ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 2 – THE BLACK KEYS – Brothers

The air is laden with inevitability with me for this selection. It’s been lingering for five years or more admittedly, from their earliest days The Black Keys have been peddling a brand of Blues-Rock that’s way ahead of their contemporaries, theirs being a far purer grain than even the old hands can summon in the modern age. But there’s been more to it than that of late; throughout 2009, with the exceptional solo album by Dan Auerbach and the incredible Rap collaboration project Blakroc, there gathered the distinct sense that something special was stirring in the Black Keys camp. With the album ‘Brothers’ all that mouth watering anticipation finally delivered us a classic. Everything they’ve ever aimed for is realised here, that is if the aim was to conjure the moment in the late 60s when Blues was psychedelicised and bursting with limitless electricity fuelled possibility. When Muddy Waters recorded one of Chess Records defining albums in ‘Electric Mud’ (and an album that the early Hip-Hop pacemakers frequently turned to incidentally) and Howlin’ Wolf put out the album from which the Black Keys have parodied on their own sleeve here. But if the solid execution of finding that rare groove wasn’t enough, the package is completed with the songs, of which every single one is a winner. In a perfect world the sultry, falsetto sung ‘The Only One’ would be rotated by every credible Soul DJ the world over, Jack White would be busy taking notes on the ‘Howlin’ For You’ fuzz guitar and ‘Tighten Up’ could be basking in the glory of being one of the singles of the year. There’s nothing to say the Black Keys won’t go even further from this point on but at least, with ‘Brothers’, they have already rubbed shoulders with perfection. Don’t miss out on this one!

Free music - Brothers (Deluxe Edition)

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 3 – ANAIS MITCHELL – Hadestown

We’ve already documented some seriously credible examples of why the album length music format survives as an important art form in the modern musical environment. They don’t always have to be laden with deep concept, but the idea that a suite of songs sequenced so that it matters which track follows which, wrapped up in an eye catching or thought provoking package needs to be maintained. In 2010 the artist who made best use of this long established method was Anais Mitchell with her “Folk-Opera” ‘Hadestown’. The combination of the words ‘folk’ and ‘opera’ alone are enough to send most fleeing to the nearest exit but wait; this is a 20 song story cycle that is bursting with entertaining songs, music and concise storytelling. Using as its starting point the Ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, we are told of how Orpheus undertakes a mission to save his wife Eurydice from the underworld. In truth folk and opera rarely come into the overall makeup, this is much closer to a 70s style Rock Opera, albeit one with a tangible acoustic roots vibe, a West End musicals flare for memorable melodic infectiousness and a Rock ‘n’ Roll heartbeat. The original ‘Hadestown’ was toured in New England on stage with a 22 strong cast and this album has been adapted from those shows. Here the characters are played by Justin Vernon (AKA Bon Iver’s mainman) who sings the Orpheus part, Ani DiFranco plays Persephone, Greg Brown is Hades with Mitchell herself singing Eurydice. In 2010 it has been an underground hit but has yet to make the kind of widescale impact it so richly deserves. It’s not enough that the ‘Hadestown’ legacy is a cultish one, appreciated by a clued-up few. There’s nothing here, musically especially, that couldn’t reach out to a very large audience indeed. My six-year-old daughter sings the chorus to the title track long after the CD has finished playing. In January Anais Mitchell plays a couple of low key ‘Hadestown’ performance dates in London with the assistance of some notable UK folk names. So this is a call to arms; get on board now and support this project, let’s help give the ‘Folk-Opera’ worlds signature piece of work the long life it deserves and not rest until there’s been a run in the West End. I’m serious, the paying public tolerated a Ben Elton musical about Queen, they tolerate X Factor christmas singles, they allow Billy-Ray Cyrus’s daughter to corrupt the impressionable minds of their children; maybe just once they might react positively if something really good was thrust upon them? It’s a long shot for sure but it has to be worth a try.

Free music - Hadestown

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 4 – JOANNA NEWSOM – Have One On Me

Here we go again; it’s a triple album epic, a narrative driven opus and a work of such colossal depth that it simply cannot be dipped into casually. Our Top 20 of the year is not purely judged on albums having great length, an overall concept, a degree of difficulty or some effort required of the listener to enjoy (our Top 2 albums will prove as much) but ‘Have One On Me’ is musically and lyrically a work of impossible ambition and Joanna Newsom had the wherewithal to pull it off. So many have written about the supposed quirky nature of Joanna’s voice, how hard it makes her music to enjoy and how it almost puts up a brick wall when approaching her work. I heard all those points and it made me a touch reticent in those unenlightened days when she was unknown to me. It’s such a lot of rubbish though really, hard to fathom how we could find her style so unusual after vocally similar artists like Joni Mitchell and Kate Bush have seen major success. The consensus seemed to be that with someone as out-of-the-ordinary as Joanna, a whole triple albums worth of material would be hard to stomach; she needs sampling in small doses. Well I’ll dispel that myth as my media player has easily clocked up plays well into double figures and I’ll happily confirm that every time I easily digested the whole album from start to finish. There’s a progression in the text after all, an angular poetic relationship study that is never going to reveal its depth that quickly and even less so if the pieces are heard out sequence. Serious drama abounds in the music too; take our example below ‘Soft As Chalk’. It would appear that there’s a pivotal moment of separation being illustrated here and the way the piano moves from warm chords to graceful then adrenalized tempo and pent-up Ragtime style is totally sumptuous. All over the music is a constantly evolving delight; Newsoms Harp playing a unique trademark element combined with strings, trumpet and other light touches of incredible all round accompaniment. This is a major piece of work, a classic.

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 5 – BRAD MEHLDAU – Highway Rider

In a year when a healthy crop of large scale, ambitious, conceptual albums have vied for attention this was a sensational stand out epic. A double album that throughout its hour and forty minutes maintains a unifying melodic, vanilla tone; frequently sweeping you away with waves of graceful elegance, both joyful and mournful in feeling. Mehldau conducts this triumph from the piano with bundles of technical and infectious style but the real masterstroke lies in the way ‘Highway Rider’ defies strict categorization. This is Jazz at heart for sure, but the dexterity in composition with the orchestral strings and the way they blast open the scope of this music is definitely of a Classical standard. Yet there’s other stuff working into the mix as well; not least a tangible Folk-Rock vibe that appears in conjunction with the pump-organ and piano sound that crops up occasionally. Indeed Elliott Smith does get a nod here on ‘Sky Turning Grey’. All in all this album stands as a landmark achievement in the career of Brad Mehldau and an important piece of new 21^st Century composition as well. It’s a work that cleverly cross-pollinates a multitude of styles and genres that have gone before without once sacrificing the heart and soul of a beautiful, expansive and richly rewarding piece; something that should appeal to music lovers across the board. Take some time and listen below:

Free music - Highway Rider

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 6 – GORILLAZ – Plastic Beach

We’ll be covering this one more in depth in 2011 as our focus on Damon Albarn carries on in chronological order. But for now, what’s to justify the stature of ‘Plastic Beach’ as an essential album of 2010? Well first off it’s an exceptionally well executed concept album with a loose ecological theme. Then there’s the fact that Albarn has quietly moved the Gorillaz concept on here by effectively sidelining the cartoon band premise and shifting the focus onto what an incredible ensemble piece his set up has become. And with some justification; when you’ve got artists of the stature of Bobby Womack, Lou Reed and De La Soul not just willing to make relatively small cameo appearances on the album but to regularly recreate their roles in a live situation throughout 2010 then that should tell you what high esteem Albarn has gradually earned for himself. Not just that but if you’ve got The Clash’s Mick Jones and Paul Simonon willing to flank you on bass and guitar, mincing around in seafaring attire, wouldn’t most band leaders jump at the chance of grabbing a bit of their own spotlight? Most significantly of all though is that ‘Plastic Beach’ has seen Damon return to some of his most beautifully reflective songwriting (‘On Melancholy Hill’) as well as push the Hip-Hop boundaries a little with the addition of World Music and Classical styles to the soundstorm. ‘Plastic Beach’ took a knock or two in some areas because it lacked, unlike the two previous major Gorillaz releases, one or two massive, infectious hit singles. If you’re a fan of the album as a journey approach though this is a major boon because there’s nothing that takes you out of the general track-to-track progression. This is a great piece of work basically, have a listen below:

Free music - Plastic Beach

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 7 – JAMES RHODES – Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside

At Latitude festival this year James Rhodes was unfortunate enough to be stuck performing within range of the sound system of a monstrous headline set by Florence & The Machine. He winced as he took to the stage, swearing about her “racket” and defying the odds by holding his concentration whilst playing solo piano pieces. That’s more than most of the audience managed frankly; attention was frequently diverted by outbursts of Florence and her over-rated bucket belching routine. Rhodes set seemed incredible, from what managed to cut through the aural fog. I’m sure he played a blinder actually, but overall everyone would surely concede that he and his modest audience lost the battle to the mainstream assault. On the positive side though, he might just win the war. If someone has set themselves perfectly situated to push classical music back into more popularist waters this year it’s James Rhodes. If I had to put money on he or old Florence still having a viable music career in ten years time, he’d get my money every time!

His winning formula is not simply the modern dress sense, the lack of pretence and snobbery although these definitely all help. It’s simply in the way that he puts his soul and emotion into every piece he plays, and if you’re lucky enough to catch him live he’ll convey the relevance of these pieces in a way that you rarely encounter on the classical circuit, where it is generally assumed the audience know what was going through Beethoven’s mind while composing. With that considered, until the day when digital sleevenotes are a given, I’d point you towards the physical version of this album where Rhodes own written text is a vital complimentary component. To my ears however, his biggest asset is in his approach to piano playing. It could be because he’s well versed in modern music too, but something in the way he’ll literally thrash away at the keys during those high tempo moments is more Jerry Lee Lewis than Lang Lang. It’s with that abandon that James Rhodes effectively resuscitates classical texts back into living, breathing progressive monsters that demand attention. I’m sure he’s going to be getting a lot more over the next few years. Have a listen below:

Free music - Now Would All Freudians Please Stand Aside

ALBUMS OF THE YEAR 2010 No. 8 – LAURA MARLING – I Speak Because I Can

I don’t know what kind of deal with the devil Laura Marling struck down at the crossroads before making this album but it’s worked. It probably involved a pact that will prevent her future acceptance by the hardcore folk crowd; you know the Daily Mail loving, rugby tops and sensible boating shoes brigade who rate the terminally lame yet polite folkies such as Kate Rusby and Show Of Hands. In return though Laura Marling has got to make one of the best folk albums of the 21^st Century; one with Rock-balls that’ll frighten the life out of the staid traditionalists. It’s not that her previous work wasn’t any good, nor was it arts and craftsy knitwear folk but she hadn’t really stood out as being anything out of the ordinary either. This has all changed with ‘I Speak Because I Can’. Somewhere along the line Marling clearly drank from the fountain of early Fairport Convention, sat at the table of Nick Drake, summoned the essence of those first few Leonard Cohen albums and reached to the skies for some kind of perfect Folk-Rock nirvana. She’s made a great album basically and it’s brought with it some deserved high profile attention and praise. So much in fact that it’s doubtful her number 8 position in the Essex Boy Review chart will mean that much! The best I can do then is just point anyone yet to hear this marvellous album to the player below and recommend you check out the whole wonderful lot of it.

Free music - I Speak Because I Can