2010 in Music
I bought more new releases this year than I have in recent years. Of all those new releases there were 12 albums that I really spent a lot of time with. Of those 12 there are 4 that I couldn’t grow to love as whole albums despite my best efforts but which have a few songs that I really do love. Of the remaining 8 there are 4 that have earned a place in the “frequently visited” catalogue. They’re really good albums that I know I’ll listen to again and again in the future. That leaves 4 albums released in 2010 that I just unabashedly love.
I’m not sure I can accurately pick one album to be my favorite of the year. They are 4 very different styles and are meaningful to me in different ways. So instead of picking one favorite here’s the four:
El Turista – Josh Rouse
My love affair with Josh Rouse goes back to B’s fourth year in medical school when she was interviewing at residency programs. While she was off interviewing at Baptist Hospital in Nashville I was browsing Tower Records that I think was on East End Avenue. On a whim I picked up Home and it became one of my favorite records. I’ve loved almost every one of his albums since then (and pre-Home stuff as well) but El Turista is extra special.
Rouse relocated to Spain a few years ago and his last few albums have reflected that change of place, pace and language but none as much as El Turista. From the very first strains of the bass on the instrumental “Bienvenido” this record sets a mood. It’s a laid back Sunday brunch, lazy afternoon reading a book in the yard kind of mood for the most part. “Cotton Eye Joe” is the exception and like my other favorite Rouse songs it plucks that one emotional thread that runs between my heart and my head with my melancholy riding back and forth like a subway car. On the flip side “I Will Live on Islands” just makes me happy, it just makes me smile.
Until maybe 6 weeks ago I was certain this was hands down my favorite record of the year.
High Violet – The National
Speaking of my melancholy High Violet certainly is a perfect album to ride it out with. The deep voice of the lead singer, the really interesting and poetic lyrics and the tempo of the album all make it a great listen when the tone of the conversations in my head are less than sunny.
My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy – Kanye West
So much has been written about this album I need not spill much more ink on it. I’ll just say that it’s an uneasy contradiction for me to love this record when I feel so uncomfortable with much of this record’s lyrical content, in particular the way women are referred to and portrayed. But musically it is a power house. The horns on “All Of The Lights” alone are worth the price of admission.
Music more than any other art form can just make me feel. I’ve spoken before about how Cantorial music touched my very soul from the first time I heard it and still does to this day. Even before I knew a word of Hebrew the emotion in the singing/chanting cut through the limitations of language.
The last three minutes of “Runaway” are almost devoid of lyrics but tell an emotional story nonetheless and I ride those emotions out every time I hear it. And “Lost in the World” with Bon Iver? Damn.
Back to the lyrics for a minute. Even with my discomfort I have to acknowledge the brilliance of Yeezy’s rhyming. Verses like:
restraining order, can’t see my daughter
her mother, brother grandmother hate me in that order
are nothing if not catchy and greedy for the listener’s attention. I also take the title of the album at face value and think that Kanye is playing two, sometimes three, different characters in each song and that the stuff that’s really distasteful to me is coming from the “Monster” character living out dark fantasies.
Sigh No More – Mumford and Sons
I slept on Mumford and Sons for a long while for a really dumb reason. The style is very American folk/alt-country but the obvious English accent of the lead singer created a sort of dissonance that I didn’t really want to deal with. So every time I read a rave review I’d give it my best “Meh.”
Finally one day in early December Amazon MP3 had the album on sale for $5 so I said “I’ma give it a shot.” After a few spins I said “you’re so daft Michelle!” because this is an amazing record. Musically it’s right up my alley of course but lyrically is where this album sealed the deal with me.
“Corrupted by the simple sniff of riches blown
I know you have felt much more love than you’ve shown
And I’m on my knees and the water creeps to my chest
But plant your hope with good seeds
Don’t cover yourself with thistle and weeds”
- Thistle and Weeds
“It’s empty in the valley of your heart
The sun, it rises slowly as you walk
Away from all the fears
And all the faults you’ve left behind”
- The Cave
Yeah. Those are Michelle lyrics right there. For serious. And there’s a song on the album whose title is a Hebrew word so I was destined to love it.
Songs I loved that aren’t on my four favorite albums
“I Will Be Light” – Matisyahu
Time will continue without you
So in the end
It’s not about you
But, what did you do?
Who do you love besides you?
“Brand New Shoes” – She and Him
“New York City’s Killing Me” & “For the Summer”- Ray LaMontagne
“Enzymes” – Freelance Whales
“How I Got Over” & “Radio Daze” and “Walk Alone”- The Roots
And that’s pretty much my 2010 in music.
1 Comment