This year has seen me retreating further from indie rock and going back to listening to a lot more northern soul and buying a lot of new dance music thanks to Boomkat.
I don't know what it is about me and indie music at the moment but I find it hard to be enthused let alone moved by the majority of what I have heard this year. It could be that my ears are getting old but most of it sounds the same to me. There have been exceptions such as the albums by Allo Darlin' and Lucky Soul and the brace of singles from The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart but apart from these I can't think of much that has been memorable.
I also seem to have developed an aversion to albums, not buying them, but listening to them in their entirety. Apart from the latest by the Fall and Meursault I don't think that any of the other that I have bought in 2010 have been listened to in one sitting more than twice. I don't know if it's my concentration span that has gone due to either age or the effects of having the ipod on shuffle but I seem to get bored half way through most things these days.
I think that part of the problem and this has undoubtedly been discussed to death in other places, is that albums these days tend to be far too long, too much filler. I don't think that it is coincidence that the two albums that from 2010 I can listen to over and over only contain 10 and 11 tracks.
A notably mention has to go to Metallic Spheres by The Orb and David Gilmour a project which had the potential of ending up it's own arse. I've read people say that this is a return to form from The Orb. I don't agree, as last year's Baghdad Batteries saw Alex Paterson and Co back doing what they do best and this album is just a continuation from there.
Anyway here is my favourite tracks of the past 12 months, three of which can only be found as a download, no physical product being made as yet. In the past that would have ruled them out of my lists but times have changed. The Jessie J track will come out in a physical format at some point I have no doubt, the Kills track may find it's way onto a future b-side or something and I can but hope that John Talbot's remix of Shelter makes it onto twelve inch as if not it would be such a waste, it could be the track of next summer.
- Pilooski - AAA
- The xx - VCR (Four Tet remix)
- Xenia Beliayeva - Ever Since (Andre Winter remix)
- To Rococ Rot - Forwardness
- The Fall - Mexico Wax Solvent
- Meursault - Song For Martin Kippenberger
- Clubroot - Solar Flares
- Manic Street Preachers - Peeled Apples (Andrew Weatherall mix)
- The xx - Shelter (John Talbot's Feel It Too mix)
- M.I.A. - Born Free
- Mount Kimbie - Vertical (SCB edit)
- Gorillaz - Glitter Freeze
- The Jezabels - Sahara Mahala
- Trentemoller - silver surfer, ghost rider go (Andrew Weatherall Prinz mix)
- Lola Dutronic - Whisper
- Slam - Room 2 (Pan Pot Rave Tool)
- Caribou - Sun
- Jessie J - Price Tag
- The Kills - Pale Blue Eyes
- Massive Attack - Paradise Circus (Gui Borrato mix)
- Redshape - Future Shock
- Plan B - Prayin
- Four Tet - Sing (Extended mix)
- CocoRosie - Lemonade
- Tanya Donelly - Moon River
- Para - It's Just Our Way
- Allo Darlin' - Dreaming
- Commix - Be True
- Chew Lips - Karen
- The Orb featuring Dave Gilmour - Metallic Spheres (Ambient mix)
- Zola Jesus - Poor Animal
- Lucky Soul - Woah Billy
- Imelda May - My Baby Left Me
- Fuck Buttons - Rough Steez (Alan Vega mix)
- Ramadanman & Appleblim - Void 23
- The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Say No To Love
- The Fall - Hungry Freaks Daddy
- Kate Nash - Do-Wah-Do
- The Joy Formidable - I Don't Want To See You
- Warpaint - Ashes To Ashes
