Top 50 Albums of 2010: 11-20

11

The Budos Band

"The Budos Band III" (Daptone)

What sets Budos apart from other Afro-influenced acts is in the heaviness of their groove; no wonder that the Staten Island Soul band claim to be inspired by heavy metal as well as soul and Ethio-jazz. Solid as ever, the New York ten-piece yet again claims the title of heavyweight champion in the world of Afro-soul.
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12

These New Puritans

"Hidden" (Domino)

Hidden, the sophomore album from the rag-tag UK 4-piece, incorporates Foley samples, taiko drums and choral singing into their unique brand of experimental post-punk. Fusing the angular guitar of Gang of Four with the urban dance of MIA and a healthy dose of Björk and Scott Walker, the result is cerebral, percussive and powerful.

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13

Beach House

"Teen Dream" (Sub Pop)

Beach House is so subtle that you can almost be forgiven for not being immediately enthralled but once the melodies work their way into your skin you’ll be irreversibly hooked. The husky, sensual voice of Victoria Legrand and the minimal guitar hooks of Alex Scally are more potent than ever on Teen Dream, their third album release.
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14

The Roots

"How I Got Over (Def Jam)

Since signing to Def Jam, The Roots have been pretty disappointing but How I Got Over is a return to form for the Philly Hip Hop crew. Featuring familiar collaborators Dice Raw and John Legend as well as surprising use of a Joanna Newsom sample, this is The Roots doing exactly what they do best.

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15

PVT

"Church With No Magic" (Warp)

Church With No Magic is the third album by Aussie Synth-Rockers PVT (formerly Pivot) and their second for Warp Records. Despite the surprising addition of vocals, it retains the heavy drums and dirty synth sound that made their last album so infectious. Do not miss the chance to see these songs performed in a live setting.

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16

Caribou

"Swim" (Merge)

On Swim, Polaris Prize-winning Dan Snaith traded a lot of the Beach Boys influence, lo-fi drums and Psych Rock for a more electronic disco sound, summoning the spirit of Arthur Russell. From "Odessa", the blissed-out summery opener, onwards this is not only his most club-friendly record but also his strongest release to date.

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17

Sufjan Stevens

"The Age Of Adz" (Asthmatic Kitty)

One of the most inventive and ambitious musicians around, Sufjan is best known for two indie-folk masterpieces from his aborted ‘50 states’ project but also an electronic album based on the Chinese zodiac, amongst others. The Age of Adz brings these disparate styles together in an epic concept album about outsider artist Royal Robertson.

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18

Arcade Fire

"The Suburbs" (Merge)

With The Suburbs Arcade Fire merge the Springsteen-fest of Neon Bible with that melancholic yet deliriously optimistic bent that made their debut album so good, shooting the Montréallers into the international arena. This is Arcade Fire back on form but just a few songs too long to be the perfect album.

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19

Balmorhea

"Constellations" (Western Vinyl)

Balmorhea (pronounced Bal-moor-ay), an ensemble from Austin, Texas, takes influence from sources ranging from Debussy to Max Richter and Arvo Pärt. Constellations is their fourth full-length release and it is a masterpiece. Emotive and melancholic Modern Classical with a twinge of country, it will appeal to fans of Pullman and Rachel’s.

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20

Matthew Dear

"Black City" (Ghostly)

Matthew Dear makes a truly unique brand of music - a fusion of Minimal Techno, House, Synthpop, experimental sounds and singer-songwriter indie. The live instrumentation is more to the fore than on his three previous full-lengths and the end result is a highly accessible album that is also maybe his best.

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Music Review: These New Puritans – Hidden [short]

Towards the end of last year young British post-punk band These New Puritans put out a stunning video for their digital single "We Want War", which garnered them a lot of attention. Hidden – being their sophomore album - has been hotly anticipated ever since. These New Puritans, often abbreviated to TNPS, are a rag-tag 4-piece from Southend-On-Sea, a decaying seaside town not far from London, England. Echoing the experimentation of artists such as Björk and Scott Walker, Hidden blends Foley samples, taiko drums, oboes and a children’s choir into their unique brand of post-punk. The album manages to blend the angular guitar stylings of Liars and Gang of Four with the urban dance of MIA and the experimentation of the aforementioned Icelandic diva. The end result is a fascinating collection of brooding, percussive and melodic songs – danceable and cerebral. Without doubt one of the most compelling albums of the year so far.
(Angular/Domino)

Music Review: These New Puritans – Hidden

If you think back to just over a decade ago, despite the common claim of disbelief in religious or superstitious apocalypse, there was a palpable sense of dread over the coming of the new millennium. The media called it pre-millennial tension, and in addition to hysteria over a mostly-fabricated Millennium Bug due to break all known computer systems, there was also a glut of tense, no-future art – Tricky, Mike Leigh’s Naked and Ministry to name just a few. And when Y2K finally rolled around the sun didn’t explode, God didn’t appear with a plague of locusts and artists chilled out considerably, reverting to happier or at least more directly personal art. Well, not These New Puritans who - like Thom Yorke - are saddled with the burden of Post-Millennial tension. The only complication for this particular band is that they aren't entirely sure which Millennium they are feeling tense about.

Towards the end of 2009 young British post-punk band These New Puritans, often abbreviated to TNPS, put out a sensual, eye-catching video for their digital single "We Want War", directed by Australian film-maker Daniel Askill. The song that accompanied the video is a 7 minute long orchestral song that opens with expansive taiko drums, pitch-shifted speech and horns; the resulting sound is simultaneously like something from the near future and also positively medieval. The video garnered them a lot of attention and Hidden – their sophomore album - has been hotly anticipated ever since.

TNPS are a ragtag four-piece hailing from Southend-On-Sea, a decaying seaside town not far along the Thames from London. Echoing the experimentation of artists such as Björk and Scott Walker, they blend Foley samples, taiko drums, oboes and a children’s choir into their unique brand of Art rock. The end result is a fascinating collection of brooding, percussive and melodic songs - danceable and cerebral. The album manages to blend the angular guitar stylings of Liars and Gang of Four with the urban dance of MIA and the vocal experimentation of the aforementioned Icelandic Diva. Hidden has a cinematic, militaristic feel but it doesn’t summon images of modern warfare and conflict. With its rattling chains, drum-heavy sound, choirs and clashing swords it evokes something much more medieval and primitive.

The end result is a post-apocalyptic dystopia worthy of Russell Hoban (author of Riddley Walker, and according to front man Jack Barnett an influence on the album, along with British wartime composer Benjamin Britten). The most delicate track, "Hologram" begins as a moment of Vespertine-esque beauty with the lyrics “Shut the door, shut the door; Because I’m staying here; The world might disappear under blankets of snow”. It could be a lover talking to his other or a missive from the bed of a depressive’s bunker in a world destroyed by war and climate change. The following track, "Attack Music" breaks in with the sounds of epic battle drums, clashing swords, breaking glass and sinister oboes. Another track, "White Chords" appears to be at least in a small way a nod to Thom Yorke’s Black Swan.

Self-conscious, and at times pretentious, the album is a heavily compelling and successful elaboration on their debut release, Beat Pyramid. In a music scene that is overwhelmingly re-discovering the lo-fi, fey aesthetic of bands such as the Modern Lovers and ironic revivals of eighties synth-pop that the authors aren’t old enough to remember, the cinematic, expansive, unabashedly literate sound of Hidden is a welcome break from the norm. Without doubt one of the most ambitious, obtuse and exhilarating albums of the year.