100 Favourite Tracks of 2010: Part X

"It's not their fault," she said, "if others love them for the wrong reasons."

"No, it's not their fault. And what are 'the wrong possible reasons'? I think you can love people for the wrongest possible reasons, I don't think that's got anything to do with it."

"But if you don't like people whose lives are exceptional, why do you want to hear about them?"

"Because those are the sort of stories I like best."

"Untrue ones?"

"No, interminable ones, if you like. Bottomless pits."

- Marguerite Duras' The Sailor from Gibraltar


Delorean - Grow
Somehow I felt a little of Friendly Fires' in the song. Nonetheless, they channel all their Basque-ness into this free spirited number that is as much a celebration as it is a journey of discovery. One might also be inclined to reply their question of "will you ever understand this decision i've made?" With Delorean, you can be assured of being in good hands, and just keep dancing under all that glitter and remind yourself you're on the beaches of Ibiza.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Menomena - INTIL
What a stunner. Immediately diving into a tender piano ballad, conveying vulnerability before smoothly graduating to sort of a soft post-rockish mood. The lines in the song "I never thought I'd lie" is abbreviated as the song title. Interesting huh.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Delphic - Remain
They revel in electronic spheres and this Mancunian trio slowly creep up on you with a soft balladic piece that works its way into your system with those keyboards, lulling vocals and pop magik.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Twin Sister - Lady Daydream (mp3)
By now, one should be acquainted with Twin Sister (having featured another of their song earlier). The dreamy atmosphere and ethereal vocals are to be expected. With seeming lassitude, the lyrics convey a certain sort of romanticism amidst the lushness, as Andrea sighs whimisically "if you can't find the sea, i'll take you there". I absolutely adore them.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
Clocking in just under 9 minutes, just like many other lengthy songs in the album (i think it's bordering on insane), James Murphy slowly but not painstakingly (this man revels in his craft) builds layers upon layers in this song. An extended and almost repetitive intro that could have been a song unto it's own, I say almost because it has slight twists of lyrics that make it different in each verse. His easy speak-sing along with that regular tock totally doesn't prepare one for the ear-bliteration that occurs at 3:09. Here you see the legacy, of marrying new wave, 80s synths, electro-funk and what not artistically, that James has built.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

The New Pornographers - Crash Years
Catchy indie rock is definitely my cup of tea. A wonderful showcase of Neko Case's voice accompanied by fun whistling, uber poppiness and chugging chords.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - The Mighty Sparrow
Oh those intense riffs and whispery vocals. Blistering with tight hooks that similar punk rock bands might envy, these guys sure know how to dish out their rock - taut and ripping.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

Glass Vaults - They Will Grow
Expansive ambient piece with haunting plaintive sounds and that extremely sporadic guitar strumming cutting that equanimity, sending ripples through the soundscape.
[bandcamp] [last.fm]

Robyn - Hang With Me
She does this synthpop thing with such finesse. Really catchy song, especially the beats and lyrics.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

A Sunny Day in Glasgow - Drink drank drunk
They engage in a little fun, with reverby repetitive words, before waddling deep in the throes of miasmatic haze. Delicate utterances abound, I feel firmly ensconced within the wonders of shoegaze as I struggle with wisps of fond memories. Treat yourselves nicely and head over here for a free grab of the entire album, courtesy of the band themselves.
[official] [myspace] [last.fm]

well, this marks the end of the list of my favourite tracks for this year. it was tough omitting some because i didn't want some bands to be significantly more represented. so capping it at 2 was what i felt was best. i'd really like to hear some of yours in the comments or emails. watch out for my favourite albums coming your way soon! meanwhile, enjoy what's rest of the year and the list as well.

i just wanna read your mind

It’s hard to imagine a more fundamental and ubiquitous aspect of life on the Earth than gravity, from the moment you first took a step and fell on your diapered bottom to the slow terminal sagging of flesh and dreams.

But what if it’s all an illusion, a sort of cosmic frill, or a side effect of something else going on at deeper levels of reality?

So says Erik Verlinde, 48, a respected string theorist and professor of physics at the University of Amsterdam, whose contention that gravity is indeed an illusion has caused a continuing ruckus among physicists, or at least among those who profess to understand it. Reversing the logic of 300 years of science, he argued in a recent paper, titled “On the Origin of Gravity and the Laws of Newton,” that gravity is a consequence of the venerable laws of thermodynamics, which describe the behavior of heat and gases.

...

What is new, he said, is the idea that differences in entropy can be the driving mechanism behind gravity, that gravity is, as he puts it an “entropic force.”

- A Scientist Takes on Gravity on The New York Times


Glass Vaults - Set Sail (mp3)
This is what is said on the band's label "Richard and Rowan have taken their guitars, voices, drums and dream-triggering gadgetry, drenched them in the vapour of clouds and given birth to an intimate and sentimental sonic experience. It sounds like nature is patient and melodious on the farm where this here EP was recorded! Five beautiful pop delights with the added bonus of lost-in-the-ocean vibes, all freely downloadable and soon to take physical form.". So all we know is that they are Richard Larsen and Rowan Pierce. And hail from Wellington, NZ. NZ was the last place I'd expect such music to come from, but boy, their precocious affecting music sure struck a chord with me. I see them deriving inspiration from the awesome scenery they have throughout their entire huge-ass country. Sounds like perfect music for a drive through South and North Island. Epic soundscape at best, haunting at it's worst, Set Sail soars through the clouds, untethered and unencumbered. Utterly spectacular, they meld the different layers with panache to deliver a song so beautiful and enchanting. Oh the pleasant shivers it sends up my spine.

Glass Vaults - They Will Grow (mp3)
An ambient instrumental piece that is sentimental and achingly affecting, the occasional plucks of the guitar reaching out and tugging at your soul. A muffled underlying hum is weaved into the fabric of the song, as the reverb of the guitar string echoes into oblivion with each tentative pluck, they display deftness of touch in creating this endless space that we yearn to reside in.

Get the 5 track EP here for free.