Fikak! Best of 2010!

It's that time again, skillets. 2010 has been filled with new babies, school, work, and, unfortunately, maybe a little less blogging than we would've liked, but the end of the year is upon us, and Howard Hughes insatiable hunger for the mother of all list-making opportunities is not to be denied. And so Fikak's first "best of" list as a triumvirate will cap off 2010 with our 10 favorite albums and 10 favorite tracks from the past 358-ish days. Maybe next year we'll do 11. Enjoy, and tell your friends.

ALBUMS!

a.k.a "I DON'T EVEN LISTEN TO RAP. MY APARTMENT IS TOO NICE TO LISTEN TO RAP IN."

10. Arcade Fire The Suburbs

"We Used To Wait"

09. Girl Talk All Day

"Jump on Stage"

08. Junip Fields

Junip: "Always"

07. Local Natives Gorilla Manor

"Who Knows, Who Cares"

06. Gorillaz Plastic Beach

"Rhinestone Eyes"

05. Kanye West My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

KanYe West: "Lost in the World"

04. Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot

"Shine Blockas'' ft. Gucci Mane

03. Salem King Night

Salem: "King Night"

02. Sleigh Bells Treats

Sleigh Bells: "Crown on the Ground

01. The National High Violet

The National: "Bloodbuzz Ohio"

TRACKS!

a.k.a. "I HAVE WORKED WITH CHRIS MARTIN AND THE MAN IS A GENIUS. AS A PERFORMER AND A SONGWRITER HE IS ON THE SAME LEVEL AS JOHN LENNON."

10. Deerhunter "Helicopter"

09. Aloha "Moonless March"

08. Black Keys "Sinister Kid"

07. Broken Bells "The High Road"

06. Cee-Lo "Forget You"

05. KanYe West "Monster"

04. Salem "Trapdoor"

03. Sleigh Bells "Tell 'Em"

02. Big Boi "Shutterbug"

01. Arcade Fire "Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)

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What's Up, Planet Earth?

Life has refused to move out of the fast lane for the past couple months, hence, not much action around here. Nonetheless, 2010 has kept on trucking (although the ridiculousness of the weather here in the midwest was starting to make me wonder whether or not we were ever going to make it to fall), and the onslaught of great artists releasing new material has continued. So as of right now, I'm kinda feeling like I just crawled out from under a rock (no disrespect to the guy who actually did spend a ton of time under a rock). Here's what I've been "surviving on":

• For me, the new Deerhunter album flat-out has to be in the conversation for album of the year. Bradford Cox is on one abnormally filthy roll. So far, two singles have been released. "Revival" is classic Deerhunter/Cox in all their poppy, reverb-dredged glory. "Helicopter", while definitely from the same family tree, is a more ambient, slow-burning track, but ultimately just as satisfying.

Deerhunter: "Revival"

Deerhunter: "Helicopter"

• There's a pretty good possibility Sufjan Steven's first new album in half a decade is going to be in that same conversation before it's all said and done. It's all Sufjan, yet nothing like the rest of his catalogue. Whereas all of his previous output has been meticulously constructed with kid gloves and orchestral, The Age of Adz is more raw, emotional, and electronic. I'd also deem it less of a "grower" than Illinois, Michigan, etc. "Too Much" is pretty much a perfect snap shot of all of that.

Sufjan Stevens: "Too Much"

• Junip, José González' full band project, is obviously not in the business of writing checks that they can't cash. Fields delivers on the promise of "Always" in a big way. In fact, it's in many ways more satisfying than a similar project from a similar artist, Justin Veron's Volcano Choir. Hope this isn't a flash in the pan for González...

Junip: "Always"

• Maximum Balloon is the solo project of David Sitek, guitarist and production mastermind behind TV on the Radio. This is more so the Dr. Dre-type solo project rather than say, that of Jeremy Enigk. In other words, Sitek handles the production and instrumentation, but incorporates a slew of guest vocalists rather than taking that on himself. In many ways it feels like a TVOTR record, which is to be expected with Sitek's production along with Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone handling the vocals on a couple tracks. But it is different. The entire album would sit on the extreme tech-y-ness edge of TVOTR's musical spectrum, incorporating very little live instrumentation. All that being said, it's really, really good. Case in point: "Groove Me" is destined to be stuck in your head when you wake up tomorrow.

Maximum Balloon: "Groove Me"

• This is the tastiest piece of musical candy since "Hey Ya":

Cee-Lo: "Forget You"

• Albums from earlier 2010 that are in it for the long haul:

1. Arcade Fire The Suburbs
2. Band of Horses Infinite Arms
3. Broken Bells Broken Bells
4. Gorillaz Plastic Beach
5. Jónsi Go
6. The National High Violet
7. Spoon Transference
8. Sleigh Bells Treats
9. Big Boi Sir Lucious Left Foot
10. The New Pornographers Together

• Albums from earlier 2010 that aren't:

1. Minus the Bear Omni (Hoping this is an anomaly)
2. MGMT Congratulations (Probably too ambitious)
3. Yeasayer Odd Blood (Too... odd)
4. Ratatat LP4 (Part of a very gradual decline since Ratatat)
5. Weezer Hurley (Somewhat sincere, but ultimately still forgettable)

What's everyone else been chewin' on lately?

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Junip (Feat. Jose Gonzalez): "Always"

Junip is basically José González' answer to Justin Vernon's Volcano Choir Project. Almost to a "T", actually. These guys have been playing together off and on since the late '90s, but have never really dedicated themselves to the project until now. No doubt it's been worth the wait, but be forewarned: listening to "Always" will most likely lead to a tormenting couple of months until the 27th of September, when their first full length, Fields, is finally released. Doubt my warnings at your own peril:

Junip: "Always"

You can also head on over to the band's website and download a free copy of their under-the-radar Rope and Summit ep in exchange for handing over your email address, etc., which José González will most likely encase in a small seashell and wear around his neck in an attempt to bolster his vocal prowess.

Junip: "Rope and Summit"

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