Best of 2010: The Let Down's and Honorable Mention's

The end is here...odd to say. Sadly I didn't make it through all 78 albums, but I made it through most of them, and have my list compiled and am working through it. To give you a taste for what may be on it and what definitely won't be, here are this year's let down's and honorable mentions!

The Let Down's:
Every year there are albums that disappoint. These are the albums that disappointed me...



1. Sleigh Bells- Treats: I was promised great things with Sleigh Bells. Noise-pop with an upbeat chick and a one-time metal drummer. I mean how cool of a combination is that? The problem is that the one-time metal drummer’s mixing is ridiculous. Some people like it, a lot of people actually, but by track 3 or 4 my head was about to fall off from the noise and I was not having a good time. I don’t doubt the group can make a great album, I just feel like their current formula is a bit painful to the ears.

2. Nicki Minaj- Pink Friday: Minaj did a lot of boasting this year, gaining the most attention from her showstopping verse on Kanye West’s “Monster” overshadowing West and Jay-Z. However, her album is an odd mix of pop, R&B and hip-hop. There are a few tracks, notably “Roman’s Revenge” with Eminem, that showcase the Minaj that bragged about making a million off of a mixtape. While it’s certainly not bad to rap about diverse things, it’s just when you’re really good at one thing and not so good at other’s, stick to what you’re good at. The song with will.i.am that samples "Video Killed the Radio Star" is near impossible to listen to.

3. M.I.A.- Maya (I’m not going to justify that whole slash thing): M.I.A. had the world on a silver platter following the huge success of Kala, an album that hit #4 on my Best of 2007 list, and its breakout single “Paper Plans”. But what did Maya do? Listened to too much Nine Inch Nails and pretended like she could do whatever she wanted without consequence. Well, the world is paying the price, having wasted 40 minutes listening to Maya.

4. Cee-Lo Green-The Lady Killer: This album is not bad, just not nearly as good as it could’ve been. While I haven’t dived into his prior solo work or the Goodie Mob discography, the two Gnarls Barkley albums are really awesome, and following “Fuck You” everyone expected this album to be a snarky, catchy look at the life of the titular Lady Killer. Instead it’s a run of the mill funky throwback album. “Fuck You” and the bonus track “Love Gun” (NOT a Kiss cover) are the only two that really stood out.


Now to the more positive...
Honorable Mentions:
Those albums that are good, but not quite good enough.



1. Die Antwoord- $O$: I don’t know South African culture, so I don’t know if every rap group over there sounds like Die Antwoord, but the Zef trio to me is one of the most innovative groups of the year. The rapping is strangely diverse, kind of goofy, and at the end of the day really sharp and potent. What brings this album down is just how zany it is. Sometimes the concepts fall flat, so more consistency in a follow-up release is certainly doable.

2. MGMT-Congratulations: Oracular Spectacular took its toll on me. I got really sick of the singles, and the rest of the album kind of fell flat, so I was really skeptical about Congratulations. I was quite surprised when I got around to listen to it, I felt like I was listening to an entirely new band. While a lot of bands have gotten big off of one sound (think how “Fly” by Sugar Ray changed their sound) MGMT opted to do what they wanted to rather than go for the guaranteed paycheck. The album’s not a classic, but it’s a fun listen and it shows guts to do what they did.

3. Johnny Cash- American VI: Ain’t No Grave: Cash’s American series is one of the most interesting and incredible career shifts of all time. Sort of like the Bill Murray of music, Cash changed his direction from the classic country sound to a grim, earthy, heartfelt sound that oftentimes showed awareness that death was looming around the corner. The aptly titled Ain’t No Grave is the last of the recordings done during the American V: A Hundred Highways sessions and while it may be considered a b-sides album, it contains some really good tunes that prove that up until the end Cash was on his game.

4. John Legend and The Roots-Wake Up!: When I saw a poster for this album, I thought it was a joke. Released mere months after the Roots’ How I Got Over, Wake Up! is an odd album to categorize. Legend is a modern R&B crooner and the Roots are a politically aware and highly influential hip-hop band. And when they are put together we get…a funk/soul album of covers of Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye and other classic soul groups? I don’t love this album, but considering the haste in which is was made, promoted and released, I respect the grind put in by Legend and the Roots.

Keep your eyes on your Twitter feed because the list is coming soon!