Detail of the cover illustration of Frederick Arnold Kummer's Ladies in Hades, 1928
Two more entries in my Top 25 after this - I'll do the top five on Monday except for my #1 favorite album of 2010, which will get its own write-up on Tuesday. Then I think I'll probably take the rest of the week off, and start fresh in 2011.
#10 High Violet by the National (4AD)
It says a lot about the National that I was initially disappointed with High Violet, but they ended up in my Top 10 anyway. My bad first impression of the record had a lot to do with the album's murky opener "Terrible Love", which didn't live up to live versions I'd previously heard. That track still bothers me - they would have done better by using the alternate version included in the expanded release of the album - but there are half a dozen tracks here that are as good as anything they've done. (here.)
"Bloodbuzz Ohio" by the National
#9 Contra by Vampire Weekend (XL Recordings)
It may see seem an odd thing to question the broad appeal of Vampire Weekend, seeing how Contra went to #1 on the Billboard chart. But many Vampire Weekend songs ("Horchata", "California English", "Diplomat's Son") really come from a particular point of view, one that very few people have experienced first-hand (me included, although I might understand it better than some.) Is it socially aspirational music fandom, or are the hooks and melodies just that good? I tend to believe it's the latter. (Original review here.)
"Giving Up Your Gun" by Vampire Weekend
#8 Innerspeaker by Tame Impala (Modular Recordings)
I was at the record store the other day, and this album was playing over the PA - it just made me instantly happy. A lot of "retro" rock has to be applied to specific situations and contexts to be listenable, but the spacey psych-rock of Tame Impala's Innerspeaker doesn't work that way. I don't want to use the word "transcends" (or "transcendent"), but that's really how these songs feel to me. (Original review here.)
"Lucidity" by Tame Impala
#7 Majesty Shredding by Superchunk (Merge Records)
As a highly neurotic person, all my music tastes are governed by rules, and one of my rules is that you buy the albums from a band's peak years only - never sully your enjoyment of those best albums by dabbling in their later "downhill" material. Somehow, this rule doesn't apply to bands I've been following since my youth, though, which is why I have half a dozen mediocre REM albums on my bookshelf. But it's worth it for the occasional album like Majesty Shredding, and album that justifies years of fandom, ignoring chronology completely and delivering amazing energy, freshness, and top-notch songwriting. (Original review here.)
"Digging for Something" by Superchunk
#6 Treats by Sleigh Bells (Mom + Pop Records)
I'm noticing that my write-ups today are becoming increasingly long-winded and tedious. Luckily, I don't have a treatise to write about Treats - it is what its title says. In under half an hour, Sleigh Bells delivers a non-stop sugar rush of trashy guitar hooks, sing-song melodies, and blown-out drum-machine beats. My tastes don't always skew toward "fun" music, but Treats is the most "fun" I've had with a record this year. (Original review here.)
"Tell 'Em" by Sleigh Bells
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