JERSEY BEAT'S BEST OF 2010 LISTS

JIM TESTA

Top 10 Albums of 2010
Superchunk – Majesty Shredding
Ted Leo & The Pharmacists – Brutalist Bricks
The Hold Steady – Heaven Is Whenever
April Smith & The Great Picture Show – Songs For A Sinking Ship
Screaming Females – Castle Talk
River City Extension – The Unmistakable Man
The Riverdales - Tarantula
The Dopamines – Expect The Worst
Bad Religion – The Dissent Of Man
Bouncing Souls – Ghosts On The Boardwalk

Singles & EP's
Roadside Graves – “You Won’t Be Happy With Me” EP
The Front Bottoms – “Slow Dance To Soft Rock” EP
Jack Skuller – “Love Is A Drum” EP
Brick + Mortar – “7 Years In The Mystic Room” EP
Black Wine – “Tornado”/”Windy” AOTU single
Full of Fancy – “Hermit Love”/”Marriage” AOTU single
Invisible Lines – “Wise Up” EP
Waking Lights – “The Rabbit Hole” EP
Bern & The Brights – “Swing Shift Maisies” EP
Anthony Walker – “The Sea Goes On Forever” EP

TOP 10 NEW JERSEY ALBUMS:

Screaming Females – Castle Talk
Gay Blades – Savages
Val Emmich – Looking For A Feeling You Never Knew You Needed
River City Extension – The Unmistakable Man
Readymade Breakup – Readymade Breakup
Black Water - Disasters
Steel Train – Steel Train
Full Of Fancy – Liquid Nature
Black Wine – Black Wine
Noun – Holy Hell

TOP 10 NEW JERSEY SINGLES & EP’S
Roadside Graves – You Won’t Be Happy With Me
The Front Bottoms – “Slow Dance To Soft Rock” EP
Jack Skuller – “Love Is A Drum” EP
Brick + Mortar – “7 Years In The Mystic Room” EP
Black Wine – “Tornado”/”Windy” AOTU single
Speed The Plough – “Summer Sessions” EP
Invisible Lines – “Wise Up” EP
Waking Lights – “The Rabbit Hole” EP
Bern & The Brights – “Swing Shift Maisies” EP
Anthony Walker – “The Sea Goes On Forever” EP

PAUL SILVER

In years past, I’ve eschewed the top 10 list, despite our fearless editor’s endless cajoling and pleading for us, the unworthy contributors, to provide the traditional offering. It’s not that I don’t want to do it, it’s just that in many years it’s been difficult prospect – there’s so much crap that I have to wade through that it’s been hard to find at least 10 gems that sparkle in the dung heap. Last year, things started to turn around, and I actually found 10 albums that qualified as “best of the year.” And now, in 2010, the trend has continued, with a veritable plethora of great music.

So, here are, in the order in which I wrote up reviews for them, my “top ten” albums of 2010. There has been plenty of good stuff that's come out in 2010, but these are the ones that were so good that they've found a permanent home in my iTunes and my iPod.

THE GILDED PALACE OF SIN – “You Break Our Hearts, We’ll Tear Yours Out” – Thick and orchestral, gritty and ominous, countrified experimental shoegazer music, from the UK.

BOY EATS DRUM MACHINE – “Hoop and Wire” – Poppy drum machine music that jangles, entertains, makes you want to dance, and reminds you of a warm, happy, yet twisted childhood.

HANNIS BROWN – “Oh Ah Ee” – Very original stuff, blending indie rock, free jazz, and avant-garde experimental sounds.

SHILPA RAY AND HER HAPPY HOOKERS – “A Fish Hook an Open Eye” – A stunner of an album, with unexpected instrumental arrangements and powerful vocals. There’s edgy crooners and gutsy rootsy bluesy rock, and the best cover of “I Only Have Eyes for You” that you’ll ever hear.

RASPUTINA – “Sister Kinderhook” – Highly original, cello-based alt-rock music with a historical feel ranging from the Revolution to the days of the pioneers and the Civil War. Who knew cellos could play such cool indie music?

THE WAILING WALL – “The Low Hanging Fruit” – An exploration of ethnic music traditions, ranging from country and folk to Indian to American Indian, all with an indie pop edge.

WILL KNOX – “The Matador & the Acrobat” – Heartbreaking, beautiful urban folk music with a dark, sad feeling to it.

GAUGE – “II”, “MINTS”, “Gauge: 153” – A trio of releases from this influential mid-west emo band that reunited for a few shows and some new recordings this year, provide a glimpse of the greatness that could have been, had they not broken up.

SECRET CITIES – Great noise-rock, blending the DC/Dischord post-emo sound with the noisiness of earlier Sonic Youth.

SPARTA PHILHARMONIC – “(Trans)migratory Birds” – An album of folk music, no pop, no noise-rock, no gospel, no – just one of the most original, engaging albums of the year, and up at the top of my favorite releases of 2010.
SWANS – “My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky” – Gritty, intense, dark, noisy, but very accessible, this is music that could be the soundtrack to a Western film made by David Lynch. This one is also right up at the top of my list for best of the year.

WHITE RAVEN – “Gargoyles and Weather Vanes” – Very quirky, fun pop music that sounds like a Broadway musical from the 60s or 70s.

BEATS ANTIQUE – “Blind Threshold” – A blend of world music, electronica, trip hop and rock that is completely unexpected and works really well.

DEAD MECHANICAL – “Addict Rhythms” – Really great, tight, crunchy post-hardcore with a dash of punk, this album is my favorite of the year of the more traditional Jersey Beat “punk” music.

LED TO SEA – “Into the Darkening Sky” – Beautiful indie songs arranged for chamber orchestra with some great lyrics, too.

MUNLY & THE LUPERCALIANS – “Petr & the Wulf” – Gothic twang country indie music that’s sort of oddball, in a really good way.

VARIOUS – “Subterranean Homesick Blues: A Tribute to Bob Dylan’s ‘Bringing It All Back Home’” – An interesting concept, covering the groundbreaking Dylan album. Some of these covers are better than the originals!

So there you have it, my “top ten” for 2010. What? Yes, I know there’s really seventeen albums listed. Like I said, there was a lot of really good music this year. This time, there was less dung and more sparkle, so it was a lot easier to pick out those gems, and there were a lot more of them. So sue me. More good music can only benefit us all.

JOHNNY PUKE's Top Ten Dead People, 2010.

1. Ronnie James Dio-he's Dio 'nuff said.
2. Jay Reatard- Dude was becoming a real musician, cause The Reatards kinda sucked.
3. J.D. Salinger-total wierdo recluse guy who wrote "The Catcher In The Rye".
4. Howard Zinn-every smelly punk intellectual has one of his books on their shelves.
5. Doug Fieger- If you are old enough to remember "New Wave" then you remember The Knack and "My Sharona".
6.Jimmy Dean- Did mediocre country music, made amazing sausage!
7. Greg Giraldo - My kind of comedian.
8. Dennis Hopper- Total badass.
9. Gary Coleman- Whatchoo talkin' bout? I'm dead....shit!
10. Harvey Pekar- Comic writer, grump.

NOAH WK (Noah Kaplan)

Runner Ups: Gamits - "Parts", Surfer Blood - "Astrocoast" & Grabass Charlestons / Toys That Kill - "Split"

7inch records
1. Marvelous Darlings "Teenage Targets"
2. Big Eyes "Demo"
3. Ergs! / Measure Sa "Split"
4. Marked Men "On"
5. Full Of Fancy "Art Of The Underground Single Series"
6. The Creeps "Follow You Home"
7. Mind Spiders "S/T"
8. Mean Jeans / White Wires "Split"
9. Night Birds "Killer Waves"
10. Personal & The Pizzas "I Want You"
Runner Ups…. Lemuria "Chautauqua County", Transgressions - "Stop Wasting My Time" & White Wires - "Pogo Till You Puke"

BEN BALANOFF