Best Albums of 2010

That time of year for lists again. A vaguely arbitrary exercise, although strangely satisfying. Especially when it's been another great year for pop music. Below is what has been soundtracking the UOH cabin for the past year.

Read. Discard. Listen. Enjoy.

I've also put together a Best of 2010 Podcast which I'll send details of in another post.

Til 2011, stay warm.

The Underground of Happiness
uplifting pop music of every creed

Favourite Albums of 2010 (71, in no particular order)
Syd Matters - Brotherocean (Because Music)
Sone Institute – Curious memories (Front & Follow)
Dum Dum Girls - I will be (Sub Pop)
NLF3 - Beautiful is the way to the world beyond (Prohibited Records)
Joanna Newsom - Have one on me (Drag City)
She & Him - Volume Two (Double 6)
Christy & Emily - No rest (Klangbad)
Field Music - Field Music (Measure) (Memphis Industries)
*d'load interview (phone) with David & Peter from Field Music here

The Ruby Suns - Fight softly (Memphis Industries)
Sarah Blasko - As day follows night (Dramatico)
Boxharp - The green (Hidden Shoal)
*d'load interview (phone) with Wendy & Scott from Boxharp here


boxharp

Jaill - That's how we burn (Sub Pop)
Shearwater - The golden archipelago (Matador)
Caitlin Rose - Own side now (Names)
*d'load interview with Caitlin here


caitlin rose under stetson

Boa Morte - The dial waltz (Kicking a Can Records)

Patrick Kelleher & His Cold Dead Hands - You look colder (remix album) (Osaka)
Gotan Project - Tango 3.0 (XL)
Coco Rosie - Grey oceans (PIAS)
Oh No Ono - Eggs (Leaf)
Olafur Arnalds - ...and they have escaped the weight of darkness (Erased Tapes)
The National - High violet (4AD)
Elite Barbarian - It's only when you get to the end that it all makes sense (Front and Follow)
Junkboy - Koyo (Enraptured Records)
Children Under Hoof - A collar can become a noose (self-released) (mini-album)
The Chap - Well done Europe (Lo Recordings)

the chap - well done europe

Bjork & Dirty Projectors - Mount Wittenberg Orca (self-release, donation d'load)
Here We Go Magic - Pigeons (Secretly Canadian)
Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before today (4AD)
Markus Mehr - Lava (Hidden Shoal)
*d'load interview (phone) with Markus here

Secret Cities - Pink graffiti (Western Vinyl)
Rich Bennett - On holiday (Hidden Shoal)
Wildbirds & Peacedrums - Rivers (Leaf)
Being 747 - Amoeba to zebra (Wrath Records)
The Soundcarriers - Celeste (Melodic)
The Superimposers - Sunshine pops! (Wonderful Sound)
Toro y Moi - Causers of this (Carpark Records)

 Liam Singer - Dislocatia (Hidden Shoal)
*d'load interview (phone) with Liam here

Dean & Britta - 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhol's Screen Tests (Double Feature)
Various Artists - Deutsche Elektronische Musiche (Soul Jazz Records)
Future Islands - In evening air (Thrill Jockey)
Dollboy meets Sone Institute - The sum and the difference (Front & Follow)
Seeland - How to live (LoAF)
Darren Hayman & the Secondary Modern - Essex Arms (Fortuna Pop!)
Kurt Wagner & Cortney Tidwell - Kurt Wagner and Cortney Tidwell present KORT: Invariable heartache (City Slang)
Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest (4AD)
Frankie Rose and the Outs - Frankie Rose and the Outs (Memphis Industries)
Susuma Yokota - Kaleidoscope (Lo Recordings)
Peter Broderick - Music for Contemporary Dance (Erased Tapes)
Thread Pulls - New thoughts (Osaka Records)
*d'load interview with Gavin & Peter from Thread Pulls here



peter, gavin and trumpet



Our Broken Garden - Golden sea (Bella Union)
Lali Puna - Our intentions (Morr Music)
Arch Garrison - King of the Down (Double 6)
Husky Rescue - Ship of light (Catskills Records)
Charlotte Gainsbourg - IRM (Because)
Get Well Soon - Vexations (City Slang)
Essie Jain - Until the light of morning (Light of Morning)


essie jain

Caribou - Swim (City Slang)
Grinderman - Grinderman 2 (Mute)
Pantha du Prince - Black noise (4AD)
The Golden Filter - Voluspa (Brille)
Laetitia Sadier - The trip (Drag City)
School of Seven Bells - Disconnect from Desire (Full Time Hobby)
Tuung - ...and then we saw land (Full Time Hobby)
Igor Boxx - Breslau (Ninja Tune)
Lost Idol - Brave the elements (Cookshop)
The Walkmen - Lisbon (Bella Union)
Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz (Asthmatic Kitty)
Lawrence Arabia - Chant darling (Bella Union)
S Carey - All we grow (Jagjaguwar)
Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid (Suites II & III) (Bad Boy Records)
Warpaint - The fool (Rough Trade)Non-album highlights
Darwin Deez - Radar detector (Lucky Number)
Neville Skelly - Child of the morning EP (Setanta)
Hunter-Gatherer - Fingerprint Series (free download)
Arctic Circle Explorer's Club (subscriber series) (LoAF)
Extra Life - Your body's callin' (R Kelly cover) from the Black Hoodie EP (LoAF)
These New Puritans - Hologram (single) (Domino)
The artwork on Grinderman 2 Special Edition (stunning)

Gigs:

Caitlin Rose, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Field Music, Cyprus Avenue, Cork
Tuneyards, Whelan's, Dublin

*d'load interview with Merrill from Tuneyards here



merrill garbus of tuneyards

Beach House, Whelan's, Dublin
Lawrence Arabia, Whelan's, Dublin
Boa Morte, Crane Lane Theatre, Cork
Thread Pulls, Triskel (Loading Bay), Cork
Dean & Britta, Barbican Theatre, London
Shearwater, Barbican Theatre, London
The Unthanks, The Pavilion, Cork
Adrian Crowley, The Courthouse, Cork


adrian crowley, in court

Grizzly Bear/Camera Obscura/Midlake, Marquee, Cork
Primavera Sound Festival: Grizzly Bear, Dum Dum Girls, Van Dyke Parks, Clare & the Reasons, Tortoise, Pavement, Pixies, Ben Frost, Titus Andronicus, Liquid Liquid

Heard they were great:
Godspeed! You Black Emperor
Future Islands
Richard Hawley
Brendan Benson

Films:
The Road
Ponyo

Books:
The North will rise again: Manchester Music City 1976-1996, an oral history by John Robb (Aurum)
Lowside of the road: A life of Tom Waits by Barney Hoskyns (Faber & Faber)
Thank you for the days by Mark Radcliffe (Simon & Schuster)