December 2010
13 posts
2 tags
50 Best Albums of 2010 (#30-#21)
OK, now we’re starting to get into it here. I can honestly say that of these ten, seven or eight of them could easily have made it into the Top 20. Once we’re at this elevation, the numbers don’t mean a whole lot, though my Top 10 is pretty solid.
30. School of Seven Bells - Disconnect from Desire - This one is a good case in point, as I think it’s a wonderful record that...
2 tags
50 Best Albums of 2010 (#40-#31)
40. Merle Haggard - I Am What I Am - One of the only straight-up country records on the list, I have to hand it to Haggard as being one of the last of the real authentic American country artists. Well, what do I know? I guess Trace Adkins is authentic as far as this decade’s country music goes. But I’m talking about the old honky-tonkin’, worn-and-torn face heartbreak, hard-won...
2 tags
50 Best Albums of 2010 (#50-#41)
So let’s count down my Top 50 of 2010. I will tell you, though, that after I came up with my first 25 or so, it was really hard to put the rest in order. Let’s just say that if it’s on the list, it’s good as far as I’m concerned, and #50 could be #35 pretty easily depending on my mood.
50. Crowded House - Intriguer - Neil Finn returned to the Crowded House name with...
2 tags
Best CDs of 2010 - Honorable Mentions
I’m going to attempt a list of my Top 50 CDs of 2010 this week, but first, some of the ones I listened to, liked okay, but they didn’t quite make it. It’s a pretty fluid list, anyway.
Laetitia Sadier - The Trip - Ex(?) Stereolab frontperson’s solo debut. Nice but a little underdone. Full review
Spoon - Transference - I know this made some people’s Top 10s, but not...
2 tags
These Were the Voyages, Part Two
Another day, another disc of Star Trek Season One down.
OK, so without much concern over the Stardate or the actual order of filming, here are my thoughts on these episodes, in the order they originally appeared.
“The Enemy Within” - Well, in the first post, I said that it was a shame that in the episode, “The Naked Time,” it was a shame that we didn’t get to see...
2 tags
Sleigh Bells - Treats (2010)
A real triumph in sound, this brief (32 minutes) debut blast from Sleigh Bells hits with 11 tight tracks of heavily processed Bonham-style drums, Pro Tooled White Stripes riffs, and girl group attitude with stoned Musical Youth cadences. A compelling argument for compression, they show that in the loudness war, not everyone loses. I actually got kind of a Hank Shocklee feeling from this, not the...
2 tags
Best Coast - Crazy For You (2010)
The debut from Bethany Cosentino & Co is a modest but very enjoyable debut. Imagine a Jenny Lewis who snuck off to smoke weed instead of going to acting auditions, and you’ll have an idea of their sound. Bethany’s voice is quite a bit like Lewis’ in tone and the ’70s country-rock stylings, but more heavily reverbed, and against a very blurry backing that sometimes...
4 tags
These Were the Voyages, Part One
OK, so one of the holes in my pop culture/geek knowledge is Star Trek. Not that I’ve never seen the original series, but I was a little kid then and really hadn’t seen it since. And I loved it then, too, and watched it with my mom in our little apartment, and I had the Mego action figures and Enterprise playset, a phaser, a communicator, some diecast vehicles, and even a cutout book...
I Could Get Used to Eating Like This
My Aunt Jan from San Francisco came to see me and the kids last weekend. It was a lot cheaper than coming out for Thanksgiving, and worked out just fine. Some of the time was taken up with kids sports, but she did get some exploring in on her own and we did get to check out the design district in Solana Beach, including a fantastic shop full of great wood art, from huge, coral looking sculptures...
5 tags
Shit Robot - From the Cradle to the Rave (2010)
Just because we share a label doesn’t make us James Murphy and LCD Soundsystem. A couple years ago, looking around online for LCD songs I hadn’t heard, I saw recommendations for some of Shit Robot’s 12” singles, and downloaded them. And, you know, they were okay, but missing a good deal of the heart, humor and range of Murphy’s stuff. And maybe that’s unfair,...
2 tags
Spoon - Transference (2010)
This will mark my third straight attempt to “get” Spoon, and the most definitive disappointment. They’re just one of those bands where I can hear some good things, but can’t for the life of me understand what the big deal is, or how they could possibly be someone’s favorite. Britt Daniel’s raspy voice never seems to put much emotion into the songs, the lyrics...
