1. The Gaslight Anthem - American Slang
Singer/Songwriter Brian Fallon was once quoted as saying "We're not trying to reinvent the wheel, we're just trying to carry on the torch of good music". In an age of rock that carries such a relentless onslaught of pretentious indie bands trying to sound more important and original than the last, The Gaslight Anthem provide a refreshing slice of classic sounding rock 'n roll that has come full circle from the heyday of Elvis, with the urgency of London Calling era Clash. This is music that recalls a time when radio was cool. Unapologetically representing the abandoned factories and broken homes of the northern Jersey shore, (complete with Fallon's own caricature tattoo of a Telecaster wielding Springsteen across his arm), the band has created their most mature and accomplished effort to date. While their previous album The '59 Sound was complete with pained lyrics of small town nostalgia, old time rock 'n roll imagery and songwriting chops sounding eons beyond their years, the record was often criticized for leaning a bit too heavily on their influences. This point perhaps was only further fueled by the many blatant lyrical homages scattered generously throughout the album. American Slang is a document of the band coming into their own sound, and sounding much more confident and comfortable in their own skin. While The '59 Sound may have served as a tribute to their own heroes, American Slang proves as a career benchmark which will undoubtedly earn them their own following of wide eyed youth with their hearts on their sleeve and guitars in hand. The most earnest, passionate and purest rock 'n roll honesty put to wax in seemingly a thousand years, this record will make you want to spend the afternoon working under the hood of a truck with your old man, get drunk with your best friend, and then make that regretted midnight phone call to that girl from high school that got away.
2. The Stanfields - Vanguard of The Young and Reckless
Let's say I was to round up a group of old friends from my home neighbourhood. Now let's say we were all to stay up all night with a 40 of Irish whiskey and about 6 flats of Alexander Keith's and write an album in the process. That album might sound something like this. It might be easy to pre-judge this record as a full-out, Celtic rock affair. The songs here actually run the gamut from punk rock to honky tonk, to Eastern European folk, courtesy of the Greek bouzouki. Singer/Songwriter Jon Landry growls like a local barroom raconteur, spitting tales of drunks and punks alike, and delivers like a perfect cross between Shane MacGowan and Steve Earle.
3. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor
It's OK for bearded, bespectacled indie kids to play catchy melodies sometimes too. While entrenched in lo-fi sonics, beneath the surface of this Civil War themed conceptual opus lies some of the most straight up, catchy rock riffs this side of the Mason-Dixon line.
4. Ray Lamontagne and The Pariah Dogs - God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise
Singer/Songwriter Lamontagne's plaintive and soulful voice is well accompanied by new backing band, The Pariah Dogs. The result is melancholic, yearning vocals against the backdrop of warm, rustic soundscapes. A tone reminiscent of Van Morrison, and a delivery that evokes Joe Cocker, Lamontagne's musical focus has never before sounded so complete with the rural, backwater sounds of banjo and pedal steel.
5. Crazy Heart: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
After watching Crazy Heart, I wished that Jeff Bridges really was the whiskey-soaked, time-weathered train wreck of a country singer he played in the movie. The next best thing is this soundtrack for the film. These are some of the best country songs that most country music fans will never hear.
6. The Arcade Fire - The Suburbs
Yeah I know, this almost seems obligatory to include on a "Best of 2010" list. The truth is though, this album really is fantastic. It took several listens for me to really appreciate the first 2 albums, however, The Suburbs immediately comes alive with brilliant sonic expurgation. With this loosely conceptual exposition based on suburban living, the band delves more deeply into their new wave and synth-pop affections, and the results are monumental. "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) is best song The Human League never recorded.
7. The New Pornographers - Together
Songwriter A.C. Newman has 2 major things going for him. One is his ability to write the most insanely catchy melodies that can out-hook anything currently on pop radio. The other is having gotten in Neko Case's such good graces for her to be willing enough to sing them. Newman's effortless pop-craftsmanship, paired with Case's majestic voice, along with rocking guitars, and delicious synth hooks create the recipe for this piece of pure power-pop heaven.
8. The Bouncing Souls - Ghosts On The Boardwalk
It's really too bad that the pop-punk scene has garnered such an ill reputation in the past decade. Long before the Hot Topic punks invaded our malls and MySpace, bands like The Buzzcocks and The Descendents helped perfect the art of infusing pop hooks with punk rock intensity. The Bouncing Souls have also been creating super catchy, hook-laden punk rock for the past 15 years or so. Ghosts on The Boardwalk finds the band at their most mature, with a stronger emphasis on quality songcraft and textured sounds. Although not as bombastic as their anthemic masterpiece, How I Spent My Summer Vacation, this album does feature the band at their most ambitious, with a generous helping of classic sounds, complete with sentimental lyrics and shout along choruses.
9. Jakob Dylan - Women and Country
OK, I admit. I may have an unhealthy infatuation with Neko Case. She could sing names out of the phone book to the tune of 60's sitcom theme songs, and I would line up to buy the album in every format. Having said that, it was the fact that she was brought on board for this record to compliment Dylan's songs with her beautifully ethereal backing vocals, that caught my attention. It also doesn't hurt that this is Dylan's best songwriting since Bringing Down The Horse.
10. Stone Temple Pilots - S/T
I'm going to draw a parallel between the new STP album, and the last Metallica record. Both this album as well as Metallica's Death Magnetic from 2008 mark a triumphant return to their respective band's classic sound with glorious results. The problem is that both were just a little too late for anyone to take notice. Everything about STP's sound that made Purple arguably one of the greatest albums of the 90's, is present here on this record. After almost a decade and a half of consistently erratic and lackluster performances, this was the biggest surprise of the year. If you don't believe me, just listen to the 3 albums after Purple (and both Velvet Revolver albums, for that matter) and listen to this one again. It all comes together with STP's trademark sonic qualities. Zeppelin-like chord structures and Beatles-esque melodies, with sleazy, arena-ready rock riffs that would make both T-Rex and Kiss jealous.
