Archive
* Favorite Vocal Albums of 2010 *
Disclaimer: No, I haven’t heard all 8,000+albums released this year. I’ve heard about 120 of them, which makes me at least 98.5% likely to be wrong. I make no claims to objectivity. These albums are my favorites from 2010. You might think that the one you’ve heard that I haven’t heard is the best album of 2010. And you might be right. And, I while I generally agree with John Roderick about Year-End Lists, I still find it quite fun to compile my own.
I’ve been buying less music… or, at least a lot less mainstream (major label) music. This is also my third year now that I bought more instrumental CDs than vocal CDs. I think as I get older, I am drawn more towards jazz and other instrumental forms of expression. For that reason, the favorite vocal albums list goes first this go ’round. Hopefully my spilling out of music that I like finds interest with someone else. But if not, thanks for stopping by… check out the artists’ webpages, SpaceBook & MyFace pages, yadda yadda yadda. A lot of these also made it on to my 2010 Mix CD.
OK, now on to the best of what’s hit my ears this year…
Honorable Mentions: Finger Eleven‘s Life Turns Electric, Gnashing of Teeth‘s Walking the Appian Way, Kaki King‘s Junior, Kim Taylor‘s Little Miracle (out late Dec ’09 digitally), and That1Guy & the Magic Pipe‘s Packs A Wallop!…
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Top 20 instrumental albums coming up later this week…
My Other Favorites of 2010 Recaps:
ha’fway 2010
Happy 234th birthday, United States!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So, here are my faves of the first half of 2010… it’s all bound to switch around by year’s end:
Artist – Album (label)
- Holy Fuck – Latin (Young Turks)
- Jónsi – Go (XL)
- Mike Patton – Mondo Cane (Ipecac)
- Ellery – This Isn’t Over Yet (Set Adrift)
- Charlie Hunter – Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You You Will Not Be Getting Paid (Spire Artist Media)
- George Hrab – Trebuchet (Geologic)
- Damien Jurado – Saint Bartlett (Secretly Canadian)
- AutorYno – Pastrami Bagel Social Club (Tzadik)
- Clogs (with Shara Worden & Sufjan Stevens) – The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton (Brassland)
- Tin Hat – Foreign Legion (BAG Production)
- The Dreamers play John Zorn‘s Masada Book Two: Ipos, Book of Angels, Vol. 14 (Tzadik)
- Charlotte Gainsbourg & Beck – IRM (Elektra)
- Kaki King – Junior (Rounder)
- Jeanne Cherhal – Charade (Barclay)
- Loose Grip – Looking Glass (Fabrikant)
I didn’t get a few that already came out this year (yet)… the new Chali 2Na, David Cross, Hiromi, Johnny Cash, Beak>, et cetera; but they may make it to the list at the end of the year.
The 2nd half of 2010 promises to bring some potential great ones, too… a few more from John Zorn, Nellie McKay (in the fall), Over the Rhine‘s new one (or maybe that’s early 2011), Zero 7‘s new one, Secret Chiefs 3 Book of Souls (maybe), a new Sufjan Stevens (just speculating, I know he’s working on one), Ani DiFranco always has something coming out, Dave Douglas’ Spark of Being (Trilogy), probably something from one of Mike Patton‘s other bands, and I’m sure another dozen or more that I’ll dig from Tzadik.
Favorite concerts of 2010 (so far):
- Dave Douglas’ Brass Ecstasy – PDX Jazz Fest, Portland, Feb 28th
- Tegan & Sara – Keller Auditorium, Portland, Apr 8th
- Jónsi – Roseland Theater, Portland, Apr 13th
- Kaki King – CD World, Eugene, May 16th
- Holy Fuck – Mississippi Studios, Portland, June 6th
- Zappa Plays Zappa – McDonald Theatre, Eugene, June 12th
- Pink Martini – Oregon Bach Festival, Eugene, June 26th(click pictures below for review links)
Clogs & Shara Worden on WNYC
Clogs with Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) hit the WNYC studio. The WNYC Soundcheck podcast (from March 23, 2010) features interviews with Clogs’ Padma Newsome and Bryce Dessner (also of The National), and songs with Shara Worden on vocals. You can also subscribe to the podcast via iTunes (for free).
The new album, The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, is out now. Click the picture for Amazon options…
~Dan – np: Dave Holland Octet – Pathways
no free download torrent or mp3 here… if you like music, buy it!
Clogs w/ Sufjan & Shara
I got a chance to see Shara Worden (aka My Brightest Diamond) and her singing debut with Clogs back in April 2007 at MusicNOW Fest in Cincinnati. I’m stoked that this album is finally hitting the shelves with Sufjan Stevens and OSSO, too…
When he’s not crafting epic indie rock in The National, Bryce Dessner teams up with Australian composer Padma Newsome to record hushed, intimate chamber-folk in the ensemble Clogs.
On March 2, Clogs will release their fifth album, the Newsome-composed song cycle The Creatures in the Garden of Lady Walton, via Brassland. My Brightest Diamond’s Shara Worden sings on six of the album’s 10 songs, and Sufjan Stevens and National singer Matt Berninger contribute one guest vocal each. The Sufjan-affiliated string quartet Osso also contribute.
Read the rest on Pitchfork