2010 Digs
Yeah, I'm not going to listen to as much this year as i did last year, but here's my faves of the year so far. Lots of good material out, I might make another list later in the year. |
| 1 |  | Ea
Au ellai
4.0 - Funeral Doom Metal from Russia. Let's just say that this album is the most structured, beautiful release I have heard yet in this incredible extreme genre. The third song is sooo good? |
| 2 |  | Ufomammut
Eve
4.0 - Stoner Metal/Doom Metal/Psychedelic Rock from Italy. Why the fuck am I first to rate this? A terrific stoner metal band release a face melting blend of heavy stoner/doom riffage beneath a haze of psychedelic tormoil. It?s slow, it?s crushing, and it fucking rules. |
| 3 |  | Joanna Newsom
Have One on Me
4.0 - Singer/Songwriter/Chamber Folk from USA. 3 discs of tear-jerking folk from a girlie with a terrific voice: how can it go wrong? |
| 4 |  | Varg
Blutaar
4.0 - Viking Metal from Germany. Equilibrium, Falkenbach, Empyrium, Suidakra, Finsterforst, VARG. My god, do I love the viking turmoil brewing in Germany. Those crazy assholes sure know how to rape villagers and this release is no exception. With a riff-oriented blast of pure viking slaugter, Blutaar focuses on harsh Bathory-inspired Viking Metal to grab attention and then lay down the hammer with a helmet-full of killer riffs. This is fun, crushing stuff, and one of the best in the genre in recent memory. |
| 5 |  | Les Discrets
Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées
3.5 - Shoegaze from France. This country has had a massive 2010 so far. This, Alcest, Pens?es Nocturnes, Natural Snow Buildings, Bran Barr and Celeste have all had really good releases. This album lies in the shadow of Alcest?s release in recognition; however, it is a more deserving and an overall stronger album. The sound created by this band is beautiful, relaxing and dark but not in the forced BM-wankery way a la Alcest, but genuinely a slow-brooding haunting approach that sounds so natural and powerul. Sure to be one of the best albums of the year |
| 6 |  | Pensees Nocturnes
Grotesque
3.5 - Depressive Black Metal from France. Why the hell aren?t there any good BM releases this year? Oh wait, it doesn?t matter, cause this makes up for it? |
| 7 |  | Immolation
Majesty and Decay
3.5 - Death Metal from USA. Rules? Dunno, probably?jk, this is fucking awesome. |
| 8 |  | Pantha Du Prince
Black Noise
3.5 - Minimal Techno from Germany. This is some really intelligent electronic music. I really enjoy this one, and keep coming back to it. |
| 9 |  | Natural Snow Buildings
The Centauri Agent
3.5 - Drone/Ambient from France. This band is awesome. In 2009 they released over 12 hours of Drone across three multi-disc LPs gaining recogntion from ?Shadow Kingdom? a buzzing hybrid of Drone and Contemporary Folk. This year, another two disc LP awaits, this time it?s more of the same sound, but better! ?Our Man From Centauri? opens the 1st disc with a 40 minute excursion in spacey drone. This track beats the drone parts of SK and provides a great foundation or the rest of the album. The rest does not dissapoint with more electronic drone elements on later tracks and a nice collection of short folk outings including the post-rock track ?Moscow signal? which beats anything else from the year. A really enjoyable underrated release!! |
| 10 |  | The Tallest Man on Earth
The Wild Hunt
3.5 - Contemporary Folk/Singer/Songwriter from Sweden. Somebody will have to release the audio recording of my girlfriend?s orgasm to get a better track than ?Love is All? this year! |
| 11 |  | City of Satellites
Machine is My Animal
3.5 - Shoegaze/Dream Pop from Australia. This Brisbane duo have released an amazingly enjoyable Dream Pop release. It sounds like Goldfrapp, before there last album that was not that good. Really good shit if you enjoyed Beach House or The Radio Dept.
I reviewed this but nobody looked into it? |
| 12 |  | Yellow Swans
Going Places
3.5 - Noise/Drone from USA. Spectacular drone release with short spasms of polite noise. Really stellar album that needs more attention. |
| 13 |  | Beach House
Teen Dream
3.5 - Dream Pop/Indie Pop from USA. This group did not pu foot wrong on ?Teen Dream?. It is a peaceful, nostalgic episode reminiscent of Fleet Foxes. ?Silver Soul? and ?Walk in the Park? are the greatest? |
| 14 |  | Memoryhouse
The Years
3.5 - Dream Pop from Canada. On average, it is probably stronger than ?Teen Dream? but it?s an EP. So relaxing and perfect, I can?t wait for the full length coming out late rin the year. |
| 15 |  | Gonjasufi
A Sufi and a Killer
3.5 - Electronic/Lo-fi/Psychedelic Soul from USA. Mendigo?s review hit it spot on: a collection of filth-laden tracks dripping in electronic grime. And the cover of Status Quo?s ?Matchstick Men? at the end of the album was crazy awesome. |
| 16 |  | Aderlating
Dying of the Light
3.5 - Noise/Drone/Black Metal/Dark Ambient/Industrial from Netherlands. Fucking kvlt shit right here. You pretty much know what to expect from this, a lo-fi cluster of all those extreme genres that 99% of the population would say they hate. |
| 17 |  | Gus Drax
In Search of Perfection
3.5 - Progressive Metal from Greece. Huh, lobby liking Progressive Metal? Nah, it?s all good, this guy decided not to sing like a fag, and just shred for 50 minutes. |
| 18 |  | Flying Lotus
Cosmogramma
3.5 - Electronic/IDM from USA. This has some really solid moments, in fact, most of this album is killer, but some tracks are considerably weaker but all up, a great album of easy listening dance music. |
| 19 |  | Heathen
The Evolution of Chaos
3.0 - Thrash Metal from USA. Great stuff, which I probably would enjoy more if I gave it more time. Riffs are killer, and songwriting is interesting. |
| 20 |  | Alcest
Ecailles de lune
3.0 - Shoegaze from France. Dissapointing? Yes. However, this has its moments. The last two tracks are really good and the rest is pretty solid. |
| 21 |  | The National
High Violet
3.0 - Indie Rock from USA. After about 6 listens I can say that it is not THAT good. Some tracks drag it down, but otherwise, enjoyable indie rock from a critically acclaimed band. |
| 22 |  | Rotten Sound
Napalm
3.0 - Grindcore from Finland. God, has this genre improved lately. ?Grincore? has never been a sound, it?s a number. This album?s number is ?3? meaning, ?good job, we are very grateful for the headbanging we received? |
| 23 |  | Bran Barr
Sidh
3.0 - Melodic Black Metal/Celtic Metal from France. Slays slays slays |
| 24 |  | Four Tet
There Is Love in You
3.0 - Electronic/IDM from UK. Solid is the word. |
| 25 |  | The Dillinger Escape Plan
Option Paralysis
3.0 - Mathcore from USA. Overrated is the word. Still enjoyable though. |
| 26 | | Rome
L'Assassin
3.0 - Neofolk from Luxembourg. New album drops May 14. This is a teaser to how awesome the album will be, and judging from this, I?m sure it will have no trouble matching the brilliance of ?Flowers From Exile? |
| 27 |  | Buckethead
Shadows Between the Sky
3.0 - Acoustic Rock from USA. This has grown off me a bit, but really good nonetheless. ?Sled Ride? and title track rule? |
| 28 |  | Best Coast
Something in the Way
3.0 - Lo-fi/Noise Pop from USA. Really good stuff. I reviewed this one. It?s really solid noise pop sounding like The Beach Boys. Great summer tunes, especially ?The Road? |
| 29 |  | Nest
Retold
3.0 - Modern Classical/Ambient from UK. Nice and relaxing. |
| 30 |  | Finntroll
Nifelvind
3.0 - Folk Metal from Finland. Better than Eluveitie. |
| 31 |  | Eluveitie
Everything Remains as It Never Was
3.0 - Melodic Death Metal/Celtic Metal from Switzerland. |
| 32 |  | Kerasphorus
Cloven Hooves at the Holocaust Dawn
3.0 - Blackened Death Metal from USA. I?m the only one so far to have checked out this really good EP. Sounds brutal, like people dying and shit? |
| 33 |  | The Radio Dept.
Clinging to a Scheme
3.0 - Dream Pop/Indie Pop from Sweden. These guys have a few great tracks here and overall it?s an enjoyabe release. Recommended. |
| 34 |  | Black Boned Angel
The Witch Must Be Killed
3.0 - Drone Doom Metal from New Zealand. These guys need to tour NZ and come to Dunedin. Pretty good drone. |
| 35 |  | Carach Angren
Death Came Through a Phantom Ship
3.0 - Symphonic Black Metal/Melodic Black Metal from Netherlands. |
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