A picture a day...

I'm thinking of making this blog just one photo a day and a few words about said photo.

I listened to music in 2010...

There was a lot of driving to and from work this year. There was a lot of driving back and forth from Dallas to Austin this year. Good thing there was so much awesome music that came out this year. There was even a bit of overlap from 2009 that I never got around to really listening to 'til this year.

Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Olivia Tremor Control…meet your sonic offspring, Tame Impala. I'm pretty sure we're just a few years from seeing Tame Impala: Live at Pompeii. If you dislike flangers and phasers and echoes and reverb, stay the hell away from this record. Each song builds a psychedelic soundscape that keeps adding and adding layers. I don't think I've been so pleased with the way guitars sound on a record in a long time. This album syncs up with "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory," too…just kidding.

Wavves definitely gets the Most Improved Player Award of 2010 from his total breakdown last year at the Primavera Sound Festival to making a record that doesn't sound at all like his 2008 one mic, one take-sounding debut. Nathan would say he's sorry, "But it wouldn't mean shit." Instead, he added Jay Reatard's former backing band and producer Dennis Herring, and what you get is the 2010 equivalent to when Kurt Cobain met Butch Vig: catchy, guitar driven, angst driven pop/punk glory.

2010! All hail the two piece band! Chicago's White Mystery's brother/sister denim-clad, red-mopped duo released their awesome self-titled debut this year. That's one guitar and one drum set? You've heard of blues shouters, meet garage shouter, Alex White. Get to know her, get to know her guitar pedals and amps. Another two piece that simply rocked my ass off simplistically, Jeff the Brotherhood. This time brother guitar/drum duo Jake and Jamin Orrall from Nashville combine the lo-fi sound of garage and heavy metal to new stone-washed denim heights. Bang your head to "Dreamscape" or pogo around your bedroom to "Bonejam," it's all good. I dare you not to grab your guitar, tune down to D, and play along with "Heavy Days."

There were many surprises like Nick Curran's Sonics-sounding "Reform School Girl." And then I discovered he was from Central Texas! There was much local greatness with The Black Angels, Harlem, and TV Torso returning with to form with new recordings this year. The Bird and the Bee reminded me how much I love Hall and Oats…and so did Methond Man when he revealed on set one day that the Wu-Tang Clan song "Method Man" is an homage to Hall and Oates' "Method of Modern Love." The Greenhornes returned with their first record in 6 years…after 2/3 of the band became Jack White side project darlings…who would have thought that 10 years ago? And, finally, if Anton Newcombe could focus more on making records I liked instead of records that sound good when he's on heroin, he'd have something.

My Top 5 of the Year

1. Tame Impala - "Innerspeaker"

2. Wavves - King of the Beach"

3. Jeff the Brotherhood - "Heavy Days" (2009)

4. White Mystery - "White Mystery"

5. Les Savy Fav - "Root For Ruin"

The Best of the Rest (Alphabetically by Artist - "Title"):

Admiral Radley - "I Heart California"

The Apples in Stereo - "Travellers in Space and Time"

The Bird and the Bee - "Interpreting the Masters Volume 1: A Tribute to Hall & Oats"

The Black Angels - "Phosphene Dream"

Black Mountain - "Wilderness Heart"

Boat - "Setting the Paces" (2009)

Chris Joss - "Monomaniacs Volume 1"

Darwin Deez - "Darwin Deez"

The Dead Weather - "Sea of Cowards"

Deerhunter - "Halcyon Digest"

The Drums - "The Drums"

El Michaels Affair - "Enter the 37th Chamber" (2009)

The Fall - "Your Future Our Clutter"

Frightened Rabbit - "Sing the Greys"

The Greenhornes - "****"

Harlem - "Hippies"

J Roddy Walston & The Business - "J Roddy Walston & The Business"

Kelley Stoltz - "To Dreamers"

Liars - "Sisterworld"

Mark Sultan - "$"

Nick Curran & The Lowlifes - "Reform School Girl"

No Age - "Everything in Between"

Quasi - "American Gong" and "Repulsion EP"

TV Torso - "Status Quo Vadis"

The Willowz - "Everyone"

The Young Veins - "Take a Vacation!"

Honorable Mention:

The Brian Jonestown Massacre - "Who Killed Sgt. Pepper?"

Holy Fuck - "Latin"

Jaill - "That's How We Burn"

MGMT - "Congratulations"

Mr. Chop - "For Pete's Sake" (2009)

Various Artists - "Scott Pilgrim vs. The World" Soundtrack

Solex vs. Christina Martinez + Jon Spencer - "Amsterdam Throwdown King Street Showdown"

The Thermals - "Personal Life"

Tokyo Police Club - "Champ"