Best Of

Music sales are still plummeting, but there are some gems in the rough that rise above the rest. And in a public consciousness more geared towards flashy hit singles and single downloads, there are nevertheless some standout albums that presented cohesive, catchy, and creative visions. Here’s to those albums, which are guaranteed to still sound excellent after the blandness of 2010 has thankfully disappeared. 10. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyThis is the album that has (somewhat) saved Kanye from punchline status. To say he’s wacky is an understatement, but when he puts out material as finely crafted…

10.  Willie Nelson - Country Music Country Music finds the great Willie Nelson still at the top of his game, weaving his way through these starkly beautiful tracks.9.  Phil Collins - Going BackI still can’t quite get over just how good this thing turned out.  This disc contains some of the most vibrant and uplifting music I have heard all year.8.  Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted FantasyJust read Melanie Love’s glowing review of this one, which pretty much sums up exactly how I feel about this album; I’d rate it even higher, which still irks me, because the…

When I came up with my list of "best albums of the decade" last year, I was surprised at the number of albums that came out in 2000. The biggest cause for surprise was that in 2000, I didn't remember the year being all that noteworthy with the exception of Outkast's Stankonia and Radiohead's Kid A. It just goes to show you how much the element of time plays in these "best of" lists. Nine years from now, I'm not projecting the same phenomenon. Looking at my Top 10, I'm seeing nearly eight albums that would be my number one…

There was a lot of excellent music put out this year, so why not compile it all down into list form? All the cool kids are doing it after all, so I might as well get my say in. Below you will find my top 10 albums of the year, along with some unranked honorable mentions and albums that either surprised or disappointed me. I must say, the decade of the ‘10s is off to a great start. 10.  OK Go - Of The Blue Colour Of The Sky Finally proving that they were more than their music videos, OK…

Two thousand and ten is the year I didn’t see coming.  In the musical realm, the year seemed to this listener to cruise along uneventfully until around Labor Day, when I was starting to wonder what I’d even have to talk about in this column.  And then... TomPettyJimmyEatWorldChrissieHyndeBigBigTrainArmsOfKismetMarkMcKay and all of a sudden I had so much music I wanted to talk about that I had to make up a slew of new ridiculous award names.  Hope you enjoy the ride as much as I did, in the end… Sometimes The Movie Actually *Is* Better Than The Book Award OK…

  10. Swell Season - Strict Joy Success for Glen Hansard was a long time coming. After years plugging away as frontman for Irish folk-rockers The Frames, it was his starring role in the charming musical film Once that led to the widespread exposure his songs richly deserved. Hansard teamed up with film co-star Markéta Irglová, both romantically and professionally, to become The Swell Season. Just as the movie, and associated album, mirrored their real-life love story, Strict Joy charts the relationship breakdown. What sets this apart from the countless heartache-filled breakup albums is that we hear both sides of…

10.  Sonic Boom – KISS One of the best surprises of 2009 for me was the announcement early in the year that KISS was working on a new album. They hadn’t released an album of new material since the putrid Psycho Circus over a decade ago. The memory of that disc, however, was blown away after just the opening track of Sonic Boom, an instant KISS classic, “Modern Day Delilah.” More ballsy rockers follow with “Never Enough,” “Danger Us,” and “I’m An Animal” being among the best of them. A great return to form from possibly the best KISS lineup…

Following on the back of a bitter end to 2008, by all standards 2009 looked set to be one toilet of a year. From the outset, the promise of change was placed before us and the world hovered over it like all-too enthusiastic Snap players. “Things have to get worse before they get better” seemed to become the adopted mantra of choice, and it became apparent that, well, change kind of sucked. And if the banner year for crap couldn’t have been anymore filled with malaise and confusion, the musical world decided to contribute a few more crop-circles for your…

It was a strange year out there, with big changes everywhere, in politics, music and even my own little corner of the world.  What cut through the clutter of news about beginnings and endings, of new ideas fighting for space alongside old paradigms in disarray, was some truly amazing new music.  In a year that demanded inspiration, we got it in spades (and hearts and diamonds).  “I still believe you could save me from me,” sang Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman, and like so many of his musical brethren, this was the year he made me believe yet again in the healing…

Looking back on 2009, most of us will remember the plunging DOW, Obama’s first year in as Commander-In-Chief, Kanye West’s antics, Disney superstars reigning supreme, and a whole slew of cultural and newsworthy events. I’ll remember where I was when I heard U2’s much-anticipated new album, how Bon Iver kept winning my heart, and how John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats musing on religion made me rethink my own hodgepodge of Jewish-agnosticism. More than ever, music has the power to soothe and uplift, to show that no matter would, creativity and artistry will persevere. When all else is lost, music…