Tuomaslotte's top 10 Albums for 2010

I have decided to start an annual top ten chart for all the albums that make my year. For this post I am starting with the top ten albums that have been my personal highlights of 2010, so here they are in reverse order:

10) Skunk Anansie - Wonderlustre 

I really love this is album, it had me listening from beginning to end. I loved the unique approach to music and Skin does really have the most fantastic voice. The songs are also very cleverly written and it also has a Blondie/Paramore vibe about it. If you're a fan of dance indy and punk rock then this is the album for you.

For fans of:  Blondie and Paramore

Stand out tracks:  You Saved Me, It Doesn't Matter and Would You? 

9) In Darklight - Dying To Confess 

This album right here became known as the start of a great friendship I now have with this band. To be completely honest the kind of rock on this album wouldn't have originally been my first choice. When I listened to it in fact it was very different to what I was expecting, I really liked the opening track What's Happening? (now my favourite). I also liked the cool sci fi like sounds these guys used, I hadn't heard it anywhere else before so it was nice to hear a new sound. Can't wait for the new EP boys.

 

For fans of:  Idlewild and Jimmy Eat World

Stand out tracks: What's Happening?, Leave Me Here and In Control (Of Not Being In Control)

8) Die So Fluid - The World Is Too Big For One Liftetime

This particular band are a perfect example of why you should not judge bands by their appearance. When I saw Grog the lead vocalist for the first time I was intrigued by her myterious Japanese anime goth look and thought the genre would be some heavy screamo that would be hard on the ears...not that I would have minded that. I was wrong of course; the music was very melodic and the vamperic like vocals from Grog added the mystery behind the album. Of course she is the bass player too; she was phenomenal at that and thanks to this album she is one of my favourite musicians now.

 

For fans of:  The Birthday Massacre and I Am Ghost

Stand out tracks:  Mercury, Hearts Are Too Hollow and If Wishes Were Bullets

7) Paramore - Brand New Eyes

Originally not being the biggest fan of Paramore, I had only heard songs such as Misery Business and CrushCrushCrush that I liked very much. Some of my friends really love this album so I decided to give it listen. It was certainly a great cure for travel sickness on the way to Gloucester. The first song Careful being particularly spectacular and my personal favourite track on the album; I listen to that song at least five times a day :P. With Haley William's beautiful voice enticing me every step of the way; her voice works on any track whether it being a nice heartfelt slow track such as The Only Exception and Misguided Ghosts or a very energetic track such as Ignorance. Overall a truly amazing album, although it's official release was last year this album was a highlight this year.

For fans of:  Fall Out Boy and No Doubt 
Stand out tracks:  Careful, Playing With God and The Only Exception

6) Fighting With Wire - Man vs. Monster 

I had only discovered these guys this year at a recent gig at The Joiners this year and thought they were phenomenal so I purchased this album. If Kurt Cobain with grunge pioneers, Nirvana, had listened to this I'd say he'd be proud; this album proves that grunge rock, an epic genre (possibly one of the best) still walks this earth. If you like Lostprophets and Nirvana then this album is really for you as lead vocalist does sound a bit like Ian Watkins in some of these songs.

For fans of:  Lostprophets, Nirvana and Foo Fighters

Stand out tracks:  Long Distance, Strength In Numbers and This Body Is In Danger

5) We Are The Fallen - Tear The World Down 

This was one of few female fronted rock bands that caught my eye this year and it's thanks to this album. Carly Smitheson's enticingly beautiful vocals, brilliant guitar solos and haunting melodies really make up this album; the poetically written songs also have the power to touch feelings and empathise with people. The use of orchestral instruments also earn it Brownie points.

For fans of:  Evanescence and Lacuna Coil

Stand out tracks:  Sleep Well My Angel, Without You and St John

4) Jettblack - Get Your Hands Dirty

Engery, sexy male vocals from Jon Dow and Will Stapleton singing some the most epic tunes of all time are the secret ingriedents that make Get Your Hands Dirty so awesome. Usually I have to listen to an album more than once to get into it but I knew I loved this band at the first listen. Reasons why I like this album is because most of the songs make girls feel great about themselves; particularly heartfelt War Between Us, the acoustic version of this song is beautiful. I will be seeing these guys live in less then a few weeks, I am looking forward to it very muchly since most of these will sound great live.

For fans of:  Dear Superstar and New Device

Stand out tracks:  Get Your Hands Dirty, Chasing Love and Two Hot Girls

3) New Device - Takin Over 

It's quite hard to choose a top three when you have so many favourites you want to put here but this album here is definately top three material. Like Brand New Eyes this album's official release was last year, however I found it this year and has been a great album find in 2010. Being that they were to be supporting Bon Jovi this year I decided to download this album off Amazon. I decided to listen to it on the bus to town after I had finished my last A Level exam so I was feeling pretty chuffed anyway. This album boosted my good mood; Make My Day was the perfect way to open the album with its catchy guitar riffs, clear crisp vocals from Mr Daniel Leigh and the band's positive, energetic approach to music. Can definately listen to this album from beginning to end and have the biggest grin on my face; even the heartfelt love ballad In The Fading Light has the power to put a smile on my face.

For fans of:  Guns 'N' Roses and Van Halen
Stand out tracks:  Make My Day, You've Got It Coming and On Fire

2) Dommin - Love Is Gone 

I'd be lying if I said this album wasn't a highlight of 2010, Los Angeles goth rockers Dommin win 2nd place of my top albums this year. Dark haunting melodies that just send shivers down your spine and powerful, unique vocal work from Kristopher Dommin are what make this album truly remarkable. Whenever I play this album it's like I'm put under a magic spell that puts me in a trance that makes me forget reality.

For fans of:  HIM and Lacuna Coil
Stand Out Tracks:  My Heart Your Hands, Dark Holiday and New 

1) Indica - A Way Away

It was incredibly hard to pick a number one album for this year, I chose this one for a number of reasons. I had heard about Finnish five piece pop/rock girl group Indica via Nightwish when I heard Erämaan Viimeinen that featured Indica's charismatic, fairy like vocalist Jonsu. This lead me to songs such as Ikuinen Virta and Vuorien Taa, from then on Indica became one of my favourite bands. When I heard they were going to be re-recording some of those songs in English I was very excited so I immediately preordered this album. Kicking off with the ever mysterious Islands Of Light (orignally Vuorien Taa) this was a wonderful to start the magical journey this album takes you on. Beautiful poetical lyrics, musical arrangements that make you feel like part of a film and me as a listener can just use your imagination to visualise what could be going on. Some of these songs sounded better in English; Scissor Paper Rock (orignally Ikuinen Virta) had a more rocky vibe to it and In Passing (originally Valoissa) had so much more mystery behind it. This album is one of so many reasons why Finland has had such an outstanding reputation for music.

 

For fans of:  Nightwish, Finnish Music

Stand Out Tracks:  In Passing, Islands Of Light and Scissor Paper Rock

Fighting With Wire - Man vs. Monster

This was the absoulute perfect thing to keep me awake in a car journey on the way to help at a carboot sale first thing in the morning.

The opening track Cut The Transmission had a Billy Talent/Lostprophets vibe to it, which I thought worked very very well and it was a great energy vibe to kept me going for the rest of the day. My personal favourite track on the album is Long Distance, in some ways I could relate to the pain that's being expressed through the lyrics in this song and I loved the sadness in the melody.....anyway before I start crying. There were some elements of grunge as well as punk, the track Sugar sounded very much like a Nirvana track; it was like Kurt Cobain had come back from the dead....although in my eyes he is still very much alive. 


I would happily listen to this album again and again, it's one of those rare albums you can listen to from beginning to end :)

Stand Out Tracks:  Long Distance, Strength In Numbers and This Body Is In Danger

Fighting with Wire @ The Joiners, Southampton 5/11/10

My main intention yesterday at The Joiners was to see The Light Divided, I'm usually good with checking out the other bands before I go to a gig but this time didn't. In some ways I thought it was better, since I was suprised on how blown away I could be by bands I knew absoulutely nothing about.

Anyways, me and a friend arrived a little bit later then intended...well I suppose it's better than standing out in the freezing cold waiting to get in. We went in to see the opening band The Longest Day, I looked around and I saw some of the people singing along to their stuff and dancing, so I could tell they were quite popular in their local area. I could see why, they were very good at passing their energetic vibe to the audience of rockers including me, as I mentioned before I love bands who show energy and passion in their performance. These guys definately kept up the brilliant reputation of bands from Southern England. I got an EP too, which I shall listen to so expect to see a post about that soon.

http://www.myspace.com/longestdayuk

Next to play were The Light Divided, now I had seen them before support New Device and loved their performance. I had also listened to their EP, so I was looking forward to some of their songs of the EP being performed. I found myself singing along to a very studio like sound of Bad Blood and my personal favourite on the EP Who We Are, I recognised the older ones they performed at a previous gig. They also looked like they were having fun on stage, smiling as they played for their fans who were either singing along or head banging to their tunes. I also liked the idea of guitarist Chris getting phone numbers from whoever enjoyed their performance to let them know when the next local gig is. They were also more than happy to sign things and pose for photos with fans.

http://www.myspace.com/thelightdivided

Belfast rockers More Than Conquerors were the main support band before Fighting With Wire, I was immediately hooked to their bouncy tunes that seemed lighthearted and mellow at first but then it started to turn into some intense heavy rock that you could just go plain crazy and mosh to. This was unexpected and I frickin loved that. Even though the mosh pit was small, I loved how lead singer Kris Platt got invloved in the action, I think he pushed me at one point :P Their set was just to EPIC for words, so I was wondering if Fighting With Wire were going to be as good as that. I signed up for their mailing list immediately and I bought an EP, which you should see a post about soon.

http://www.myspace.com/morethanconquerorsni

Last band along this epic line up of bands were headliners Fighting With Wire, I had only heard one song by them on MySpace that morning and liked what I heard. I also heard from others on how good they were so I was looking forward to it, I was not let down. For the first song the crowd immeditately started to go abosoulutely mental, I just love bands who can get the audience pumped up on the first few seconds of the opening song of the set, that is pure perfection for any band. I love their Foo Fighteresque melodies, riff and bouncy tunage that just leaves you feeling great, there was one brutal mosh pit after another. I personally love mosh pits, elbowing guys that are about twice your size it just makes you feel great, I'm suprised I didn't wake up with bruises today :P I look forward to listening to their album I bought last night too :D

http://www.myspace.com/fightingwithwire

Overall I loved the generally lively atmosphere for all the bands that played last night, this wasn't just for the bands but it was for the evening in general. In between bands it was great meeting lots of people including some of the bands, last night reminded me why The Joiners is my favourite music venue in Southampton. Unfortunately could not take as many photos of each band as I usually would....


NOTE TO SELF BRING SPARE BATTERY FOR CAMERA!!!! :P