Quinn's Top Albums of 2010

Well, the year is over -- didn't see that coming. If there's one thing I can say about 2010, it's that it was the best and most productive year Mixtape Muse has had since it was born back in 2006. I'd like to thank all the artists, bands, and readers who helped make this year so awesome and successful. I would have never thought Mixtape Muse could have accomplished so much in a year. So, thank you all.

Now, my choices for the top albums of 2010. Oh, the year-end list. It's just a troublesome thing. Are we ranking them according to how great they are or how much we enjoyed them? In the end, isn't this all just a matter of opinion anyway? I must admit that if you've been following the site over the years, I have never before ranked my year-end choices. It all seems rather odd to me to say "oh, this album was the best" when you come from the perspective of a musician. So, please consider the fact that I have never exercised my right, or rather my ability, to rank albums (save for my "Top Albums of 2010...so far" list) and that I struggled with this bad boy up until the end. Furthermore, because this isn't my day job I didn't have the opportunity to listen to everything that I saw, heard, or read about. Alright? Alright.

Remember, folks, as people, all we can do is offer opinions when it comes to art. Facts are what we use to form opinions, not the other way around; all we know are the facts, not the opinions. I can't tell you what your opinion is, because that is something you must create with the facts before you (e.g. FACT: I love a lot of different genres of music that some people might not fancy in the least bit). Then again, I guess there are at least a few flaws in this logic. Hopefully, you get my point. In the words of Malcolm Gladwell, "The key to good decision making is not knowledge, it is understanding."

Brett's Top Albums of 2010

Brett Dean is our resident photographer here at Mixtape Muse. Although he hasn't had any work featured on the site since joining the team a few months ago, I can assure you that you'll be seeing some of his live photography work in 2011.

He asked me to post his choices, which you can scope after the jump. Please note that all the blurbs accompanying each selection were written by Brett, not me. Maybe we can get him to write a few pieces for the site, too, down the road.

VIDEO: Ted Leo and The Pharmacists - "Bottled In Cork"

Last week, Ted Leo wrote a short chapter of a book and posted it on his website that detailed his journey as an independent musician over the past two decades. He described the love v. money issue, and talked about how he was thinking about his future and ways he would be able to continue to support himself down the road.

I was thinking he was serious about working on a musical theatre piece and honestly believed that he was actually revealing a theatre project today. Turns out that the Reginald VanVoorst who contacted Ted about creating a piece of musical theatre was just a character played by Mr. Paul F. Tompkins. I feel like a fool! How could I have not noticed the joke lying right before me, especially with a name like "VanVoorst"? Luckily, I feel a lot better after watching what Ted and the Rx were really working on, which you can see below. Hope you're ready to laugh...

Ted Leo And The Pharmacists - "Bottled In Cork" (Official Video) from John Hodgman

Patrick Stickles' cameo FTW.

BUY: If you haven't picked up the most recent Ted Leo and The Pharmacists album, The Brutalist Bricks, do so now right here. As for the vinyl, I can attest to how awesome the music sounds on "compressed globs of goo." Pick it up on vinyl right here.

Quinn's Top 5 Albums of 2010 (so far)

This week, we'll all be posting our "Top 5 Albums of 2010 (so far)," one writer each day.

In the past, I never could get myself to actually rank my top albums, just because I find it rather difficult. Plus, I feel as though it shouldn't really come down to a "who's better than who?" or anything. These lists are just a culmination of opinion, so let's not get all carried away.

Based on their content, I felt like I should arrange my choices in the following order.

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Black Cat, Washington D.C. 12/3/09

photo by Simon Pollock, June 2009, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists for the Flywheel @ Easthampton High School, Easthampton, MA

Last week, Quinn let us in on "Even Heroes Have to Die", the newest music from Indie/Punk kings Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. I'm happy to report that on the stage of the Black Cat in D.C. last Thursday, it was on par with some of the more notable sounds from the band's library. Distinctly different from the recording, the band skipped the acoustic guitar and stuck with a the drive of Ted's electric, which, especially live, afforded the song a greater volume and ferocity than what we've heard so far on the recording.

While not entirely at request, many of the songs bold fans screamed for repeatedly were played. One fan, who appeared only to be able to scream "Timorous Me" for so many intervals, was rewarded with Ted's easy-going and slightly-biting sarcasm:

"Listen, do you honestly think we're not going to play that tonight? Gimme a chance..."

The Pharmacists and Ted himself have an incredible onstage ability. They are at once at home in each of their tunes, even though it seems like most shows a few drumsticks are broken and tossed into a pile along with a few guitar strings. There is an element of a bygone age of punk in their performance, much of which may have been experienced by the band members a couple of decades ago. Still, each song is well-rehearsed, well-played, and every musical move is simultaneously methodical yet frantic. Even more impressive is Ted's vocal endurance; still belting at the mic after nearly 2 hours and nearly 20 songs.

The band covered a lot ground from their upcoming album The Brutalist Bricks, which, as Quinn (and the Band, duh) noted will be out via Matador next spring. These new tracks were in close company with staples from Tyranny of Distance, Shake the Sheets, and the latest release Living with the Living.

The Black Cat was proud to have the band back, and early arrivals were treated to a set from Title Tracks, the newest act from John Davis (aka Georgie James, Q and Not U), who are preparing to release an album early next year.

NEW MUSIC: Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - "Even Heroes Have To Die"

It was announced today on the Matablog that Ted Leo's much-anticipated new album will be out next year on March 9th. The new album is entitled The Brutalist Bricks and will be a solid 13 track long-player. As previously reported, the album will be released through Matador and will be available on LP, CD, and most digital retailers.

You can check out a song from the album below.

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - "Even Heroes Have To Die"

Despite the song's more pop orientation compared to singles off Ted's last couple of records, it nevertheless maintains his signature sound and style; quick, energetic acoustic guitars pulling the underlying electric guitar along with the steady beats of Big Steve. It's one of those "here's a first listen" songs that is surely just a small hint of what is to come.

Speaking of which, Stereogum caught up with Ted recently and he offered up a rough demo of another song from the album: the harder rocking "Last Days". Check it out here.

Upcoming Tour Dates:

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists:

December 2 – Philadelphia, PA – First Unitarian Church
December 3 – Washington, DC – The Black Cat
December 5 – Cambridge, MA – Middle East
December 6 – New York, NY – Bowery Ballroom SOLD OUT
December 10 – Madrid, Spain – Primavera Club ‘09
December 11 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Club ‘09
December 12 – Barcelona, Spain – Primavera Club ‘09

Ted Leo (solo):

December 14 – Brighton, UK – Engine Room (with Dillinger Four + Hard Skin)
December 15 – Canterbury, UK – Bramleys
December 16 – London, UK – Brixton Windmill
December 17 – Kingston, UK – New Slang
December 18 – London, UK – Grosvenor (with Wat Tyler)

Ted Leo Official Site
Matador Records

Ted Leo Signs to Matador Records

Ted Leo announced via his website today that he will be releasing a new album on Matador Records. Ted says the album will most likely be released sometime this coming spring. While Matador was associated with major label Capitol for some time, Leo points out that Matador is now a part of the fully independent Beggars Group. Below is the full post direct from tedleo.com:

Wednesday - 09/23/2009

ANNOUNCEMENT!!

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HAPPY 60th TO THE BOSS!!
But there's another announcement, too, and of only slightly less importance!
Soooooooooooooo, as many of you know, our beloved Touch & Go Records was forced to shut down most of its operations early last spring, leaving everyone mourning and filled with more questions than we thought we'd have to keep asking ourselves in 2009, and leaving us, specifically, again label-less. In this day and age of uncertainty and upheaval, that's not necessarily the worst place to be, but I conisder myself lucky to have encountered and developed relationships with so many good people in the punk and "indie" worlds over the years, that when thinking about trying to work with a new label, and having the necessary conversations, that thinking and those conversations are all done between and among friends, mitigating any potential cons or fears with the knowledge that whichever way you chose to go, you will be helped along by brilliant, rational, and caring people WHO LOVE MUSIC. And I spoke to a lot of them - all of them admirable, all of them alive and vital for all the right reasons, all of them "no-brainers." During a recent conversation over an iced coffee (and then a couple of shots of Jamesons, if I'm going to be completely honest) with Gerard Cosloy in Austin, Tx., however, I thought, "I should hang out with this guy more often," then later meeting the rest of the incredible staff at the office, and counting myself unaccountably blessed at the uncountable bounty of amazing people and labels that I had before me to potentially work with, I made up my mind to join the Matador team.
There are so many options and so many opportunities to do so many things with the music that one makes, but I feel GREAT that as I head off to start mixing some songs this weekend, I can say that I now do so in preparation for an album to be released on Matador Records, most likely sometime in the coming spring.
It's a weird position to be in - being able to look back from my middle age on an adulthood that has largely been spent working with some of the great labels that I so admired since I was but a young pup, and who's output and associations shepherded me along and helped me develop into the person and -ulp- "artist," for lack of a better term, that I am. "In the midst of all of the action," we sometimes can't afford to take in the broader perspective on our life's trajectory but I'm pleased to be able to sit here this morning, look back proudly on all I and we have done with Gern Blandsten, Lookout!, Touch & Go, and others, and then look ahead with drive and excitement to "the Matador years."
Olé, indeed!
(Ah - and just in case you were wondering, Matador is not affiliated with any major label - it's now part of the Beggars Group, which is fully independent and owner run.)