MUSIC THREAD

I tried, and I'll try again, to get into LCD Soundsystem's album. So far, no good.

My only exposure of Das Racist is Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha, which is ingenious for its Days Of Our Lives sample but infuriating by its lazy flow. Which I suppose is the point.

 

Meat -- Try "I'm Up on That" by Dac Racist. Love that shit.

 

This was a tough year to try and get it down to 10. Also, I just got the Janelle Monae and Cee Lo albums today, so those could very well move their way onto my list. My friends and I share our top 10 every year and then one of them makes a password secure website that includes all the lists and has all the albums streaming. There are about 10 of us, with eclectic tastes, and it's a great way to discover new music. Last year we also did our top 25 albums of the decade. Anyway, here's my list:

1. The New Pornographers - Together
2. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
3. Sara Bareilles - Kaleidoscope Heart
4. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
5. The National - High Violet
6. John Legend & The Roots - Wake Up!
7. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
8. Laura Marling - I Speak Because I Can
9. The Hold Steady - Heaven is Whenever
10. Kate Nash - My Best Friend Is You

Some that are just on the outside include Vampire Weekend and Josh Ritter.

 

Kanye came back hard with his new album. Kudos to Kanye!

 

The Kanye record gets better and better with each listen. His strength is in his beatmaking, and it's strong as hell on this one. Plus some great collaborations. Dude is not afraid to think outside the box, for sure.

Douche of a person, seemingly.

Hell of a musician, definitely.

 

Don't know how many of you are fans, but this new Decemberists album is fantastic.

 

I think I bought three albums this year.

Mumford and Sons and Taylor Swift were amazing.

 

It's pretty solid. Definitely toned down from their past couple albums. I'm going to see them next week and I'm pretty excited for it.

 

Yes indeed. Was listening to the NPR stream and will have the CD in my hands very soon.

 

Florence + The Machine have really blown up stateside. From YouTube video, Flo is amazing live. She has a voice that's once a generation.

She is up for a Grammy in 2011 for Best New Artist in 2010 for an album that was released in 2009 and contains tracks recorded in 2008. Go figure.

 

The Grammy fiscal year begins on Oct. 1. An album released on Oct. 1, 2009 would be eligible for this year's awards. That's why there's no Kanye on the ballot despite all the critics' Best of 2010 lists he topped.

 

I absolutely love this album. Have not stopped listening to it, no filler on it. Gillian Welch should become a full-time member. She and Colin Meloy sound great together.