Best Albums of 2010: #30-21 (John's Picks)

In the site's more recent, less updated form, we've failed to really cover music the way we have in the past. While that will not be changing for the time being, we still felt compelled to put together some lists to coincide with the end of 2010. Also, just because we haven't been blogging mean we haven't been listening to this year's slate of new releases. On the contrary, writing less about what's new has allowed us to better enjoy it. And now, we'd like to invite you to enjoy our much scaled-down 2010 end-of-year coverage.

John's Top Albums of 2010: #30-21

30. Gorilla Manor -- Local Natives

Top Track: "Airplanes"

29. Majesty Shredding -- Superchunk

Top Track: "My Gap Feels Weird"

28. Odd Blood -- Yeasayer

Top Track: "O.N.E."

27. Play It Strange -- The Fresh & Onlys

Top Track: "Waterfall"

26. The Archandroid -- Janelle Monae

Top Track: "Tightrope" (Feat. Big Boi)

25. I Learned the Hard Way -- Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings

Top Track: "I Learned the Hard Way"

24. Cosmogramma -- Flying Lotus

Top Track: "... And the World Laughs With You" (Feat. Thom Yorke)

23. Album of the Year -- Black Milk

Top Track: "Welcome (Gotta Go)"

22. Before Today -- Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti

Top Track: "Round and Round"

21. Treats -- Sleigh Bells

Top Track: "Rill Rill"

Music Video Monday: Yeasayer's "O.N.E"

Track: O.N.E

Artist: Yeasayer

Album: Odd Blood

Year: 2010

This video may make sense. Matching their eclectic, haphazard musical arrangements, the visual representation of Yeasayer's "O.N.E" is equally so. Among its many themes-- facial morphing, neon, warehouse raves and people either grabbed from NYC's underground club scene, or just generic Euro trash. Yet, all of this works out fairly well.

Overall, "O.N.E" is kind of reminiscent of one of our culture's many presentations of a dystopian future. Lights function as musical instruments, and means for bartering, while everything else is mostly in a dreary mess. It's an uncivilized society, at least by the standards we see in the video. The only spoken words are through the lyrics, so sadly these visual cues are the only things we have to surmise the plot. Unsurprisingly, we're left wondering what the hell just happened at the end-- not completely unlike parts of Odd Blood. Check it out below.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Pre-screening: Yeasayer's Odd Blood]

Weekly Top 10: Brooklyn Bands

This week, we're looking to profile some of our favorite Brooklyn-based bands. As the current hub of indie music, Brooklyn has become a vibrant and ambition collection of artists. Many perform together, listen to each other's music and take cues from innovations they may develop. It's a true music scene, and it's just getting bigger and better each day. You're no doubt aware of all of these bands, but we think this list still serves a purpose. Check it out below.

[Previously on Animal Noises: Weekly Top 10: Mixtape Rap Songs]

Tuesday's Releases (2/9): Now Streaming

As per usual, Animal Noises will make an attempt to liven up your Tuesday by letting you know what releases should be on your radar, and where you can preview them before purchase. This week brings a fairly substantial crop of new albums, so we'll get right to it. Check all of the selections out below, courtesy of Spinner. As always, credit for the original idea goes out to LargeHeartedBoy.

• Odd Blood -- Yeasayer
• Gorilla Manor -- Local Natives (February 16 release)
• One Life Stand -- Hot Chip
• Black Noise -- Pantha du Prince
• Return of the Wu & Friends -- Wu-Tang Clan
• Heligoland -- Massive Attack
• Dear God, I Hate Myself -- Xiu Xiu (February 23 release)
• Talking To You, Talking To Me -- The Watson Twins

[Previously on Animal Noises: Tuesday's Releases (2/2): Now Streaming]

Pre-Screening: Yeasayer's Odd Blood

Album: Odd Blood

Artist: Yeasayer

Label: Secretly Canadian

Rating: 8.0

An exciting and eccentric collection of tracks, Yeasayer's sophomore effort Odd Blood is as imposing as it is dance-able. With a surplus of highs, and very few lows, the album seemingly flies from song to song. Its bursts of energy stop and start quickly amidst a series of cavernous sonic explosions. And lest the listener forget the continuing internal conflict that lead singer Chris Keating creates-- a bitter struggle to accept the results of decisions, and to find the ability to move on. Even in the band's youth though, these pieces all fit together seamlessly to create a thrilling audible adventure.

As alluded to earlier, Odd Blood thrives on its continuous and unrelenting energy. Though every track effectively employs its own stark and unique brand of psychedelic pop, the strongest segments come (unsurprisingly) from singles "Ambling Alp" and "O.N.E." The former sets the tone earlier, as an active and upbeat bonanza, wild and untamed through a continuous barrage of sound. At times resembling some of TV on the Radio's more daring moments, it plays off of a spiraling, contentious chorus line, always teetering on the edge of collapse. Its colorful and unique blend of sounds, however, keep it locked in place just enough, while still maintaining a certain amount of goofy flair. This carefree approach is also what keeps "O.N.E" so on point, as synths cohesively clash with 1980s pop norms to create a dance-oriented, yet introspective piece of work.

And this introspection should not get lost beneath the blaring trumpets, overpowering synths and Keating's acrobatic falsetto. "I Remember" is a floating testament to lost love, as the track's somber subject matter pits itself directly against spinning and majestic instrumental pieces. Similarly, the aforementioned "O.N.E," and "Love Me Girl" set up this emotional tossing and turning, to juxtapose it with a more entertaining and enthusiastic backing. In the latter, we see this most vividly, as the full and fast-paced song just continues to press the brilliant dance of the internal struggle for acceptance and peace. Contained in the middle of the record, the three songs fail to pitch a final verdict, but instead paint a picture of regret, the same emotion that teems through much of Odd Blood.

Beyond that, a lot of Odd Blood is spent setting and testing the boundaries of what Yesayer can accomplish. Songs can go from more methodical and deliberate ("The Children"), to wacky and mysterious ("Rome") in the blink of an eye, as experimentation seemingly runs wild. The album's final three tracks seemingly split into three separate directions, throwing listeners off the scent of what could potentially come next. While "Strange Reunions" leaps into Middle Eastern-influenced psych-rock, "Mondegreen" employs a funky, disjointed repetition that haunts as much as it soothes. In comparison, closer "Grizelda" is as subdued as Odd Blood will get, though still incessant with its chanting falsetto and rushed crescendo come the very end.

From start to finish, Yeasayer's Odd Blood gives listeners a chance to really explore their brand of experimental pop. Spontaneous and at times, mesmerizing, the collection's best moments may rank with some of the year's most outstanding forays come December. On just their second album, the group has not only established a style that works cohesively, but succeeds mightily in distinguishing it from the ever-crowded pack of indie pop groups out there. Even keeping similarities with TVOTR in mind, the band still encroaches upon their own unique sense of genre-- a humble, yet exuberant mix of electronic pop, world sounds and psychedelia yet to be effectively duplicated or imitated.

Best Track: "Ambling Alp" (via Stereogum)

[Previously on Animal Noises: New Yeasayer, "O.N.E"]

New Yeasayer, "O.N.E"

As the release date for Yeasayer's latest effort, Odd Blood, draws nearer, there will probably be news galore around the interwebs. Consider this day one. To get fans even more anxious about the release, the band has let out another single-- this time in the form of "O.N.E" One (pun intended?) of the peppier tracks on Odd Blood, it mixes goofy 1980s pop with your typical indie-electronic conventions of today. The results are infectious, even amidst the less-than-chipper message being conveyed, that of our narrator being over someone. The single is out via Secretly Canadian on March 23, but you can head over to the band's website and check it out for yourself today. Odd Blood, on the other hand, will be released February 9.

"O.N.E" -- Yeasayer

[Previously on Animal Noises: John's Track of the Week: Yeasayer's "Ambling Alp"]

John's Track of the Week: Yeasayer's "Ambling Alp"

Song: Ambling Alp

Artist: Yeasayer

Album: Odd Blood

Rating: 8.0

What better to start up the hype surrounding Yeasayer's upcoming release Odd Blood than featuring first single, "Ambling Alp?" The track is a strong statement ahead of the album, which looks to further entrench the band in the psychedelic and experimental indie landscape. With catchy, complicated melodies like this one, I doubt it'll be much longer before Yeasayer is considered among the industry's most enterprising innovators.

With a bouncy pop and worldbeat flavor, "Ambling Alp"'s energy is contagious and exciting-- bleeding exuberance and a jovial, emphatic nature. It's a fun and entertaining mix of indie pop, jazz and experimental rock, not unlike a combination of Passion Pit, Animal Collective and TV on the Radio. Still, with those similarities in mind, the song stands on its own, ecstatic in its jolly, chanting chorus line. Positive energy abound, Yeasayer's late-2009 single is aiming to be the trendsetter in early 2010, and for all intents and purposes, they are the act to follow for at least the first month or two of the year.

Yeasayer -- "Ambling Alp" (Via Stereogum)