A Lie

Thom Yorke Live DJ Set

On Wednesday, March 9th Thom Yorke made a surprise live appearance at an L.A. club called Low End Theory. He DJed for a little while, did some more of his awesome dances and left. It wasn't announced, it wasn't planned, but it was awesome! Here's some video from it:

Thom Yorke Live DJ Set @ Low End Theory LA 3.9.11 from Theo Jemison on Vimeo.

Review Session: Radiohead's The King of Limbs

The King of Limbs by Radiohead

I know the music world may not have been shocked by what Radiohead did the other week with their surprise release of their new album The King of Limbs. However, I believe the surprise was in the album itself. It has only 8 tracks, the least amount they've had on an album. It is less than 38 minutes long, their shortest album. It is more complex than a regular Radiohead album, which is saying something. But the biggest shock of them all is that for once, it isn't getting great reviews.

Usually, anything Radiohead does is met with bold critical acclaim, praise from the indie world and Pitchfork on it's knees in worship. Pitchfork gave it a 7.9, the lowest score they have ever given Radiohead. This time, The King of Limbs hasn't gotten that preferential treatment or the articles discussing whether or not it is the best album of the year. It hasn't made a movement of new fans sweeping into indie stores and picking up all their hits (as of yet). And for this, I applaud Radiohead. This album is made for the die-hard "Radioheads", that don't just buy their music because it's Radiohead, but because it's good fucking music. And The King of Limbs is fucking good!

It took me about three days and between 12-15 listens before I could feel it getting to me. It has taken me even longer to get this blog post out because I am still discovering new things about this album. New twangs and drips, new structures and lyrics, new stuff I didn't know Radiohead could or would ever do. This will not go down as their greatest album, not even top 5, but in my mind it is their greatest present to their truest of fans.

The King of Limbs starts with a heady beat that builds it's title track "Bloom" into an anthropic journey of nature, discovery and one's self. Yes, it is deep ... very deep. The next track, "Morning Mr. Magpie" is the heaviest of the sounds brought to us on the album, but it reality it is quite a bit lighter than Radiohead has been in the past. The track has a stringy bassline, steady rhythms and organic vocals from Thom Yorke. Then comes "Little By Little". This is the prized track on the album. It reminds me of something off of Amnesiac, but I cannot put my finger on it. This followed quickly by the experimental and instrumental "Feral". I have heard people say this is the worst song on the album and people say it is magnificent. I tend to think it leans more to the magnificent side. It has moxy and balls, and I like that out of Radiohead.

The second half of the album starts with "Lotus Flower", which changes it's flow up and down, in and out. It hardens and softens at the most appropriate times. The music video actually makes it better. "Codex" follows and definitely reminds me of a more advanced version of "Sail To The Moon". The seventh track on the album is "Give Up The Ghost", which is gorgeous! It is sad, haunting, and simple. Three things that make beautiful songs. The final track on this album is the most sophisticated, vivid track that Radiohead may have ever done. Remember they've done tracks like "Paranoid Android", "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" and "2+2=5". It is a potent ending to a potent album.

My rating will most likely be higher than most, and I do not know if I am being ridiculous, but I love it. The King of Limbs is a triumph for Radiohead. Again, they made music how they wanted to and no one can fault them for it. If no one else in the world liked it, at least I did.

Rating = 8.6

Featured Artist: James Blake

James Blake

At the age of 21 James Blake has released 4 succesful EPs and 1 incredibly well recieved LP. He's been listed in Pitchfork's Top 50 Albums (#8) and Top 50 Tracks (#8) of 2010. He's been named to BBC's Sound of 2011 list (#2), made an ingenious cover of Feist's "Limit To Your Love", and come in runner-up for the BRIT Awards Critic's Choice. Did I mention he is only 21? If I'm honest James Blake is the son of the new revolution in music... Minimalism! His songs are simple yet satisfying, deep but not at first glance, careful yet powerful. His music is just sexy (I didn't say he was, I said his music was).

Blake takes on a new approach to music. He makes tons and tons of it and choose's what he likes best and then takes it apart until it's just skin and bones. His debut self-titled, full-length album was given a 9.0 by Pitchfork and multiple 5 star awards from various media outlets. I even gave it a 9.0 in my rankings, which is usually a little lower than Pitchfork's. It is that good. It actually reminds me of The xx's album in 2009 because on the first listen you think, "This is good, but what's all the fuss?" Then you listen to it more and the songs get ingrained in your head and you can listen for the wierd little moments in his songs where he drops a beat for all of 3 seconds. And in those 3 seconds with no words, you realize that a lot is being said. He is a magician the way he fools the listener into believing there is more there than there really is. Just check it out and you will know what I'm talking about. Oh, and man can he sing!

Tracks to Check Out:

- Limit to your Love (Feist Cover)

- Wilhelm's Scream

- I Only Know (What I know Now)

- Measurements

Review Session: The Blitz

Smith Westerns - Dye It Blonde

Now that I am getting a little older and have seen some bands develop, I have seen a pattern in how bands should and do develop. Smith Westerns are no different. They came out with a youthful, less produced album that made some headway into the music scene. On their next album, Dye It Blonde, they grew up a little and made a mature, fuller sounding album. It is less lo-fi and more lo-tide. It is more fragile in most places, like a freshly frozen lake that still has points of danger that you can break through and drown in. I am admittedly not a huge fan of their sound, but I respect it. Dye It Blonde is more evolved and meaningful. Pitchfork received it well and I will follow suit.

Rating = 8.2

Iron & Wine - Kiss Each Other Clean

Most people know Iron & Wine as a twangy, guitar-picking, soft-folk band, but with 2007's The Shepherd's Dog, Sam Beam turned it up a notch. He added a few more instruments and a lot more umph. Well, with Kiss Each Other Clean he tried to go even further with the development of Iron & Wine's sound. It was a big risk-reward attempt, and I think he came up a little short. While the album is good and very enjoyable it has no breakthrough on any level. The lyrics do not really pull me in any direction, the sound is simple and a little dry, but worst of all it does not seem original. Beam is so good at making a song sound his own. On Kiss Each Other Clean it sounds like he got the music from someone else.

Rating = 7.5

The Decemberists - The King Is Dead

I think when a band is as accomplished as The Decemberists they begin to just make music that makes them happy. No risks, no darkness, no drab. Only the great bands are able to keep those things alive that make great albums. On The King Is Dead, The Decemberists just make good, safe music. To be honest with you, I think it was the right move. Their last album, the god-awful Hazards of Love was a bomb of an album. They needed to make an album that proved that good music was still in them and they did. They actually had the #1 album on the Billboard 200 after one week of being on sale. That is pretty awesome if you ask me. So, just a review of this review, The King Is Dead is safe, is good, and it proves "The Decemberists Are Alive".

Rating = 7.4

Karkwa - Les Chemins De Verre

This francophone French-Canadian band released this album last year, but I just got around to listening to it and well... it's amazing. If you go back and check my albums of the year, you will see it slipped into the Top 50 after a little reworking. The album is full of life and exuberance in most places, and in between it is reserved and focused. The band has been around since 1998 and this is their moment. Les Chemins De Verre (and yes I remember my french, it means "The Glass Paths") was shortlisted for the Polaris Prize in 2010 and it eventually beat out the likes of Owen Pallet, Caribou and Broken Social Scene for the win. I had not heard of the album or the band until it won, so I wanted to share them with everyone because they are an experience to listen to and they come highly recommended from me.

Rating = 8.5

Top Films and Awards 2010

Top Films of 2010:

10. Of Gods and Men

9. Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows Part 1

8. Inception

7. The Fighter

6. Animal Kingdom

5. Winter's Bone

4. The Social Network

3. The Kids Are All Right

2. The King's Speech

1. Black Swan

Awards:

Best Actor - Colin Firth for The King's Speech

Best Actress - Natalie Portman for Black Swan

Best Director - Darren Aronofsky for Black Swan

Best Supporting Actor - Christian Bale for The Fighter

Best Supporting Actress - Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom

Best Screenplay - Mark Heyman for Black Swan