2010 Magazine's Albums Of The Year Thread For Posting Lists and Discussion

The curse of La Roux

la roux didn't end up on the album in the end, thankfully!

Your voodoo hex worked! (I assume you arranged for one.)

more like a hitman

i kind of agree in theory that commercial dance should be taken more seriously but swedish house mafia and david guetta just suck ass and can jump off a cliff as far as i'm concerned

― lex lex lex lex lex on the track BOW (lex pretend), Thursday, December 9, 2010 9:17 PM (24 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

lol

what to you is the difference between non-charting populist dance and non-charting non-populist dance?

This wasn't some kind of snarky comment I was making, and is separate to the discussion we were having earlier this year re mid-00s dance criticism vs dance criticism circa 2010 (though that may not have been clear). I'm talking about the ultra ultra populist stuff.

Like, this week I had to review a single by a local duo called Scarlet Belle (or something, i forget), who are comprised of a former OZ Popstars group member and a former Australian Idol contestant, and who make mildly r&b-ified vocal-house that's kinda wannabe Freemasons. This stuff is basically designed for gay clubs and suburban pubs (despite the almost antithetical nature of their respective audiences). Sometimes it charts but for every such track that becomes a hit there's like 10 that hardly anyone hears. I can feel already this one's gonna flop.

This is non-charting populist dance. A lot of it isn't very good and doesn't deserve to be reviewed - as per a lot of most genres.

In the same way that there's reams of non-charting teen-pop and non-charting populist R&B.

And all of these "scenes" have individual critics or non-critic fans who over-fetishise it all to death, but media publications tend to shy away from any such thing if the non-charting side of things can't be fashioned as a kind of "underground" of sorts (uk funky is a bad example in this regard because it clearly can fit an "underground" narrative - the reasons for the media ignoring it are different and more complex).

Thing is, as far as I can tell there's simply a lot less populist dance being made these days. I used to get about 2 pop-trance singles per week in my review pile, but no longer.

so wait, who are the people ignoring or not writing about uk funky? i'm curious. and the reasons are complex! i smell intrigue...

is there foul play afoot? i really need to get to the bottom of this.

This thread has convinced me to come out of retirement. Thanks! (Also to listen to some records I haven't heard. Thanks for that too.)

so wait, who are the people ignoring or not writing about uk funky? i'm curious. and the reasons are complex! i smell intrigue...

It's not terribly intriguing. To be reductive, uk funky is "underground" enough that it's likely only going to be on the radar of dance music publications with an emphasis on explicitly (or purportedly) progressive/forward-slanted aesthetics, but doesn't chime in sufficiently with the other signifiers associated with that aesthetic(s) so as to generate much critical enthusiasm. So it falls between two stools.

Whereas pop-trance, say, is entirely off that radar.

isnt that forward-thinking kind of mindset entirely ridiculous at this point, though? why are ppl still on this "pushing things forward" approach. why is there still so much centrality given to it?

like do the visual arts still rely on this linear idea of art history

idk im out of my league in art critcism but it seems absurd that ppl would still cling to this idea of 'progress' instead of a messy topo-geographical sort of situation

A hangover of dance music being "the sound of the future" X well it does care a lot about sound design X faster turnover of sonic trends than other genres, at least at its critically endorsed end X the progressive indiefication of all crit-focused dance music criticism.

At any rate the only reason I raised all of this was in answer to the question "why don't dance critics talk about 'Miami 2 Ibiza'" - I don't think this is a new thing.

The separate thread is what nakh refers to as the mid-00s convergence - when what was popular and what was critically endorsed were more interchangeable than before or after.

ahh. yeah i mean i was more wondering if there was any sort of entertainment crit out their for dance fans along the lines of, like, R&B fan blogs etc.

but maybe mainstream R&B just has a higher success rate

this is a tricky way to generalize but i think that 'pop' dance tends to be more functional than aesthetic - not sure its really listened to often enough in the right context to provoke that kind of discussion

wld kinda love it if 'miami 2 ibizia' got repped in eoy lists tho

Pop female artists who I was hoping for would make it big this year vs. pop female artists that did made it and secretly hope they would flop:

Nina Sky YAY!
Kelis YAY!
Amerie YAY!
Cassie YAY!
VS
La Roux NAY!
Lady Gaga NAY!
Ke$ha NAY!
Robyn NAY!

if its any consolation, robyn didn't really make it

lol

Well of course she didn't made it in the same degree as sat ke$ha or lady gaga but I did hear some of her songs on the radio this year frequently and I've heard my brother and his friends - who have a pretty mainstream taste and are my basis for what is becoming popular out there in the real world - playing her music on their gatherings. In any case she became more ubiquitious in my world than I expected her to be.

While I'm at it Janelle Monae and YahZarah also deserved more attention this year. I get Janelle Monae was pretty popular amongst critics this year but it didn't feel to me like her singles 'tightrope' or 'cold war' made as much a popular stirring as they wanted them to or at least not where I come from... come to think of it I don't think I heard anyone drop Janelle Monae out of my room this year.

Monae was the house band at the ESPY Awards, fwiw.

Monae needs to be more famous than she is imo

ESPYs also had waka doing live performances w/ a marching band, so someone there has good taste

To be reductive, uk funky is "underground" enough that it's likely only going to be on the radar of dance music publications with an emphasis on explicitly (or purportedly) progressive/forward-slanted aesthetics, but doesn't chime in sufficiently with the other signifiers associated with that aesthetic(s) so as to generate much critical enthusiasm.

uk funky producers also DON'T RELEASE THEIR MUSIC, c'mon tim you can't pretend that's not a factor at all!

sadly the priority placed on forward-thinking aesthetics is something i can't deny that other critics employ, but a) w/r/t dance music that's something that is, as you hint, totally tied up with what's always driven actual dancefloors, which have to renew themselves every few years anyway, b) it's far from the only reason stuff gets critical momentum - look at how much dance music (azari & iii, house of house) gets praise for being retro-nostalgic.

also funky is a pretty bad example given that it DID get a ton of critical hype for fitting into exactly that forward-thinking aesthetic you describe and the actual sound hasn't got any less ~innovative~ - it's just retreated into itself as a scene.

Nina Sky YAY!
Kelis YAY!
Amerie YAY!
Cassie YAY!
VS
La Roux NAY!
Lady Gaga NAY!
Ke$ha NAY!
Robyn NAY!

i agree with all of these btw.

^likes black girls

nina sky are latina, right?

and kelis and amerie are both half-asian...and i think cassie's mixed too.

oh i was just repeating an old gabbneb post

that wasn't to be taken seriously

uk funky producers also DON'T RELEASE THEIR MUSIC, c'mon tim you can't pretend that's not a factor at all!

This is less the fault of the producers and more an issue with a complete lack of commercial infrastructure to support funky. There are still no UK funky record labels with any real profile or identity that I'm aware of - certainly no one that's immediately associable with the scene. This is unthinkable for any dance genre over two years old. It's no coincidence that the UK labels with the most critical momentum right now (Hyperdub, Night Slugs, Hessle Audio) are also the ones who are best at promoting and branding themselves and have really strong visual identities. Also yeah, mostly being white people probably helps as well.

also funky is a pretty bad example given that it DID get a ton of critical hype for fitting into exactly that forward-thinking aesthetic you describe and the actual sound hasn't got any less ~innovative~ - it's just retreated into itself as a scene.

I don't think it got THAT much critical hype, but hype's a double-edged sword for reasons I'll get into later. Having a stupid genre name doesn't help, but it doesn't really fit that classic forward thinking narrative very well. You can see it in the disttust and confusion it elicits in yer Simon Reynoldses and whatnot. The scene is entirely about socafied beats and tribal bangers, with other elements including pop songs worked into that framework.

But it's NOT self-consciously forward looking in the way that eg techno is, it's closer to the glammer end of high street house. The producers aren't interested in sounding futuristic, they're not particularly interested in "sound design" and the actual sonics are often pretty rudimentary - it's closer to grime in its ramshackle, DIY ethos than it is to dubstep. These are all things that are actually offputting to a lot of critics. It's the same mindset that caused the Brit press to go mad over the "forward thinking" Timbaland/Neps/Missy/Aaliyah rnb of the early 00s while ignoring, say, Teedra Moses. There's also a long-standing fear within parts of the dance press of being seen to rep too hard for anything that might be seen as too chavvy - FACT 2010 is similar to Jockey Slut 1999-2000 in that regard.

But yeah, I don't think being "retreating into itself" is necessarily a problem here an neither do you given you've been repping for Chicago juke this year. Scenes need time to develop out of the limelight. You look at the parallel development of grime and dubstep - grime was forced into the critical light too soon, way before it was ready, and it was met with a mixture of overhype and suspicion followed by confusion, ridicule, fear and suspicion. It collapsed into itself for years and then had to totally reinvent itself and go full-on commercial to get anywhere. Dubstep was allowed to grow more organically out of the glare and managed to gain solid ground-level support and grow organically and is now succceeding on its own terms. The latter's a much better blueprint for funky really.

This is all off the point really - the Mixmags of this world cover commercial dance a lot more than the online press do. Although I'd bet any money that Kanye wins their albums poll.

Actually a quick look at the Mixmag site reveals big Swedish House Mafia/Deadmau5/Pascha banners and they've put fucking Calvin Harris and Will.i.am on the cover of late. I think it's safe to say they're comfortable with this stuff.

Dagbladet (Norway)

INTERNATIONAL :

1. Kanye West «My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy»
2. Big Boi «Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty»
3. Deerhunter «Halcyon Digest»
4. Robyn «Body Talk»
5. Janelle Monáe «The ArchAndroid»
6. Mary Gauthier «The Foundling»
7. AfroCubism «AfroCubism»
8. Best Coast «Crazy For You»
9. Håkan Hellström «2 steg från Paradise»
10. LCD Soundsystem «This Is Happening»
11. Deftones: «Diamond Eyes»
12. Dungen: «Skit i allt»
13. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti: «Before Today»
14. The Besnard Lakes: «Are the Roaring Night»
15. Twin Shadow: «Forget»
16. Jamey Johnson: «The Guitar Song»
17. Charlotte Gainsbourg: «IRM»
18. Caribou: «Swim»
19. John Mellencamp: «No Better Than This»
20. Mavis Staples: «You Are Not Alone»
21. Neil Young: «Le Noise»
22. Arcade Fire: «The Suburbs»
23. Matthew Dear: «Black City»
24. Zola Jesus: «Stridulum II»
25. Robert Plant: «Band of Joy»
26. Beach House: «Teen Dream»
27. Justin Townes Earle: «Harlem River Blues»
28. Los Lobos: «Tin Can Trust»
29. The-Dream: «Love King»
30. Iron Maiden: «The Final Frontier»

NORWAY :

1. Kvelertak «Kvelertak»
2. Susanne Sundfør «The Brothel»
3. Motorpsycho «Heavy Metal Fruit»
4. Lars Vaular «Helt om natten, helt om dagen»
5. Serena Maneesh «S-M No 2: Abyss In B Minor»
6. Thomas Dybdahl «Waiting For That One Clear Moment»
7. Ost & Kjex «Cajun Lunch»
8. Hellbillies «Leite etter lykka»
9. Odd Nordstoga «November»
10. Kråkesølv «Bomtur til jorda»
11. Röyksopp «Senior»
12. Shining «Blackjazz»
13. Karpe Diem «Aldri solgt en løgn»
14. Frida Ånnevik «Synlige hjerteslag»
15. Narum «Ælt som var søkk borte»
16. Lindstrøm & Christabelle «Real Life Is No Cool»
17. Casiokids «Topp stemning på lokal bar»
18. Bjørn Eidsvåg «Rundt neste sving»
19. Grande «You Are The Night»
20. Kenneth Ishak & The Freedom Machines «Kenneth Ishak & The Freedom Machines»
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ESPYs also had waka doing live performances w/ a marching band, so someone there has good taste

:D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk-A21vtBJA

Minor lol at Lindstrøm & Christabelle being the 16th best Norwegian album of the year...who are Kvelertak?

GEIR TO THREAD.

Kvelertak are sort of somewhere between progressive metal and hardcore punk, sing in Norwegian have seen it pick up a few votes in metalheads lists.

Saw Susanne Sundfør perform in Brighton this summer, she was excellent The Brother is a lot more adventurous then the previous two albums.

I guess the Norwegians know best themselves but I'm genuinely aggrieved that Arabrot aren't in that list. Likewise Shining.

Except they are.

Sorry.

idk if Arabrot have that much domestic game, didn't get that impression when I've spoke to them... I mean Dagbladet is like one of the biggest daily papers right? Surprised-ish at Lindstrom but this time last year half of us were going "wow this should be 2010's crossover pop hit blah etc" and look where that got it

Yeah, they're tiny aren't they? If it's any consolation I feel the same way when The News Of The World don't rep for Dethscalator in their end of year poll.

FACT Magazine's Top 20 Tracks of the year:

20: INJA HLUNGWANI - ‘N’WAGEZANI MY LOVE’
19: AUTRE NE VEUT - ‘NEW DEPTH’
18: ENDGAMES - ‘ECSTASY’ (JAM CITY REFIX)
17: BIG BOI - ‘SHUTTERBUGG’
16: ADDISON GROOVE - ‘FOOTCRAB’
15: DEADBOY - ‘OFFICIAL GIRL’
14: FOREST SWORDS - ‘MIARCHES’
13: THE-DREAM - ‘YAMAHA’
12: ERIK & FIEDEL - ‘NOUS SOMMES MMM’
11: MATTHEW DEAR - ‘SLOWDANCE’
10: DRAKE feat. THE-DREAM - ‘SHUT IT DOWN’
09: KINK - ‘EXISTENCE’
08: PANTHA DU PRINCE feat. PANDA BEAR - ‘STICK TO MY SIDE’
07: ACTRESS - ‘MAZE’
06: JAMES BLAKE - ‘CMYK’
05: KANYE WEST feat. PUSHA T - 'RUNAWAY’
04: MOSCA - ‘SQUARE ONE’
03: DJ ZINC feat. MS. DYNAMITE -‘WILE OUT’
02: RAMADANMAN - ‘GLUT’
01: TEENGIRL FANTASY -‘CHEATERS’

Full Top 100 List on website

The Midnight Magic/Jacques Renault record is a jam and the whole Permanent Vacation comp it comes from is ace.

didnt even realise there was a selected label works 2! why does no one tell me these things

Yamaha is too low, but respect for voting Wile Out so high. Whole list is a bit depressingly blokey and moody, although I find myself liking Ramadanman more and more and the Kink record at #9 is a straight-up banger.

Tim F I would strongly advise against reading the blurb for that Moscsa record!

(xpost Selected Label Works 2 is great but isn't quite up there with Vol. 1 but it does have Lauer's Delta NRG on it which is total hands-in-the-air awesomeness).

Also that Deadboy treatment of Official Girl... hasn't poor Cassie suffered enough?

fact 100 2010 spotify platlist. only 61/100, spotify's a bit rub

Kvelertak are sort of somewhere between progressive metal and hardcore punk, sing in Norwegian have seen it pick up a few votes in metalheads lists.

Decibel named that their #22 metal album of the year! And I thought their description sounded interesting: "...seamlessly synthesize the unlikely and disparate elements of refinery-burning garage rock, black metal, re-jigged Norwegian folk talkes sung in their native tongue and owls drawn by John Baizley." I thought #29, an EP by a Washington band called Christian Mistress, sounded potentially cool, too. But I'm getting real lazy when it comes to seeking out metal albums. Also I have no idea who John Baizley is.

I like both the Kvelertak and Christian Mistress; check out "Mjød" by the former and "Black Vigil" by the latter on youtube. Well worth the few minutes that will take.

Baizley is the singer from Baroness and he does the artwork for their albums, as well as tons of other bands - Torche, Darkest Hour, Kylesa, Black Tusk...

Oh, that guy! Duh. I like Baroness's album covers even more than their music (which is pretty good.)