Best Albums of 2010

2010? Whuh? Yes, I'm a bit late on the whole end-of-year-list frenzy. But I require distance. I need to acquire some perspective. Okay, okay... I'm a procrastinator.

In any case, here's my favourite albums of last year - for posterity's sake.

20. Quest for Fire - Lights From Paradise







19. Harlem - Hippies







18. Curren$y - Pilot Talk







17. Roky Erickson - True Love Cast Out All Evil







16. Anagram - Majewski







15. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today







14. Beach House - Teen Dream







13. Yeasayer - Odd Blood







12. Menomena - Mines







11. Vampire Weekend - Contra







10. Micah P. Hinson - And the Pioneer Saboteurs







9. Steve Mason - Boys Outside







8. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy







7. The Goodnight Loving - The Goodnight Loving Supper Club







6. Stornoway - Beachcomber's Windowsill







5. MGMT - Congratulations







4. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs







3. The War on Drugs - Future Weather







2. The Radio Dept - Clinging to a Scheme







1. Foals - Total Life Forever







Honorable Mentions:
Doug Paisley - Constant Companion / Frog Eyes - Paul's Tomb: A Triumph / Das Racist - Sit Down, Man & Shut Up, Dude

Best Song Ever of the Week: Roky Erickson's Ghosts

Okay, so we all know Rock n' Roll is based on the Blues, and as the incomparable Son House has taught us, the Blues is all about love. Still, aren't you sick of rock songs all about lost love and girl troubles?

If so, then see Roky Erickson's 1981 album The Evil One. Here we find the former 13th Floor Elevators frontman in full-out psychedelic blues rock mode, but instead of lamenting ex-girlfriends he wraps his tunes around tales of Zombies, Vampires, Demons and Two Headed Dogs. Or at least thats what he seems to be singing about.

Here's one of the many standout tracks from the album: If You Have Ghosts [right click for mp3].

I never put much faith in Roky's solo stuff equalling the genius of the Elevators, but thanks to the impressing documentary You're Gonna Miss Me, I've now seen the darkness. The movie's kind of like a less enigmatic and less joyful Grey Gardens, but somehow more depressing. Definitely worth seeing.