2010 Album of the Year Discussion....

[jbissell]

I think the Janelle Monae album is pretty amazing, but also very frustrating. For me, the 'rock songs' (for lack of a better word; my apologies to all rockers) completely ruin the flow of the album. They are almost unlistenable to me. Of course, I'm saying this as someone who is pretty much allergic to rock and/or roll.

Yeah, I always skip the Of Montreal song. Don't have a problem with any of the other ones.

[Omar]

Contenders:

Eluvium - Similes
Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers
Actress - Splazsh
Scuba - Triangulation
Seu Jorge and Almaz
Four Tet - There Is Love in You

Shockingly I haven't gotten my hands on the Flying Lotus yet.

Did you sour on Strong Arm Steady - In Search of Stoney Jackson or simply overlook it in the above list?

[Martin]

I overlooked it - it's definitely up there - that list was off the top of my head (not braggin').

[dave from knoxville]

I think the Janelle Monae album is pretty amazing, but also very frustrating. For me, the 'rock songs' (for lack of a better word; my apologies to all rockers) completely ruin the flow of the album. They are almost unlistenable to me. Of course, I'm saying this as someone who is pretty much allergic to rock and/or roll.

Contenders:

Eluvium - Similes
Mount Kimbie - Crooks & Lovers
Actress - Splazsh
Scuba - Triangulation
Seu Jorge and Almaz
Four Tet - There Is Love in You

Shockingly I haven't gotten my hands on the Flying Lotus yet.

GG would be so disappointed.

AFK is here

http://moogfest.com/2010/artists/lineup/

[Kid Pain]

I can't get enough of HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

[Chris L]

I think the Janelle Monae album is pretty amazing, but also very frustrating. For me, the 'rock songs' (for lack of a better word; my apologies to all rockers) completely ruin the flow of the album. They are almost unlistenable to me. Of course, I'm saying this as someone who is pretty much allergic to rock and/or roll.

Yeah, I always skip the Of Montreal song. Don't have a problem with any of the other ones.

I skip the Of Montreal song as well, and I can't stand the one shortly before it whose name I can't remember ("that's when we come ALIIIIVE").

[Wes]

Quasi – American Gong [KRS]
Superchunk – Majesty Shredding [Merge]
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks [Matador] 
Ty Segall – Melted [Goner]

These would be my top four right now (likely order: Quasi, Ty Segall, Ted Leo, Superchunk), though there are still a few things I need to listen to more/at all.

Favorite song of the year right now would be a heat between Ty Segall's "Sad Fuzz" and TL's "Bottled Up In Cork". Quasi, as they have been every time I've seen them for the last 12 or so years, were the best live act I saw this year.

I like the Janelle Monae album a lot. It's fun to have something out there that weird, with it's The Love Below vs. '76-'80 ELO vs. John Barry Orchestra vs. Wizard of Oz vs. Metropolis messy aspirations. I kind of advise listening to it while drifting in and out of sleep for maximum "How did I get here?" impact.

Big Boi "Sir Lucious Left Foot..."

Show some respect to Chico Dusty.

[Stupornaut]

Pretty much everything in the Madlib Medicine Show series is completely bonkers and enjoyable and is kinda redefining what it means to be an underground hip hop beat nerd because it just goes everywhere -- Tropicalia, fusion jazz, reggae, Afrobeat, disco-era soul, his own archival pre-Lootpack-era beats, etcetera. The one he did with a bunch of psych-rock and Firesign Theater bits (#6 -- The Brain Wreck Show) is something else.

[Martin]

Much as I've tried, I haven't been able to keep up with all the Medicine Show releases. Too overwhelming.

[Stupornaut]

Much as I've tried, I haven't been able to keep up with all the Medicine Show releases. Too overwhelming.

If it makes you feel better, neither has Madlib -- #9 has been postponed for undisclosed reasons.

Also, the Flying Lotus is effing excellent.

[jbissell]

Much as I've tried, I haven't been able to keep up with all the Medicine Show releases. Too overwhelming.

If it makes you feel better, neither has Madlib -- #9 has been postponed for undisclosed reasons.

I was really excited for #10 - Black Soul, but it didn't quite live up to my high expectations.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

I have not even come close to listening to a representative sample of stuff that came out this year, even by bands I really like (e.g.: I think Ty Seagall is awesome and he was super-nice the one time I met him, and absolutely everyone I know who has heard Melted loves it, but some some reason I haven't listened to it yet).  But I enjoyed all of the following:

Pernice Brothers - Goodbye Killer
TL/Rx - The Brutalist Bricks
JEFF The Brotherhood - Heavy Days
Gil-Scott Heron - I'm New Here
Superchunk - Majesty Shredding
Hannibal Burress - My Name Is Hannibal
Boston Spaceships - Our Cubehouse Still Rocks
Robert Pollard - Moses on a Snail
The Len Price 3 - Pictures
Das Racist - Shut Up, Dude
LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening
Love Is All - Two Thousand and Ten Injuries
Adam Warrock - The West Coast Avengers Mixtape

If we're including reissues:
Ozzie - The Parabolic Rock 1975-1982
Various - Nigeria Afro-Beat
The L.A. Gemstones Box that Ian posted here

[Gilly]

Arcade Fire is my album of the year so far but for a pick that hasn't been mentioned I'd go with Jeremy Messersmith- The Reluctant Graveyard.

[jbissell]

Albums that might make my list, but I've only listened to once or twice

Black Milk - Album of the Year
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest
The Fresh & Onlys - Play It Strange
Tindersticks - Falling Down A Mountain
Emeralds - Does It Look Like I'm Here?

[Ike]

Bottomless Pit "Blood Under the Bridge"--sorta a runaway here.

.22 "Pity" ep--the single most underrated rock band, ever. 

The Bismarck "Great Plains"--astounding, loose, great rock music.  Makes me proud to be from ND. 

Technically this came out LAST YEAR, but I think Jon Solomon released it, digitally, this year, but Tre Orsi's "Devices + Emblems" is the best album I've heard in years.  The only competition is Ladyhawk's "Shots". 



WAITING/JURY'S OUT:
Nina Nastasia's "Outlaster"--the best at what she does, but I think it needs to be snowy for me to appreciate this album. 

Shipping New's new one--I'll get it next week! 

Shannon Wright's new one--hopefully the same!