#25 Barn Owl - Ancestral Star Download: [MP3] Barn Owl - Light From the Mesa |
#24 Happy Birthday - Happy Birthday Download: [MP3] Happy Birthday - Subliminal Messages |
#23 Hanoi Janes - Year of Panic Download: [MP3] Hanoi Janes - Surfin KMC |
#22 Moon Duo - Escape Download: [MP3] Moon Duo - Stumbling 22nd St. |
#21 Wooden Wand - Death Seat Download: [MP3] Wooden Wand - Tiny Confessions |
#20 The Soft Moon - The Soft Moon Download: [MP3] The Soft Moon - Breathe The Fire |
#19 Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal Download: [MP3] Oneohtrix Point Never - Returnal |
#18 White Hills - White Hills Download: [MP3] White Hills - Dead |
#17 Sun Araw - On Patrol Download: [MP3] Sun Araw - Deep Cover |
#16 Forest Swords - Dagger Paths Download: [MP3] Forest Swords - Miraches |
#15 Wild Nothing - Gemini Download: [MP3] Wild Nothing - Chinatown |
#14 Woven Bones - In and Out and Back Again Download: [MP3] Woven Bones - If It Feels Alright |
#13 Zola Jesus - Stridulum Download: [MP3] Zola Jesus - I Can't Stand |
#12 Demdike Stare - Tryptych (Forest of Evil, Libertion Through Hearing, Voices of Dust) Download: [MP3] Demdike Stare - Caged in Stammheim |
#11 The Mantles - Pink Information Download: [MP3] The Mantles - Cascades |
#10
Though it was a banner year for Cameron Stallones all around some of his best moves came within the context of the full arsenal of Magic Lantern. The group's first record in quite a few years and well worth the wait, Platoon fulfills every heavy psych wish we made this year.
Download:
[MP3] Magic Lantern - Dark Cicadas
#9
By transcending the very hypnogogic force he begat, Pink finally begins to realize his vision; assembling an expert team into the studio for fleshed out, lush versions of the pop memories he's long been channeling. The resulting album Before Today hits on the same tip-of-the-tongue resonance that he and many of his contemporaries have long plundered but with such crystal clarity that the lines between past and future begin to fold in on themselves. Pink and co. have successfully rewritten your 80's memories once and for all.
Download:
[MP3] Ariel Pink - Round and Round
#8
Its taken years of quality analog waveforms for the general populace to embrace the Midwest phenomenon that is Emeralds, but on their umpteenth album the band begins to fold others into their black hole of complex synth patterns. Thankfully as a result of this dozens of Emeralds side projects and long lost tapes have flooded their way to vinyl as well in a welcome glut of reissues. This threatens to be just the tip of the Emeralds iceberg and around here we're gladly heralding the arrival.
Download:
[MP3] Emeralds - Double Helix
#7
With their last album people finally took notice of Woods' sunny psych and it only stood to reason that they should have welcomed this, by far their most accessible and enticing album yet, with open arms. Maybe its just me but I felt that despite containing some of Woods greatest songs yet, this one got shoved aside for a few more fashionable releases in the wake of year end lists. Nevertheless, Echo Lake remains high on my list of the greatest releases of 2010. A perfect companion to summer's transition to fall and bound to be an album that stands up to the test of time.
Download:
[MP3] Woods - Suffering Season
#6
Another long time RSTB favorite that seems to have finally gotten their due. Tim Cohen has been honing his songcraft over the course of many bands and it seems to have found its peak with The Fresh & Onlys. Merging jangle pop's breezy textures with the dark swagger of garage, Play It Strange has ended up as the most cohesive example of their sound yet.
Download:
[MP3] The Fresh & Onlys - Waterfall
#5
Though this is the shortest release to make the year end list, Mississippi's Flight makes more noise in the space of six songs that most releases managed to squeeze out of double that this year. A long time staple of the RSTB singles favorites, this EP proved that Flight had more than just A and B sides waiting in tow. Plus a sting on the CMJ circuit this year proved that they could bring the fuzz live as well. Definitely one to look out for when a full length eventually drops.
Download:
[MP3] Flight - Turns To Blood
#4
Another release that blew my feet out from underneath me this year. The singles leading up to Immer Etwas were all fine and though they often cracked the Raven heavily played list, they couldn't have prepared me for the vile desperation on display throughout their debut album.
Download:
[MP3] Nice Face - Nobody's Dead Here
#3
Though overall acclaim for this album was positive, I saw waaaay too many instances of people calling this a disapointment after Love Visions. Honestly there's no comparison. First Blood is Nobunny's finest statement. Underneath the defenses of the bunny mask, Justin Champlin rolls suburban dissapointment, sexual tension and personal tragedy into one of the year's catchiest records. Playing off of his garage pallette and mashing it with a VU sense of pop sincerity for one of the most underrated albums of the year.
Download:
[MP3] Nobunny - Blow Dumb
#2
A perfect distillation of Spacemen 3 and pre-electronic Primal Scream. Crocodiles hit the desert for these sessions with Simian Mobile Disco's James Ford and they walked out of that bunker with a lush, hazy piece of pop under their arms. The only drawback of Sleep Forever is that it ends too soon, but that's just all the more reason to flip it and start the trip all over again.
Download:
[MP3] Crocodiles - Sleep Forever
#1
Absolutely the most played record all year around here. Ty turns in his best album yet, perfectly encapsulating the garage pop juggarnaut that's been put in place in the past couple of years. "My Sunshine" alone warrants the album's inclusion of any best of 2010 list going around. It's a perfectly crafted nugget of angst and melody and guitar fire wrapped in amplifier sweat. Throw in tracks like "Girlfriend", "Alone" and "Caesar" and this begins to swell into the unstoppable behemoth it is. In the wake of Jay Reatard's passing there haven't popped up a whole lot of hopefulls to take the reins he left hanging. Only Ty can save us now.
Download:
[MP3] Ty Segall - My Sunshine posted by dissensous at 8:07:00 AM
5 Comments:
Wow - had no idea The Mantles released an EP this year, totally missed that one.
YAY
Great list, and an awesome number 1, i'm running straight to the buy it.
I've missed so much this year. Keep up the good work with your blogging.
Just feeling like Halloween.
Can I just tell you that your list is (by faarr) the best year end I've seen? And thanks a million for introducing me to Nice Face! Immer Etwas is sooo wicked...
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