As the year comes to a close, Tim Lambourne, David Farrier, the music loving 3news.co.nz team and their friends look back at 2010's great music.
This diverse group of music lovers have each provided a top five album list for the year, resulting in a very eclectic mix of sounds. Please note all of the lists are in no particular order.
Tim Lambourne – 3 News
The Black Keys – Brothers
This album blew me away from the very first listen. The Black Keys are known for their simple but epic blues rock approach, but on this album they brought back producer Dangermouse who injects a healthy dose of soul. Dan Auerbach's voice is more than up to the challenge. Highlights include ‘Next Girl’ which stomps all over your face and ‘Too Afraid To Love You’. Their best album and the best album this year.
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
It doesn't matter if you hate Kanye (I'm looking at you @3entertainment), it doesn't matter if you love Kanye, the only thing that matters is his music. West took some of the biggest names in hip hop and a lumberjack from Wisconsin to Hawaii to write raps and record beats; it paid off. Highlights include ‘Lost In The World’ and ‘Monster’. MBDTF takes everything Kanye has done before (Including 808's) and mashes it together to create something much bigger than the sum of its parts.
Foals - Total Life Forever
This album is responsible for my favourite song from 2010.’Spanish Sahara’ is haunting and beautiful. A seven minute epic with an equally gorgeous video clip. As a whole Total Life Forever is a great listen, especially good on the road.
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Granted this album isn't as good as Sound of Silver, however even without ‘All My Friends’ and ‘Someone Great’ this record is still frighteningly good. ‘Dance Yrself Clean’ was a top contender for my song of the year with equal doses of James Murphy's self-aware critiques and endearing waling.
Wait What - The Notorious xx
The best mash-up I've ever heard. San Francisco producer slows down and speeds up The xx's beautiful debut album, then throws Biggie and the gang all over it. It works amazingly well. You must listen to it – download here.
David Farrier – 3 News pop culture reporter
Justin Bieber - My World
Love him or hate him, you HAVE to love him a little bit. This album has been released three times now, with different versions. Surely that must mean it's good. Solid, catchy pop from someone ahead of every other 16-year-old in the game.
Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Fantasy
I'm with Pitchfork on this (for once): 10/10. This album is a total ride. It's vulgar, catchy, and Kanye at his best. It's no ‘Jesus Walks’, but we haven't heard anything like this this year (or ever, probably) and that makes it an album of the year.
Eminem – Recovery
This makes up for Relapse. No one else can talk or rhyme as fast as this man. Every word clear, precise, cutting, wonderful.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Social Network Soundtrack
This is the soundtrack of the year. Think of it like Nine Inch Nails' Ghosts I-IV album - but better. Whereas Ghosts had beautiful tracks, they often meandered into nothingness. The Social Network Soundtrack is a much more rewarding listen. Turn it up loud.
Deftones - Diamond Eyes
They've struggled, this band, but this is nothing but a triumphant return to form. Their best since White Pony. Looking forward to seeing them at the Big Day Out 2010.
Paul 'The Axeman" Martin - Devilskin / The Axe Attack
Parkway Drive -Deep Blue
A monster album that shows the band is a metal juggernaut. Each track rips meat off your bones and is a natural and very real progression from their earlier work. We know they deliver the goods live too. Its runaway success worldwide is testament to the bands strength.
Megadeth - Rust In Peace Live
One of the best bands in metal with arguably their finest best album performed live as well as some essential Deth classics. Dave Mustaine is on top of things again. The playing, performance and production are all outstanding. An awesome example of a band giving the audience exactly what they want.
Exodus - Exhibit B: The Human Condition
One of the original thrash bands prove they still have it, no compromise, no radio singles just pure unadulterated thrash metal. Great riffs, huge songs and just the right attitude. Fat from start to finish! Exciting and vicious, how could any self respecting metaller not embrace this!
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2
Is there nothing Rob Zombie cannot do? A sick and twisted look into the inner workings of a genius here. Well layered with just the right amount of groove, grit and sleaze and a little bit of something for everyone.
Avenged Sevenfold -Nightmare
I liked this after the first listen. The awesome guitar work floors me. But after my son Nic had played it for the 300th time one day, I realised just how big and complex this album is. Even more poignant due to the fact they lost their drummer The Rev. A great tribute to him and an outstanding collection of songs.
Phillip Bell – Rip It Up editor
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Nicki Minaj - Pink Friday
Violens – Amoral
Street Chant – Means
Ladi6 - The Liberation Of...
Daniel Rutledge – 3news.co.nz entertainment editor
Metallica – Six Feet Down Under Part II
This is actually called an EP but at nearly 60 minutes it’s pretty much an album. It contains a fan-decided playlist of the best Metallica tracks performed at this year’s Australasian leg of the World Magnetic tour. Hence it's the best CD released in 2010, of course.
Daft Punk – Tron Legacy Soundtrack
Thomas Bangalter, half of Daft Punk, did some amazing things on the Irreversible soundtrack. Here the French duo combine classical film score elements with their ultra-digital sounds for a very powerful and extremely cool album.
Megadeth – Rust In Peace Live
One of the best thrash metal albums ever released, performed in its entirety live 20 years later. With a couple of classics from other albums thrown on for good measure. And a second disc which is a DVD of the whole thing. Awesome.
Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – The Social Network Soundtrack
A lot of NIN music is pretty good, but Reznor’s crappy vocals often mess it up. Rest assured he doesn’t sing on any of the tracks for this incredible film’s soundtrack, and it’s some of his best production work ever.
DragonForce – Twilight Dementia
My favourite new-ish band haven’t had an album out since 2008 and aren’t likely to put one out in a hurry as they’re still missing a singer. This live album isn’t as good as the ridiculously well perfected, unbelievably hi-fi studio works… but it still is amazing.
Riccardo Ball – The Rock programmer
The Sword - Warp Riders
Fear Factory - Fear Campaign
Shihad – Ignite
Rob Zombie - Hellbilly Deluxe 2
Just One Fix - Blood Horizon
Tony ‘Tunes’ Stamp – bFM
Charlotte Gainsbourg – IRM
Between this and her work in the amazing Antichrist, I'm pretty much in love with Ms Gainsbourg. After suffering a brain haemorrhage she enlisted Beck to co-write and produce an album about the experience, and it's sublime.
The Radio Department - Clinging To A Scheme
Pop music from Sweden. This apparently took ages to finish, and it really shows- each song has its own production touches, everything in its right place. Precise, bittersweet, lovely.
Sleigh Bells – Treats
RnB beats, with guitars, recorded way too hot and consequently digitally distorted to fuck. And a school teacher singing some sugary hooks. Nothing got my pulse racing more this year. When I heard this I was like 'Fuck, this shit is the future'.
Chikita Violenta - Tre3s
These guys are from Mexico and this is the most underrated album of the year. Everyone ignored it and it's impeccable. Every song is a hit. Every song makes me feel good.
Future Islands – Undressed
Usually an electro pop band I thought was ok-ish, Future Islands recorded 4 songs at a radio station with all acoustic instruments, and all of a sudden their songs sound amazing. Sort of world weary and beautiful. In this context the singer’s voice is extraordinary.
Daryl Fincham – Undertheradar.co.nz
Die! Die! Die! - Form
Liars - Sisterworld
Operation Rolling Thunder - III
Sharpie Crows - Golf Course/Mass Grave
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM
Dan Satherley – 3news.co.nz / Radio Over Moscow
MGMT – Congratulations
MGMT delivered a textbook 'difficult second album', forgetting to write any hit singles. Thankfully, they also forgot to just make a carbon copy of their first, instead upping the game with a record that at first dumbfounds the listener, then bewilders and finally, simply confuses. Nope, it never makes any sense, yet is the year's best; a messy, indulgent-yet-magnificent sprawl posers like Kanye West could only dream of making.
Devo - Something for Everybody
On record, Devo have sucked far longer than they ruled. Before Something for Everybody, they hadn't made a decent record since 1982's Oh No, which was only four years after their groundbreaking debut. Still, they packed so much innovation into that blink of time it's taken the world – and Devo themselves – three decades to catch up. Thankfully, their return from the wilderness was an unqualified success, and 'What We Do' their best song since 'Whip It'.
Divine Comedy - Bang Goes the Knighthood
I'm not aware of any other artist who's written a song about the recession, and got it so right. The Divine Comedy's 'The Complete Banker', with lyrics like, 'So I caused the second great depression, what can I say? / I guess I got a bit carried away', and, 'I'm a conscience free, malignant cancer on society / And one day you'll let your guard down / And I'll come 'round again', is good enough on its own to elevate the album onto any end-of-year list.
Paul Weller - Wake up the Nation
Paul Weller has been so boring for so long, so it was something of a shock to hear him stumble across a set of songs so instantly memorable, so short and sharp, yet heading off in a thousand different directions. Soul, punk, electronica, folk and motown are all fair game, often in the same song. Wake up the Career, more like.
Manics - Postcards from a Young Man
The Manics, despite their contrary, restless nature, have settled into something of a comfortable middle age. Playing to their post-Richey strengths, Postcards disregards the slash-n-burn, raucous nature of 2009's Journal for Plague Lovers, instead updating their Everything Must Go / This Is My Truth… sound for the modern age. Musically it's all epic strings and big pianos, and Nicky Wire's best set of words since Everything.
Hannah Sarney - 95bFM Jukebox Parlour / 3news.co.nz
Street Chant – Means
The Ruby Suns – Fight Softly
Janelle Monae - The Archandroid
BARB – BARB
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
James Murray – 3news.co.nz chief editor
Gonjasufi - A Sufi and a Killer
The Fall - Your Future Our Clutter
Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Cosmogramma - Flying Lotus
LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening
Chris Whitworth – 3news.co.nz
J. Cole – Friday Night Lights (mixtape)
This guys drops mixtapes that sound like albums, easily most anticipated artist of 2011.
The Roots – How I Got Over
Best Roots album in years, moody, jazzy and uplifiting
Nas and Damien Marley – Distant Relatives
Perfect collaboration. Nas spitting best rhymes since Stillmatic.
Reflection Eternal (Talib Kweli & Hi-Tek) - Revolutions Per Minute
Return of the Talib/ Hi-Tek collaboration. Best Talib album since original Reflection Eternal, Train of Thought.
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
Kanye back on his game (and rapping again). Solid album from start to finish.
The team at 3news.co.nz wishes everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year filled with great music.
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