San Diego Unseen: An Urban Portrait
Gonjasufi made my top 10 list--did he make yours?
'Tis the season for lists. Best album of 2010! Best song! Best first-thing-that-pops-in-my-head! This week, I list my top 10 local releases (well, sort of), but I couldn't just leave our year-end coverage at a mere top 10 list. Madness! So I asked CityBeat's contributors to come up with some lists of their own. Here's what they sent me:
Sasha Orman: Six Albums ( One EP) From 2010 That Made Me Especially Happy
My Dinosaur Life - Motion City Soundtrack
Contra - Vampire Weekend
History From Below - Delta Spirit
Year of the Black Rainbow - Coheed and Cambria
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
King of the Beach - Wavves
Simple Science EP - The Get Up Kids
Dryw Keltz: Top 10 Albums of 2010
Majesty Shredding - Superchunk (Merge)
The reclusive Chunk come out of semi-retirement to slay their opponents with the rocker of the year.
Heaven is Whenever - The Hold Steady (Vagrant)
Heaven is whenever you don’t have to deal with Franz and his “WHOOAH OH OHHHSSSS.”
Transference - Spoon (Merge)
The weird follow-up album gets a manageable title, while the previous parade of hits album gets the bizarre moniker.
The Brutalist Bricks - Ted Leo and The Pharmacists (Matador)
Your prescription for “Mourning In America.”
In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s - Let’s Wrestle (Merge)
Awesome new English SST style band-In the Top 10 of year’s best my.
The Chaos - The Futureheads (Nul)
The Futureheads bring back the ping-pongin’ vocals for their best offering since their debut.
Blood Under the Bridge - Bottomless Pit (Comedy Minus One)
Ex-Silkworm guys release another great album that totally flies under the radar.
The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack (Kemado)
The album rocks more like a hard park though.
Fission - Film School (High Speed Soul)
Be on the lookout for next year’s follow-up, Gone Fission.
Astro Coast - Surfer Blood (Kanine)
Not bad for a bunch of 13 year olds.
Quan Vu's two Top 5 lists
Top 5 SD Rap / Hip-Hop Albums:
1. Endurance - Blame One
Days Chasing Days may be Blame One's most visible album to date and a great album in itself. But I couldn't help noticing that it was trying too hard to sound like an "album," that it was constrained by a certain notion of what a cohesive album should sound like. Endurance breaks free of those constraints and Blame One sounds all the better for it. Ideas run more fluidly through songs and verses. Blame sounds both hungrier and more relaxed, paradoxically. San Diego Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, without question.
2. A Man's Heart - Treali Duce
It's a little obvious to note that Tupac had a huge impact on West Coast street rap. But whereas many rappers invoke Pac simply to glorify street life, Treali Duce goes deeper, tapping into some of the same things that made Pac special: honesty, emotion, and intelligence. A Man's Heart doesn't glorify street life. It laments it, speaking to the hardship and struggle and bleak outlook that entails it. Treali Duce lives in the thick of it but he also possesses the moral clarity to be above it at the same time.
3. Forbidden Physics - Orko Eloheim
Forbidden Physics was actually recorded back in 2004. Orko had originally intended to release it in 2005 on One Cell Records. It's unclear what happened to that situation but Orko finally released the album himself online earlier this year. In a sea of rappers trying desperately to be "weird," Orko stands out as a truly unique character, half fiery revolutionary, half rambling nutcase, and another quarter blunted alien for good measure. Forbidden Physics is an ungodly creation dripping with jarring images of paranoia, claustrophobia, and apocalypse.
4. The Awakening EP - Anti-Citizens
Awakening actually doesn't work that well as a cohesive album. But when you account for sheer quantity of dopeness, it's pretty hard not to recommend this. "Underground Jugganautz," "Verbal Assassin," and "The Awakening" all make strong cases for Top SD Songs of the Year and there are more good cuts on the album besides those. Ridley evolves his bleak sound of dystopia to great effect while both he and Bazerkowitz continue rapping really well.
5. Cheers - MacPhly
The surprise of the year, Cheers is essentially a collaboration between rapper MacPhly and producer Kriis Mon3y. MacPhly is a jokester and the more you listen to him, the more you get his cocky humor. He clowns and he uses that strength in a wide variety of different ways, even to write a psychological PSA of a song like "Cold Sweat." It doesn't hurt that his witty raps are supported by excellent neo-soul instrumentals. Kriis sounds like some hybrid of J Dilla, 9th Wonder, and Ryan Leslie. It's hard for me to pinpoint but regardless, he's in good company.
Top 5 Non-SD Rap / Hip-Hop Albums:
1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
Obviously. This is the album Kanye's been working towards for his whole career. The boom-bap of College Dropout, the indulgence of Late Registration, the anthemic space of Graduation, and the atmospherics of 808s & Heartbreak all wrapped around some of the best rapping of Kanye's life.
2. Bastard / Earl - Earl Sweatshirt - Tyler The Creator
LA's Odd Future crew of teen rappers have made a name for themselves by raping bitches, kidnapping bitches, and generally being completely evil over lo-fi bedroom beats. Though the sensationalism makes the headlines, these kids are actually able to rap really well and with real substance behind their antics. Bastard and Earl Sweatshirt, from Odd Future's leader and frontman respectively, reveal the circumstances and emotion that fuels their degenerate creativity.
3. Dinner And A Movie - Brotha Lynch Hung
Loosely connected by numerous skits detailing the search for The Coat Hanger Strangler, this album lends a glimpse inside the deranged mind of a serial killer, played by Brotha Lynch himself. Cannibalism abounds but the psychological writing is what makes this a masterpiece. Dinner And A Movie is to horrorcore what Dr. Dre's The Chronic is to g-funk.
4. Trunk Muzik - Yelawolf
Not to be confused with the not-as-good-but-still-great Trunk Muzik 0-60, Trunk Muzik is the original free mixtape-album that led to Yelawolf's major label deal and the subsequent release of 0-60. Trunk Muzik possesses a winning combination of technically dizzying rapping, writing that oozes character, extremely catchy hooks, and futuristic country rap tunes.
5. Jimmy The Lock - Nocando
Nocando is the smart-ass battle rapper leading the new generation of Project Blowedians. With the help of producers from the Dilla Donuts-inspired Low End Theory collective, Nocando spits about everyday Los Angeles life as a broke emcee. Biting sarcasm and self-deprecating humor help Nocando maneuver through a surreal LA landscape with a modicum of sanity.
Top 10 by Jim Ruland
10. King of the Beach 12” - Wavves
There’s a lot to like if you’re into psychedelic pop punk, but sometime it seems to fit too neatly into the space between The Oh Sees and Magic Kids. But when Nathan nails it, he nails it.
9. Addict Rhythms 12” - Dead Mechanical
Unless you caught their set at this year’s Awesome Fest, this is the best record by the best band you’ve never heard of.
8. As the Ox Plows MP3 - Dan Padilla
The new record from S.D. punks Dan Padilla is available as a free download courtesy of Paper Plastick and Razorcake Records. You’re welcome.
7. Black Casket 7” - Pine Hill Haints
Leaving-Alabama-and-I’m-so-lonesome-ain’t-you-gonna-pass-the-bottle blues. “The Ditch is Better Than the Road” and “Why Should I Worry?” will put you in a melancholy place. “Satchel and Page” and “Black Casket” will knock you clean out it. But you have to flip the record. There’s a life lesson in there somewhere…
6. In Desolation MP3 - Off With Their Heads
I caught OWTH this summer in Memphis and Paddy from Dillinger Four was on bass and Tiltwheel’s drummer was punishing the tubs. Good show. “In Desolation” is also notable for being the first Epitaph record in a decade that doesn’t suck.
5. YouTube - OFF!
I don’t own any of their records (the boxed set of four 7” with artwork from Ray Pettibon is en route) and I didn’t see them live (it was raining that night) so I’m putting them in the top half of my top 10 based solely on YouTube videos. Hard to believe Keith Morris got kicked out of Black Flag for being too much of a fuck up.
4. S/T 7” - That's Incredible
Bad news first: it’s the closest we’re ever going to get to a new Soviettes record. Now the good: it’s pretty damn close.
3. Cracked Love & Other Drugs 12” - Unnatural Helpers
Cranked up and blown out drunken doo-wop. I bought this on a hot day in early May, the kind of day that lets you know summer is right around the corner. It was a lie of course as we had one of the coldest San Diego summers in recent memory. The perfect record for a Portland summer.
2. Divorce / Evil Earth 7” - Japanther
This ferocious little monster came out shortly before the release of Rock ‘n’ Roll Ice Cream. It’s just two songs but it’s got everything you expect from a Japanther joint: odd samples, curious keyboards, and relentless feedback. “Yeah, motherfucker!”
1. Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009 12” - Fucked Up
Canadian hardcore rules! Twenty tunes on a double album and not a bad one in the mix. The best thing that happened to my record player in 2010.
Seth Combs: Best Local Songs
25.) “Good as New”—Jenn Grinels
It's every music critic's fantasy that they'll date some hot singer-songwriter and that, after it's all over, the singer will write a song about them, right? Well, I can scratch that fantasy off the list. Yes. I’m bragging.
24.) "Josephine"-The Nervous Wreckords
The brains behind Louis XIV and Convoy provides the soundtrack for a lost John Hughes classic.
23.) "California Sunrise"—Dirty Gold
Better than anything on the new Vampire Weekend record, it's the best summer anthem released in the winter. And a bunch of freakin’ high schoolers made it! What did you do today?
22.) “Animals”—Black Resume
A Shirley Temple-sampling, trunk-rattling hip-hop track that would have been huge if it came with a trademark Dougie-type dance move.
21.) “Post Acid”—Wavves
San Diego poster-boy Nathan Williams is just having fun... With drugs.
20.) Grammatical B-"Do Fries Come With That Walk of Shame?"
A highly-caffeinated hip-hop tribute to the gal we all love to make fun of on our way to work.
19.) “Chemicals”—Cry For Us Black Swans
Sounding like Elton John dropping bunk acid with Sgt. Pepper, Jon Piotrowki's (more from him below) voice is equal parts joyful and paranoid on this track from his new LP.
18.) "Blanket Mountain"—Jeans Wilder
An eerie lo-fi ballad from the heart of the Congo. The most striking standout from the one-man band's recently released debut.
17.) "Losing Composure"—Transfer
A huge year for San Diego's best rock band. With European tours opening for Brandon Flowers and The Bravery, the boys looked inward only to realize they can’t handle the fame. Psyche! They're gonna blow up big in '11 (finally!). Paging Chris Martin.
16.) "No Fucking Around"—Rafter
I can't decide if crazed loverboy Rafter Roberts was more inspired by Comes Alive-era Peter Frampton or cowbell enthusiast Bruce Dickinson on this track, but it's a strange and catchy little soul jam that was just too cracked-out for one Pitchfork reviewer. Her loss. Check out the hilarious video with a bunch of Andy Milonakis lookalikes lipsyncing the title.
15.) "Pretenders"—Lesands
Remember when you first heard The Killers debut? Remember how much you loved it until your mom started jamming out to "Mr. Brightside"? Time to get that feeling again.
14.) "Red Lights Flashing"—Lights On
Practically screaming to be used as the background music on some MTV reality show, this song cleverly veers between anthemic indie-rock and '90s era Brit-pop without sounding too earnest or like a bunch of nancy-boys with a Stone Roses crush.
13.) “If You Want It”—TV Girl
Taking a page from electro acts like Fatboy Slim and The Avalanches, these guys are coming in at the tail-end of the chill-wave craze, but this track has enough gusto to keep the party going a little longer. Throw another log on that bonfire.
12.) "Been Down By Love"—John Meeks
2010 finally saw the release of Meeks' long-awaited debut of Parsons-esque storytelling and it didn't disappoint. Slowly building over the sounds of trumpets and violins, this gem shows off Meeks' weathered voice and heart better than any other track.
11.) "Big Booty Butt"—Smile Now, Cry Later
It's only a matter of time before the sound of one-woman force Lizeth Santos-Roberts is blaring out of El Caminos. This Sheila E-inspired jam is going to melt those painted eyebrows right off.
10.) "Aqua Net"—Raw Moans
When the blogosphere first caught wind of them this local duo got wrongly pigeonholed into the flavor-of-the-week subgenre, witch-house. Their mix of lo-fi synth-pop and '90s R&B is a genre unto itself. This track sounds like Tony Toni Tone recording on a Fisher Price tape recorder.
9.) “Love Is Gone”—Myth
Not sure what's become of this project featuring Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession, Three Mile Pilot, etc.) and girlfriend/rapper Addiquit, but of the three or so tracks they leaked, this trippy head-bobber certainly showed a lot of potential and reminded me a lot of early Tricky.
8.) “Sleep Forever”—Crocodiles
The local boys' sophomore release didn't really depart too heavily from the sound of their debut, but the title track saw the band heading in a more paisley, sun-drenched brand of psychedelic noise. It was enough for the band to pick up "Song of the Year" at this year's S.D. Music Awards.
7.) “Wonderwall (Remix)”—Inspired Flight
Sampling the annoying intro from The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" is ballsy considering that (ironically) UPS has played it to death on those whiteboard ads. But this local electro duo saves it from the shitpile, throwing in the vocal track from Ryan Adams' commendable cover of Oasis as well as some bleeps and blips from Radiohead's "Kid A." Eat your heart out, Girl Talk.
6.) “La Fin Est Loin D'ici”—Dr. Popsicle
In between the demise of Demasiado and his more recent solo project, Cry For Us Black Swans, singer Jon Piotrowski self-released some lovely bedroom recordings under the name Dr. Popsicle. This impassioned gem lives somewhere between Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and Beck's "Lost Cause," with Piotrowki's anguished voice barely keeping it from descending into the void.
5.) “Jail La La”—Dum Dum Girls
If you're an indie geek that doesn't run in the same social circles as, say, Mario Orduno, chances are you're opinion of Kristin "Dee Dee" Gundred is less than favorable. Get over it! The girl and her Girls put out a great debut and the lead single was a lo-fi wall-of-sound masterstroke that would have made Phil Spector cream his pants.
4.) “Science vs. The Story”—Primitive Noyes
The best song off what was probably my favorite local album of the year, this track is a heartfelt retelling of what was likely a stoned argument about religion. And unlike the bible, it's beautifully translated. Oh, and for all you frugal types out there, you can download the whole album for free at the band's website.
3.) “And I Was Like, And They Were All...”—The Dabbers
Released around the end of 2009, this fun, bass-heavy burst of co-ed garage-pop is something you'd throw on to get crunk before a mean wine and cheese party. "And I play golf to help me forget my pain/To help me forget my pain, I play golf" is probably the coolest refrain I've heard all year.
2.) “Mystery Meat (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)”—All Leather
Look, if I was to fist-pump in the club like The Situation or the douche that owns Pacific magazine, I'd want to do it to this song. The best track off the All Leather remix album, it's a three-minute kick in the balls to any Downtown scenester complete with Justin Pearson spitting bottle service Grey Goose in your face.
1.) “Dreams Where I Am Sleeping”—Joel P West and the Tree Ring
A gorgeous dose of Sufjan-esque folk-pop from one of San Diego's most understated and underrated singers. A testament to finding those small solaces amidst life's big indignities. Do yourself a favor and check out the accompanying music video shot live at the Grape St. dog park. If it doesn’t make you smile or cry, you have no heart.
Sasha Orman: Six Albums ( One EP) From 2010 That Made Me Especially Happy
My Dinosaur Life - Motion City Soundtrack
Contra - Vampire Weekend
History From Below - Delta Spirit
Year of the Black Rainbow - Coheed and Cambria
The Suburbs - Arcade Fire
King of the Beach - Wavves
Simple Science EP - The Get Up Kids
Dryw Keltz: Top 10 Albums of 2010
Majesty Shredding - Superchunk (Merge)
The reclusive Chunk come out of semi-retirement to slay their opponents with the rocker of the year.
Heaven is Whenever - The Hold Steady (Vagrant)
Heaven is whenever you don’t have to deal with Franz and his “WHOOAH OH OHHHSSSS.”
Transference - Spoon (Merge)
The weird follow-up album gets a manageable title, while the previous parade of hits album gets the bizarre moniker.
The Brutalist Bricks - Ted Leo and The Pharmacists (Matador)
Your prescription for “Mourning In America.”
In the Court of the Wrestling Let’s - Let’s Wrestle (Merge)
Awesome new English SST style band-In the Top 10 of year’s best my.
The Chaos - The Futureheads (Nul)
The Futureheads bring back the ping-pongin’ vocals for their best offering since their debut.
Blood Under the Bridge - Bottomless Pit (Comedy Minus One)
Ex-Silkworm guys release another great album that totally flies under the radar.
The Soft Pack - The Soft Pack (Kemado)
The album rocks more like a hard park though.
Fission - Film School (High Speed Soul)
Be on the lookout for next year’s follow-up, Gone Fission.
Astro Coast - Surfer Blood (Kanine)
Not bad for a bunch of 13 year olds.
Quan Vu's two Top 5 lists
Top 5 SD Rap / Hip-Hop Albums:
1. Endurance - Blame One
Days Chasing Days may be Blame One's most visible album to date and a great album in itself. But I couldn't help noticing that it was trying too hard to sound like an "album," that it was constrained by a certain notion of what a cohesive album should sound like. Endurance breaks free of those constraints and Blame One sounds all the better for it. Ideas run more fluidly through songs and verses. Blame sounds both hungrier and more relaxed, paradoxically. San Diego Rap/Hip-Hop Album of the Year, without question.
2. A Man's Heart - Treali Duce
It's a little obvious to note that Tupac had a huge impact on West Coast street rap. But whereas many rappers invoke Pac simply to glorify street life, Treali Duce goes deeper, tapping into some of the same things that made Pac special: honesty, emotion, and intelligence. A Man's Heart doesn't glorify street life. It laments it, speaking to the hardship and struggle and bleak outlook that entails it. Treali Duce lives in the thick of it but he also possesses the moral clarity to be above it at the same time.
3. Forbidden Physics - Orko Eloheim
Forbidden Physics was actually recorded back in 2004. Orko had originally intended to release it in 2005 on One Cell Records. It's unclear what happened to that situation but Orko finally released the album himself online earlier this year. In a sea of rappers trying desperately to be "weird," Orko stands out as a truly unique character, half fiery revolutionary, half rambling nutcase, and another quarter blunted alien for good measure. Forbidden Physics is an ungodly creation dripping with jarring images of paranoia, claustrophobia, and apocalypse.
4. The Awakening EP - Anti-Citizens
Awakening actually doesn't work that well as a cohesive album. But when you account for sheer quantity of dopeness, it's pretty hard not to recommend this. "Underground Jugganautz," "Verbal Assassin," and "The Awakening" all make strong cases for Top SD Songs of the Year and there are more good cuts on the album besides those. Ridley evolves his bleak sound of dystopia to great effect while both he and Bazerkowitz continue rapping really well.
5. Cheers - MacPhly
The surprise of the year, Cheers is essentially a collaboration between rapper MacPhly and producer Kriis Mon3y. MacPhly is a jokester and the more you listen to him, the more you get his cocky humor. He clowns and he uses that strength in a wide variety of different ways, even to write a psychological PSA of a song like "Cold Sweat." It doesn't hurt that his witty raps are supported by excellent neo-soul instrumentals. Kriis sounds like some hybrid of J Dilla, 9th Wonder, and Ryan Leslie. It's hard for me to pinpoint but regardless, he's in good company.
Top 5 Non-SD Rap / Hip-Hop Albums:
1. My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy - Kanye West
Obviously. This is the album Kanye's been working towards for his whole career. The boom-bap of College Dropout, the indulgence of Late Registration, the anthemic space of Graduation, and the atmospherics of 808s & Heartbreak all wrapped around some of the best rapping of Kanye's life.
2. Bastard / Earl - Earl Sweatshirt - Tyler The Creator
LA's Odd Future crew of teen rappers have made a name for themselves by raping bitches, kidnapping bitches, and generally being completely evil over lo-fi bedroom beats. Though the sensationalism makes the headlines, these kids are actually able to rap really well and with real substance behind their antics. Bastard and Earl Sweatshirt, from Odd Future's leader and frontman respectively, reveal the circumstances and emotion that fuels their degenerate creativity.
3. Dinner And A Movie - Brotha Lynch Hung
Loosely connected by numerous skits detailing the search for The Coat Hanger Strangler, this album lends a glimpse inside the deranged mind of a serial killer, played by Brotha Lynch himself. Cannibalism abounds but the psychological writing is what makes this a masterpiece. Dinner And A Movie is to horrorcore what Dr. Dre's The Chronic is to g-funk.
4. Trunk Muzik - Yelawolf
Not to be confused with the not-as-good-but-still-great Trunk Muzik 0-60, Trunk Muzik is the original free mixtape-album that led to Yelawolf's major label deal and the subsequent release of 0-60. Trunk Muzik possesses a winning combination of technically dizzying rapping, writing that oozes character, extremely catchy hooks, and futuristic country rap tunes.
5. Jimmy The Lock - Nocando
Nocando is the smart-ass battle rapper leading the new generation of Project Blowedians. With the help of producers from the Dilla Donuts-inspired Low End Theory collective, Nocando spits about everyday Los Angeles life as a broke emcee. Biting sarcasm and self-deprecating humor help Nocando maneuver through a surreal LA landscape with a modicum of sanity.
Top 10 by Jim Ruland
10. King of the Beach 12” - Wavves
There’s a lot to like if you’re into psychedelic pop punk, but sometime it seems to fit too neatly into the space between The Oh Sees and Magic Kids. But when Nathan nails it, he nails it.
9. Addict Rhythms 12” - Dead Mechanical
Unless you caught their set at this year’s Awesome Fest, this is the best record by the best band you’ve never heard of.
8. As the Ox Plows MP3 - Dan Padilla
The new record from S.D. punks Dan Padilla is available as a free download courtesy of Paper Plastick and Razorcake Records. You’re welcome.
7. Black Casket 7” - Pine Hill Haints
Leaving-Alabama-and-I’m-so-lonesome-ain’t-you-gonna-pass-the-bottle blues. “The Ditch is Better Than the Road” and “Why Should I Worry?” will put you in a melancholy place. “Satchel and Page” and “Black Casket” will knock you clean out it. But you have to flip the record. There’s a life lesson in there somewhere…
6. In Desolation MP3 - Off With Their Heads
I caught OWTH this summer in Memphis and Paddy from Dillinger Four was on bass and Tiltwheel’s drummer was punishing the tubs. Good show. “In Desolation” is also notable for being the first Epitaph record in a decade that doesn’t suck.
5. YouTube - OFF!
I don’t own any of their records (the boxed set of four 7” with artwork from Ray Pettibon is en route) and I didn’t see them live (it was raining that night) so I’m putting them in the top half of my top 10 based solely on YouTube videos. Hard to believe Keith Morris got kicked out of Black Flag for being too much of a fuck up.
4. S/T 7” - That's Incredible
Bad news first: it’s the closest we’re ever going to get to a new Soviettes record. Now the good: it’s pretty damn close.
3. Cracked Love & Other Drugs 12” - Unnatural Helpers
Cranked up and blown out drunken doo-wop. I bought this on a hot day in early May, the kind of day that lets you know summer is right around the corner. It was a lie of course as we had one of the coldest San Diego summers in recent memory. The perfect record for a Portland summer.
2. Divorce / Evil Earth 7” - Japanther
This ferocious little monster came out shortly before the release of Rock ‘n’ Roll Ice Cream. It’s just two songs but it’s got everything you expect from a Japanther joint: odd samples, curious keyboards, and relentless feedback. “Yeah, motherfucker!”
1. Couple Tracks: Singles 2002-2009 12” - Fucked Up
Canadian hardcore rules! Twenty tunes on a double album and not a bad one in the mix. The best thing that happened to my record player in 2010.
Seth Combs: Best Local Songs
25.) “Good as New”—Jenn Grinels
It's every music critic's fantasy that they'll date some hot singer-songwriter and that, after it's all over, the singer will write a song about them, right? Well, I can scratch that fantasy off the list. Yes. I’m bragging.
24.) "Josephine"-The Nervous Wreckords
The brains behind Louis XIV and Convoy provides the soundtrack for a lost John Hughes classic.
23.) "California Sunrise"—Dirty Gold
Better than anything on the new Vampire Weekend record, it's the best summer anthem released in the winter. And a bunch of freakin’ high schoolers made it! What did you do today?
22.) “Animals”—Black Resume
A Shirley Temple-sampling, trunk-rattling hip-hop track that would have been huge if it came with a trademark Dougie-type dance move.
21.) “Post Acid”—Wavves
San Diego poster-boy Nathan Williams is just having fun... With drugs.
20.) Grammatical B-"Do Fries Come With That Walk of Shame?"
A highly-caffeinated hip-hop tribute to the gal we all love to make fun of on our way to work.
19.) “Chemicals”—Cry For Us Black Swans
Sounding like Elton John dropping bunk acid with Sgt. Pepper, Jon Piotrowki's (more from him below) voice is equal parts joyful and paranoid on this track from his new LP.
18.) "Blanket Mountain"—Jeans Wilder
An eerie lo-fi ballad from the heart of the Congo. The most striking standout from the one-man band's recently released debut.
17.) "Losing Composure"—Transfer
A huge year for San Diego's best rock band. With European tours opening for Brandon Flowers and The Bravery, the boys looked inward only to realize they can’t handle the fame. Psyche! They're gonna blow up big in '11 (finally!). Paging Chris Martin.
16.) "No Fucking Around"—Rafter
I can't decide if crazed loverboy Rafter Roberts was more inspired by Comes Alive-era Peter Frampton or cowbell enthusiast Bruce Dickinson on this track, but it's a strange and catchy little soul jam that was just too cracked-out for one Pitchfork reviewer. Her loss. Check out the hilarious video with a bunch of Andy Milonakis lookalikes lipsyncing the title.
15.) "Pretenders"—Lesands
Remember when you first heard The Killers debut? Remember how much you loved it until your mom started jamming out to "Mr. Brightside"? Time to get that feeling again.
14.) "Red Lights Flashing"—Lights On
Practically screaming to be used as the background music on some MTV reality show, this song cleverly veers between anthemic indie-rock and '90s era Brit-pop without sounding too earnest or like a bunch of nancy-boys with a Stone Roses crush.
13.) “If You Want It”—TV Girl
Taking a page from electro acts like Fatboy Slim and The Avalanches, these guys are coming in at the tail-end of the chill-wave craze, but this track has enough gusto to keep the party going a little longer. Throw another log on that bonfire.
12.) "Been Down By Love"—John Meeks
2010 finally saw the release of Meeks' long-awaited debut of Parsons-esque storytelling and it didn't disappoint. Slowly building over the sounds of trumpets and violins, this gem shows off Meeks' weathered voice and heart better than any other track.
11.) "Big Booty Butt"—Smile Now, Cry Later
It's only a matter of time before the sound of one-woman force Lizeth Santos-Roberts is blaring out of El Caminos. This Sheila E-inspired jam is going to melt those painted eyebrows right off.
10.) "Aqua Net"—Raw Moans
When the blogosphere first caught wind of them this local duo got wrongly pigeonholed into the flavor-of-the-week subgenre, witch-house. Their mix of lo-fi synth-pop and '90s R&B is a genre unto itself. This track sounds like Tony Toni Tone recording on a Fisher Price tape recorder.
9.) “Love Is Gone”—Myth
Not sure what's become of this project featuring Pall Jenkins (Black Heart Procession, Three Mile Pilot, etc.) and girlfriend/rapper Addiquit, but of the three or so tracks they leaked, this trippy head-bobber certainly showed a lot of potential and reminded me a lot of early Tricky.
8.) “Sleep Forever”—Crocodiles
The local boys' sophomore release didn't really depart too heavily from the sound of their debut, but the title track saw the band heading in a more paisley, sun-drenched brand of psychedelic noise. It was enough for the band to pick up "Song of the Year" at this year's S.D. Music Awards.
7.) “Wonderwall (Remix)”—Inspired Flight
Sampling the annoying intro from The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights" is ballsy considering that (ironically) UPS has played it to death on those whiteboard ads. But this local electro duo saves it from the shitpile, throwing in the vocal track from Ryan Adams' commendable cover of Oasis as well as some bleeps and blips from Radiohead's "Kid A." Eat your heart out, Girl Talk.
6.) “La Fin Est Loin D'ici”—Dr. Popsicle
In between the demise of Demasiado and his more recent solo project, Cry For Us Black Swans, singer Jon Piotrowski self-released some lovely bedroom recordings under the name Dr. Popsicle. This impassioned gem lives somewhere between Bruce Springsteen's "Atlantic City" and Beck's "Lost Cause," with Piotrowki's anguished voice barely keeping it from descending into the void.
5.) “Jail La La”—Dum Dum Girls
If you're an indie geek that doesn't run in the same social circles as, say, Mario Orduno, chances are you're opinion of Kristin "Dee Dee" Gundred is less than favorable. Get over it! The girl and her Girls put out a great debut and the lead single was a lo-fi wall-of-sound masterstroke that would have made Phil Spector cream his pants.
4.) “Science vs. The Story”—Primitive Noyes
The best song off what was probably my favorite local album of the year, this track is a heartfelt retelling of what was likely a stoned argument about religion. And unlike the bible, it's beautifully translated. Oh, and for all you frugal types out there, you can download the whole album for free at the band's website.
3.) “And I Was Like, And They Were All...”—The Dabbers
Released around the end of 2009, this fun, bass-heavy burst of co-ed garage-pop is something you'd throw on to get crunk before a mean wine and cheese party. "And I play golf to help me forget my pain/To help me forget my pain, I play golf" is probably the coolest refrain I've heard all year.
2.) “Mystery Meat (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)”—All Leather
Look, if I was to fist-pump in the club like The Situation or the douche that owns Pacific magazine, I'd want to do it to this song. The best track off the All Leather remix album, it's a three-minute kick in the balls to any Downtown scenester complete with Justin Pearson spitting bottle service Grey Goose in your face.
1.) “Dreams Where I Am Sleeping”—Joel P West and the Tree Ring
A gorgeous dose of Sufjan-esque folk-pop from one of San Diego's most understated and underrated singers. A testament to finding those small solaces amidst life's big indignities. Do yourself a favor and check out the accompanying music video shot live at the Grape St. dog park. If it doesn’t make you smile or cry, you have no heart.
