Mike Dupar (The Baron)/////////////////////////////////
20. Zydeco by Lil Boosie
Heres my favorite passage from the song:
I can make you two step, boosie boo is cold
preacher of the ghetto, make em catch the holy ghost
I make them but they hands up like they on the stand bruh
man this aint no lye mane, bad ass fly mane
As you can tell, lyrically this song ain’t much but sometimes hilarious formulas can be suprisingly awesome. I’ve loved Boosie for quite some time and would love to write or direct his biography. Anyways Zydeco finds Boosie rapping over tradional creole music from his home state of Louisiana. Tis’ dope!
19. May I Walk With You by Star Slinger
Little specks of J Dilla can be heard on this track, this British dude is a different type of funky though.
18. Nigeria What? by Debruit
Self described as Bump-hop, spine funk, African roll, synth blap (and hails from Paris). Nuff’ said.
17. Veronica Sawyer by Summer Camp
This song is alarmingly familiar to me. Probably will be to you too.
16. Don’t Wake The Dead by Guards
Don’t Wake The Dead, those are some mighty wise words, that sound friendly when coupled with Guards’ subtle twang.
15. Limit To Your Love – James Blake
Dude creates the strangest atmospheres in his music, like a film score.
14. Dark Fantasy by Kanye West
Ain’t nuthin’ like bumping this in my ’96 Lincoln Continental with the volume and bass all the way up. Point being you should get like Kanye and if thats too expensive get like me.
13. Oh My God by Cults
So glad they didn’t title this song OMG. This song just sounds awesome, Cults take their usually nostalgic sound and make it simultaneously futuristic with some synths. I showed my mom this song and she said that my 12 year old def dog got up with extreme curiosity when this song came on.
12. blastit (at the hommie rayzer…) by Shabazz Palaces
The beat is fucking played on one of those gourds with metal planks attached, my friend had one growing up.
11. Say Goodbye to What by Bullion
If Casper was a song. It’s ghostly yet friendly.
10. Wut by Girl Unit
As much as I try to avoid dub-step and am becoming tired of it, I can’t deny that some tracks are exceptional. This being one of them.
9. Icarus by White Hinterland
Casey Dienel’s voice is enchanting.
8. Creepy Phone Calls by Tobacco
A symphony of nuclear war alarms sound battling danceable seizes.
7. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
I heard a Sleigh Bells song playing during a commercial for an MTV show, that’s always a good sign.
6. Fuck You by Cee-Lo
It’s odd to think that it took this long for this song to come into existence, it just makes perfect sense.
5. Fokionos Negri Street by Keep Shelly In Athens
Lounges through the first 2 and a half minutes then quietly explodes into some groovy guitar.
4. Holograms ( Primary 1 Rework) by Fol Chen
Mutates gradually from ancient music box to horn-laced jamming.
3. Something New by Freddie Gibbs & YP
Flipping Dr. Dre’s Xplosive is usually bad idea but on Something New Gibbs devours all doubts.
2. Stick to My Side by Pantha Du Prince feat. Noah Lennox
Sounds like Panda Bear’s older stuff but much denser and better executed. Pantha is truly an amazing producer.
1. Magentadoor II by Truman Peyote
Truman Peyote was maybe the most buried artist I unearthed and enjoyed this year, coming out of Boston Massachusetts and the White House Collective. Magentadoor II combines somber lyrics placed over synths that vary from grimy to ambient along with a break-beat. Infectious and equally beautiful.
>> download the 2010 Baron mix. (.zip file)
Mark (Karl Malone) ////////////////////////////////
21.) Tennis – Marathon
Instant Jam. Can’t wait for the full-length.
20.) Beach House – 10 Mile Stereo
Hard to pick a particular joint from Teen Dream, if I had to, which I suppose I did – I’d pick 10 Mile Stereo.
19.) Here We Go Magic – Collector
Here We Go Magic wrote 1 good song this year… and it’s really good.
18.) Dent May – That Feeling
Just another near-perfect pop song from 2010.
17.) Sonny & The Sunsets – Too Young To Burn
This was my summer joint.
16.) Reading Rainbow – Wasting Time
Try to listen to this song once.
15.) Twin Sister – All Around & Away We Go
“Chill-wave’s answer to the hustle” – Evan Rytlewski
(tho, I don’t really like to lump these guys into the chillwave thing)
14.) Strange Boys – A Walk On The Beach
The most dynamic, and my favorite, track from SBs sophomore album, Be Brave.
13.) Call Me Lightning – Called To The Throne
WALL. OF. SOUND.
12.) Big K.R.I.T – As Small As A Giant
BIG K.R.I.T wears his heart on his sleeve. His very fly sleeves.
11.) Tame Impala – Lucidity
Best psych-rock track from 2010.
10.) MGMT – Congratulation
“A great big congratulations” to MGMT for not trying to write another “Kids”.
9.) Conspiracy Of Owls – Ancient Robots
Members of Detroit’s The Go create new 70′s psych-rock band, “Conspiracy Of Owls” and make me sing “ancient robots too!” out loud for 2 months straight.
8.) Jaill – She’s My Baby / Everyone’s Hip
These tracks are Jaill at their fighting weight. 1000 hooks, strums, beats packed in under 2:30 each.
7.) Harlem – Friendly Ghost
I thought there was no way Harlem could write a catchier tune then ’09′s “Caroline”.
6.) Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Round & Round
If you can’t get down with this track your prob just lying to yourself.
5.) Lower Dens – I Get Nervous
Your ears looking through a kaleidoscope… a beautiful beautiful ear kaleidoscope.
4.) The Walkmen – Woe Is Me
A 10.0 beauty of a track.
3.) Shabazz Palaces – Blastit…
Genuinely inventive hip-hop production – Blast it.
2.) Happy Birthday – Subliminal Message
First you realize this song is amazing. Then you realize the rest of the album is even more amazing.
1.) Ty Segall – Girlfriend
There are about 6-7 tracks off Ty Segall’s “Melted” that could have been my favorite of this year.
>> download the 2010 Karl Malone mix. (.zip file)
Anthony Van Hart (Avanhizzle)//////////////////////
20. On Melancholy Hill- Gorillaz
19. California English- Vampire Weekend
18. Wasting Time- Reading Rainbow
17. Good Friday- Kanye West (feat. Common, Pusha T, Kid Cudi, Big Sean & Charlie Wilson)
12. Texico Bitches- Broken Social Scene
10. Desire Lines- Deerhunter// Layered with multiple changes and swayable harmonies, this song is near perfection. I strongly believe that if this song would’ve come out last year or if I lived in a state where is wasn’t frigid right now, it would’ve been my number one.
9. Blessa- Toro Y Moi// Remember what I said about the Best Coast song? Yeah, this might be more infectious. Dream sequence where you’re eternally riding in a convertible with the friendliest group of talking animals. Mind/blown.
8. Zebra- Beach House// This tracks the Narnia portion of the dream that I’m sure everyone experiences nightly Sighs and snowflakes.
7. Boyfriend- Best Coast// Not much to say except that this is possibly one of the most infectious songs I have ever heard. And also one of the most impossible to sing along to. For a dude anyway.
6. The Suburbs- Arcade Fire// A consistent piano accompanied by Win Butler’s voice and words tear holes into my entire being. In a good way. My clear favorite track from The Suburbs that will be a rotational standard. Forever.
5. Round and Round- Ariel Pink// Clearly a dream sequence track. I like to think that this song is featured somewhere in the middle of every night’s program. Accompanied by thick smoke and a disco ball.
4. A More Perfect Union- Titus Andronicus// I lose my voice every time this song comes on. I think lead singer Patrick Sitckles does too. After they played this in Madison in April, he put out the flames in his throat by dousing it with Cepacol.
3. Rill Rill- Sleigh Bells// Undeniable and sugary sweet. Fistfights, braces, and snapping fingers. It was possibly this track that possessed inebriated underage gals to try and kick in the doors at Mad Planet.
2. Home- LCD Soundsystem// Sitting still renders impossible as you contemplate purposes, terrible times, and what might make you feel better. James Murphy, practicing psychologist, has an incredible knack of refracting your image and pointing out all that is wrong with you through song. It’s ok though. The beats and synths that lace his tracks numb your emotional capacity and make it nearly impossible to get depressed or contemplative for too long.
1. Taos- Menemonea// “Taos” is a layered masterpiece that is as cinematic as it sonic. Songs this explosive shatter earth(s) and blow minds. I called this out as the best track of the year before I heard the second change.
>> download the 2010 Avanhizzle Compilation (.zip)
Tony Wonder ///////////////////////////
10. skin surf, tera melos
(what do you get when throw rivers cuomo into a sack of hungry wolverines? yeah, you’re gonna listen to this song because i said that)
8. fresh hex, tobacco (THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO REASON that beck and tobacco shouldn’t release a collaborative album. “tobecko.” now, here’s a joke about how beck is a scientologist)
6. big boi, daddy fat stax (“shutterbugg” is awesome, but “daddy fat stax” is be the most triumphant track of 2010 – its difficult path to release nonwithstanding. this track defines “swag”)
5. gargoyle, doctor p (disregard the fact that hard dubstep has been overrun by hurley tees and tapout sweats; instead, here’s a super nintendo apocalypse)
4. something else, diamond rings
2. boogie, hijack/brabe (“fidget house” is a tiny subgenre composed of european kids cutting up old disco songs and then making them into new disco songs. this is essential listening for anyone who digs collage music, whatever that is, but got tired of girl talk’s formula by the third time around)
1. snakes for the divine, high on fire: the bluster of this song (8-minutes, 2 war cries, guitar pyrotechnics galore) makes kanye’s supposedly crazy-huge “runaway” look like the pokemon soundtrack) (pokemon blue, not pokemon red)
