ROSE QUARTZ TOP 2010 ALBUMS

20. Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Before Today
MP3: Round And Round // out through 4AD // myspace



19. Oneohtrix Point Never – Returnal
MP3: Ouroborous // out through Editions Mego // myspace



18. Pac Div - Don't Mention It
MP3: Broccoli // out through itspacdiv.com // myspace



17. Straight Arrows – It’s Happening
MP3: Bad Temper // out through Rice Is Nice // myspace



16. Teengirl Fantasy – 7am
MP3: In An Arena // out through True Panther // myspace



15. Matthew Dear – Black City
MP3: Slowdance // out through Ghostly International // myspace



14. Speculator - Lifestyle
MP3: No Future // out through Leaving Records // myspace

13. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy
MP3: Monster feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver // out through Roc-A-Fella Records // myspace



12. Monopoly Child Star Searchers - Bamboo For Two
MP3: A2 (Excerpt) // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // last.fm

11. Surf City – Kudos
MP3: Crazy Rulers Of The World // out through Popfrenzy/Fire // myspace

10. Big Troubles – Worry
MP3: Bite Yr Tongue // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace

9. DJ Nate – Da Trak Genious
MP3: 3 Peat // out through Planet Mu // myspace

8. Autre Ne Veut – Autre Ne Veut
MP3: Demoneyez // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace



7. Bathcrones – Psychorama
MP3: False Teeth // out through No Pain In Pop // myspace



6. Beach House – Teen Dream
MP3: Silver Soul // out through Sub Pop // myspace



5. Sun Araw – On Patrol
MP3: Deep Cover // out through Not Not Fun // myspace




4. Wild Nothing - Gemini
MP3: Live In Dreams // out through Captured Tracks // myspace



3. The-Dream – Love King
out through Def Jam // myspace




2. Rangers – Suburban Tours
MP3: Zombies // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace



1. James Ferraro - Night Dolls With Hairspray

Stream: Leather High School // out through Olde English Spelling Bee // last.fm

TOP 2010 SONGS: Max

2010: it was pretty great! I saw Inception like three times and listened to all the best music I've ever heard. Plus, Rose Quartz went to New York (SEE ABOVE) and hung out with all our new best friends. We also got to witness some of our favourite labels and bands just kill it this year: Olde English Spelling Bee, R.I.P. Society and Chapter put out a billion great records which everyone loved and bands like Street Chant, Big Troubles and way too many others did massive stadium tours of Brazil. Holla! Anyway, here's my top 10 songs of this year:

10. Wild Nothing - Live In Dreams
Gemini out through Captured Tracks // myspace

Love how relaxing this whole album is; that's not a popular adjective but it's true about Wild Nothing, all smooth and subdued like it's been lifted from the saddest '80s teen movie of all time.

9. Air Waves - Knock Out
Dungeon Dots out through Underwater Peoples // myspace

I'm a total sucker for this kind of sweetly shambolic alt-country w/ '70s Cali pop sensibility (clean bass, jangly guitars etc).

8. Royal Headache - Splash
7" out through R.I.P. Society // myspace

Frenetic, fuzzed-out pop-punk thrashers like this are what Royal Headache do best; just total odes to shit like swimming pools that feel kinda profound cos you get bamboozled by all the hooks and then you're like wha?

7. Danger Beach - Apache
Milky Way out through Dream Damage // myspace

Real "tender" instrumental surf-pop from inland Australia: maybe that's why the rolling guitars sound melancholic and the reverb'd out, faraway drums are ever so slightly askew.

6. Straight Arrows - Bad Temper
It's Happening out through Rice Is Nice // myspace

After literally years of teasing us with sporadic 7" releases, these power popsters finally dropped a (terrific) full-length record. This is my favourite from it: lo-fi but technicolour with vocal harmonies I still can't figure out after dozens of listens.

5. Deerhunter - Helicopter
Halcyon Digest out through 4AD // myspace

Maybe you didn't know, but Deerhunter put out another album this year!

4. Surf City - Crazy Rulers Of The World
Kudos out through Popfrenzy/Fire // myspace

Warm, fuzzy, completely enjoyable "surfgaze" beamed to you directly from the teenage summer you discovered Daydream Nation.

3. Hammocks and Honey - Undone
Spellbinder out through Special Award // myspace

Find of the year, for sure: this jam from Melbourne's Hammocks and Honey is beautifully, wistfully hypnotic; months after I first heard it I still can't stop listening to it.

2. Nobunny - Live It Up
First Blood out through Goner // myspace

I listened to this song exclusively for about two weeks after I first got this album, which might be because it sounds like the Ramones covering the Cars but whatever. It's totally jaunty, totally catchy, with a philosophy you can live by; winner, right?

1. Outer Limits Recordings - $20 Dollar Bill
7" out through Olde English Spelling Bee // youtube

This total 2010 h-pop classic sounds like it was recorded to a tape that had been recorded to way too many times before, but that can't hide how goofy/hilarious/catchy it is. It's a sound that's been mined before, for sure, but never as consistently well as Sam Mehran and his various projects mine it: the run of singles from Outer Limits Recordings and The Sweethearts in 2010 has been absurdly high in quality. If this was recorded in pristine hi-fidelity it'd probably be a hit; too bad, pop fans.




OTHER FAVES:
The Sweethearts - Burning Through The Nite
Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue
MGMT - Flash Delirium

Ducktails - Hamilton Road

Street Chant - Yr Philosophy

Boomgates - Bright Idea

Matthew Dear - Slowdance

TOP 2010 SONGS: Richard

I tell ya, this year's just ZOOMED past! A combination of extreme hours at my (old) job, putting on shows in Newcastle, BLOGGING, ultra overseas vacationing and a high-level membership in "chillers delite" meant my attention span has shriveled even further into nothingness. Life is tough but HONESTLY I get kinda worried about that and not listening to things closely enough etc and the way things are going and shit but it doesn't change the fact that there was a heap of "killer jams" out this year! Also just realized how horrendously OESB-heavy this list is but oh well. Boo ya:

10. Wild Nothing - Bored Games
Gemini out through Captured Tracks // myspace

Fav train song for sure. Straight up 80s moper pop bliss.

9. Teen Inc. - Friend Of The Night
digital 7" out through iTunes // myspace

Someone tweeted about these guys (OPN or Megazord or someone?) describing them as "total game changers" and that's so right on; crystal clear funk/pop w/ actually ridiculous slap bass talent and generally amazing technical prowess.

8. The Samps - F.X.N.C
The Samps EP out through Mexican Summer // myspace

Hard to pinpoint an exact best Samps track (the Windows 69' Edition (On TV) mix is where it's at) but this one probably taps the best into the weirdly sleazy and retroactive house glory their impatient and energetic electronica is characterized by.

7. Ducktails - Paisley Pattern Arcade Shift
Ducktails/Strangers Bored Fortress split 7" out through Not Not Fun // myspace

Love these slightly more fuzzy Bored Fortress cuts of Arcade Dynamics jams "In The Swing" and "Arcade Shift" (perhaps not as much as "Hamilton Road"'s balladry but (spoiler) I think Shea has that on his list) because they're still the homeliest/most picket-fency pop around.

6. Games - Midi Drift
Games That We Can Play 12" out through Hippos in Tanks // myspace

Real heavenly headphone jam, set up in soft 80s movie clouds and artfully balances some split between "emotional"/"life-changey" feelings with the necessary half-awake haze.

5. Big Troubles - Bite Yr Tongue
Worry out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace

Good to see these "hyper-chic" Ridgewood pop guys battle through the video-related controversy (D:!) to maintain their status as most amazingly blissed-out and fuzzy nostalgic rockers.

4. Monopoly Child Star Searchers - A2 (excerpt)
listen // Bamboo For Two out through Olde English Spelling Bee // last.fm

Spencer Clark's signature jungle jams really hit their stride on this one; not sure whose guesting on this jam (Dolphins Into The Future? James Ferraro?) but it's as mesmeric as it gets.

3. Autre Ne Veut - Demoneyez
S/T out through Olde English Spelling Bee // myspace

ANV's images of soldiers are "cries for our shared humanity" and soul/Top 40 R&B infused pop like this soundtracks the weird truths of modern mainstream culture/life as much as ultra icy and (failed) futuristic landscapes. Real catchy and "soul"ful for sure.

2. Sun Araw - Deep Cover
On Patrol out through Not Not Fun // myspace

Total anthem; this "amniotic dub" just rolls and rolls, wrapped up in hefty histrionics and just drenched in smoke.

1. The Sweethearts - Burning Through The Nite
I Need My TV 7" out through Olde English Spelling Bee // Burnin 7" on Transparent (UK) // vimeo

I keep trying to work out if this'd sound better in more clearly definied hi-fi but even with the signature mutated tape gunk all over it there's no hiding the "pop perfection" inside this gem, Sam Merhan and Zak Mering dialing in 1-900 romance to the car phone on their super distinct night drive.



OTHER FAVS:
Squadda B feat. Young Boi - Legendary
Oneohtrix Point Never - Ouroboros
Deerhunter - Helicopters
Panda Bear - Slow Motion
Destroyer - Chinatown
Raw Thrills - Skyline's Lookin Fine