maxonemillion

I took a different approach to this year’s best-of / top-whatever records list. This is not a Top 10.

What it essentially boiled down to is that I did not — cannot and will not, for reasons having to do with reality, sanity and apathy — listen to every single record that was released in 2010 (odds are I would despise 99.999% of them anyway), and I don’t feel like I can effectively rank or grade everything that I did really like. Hence the more laissez faire presentation: Here are 18 albums released in 2010, that I listened to a lot, listed in no particular order. Some appear on big, important Top 10 lists, most do not. There’s a song from each album in the list; click the accompanying album cover if you like something and wanna dig deeper, or just wanna buy it. It’s as simple as that.

Please consume a grain of salt, and have at it…

Harvey Milk
A Small Turn of Human Kindness
Hydra Head Records [05.18.2010]

Harvey Milk principle Creston Spears is an anti-guitar-god who writes amazing songs full of sparse and brooding progressions; he can pull off a solo comprised of one single note repeatedly bent to shit; he can add slight accompaniment from an organ, or strip a song down to a simple, ominous bass line; and he makes it all sound amazing. This, Harvey Milk’s eighth studio album, is heavy, at once ugly and pretty, slow, grinding, discordant… What’s not to love?

Harvey Milk, “I Know This Is No Place For You”

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High On Fire
Snakes For The Divine
E1 Music [02.23.2010]

Few bands of any genre play at this level — a near perfect mix of excellent songwriting, visceral rhythmic appeal (a.k.a. groove) and surgical technical proficiency — but High On Fire has set the bar for metal particularly high, and they keep pushing it up with every release.

High On Fire, “Snakes For The Divine”

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Grand Invincible
Cold Hand In The Dice Game
Zero Friends [03.09.2010]

GI exudes a timeless boom-bap style and unflinching independent spirit. This album’s instrumental interludes alone are worth the price of admission, but together the production of Eons One and rhymes of Luke Sick are inescapably dope.

Grand Invincible, “Chill To The Limit”

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Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
I Learned The Hard Way
Daptone Records [04.06.2010]

Thick with honest soul, great hooks and deep grooves, this record is all Motown / Stax worship with a working man’s sensibility and an impeccably tuned ear.

Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings, “Better Things To Do”

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Wooden Shjips
Vol. 2
Sick Thirst [03.30.2010]

With guitar sustain for daaays, and awesome tone to boot, San Francisco’s Wooden Shjips did psych better than most in 2010: solid songwriting encased in swirling, resonant guitar and keyboard parts, wrapped around rhythms anchored by driving bass lines. There’s not much here that hasn’t been done before — that is to say, while the songs are original material, the territory is well covered — but it’s all done really well.

Wooden Shijps, “Outta My Head”

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E-40
Revenue Retrievin’: Day Shift
Heavy On Grind Ent. [03.30.2010]

This is one of a duo of 2010 releases from E-40 (the other being Revenue Retrievin’: Night Shift), and while both are dope — 40 can pretty much do no wrong — I prefer Day Shift, I just think it knocks a little harder. With guest spots from old school compatriots like Too $hort, Suga T and B-Legit as well as more contemporary Bay Area heavyweights like Mistah FAB, Clyde Carson and The Jacka, and plenty of boom/slap courtesy of Droop E and Rick Rock, this is quintessential Bay Area heat.

E-40, “I Get Down” feat. B-Legit

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Andre Nickatina
Khan! The Me Generation
Fillmoe Coleman Records [04.20.2010]

Lyrically, this album is rife with standard fare for the one of the Bay Area’s veteran standout independent MCs: bragadocious pimp rap about cars, clothes, money, weed, liquor and women, but the metaphorical “Money” and the self reflective “Blind Genius,” among others, reveal a deeper, thinking-man side to this hedonistic wordsmith, all set to a steady mid tempo bounce that forgoes club bangers and so-called hot singles for consistent dopeness. Considered by many to not be King Nicky’s best, but even if that is the case, let’s face it, his less-than-best is better than most others’ best.

Andre Nickatina, “Popeye’s Certified”

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Torche
Songs For Singles
Hydra Head Records [09.21.2010]

Last year’s Meanderthal was a standout combination of good, ear catching hooks and gigantic riffs, and Songs For Singles carries on that fine tradition. My only gripe with this record is that it’s too damn short, but contained within the 22-minute playlist is a powerful hit of that good stuff I keep coming back to. Again, Torche proves there’s a legitimate approach to music that’s both melodic enough to be catchy, and heavy and loud enough to be metal.

Torche, “Hideaway”

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Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel
Siltbreeze [04.27.2010]

This Columbus, OH trio kicks out searing throwback ‘70s blues-based roots rock with tastefully exercised chops. The record is appropriately stripped down — a true three-piece band in the studio — and jam-tastic without being noodley or annoying. The production is clean enough to sound proper, but lo-fi enough to bring the realness.

Mount Carmel, “Sacksburg”

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Generalissimo
Western Medicine
Arbeit Macht Dinge / Isota [07.20.2010]

Fighting the good fight against chaos, sloth and musical excess, Generalissimo is a lean, mean rock machine. Clad in matching uniforms, executing their sound with extreme prejudice, they deliver tight, succinct music about national obligation and the cold beauty of totalitarian logic. But you know, it’s all in good fun…citizens.

Generalissimo, “Thousand Yard Stare”

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Electric Wizard
Black Masses [Import]
Rise Above Religion [11.09.2010]

Instructions for use: 1. Smoke something; 2. Turn this way up; 3. Don’t shave or do your laundry…for a long time. This album is not what some fans may expect from Electric Wizard — it’s less doom and more ‘70s fuzz influenced. But as should be expected, it’s extremely stoner-friendly. (Please Note: This album will be released domestically on 01/18/2011, but since it is currently available at US retail as an “import,” I think it holds a legitimate place on this list.)

Electric Wizard, “Patterns of Evil”

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Ghostface Killa
Apollo Kids
Def Jam [12.21.2010]

Apollo Kids dropped just 10 days before the end of 2010, and yes I did save a place for it on this list. Ghost is a master storyteller, one of the few left in the game, and the production on Apollo Kids is top notch. The drums are ridiculously huge throughout, and samples are artfully chopped and well positioned. Best rap record of 2010, despite the fact it’s only been out for a couple weeks.

Ghostface Killah, “In Tha Park” feat. Black Thought

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DaVinci
The Day The Turf Stood Still
Sweetbreads Creative Collective [03.07.2010]

Real skill doesn’t need a gimmick, which is saying a lot in post-hyphy Bay Area rap. DaVinci hails from San Francisco’s Fillmore district, and his music is steeped in the musical and cultural traditions of the city and that neighborhood. But while there is a Bay Area bent, there’s something here for rap fans of all stripes, and the beats are on hit.

DaVinci, “Concrete Jungle Juice”

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The Fucking Wrath
Terra Fire EP
Tee Pee Records [10.19.2010]

The Fucking Wrath is the finest representation of contemporary Nardcore, making music that can be considered a amalgam of punk and metal subgenres: from heavy and plodding stoner / doom style to fast and unrelenting punk-influenced thrash, often all within one song. It’s huge, heavy, brutal and fast, which is everything I expect from a band called The Fucking Wrath.

The Fucking Wrath, “Blank Slate”

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Melvins / Isis
Split 12″
Hyrda Head Records [07.13.2010]

Both sides of this split are bold and loud. All together, it’s a solid offering from the former, and a fittingly awesome farewell for the latter. Fans of either band are advised to get a hold of this ASAP. (And good luck with that, Hydra Head is sold out.)

Isis, “Way Through Woven Branches”

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Freddie Gibbs
Str8 Killa EP
Decon [08.03.2010]

Gary Indiana native Gibbs is leaving smoldering mics on burnt path through rap music. His flows are tight and precise, but light and nimble enough to seamlessly fit onto a variety of beats. This EP is, as the title eludes, packed with good stuff, all killer no filler. Just a standout rap record all the way around.

Freddie Gibbs, “Personal OG”

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Unsane
Three-Song EP
Coextinction [11.15.2010]

The seminal old school NYC hardcore noise trio’s return is like a kick in the fucking teeth. And it feels great. For a mere three songs, this EP is an outright assault, courtesy of unrelentingly chunky bass lines, massively edgy guitar riffs and gut-punching drums.

Unsane, “Grind”

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Various Artists
The World Ends: Afro Rock & Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria
Sound Way Records [07.20.2010]

Lots of crazy shit was going on in Nigeria in the 1970s — military regime born out of a coup, the crash of a big oil market, ensuing abject poverty and everything that usually goes along with that. Bukowski once said, “Nobody who could write worth a damn could ever write in peace,” and the same generally goes for music, so you can image how amazing this stuff is. Covering the space between pop-infused soul and heavy-hitting rare groove rhythm, this two disc set is a glimpse at quality music from another place and time.

The Funkees, “Breakthrough”

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Honorable Mention: Ten other excellent albums I really like but didn’t listen to nearly enough this year for whatever stupid reason:

• Bun B, OG Trill [Rap-A-Lot]
• Roc Marciano, Marcberg [Fatbeats]
• Zoroaster, Matador [E1 Music]
• Fucked Up, Couple Tracks: Singles 2002 – 2009 [Matador Records]
• Roach Gigz, Roachy Balboa [Thizz City]
• Tweak Bird, Tweak Bird [Volcom Ent.]
• Devin The Dude, Suite 420 [E1 Music]
• Z-Man, Show Up Shut Up And Rap [Vox Machete]
• Nero Order, The Tower [Nero Order]
• Grids, Kansas [Made In Kansas]