For the second consecutive year at Hidden Track, we concocted our innovative little experiment for the year-end Best Albums list. Instead of picking the old fashioned way – subjectively – we opted for something a little different: a collaborative, collective list that incorporates the opinions of everybody here at HT.
To begin, we devised an all-encompassing list of well over 100 nominees, whereby most everything our contributors recommended made the list. Then we invited our crew of writers to independently and blindly vote on the whole list on a scale of 1 to 20 (20 = five stars). We ended up with varying degrees of familiarity with the nominees as some folks voted on just about everything, while some just a few. From there, we deployed our egghead algorithm for rating albums: (two times the average rating) + (the total number of votes). At that point, we took the top 25 highest scores and presto: the Hidden Track 25 Best Albums of 2010. No bullshit, no big opinions; just the results.
We have hit the midway point of our week long countdown, let’s check out albums number 11-15…
15) Broken Social Scene – Forgiveness Rock Record
Key Tracks: World Sick, Sentimental X’s
Sounds Like: Music for Zooey Deschanel to act cute to in her next movie
The Skinny: Forgiveness Rock Record is absolutely not an album that should be written about in just 100 words. In fact, there’s more to say than that about the opening track alone, World Sick, which opens the record with a cathartic, seven-minute space-out that’s custom made for a montage of one’s own daydreams and could easily be considered the song of the year. And the entire album flutters along with this same airy chamber pop vibe, giving off the feeling of a Jon Brion or Polyphonic Spree production, whereby each track weaves itself in and out of the mix like instruments in an orchestra, and the whole thing comes together to form a moving piece of music. Team Canada is back.
READ ON for the next four albums in our countdown…
Editor-in-chief Scott Bernstein will recap some of his experiences on Jam Cruise 9 in journal form for Hidden Track this week as the MSC Poesia sails around the Caribbean packed to the gills with bands from around the scene and the fans who love them.
There’s a feeling of joy that overtakes you as you step off the gangplank and onto Jam Cruise that is unlike any feeling I’ve felt before – except of course last year when I stepped onto the same boat for my first Jam Cruise. Everyone boarding the MSC Poesia is ready for the time of their life and that energy is pervasive.
Attendees boarded the boat between noon and 4PM and the music didn’t start until 7PM giving fans ample time to get settled and reunite with friends both old and new. Hugs and smiles were found everywhere you looked. For me, I met so many amazing music fans last year and friendships were renewed yesterday after a year apart for plenty of those relationships.
NYC’s winter started early this year, so the warm weather was certainly appreciated and I used the hours between 3 and 6 to soak up the sun. After a quick dinner, it was off to the Pool Deck for the “Sail Away Party.” Big Sam’s Funky Nation got the plumb gig this year of kicking off the action and they were a fine choice for the role.
READ ON for more of Scotty’s thoughts on Day One of JC9…
Today we continue a tradition started last summer, where we examine a Phish run from A to Z. This time around the shows in question took place at Madison Square Garden last Thursday, Friday and Saturday as part of the band’s New Year’s celebration.
[Photo by Adam Kaufman]
A is for Arena Rock – Phish harnessed the energy of the “World’s Greatest Arena” throughout all seven sets at MSG by focusing on the arena rock originals and covers in their repertoire. There were few ballads and lots of high impact moments from the Cities opener on the 30th through the Frankenstein encore on the 1st.
B is for Bust Outs – Dusting off gems from the Phish catalog which haven’t been performed in a while is a New Year’s Run tradition and this year’s run was no exception. Mike Gordon’s Round Room returned for the first time in 140 shows, the quartet’s cover of Beauty of My Dreams came back after 133 shows, and Manteca re-entered the fold after a 301 show hiatus.
C is for Caps – If you weren’t familiar with the ridiculous MSG policy of venue staff keeping the caps from water bottles before the run, you probably found out the hard way. A rock show isn’t exactly the best environment for a cap-less water bottle and many fans spilled plenty of water over the course of the three-day run, though most were wise enough to bring their own Dasani caps by Night Two.
READ ON for the rest of the Phish MSG 2010 Alphabet.
Phish was not the only band to take advantage of the fact that New Year’s Day fell on a Saturday night this year, as the Black Keys too capped off
We were saddened to learn yesterday of the death of Gerry Rafferty at the age of 63. While his name is most closely associated with the saxophone-rock-hit Baker Street, Rafferty
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In a statement released today, Jane’s Addiction announced it has added Dave Sitek to its creative team. Sitek, who has done production work with TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah
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Gerry Rafferty has died aged 63. The ‘Stuck In The Middle With You’ and ‘Baker Street’ singer/songwriter died this morning (January 4) after a long illness, reports The Guardian. His
The Original Mono Recordings of Bob Dylan are almost as much of a revelation as those of The Beatles, albeit for different reasons. The Bard from Minnesota never took recording as seriously as the Liverpool quartet, but his music lends itself better to the vintage recording technique. A fifteen-track collection culled from his first eight albums illustrates why.
