Finished my first quarter of grad school!
3 classes closer to finishing my course work for Computational Linguistics! Several people have asked me about the courses I am taking and what the hell it is, so I’ve added a little blog post over at my student blog including links to my final project where I studied and recorded a language I don’t know (Kirundi, spoken in Burundi).
Go check it out…
Top 10 records of 2010
My annual tradition of writing up my favorite albums of the year continues with this list. Before we begin, I know that I will have more to gain from people who read this since I have not been digging up music as much as I have in years gone by. Still, this is a solid list and filled with good music.
Without further stuffs, here are my top 10 favorite albums of the year :
#1
LCD Soundsystem – This is Happening
Not only does this album have my favorite track of the year (Track 1 – “Dance Yrself Clean”), but it is a classic from beginning to end. I have listened to the opening track on loop on several occasions, sometimes totalling 10 consecutive listens. Genius.
#2
One of the more interesting albums I have ever heard. An incredible trip from Black Moth Super Rainbow frontman Tom Fec featuring work from Beck (Mr. Beck Hansen will indeed make another appearance in this list. Hold tight). A short record, but such a mind-bender that I probably could not handle much more.
#3
The Dead Weather – Sea of Cowards
An open letter to Jack White-
Dear Mr. White,
I hope this holiday season finds you well. Let me get right to the point. Knock it off. Slow down. You’re making everyone else in music look bad. No one should be able to release so many records year after year in so many bands and expect them all to be good. The fact that they are all good makes everyone else look bad. Rock and roll should be about kicking back and receiving royalties, not working hard and loving what you do. If you do continue working this hard, please don’t die, because this record is golden.
An open letter to Ms. Alison Mosshart-
Dear Ms. Alison Mosshart,
I hope holiday season finds you well. Let me get right to the point. Never stop being so sexy. That is all.
#4
Good lord! It happened! I can’t tell you how long I have been waiting for this record since their first release because I lost track of the years. I have been waiting for news on their mailing list for the ACTUAL release of this record and finally it is here and does not disappoint. Such a wonderful mix of catchy songs and dissonant structures. Let’s hope the next one happens in the next 10 years and they do not go the way of My Bloody Valentine. By the way, if anyone reading this had not enjoyed their first release “Future Perfect“, go get it right now by clicking this link. Now.
#5
School of Seven Bells – Disconnect from Desire
I’ve written about them before in my list for 2008, and this record continues in new an exciting territory. The soundscape is a churning sea of guitars crashing under the voices of tempting sirens. I saw them play when I was in Seattle and it was the best show I saw all year.
#6
This record is a brilliant collection of very personal songs from Charlotte Gainsbourg following a water skiiing accident which threatened her life and resulted in her undergoing an M.R.I. (IRM in French, y’all) Joining Gainsbourg as Producer and co-writer on the tracks is Mr. Beck Hansen. I echo the words of another review which call this a return to Beck’s songwriting style on “Sea Change” with a very unique feel given Gainsbourg at the helm.
#7
I like the word choice of another review who calls this record a mosaic of metal. It is certainly true that the elements of this record interlock in fascinating ways to generate an impressive whole. The opening track is a great introduction to this band and will continue to impress throughout.
#8
While still remaining unique, Tame Impala manage to weave together strands of many of my favorite artists : Stone Roses, The Beatles, Flaming Lips, Rolling Stones, Cream… And that’s just naming a few. These guitar tones are some my absolute favorites over the last several years.
#9
Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
It’s been a long time since their last official release as a band (2005), but this musical collective continues to work well together to create quality music which gets better and better with each. The track “World Sick” is a great example of this where you can hear so many musicians working together that to me sound like a meticulously arranged (and democratically managed) rock orchestra.
#10
Besnard Lakes – The Besnard Lakes are the Roaring Night
This album is huge. The soundscape created is painted with guitars that at larger than life and seem to fill the sky above. Listening to this one driving through Arches National Park this year was quite an experience.
Burgersmoke 