The Albums of 2010

Only a few months late.

So, as I do every year, I'mma list off a few albums that have been blowing my mind this year. Frankly, thought I'm tired of doing only ten, so I'm following my man Evan's precedent and doing however many I like. Also, his list gave me a bunch more albums that I hadn't heard that are bloody awesome (The Bad Plus. Holy shit). However, I'm restricting myself in this list to records that I've spent more than a week listening to.

So, these are the albums that really, truly, stuck with me this year. Hope you find something you like.

17. Carlton Melton - Pass it On


Really cool, fuzzed out psychedelic guitar sounds from California. Basically, the Hold Steady if they took one too many acid trips.

Favorite track: Sequoia

16. Erland and the Carnival - Erland and the Carnival

After Damon Albarn's best band ever, The Good, The Bad, and The Queen broke up (and I mean the best ever part seriously,) Simon Tong of Verve fame went on to form this little group. It's full of great freaky folk songs you'd expect to be sung round a gypsy campfire. The stories will carry you off into another realm entirely.

Favorite track: "You Don't Have to be Lonely"

15. Murder by Death - "Good Morning, Magpie"

Oh, how I love this band. Think Nick Cave's slightly deranged son goes out to the Old West, drinks a lot of whiskey and gets into knife fights. But, after the masterpiece that was "Red of Tooth and Claw," this one doesn't merit higher ranking. Oh, it's damned good; but it doesn't have that same menace that made "Red" such an brilliant record. But, again, absolutely go get it. It's well worth it.

Favorite track: "As Long As There Is Whiskey In The World"

14. Laura Marling -  "I Speak Because I Can"

Beautiful, haunting sounds from yet another ridiculously talented British singer. One of the best-written albums of this year, bar none.

Favorite track: "Rambling Man"

13. Manic Street Preachers - Postcards from a Young Man

Quite frankly, they have absolutely no right to still be this goddamned good. They have a habit of making a dark, broody record and follow it up with a big, soaring chorus album. Last year's "Journal for Plague Lovers" was certainly dark enough, and so here comes Postcards. Full of choirs, strings, and guest appearances from Ian McCulloch and John Cale, it's just awesome. Not available Stateside yet, but find a way to get it.

Favorite track: "Some Kind of Nothingness"

12. Jeff Beck - Emotion and Commotion

For the first time I can think of since the legendary "Truth," Jeff Beck gets some vocalists along with his mind-blowing guitar work in the form of Joss Stone and Imelda May. Lots of slower pieces in this, but his trademark brilliance nonetheless.

Favorite track: "There's No Other Me"

11. Sage Francis - LI(F)E

What can I say about this guy? He is THE indie hip-hop messiah. Another album full of great rhymes and rhythms and stories.

Favorite track: "Little Houdini"

10. Gayngs - Gayngs

MPLS supergroup. Full of Bon Iver, Doomtree, and other greats. Will make you want to make sweet, 80s-style love on the dancefloor of the prom of your dreams. Yeah, I know it doesn't make sense, but hell. This is one of those albums I just can't quantify.

Favorite track: "No Sweat"

9. Roky Erickson and Okkervil River - True Love Cast Out All Evil

When I heard Roky Erickson was back, I knew I had to pick this up. Formerly the lead singer of what is possibly the most underrated band of all time, The 13th Floor Elevators, Roky took a few too many drugs and ended up in a mental institution. Now he's clean and in good health, and with the River backing his scratchy yet soulful vocals, this album cannot be missed.

Favorite track: "Ain't Blues Too Sad"

8. Dark Time Sunshine - Vessel

Finally, some hip hop NOT from the Midwest. I kid. But, these guys are from my home and favorite place ever, New York City, and managed to make what is probably one of the best debut hip hop albums ever. This is something that has only rarely left my CD player since its arrival.

Favorite track: "Primor"

7. Lazerbeak - Legend Recognize Legend

This one goes in the same category as Gayngs: I don't know WHAT the hell is happening here. But it's damned good. Beatmaster Beak loses his damned mind and makes some spacey electropop-type-thing. Like I said, I just don't know.

Favorite track: "Dream Team"

6. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang

When I saw Gaslight play the House of Blues in Chicago in November (or was it October?) of 2009, with Murder by Death opening, lead singer Brian Fallon said that their new album would be "The Clash meets The Supremes." Well, that's about what happened. And it's magical. I never want these songs to leave my head. Too damned catchy, too damned good.

Favorite track: "Bring it On"

5. Ceschi - The One Man Band Broke Up

Founder and head of the Fake Four label, home to most of my favorite hip hop artists (read: Sole, Astronautalis, Dark Time Sunshine), Ceschi makes what one might describe as folk-hop. Don't run in fear: it's damned good. And like you might expect from his labelmates, it's intelligent and thought-provoking.

Favorite track: "No New York"

4. Astronautalis - DANCEHALLHORNSOUND!!!!

Yeah, I know, it's a mixtape, but I don't care. My favorite MC of all takes his stories of railroad thievery and American revolutionism and puts them to popular beats, with a few new tracks thrown in. Pure love.

Favorite track: "Do You Believe in Life After Thugs?"

3. Paul Weller - Wake Up the Nation

Paul Weller has been a hero of mine pretty much since I started seriously listening to music. The Jam were one of my most important formational groups, and his solo stuff has always been good with regular brilliance (Stanley Road, Wild Wood, 22 Dreams). I don't know if it's as good as my previous album-of-the-year choice 22 Dreams, but it's still brilliant. Lots of anger, driving guitar, and lyrics about the downfall of society. So, y'know, typical Modfather.

Favorite track: "No Tears to Cry"

2. Paper Tiger - Made Like Us

While it's not number one, it would have been but for his labelmate. Without question my most-played album of the year, Paper's done very, very well his first time out. With appearances from Maggie Morrison and Dessa on vocals, it's an album that I don't think I'll ever be tired of listening to.

Favorite track: "The Bully Plank"

1. Dessa - A Badly Broken Code

Really, honestly, even with the ridiculously high calibre of this year's contestants, no one was gonna top her. Evan, I don't give two shits about Arcade Fire or Kanye. Neither album grabbed me in any meaningful way. For Dessa, on the other hand, I hang on every damned syllable like it's the only fresh air left in the world. She is a whole new level of brilliant and talented. People like her don't come around too often, but damn, do they make the world richer.

Favorite track: "Seamstress"

That's it. For honorable mentions, I'd encourage you to check out the albums that Dr. Dog, Midlake, Gil-Scott Heron, Massive Attack, and Gorillaz put out. They're all excellent, but I don't think they make this list.

Hopefully, blogging service will resume soon. Posts will most likely be philosophy-related as I work out a thesis for a big paper I'm planning. More soon. Much love.

A Quick One (While Boehner's Away)

Got twenty minutes before the Feminist Front meeting, and felt the need to put this out there.

Without question, John Boehner is an asshole. He's the head of an increasingly deluded and reactionary Republican party, his only legislative aims are to repeal everything President Obama ever so much as blinked in agreement to. Matt Taibbi puts it best, saying that he is "the hairy blue mold on the American congressional sandwich." The man will only do harm to this country; here, I have absolutely no disagreement with my fellow progressives.

But for fuck's sake, everyone, stop it with making fun of the fact that he cries a lot. It's just not important, and by making a mockery out of this act, no matter how much of an easy target it is, by doing so we're putting ourselves in the same douchebag boat as the Republicans. If the emotion is genuine, then, that's about the guy's only redeeming quality. And mocking someone for having emotions is just childish; what one does by making fun of another's genuine tears is just propagating the genderization of the act of crying: that it's girlish and silly. It accomplishes nothing and only fosters the festering filth at work in Washington.

So, progressives and lefties, please: focus on the fact that he's a partisan hack. Focus on the fact that he's in the pocket of every K Street lobbyist who waved a dollar bill in his face. Focus on the fact that he was caught handing out checks from Big Tobacco on the floor of the House. Don't sink to the petty name calling and middle school antics of the GOP. Just stop it.

Topical City, Citizen Radio, and Apocalyptic Hip Hop

Two months after the fact, and we begin.

I've been losing my mind the past two months, during which I had finals (which I crushed, thanks very much) and also started my new job at the DePaul University Art Museum which has been really great. For an art nerd like me, it's the perfect position, doing all the behind-the-scenes work and seeing how a professional gallery really operates. Aside from my boss' appallingly awful taste in music (think alt-country wailing), it's just fantastic. Add to the fact that the renovations on campus are going to yield a brand fancy new space for us in the fall, it's going to be a really cool experience.

I've also been writing a fair bit, both for my novel and for a brand new Internet publication called Topical City. It's a magazine written by Manchester City fans like myself from several different supporter's sites on the Webz. You can find it at http://topicalcity.co.uk, and I'm really pleased with the end product. I've got a piece in there on our underperforming midfield dynamo James Milner, who has really managed to pick himself up after the article was published! Not taking credit or anything... in any case, it's a great publication and if you have any interest in City or football in general you should take a look.

All is aflutter on the Blue side of Manchester, as it always is, and December was a damned good month for us, as we won four out of five. What we've really been missing, though, has been a killer edge in front of goal, especially during Carlos Tevez's snit fit a few weeks ago; he is brilliant, in my opinion the best striker in the world, but even with him in the side we have been missing a simply ridiculous number of scoring chances. To my great delight, however, Roberto Mancini completed the signing of Bosnian international striker Edin Dzeko, who until recently played for Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga. Having watched him a fair bit, I can honestly say I am buzzing at this signing; he's the complete package, tall enough to head them in and good with both feet. Once he gets settled, and starts receiving crosses from Adam Johnson and David Silva, who has been a brilliant signing himself, City will really start charging towards the title.

Alright, Americans, I'm done talking football. Onto something you really like.... socialist independent media. For the past few months, I have been madly in love with a little podcast called Citizen Radio, hosted by the up-and-coming standup comedian and ninja fighter extraordinaire Jamie Kilstein, along with his brilliant political writer spouse Allison Kilkenny. For a taste of the ideology, watch this clip:

Fucking great, right? The show is on three times a week, and they discuss all the big stories that come along in addition to the ones that are far too unfashionable to be covered by the mainstream media. If you're reading this blog, I'm guessing that you're some kind of lefty wacko progressive like me, and if that's the case (and even if not), try out a couple of episodes. They do tend to start off a little goofily, but hang around for the meat of the political stories. And if you like it, become a member. Jamie and Allison are totally independent, putting together the whole operation by themselves, and they need moneys. I'm a Miscreant myself.

So, that's about all I've got. Going to try and get my Top 10 Albums of 2010 up sometime this week. In the meantime, I'll leave you with the track that's currently blowing my mind, by a Denver MC named Sole, in this case remixed by my absolute favorite person alive, Astronautalis. Have a good week, kids.

Let's Try This Again

So, I got tired of Wordpress. It was annoying and not serving my needs, so I'mma try this blogging thing again.

The last one, I managed to start during a time where I was feeling awful and needed someplace to vent, since I didn't feel like I had anyone to actually talk to. That's not true anymore, so this will not be about me, beyond activism-type stuff I hope to be doing around Chicago. No more mopey Andrew, I promise.

So, we'll see what happens. Should be entertaining for someone, at the least.



(Now Playing: "Listen Up (Live at Royal Albert Hall)" by Noel Gallagher)