The Power of Ten: 10 Albums for 10/10/10

It’s 10:10 AM on 10/10/10. A perfect 10. These tri-numeral dates come around once a year and this year it falls on the number 10. Is it an auspicious day or a bunch of hullaballoo? There is a certain completeness of order with the number 10. For the Chinese the number is lucky, representing perfection or completion. We’re born with 10 fingers and 10 toes after all. Perfect beauty is measured on its scale. Top 10 lists are ubiquitous. And any respectable album contains at least 10 songs.

If you’re technologically-inclined, today is a “binary” day. The ones-and-zeros representing the binary code or the mathematical language “spoken” by computers to create all things digital. Converting the date 10/10/10 to binary code gives us 101010. And in the binary counting system, that number translates to 42, which means…absolutely nothing.

But hey, it’s a nice theme for a post isn’t it? And everyone loves a top 10 list. So, here’s mine.  The 10 albums I’m obsessed with on this month, this day, this year. The albums I have on heavy rotation right now and keep coming back to again and again. Ten, in a long list, of albums you should most definitely own. Listed in no particular order, they are:

Artist: Royal Baths
Album: Litanies
Track: “Nikki Don’t”

Artist: Deerhunter
Album: Halcyon Digest
Track: “Desire Lines”

Artist: Sea of Bees
Album: Songs for the Raven
Track: “Marmalade

Artist: Sonny & The Sunsets
Album: Tomorrow is Alright
Track: “Lovin’ on an Older Gal”

ArtistLower Dens
AlbumTwin Hand Movement
Track: “A Dog’s Dick”

ArtistTame Impala
AlbumInnerspeaker
Track: “Vital Signs”

Artist: Future Islands
Album: In the Evening Air
Track: “As I Fall”

Artist: Ty Segall
AlbumMelted
Track: “Cesar

Artist: Tamaryn
AlbumThe Waves
Track: “Mild Confusion”

My Favorite Albums of 2010 So Far


Tame ImpalaInnerspeaker
“Vital Signs”


Future IslandsIn The Evening Air
“As I Fall”


The DigElectric Toys
You’re Already Gone


Phantogram – Eyelid Movies
“When I’m Small”


The Joy FormidableA Balloon Called Moaning
Austere


CaribouSwim
“Odessa”


Local Natives – Gorilla Manor
“Sun Hands”


Twin Tigers – Gray Waves
“Everyday


Ty Segall – Melted
“Ceasar”


The National High Violet
“Afraid of Everyone”


Broken BellsBroken Bells
“The High Road”

Ty Segall – “Caesar”

Artist: Ty Segall
Album: Melted
Release Date: May 25, 2010
Track:
Ceasar

Speaking of lo-fi love, Ty is getting ready to release a new album “Melted” on Nashville’s Goner Records next month.  He’s been trying out his new tunes on the road and, no surprise, I like what I hear.  Lucky for me (and you) he’ll be back in town at Bottom of the Hill 6/27 with Grass Widow and one of my new favs, The Baths. Feel the love.