15. Tame Impala - Solitude is Bliss
In this, Australian psych-rockers Tame Impala do not sound tame, in fact rather savage. Their transcendental scapes are swathed in funky, flanged guitars and 60s psychedelic vox. They encompass the swagger of pop 'lads' Kasabian whilst still retaining a bit of homeland pride in intellectual rawk reminiscent of Nick Cave. It's all overlayed with sublime, nostalgic vocals, quite unique in these times; the end package is memorable, infectious and retro.
14. Mix Chopin - Bliss
This is my guilty pleasure of 2010. 'Bliss' is a thoroughbred cheese concoction comprising over-the-top synths, slap bass and phunk rhythms, under gleaming, immaculate production. This is like what Duck Sauce did with 'Barbra Streisand', but instead exuding humour lyriclessly, and varying the song structure a bit.
13. Perfume Genius - Mr Peterson
Perfume Genius (aka Mike Hadreas) has produced one of the finest albums this year in the form of 'Learning'. A fair comparison you could make is with that of Sufjan Stevens' more delicate moments. The songs typify great minimalist music; he fortunately manages to eschew the usual monotony of gentle album-filler tracks. Simple piano tunes and chords are layered over one another (but only one, two or three parts are used at one time). The lyrics are simplistic but very personal. In 'Mr Peterson' he speaks about his Maths teacher who we find out encouraged Cannabis use in front of PG, lent him Joy Division tapes and later committed suicide. Its obvious how emotional the singer is getting at times; there has been no production to alter the vocals. This leaves us raw, intimate yet intricate music. Tear-jerking stuff.
12. Cloud Nothings - Hey Cool Kid
Cloud Nothings are retrospective; they are punk like a kerplunk!-era Green Day, but everything is cast in a raw, lo-fi shadow. They create brief but perfected, fuzzed out euphorias; they are the brightest, most propitious bunch rock n roll has seen in years.
They posted their first song, 'Hey Cool Kid' online at the tail end of 2009, and have since released their debut full-length, 'Turning On', on Wichita, which is full of similarly fantastic, visceral tunes.
11. Fair Ohs - Hey Lizzy
Fair Ohs describe themselves as a 'punk Paul Simon'. Sounds odd, right? Yes, yes it is. But this band are exceptional. They create a melange of noise rock and afro-pop, infusing No Age-esque avant-garde NOISE with spikey African-influenced harmonies, transcending all the best areas of the genres inbetween.
