A post in reaction to Erik elitist yearlist.

Tijs likes year lists. Especially when they’re released way before the end of the year. Why wait ’till the end of the year to let the world know what great bands you’ve heard? Some (printed) media ask their writers to compose a list half October half November. This way, albums like Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy or Nikoo’s Family & Friends maybe get even more attention because stupid people like Erik are complaining about these stupid lists. And because they are some of the finest recordings of the year 2010, they will be talked about anyway.

Yes, maybe it’s a bit premature to ask for your year lists by early November. But then you’ve got the great thing called the internets (something Erik is quite familiar with) to change your mind. That’s why Tijs’ list in the printed OOR is different from that of KindaMuzik, or even here on Inlog.org. Why? Because Tijs loves to change his mind. Because, for instance, you can like an album better when you’ve seen the band live (like I did with Ty Segall. His performance at Le Guess Who made it possible that his album climbed the list).

Maybe music isn’t a competition, but it surely is something you can rate. By sales, but in this case, and more important, by feeling. I’ve listened to number 1 more than to number 20. Or number 40. That’s the difference. I’m always reading year lists. Year lists are cool. A lot of fun. And very low brow. Not elitist at all. What is elitist about a bunch of cool (or maybe not so cool, but hey, that’s taste) albums in a handy list?

Picking just one favorite album of the year is impossible. Narrowing it down to just one album is elitist. It’s saying: “hey: I’ve got a democracy, but you can only pick one leader.” I wanted to have a list like Barry and Peter so you, dear readers, got a longlist of albums that I think are cool. But I just couldn’t get up to 50. And I would love to have the decisiveness of Vincent. But I’m somewhere in the middle.

That’s why I present to you: My Top 40 chart of albums released in 2010!

1.    Kiss the Anus of a Black Cat – Hewers of Wood and Drawers of Water
2.    Kylesa – Spiral Shadow
3.    Gunslingers – Manifesto Zero
4.    The Fresh & Onlys – Play it Strange
5.    The Parting Gifts – Strychnine Dandelion
6.    Black Mountain – Wilderness Heart
7.    Ty Segall – Melted
8.    Ghost – Opus Eponymous
9.    Strange Boys – Be Brave
10.  High On Fire – Snakes for the Divine
11.  Pulled Apart by Horses – Pulled Apart by Horses
12.  Shining – Blackjazz
13.  Nails – Unsilent Death
14.  Salem – King Night
15.  Electric Wizard – Black Masses
16.  Dragontears – Turn On Tune In Fuck Off!!
17.  Wavves – King of the Beach
18.  Shaking Godspeed – Awe
19.  Kvelertak – Kvelertak
20.  Crocodiles – Sleep Forever

21.  Nikoo – Nikoo
22.  The Black Keys – Brothers
23.  The Sword – Warp Riders
24.  Black Breath – Heavy Breathing
25.  Demon’s Claws – The Defrosting Of…
26.  De Keefmen – Mirror of Time
27.  Damien Jurado    - Saint Bartlett
28.  Nobunny – First Blood
29.  Knut – Wonder
30.  Zola Jesus – Stridulum II
31.  OFF! – First Four EPs
32.  Sweet Apple – Love & Desperation
33.  Serena Maneesh – No 2: Abyss in B Minor
34.  Roky Erickson with Okkervil River – True Love Cast Out All Evil
35.  Titan – Sweet Dreams
36.  Liars – Sisterworld
37.  Women – Public Strain
38.  Black Anvil – Triumvirate
39.  Karma to Burn – Appalachian Incantation
40.  The Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis