Rewind: Year in Rock 2010

Copied and pasted from the Facebook post mentioned in my recent interview with Maritime Vinyl, I figured I should probably post those lists up here in one megapost.  So, without further ado, the first in (hopefully) a series of rewinds as we relive what was awesome two years ago.  You know, if I keep this going, eventually there will be legitimate nostalgia.  I miss nostalgia.  Sigh.

YEAR IN ROCK 2010

#50: Brandon Boyd - "Runaway Train"

Brandon Boyd and Ed Kowalczyk have a lot in common.  Both fronted bands that became hugely popular in the 90's (Incubus and Live, respectively), both are recognized for their distinctive vocal stylings, both have a string of hits on their songwriting resumes, and both released their first solo albums this year.  Another common thread between the two is that no one noticed said solo albums.  However, as closely related as these two frontmen's careers seems to have been to this point, they took decidedly separate routes in 2010.  Whereas Kowalczyk took the Christian undertones that have floated beneath Live's surface over the course of their entire career and piggybacked them straight to Church in hopes of skimming from the collection plate, Boyd packed a fat bowl and went to the desert for a good bake.  By shunning trends and magnifying the hippie we all knew was there, Brandon Boyd makes the cut, leaving Ed to ponder his chances had there been a Year in God Rock 2010 (FWIW, quite good; "Grace" isn't so bad a track if you can get by every Christian rock cliche in the good book).




#49: Grinderman - "Heathen Child"
No one can call Nick Cave's rock badass status into question.  For the better part of 30 years, Cave has been bending the rules and creating some of the world's most interesting music along the way.  Now, at the age of 53, Cave and his new band Grinderman have proven that age needn't slow you down.  Drive you batshit insane?  Absolutely.  Slow you down?  Not in the least.



#48: New Politics - "Yeah Yeah Yeah"
Okay, so maybe their English isn't so good; that might explain lines like "As the kids come down from the road of the block / I get chills when I hear them cry".  And maybe they're a few years late to the battle cry party (passages about bringing "victory to the people" are sooooo 2005).  But you can't deny this; the Swedes are always good for a big, booming, catchy, punch-you-directly-in-the-nards chorus.



#47: Torche - "UFO"
About two years ago, Torche released "Meanderthal", a swaggering, sugary beast of an album that found my ears too late to earn them a spot on Year in Rock 2008.  They almost snuck this year's "Songs for Singles" past me too; it was only through blind luck that I found out about its release, as I was waiting until next year, when a full album is slated to be released ("Songs for Singles" is an EP, despite what they might say to the contrary; six songs only qualifies as an album if you're Pink Floyd or the Mars Volta).  However, as stopgap releases go, you can do far worse than this.



#46: Smashing Pumpkins - "Freak"
Billy Corgan is way too easy a target.  He's the only remaining original member of his band, yet he keeps the band name.  He pulls temper tantrums during shows when fans don't like hearing a string of songs they've never heard before.  He shows up on wrestling telecasts.  He releases his songs for free on the internet, only to later release them on CD as 4-song EPs with the price tag of 2-3 full-length albums.  Indeed, it's incredibly easy to write him off as the eccentric who's completely lost the plot.  Thing is, even if that's entirely true, he still has the capability of writing awesome songs like this one.



#45: The Whigs - "Kill Me Carolyne"
If R.E.M. put Athens, Georgia on the map in the 80's, then the Whigs are making it a waypoint on our GPS in 2010.  In the short five years since their debut, the trio have been on a steady incline, signing with Dave Matthews' ATO Records and playing with such well-established acts as the Black Keys, Band of Horses, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club and the Hold Steady (all of which you'll see later on in the countdown).  To cap off a great year that saw them release their excellent third album "In the Dark", the Whigs are opening for Kings of Leon (aka The Most Popular Rock Band in the World Right Now) on a European arena tour in December; it reprises a June show at Hyde Park where the two bands played for an estimated 65,000.  Not bad for a band that recorded their first album using equipment they bought on eBay.



#44: Broken Bells - "The High Road"
The project of Danger Mouse and the Shins' James Mercer, Broken Bells is one of the more slowly gestating success stories of the year.  Originally offered as a free download in mid-December of 2009, "The High Road" saw official video treatment in January, followed by the album's March release.  Since then, the album has found itself in the top 10 in the US, and top 20 in Canada and the UK.  Why?  Because this is that song; you know, the one that floats through your head one day while you're not paying attention, then six months later you suddenly find yourself hearing it everywhere and you can't pry it out of your head with a crowbar.



#43: The National - "Bloodbuzz, Ohio"
Many critics put the National's 2007 album "Boxer" atop their best album lists for that year.  I didn't quite get the appeal; to me they seemed okay, but they didn't offer anything I couldn't get from, say, Interpol.  Regardless, praise was heaped onto the band, and so when "High Violet" was released in May, all ears were on them.  Critics generally liked the album, but didn't like it as much as the breakthrough.  Well, that's what critics do, I guess.  Turns out a lot of the time critics are wrong, because "High Violet" is twice the album "Boxer" was, in terms of sonic scope, mood and overall songwriting.  Be warned, though; if you seek out the rest of this album after hearing "Bloodbuzz, Ohio", you may be disappointed.  There are a lot of good songs on "High Violet", but this is by far the best.



#42: Gord Downie - "The East Wind"
If we can't have a new Tragically Hip album every year, a solo album from a member of the band makes for a nice consolation prize.  And this year, we get two; guitarist Paul Langlois releases his first solo album in a couple of weeks, and Gord Downie released his third (and best) in June.  And no, they'll never do another "Up to Here", so stop asking.



#41: Portugal. The Man - "The Dead Dog"
Talk about getting ahead of yourselves. In July 2009, PTM released "The Satanic Satanist", from which the insanely catchy "People Say" was plucked for Year in Rock 2009.  Only eight months later, they had another new album, hence this song's inclusion on Year in Rock 2010.  But, here's the getting ahead of yourself part; in October, PTM released a brand new video... for "People Say".  But don't worry, the confusion over which album they're working will clear up soon, because they're already recording a new one.



#40: Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - "Even Heroes Have to Die"
Since day one, there have been casualties in the music industry.  Overdoses, plane wrecks, ham sandwiches, vomit suffocation, irreconcilable differences, public indifference... there are a lot of reasons why some of our favourite musicians stop working.  However, Ted Leo's case is a peculiar one, and could be the harbinger for today's industry.  Earlier this year, Leo admitted that low record sales and the grueling touring required to make ends meet in a business where people don't buy from you anymore have him considering hanging it up.  It's a (literally) sad situation, because if we continue to lose truly talented songwriters and musicians while the Lady Gagas and Justin Biebers of the world rake in all the rewards, it's not hard to imagine a musical state in the not too distant future that makes 2010 look like the heyday in comparison.  Which is why I still buy albums, and urge everyone to do the same if they find an artist they feel is worth keeping around.  Of course, most of them buy albums from Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, which has me wondering if I'm part of the problem or solution.



#39: My Chemical Romance - "Party Poison"
Ever get the feeling a band tries way too hard?  For their fourth album (and first in four years), MCR could have just recorded a bunch of songs, called it an album, and been done with it.  But no, it's not just an album.  It's a concept piece set it some kind of dystopian wasteland run by corporations.  It's set in California, which is apparently split into zones, and the band apparently plays outlaws who apparently are fighting against this corporation while apparently I can't follow this horribly disjointed and not very interesting story because the songs don't reflect the narrative.  Whatever the case, I wish nothing but the best for those who would actually immerse themselves into the concept of "Danger Days", and hope you find something more than a bunch of peppy songs that have nothing to really do with each other, but there are interludes tying them together so it must *mean* something.  Me?  I'll salute the band for trying some new styles and stepping away ever so slightly from their emo roots, as thoroughly evidenced by the swaggering, garage rock biting "Party Poison" (which is apparently the name of Gerard Way's character on the album, whatever that has to do with anything).



#38: Cancer Bats - "Scared to Death"
Let's get one thing straight: the Cancer Bats' cover of "Sabotage" was pretty awesome the first time you heard it.  Problem is, as with all novelty songs, the novelty wears off.  Once that happens, you'd better have an awesome song to follow up with so that people don't call you "that band that covered 'Sabotage'".  Luckily for the Bats, they're on their third album, so they know how to craft tasty nuggets of hard rock and metal.  "Scared to Death" is a little of both; tuneful enough to feel in your soul, and heavy enough to make you forget the Beastie Boys exist.



#37: Violent Soho - "Jesus Stole My Girlfriend"
Signed to Universal imprint Ecstatic Peace (the label headed by no less than Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore), Brisbane's Violent Soho released their debut worldwide release in March, heralded by this song, a pure slice of crunchy nostalgia that might as well have been recorded in 1992.  Upon its release, the album was heavily criticized for its blatant grunge posturing (although, to be fair, it's hard to tell from one song to the next if they're trying to be one early 90's band or all of them at the same time).  So, let me get this straight; you take a band of Aussies with a hard-on for grungy early 90's rock, sign 'em to a major label, and watch as their first single becomes an unexpected hit while critics tear them apart for following their grunge heroes a little too closely.  Are you sure this isn't 1995, and we're not talking about Silverchair?



#36: The Dillinger Escape Plan - "Gold Teeth on a Bum"
DEP have never been afraid to let a little melody peek through their cloud of noise.  And metal purists haven't been shy about hating them for it.  On this year's excellent "Option Paralysis", they often split the difference between melody and chaos so brilliantly that those purists may catch themselves headbanging to one of the melodic parts and not even knowing it.  With a chorus worth singing along to and a murderous main riff (not to mention a great title), "Gold Teeth on a Bum" may be the best example of the amazing balancing act DEP achieve on the album.



#35: How to Destroy Angels - "The Space in Between"
Trent Reznor and his wife are busy people.  Having just released their debut EP in June, they've already promised that they're hard at work for a full-length album that will be out in 2011.  That's enough for most bands, but Trent and Mariqueen are also expecting their first child in 2011.  One can only hypothesize at this point what their spawn will be like, but we've got a taste of the music courtesy of the self titled 5-song platter.  And, though it markedly rocks with a little NIN-style sinister swagger, Mariqueen's ethereal vocals give that swagger a ballerina slipper step rather than a combat boot stomp.



#34: Volbeat - "Heaven Nor Hell"
When you think of Denmark, you don't think of rock.  As for me, the first thing to pop into my head is "something is rotten in the state of Denmark".  Well, there's certainly nothing rotten about Volbeat, who have been churning out supercharged rock anthems at a steady clip since their debut in 2005; "Beyond Heaven/Above Hell" is their fourth album.  And, though it may be difficult to pick through the band's concepts (which often carry over from album to album) due to to Michael Poulsen's thick accent and spotty command of the English language, there's no denying the band is tight and rocks like... I'm trying to think of something else that's Danish, but now I can't think of anything but pastry.  Sorry, Denmark.



#33: Finger Eleven - "Pieces Fit"
I'll be honest; for me, Finger Eleven is still coasting off the love I gave them for "The Greyest of Blue Skies", which came out ten years ago.  Since then, they've morphed into one of those bands that success ruined.  You know the ones; they have a moderate radio hit, and every song they do for the rest of their career is modeled after that song.  Which is why I didn't pick the album's lead single ("Paralyzer II: The Revenge"), but rather the best song on the album, and (sadly) the one that comes closest to replicating their harder edged glory days.



#32: Avenged Sevenfold - "Buried Alive"
I'm not sure why A7X insist on releasing the same single over and over again.  Sure, there are musical differences between them, but for the most part, if you hear an Avenged Sevenfold Radio Single, it's fast and peppy and is designed (literally, in the latest single's case) to get you pumped up while you play Call of Duty.  That's fine, but when you listen to an A7X album, you find genres smashing into genres, often within the same song.  "Buried Alive" hasn't yet been offered up as a single, but I'd wager success if it were, because it's got the mournful soul of "The Unforgiven", a masterful solo, and a final section that will whoop your ass.  Okay, I'll say it; it's blatant Metallica worship.  Whether or not that's a good thing is entirely up to you.  But, for my money, better to be ripping off the Black Album than previous Avenged Sevenfold records.



#31: Jesse Malin & the St. Mark's Social - "Burning the Bowery"
Jesse Malin has been blowing critics' minds with his solo work since 2002.  Six albums and eight years later, he's still solidifying his status as one of America's best singer/songwriters (along the way, he even scored Bruce Springsteen for a guest spot).  Of course, like any talented artist, the mainstream pays no mind whatsoever.  His newest album, "Love it to Life", was released in spring to a crushing frenzy of indifference.  His low profile should change soon, though; just this week, a new song featuring Malin and Green Day (recording as Rodeo Queens) started getting some airplay.  I hear the kids like that Green Day group.



#30: The Hold Steady - "Hurricane J"
Since debuting six years ago with the pulverizing "Almost Killed Me", the Hold Steady have been constantly evolving and maturing, for better and worse.  Craig Finn's vocals and songwriting have really started to blossom in recent years, and "Heaven is Whenever" (the band's fifth album) is chock full of great songs.  Sadly, they've lost much of the jagged energy that made their first few albums such a blast to listen to.  That said, I can't complain too much; after all, to expect a band to stay the same forever is to be a closed minded fool.  And, when it comes to refining your sound, you could do a hell of a lot worse than the anthemic bar band pomp of "Hurricane J".



#29: Stone Temple Pilots - "Between the Lines"
What a difference a year makes.  At the beginning of 2010, the world was buzzing about the Stone Temple Pilots reunion.  By the time we neared the album's release in May, excitement was high.  Now, in December, everyone's just kinda "meh" about it.  What happened?  Well, there's that whole Scott Weiland falling into a hole on stage while the vocal track keeps playing video floating around.  There's also the fact that, after all the hype and eight years without new STP music, their new album is... well, frankly, kind of boring.  It's a meandering, woefully frontloaded* shot of nostalgia, engineered for a quick fix and easy disposal.  Which is how most folks treated Stone Temple Pilots this year.  See you in 2018?
(* Frontloading, for those not in the know, is when a band packs most the great songs from an album onto its first half.  Makes for a pretty good A-side, but leaves the B-side sorely lacking and, IMHO, makes for a much worse album.)



#28: Bad Religion - "The Devil in Stitches"
When it comes to serving up consistently entertaining slabs of punk rock and power pop, Bad Religion is McDonald's.  Sure, sometimes you have it too many times in too short a time frame and get sick of it for a while.  And okay, sometimes the service is a little on the lackadaisical side.  But they don't care, because you come back.  You always, always come back, even if (or maybe because) you know how it's going to taste.  Great, now I want fries.  Stupid, sexy fries.



#27: Hail the Villain - "Blackout"
Hail the Villain is exactly the kind of band I hate these days.  Unimaginative chug-a-chug riffs, dumb lyrics, and a singer who might actually be trying to sound like Chad Kroeger?  I don't have time for this shit.  However, a funny thing happened when I listened to "Population: Declining".  I wanted to listen again, and again, and again.  For all its fraternity jock rock posturing and cringe-worthy lyrics, the fun factor trumps everything.  From beginning to end (with only one ballad to act as the exception), it's a non-stop, high octane thrill ride (I'm sure I've read that as a movie description).  It's not the most intelligent album of the year by a long shot, but "Population: Declining" is definitely one of the most fun to listen to.  Hurry up and enjoy them before they find a taste of success and turn into Hinderback!



#26: Liars - "The Overachievers"
Don't ask Liars why they do what they do.  Don't try to guess what possessed them to do a concept album about German witches in 2004.  Don't bother looking for the meaning behind Drum and Mt. Heart Attack.  Don't even ask me what I'm referring to.  Let's just pretend that they're not batshit insane, and that they're just an eccentric group of gentlemen who like to mess with you.  Oh, and while we're at it, ignore the pretentious ecological statement of "Sisterworld", and just treat it like a rock album.  A really, really weird and really, really good rock album.  On its own, "The Overachievers" is a snarly post-punk freakout about settling down with cats and wandering the forest.  In the context of the album, it's... well, a snarly, post-punk freakout buried in the second half of the album.  Like I said, let's not over analyze this, lest it break our heads.



#25: The Gracious Few - "Honest Man"
Maybe it's old age creeping in, but sometimes I have a hard time remembering what decade we're in.  In the past four years, we've had a full-on 80's revival courtesy of a slew of supposed rock bands throwing away their guitars and rocking out on synths instead.  Now, looking back on the last 18 months or so, we've had reunions and/or new albums from Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots and Soundgarden.  And now, there's a band that's made up of 3/5 of Live and 2/4 of Candlebox.  Together.  At the same time.  Yes, that Live and that Candlebox.  The notion is enough to cause a full blown flashback.  I'm cautiously turning the radio dial, wary of Charlies by the name of Bush and Silverchair.  Holy shit!  Do you realize that Bush is putting out a new album in February?  Holy double shit!  The last Silverchair record had synths all over it!  Where am I?  What does any of this really have to do with "Honest Man"?  I don't know!



#24: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - "Conscience Killer"
BRMC have always had a, shall we say, herbal essence to their music.  Their newest album, "Beat the Devil's Tattoo", is littered with the resin of hundreds of bong hits through its twisty, hazy trip.  However, as is the case with the rest of their career, they're at their best when the fog lifts, the amps kick into overdrive, and the mellow is thoroughly and definitively harshed.  "Conscience Killer" is the album's sore thumb, a rip-roaring juggernaut of a track; it's a full bore, batons swinging SWAT team raid on a hippie love-in that crashes down with such fury and ferocity that you can't help but be at its mercy until the last note, at which point you exhale deeply, look at your buddy through squinty red eyes and mutter, "what happened, man?"



#23: Gozu - "Meth Cowboy"
Having come completely out of the blue to assault my ears with awesomeness about a month ago, it should be no surprise that Gozu landed on the list.  Traditionally, there's a band that comes along and releases an album very quietly during the course of the year.  Sometime in November, I discover that band through random circumstances, listen to a few tracks and declare them the second coming of Kyuss.  In 2010, I literally can declare the second coming of Kyuss, because they've reunited (although without Josh Homme, so what the hell kind of reunion is that?).  So, even though I can't technically give this year's honours to anyone but Kyuss, I'll sure as hell give Gozu the runner-up crown and this lovely parting gift.



#22: Vampire Weekend - "Cousins"
I feel sorry for indie rock bands.  Whereas punk bands draw heat when they sign to a major label and metal bands are hated if they use clean vocals, indie bands have to deal with the most vile, petty, moody fans on the planet.  Take Vampire Weekend; lauded by blogs the world over two years ago for their self-titled debut album, they did what any band that suddenly has ears pointed in their direction and mounds of praise heaped onto them would do.  They followed it up with "Contra", a more finely crafted album containing better songs that appealed to a wider audience.  For it, they were rewarded with the number one spot on Billboard's album chart.  Well that, and the ire of elitist indie snobs the world over, who disowned the band en masse despite positive album reviews from their blogs of choice.  Now they're filthy sellout hacks, say the hipster crowd as they fight over whether the best album of the year is by Beach House or Kanye West (the truth: neither).  Although it isn't shocking to see a band tossed aside by their supposed fans like such refuse; after all, these are people whose idea of mind-altering art changes every six to eight months depending on which band Pitchfork says they'll be coolest for name-dropping as their newest musical discovery, never willing to spend more time with an album than the couple of minutes it takes to load onto their iPod to show off to their hipster friends like a fashion accessory.  At this point, I'll stop myself, reserving more of this rant for later in the thread, and just say that "Cousins" is a great song, "Contra" is a great album, and I don't give a shit if it's socially acceptable or not.



#21: Spoon - "Written in Reverse"
Life is very short on guarantees, but there are two things you can take to the bank.  Firstly, when Spoon puts out a new album, you can be assured it's going to be good.  And secondly, Spoon is the best band named for a kitchen utensil ever.  Seriously though, "Written in Reverse" is pure pop/rock bliss; vocals that slur and swagger like a drunk working on a Saturday night fight, a Stonesy guitar that props said drunk up while egging him on, and a rhythm section just sober enough that when the punch gets thrown, we're flat on our backs with a bloody nose before we know what happened.



#20: Superchunk - "Digging for Something"
Not if but when the 90's power-pop revival happens, every hipster douchebag band that gets recognition on the blogs for their innovative archive spelunking will name-check Superchunk.  Meanwhile, Superchunk themselves won't get any benefit from the exposure other than their name and hard work being used by hipster douchebag bands to garner attention.  It'll be Faith No More all over again.  Remember how every nu-metal band under the sun cited Faith No More as a major influence, and you still bought that shitty second Disturbed album instead of "Angel Dust" when you went to the record store?  Point is, Superchunk are back with a fantastic new record that you don't own.  And when Beach House starts "blowing minds" by adding guitar feedback to their sound, you still won't own it.



#19: Deftones - "Diamond Eyes"
Sometimes tragedy is the best motivation.  In November 2008, Deftones bassist Chi Cheng was involved in a serious car accident that left him in a coma.  He still hasn't fully woken up.  So, the band swallaowed tears and soldiered on without him.  "Diamond Eyes", the resulting album, is the band's best album in a decade.  But, don't worry about Cheng being forgotten; on the title track, Chino Moreno croons, "time will see us realign".  For his fallen comrade, it's a touching tribute; for the rest of us, it's just another brilliant Deftones track.



#18: John Butler Trio - "I'd Do Anything (Soldier's Lament)"
I've been championing John Butler since 2004, when his North American debut "Sunrise Over Sea" won me over with its stupendously awesome guitar playing and laid back vibes.  In the six years since, Butler's only released two more albums.  2007's "Grand National" was a natural extension of what Butler started on "Sunrise", but things are quite a bit different with 2010's "April Uprising".  Butler replaced the other two members of the trio heading into this album, and it's very noticeable.  The rhythm section doesn't have the same soul as before; they just seem to be there to back Butler up rather than play alongside him.  Perhaps that's the point, perhaps not.  Either way, the album definitely seems like Butler's swing for the fences, a desperate bid for stardom outside his native Australia.  Maybe expectations this side of the earth were too high; after all, he did sign to Dave Matthews' ATO Records for this album's release, and surely wanted the album to perform well.  If that was indeed the goal, I can't complain too much, because Butler's ear for hooks is finely tuned on this album.  Especially so given how awesome "I'd Do Anything" is as a song... and it wasn't even chosen for a single.  The reason I chose this track isn't because it's necessarily the best on the album, moreso because it's the best representation of "April Uprising" as a whole.  It's a bridge between Butler's funky roots past and his lite rock radio future.  Here's hoping he doesn't burn that bridge down when he gets to the other side.



#17: Black Label Society - "Overlord"
There's an awesome video for this song, but I didn't link to it because it's so silly and distracting that you barely notice there's a song playing, which is a shame, since "Overlord" sports one of Zakk Wylde's most glorious riffs ever.  When he was unceremoniously dumped from Sharon Osbourne's band, he could have just faded away slowly and sadly.  But, rather than let Sharon Osbourne decide his fate, Zakk took it into his own hands on "Order of the Black", an album that burns with a fire Wylde's been missing on his last few albums.  Indeed, Zakk hasn't released an album this well-crafted since "1919 Eternal", BLS's (IMHO) masterpiece.  So enjoy your new guitarist, Sharon Osbourne.  Zakk's doing just fine without you.




#16: Kings of Leon - "Pyro"
Kings of Leon have to put up with a lot of grief from fans who claim they've sold out, they've lost all integrity and their music is awful now that they're not ragged and raw sounding.  When "Only by the Night" sold a million copies in the US (a major feat in the age of downloading), the haters took to their soap boxes and trumpeted their disdain for anyone who'd listen.  It wasn't cool to like the Kings anymore, now that they were popular.  The thing is, KoL didn't go out of their way to get to that point; after all, they didn't make radio stations play "Use Somebody" on repeat to the point where everybody was sick to death of it.  So they got haircuts and wrote catchier tunes; what's the big deal?  If they were really in it for the fame, glory and cash, "Come Around Sundown" wouldn't sound like it does.  There's very little on the album that screams out to be blasted from your car speakers next summer; it's a platter of melancholy, heartbroken tunes with a side of sunshine.  Sure, there's no "Molly's Chamber" here, but there's no "Sex on Fire" either.  The album isn't a desperate attempt to hold onto the gaze of the public eye, and it's not a retreat to familiar territory.  It's simply another chapter in the lives of the brothers Followill.  Is it their best album?  Definitely not.  But does it feel like a natural next step for the band?  You bet.  Look, kids, it's like this: great bands don't always get better, but the best ones always evolve.



#15: The Black Angels - "Telephone"
Just like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Black Angels specialize in drony, dirgy, druggy ditties (say it five times fast).  And, just like Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, the Black Angels take it to another level when they roar back from their trip and kick up the tempo.  The difference is, this year the Black Angels did it for the first time.  "Phosphene Dream", the band's third album, isn't as intense and nervous as their first two albums, though the influence is still decidedly 60s.  Whereas those first records sound like the lost soundtrack to "Apocalypse Now", "Phosphene Dream" delves into some sunnier jungles throughout its first eight tracks, more psychadelia than paranoia.  But nothing prepares you for track 9 which, as you've no doubt already guessed, is "Telephone"; though not a cover, it definitely sounds like it was ripped out of the songbook of some old British mod rockers that had been stuffed in someone's attic for the last 40 years before the Black Angels paid a dime for it at a yard sale.  It's loud, it's fast, and most importantly it's a hell of a lot of fun, which is something that until 2010 I assumed the Black Angels never had.



#14: The Dead Weather - "Die by the Drop"
Following their debut album less than a year after its release, "Sea of Cowards" doesn't sound thrown together.  It's insanity is carefully executed, its twists and turns not taken recklessly.  With the album, the Dead Weather spat in the face of expectations, got as weird as they wanted to, and had a lot of fun in the process.  "Gasoline" is worth the price of admission alone, but "Die by the Drop" is the disc's calling card thanks to its sexy swagger, nuclear chorus and bittersweet interplay between Allison Mossheart and Jack White.



#13: Kylesa - "Distance Closing In"
When a metal band introduces melody to the equation, red flags go up in the metal community.  Kylesa tested the melody waters on their last album, and got surprisingly positive reviews for it.  So when they went a little further in on "Spiral Shadow", you could feel the backlash coming.  Instead, they turned out a record stuffed to the gills with such a vibrant, far-reaching sonic palette that even non-metal fans (like the indie snobs at Pitchfork) stood up and took notice.  Imagine it; a former sludge metal band that at times sounds more like Foo Fighters, A Perfect Circle and Soundgarden than Black Sabbath not only peaking interest, but blowing the minds of metalheads and non-metalheads alike in the process.  It's still heavy, of course, but on "Spiral Shadow", Kylesa stepped out of the cage of expectation and opened themselves to a world of possibility.  As an overall album, it's magnificent.  But as a metal album, it's a stylistic and artistic leap of biblical proportions.  In doing so, I fear I've set the bar too high, but I'm going to go ahead and dub "Spiral Shadows" metal's "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot".



#12: Arcade Fire - "Ready to Start"
When it came time to choose my favourite song on "The Suburbs" for this list and I was forced to break a seven way tie, I knew Arcade Fire had made a pretty good record.  So, while I copped out and gave the edge to the lead radio single, honourable mentions go to "The Suburbs" (for being the most unlikely summer jam summer's ever seen), "Modern Man" (for giving yuppies a new theme song), "Empty Room" (for having the fiercest string section put on record since Apocalyptica), "City With No Children" (for bringing the Stones stomp into the 21st century), "Month of May" (for showing a defiant, carefree side that looks especially good on a band as sometimes pretentious and sombre as Arcade Fire), and "We Used to Wait" (an epic track with a vision so big conventional video couldn't hold it).  In the end, "Ready to Start" gets the nod for its encapsulation of the album's emotions; heartbreak, nostalgia, frustration, defiance, hope.  That, and I copped out and picked the lead radio single.  Sorry, I didn't think you had a half hour to check out #12.  But if you do, you should probably spin those other six songs as well.



#11: Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - "I Should Have Known It"
The cold, hard truth is this: Tom Petty was fading into obscurity for the last 15 years or so.  A few decent cuts aside, Petty's studio output since 1994's "Wildflowers" has been subpar, often downright boring.  So, when it was announced early this year that he'd done a new album with the Heartbreakers, interest wasn't exactly through the roof.  However, said roof was handily ripped off by the lead single, "I Should Have Known It".  The track roars from the speakers like the reanimated corpse of the artist we paid no mind to as it lay in rot, suddenly shambling toward us in a ferocious quest for our brains.  And damn it if we didn't give them to him.  Simply put, we weren't ready for such a staggering return to form.  It's confident, it struts, and it rocks so hard you have to wonder just what magic elixir Tom's been sipping on (and handing around the room to his bandmates) to revitalize them so stunningly.  Even if the rest of the album doesn't match this song's energy (it doesn't), having this song on it alone makes it Petty's best album since "Wildflowers".



#10: Coheed and Cambria - "The Broken"
Since forming in 2001, Coheed and Cambria have shapeshifted from emo-tinged pop/punk to crushing metallic prog/rock to electronic laced pop/metal and plenty of waypoints in between.  Yet, as chameleon-like as their music's been over the course of five albums' worth of material, they've kept a singular vision intact; "The Armory Wars", the painfully impenetrable story arc that took the concept album motif and supersized it to a series of albums, graphic novels, videos... indeed, the entirety of the band's career has served "The Armory Wars".  The story itself is high science fiction of the extremely cryptic variety; those who delve into this cave looking for meaning seldom resurface with it.  In fact, most (myself included) don't even bother trying to decipher it.  And, when they craft such excellent songs to soundtrack the tale, it's hard to care about anything but rocking out.  They've had some gems over the course of the saga (sonic high water marks "A Favor House Atlantic" and "Welcome Home" immediately spring to mind).  But with "The Broken", Coheed and Cambria have arguably found the perfect mix of tension, tunefulness and flat-out rock awesomeness to roll as background for "The Armory Wars"' trailer, should a movie eventually (probably) tie this all together.



#9: Stone Sour - "Say You'll Haunt Me"
When we close the book on Corey Taylor's long and illustrious career, we'll look back at 2010 as a turning point.  That's because 2010 was the year Taylor stopped flirting with the idea of radio-ready pop/rock, leaped from the fence and planted his feet firmly on the terra firma of mainstream rock stardom.  The metal community, especially those who were never too fond of Slipknot in the first place, use every ounce of breath in their lungs to condemn him for this decision, but so be it; there have been hooks bleeding through Taylor's fabric for years now, and that he chose to expose them fully on Stone Sour's third album shouldn't come as such a shock.  So he wrote "Hesitate", a heartbreaking and beautiful ballad; how could he not release it?  That would be a waste of a really good song.  Herein lies Taylor's dilemma; rather than rehash all the old, aggressive tendencies of Slipknot and the harsher Stone Sour tracks and continue pandering to his core fan base (which, I might add, has been vitriolic and extremely critical of him at every turn), he chose to instead stop ignoring his radio-friendly side and embrace it fully, with sometimes staggering results.  "Audio Secrecy" is not his best record, and never will be.  But what it is is Corey Taylor taking a stand and showing he's no longer afraid to ruffle some feathers and cause controversy by being quieter instead of louder.



#8: Bad Books - "You Wouldn't Have to Ask"
Manchester Orchestra took me by surprise last year with the stunning "Mean Everything to Nothing"; it was a huge-sounding, heavy-hearted album that outed frontman and main songwriter as a man wise beyond his years.  The album displayed emotion and maturity without compromising the force of the music, which was a combination so striking I awarded "Mean Everything to Nothing" with my Album of the Year nod.  So, when the band joined forces with folk/indie rocker Kevin Devine, I was a little disappointed they weren't hard at work following that album up.  However, Bad Books' debut album is a fine platter as well, and makes for a fine stopgap while I eagerly await Manchester Orchestra's next album.  The lead single, "You Wouldn't Have to Ask", is short, crunchy and sweet, like a Halloween-sized Coffee Crisp.  It's no frills, no grand statement, just a ditty.  An amazing, amazing ditty.



#7: Mumford & Sons - "Little Lion Man"
You may be inclined to get into technicalities on this one; you might say, "hang on, chum, but this album was released in 2009".  Fair enough, but if I may also get into technicalities, it was released where I live in 2010.  What we can't argue about, however, is what a force of nature Mumford & Sons have been in 2010.  From virtual unknowns to underground heroes to platinum status (in the UK) to Mercury Prize nomination to five singles released to two Grammy nominations to (and this is the scary part) just picking up steam in North America.  Breaking through to the mainstream with hearts on sleeves and  F-bombs falling, "Little Lion Man" is the band's opening salvo, a song whose folk/rock thrills know no generation gaps, and a warning that for all of the accomplishments and accolades already laid at Mumford & Sons' feet, this is truly only the beginning.



#6: The Gaslight Anthem - "The Diamond Street Church Choir"
Listening to the Gaslight Anthem's new album ("American Slang"), I didn't get the same rush I had the first time I listened to "The '59 Sound".  That album (and especially its title track) sounded like a supercharged Bruce Springsteen record minus the horn section.  The press were quick to pick up on the Bruce worship too, especially given that the band hails from New Jersey.  For that reason, the Gaslight Anthem was written off in certain circles for emulating the Boss as a shallow punk band.  But when you dig deeper, you find that Brian Fallon is a songwriter with soul that can sometimes match Bruce's, and he uses that soul to great effect on "American Slang".  And if you're not convinced, check out "The Diamond Church Street Choir", not only a throwback to Motown and E-Street simultaneously, but also straight up one of the year's best songs.  That this hasn't even been released as a single blows my mind.



#5: Wintersleep - "Trace Decay"
My love for Wintersleep is well documented.  When it comes to artistic leaps, Wintersleep did a pretty substantial one on "Welcome to the Night Sky", earning a stranglehold on my musical affections in the process.  With "New Inheritors", they don't top their last album, but it's not like they really tried.  They simply turned out a fine, fine record and showcased a little more maturity and growth.  The depression that marred most of their first three albums is starting to lift, revealing Paul Murphy as a songwriter who's not only gifted at parlaying his own fears and doubts in song, but is also capable of some thrilling songs when he gets out of his own head.  Much of the album finds Murphy markedly extroverted, which is a pretty sharp turn from the intensely personal musings on "Welcome to the Night Sky".  It makes the album a little less cohesive, but that's fine since it allows for a wider range of emotion.  There's still a fair share of doom and gloom, but there's also nostalgia, yearning and hope.  Those are all great additions to the Wintersleep canon, and they're here in spades on "Trace Decay", presented here unedited (rather than the chopped up and hurried video version) for full effect.



#4: Against Me! - "I Was a Teenage Anarchist"
In October, Against Me! left their major label contract with Sire.  Later, Tom Gabel would say in an interview that the label "made some serious mistakes".  Listening to "White Crosses", that statement is painfully obvious.  The band turned in the greatest record of their career, building on the successes of "New Wave" and exceeding all expectations.  And yet, sales were low and singles stopped coming.  If the label had their heads about them, they'd have dropped all priorities and focused on getting this record into the hands of every red-blooded rock music fan that they possibly could.  Simply put, there isn't a single song on this record that could not have gotten serious airplay had they been promoted.  AM! is a rare beast of a band; strong enough in the hooks department to garner the ears of the public, and smart enough to stand out from the crowd.  When "New Wave" came out, fans of their older, more punky material cried fowl.  But it was obvious then that Tom Gabel was too gifted a songwriter to waste his talents on punk rock.  It's even more obvious now; if Kings of Leon can go platinum in 13 countries, Against Me! should go platinum in 20, and do it while maintaining their integrity.  In a year of grand artistic statements, overblown pretensions and trend posturing, Against Me! simply got together the 10 best songs they had, put it out and left us with proof of things we may not have believed in before.  It's both smart and sexy, artistic and accessible, a hard rock record with mass appeal.  But, above all, it's an undeniable 21st century classic, and (spoiler alert!) my choice for Album of the Year.



#3: The Sword - "Tres Brujas"
These guys have always been good at massive walls of noise and tasty riffs.  On "Warp Riders", they've added some seriously well-honed songwriting and melodies into the mix.  They still rock hard, but there's also a swagger, a knowing grin in recognition of the fact that they've sweated out the debut album hype and sidestepped the sophomore jinx.  Their third record may be a little far fetched lyrically (it is a concept album that takes place in space, after all), but the music is as undeniably good as they've ever produced.  Proof positive is "Tres Brujas", a killer song with more riffs and grooves than should be legally allowed.



#2: Band of Horses - "Laredo"
Often prone to albums full of groggy ballads with a small sampling of rock, Band of Horses have been lauded and criticized heavily for that reason since their 2006 debut.  On "Infinite Arms", there's still plenty of sombre stuff.  But, there's also "Laredo", an absolutely gorgeous and rollicking track that splits the difference between their uptempo rock side and their laid-back folk side so masterfully that you don't care if you're listening to folk or rock; you just know it's a wonderful song.  Gazing at the rest of this list and where the songs fell, I understand how I could catch a little grief for naming a simple melody and plain vocal performance like this my #2 song of the year.  But , since its release in March, I haven't listened to any song (except one, and you're about to find out which one it was) as frequently, and gotten more enjoyment every time when doing so, than "Laredo".  Besides, it's my fucking list, not yours.



#1: The Black Keys - "Next Girl"
Anyone who fell in love with the grimy blues of "Rubber Factory" knew that there was something special about the Black Keys, and thought that they'd break through someday.  However, it's hard to believe it took this long.  After eight years and six albums, it took a pleasant, unassuming track by the name of "Tighten Up" to make the Black Keys a known force on the charts.  A slow burner in every sense, the track was released in March.  Now, nine months later, it's enjoying its ninth week atop the US alternative radio charts, and fighting off alt-radio heavyweights Linkin Park and Kings of Leon to boot.  The scary part about this staggering success is that, for all its charms, "Tighten Up" is far from the best song on "Brothers".  There are a bevvy of tracks ready to follow its lead if its tenacious grip on the airwaves ever loosens.  There's the arena-ready groove of "Howlin' for You", the sweet and easy "Everlasting Light", and three or four more deep album cuts that can do some serious damage given the opportunity.  Then, there's the swaggering beast that is "Next Girl", a song that packs the wallop of a hundred pimps' backhands, the groove of a hundred Stax records, and the lyrics that could soundtrack a hundred million breakups.  If "Tighten Up" gets people to buy the record, they should have to read a warning label that says, "Also contains 'Next Girl'; you are not ready".  Bonus: "Next Girl" also wins my award for Video of the Year, reasons for which are plentiful and obvious.



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As previously promised, we'll wrap it up with my picks for top albums of the year (even though, if you've read this thing, you know what #1 is).  I've also included my personal awards, which are way more awesome than Grammys.

1. AGAINST ME! - "White Crosses" *ALBUM OF THE YEAR*
2. THE BLACK KEYS - "Brothers" *SONG OF THE YEAR* *VIDEO OF THE YEAR*
3. ARCADE FIRE - "The Suburbs" *BEST INDIE ALBUM* *BEST CANADIAN ALBUM*
4. WINTERSLEEP - "New Inheritors"
5. KYLESA - "Spiral Shadow" *BEST METAL ALBUM*
6. VAMPIRE WEEKEND - "Contra"
7. LIARS - "Sisterworld"
8. THE SWORD - "Warp Riders"
9. THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM - "American Slang"
10. SUPERCHUNK - "Majesty Shredding" *BEST COMEBACK ALBUM*
11. TITUS ANDRONICUS - "The Monitor"
12. SPOON - "Transference"
13. DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN - "Option Paralysis"
14. MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE - "Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys"
15. MUMFORD & SONS - "Sigh No More" *BEST NEW ARTIST*
16. THE BLACK ANGELS - "Phosphene Dream"
17. THE DEAD WEATHER - "Sea of Cowards"
18. DEFTONES - "Diamond Eyes"
19. BAND OF HORSES - "Infinite Arms"
20. GOZU - "Locust Season"
21. BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB - "Beat the Devil's Tattoo"
22. THE NATIONAL - "High Violet"
23. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY - "Order of the Black"
24. BAD RELIGION - "The Dissent of Man"
25. VOLBEAT - "Above Heaven / Beyond Hell"

That'll do it.  Thanks for reading/watching/listening.  Here's to an amazing 2011.