Cleveland Bachelor's Top 10 Albums of 2010

I really fell off my early 2010 (and especially 2009) music writing pace, but in the spirit of finishing the year (and decade) strong, I decided to quickly crank out a list of my top 10 favorite albums of the year. I know, a far cry from my top 25 of the previous year. These are the ones I found myself playing over and again, mentioning to friends, pining to see live when/if they came through Cleveland or, better yet, their touring paths happening to cross mine while away from home on work. I endorse a visit to each of these band's websites and the purchase of their music in whatever form you digest it these days, especially some of those bands you might not yet be familiar with, like The Octagon and This Moment in Black History.

In another spirit - that of community - I'm intrigued to hear your own thoughts on best album of the year or, should you check out any of these records on my lists, what you happen to think about them.

With that, I bring you CB's Top Ten Albums of 2010...

10) Everybody Was In the French Resistance ... Now!, Fixin' the Charts, Vol. 1 (Cooking Vinyl) (Check out my 2009 interview with the band's frontman, Eddie Argos, here.)
9) Menomena, Mines (Barsuk) (Check out my 2009 interview with one of the band's members, Brent Knopf, here.)
8) Best Coast, Crazy For You (Mexican Summer)
7) Golden Triangle, Double Jointer (Hardly Art)
6) Kanye West, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Def Jam/Roc-A-Fella)
5) CocoRosie, Grey Oceans (Sub Pop) (Check out my album review - kinda - here.)
4) Phosphorescent, Here's to Taking it Easy (Dead Oceans)
3) Titus Andronicus, The Monitor (XL)
2) Beach House, Teen Dream (Sub Pop)

... and ...

1) The Octagon, Warm Love and Cool Dreams Forever (Serious Business Records) (Check out my album review here.)

Honorable Mentions:

Best Local Album - This Moment in Black History, Public Square (Smog Veil)

Best EP - Small Black, s/t (Jagjaguwar)

Return of the Show of the Month (aka Are you ready for the CB December Show of the Month?)

We haven't sponsored one of these since June and, for a while, I was wondering if I'd ever do it again.

When I heard that my good friend, Austin-based chanteuse Jessie Torrisi, was coming through town, however, that indecisiveness solidified into hardened resolved in no time flat.

Jessie's coming through our fair city along with a scaled-down, intimate version of her backing band, The Please Please Me. She'll be making a few appearances in the city while she is here, but the big draw is this Friday when she plays two sets on Waterloo Road. She'll be kicking things off with a set at Blue Arrow Records at 7, followed by a show at the Cafe at Arts Collinwood at 9. In between, there's a bunch of great stuff going on up and down the increasingly vital Waterloo arts corridor, including some super sweet deals at Music Saves, the best little indie rock record store in all of Cleveland Ohio America!

OK, now that I have you checking your watch and calendar, calculating the hours till the work week ends and the Please Please Me please you, I'll leave you with a little light reading: my original review of Jessie's album, written pre-friendship (so you know it is honest).

Still alive

Hey folks,

I've been out of pocket for a minute ... or, rather, about four months. BUT I'm back and have a few interesting things to share with you in the coming days.

Blogging will likely be light, at least compared to 2009 levels of activity, but since I have a lot of computer-related work on my agenda in the next several weeks, I plan to find times to get back in touch with my e-Cleve peeps.

More soon!

July Live Music Radness

JULY:
2 - Madame & the Moist Towelettes/Filmstrip/Matthew Forcefed @ Beachland OR Prisoners/Young Mammals @ Happy Dog OR Afternoon Naps/Go Slowpoke @ Cranky's
3 - Cracker @ Musica (Akron)
6 - Smashing Pumpkins @ House of Blues
7 - Bears @ Grog Shop
8 - Small Black/Beach Fossils @ Grog Shop OR Earl Greyhound/Miss Amanda Jones @ Beachland
9 - Sweetapple @ Grog Shop
11 - James McMurtry @ Beachland OR Cheap Trick/Squeeze @ HOB
13 - Sleigh Bells @ Grog Shop
14 - Kurt Vile/Real Estate/Cloud Nothings @ Beachland
15 - Wolf Parade @ Beachland (Free CLOVERS after-show in the Tavern!)
20 - Old 97s @ Beachland
22 - Lightning Bolt @ Grog Shop OR Heartless Bastards/Builders and the Butcher/Peter Wolf Crier @ Grog Shop
24 - The Zookeepers/Netherfriends @ bela dubby OR Tokyo Police Club/Freelance Whales @ Grog Shop OR Black Keys/Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Nautica OR Black Mountain @ Beachland
29 - Blitzen Trapper/Avi Buffalo @ Grog Shop

AUGUST:
1 - Morris Day & The Time @ Luke Easter Park
2 - Bear in Heaven @ Grog Shop
3 - Rogue Wave @ Grog Shop
6 - Maps & Atlases @ Grog Shop
7 - Phosphorescent/Lowly, the Tree Ghost @ Grog Shop
10 - Javelin/Warpaint @ Grog Shop
11 - Deer Tick/The Modern Electric @ Rock Hall
21 - Compound Fest @ The Compound (E 63rd & St Clair)
24 - The Black Crowes @ House of Blues
27 - Lou Barlow/Wye Oak @ Grog Shop
28 - Jill Andrews of Everybodyfields @ Beachland

SEPTEMBER:
2 - The Breeders @ Beachland
4 - Paleface @ Beachland
10 - Matt & Kim @ Beachland
12 - KISS @ Blossom OR Somebody Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin/Telekinesis @ Grog Shop
18 - Ramblin' Jack Elliot @ Beachland
21 - Best Coast/Male Bonding @ Beachland OR Those Darlins @ Beachland
27 - Menomena @ Beachland

Melt vs Man vs Food

Tonight in Cleveland (6/20): Tortoise at the Grog Shop

Cleveland Museum of Art Summer Party GIVEAWAY

Hello friends

Love art? Love summer? Love parties? Love things that are free? Especially if they are tickets to events that are already sold out?

PERFECT.

BECAUSE, CB recently got the hook-up on a pair of tickets to the Phenomenal Handclap Band's show at the CMA Summer Party!

All you need to do to win 2 complimentary tickets to the 10 PM Solstice Party is send me an email at: clevelandbachelorATgmailDOTcom. The first to write in will have their name sent to the publicist that bequeathed these freebies to me, who will in turn make sure these names get on the hook-up list at the door.

CB can't make the party, which is a bummer, as he's dug the Phenomenal Handclaps since two SXSWs ago. Check them out for him, por favor, and pour a little bit of your cocktail out on the ground in his honor when they star playing "15 to 20" and get a little freaky when they play "Baby."