Albums
of the year
2010
I felt it appropriate this year to change the title of my annual best albums post by replacing the word KILL with LIVE. It has the same effect I think, but with a positive slant. At first I thought I wouldn’t be able to do this post at all since, as some of you know, my Mom passed away last month from a 15+ year battle with congestive heart failure. My original intention was for the first time to actually write my own reviews (who would have thought, right?), but the events of the past couple months have had the bulk of my free time. So instead of not abandoning my yearly tradition (when there are so many great albums which must be heard by all of you!), I figured I would do it as I have in years past. To compensate, however, I created a companion playlist you can stream at Grooveshark so that you can effortlessly listen to tracks from this year’s esteemed “winners”! I picked two tracks from each album, which was a tough call as there really aren’t any bad tracks on any of these albums. For the album from Janelle Monáe I picked 3 songs to be fair, as the album is so incredibly long and every track is fantastic. I believe in my heart of hearts these albums would be rewarding for each and every one of you to pick up and listen to, in full, and as loud as possible. These are also in no particular order, except for the first album by Radio Dept, which is without any doubt the best of the year. Enjoy, and drive with aloha …
11
The Birthday Massacre
Pins and Needles
“Canadian synth-rockers The Birthday Massacre are back for a fourth round with ‘Pins and Needles’. Finding just the right balance between the heavy rock guitars and keyboard-driven grooves, if the band had emerged in the late 80’s to mid-90’s, they’d likely have been lumped somewhere into the vast “industrial” realm. Instead The Birthday Massacre was first revealed just over a decade ago, and has evolved into a force that creates a vivid soundscape that sounds ahead of it’s time, yet comfortingly (and hauntingly) familiar. Amidst the dark imagery of a twisted fairytale that comprises the album artwork and the first video from the album – ‘In the Dark’, there’s a sinister beauty that is present throughout the 11-song set. As ‘Pins and Needles’ continues, it’s hard not to hear a bit of early Madonna in Chibi’s voice – another tip of the hat to the 1980’s, firmly injected into what is certainly a talent to watch. If the kids in ‘The Breakfast Club’ had been pulled into the dark side, their soundtrack would be The Birthday Massacre.” – Kik Axe Music