THE TOP 25 LIVE COVERS OF 2010!
The best covers of 2010 (by non-cover bands), all free and legal, from Archive.org. Support the Archive! It’s awesome!
25. For #25, see #1.
24. Marie-Caitlin Rose (Randy Newman)
23. I Know You Rider-Akron Family (Traditional)
22. Beast of Burden-Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Rolling Stones)
21. Everyone Ona Move/Billie Jean-Spearhead (Michael Jackson). Michael Franti’s band is the best live band you’ve never heard of. Truly.
20. From a Buick 6-Deadstring Brothers (Bob Dylan)
19. All in the Pack>Foggy Notion>I Fought the Law>All in the Pack-The Gourds (Velvet Underground/Sonny Curtis)
18. The Man in Me-Cracker (Bob Dylan)
17. Small Swift Birds-Cowboy Junkies (My Morning Jacket). Margo and co. have started doing quite a few MMJ covers this year. It’s pretty neat.
16. Delta Dawn-Drive-By Truckers with Kelly Hogan (Larry Collins/Alex Harvey)* True confession time: The Helen Reddy of this song is permanently wedged in my skull. I often wake up to it ringing between my ears.
15. Dear Prudence-Carbon Leaf (Beatles)
14. 3 Little Birds-Jack Johnson (Bob Marley). No, Jack Johnson isn’t an adventurous performer and this isn’t a groundbreaking cover, but I like it.
13. Wild World-Ben Sollee (Cat Stevens). An odd version….But purty cool.
12. Wasted Days and Wasted Nights-Meat Puppets (Freddie Fender)
11. Nazi Punks Fuck Off-Ted Leo (Dead Kennedys). I like Ted because he picks cool bands to cover.
10. A Swingin’ Party-And You Will Know Us By The Trail of the Dead (Replacements)
9. Wake Up > Keep Your Lamp Trimmed & Burning > Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin’ Bed-Andrew Bird (Traditionals)
9. White Riot-Camper Van Beethoven (The Clash). CvB have been doing this song forever, and it continues to kick the ass.
8. Instant Karma-White Rabbits and Britt Daniel of Spoon (John Lennon)
7. Creep-Blues Traveler (Radiohead)
6. I Believe in a Thing Called Love-Hayseed Dixie (Darkness). Remember how cool The Darkness were for a brief moment in time?
5. Rockin’ In the Free World-Backyard Tire Fire (Neil Young). Another common cover, but I love this song.
4. All the Young Dudes-Alejandro Escovedo (David Bowie). Yeah, Escovedo has been doing this song for years. And he’s still way better than most whippersnappers out there.
3. A Fifth of Beethoven-Animal Liberation Orchestra (Walter Murphy). Disco funk!
2. United States/Star Spangled Banner/Moby Dick-Smashing Pumpkins (Francis Scott Key/Led Zeppelin). Mostly it’s cool to hear these guys rock the fuck out.
1. Don’t Stop Believin’-Josh Ritter (Journey). Yeah. Tons of people do Journey. Now Josh does, too. And Josh is way cool. So this is number one. He also did another cool song (this one: Money for Nothin’-Josh Ritter (Dire Straits)) but I kinda settled on one song per performer.
THE 15 BEST COMICS OF 2010
I know, I know. I already wrote about this once, and said I couldn’t really put together a definitive “best of” list. But I’ve done more research, much more reading, and I’ve come to conclude that I can! And have! This list builds on that old one—you can just ignore that post, in fact, and consider this one the superseder…..
The best cover of the year appears at right.
For the rest of the list . . .
Hit the break!
THE WORST ALBUMS OF 2010
Okay, maybe the worst is too harsh. For my last 2010 list, I’m digging into the albums that should have been much better than they were–either because of hype or expectation based on past performance. So they’re not worse than Justin Bieber or that kinda nonsense but, really, guys–if this was the best you could scrape together, you shoulda kept digging. Sometimes the crap that comes out of your head does not need to be said. Or sung.
10. Vampire Weekend-Contra. I almost didn’t put this on here ’cause it seemed like such a “gimme,” but at least their debut was a little crisp. This is soggy. Stale, soggy, David Byrne backwash.
9. Christina Aguilera-Bionic. You might be surprised to hear I expected better from her. At least give us one good single!
8. M.I.A.-Maya. See above.
7. Man on the Moon II – Kid Cudi. What’s the appeal? It’s like B.O.B. without the bounce, and Kanye without the creativity. At least it wasn’t as bad as Drake. This one is on my list for being way too overrated and overvalued by the interspheres.
6. Hole – Nobody’s Daughter Continuing her slow, steady slip into the land of mediocrity. This entry on the list could easily be switched with the latest Ice Cube album.
5. Interpol – Interpol. Last year’s “Julian Plenti” album was far, far better. This one just sounds like all the others that came before it. Only it’s derivative of them. And frankly, as much I enjoyed their first two albums, they themselves owed quite a bit to late 1980s Eurowhinerockers Joy Division.I am huge fan of Interpol. They have produced some of the best albums of the past decade with ‘Turn on the Bright Lights’, ‘Antics’ and ‘Our Love to Admire’, so you can understand just how much I was anticipating their new album this year. What an utter disappointment. I had to listen to this album about ten times to truly understand how horrible it really is. I thought just maybe it was one of those albums that sounds horrible at first listen, but after repeated listens it gets better and better…no…hell no…after repeated listens this album actually got worse and worse. When ‘Lights’ came out as a free download a month or so before the album came out I kind of figured we were in trouble. With Lyrics like
4. Rhymefest-El Che. ‘Fest has brought some of the most interesting, innovative cuts around on recent albums. Not this one. A snoozefest. Too bad.
3. Nas and Damian Marley. How do you take two of the most talented, influential and genre-breaking artists in the hip hop/reggae spheres and make them boring? Simple! Have them go over how bad history was for the black man like they’re giving a college lecture over beats you’d swear you’ve heard before.
2. Brandon Flowers-Flamingo. True, the quality of The Killers’ albums has gone down exponentially with every release, but how did Mr. Flowers sink this low? I actually laughed out loud when I heard this album.
1. Plastic Beach-The Gorillaz. One of my all-time favorite major label bands comes out with something that is . . . Plastic. Perfect name. Artificial, lacking in soul, easy to break and entirely forgettable.
BEST OF 2010: The Ones I Didn't Get . . . Part 5
The final installment of dudes people dug this year, but I just . . . Didn’t.
When I’m With You (Best Coast cover)-Kitner Boy
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
When I’m With You-Beat Radio
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Fuck You (Cee-lo)-William Shatner. Okay, I’m kinda lying here. I didn’t like the album all that much, but this single is pretty damn cool.
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
BEST OF 2010: The Ones I Didn't Get . . . Part 4: Passion Pit
What makes Passion Pit so great? I mean, their album is fun and all, but is it really all that? Here are some of my favorite renditions of what I thought was a decent, but forgettable, pop band that everyone else liked.
Truth (feat. Passion Pit)-Chiddy Bang
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Sleepyhead (passion pit cover)-Gazing from Rooftops
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Ditto-Ellie Goulding & Starsmith
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Ghost Under Rocks (Passion Pit Mix)-Ra Ra Riot
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Little Secret Fireman Tim Gunter ft. Passion Pit and Lil Wayne
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
BEST OF 2010: The Ones I Didn't Get . . . Part 2: The XX
The XX: Another 2010 band everyone liked but I . . . Didn’t.
You’ve Got the Love (Theophilus London Remix)
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Islands/Love The Way You Lie (Jay-Z and The XX covers))-The Pretty Reckless
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
TOP TEN REASONS FOR COMIC BOOK FANS TO OWN A T.V. SET OR GO TO THE MOVIES IN 2010
TOP 10 REASONS FOR COMIC BOOK FANS TO OWN T.V.s AND GO TO THE MOVIES 2010
10. Smallville. The show was on fumes last season, but it’s picked up. It’s getting annoying, though, waiting for Darkseid. And they better bring it. Because if they don’t, it’ll be the biggest cop out since Rise of the Silver Surfer, in which you never got see Galactus. I’m still pissed about that.
9. D.C. Showcase: Superman/Shazam: The Return of Black Adam. Toss in the other two bonus features–12 minutes shorts about The Spectre and Green Arrow, and this is a keeper. Also check out this year’s Superman/Batman DVD, Apocalypse. Pretty damn good.
8. Iron Man 2. Nowhere near as good as the first, but still pretty damn good.
7. Young Justice. All we got was an hour teaser of the series to come, but it was almost as good as the best DC cartoon ever (Teen Titans Go!). The nods to Super Friends were much appreciated by the geeks in my house.
6. RED. Not as vicious as the comic, but lots of fun.
5. Kick Ass. Kicked ass.
4. The Regular Show, Mad TV, and Robotomy. Cartoon Network’s new “prime time” lineup is impressive as hell–Mad is 15-minutes that recall everything every pubescent boy ever loved about the magazine itself: Irreverent, juvenile, and flatulent. Just like me. The Regular Show, with it’s slacker stupidity and bizarre, cell-phone time travel tribute to Bill and Ted’s, is another favorite. And Robotomy is a random, bizarre mess of fun.
3. Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Finally! A Marvel cartoon that’s better than X-Men!
2. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World. Pure genius. The most fun I’ve had in the movies in years.
1. AMC’s The Walking Dead. Best new show on TV, and one of the greatest ever.
Honorable mentions: The Losers; Planet Hulk (DVD Animated Release).
THE TOP 15 INDEPENDENT ROCK AND RAP ALBUMS OF 2010
The hardest part about doing these end of the year lists is that I know as soon as I publish it, someone will suggest (or I’ll otherwise find) an album that shoulda been here. With that caveat, I proceed.
But before saluting artists on labels without “big money backing,” major label push, and attendant RIAA-enforcement, I feel the need to give a shoutout to mainstream hip hop in 2010. Poprap usually consists of a few sounds, mixed slightly differently by a bunch of different artists. Punch in Gangsta, Crunk, Califunk, etc., and you pretty much know what you’re gonna get. Yet this year the major labels took a few chances on some underground weirdoes and some hip hop stalwarts actually found inspiration, all of which led to some very, very good–and worth hearing–albums. This is an indie site, and it will always be one. But these records deserve to be recognized:
- B.O.B.-The Adventures of Bobby Ray. I bought your mixtapes, B.O.B., and if anyone deserves success, it’s you.
- The Roots-Wake Up! In a year marked by rappers coopting white indie rockers, The Roots joined with Joanna Newsome and make a craftly, slick hit that stayed true the game.
- Eminem-Recovery. Yeah, Em, you made it back. We’ll forget 2009 now.
- Cee Lo Green-The Lady Killer. More soul than rap, but . . . Wow.
- Big Boi-Sir Luscious Left of Foot. Andre who?
- Kanye West-My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. I really didn’t want to like this one . . . But Ye brought in some inspired and relevant Jay-Z (Hova still his life in him, despite last year’s lackluster release) and Nicki Minaj spat one of the most explosive bursts of her career. Now if Kanye could be a little less long-winded…..
Okay, now for the list. I note few hip hop entries, which is weird. I gravitate to that kind of music, but ironically this year saw its best releases either as mixtapes or mainstream albums (see above). I don’t think that’s ever happened before, at least not since I started doing this in 2004.
Hit the break for the list.
BEST OF 2010: The Ones I Didn't Get . . . Part 3: Katy Perry
Seems like she’s been around forever. She got tons of play this year, and I just don’t see what differentiates her pop from everyone else’s. Unless it’s the right one and the left one.
I Kissed a Girl-A Faylene Sky
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
California Gurls-AB and the Sea
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Teenage Dream (Katy Perry Cover)-Darwin Deez
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
Your Love (the outfield cover)
http://player.groovebat.com/player.swf
15 REASONS TO LOVE COMICS IN 2010 (Not the Best Comic Books of 2010)
I wouldn’t be presumptuous enough to list “the best comics of 2010″ because I haven’t read nearly enough–and because I read trades and not single issues for the most part, so I’m 6-9 months behind real comicheads. That said, if I’m not poring over complex legal documents for my job, chances are what I’m reading has pictures and word bubbles. My strong preference is capes and Marvel characters, but I dabble in other areas . . . This is what I think was great this year . . . And wasn’t. After the break.
