I know I’m pretty much last out of the gate, but all the cool blogs have done it, and I wanted to give my 2 cents worth, so without further ado – here’s my take on 2010 in music.
Best "I couldn't tell if it's Metal or not" album
Ghost - Opus Eponymous
Sounds like it was ripped out of the 70's by way of Satans belly. Has an almost claustrophobic feel, absurdly occult lyrics but really is just a hell of a lot of creepy fun.
Best Metal of the year
2010 was a HUGE year for metal, seeing a new wave of thrash revivalists, awesome new albums by old favourites and many boundries being pushed further and further in new and exciting directions. I couldn't limit this to just one so its going to have to be broken down...
Dimmu Borgir - Abrahadabra
Being a fan of Dimmu's earlier work, I thought I knew what to expect here... man was I wrong. Exceeding anything that anyone though Dimmu capable of, exceeding the very bounds of metal itself, this album is bleak and dark, but rich, lush and epic. If that seems like an enticing contradiction I'd suggest checking this out immediately, you wont be disappointed... oh and it ends with a mind blowing cover of Deep Purple's "Perfect Stranger".
Meads of Asphodel - The Murder of Jesus the Jew
Accompanied with a 60000 word rationale, this obscure little gem is equal parts prog, black metal and just plain craziness. Meads first few releases were decent, if a little confusing, but this really comes together for a surprising and exciting version of black metal from the UK heartland.
Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini
Another band that has grown and gotten better over time (some purists may disagree). Enslaved started out as a Viking/Black metal band, but sometime around 2000 started experimenting with progressive elements, peaking with 2004's Isa. This ups the game once more, brutal but beautiful, Enslaved continue to redifine what extreme metal is.
Unearthly Trance – V
I'd never given Unearthly Trance much stock before now, but with V they've taken their doomy mould and fused even more power and better songwriting into the mix. This is so good in fact that it made me revisit their back catalogue and notice things I'd missed earlier!
Best Indie/Rock album
The National - High Violet
Started out as a bit of a sleeper for me (especially compared to Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, or the Virginia EP) but is packed with the kind of songs that sneak their way into your head and
stay there until you find yourself humming them all day.
Best Hip Hop album
Meth, Ghost and Rae - Wu-Massacre
Compared to other years, and other Genres, 2010 was a fairly poor year for hip hop for me, especially considering my feet are planted firmly in the underground. Wu-Massacre is a hugely strong release from 3 of the stars of the Wu camp, and possibly showcases Meth's best work in
years. All killer, no filler and a hilarious skit from Tracy Morgan to boot!
Gig of the year
The National - Brixton Academy
Hard call as I've seen some amazing stuff, notably Amorphis/Orphaned Land, Sepultura and long time favourites Pearl Jam, but there is something amazing about the energy that The National put into a show.
Best non 2010 Music discovered.
Potentially this could be a huge list so i'll try and keep it as brief as possible.
Bloomfield, Kooper, Stills - Super Session, Cee-Lo Green - ... is the Soul Machine, Murs - Murs 3:16 (9th Edition), Prince Paul - Prince Among Thieves, Organized Konfusion - Organized Konfusion, Coup - Steal this Album, Digital underground - Sex packets, Athiest - Unquestionable Presence, Gojira - From Mars to Sirius, High on Fire - Snakes for the Divine, Kadenzza - The Second Renaissance, Melechesh - Djinn, Nile - Annihilation of the Wicked, The Black League - Ichor, Porcupine Tree - Fear of a Blank Planet, Six Feet Under - Warpath...
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