via//chicago

2010 Year in Review
Part II: The EPs and The Non-Eligible Releases

We continue our look back on the music of 2010 by looking at via//chicago's favorite short-form releases, as well as some of the cream of the crop in compilations, reissues, live albums, etc.

The Top 10 EPs of 2010:

1. Robyn - Body Talk Pt. 1/Body Talk Pt. 2 (Konichiwa)
Some of you may be crying foul on this one, considering these were compiled as a full-length album at the end of the year, but it was through these two EPs that I fell for Robyn all over again this year. Sure, we got two of the best singles of her career in "Dancing On My Own" and "Hang With Me", but what was more surprising was just how consistent these were as a whole. From the electropop of "Fembot" to the digital funk of "In My Eyes", Robyn proved again that she deserves to be a worldwide mega-star and not just a critic's darling.

2. Torche - Songs For Singles (Hydra Head)
A lot of fans were hoping the third Torche full-length was going to drop in 2010 and I'm sure there were more than a few mutterings of disappointment when it was announced that this stop-gap EP would have to tide us over for a little longer. But after hearing these eight songs, I can only think of all the bands out there that wish their full-lengths were as good as this band's EPs. The blistering run of the first six tracks is breathtaking, all crunchy riffs and catchy melodies, but the final two tracks are the ones that slow down and show off Torche's range.

3. Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP (Asthmatic Kitty)
The year-end lists popping up all over the internet would have you believe that The Age of Adz was Sufjan's 2010 masterpiece, but as far as I'm concerned, the electronic claustrophobia of that album doesn't hold a candle to this hour-long digital EP. The two versions of the title track showcase Stevens' ability to piece together exciting suites, but the seventeen minute "Djohariah" is my favorite thing he has ever done - channeling Neil Young for an epic guitar workout. While shorter tracks like "Enchanting Ghost" and "Heirloom" remind us about the gentle calm that made him so endearing in the first place.

4. Girls - Broken Dreams Club (True Panther Sounds)
Their breakthrough 2009 release, Album, had enough high points and engaging hooks to point to bigger and better things, but I don't think anyone expected the massive leap forward taken on this EP. From start to finish there isn't a bad tune in the bunch and I'm finding a new favorite every time I give it a spin. This is the kind of effortless, invigorating music that we just don't get enough of anymore and I can only hope this is the direction the band continues in when full-length number two comes our way. Gripping lyrics, wonderful instrumentation - this EP turned me from a casual observer to a full on Girls fan.

5. Cave - Pure Moods (Drag City)
Between the tongue-in-cheek EP title and the epic 13-minute closer that namechecks at least three different experimental music touchstones in its title ("Brigitte's Trip (White Light/White Jazz"), it is hard to take this Chicago band seriously on initial contact. But once you let their sound wash over you, they become even harder to forget. The word gets thrown around a lot these days, but this one of the few young bands that are able to naturally incorporate krautrock into their sound without simply aping the obvious influences.

6. Wild Nothing - Golden Haze (Captured Tracks)
Considering how many new bands get thrown at us as the supposed "next big thing" on an almost weekly basis, it gets easy to ignore a band like this that explodes onto the scene in such a short time. But, as it turns out, this one-man project by Virginia's Jack Tatum deserves every inch of blog space it got in 2010. While every new indie pop musician can list off the right combination of Kate Bush, Slumberland, and Cure records when asked about their influences, very few of them can actually back it up with songs that actually incorporate them in an exciting new manner. Tatum, however, is bursting with great pop tunes and this EP is no exception. Let's hope 2010 is just the start of a brilliant career.

7. Flying Lotus - Pattern + Grid World (Warp)
Considering just how brilliant and dense Steven Ellison's previous two full-lengths have been, it was easy to blow this off as an inessential, minor release from Flying Lotus. But the brevity and straight-forwardness of this EP doesn't make it any less thrilling, as Ellison packs more ideas and brilliance into these twenty minutes than most laptop jockeys are able to dash off over an entire career. Less jazzy and soulful than his full-lengths, this finds FlyLo embracing his more glitchy, 8-bit side. Consider it a quick buzz to tide you over until the next journey.

8. Beat Connection - Surf Noir EP (self-released)
It is entirely understandable if this got lost in the avalanche of chillwave and beach-inspired pop that choked the internet all year long, but don't let the title, cover art, or opening track scare you off. The surf guitar of "Sunburn" turns out to be a head fake, as the rest of the record quickly loses itself in dance-oriented, sun-drenched house beats. There is certainly room for improvement, but this Seattle gang has already made quite an impression.

9. The Clientele - Minotaur (Merge)
Considering how precious and fey their take on classic soft pop is at times, it can be a lot to digest a Clientele full-length in one sitting. Which is why I've found the EP to be a perfect format for this London-based band and this mini-album is no exception. There is plenty of the band's trademark sixties retro-pop on display, but the unsettling undertone of dread makes this one a bit more interesting. The twist on Greek mythology of the title track sets things up, but it is the spoken-word "The Green Man" that really sets spines to tingling. Probably not something that points the way forward for this band, but certainly a welcome departure.

10. The Get-Up Kids - Simple Science (Simple Psyence Recordings)
I'm sure this selection is at least partially colored by nostalgia for the wayward emo years of my youth and the heartbroken nights I spent with Something To Write Home About, but to my ears these guys sound completely rejuvenated after their hiatus and have me looking forward to the full-length due in early 2011.

The Top 20 Non-Eligible Releases of 2010 (live albums, compilations, reissues, etc):

1. The Cure - Disintegration (Deluxe Edition) (Rhino)
One of two absolute no-brainers for this particular list. The Cure's ongoing reissue campaign has been top-notch since the beginning, but they truly outdid themselves when it came time to spruce up their most beloved release. In addition to the radically improved sound on the album itself and the bonus disc of demos and outtakes, we also got an improved and expanded edition of the classic Entreat live material. An absolute must-own.

2. Weezer - Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) (Geffen)
The second no-brainer and one of via//chicago's all-time favorite albums, this time enhanced with a boatload of B-sides, demos, and alternate takes. Not everything is essential, but there is enough great stuff here to make you forget all about the current incarnation of Weezer for an hour or two.

3. Refused - The Shape of Punk To Come (Deluxe Version) (Epitaph)
Another hugely influential album, both in terms of my personal listening tastes and heavy music in general. The live disc isn't exactly essential, but does provide deeper insight into just why this band is still so heralded by fans around the world. I just appreciate having such a crisp and solid sounding version of a visceral, gut-punch of an album.

4. Dwarr - Animals (Drag City)
I love it when stuff this awesomely weird crawls out of the darkness. Dwarr is a (mostly) one-man metal project that has been cranking out music since the mid-1980s. This was his second full-length album and must be heard to be truly appreciated. If you like weird metal and outsider music, this will be right up your alley.

5. Bob Dylan - The Bootleg Series Vol. 9: The Witmark Demos 1962-1964 (Columbia)
For those of you that have been drowning in Dylan bootlegs for decades, little of this is going to be new to you, but I'm sure it is great to have it all in one place and in outstanding quality. For those of us who have just recently begun to really explore Dylan's back catalog, this stuff is a godsend and a thrilling look into his early days. I'd always avoided the very early, more folksy Dylan, but now I'm learning that was a dumb move on my part - the brilliance was there from the start.

6. Earth - A Bureaucratic Desire For Extra Capsular Extraction (Southern Lord)
Finally the uber-influential Earth's debut recordings available on one disc! This is absolutely essential for any fan of bowel-shaking, sludgy, heavy rock.

7. Bruce Springsteen - The Promise (Columbia)
How often do we get treated to two(!) discs worth of previously unreleased music from one of the world's greatest songwriters hailing from the era when their skills were at a peak? Not often enough, but that is exactly what we got with this package - twenty-one songs that The Boss recorded between Born To Run and Darkness On The Edge of Town, and not a dud in the bunch.

8. Mark McGuire - Tidings/Amesthyst Waves (Weird Forest)
A compilation of recordings from Emeralds' Mark McGuire, previously available only on cassette, that warp your brain with trance-inducing, droning guitar landscapes. Definitely worth checking out if you enjoyed this years Emeralds release.

9. Neu! - Neu! '86 (101 Distribution)
Not exactly as groundbreaking as their 1970s material, but well worth the time of any krautrock fan who has worn out their copies of the first three records.

10. Neurosis - Live at Roadburn 2007 (Neurot)
Even though scores of younger bands aping their sound have threatened to lessen the impact of this groundbreaking group, Neurosis is still a force to be reckoned with as evidenced by this killer live set from Roadburn 2007.

11. The Fall - The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall (Omnibus Edition) (Beggars Banquet)
12. Wooden Shjips - Vol. 2 (Sick Thirst)
13. Harvey Milk - Harvey Milk (Hydra Head)
14. Dead Meadow - Three Kings (Xemu)
15. Queens of the Stone Age - Rated R (Deluxe Edition) (Interscope)
16. Doves - The Best of Doves: The Places Between (Astralwerks)
17. Nine Inch Nails - Pretty Hate Machine (2010 Remaster) (Bicycle Music)
18. Ryan Adams & The Cardinals - III/IV (Pax-Am)
19. Soundgarden - Telephantasm (A&M)
20. Andrew W.K. - Close Calls with Brick Walls/Mother of Mankind (Steev Mike)