Hellooooooo. Me again.
Thanks for coming back!
So I was listening to my iPod today (quel surprise). And considering how much I love writing lists, I decided to write up what I think are my favourite albums this year. However, due to some technical difficulties (aka Joel got ahold of the pc and mucked it up and now I can't look over iTunes and see what albums I've purchased this year) this is going to be very scattershot and likely leaning more towards current albums. Please send your angry e-mails towards Joel :p
Oh, and I should add a caveat: this list may (aka will) include an album or two not necessarily released this year. Sometimes you re-discover an album from previous years that jumps out at you and says "I'M AWESOMESAUCE" and ya just hafta recognize it.
Yah, I've had wine.
OVERALL FAVE ALBUM OF 2010
My Chemical Romance- Danger Days: The True Lives of The Fabulous Killjoys
Ok. Calm your knee-jerk reactionism down. It's very easy to dismiss MCR as 'emo' or 'whiny' or any other such adjectives usually tossed about by people who haven't really listened to them. Frankly, when it comes down to it, they consistently release some of the best, most enjoyable rock music of recent years. I would be tempted to add their last album, The Black Parade, to this list, but I need to restrain my fanboy gushing.
Danger Days discards the experimental, concept-album approach of Black Parade for something much simpler and accessible: rock out with your cock out. I can dig it. Apparently it IS a concept album of sorts and it has something to do with them living out some punky alter-egos in a dystopian future society, but screw that, the music is THE SHIT. In this album they return to their punk-influenced rock roots and for about 40 minutes or so they grab your ears and fuck them with shredded guitars, thunderous drums, spaced out synths and throat wrecking singing.
This is not to say that this album is one-dimensional, uninteresting or merely noise for the sake of noise. Not only can these boys rock, but they can genuinely make 'music'. I would say that every single song has more technique and skill behind it than about 95% of what gets released and embraced by pop culture. I wish I had a better understanding and vocabulary of musical terms so that I could properly explain what makes this album so varied and interesting, but trust me when I say that these are some of the most talented musicians working today.
The ONLY complaint I have about the album is that there are three 'songs' of merely talking as the 'narrator' of the album interjects with some random strangeness. They're all very short snippets but they're still shuffle-busters nevertheless.
Man. This album is ridiculous. Fave album without a doubt.
FAVE POP/GAY ALBUM OF 2010
Kylie Minogue- Aphrodite/ Scissor Sisters- Night Work
Ok, this is cheating. Two albums for one distinction. To that I say 'shut up! my list!' and I drink some more wine. I have a very good reason for this however.
I believe I will forever link these two albums in my mind. Firstly, they were both released around the same time. I got their lead singles on the same day. Scissor Sisters produced one of the songs on Aphrodite. Kylie sang with SS at Glastonbury on their song Any Which Way. They all love penis. It just makes sense people!!
That said, they're both legitimately fantastic albums. Kylie came through with one of her best releases in years, probably her best since Fever. Scissor Sisters ditched a lot of the weirdness that always held them back as something of a novelty band without losing any of their uniqueness. Most importantly, the two albums complement each other so well that it makes sense to link them together.
I see these albums as such: you put Aphrodite on during the day. You dance about your apartment, preferably in your adorable but not too skanky underwear, celebrating life and happiness being a strong, sassy woman/gay. You embrace and celebrate your inner power animal or some such malarky (with the occasional song or two to get a little sentimental and thoughtful). Generally speaking, you love life and you're gonna live it up.
Soon,however, night falls, and it's time to put on Night Work. Now's the time to take all that self-loving, joyful, carefree energy from before and translate that into 'I'm going out with my gays and I'm gonna get DRUUUUUUNK and fuck a stranger"
Umm, thumbs up to that my friends.
Sample lyric from Aphrodite: i'm fierce, i'm feeling mighty, don't you mess with me I'm the aphrodite
Sample lyric from Night Work: we can talk about relationships but there's better things to fill your head with.
...
Y'know. Mama's getting sleepy. I'ma come back to this. I still have yet to discuss Janelle Monae, Matt Duke or Bran Van 3000.
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