Well, here we are on the last day of 2010. Another year, another buzzband, another blog's year-end list all come and gone.
2010's big hitters like Kanye West, The Arcade Fire and Beach House delivered as expected, but what I particularly found interesting about this year were two things: the lo-fi aesthetic and electronics that continued to reign over independent music and the renaissance, which has been brewing for a while, in underground hip-hop.
Releases by Caribou, Ariel Pink, Mac Miller and the LA hip-hop collective, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, proved to be worthy contenders of defining this year's sound. Each was a little familiar, but also really fucking weird. So without spoiling my #1 selection, read on to see what these, and the rest of the tracks on this list, did for my ears this year.
Releases by Caribou, Ariel Pink, Mac Miller and the LA hip-hop collective, Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All, proved to be worthy contenders of defining this year's sound. Each was a little familiar, but also really fucking weird. So without spoiling my #1 selection, read on to see what these, and the rest of the tracks on this list, did for my ears this year.
And here's to you, 2011 ... another year of blog abandonment? I think not. Follow Make-Out Music on Twitter or comment down below to let me know what you thought of the music released this year.
25. Glasser – “Home”
25. Glasser – “Home”
I first saw Glasser's name on a bill with Delorean this summer and then seemingly saw the name everywhere one day later. Without a doubt, LA native Cameron Mesirow blew up this year with her debut LP, Ring, and while it was an interesting first listen, Glasser's songs lacked the structure/catchiness of which I felt were lost opportunities. But that wasn't the case with "Home," which perfectly summarizes what Glasser is all about: songs that build to a blissful climax in world drums, cinematic synths and Mesirow's sweeping vocals.
24. Big Boi – “Daddy Fat Sax”
Outkast's Big Boi finally got his due this year. As the less notable half of the soon-to-be legendary Atlanta hip-hop duo, it was hard to pick just one track from his debut, Sir Lucious Left Foot...The Son of Chico Dusty, but "Daddy Fat Sax" nails it: "With my ears to the streets and my eyes to the sky / I'm on another planet my nigga and you just fly"
23. Flight Facilities – “Crave You” (Bxentric Remix)
22. Jamiroquai - "White Knuckle Ride"
"White Knuckle Ride" was a grand return from Britain's Jamiroquai, who had seemingly went into hiding after their 2005 spacey disco LP, Dynamite. It's hard to believe that most Americans only know Jay Kay and Co. for 1996's "Virtual Insanity" when this track marks the band's quadrilogy of consistently funky and immaculately produced string of albums.
21. Mecanico - "Barcelona"
21. Mecanico - "Barcelona"
