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

it's like why didnt they just tweet reviews of the mona lisa fuck it save time

Deej, you listen to a ton of music. Why are you being such a champion of NOT listening to music?

i dont think quantity gives ppl perspective. acknowledging that music is huge & out of your control is more necessary for that perspective than listening to everything.

i mean, its a choice of depth vs breadth, i dont think tim f spends less time listening to music than whiney g

There's a difference between acknowledging you can't listen to "all" the music, or 30,000 albums in a year, and acknowledging that maybe more than 0.166% of it deserves some attention.

Tweeting about Mona Lisa. Funny. But in the art world, to be taken seriously as a critic, one has to demonstrate an incredibly deep knowledge of art history, and ideally credentials of a Ph.D. or at least Masters. You have to be able to accurately identify literally thousands of pieces by sight.

Pop music isn't regarded the same way, and obviously that's a good thing in many ways. But I don't think of it all as disposable product either. It is worth, for many, the time and effort of some serious deep listening, and it is possible to give focus and repeated listens to way more 50 albums a year, and still have time to listen to old favorites. I'm sure Whiney can confirm that while he heard a thousand new albums, he had time to hear many of them a few times, and still had time for his own collection.

I'm sure anyone in this thread could recognize 1,000s of pieces of music. And I'm sure there are art critics who specialize in Renaissance art, modern art, Japanese art, etc. Your analogy is not good.

Moreover, while art critics certainly know a great deal about art history and the evolution of art overtime, schools of art etc., it would be ludicrous to suggest that someone is incapable of talking or writing incisive and intelligent criticism about a piece of art due to the fact that they hadn't seen ALL (or even a lot) of the art produced in the same year.

The problem here perhaps is equating 'good criticism' with 'distilling all of the year's music into a representative, accurate and precise top 25/50/100/whatever'.

Like...I enjoy a good list as much as the next person, but we're arguing at cross-purposes perhaps? Some people seem to be saying that if critics listen to too few albums in a year, then they won't have sufficient breadth to be able to accurately identify the best how-ever-many albums of the year. Others are (rightfully) suggesting that breadth does not necessarily result in intelligent or nuanced analysis or discussion of records or songs.

I think there's probably a certain amount of listening that is desirable for critics to do in any given year, if only to have context for whatever genre they're discussing (or context for the generalist musical universe that they're situating albums in) - an awareness is key, to some extent.

But some kind of facile equation of more listening = better criticism is on some bullshit.

The problem here perhaps is equating 'good criticism' with 'distilling all of the year's music into a representative, accurate and precise top 25/50/100/whatever'.

― Alex in Montreal, Monday, January 3, 2011 12:25 AM Bookmark

Yes.

A long time ago I lived with a gf while she earned her art history Ph.D. Before she began her dissertation on her chosen specialty, she learned a huge amount of art, as did everyone in her program. The workload was jaw dropping, and even emotionally draining at times. But they certainly couldn't complain to their professors that their brains would only allow them to properly absorb only so much art per semester. But she could do it, and she did, because she was passionate about it. The same went for my wife in medical school. For a couple years I was listening to over a thousand new albums a year, and people around me who were casual music listeners/fans couldn't fathom that, and imagined it would be such a chore. But it wasn't. The analogy is just fine.

The more you do something, the better you get at it. You wouldn't say that listening a lot is gonna make you a worse critic, would you? "Accurate and precise" certainly has nothing to do with anything we're talking about. I'm just saying there's no reason anyone can't thoroughly absorb a lot of music. Whether they are a good writer or intelligent critic varies with the individual. But of course they can improve with more listening. How could you possibly say otherwise?

I've already acknowledged that a certain amount of knowledge of music and having heard a breadth of historical music knowledge/listening is important. I'm not arguing with that. I'm suggesting that perhaps there is a limit to "more listening = value accrued". At some point, diminishing marginal returns apply. If you are trying to listen to AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE (and that is the only criteria) reality with imposes constraints that limit your ability to engage with that which you are listening to on anything but a cursory level.

Nobody here is making the argument that complete ignorance of music history is recommended. No one is arguing that as little listening as possible MAKES you a good critic. But how can I say otherwise? Because...I don't see how someone who has listening to 500 records in 2010 is INHERENTLY more capable of critiquing any particular album than someone who has only listened to 300, presuming that these two people otherwise have a similar grasp of music, music history, genre, etc. Every extra album listened to from the current year only "enhances" your criticism if the goal of criticism is de facto to rate/rank/compare albums from this artificially imposed period of time.

"of course they can improve with more listening" <-- improve at what specifically? how? why does more listening cause this improvement? is there a limit? is there a trade-off? I'd agree that music criticism can't be done in a vacuum, but there's a one-to-one causal relationship you're implying here that doesn't ring true.

(Hell, we may as well throw in the genre-specialist vs. generalist argument here too, ffs.)

*reality will impose constraints

late night posting and grammar are not cooperating.

Soooo glad I'm not a critic - must ruin it for you all

It appears that more people are concerned with being good writers than good critics. It's understandable, good writing can lead to more/better opportunities, while good criticism isn't always even recognized by that large an audience. I've read plenty of good writing in poor reviews. Lovely metaphors and clever phrases that serve a writer's portfolio and ego more than the music. I can appreciate it briefly, but then it's quickly forgotten as I skim onward in search of good music. Even good writing that's also good criticism is going to be forgotten. It's never going to be literature (with perhaps a few exceptions from the likes of Bangs and Kent).

I don't get this distinction. Is the good criticism the reviews you agree with it? Obv. that's wrong. Is it that you think the writer captures the music accurately? As opposed to, say, a nicely phrased metaphor that's way off base?

In that case, well I agree, but then your dichotomy is a false one.

In my opinion good writing and good understanding of the material cannot be divorced or even thought of independently except as artificial abstractions. A metaphor that doesn't fit what it's trying to describe is a bad metaphor, a failure of communication, and hence bad writing. Writing that makes you think the writer is trying to impress you rather than convey something useful or important or meaningful or insightful is bad writing.

The more you do something, the better you get at it.

Sure, but what makes someone a better reviewer: listening to 200 albums four times each, and writing 200 reviews, or listening to four albums 200 times each, and thinking about every angle on the music they can spot before sitting down to write about it?

In each case the writer is doing music critic work of the same amount. The first critic might be in a better position to tell you which out of those 200 albums are the ones you really should buy (in their opinion, it goes without saying), and also, if you like x album, which three or four other albums of the same year might be considered similar, but on pretty much every other conceivable metric the second critic is going to be in a better position to put together a good review.

Of course, I myself am now setting up a false dichotomy: in a lot of ways breadth is depth (and vice versa). When I'm thinking about genre, listening to as many examples as possible of music in that genre, and also listening to music in similar but subtly different genres, is going to inform my thinking of how the genre works - by understanding what something is not I can better articulate what it is. But now we're in the realm of strategic listening, including as one of your listening-motivants a desire to work out particular critical notions you want to develop and then deploy.

One of the reasons I haven't listened to the Kanye album is that, not only do I not expect to like it much, but also I don't expect it's going to help me develop the ideas about music I'm interested in if I hear it - having read people like lex and al and deej talk about it I can't help but expect that my own critical reaction would simply stand in their shadow, redundant.

Tim yr crit is always remarkable for the level of detail in describing specific tracks and contextualising that detail. I'm pretty staggered at how little breadth wise you are saying you listen (in terms of albums at least) - where/ how do you listen?

Commuting and at the gym, always on crappy iPod earphones, and basically always formally or informally constructing reviews of whatever I'm listening to in my head.

Hah! Sounds like me...but specifically in terms of your strategy? How do you choose? And this might be revealing if others answered too...

How duz critics werk?

I don't expect it's going to help me develop the ideas about music I'm interested in if I hear it - having read people like lex and al and deej talk about it I can't help but expect that my own critical reaction would simply stand in their shadow, redundant.

i'm kind of the opposite - when i do listen to ~hyped~ records it's in order to join in whatever discussion's going on. i rarely read substantive criticism of anything before consuming it myself - once i have, then i go back and voraciously read other people's opinions. this rarely actually happens with albums i don't think i'll like, my primary motivation for seeking music out remains the pleasure principle (regardless of whether i think it'll help me "develop my ideas" or not)

dj history top 50 tracks of 2010 - http://www.djhistory.com/features/the-furtive-50-2010

can anyone tell me about these records i haven't heard (& in many cases, even heard OF) from the Brainwashed top 100 ??

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma , "Love is a Stream" - this is the guy from Tarentel and also The Alps (I think). It's post-MBV Fennesz-y guitar textures. Really well done, and some people have raved about it, but on first listen it all seemed kind of familiar to me.

Jon Mueller, "The Whole" - drums and chanting and stuff, with some dulcimer giving it an eastern vibe. This probably says more about my own field of reference, but it reminded me a bit of some of the Microphones stuff off Mount Eerie (you know the stuff with loads of drums on them?), but a bit less washed-out if that makes sense.

The Fun Years, "God Was Like, No" - good droney stuff, got a drifting Labradford-ish feel to it, guitar tones floating around in a fog of electronic crackles. Listening to it again now and it sounds pretty cool.

Altar Eagle, "Mechanical Gardens" - Maybe a bit like Cold Cave soundwise, but heavier on the electronic textural stuff. Cutesy boy/girl vocals make it sound very old school indie, but there are some decent songs.

BJ Nilsen, "The Invisible City" - Classic ambient Touch stuff, but drawing on more urban and industrial sounds than something like Biosphere.

Gonna be using the word 'stuff' a lot today btw.

The North Sea, "Bloodlines"

Locrian, "The Crystal World"

these are both great. north sea is the guy who runs digitalis label. played that a bunch. and the locrian is wonderful. dark and atmospheric "post-metal".

actually like the north sea album more than the tarentel dude's album. but i like that too.

this rarely actually happens with albums i don't think i'll like, my primary motivation for seeking music out remains the pleasure principle (regardless of whether i think it'll help me "develop my ideas" or not)

"develop my ideas" looks stupid doesn't it. This part at least is the same for me - the only area where critical interest exists without anticipation of pleasure is with hyped dance records, esp. if they're so close but so far from something I'd like. Like I had a sinking feeling that I knew what "Footcrab" would be (and I did) but felt obliged to check it anyway; I even bothered to check out the Darkstar album.

I wouldn't do this with rap albums and even less with rock albums, in both cases because I don't really feel like i have much of a stake in the critical conversations about the genres as a whole, my engagement is more record-by-record.

NickB, scott -- thanks much

isnt whiney supposed to be "releasing" his year-end list today or something?

One last album to hear...

i remember he said it was "dropping" on some date alright, sort of like an album art teaser

I gave myself a deadline that i am blowing through

Radio K lists:
http://www.radiok.org/top-77-voting/

One last album to hear...

you realize now that you've dropped this hint, you need to tell us the name of this FINAL IMPORTANT 2010 ALBUM WHICH YOU SAVED UNTIL JAN. 3, 2010 TO FINALLY HEAR -- right?

JAN. 3, 2011 *

gahhhh ilxor fail

If you really want to know, i have to finish up this Kevin Drumm box that has a good chance of making it on the list

!!! NICE

i ordered that shit last week

Fastnbulbous, who do you write all your reviews for?

www.fastnbulbous.com, duh

btw, Pitchfork 2010 Readers Poll results are up

This is our third readers' poll. Once again, we had more than 30,000 responses. This feature is always particularly interesting for the Pitchfork staff, especially as a point of comparison with our year-end coverage. There are always both a lot of overlap and some intriguing differences. Here's how it broke down.

Top 50 Albums

01. Arcade Fire: The Suburbs
02. Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
03. The National: High Violet
04. Beach House: Teen Dream
05. LCD Soundsystem: This Is Happening
06. Deerhunter: Halcyon Digest
07. Sufjan Stevens: The Age of Adz
08. Joanna Newsom: Have One on Me
09. Sleigh Bells: Treats
10. Vampire Weekend: Contra

you can pretty much guess how it goes from there, right?

http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7892-2010-pitchfork-readers-poll

this is where the Pfork poll gets kinda interesting -- albums w/ the highest % of #1 votes

(nice graphic, too!)

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/BestAlbum_FINAL_NoCopy.jpg

The metal readers poll is way better (thanks to ilxor for posting it on the metal poll thread)
01. Kylesa: Spiral Shadow

02. Deftones: Diamond Eyes

03. High on Fire: Snakes for the Divine

04. Alcest: Écailles de Lune

05. Shining: Blackjazz

06. The Body: All the Waters of the Earth Turn to Blood

07. Agalloch: Marrow of the Spirit

08. Nachtmystium: Addicts: Black Meddle, Part II

09. Watain: Lawless Darkness

10. Harvey Milk: A Small Turn of Human Kindness

hahahi think all ten of those albums made my 40-album ballot for the ILX metal poll O_O

i'd rerank them but whiney would tell me to take my data-dumping elsewhere

ILXOR CAN YOU EVEN READ A RANKED LIST OF ANYTHING WITHOUT SHITTING ALL OVER IT

Only one i dont care for is the Watain. Only heard the deftones once and it was ok, another good deftones album but not as good as white pony.

another good deftones album but not as good as white pony.

you pretty much have to let go of this truth in order to enjoyably listen to any other deftones album ;_;

white pony is on its own plane

yeah i know. As I said, it was still a good enough album.

Brainwashed.com Top 25 Albums of 2010

1. Swans, "My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky"
2. Current 93, "Baalstorm, Sing Omega"
3. Yellow Swans , "Going Places "
4. Grinderman, "Grinderman 2"
5. Oneohtrix Point Never, "Returnal"
6. Brian McBride, "The Effective Disconnect (Music Composed for the Documentary Vanishing of the Bees)"
7. Autechre, "Move of Ten"
8. The Legendary Pink Dots, "Seconds Late for the Brighton Line"
9. Philip Jeck, "An Ark For The Listener"
10. Sun City Girls, "Funeral Mariachi"
11. Pan Sonic, "Gravitoni"
12. Emeralds , "Does It Look Like I'm Here?"
13. James Blackshaw, "All Is Falling"
14. Cyclobe, "Wounded Galaxies Tap at The Window"
15. Michael Gira, "I Am Not Insane"
16. Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, "Kollaps Tradixionales"
17. Barn Owl, "Ancestral Star"
18. Flying Lotus, "Cosmogramma"
19. JG Thirlwell, "Manorexia: The Mesopelagic Waters"
20. Current 93, "Haunted Waves, Moving Graves"
21. Demdike Stare, "Liberation Through Hearing"
22. Demdike Stare , "Voices Of Dust "
23. Keith Fullerton Whitman, "Disingenuity/Disingenuousness"
24. The Fall, "Your Future, Our Clutter"
25. Eleh , "Location Momentum"

albums go all the way to top 100 on the site (http://brainwashed.com) along w/ top EPs & singles, vault/reissues, various artists comps, artist/label/new artist of the year, lifetime achievement (RIP sleazy), and worst album (lol Vampire Weekend)

http://brainwashed.com

totally worth a look

I'm way way way behind on this discussion. Anyway, I probably listen to as many or more albums a year as anybody here -- posted my Top 150 (plus 30 or so also-rans -- though admittedly including reissues and a few '09 albums I didn't hear until this year) on another thread, and those are only albums I liked. I've done that for three of the past four years, I think. I listened to hundreds more (or at least parts of hundreds, maybe even a thousand, more -- most of them I only made it through a few songs), and that doesn't even count all the old (mostly '70s and '80s) LPs I found in dollar bins and listened to this year (wrote about a lot of those on the Rolling Country and Rolling Past Expiry Hard Rock threads). And guess what? It was easy.

And I had no problem finding time to watch TV and read books and go out on Saturdays and have a family life (which I spend at least as much time on as listening to music) and cook meals (usually with old vinyl on in the background) and all that other stuff that people who listen to so many records supposedly never have time to do. Obviously I have some major advantages -- I get CDs free in the mail every day (plus downloads in the email, which I usually ignore unless I'm getting paid otherwise), I have a free Rhapsody account (I write for them) so I can check out new music that I don't get free in the mail if I want to (or if editors want me to write about), writing about music freelance is my fulltime gig so I don't have a day job cutting into my time, etc. So if none of that was true, maybe I wouldn't be listening to so much. And though obviously I'd listen to some of them more if time was infinite, for the most part I think I listen to all of those records as much as they each deserve to be listened to -- which is the same as how much I want to listen to them. In other words, unless I've got an assignment, I don't listen to music because I think I "should"; I listen because I want to. And obviously the albums high on my list tend to be the ones I tended to listen to more. When you get down toward 150, there are probably albums I only listened to a couple times. (Never less than that, because I don't file anything until I've listened to it at least twice.) I guess that's not "in depth" enough for some people on that thread, but it's usually in-depth enough for me to know whether I like a record or not. (I don't recommend that people buy all -- or maybe even any! -- of the records on my list; as I explain on the other thread, that'd probably just make me a hypocrite, because I don't really buy music myself, except for old dollar-bin records. I'm just keeping track of music I've had a positive reaction to -- A lot of which I have more to say about than "I like it"; I review a pretty good chunk of the records on my list, and I'm good at it. But lots of which I have nothing to say about at all, really. Which doesn't negate me liking it. And probably if somebody offered to pay me for even those, I'd find something to say.) I've never understood this idea that you have to listen to an album 100 times to know what's there; obviously there are albums that you can keep learning new things about if you do that, but they're really, really rare. And if they're that good, again, I'll want to listen 100 times. Don't think that's happened lately.

I also don't really feel any compulsion to "keep up" with what other critics are liking, for the most part, though there are critics all the time who make me curious about specific releases. And it's hard for me to understand how other people who love music wouldn't be curious about tons of what's out there. To me, it just comes naturally. On the other hand, I wouldn't say that the way I listen is how other critics should listen -- One of my favorite critics apparently listens to basically no albums at all (he just votes for singles in Pazz & Jop, often ones that people put on mix CDs for him in November); maybe my favorite critic of the past 20 years listened to just a handful of albums through most of this year, and then spent Decemeber cramming. I couldn't do that -- If I like an album a lot, I want to live with it for a while to let it become part of my life, and I don't really trust my judgement with albums that I suddenly love in December. (Yelawolf might've had a shot at my P&J ballot had I heard it before I filed my ballot, but even if I'd heard it on Thanksgiving, I might not've been comfortable listing it. Still not sure how much I like it. If I end up loving it, and not getting tired of it, and playing it steadily all through 2011, I may decide to be a year-of-impact weirdo and vote for it next year, who knows.)

Also don't see how my lists would be more interesting (or more fun, or more trustworthy, or whatever) if I only listened to one genre. I just don't get that; it makes no sense to me at all. I'm incapable of wanting to just hear one genre, or even sticking within a genre when I'm supposed to. (Have sort of made a career of doing otherwise.) They all overlap anyway. (I file country lists every year for the Nashville Scene poll, and some of those always make my P&J ballot too. But as a whole, by definition, I like my P&J records more -- because they're drawn from a wider pool of applicants.) But again, I'm not everybody. Some critics are real good just writing about one kind of music, and right, having a speciality has its advantages, for some critics, in terms of finding a niche and getting assignments. But that's just not how I hear the world. (Though I've managed to specialize on particular genres at different times of my writing career regardless-- just not to exclusion of also writing about other stuff.)

I guess that's not "in depth" enough for some people on that thread, but it's usually in-depth enough for me to know whether I like a record or not.

the ppl who were making a statement about how many albums ppl 'should' listen to were the folks advocating that critics listen to as many as possible & suggesting it was like a responsibility iirc, not those defending their right to focus on less

i mean, i do believe that trying to listen 'comprehensively' is a fool's game tho. not to mention impossible

XXL 100 best mixtapes of 2010

100. Los - Shooter
99. Das Racist - Shut Up, Dude
98. Outasight - Never Say Never
97. Terrace Martin - Here, My Dear
96. Ra Diggs - Pray for My Enemies
95. Bishop Lamont - The Shawshank Redemption: Angola 3
94. Uncle Murda - More Murda
93. Redman - Pancakes & Syrup
92. Game - The Red Room
91. Curt@!n$ - The Dissertation : The Wu-Thesis

90. Soulja Boy - Legendary
89. Slim Thug - Pimpin' Slim
88. Termanology - 50 Bodies Vol. 3
87. Young Buck - Back On My Buck Shit Vol. 2: Change Of Plans
86. Diggy Simmons - Past Presents Future
85. Fashawn - Grizzly City 3
84. Droop-E - Blvck Diamond Life
83. Jay Rock - Black Friday
82. Reks - In Between the Lines 2
81. STS - Demand More 2

80. Casiddy - Apply Pressure 2
79. Killa Kyleon - Natural Born Killa
78. Jae Millz - Dead Presidents
77. Pac Div - Don't Mention It
76. Mistah F.A.B. - The Realest Shit I Never Wrote Pt. 3
75. Pastor Troy - G.I. Troy: Strictly 4 My Soldiers
74. Jon Connor - Vinnie Chase Season 1
73. Moe Green - Rocky Maivia: Non-Title Match
72. Lil Twist - The Takeover: Carte Blanche Edition
71. Young Dro - Dro Street

70. As far as I can tell, there is no #70
69. Red Cafe - No Witnesses
68. Asher Roth - Seared Foie Gras with Quince and Cranberry
67. Cyhi da Prynce - Royal Flush
66. Travis Porter - Nicki (Strip Club Anthems)
65. Kid Daytona - The Interlude
64. Styles P & Sheek Louch - The Ghost and the Gorilla
63. Plies - You Need People Like Me
62. Theophilus London - I Want You
61. Bow Wow - Green Light II

60. Maino - Art of War
59. Yo Gotti - Cocaine Muzik 4
58. Mickey Factz - I'm Better Than You
57. Reek da Villian - The Gift: The Mixtape Album
56. Curt@!n$ - Killer Tape
55. Young Jeezy - The Last Laugh
54. XV - Vizzy Zone
53. The Cool Kids - Tacklebox
52. Smoke DZA - George Kush da Button
51. Pill - 1140 - The Overdose

50. Jim Jones - The Ghost of Rich Porter
49. Nipsey Hussle - The Marathon
48. Emilio Rojas - Life Without Shame
47. Trae tha Truth - Trae Day
46. Meek Mill - Flamerz 3
45. Dead Prez - Revolutionary But Gangsta Grillz
44. Chip tha Ripper - Independence Day
43. Mac Miller - K.I.D.S.
42. Joell Ortiz & Novel - Defying the Predictable
41. Gucci Mane - Mr. Zone 6

40. Fred the Godson - Armageddon
39. Laws - 5:01 Overtime
38. Scarface - Dopeman Music
37. Consequence - Movies on Demand
36. Playboy Tre - The Last Call
35. Raekwon - Cocainism Vol. 2
34. B.o.B - May 25th
33. Cyhi da Prynce - Prynce of Jacks
32. Jadakiss - The Champ Is Here III
31. Young Chris - The Re-introduction

30. Machine Gun Kelly - Lace Up
29. Game - Brake Lights
28. Diggy Simmons - Airborne
27. Lil B - Everything Based
26. Fashawn - Ode to Illmatic
25. L.E.P. Bogus Boys - Don’t Feed da Killaz Volume 3
24. Vado - Slime Flu
23. Odd Future - Radical
22. Rick Ross - Ashes to Ashes
21. Dom Kennedy - From the Westside With Love

20. Young Jeezy - Trap or Die 2
19. Donnis - Fashionably Late
18. Bun B - No Mixtape
17. Whale - More About Nothing
16. Cam'Ron - Boss of All Bosses 2
15. Royce Da 5’9” - Bar Exam 3: The Most Interesting Man
14. B.o.B - No Genre
13. Big Sean - Finally Famous Vol. 3: B.I.G.
12. Chris Brown & Tyga - Fan of a Fan
11. Tech N9ne - Bad Season

10. Yelawolf - Trunk Muzik
9. T.I. - Fuck a Mixtape
8. Kendrick Lamar - Overly Dedicated
7. Freddie Gibbs - Str8 Killa No Filla
6. Joe Budden - Mood Muzik 4: A Turn 4 The Worst
5. J. Cole - Friday Night Lights
4. Rick Ross - The Albert Anastasia EP
3. Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T Wuz Here
2. Fabolous - There Is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service
1. Wiz Khalifa - Kush & OJ

wild