My Top Albums of 2010: Number 1

Erland & The Carnival – Erland & The Carnival

A seamless blend of 60’s garage-influenced compositions & psychedelic interpretations of traditional folk songs, Erland & The Carnival prove that modern folk music has less to do with acoustic guitars, meek dispositions, beards & woolly jumpers & more about what kind of musical tale you can spin. Orkney born frontman Erland Cooper, guitarist Simon Tong (The Verve & The Good, The Bad & The Queen) & drummer David Nock ( The Firemen, Paul McCartney’s band) treat folk history like a jumble sale to be picked from at will, with the result being both raucous & tuneful & breathing new life into a much neglected genre. Swinging from quiet seduction & folk-tinged ballads one minute to psychedelic swagger with a seedy underbelly the next, there is a definite retro feel to proceedings which is executed perfectly & manages to fall on the right side of parody. ‘E&TC’ is an accomplished & eloquent debut album, using literary and musical references to create moments that are at once familiar & unique. There are some albums that are discovered like treasure, hidden away & listened to in private. Then there are others that need to be shared with the world, played loud on the car stereo for all to hear. This is one of them.

Erland & The Carnival - Love is a Killing Thing

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 2

Paul Weller – Wake Up The Nation

A collection of ludicrously fresh-sounding, short & sharp material, ‘Wake Up The Nation’ confirms that Paul Weller is in the midst of a seriously impressive rebirth. Sounding every bit as urgent & angry as he was in his days with The Jam, the anthemic moments are brilliantly sequenced among esoteric oddities. The songs are homely & familiar, but Weller’s delivery (he made up many of the lyrics on the spot) is gloriously imperfect, lending a remarkably youthful & frankly often drunk-sounding edge to proceedings. Its relentless vigour is exhausting, but within its grimy kaleidoscope Weller strikes gold all over again with lyrical acuteness and tunes, pushing his blend of classic British Beat, Mod, Funk & R&B.

Paul Weller - Trees

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 3

The Len Price 3 – Pictures

With influences firmly rooted in the 60’s, 2010 sees The Len Price 3 (none of the band are called Len Price, although there are 3 of them) proudly play the role of keepers of the garage flame, a self-formed society preserving rock ‘n’ roll instead of birthing it. Charging headlong into everything in a meaty, big & bouncy fashion, ‘Pictures’ echoes The Who & The Kinks by merging dark themes with upbeat tunes & a healthy dose of cynicism. OK, there’s nothing new here, but if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery then TLP3 succeed in honouring a rich musical heritage.

The Len Price 3 - Mr. Grey

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 4

Tony Da Gatorra vs Gruff Rhys – The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness

A ramshackle beast of an album largely informed by the tension between the pair’s differing psychedelic & cultural viewpoints, legend has us believe ‘The Terror Of Cosmic Loneliness’ was recorded in 5 hours & mixed in 12. Combining Gruff Rhys’ habitual dreamy Welsh melodicism with Tony Da Gatorra’s edgy, paranoiac slice of unusually focused Brazilian garage pop, this is not always an easy album to listen to. However, the unstructured & spontaneous, rhythmic & hypnotic songs make up an undoubtedly fascinating psychedelic album.

Tony Da Gatorra vs Gruff Rhys - In a House With No Mirrors (You'll Never Get Old)

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 5

The Black Angels – Phosphene Dream

A band seemingly obsessed by drugs & the seedier side of the 60’s, The Black Angels’ third album ‘Phosphene Dream’ lightens the mood set by previous albums, with shorter & less oppressive songs hinting they’ve distilled the finer elements of their ‘Nuggets’ influences into an altogether more palatable & less drone like sound. Yes, the influences are obvious, but this album shows the band adopting a welcome fresh take on the neo-Psychedelic movement of which they're at the forefront.

The Black Angels - Bad Vibrations

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 6

Ocean Colour Scene – Saturday

The ninth studio album of a 21-year career sees Ocean Colour Scene apparently make a fresh start with only the faintest nod to the past but with no fear or regret, simply an assurance that however good it was then it’s even better now. Simon Fowler’s vocals are as soulful & mighty as ever, being both heartfelt & assured, while Steve Cradock’s guitar playing continues to prove why The Modfather has so much faith in him as his live sidekick. Big, bold & beautiful, there’s plenty of life left in this Scene.

Ocean Colour Scene - Just a Little Bit of Love

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 7

LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening

Slated as the final album to be released under the LCD Soundsystem moniker (“I never intended this to be a professional band” once said head honcho James Murphy), ‘This Is Happening’ continues the stream of consciousness rants against backdrops of twitchy guitars & flanged hi-hats that the previous two albums developed. Despite often being plagued by doubts about ageing ungracefully on the dancefloor, this is a simultaneously subdued & euphoric album by a man facing the future with confidence.

LCD Soundsystem - Drunk Girls

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 8

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse – Dark Night Of The Soul

A collaborative project that became a posthumous official release following the suicide of Mark Linkous, aka Sparklehorse, & with a cast (including Iggy ‘I’m a mix of God & monkey’ Pop, Julian Casablancas, Wayne Coyne, Jason Lytle & Gruff Rhys) reading like a fantasy pop group, ‘Dark Night Of The Soul’ is a playful yet haunted album. However, despite each collaborator bringing their own individual feel to proceedings, this essentially remains a Sparklehorse album & is a fitting epitaph to Linkous’ unique talents.

Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse (feat. Wayne Coyne) - Revenge

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 9

Engineers – In Praise Of More

Combining a heady blend of shoegaze, electronica & psychedelia, coupled with the addition of remix guru & respected solo artist Ulrich Schnauss as permanent keyboard player, Engineers’ third album ‘In Praise Of More’ initially shakes the listener out of their usual dreampop slumber before reverting to previous form & heading off into something akin to a thoroughly enjoyable, colourful & eventful coma. Somewhat gentler in approach to both previous albums, Engineers nonetheless roar, buzz & scream within their multilayered atmosphere.

Engineers - What It's Worth

My Top Albums of 2010: Number 10

North Atlantic Oscillation – Grappling Hooks

Named after a fluctuating change in the atmospheric pressure differential that exists between the Icelandic Low & Azores High, North Atlantic Oscillation are a Scottish prog-pop / electro-rock trio who describe themselves as “playing instruments within a computerized wall of sound”. Zane Lowe’s album of the week upon release, NAO’s debut album ‘Grappling Hooks’ is a subtle yet powerful blend of soaring harmonies, loud guitars, dreamlike synths, heavy drums & strange effects here, there & everywhere.

North Atlantic Oscillation - Drawing Maps from Memory