Top 2010 Music

Top 1

My absolute number 1 album of 2010 was made by absolute oldies revisiting 30 years of absolute musical top history and upgrading that into an absolutely refreshing top piece of modern rock: Killing Joke with Absolute Dissent. The absolute fierceness of Pandemonium and subsequent recordings combined with highly Night-time‘ish danceable bass lines and melodies that take them out of the pure fuzz and chaos from the basements of hell back into the early land of dub and dark disco. Celebrating the return of an absolute icon drummer. An emotional goodbye to The Raven King (who unknowingly re-united the original band). In Excelsis indeed…

Top 6

Completing my top 2010 albums are:

2) Grinderman – Grinderman 2: an unexpectedly varied album from a well-oiled band of howling friends, sharing wolfman fantasies and slapping melodic tales across weeping violins

3) Jonsi – Go: a vivid flow of natural love, an uptempo scream full of desire to live and to enjoy… joy

4) RPA & The United Nations of Sound: the newest incarnation of Richard Ashcroft wanders off into soul, funk and unexpected guitar solo’s

5) Tired Pony – The place we ran from: an incarnation of Gary Lightbody wanders with a bunch of talented friends off into deserted American sceneries with some folky country music. A place to run to…

6) David Bowie – The Reality Tour: one artist wandered in 2003 off into all of his incarnations with a splendid collection of superbly performed hit songs

Somewhat different

I love Editors for releasing some magnificent EP’s to follow up their In This Light And On This Evening, adding special editions and new experiments on You don’t know love and Eat raw meat = blood drool.

Trent Reznor did not only create the terrific soundtrack for The Social Network with Atticus Ross but pointed me also on the adorable electronic music of Sonoio.

Belgian maturity

Belgian heroes of international quality Gabriel Rios and An Pierlé (& White Velvet) really surprised with their mature, well balanced and rich albums The Dangerous Return and Hinterland, full of rich compositions.

Terwijl Bart Peeters mij terug voor zich won met de prachtige wereldmix op De Ideale Man, na zijn (te) donkere vorige album.

En de Fixkes zijn niet enkel een superaanwinst voor de Nederlandstalige rock, maar na het zalige Kvraagetaan, het geniale duet met Axelle Red Over ‘t Water en de gierende interpretatie van Kodazuur hebben ze op het nieuwe album Superheld met Rock-n-Roll weer een prachtige vorm van melancholie gelanceerd.