Drumroll please! The best physical releases (now including EPs/singles/live albums) of 2010!

And here they are!
10. The Ox and the Fury - Guitars Die in Hot Cars
As I opened my Excel spreadsheet containing my list of albums and searched for all those released in 2010, this one took me by surprise when it came up, as it was released quite early in the year. And then I thought to myself, "Wow, this really is a good album isn't it?", and realised it was more than deserving of a place in the top 10. "The Ox" in this band is actually Melbourne musician extraordinaire Ezekiel Ox, who's certainly been involved with quite a few musical ventures in the past decade or so. In fact, by hearing his name, you're now probably thinking of arguably his most successful venture, the politically-charged funk rock quartet Mammal, who absolutely dominated the Melbourne live scene in the three years they were together, before abruptly cutting their career short in 2009 due to personal differences. Or maybe you thought of Full Scale, who rose to prominence in the wake of the late 90s/early 2000s "nu metal" explosion with a barrage of hard-hitting anthems lead by Ox's vicious diatribes about the state of the world as he saw it. However, I'd bet you didn't think of Ezekiel Ox as the frontman of a... country/folk band? As far as I'm aware (bio details on this lot are pretty scant), Ox got this project going around 2008, and after various musicians drifted in and out of the lineup over the next year or so, the lineup finally stabilised in 2009 with Ox on vocals and acoustic (YES, ACOUSTIC) guitar, Dom Italiano on lead guitar, Ox's old friend Ben Brennan on bass, and Lucius Borich (of the mighty Cog) on drums. And yes, it is country-tinged folk music! While it may be puzzling to imagine how such musicians came up with this style of music based on their other work, these talented blokes pull it off with remarkable ease. Indeed, the great thing about this album is you get to see a very personal side to Ox; rather than his usual politically influenced lyrics, he's actually singing about his own life and the relationships he has with the people in it. In the wake of Over-reactor, and perhaps with Borich having to commit some time to Cog and his new project Floating Me, The Ox and the Fury have kind of slipped off the map over the last few months, which is a great shame as this album shows just how great Ox is as a songwriter and they could definitely have taken this further in the future. Hopefully they'll revisit it soon.
9. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker In which I join the legions of music fans and critics the world over who are falling over themselves to lavish praise on the debut album from Perth psychedelic musician Kevin Parker (who created the majority of this album himself) and his cohorts in trippiness Dominic Simper and Jay Watson. Psychedelic rock is a genre that needs to be approached with caution when one chooses to play it; the danger being that it's very easy to fall into the trap of making bland generic music. Any idiot on acid and who owns a flanger and delay pedal can make psychedelic rock, the trick is to make it not sound like a poor man's Beatles. And while there's undoubtedly a bit of Beatles influence in Parker's work here, there's also plenty of nods to other early jam-heavy rock bands such as Cream and Hendrix, and even some Kyuss thrown into the mix (that's what my ears are finding anyway). Rather than being just a blatant rip-off designed for long-haired bong connoiseurs still living in their parents' basement, Parker has quite faithfully recreated the sound of his influences and made it his own. With the dreamy vocals, fuzzed-out guitars and hypnotic rhythms, Innerspeaker is the sound of an artistic vision coming to life in truly great form, and I think we'll see a lot more of these guys in the future.
THE STAND-OUT: Jeremy's Storm
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Solitude is Bliss, The Bold Arrow of Time
8. Swans - My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky
This was certainly one of the most unexpected comebacks of the year - at the beginning of the year, Michael Gira, the enigmatic frontman of the disbanded Swans, updated their Myspace page to read "SWANS ARE NOT DEAD", in reference to their final live release Swans are Dead, which was released to coincide with their breakup in 1998. Of course, this clever pun was Gira's way of announcing to the world that he was indeed reactivating the beloved Swans name, and after self-releasing a demo to fund this album (featuring a few tracks that would later be released on the album), My Father... was finally released in September of 2010, the first Swans studio album in FOURTEEN years. And what an album it is; unfortunately I cannot compare it to the rest of Swans' legacy due to the fact that it's the first Swans I've ever listened to, but if this sounds anything like the rest of their material, then I'll be diving headfirst into their back catalogue at my earliest convenience! Gira and his band show an impressive dynamic range here, ranging from gentle acoustic-based ballads (see Reeling the Liars In) to noisy discordant intensity (see You Fucking People Make Me Sick or the opening intensity of No Words / No Thoughts). The question that's always asked when great bands like this "come back" or "reunite" after a long period of inactivity is, "Was it worth it? Is (new album title here) really good enough to stand up with the likes of (classic albums title/s here)?" I can only imagine in this case, the answer is a resounding yes.
THE STAND-OUT: You Fucking People Make Me Sick
OTHER STAND-OUTS: No Words / No Thoughts, My Birth
7. My Disco - Little Joy I purchased this album on a little bit of an impulse a couple of months back, despite some initial misgivings over this band when I saw them live about halfway through 2009 - yes, they ARE REPETITIVE! Let's not deny it! But once you get past the fact that each song on this album contains a very small amount of riffs - sometimes only variations on a single main theme - it starts to become increasingly easy to listen to and even fun at times. The Melbourne trio have stated that minimalism in general was a big influence on the making of this album; I don't know much about the genre, but I can definitely hear it on some of these tracks. And yet, there's still a wealth of ideas on show here - from uptempo grooves such as Closer and epic single Young, to slow burners like Sunray and the almost-title track Lil Joy. I will now probably go out and buy this band's other two releases, even though they've evolved quite considerably on this album.
THE STAND-OUT: Rivers
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Closer, Young
6. PVT - Church With No MagicAustralian electronic experimentalists Pivot faced a bit of a defining moment in their career early in 2010, when an American band also called Pivot decided to launch a legal challenge for the name. Unfortunately, although Aussie Pivot are far better known to the music world, American Pivot had established themselves first, and so it was that Aussie Pivot had to change their name. Sneakily, they simply took out the vowels and became PVT, which the band state is still acceptable to pronounce Pivot! But it wasn’t only the name that changed, for when they started to release tracks from their third album, everyone was a little surprised at the new direction the band had taken. The most notable change of course, THERE WAS VOCALS. Not unusual in itself, but definitely unusual for these guys. Nevertheless, the new direction works quite well; “Church With No Magic” is a very fun, easily digestible collection of synth-driven tunes, still showing an experimental edge to them, but also finding a new dimension of accessibility. Not always a bad thing!
THE STAND-OUT: Light Up Bright Fires
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Window, Timeless
5. Iron Maiden - The Final FrontierA Facebook status of mine when I first purchased this album read something along the lines of "Is this an Iron Maiden album? Yes. Do Iron Maiden make good albums? Yes." OK, so with the possible exception of the opening section of opening salvo Satellite 15... The Final Frontier, there aren't a WHOLE lot of new ideas on Iron Maiden's FIFTEENTH (that number is enough reason to pay them respect automatically), but really, if you were in one of the biggest heavy metal bands of all time, would you bother toying with your sound and risk alienating your fanbase just for a few experimental ideas? If it ain't broke, don't fix it! And yet, despite being very familiar sounding, on this release the legendary British six-piece are creating songs that show that the band are still firing on all cylinders and haven't lost the mojo that lead them to create such great albums as Powerslave and The Number of the Beast. Bruce Dickinson still has a set of lungs on him, Messrs Smith and Murray (and probably Gers somewhere, but who really knows when that guy's actually doing anything :P ) are still shredding away as ever, and that rhythm section will always keep your head rocking. Tis not long to go til songs from this album get their first airing in Australia, and I think that's going to be an excellent evening for all concerned!
THE STAND-OUT: The Alchemist
OTHER-STAND-OUTS: Mother of Mercy, When the Wild Wind Blows

4. The Chemical Brothers - FurtherEd Simons and Tom Rowlands will always hold a place in my musical heart; I have very fond memories of being a little seven-year-old and getting up nice and early on a Saturday morning to make sure I caught the Rage Top Fifty that week (the charts actually weren’t too bad in those days). And in that year, I remember frequently staring with wide-eyed wonder, and with delighted ears, at a little song entitled Setting Sun. Fast forward to my teenage years when I actually had the money to purchase such classics (yes, they really are) as Exit Planet Dust and Dig Your Own Hole and I realised that my love for The Chemical Brothers did not die at all... except, maybe it did, in 2007, when they released We Are the Night. What was it about that album? Well, I know what it was – THE SALMON DANCE. And in general, the overall direction of that particular album was one that alienated quite a few of the purist Chemical heads. Thankfully, the British duo took note of the (mostly negative) response to that album, and re-evaluated their approach to music when it came time to write and record this, their seventh album. Their first rule, and it certainly has made a difference, is that this album would contain ABSOLUTELY NO guest vocalists – no Noel Gallagher, no Beth Orton, no Q-Tip, no Tim Burgess, no Ali Love, and THANK FUCK, no Fatlip! The only vocals on this album come from a couple of well-placed samples, as well as, would you believe it or not, Tom Rowlands himself! In addition, early in the piece the duo stated that this album would be something along the lines of a whole album in the experimental spirit of their famed Electronic Battle Weapon series. Well, all in all, this album really lived up to expectations, as this return to their roots has produced a beauty. I am anticipating their live show in a few months with EXTREME anticipation.THE STAND-OUT: Swoon
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Escape Velocity, Horse Power
3. Pantha du Prince - Black NoiseHere's an album I found myself pleasantly surprised with; I first decided to check this album out on a recommendation from a friend of mine, bearing in mind he was playing at the Meredith Festival that I would attend later in the year. And I knew right from the first listen that this was going to grow on me quite a bit over the next few months. Pantha du Prince is the primary alias used by Hendrik Weber - he's from Germany, which is why it shouldn't surprise you that the music he makes is of the electronic variety. Black Noise is his third album, and even though it falls under the wide umbrella of "techno", this is not your average dumbed-down doof-fest that you hear blaring out of cars driving along Chapel St on a weekend. Rather, Weber places an emphasis on the importance of atmosphere; from the gentle chiming melodies in tracks like Lay in a Shimmer and Bohemian Forest, to the deep dark bass-heavy rumbles in Behind the Stars. And there's even some familiar vocals in there, with Animal Collective mainman Panda Bear lending his distinctive pipes to the very catchy Stick to My Side. Prior to his aforementioned Meredith performance, and in the wake of it, I have been listening to this album with increasing frequency, and it's noticeably jumped up to the pointy end of the top 10, and deservedly so.
THE STAND-OUT: Behind the Stars
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Bohemian Forest, Satellite Snyper
2. Birds of Tokyo - Birds of TokyoEven before it was released I was definitely expecting to give this a high ranking, as this Perth quartet have certainly released some impressive output in the past, especially 2008's stellar Universes disc. Ian Kenny, Adam Spark, Anthonny Jackson and Adam Weston decided that this album would be best self-titled, and really, that decision makes perfect sense when you look at the kind of record they've made here - it really is an album that just sums them up perfectly. This album admittedly does see them taking the foot off the pedal so to speak - I don't want to say they've gone "pop" or whatever, but then again, if an album sounds this good, then who wants to get pedantic with genre labels? There's catchy hooks, riffs that stick out without being challenging, hell, maybe this is a pop album! But who cares? With that voice coming out of the speakers, you can't not love this!
THE STAND-OUT: The Dark Side of Love
OTHER STAND-OUTS: Plans, Murmurs, Circles
1. Dead Letter Circus - This is the WarningIt certainly was a hotly anticipated debut album from this Brisbane quartet, who have been slowly but steadily building up a very loyal fanbase over the past 4 years, through a much-loved EP, a decent follow-up single and some very energetic live shows. Finally, the wait was over, and the fans responded in earnest, sending the album straight to NUMBER TWO on the ARIA charts! This is the Warning lived up to all expectations – the band took their time with this one, and it certainly shows, as all the tracks are of a very high quality. The traditional DLC sound that the fans know and love is epitomised brilliantly on this album, although there’s definitely some wonderful new ideas to keep things interesting; namely the flirtations with electronica and industrial music on tracks like “This Long Hour” and of course, the rave-tastic “Cage”. The one criticism I do have to make with this album is their decision to include “Reaction” and “Next in Line” – these songs are so bloody old now! But anyway. 2010 was a very good year for this band; in addition to the success of the album, the band embarked on several tours throughout the year, with many of the shows boasting “sold out” signs! In December they also had the honour of supporting Muse and Linkin Park! I'm quite happy to be giving these guys the number one position; its quality speaks for itself and I think people finally started to take proper notice of them this year!THE STAND-OUT: Cage
OTHER STAND-OUTS: One Step, Here We Divide, The Drum

So there we have it! It really was a stellar year for music, but then again I say that every year! ALSO, as I was going through my top 10, I noticed something that gave me great delight, and that is that an impressive SIX out of ten of these entries are Australian! Which speaks volumes for the quality of the acts in our own backyard, and is a timely reminder I think that we should ALWAYS support these bands by going to their gigs and by BUYING and not downloading their great music! Because if we don't do this, then what would be the point of their existence? (On a side note, the other countries represented in this countdown were the UK (two entries; The Chemical Brothers and Iron Maiden), the USA (Swans), and interestingly enough, Germany (Pantha du Prince).)

I'd now like to throw in a few honourable mentions, because sometimes ten albums just isn't enough to mention all the albums you enjoyed this year! These discs are all excellent in their own right, but may have failed to make the top 10 for various reasons - lack of consistency, or just not being as memorable as the others, for example.
(IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER)
Armin van Buuren - MirageDelphic - Acolyte
Foals - Total Life Forever
Itch-E & Scratch-E - Hooray for Everything!!!
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & John Frusciante - Omar Rodriguez-Lopez & John Frusciante
Over-reactor - Lose Your Delusion (both volumes)
Vampire Weekend - Contra

Top five EPS of 2010
5. Black Devil Yard Boss - Black Devil Yard Boss
4. Anna Salen - Anna Salen
3. Boy & Bear - With Emperor Antarctica
2. Twelve Foot Ninja - Smoke Bomb
1. Engine Three Seven - Atmosphere
(ALL AUSSIES! Well done!)

Top five songs of the year:
5. Boy & Bear - Rabbit Song
4. Gotye - Eyes Wide Open
3. PVT - Light Up Bright Fires
2. Birds of Tokyo - Plans
1. The Chemical Brothers - Swoon
(yes, you may note that some of these are inconsistent with what I said were the standout tracks on their respective albums, but I tried to stick to actual singles on this, and also just songs that had the ability to stick out by themselves rather than being part of the whole album)

Best live release:
Porcupine Tree - Anesthetize
Whew! If you read all that, well done!

"There are others, others just like me - it has come to this" - My Disco, Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom, 03/12/2010 - "Little Joy" album launch

I first encountered this wonderful Melbourne trio last year, when they supported Texan powerhouse ...Trail of Dead at their two sold-out shows at the Corner Hotel. At the time I had mixed feelings about them - while their songs were very catchy at times and showed undeniable talent, I just couldn't get over how damn repetitive they were. I believe I said to a friend, describing the song "An Even Sun", something along the lines of "That isn't a song, that's one riff being played for 8 minutes". And a very boring 8 minutes it was! However, I revisted those shows through the Fan Made Recordings blog and found the band growing on me a lot. I picked up a copy of their third album a few weeks ago, and that was definitely all I needed to attend this. On a very warm Friday evening, My Disco took to the stage at the Hi Fi Bar and Ballroom, a venue which I was surprised they booked; I didn't think they had that large a fanbase. But obviously they do these days; there was quite a respectable crowd who enjoyed watching them play their new album from start to finish. I'm one of those people who believes a strong support bill is a vital part of any gig, and with Robin Fox, KES Band and Marco Fusinato warming the stage before My Disco, that criteria was certainly fulfilled tonight!

I arrived at the venue a bit late, due to having to meet my friend Chris at Etihad Stadium, where a much bigger concert was taking place! This was to pick up his old recording gear (see previous post). By the time I descended the stairs to the Hi Fi basement, it was already about 8:50; I'd been under the impression that Marco Fusinato would start at 8:30 so I assumed I'd missed him. Then after a few minutes I realised that what looked like Fusinato's typical setup was remaining intact at the front of the stage, and sure enough he soon headed out to assault our eardrums, in the nicest possible way, with his typical glitch guitar barrage. I said in a review of the last time I saw him that I don't particularly care for his style of noise music and unfortunately, he did nothing to change that opinion on this occasion. It's not that I don't like noise, in fact I find some of it very enjoyable, but in my opinion it's very hard to get much enjoyment out of a guy sitting down, manipulating muted notes and some feedback with a table full of pedals, in a random abstract fashion. It's not terrible to watch and listen to, but I wouldn't go out of my way to see him if he played his own show. Oh well, it takes all kinds I guess.

Up next were a very recent discovery of mine, Karl E Scullin's KES Band. I first saw this group only two nights prior to this at the Corner Hotel, and enjoyed them immensely. On this occasion they were playing in "big band" mode, which essentially amounted to them having an extra guitarist and a harmonicist who occasionally played a percussion block thing. Like I said, I'd really enjoyed them at the Corner Hotel and tonight was no exception, as they delighted the room with a set of slow-burning post-rock-based tunes. There is one criticism I do have of this band, and that is that they don't do endings very well - quite a few of their songs, especially the instrumental pieces which appeared sporadically throughout the set, just seemed to be getting going before abruptly being cut off. I'm not saying that bands should stick to a verse-chorus-verse formula, quite the opposite, but some of the songs just ended at a seemingly arbitrary point in the song, which I found quite frustrating. That being said, I WILL go out of my way to see them again, as they're a talented lot, and maybe this won't bother me after a few viewings.

The familiar hiss of a smoke machine soon could be heard, and a large bearded fellow made his way to a laptop on the side of the stage, and then the whole room went silent as a bright green laser beam illuminated the room. Of course, it was time for Robin Fox. I stated in a review a few months ago that a Fox live performance is a truly amazing spectacle and he certainly delivered another beauty tonight, as glitchy pops, clicks and noisy static were accompanied in perfect synchronicity by the movements of his laser. Something I did notice about halfway through the set, which disappointed me a little, is that some of the "musical" ideas that cropped up during the set were pieces that I had definitely heard before at his previous outings, with laser movements to match. This leads me to wonder exactly how much of his set is actually played "live" and how much was a playback of pre-recorded bits and pieces. I know it's unavoidable for some acts, but I personally find it a little disappointing when a band or musician is obviously not "playing" what is coming out of the speakers. But I don't know anything about how Fox's music works, so I won't go jumping to such conclusions as he really is a joy to watch and listen to (but mainly watch haha). It was pretty frustrating during his set that some sections of the crowd continued to carry on lively conversation, which could quite clearly be heard during the more quieter moments, and at one point I think I may have heard someone have the balls to yell out "Hurry up!" As Bill Hicks once said, "See, the fact that you don't get it or like it is fine. The fact that you want to ruin it for everybody else, that's why you're a cocksucker!"It's perfectly understandable for someone not to like someone making such abstract music as Fox, but if you insist on being in the room during his performance, and quite close to the front of the venue at that, just shut up and let him do his thing, and let those people who are enjoying it do so in the proper fashion. This kind of disrespect really annoys me at gigs, and I if I were ever in a band, I don't mind admitting I'd probably do a Roger Waters and yell at them to STFU. Anyway.

Liam Andrews, Ben Andrews and Rohan Rebeiro made their way onstage at a little after 11, to much applause from the now-sizeable crowd. Ben began the set with a few gentle strums on his Travis Bean guitar, suggesting that maybe the set would open with Sun Bear. However, this proved to be just a little warmup, as he soon picked up the pace for the predictable opener Closer. I'd suspected that tonight the band would play the new album from start to finish, as they did an intimate Melbourne gig earlier in the year (albeit with a slightly different order), and as the set wore on, it became clear that this was exactly what they were going to do. I'd been wondering whether I'd perhaps find myself a little bored during their gig like I did last year because of the whole repetition thing. However, there was absolutely no danger of that happening on this occasion - I think it's because I'm now used to what they sound like, and of course with the set consisting entirely of their new album, it was material I was very familiar with. Also, the band were putting a whole lot of energy into their set, especially Ben who was constantly thrashing his head up and down. Rohan Rebeiro was also incredible on the drumkit, delivering some truly dazzling fill work during the midsections of many songs. A real highlight of the set came during Sunray - the lights went completely out and of course, Robin Fox made his way back to the stage to deliver more perfectly accompanied laser brilliance. The band were really in top form tonight, just delivering a solid no-nonsense set, Little Joy translating brilliantly to the live format. It shows the talent of these musicians when you realise that most of their songs are based on very few riffs, yet through subtle clever variations and expansion, they can really deliver a great performance. This was particularly evident during an epic version of Rivers; while I wasn't timing I am pretty sure that this performance may have stretched out to about 15 minutes! With the final groove of A Turreted Berg, the band finally wound down, with Liam saying a simple "Thank you", which incidentally were the ONLY words he spoke all night. Applause and cheers for the band to do an encore went on long after the band departed the stage, even over the house music, but it was clear that the night had come to its end. What a talented bunch this band is.

SETLIST: (Little Joy from start to finish)
Closer
Young
Turn
Sun Bear
Sunray (with Robin Fox laser show)
Lil' Joy
With Age
Rivers (extended)
A Turreted Berg