We had plenty of excellent releases in the last couple of months and before we proceed to our customary assessment of the best music that the first half of the year had to offer, let’s take a look at the albums and tracks that got the most spins at Cool Music Central’s busy cd/mp3 players.
Out of the 15 most played albums of May - June 2010, there are at least 6 that fight it out for our "Album of the Month" title and up to this point I cannot declare an undisputed winner. Jack White’s super-prolific super-group, The Dead Weather, have returned with another blazing rock record, their second in less than a year, that makes it look completely effortless for them to spit out cool music. It certainly took considerably more effort for Foals to come up with their sophomore LP “Total Life Forever”, a record that sees Yannis Philippakis’ ambitious group breaking new ground and expanding its musical horizons towards funkier and more melodic pop forms. Flying Lotus (i.e. laptop wizard Steven Ellison) gave us “Cosmogramma”, a record that certainly makes an early bid for "Electronic Album of the Year" with its heady, mesmerizing mix of hip-hop influenced dance beats, tropical melodies and jazzy forms.
Sleigh Bells were one of the sensations of the recent Primavera Sound festival and the more I listen to the thrilling 30-minute ride of their amazing debut “Treats”, the more I am convinced that it is one of the revelations of the year. Imagine a record where Kathleen Hanna plays Bikini Kill and Le Tigre tracks simultaneously, M.I.A. drops by to drop a few rhymes while Public Enemy provide the beats and you’ll start to get an idea of the volatile electro-punk concoction cooked up by Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss. The ingredients of their “Treats” may be old and frequently recycled in recent years, but the end result is a fresh and totally invigorating aural delight.
Sleigh Bells were one of the sensations of the recent Primavera Sound festival and the more I listen to the thrilling 30-minute ride of their amazing debut “Treats”, the more I am convinced that it is one of the revelations of the year. Imagine a record where Kathleen Hanna plays Bikini Kill and Le Tigre tracks simultaneously, M.I.A. drops by to drop a few rhymes while Public Enemy provide the beats and you’ll start to get an idea of the volatile electro-punk concoction cooked up by Derek Miller and Alexis Krauss. The ingredients of their “Treats” may be old and frequently recycled in recent years, but the end result is a fresh and totally invigorating aural delight.
As for the latest albums by The National and Broken Social Scene, there are not too many surprises to be found here. Just two of the best bands of the last decade delivering their latest collections of excellent new songs, many of which will have no trouble standing next to their old classics. Business as usual then…Some examples of brand new career highlights for The National to be found in “High Violet” are “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (one of the singles of the year so far - check out this post as well), “Anyone's Ghost” and “Conversation 16”, while “Forgiveness Rock Record” adds to Broken Social Scene’s arsenal of hits “Forced To Love”, “All To All” and “Chase Scene” among others.
Top 15 Albums
1. Forgiveness Rock Record - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
2. High Violet - THE NATIONAL
3. Treats - SLEIGH BELLS
4. Cosmogramma - FLYING LOTUS
5. Total Life Forever - FOALS
6. Sea Of Cowards - THE DEAD WEATHER
7. Coconut - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
8. No 2: Abyss In B Minor - SERENA MANEESH
9. Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown! - SOLEX VS. CRISTINA MARTINEZ + JON SPENCER
10. Together - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
11. Heaven Is Whenever - THE HOLD STEADY
12. Grey Oceans - COCOROSIE
13. Have One On Me - JOANNA NEWSOM
14. Infinite Arms - BAND OF HORSES
15. Nobody's Daughter - HOLE
Top 20 Tracks
1. Tell’em - SLEIGH BELLS
2. All To All - BROKEN SOCIAL SCENE
3. Mexico Wax Solvent - THE FALL
4. Magnetic Warrior - ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT
5. Miami - FOALS
6. Anyone's Ghost - THE NATIONAL
7. Blue Blood Blues - THE DEAD WEATHER
8. Samantha - HOLE
9. Month Of May - ARCADE FIRE
10. Bhang, Bhang, I’m A Burnout - DUM DUM GIRLS
11. Babelonia - SCHOOL OF SEVEN BELLS
12. Nose Art - FLYING LOTUS
13. The Uppercut - SOLEX VS. CRISTINA MARTINEZ + JON SPENCER
14. I Just Want To See Your Face - SERENA MANEESH
15. Crash Years - THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
16. Barely Breathing - THE HOLD STEADY
17. Compliments - BAND OF HORSES
18. Natural Selection - UNKLE
19. It's A Fast Driving Raveup With A Place To Bury Strangers - A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS
20. The Moon Asked The Crow - COCOROSIE
Sleigh Bells - Tell'em (live @ SXSW)
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