Songs of the Year 2010: 50-26

Wolf Parade: Oh YES, old things...

No gimmicks, just a run-down of the best 50 songs (including album tracks and singles) of 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...

50. Kelis – Acapella (Flesh Tone, Interscope)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8D9xCBcfzw
49. Pernice Brothers – Fucking and Flowers (Goodbye, Killer, Ashmont Records)
Spotify link
48. Jenny and Johnny – Big Wave (I’m Having Fun Now, Warner Bros)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BwtV7L5bxtk
47. Bad Religion – Devil In Stitches (The Dissent Of Man, Epitaph)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5G_kxQY3Ng8
46. No Age – Glitter (Everything In Between, Sub Pop)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_t3q1tjH4
45. Male Bonding – Year's Not Long (Nothing Hurts, Sub Pop)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeUn11bkuZk
44. Aloe Blacc – I Need the Dollar (Good Things, Stones Throw Records)


43. Eels – Nowadays (End Times, Vagrant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6_2E0MF2bY
42. MGMT – It's Working (Congratulations, Columbia)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyaDTiXH3R4
41. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Everlyn (Let It Sway, Polyvinyl)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWs4Q2mNBBE
40. Sky Larkin – Tiny Heist (Kaleide, Wichita)
Spotify link
39. High Wire – Hang From The Lights (The Sleep Tape, Grandpa Stan)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PKJMvcdQmA4
38. Wavves – King of the Beach (King of the Beach, Bella Union)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5biCmyJQtM
37. Hold Steady - Hurricane J (Heaven Is Whenever, Vagrant)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bG4ABgTuCqA
36. Tokyo Police Club – Favourite Food (Champ, Mom + Pop Music Co.)


35. Gyptian – Hold You (Hold You, VP Records)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKlCEUngHB0
34. Blur – Fool's Day (n/a, Parlophone)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8ixnqRyfzU
33. Laura Marling – Made By Maid (I Speak Because I Can, Virgin)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wjQN_n3KQ9c
32. Wolf Parade – Oh You, Old Thing (Expo 86, Sub Pop)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV3Zgc_tnJg
31. Drive-By Truckers – Daddy Learned To Fly (The Big To-Do, ATO)
Spotify link
30. Tinie Tempah – Pass Out (Disc-Overy, Parlophone)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QzvGKas5RsU 
29. Summer Camp – Round the Moon (Young EP, Moshi Moshi)


28. Young Veins – Take A Vacation (Take A Vacation, One Haven)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM58bE_WPCc
27. Fools Gold – Surprise Hotel (Fool’s Gold, IAMSOUND)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9zFEAda0_g
26. Vampire Weekend – Giving Up The Gun (Contra, XL)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bccKotFwzoY

Want it all in one place? Try this handy spotify playlist

Don't forget to check out The Popscener's Albums of the Year 2010

Albums of the Year 2010: 25-16

 Part one of the best 25 albums released in 2010, as chosen by The Popscener...

25. Black Francis - Nonstoperotik (Cooking Vinyl)
The Pixies man returned to twisted, ingenious form on Nonstoperotik, which could have been the soundtrack to a film-noir/porn crossover with Francis as the lusty master-criminal protagonist.






24. Best Coast - Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
Bethany Cosentino’s always-stoned homage to 60s garage-pop and simple ruminations on love was perfect late-Summer listening.

23. Caribou - Swim (City Slang)
Mixing burst of psyche-pop with pulsating dancefloor shakers and brooding electronics, Dan Snairn tempered the math-geek in him to produce his most accessible effort.

22. Drive-By Truckers - The Big To-Do (ATO)
Streets ahead the endless country clichés they imbibe and subvert, D-BT’s lived-in sound added their best batch yet of grim, insular and morbidly detailed small-town tragedies.

21. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening (DFA/Virgin)
Going out on a ‘high’ is the easy quip, but James Murphy and co had never sounded as level headed and focussed on what is purported to be their final studio album. The hilarious yet empathetic ‘Drunk Girls’ was also one of the singles of the year. 





20. Allo Darlin' - Allo Darlin' (Fortuna Pop!)
Ugly as the tag of ‘twee-pop’ might be, Allo Darlin’ strummed their ukes with pride and pristine melodic vigour, while Aussie singer Elizabeth Morris decorated the hooks with mournful short-stories on the lukewarm thrill of life as a going-nowhere-fast 20-something in London.

19. Bad Religion - The Dissent Of Man (Epitaph)
Perhaps a last shot at the ‘big time’ – as far as their tightly-coiled double-time, four chords and oozin-ahh harmonies allow – Graffin and Gurewitz sharpened their songwriting chops, stuck closely to tunes with words rather than words with, well, anything and fashioned their best for a decade.

18. Afrocubism - Afrocubism (World Circuit)
14 years on from the original aborted sessions between Cuban and Malian musicians in Havana, Afrocubism’s mesmerising culture-clash turned out to be worth the wait. Beautifully played, and imbued with an air of almost symbiotic chemistry and serene relaxation.





17. Male Bonding - Nothing Hurts (Sub Pop)
Unashamedly rough and raucous, the lone Sub Pop Brits’ debut nonetheless polished the sharp edges of the rambunctious garage-punk-rock of their live shows enough for the songs to shine. Moreover, the London trio displayed a breadth to their sonic palette – including an acoustic number, no less – which had been hitherto unrealised.

16. Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now (Warner Bros)
Jenny Lewis may have found her muse in boyfriend and co-collaborator Johnathan Rice. His half-flat dourness perfectly tempered the sometimes-cloying sickliness of Jenny’s vocal whine, while the relationship sub-plot added a layer of intrigue to call and response arguments (‘My Pet Snakes’) and an unhealthy obsession with razorblades. Hearty surf-pop, alt-country and shoegaze flourishes provided ballast.

Check the Spotify playlist for a aural overview of Albums of the Year 2010: 25-16

Interview: Shimmering Stars

Shimmering Stars: Rock 'n' Roll saviours?

Having forthrightly plugged Shimmering Stars’ latest single, ‘I’m Gonna Try’ (released last Monday), which made a late run for one of my favourite songs of the year, I thought it might be an idea to talk to let the charming Vancouver quartet introduce themselves and do some plugging of their own. I caught up with singer/guitarist Rory McClure to get his views on the internet, time travel, and the band’s plans for 2011. Turns out he’s quite a funny chap...

Give people who haven’t heard you the lowdown on Shimmering Stars in 10 words or less...
Dreamy downer pop. Recommended for the heartbroken and the insane.

I started a band because....

Rock and roll needed to be saved and clearly I was the only man for the job.

What plans do you have for 2011? Can we expect a full length record next year?

2011 is either going to be a huge year for us or a huge, embarrassing failure. But one thing I’m sure of is that we’ll be releasing a full length in 2011. It’s 95% done and I’m really happy with it. We’re very hopeful that we’ll be playing SXSW and doing a European tour as well.  We’re also very hopeful that Andrew will spontaneously combust on stage, as countless drummers do each year. 

I’m told that your influences include “anxiety attacks” and “antisocial behaviour” – please explain.

If my group of friends is any indication, a lot of people in their 20s exist in a weird state of prolonged adolescence where there aren’t any guidelines or expectations as to what we should be doing with our lives. To have this kind of freedom is a mixed blessing. The possibilities are endless, but with all this possibility comes a kind of paralysing anxiety about what to do, who to be, and ‘The Future’. These kinds of themes inform a lot of the lyrics for Shimmering Stars...

This interview was conducted for The Line Of Best Fit. Go here to continue reading the full interview.

Brief Lives: 5 Tracks from 2010's Dearly Departed

With every year that passes, another sorry constellation of musical bright lights see their stars burn out forever, their souls going to join John, Freddie, Jimi and the rest in rock-star Valhalla. Whilst any passing life is distressing to contemplate, at least musicians can continue to touch people posthumously through a legacy which will far outlive them, and may even grow in breadth, stature and popularity in their absence. As 2010 draws to a close, we thought it proper to revisit the work of some of this year’s departed musicians, to remind old fans or downright inspire new recruits. Below are five less heralded but emblematic cuts from artists such as Alex Chilton, Gregory Isaacs and Ari Up.

Gregory Isaacs: ‘Let’s Dance’ (available on Cool Ruler, 1978)

Before reggae icon Gregory Isaacs succumbed to lung cancer earlier this year, the “lonely lover” had sighed his way through a 40-year career with such melancholic vocal purity he could make a grown man swoon. When Isaacs signed to Virgin Records in 1978, mainstream stardom beckoned, but beyond a ripple of success for signature track ‘Night Nurse’ his brand of lovers rock never took-off. This loping minor-key masterpiece from his major-label debut epitomises Isaacs’ understated brilliance – a tale of rudimentary dancehall passion brought to life by the tender ache of Isaacs’ delivery and lines like “I want to feel your lips resting my mind”, which said as much about his wearying addiction to crack-cocaine as his need to feel loved.

This article was written for TheLineOfBestFit. Click here to continue reading.