BS Band of the Summer: Fight Like Apes

Summer rocks! It’s always a great time for kickin’ beats and sunny rhymes. Now that it is over it is time to look back and name the Big Sexy band of the Summer. You guessed it from the title… it’s Fight Like Apes. I had never heard of Fight Like Apes before my good friend Eddie Argos of Art Brut tweeted that he liked their new album, The Body of Christ and the Legs of Tina Turner, so much that he wanted to bring his ipod into the shower.

I figured if Eddie liked them that much, they are at least worth a listen, so I clicked over to Youtube to see what I could find. I was hooked right away. They have a pounding pop-punk style with a female singer, MayKay, who sounds kind of like a scratchy-voiced Katy Perry but she sounds very passionate about her subject. Passion from a lead singer is a big plus for me. I wouldn’t compare her to Katy Perry though. She is more along the lines of Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, but with more expression.

FLA is from Ireland. Apparently, they are kind of a big thing over there, named the 4th best Irish act of their generation. I don’t know who the top 3 are. I can think of 2 other Irish bands but I would consider them from earlier generations. U2 takes me to my college years. Snow Patrol to my foolish 30’s.

The punk-y songs are matched with a lot more synthesizer than you would think sounds good. I don’t think they have a lead guitar. It is synch, bass and drums. It works here. Most of the songs are either upbeat or angry. The band has a sense of humor in both song titles and lyrical content. Their first album, released in 2009, was named ‘Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion’. It kicks off hot with Something Global, seen here…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKXzBUAUPto

Most of the noteworthy tracks on this album are loaded at the front of the album. It’s seems like they had some extra wax to fill. The quick thrash song Lightsabre Cocksucking Blues is the only notable song on a forgettable second half. It’s a cover song from a band I’ve never heard of.

Their 2011 release is much more concise and actually has more great songs. There are too many good songs to list. Here is one of my faves, Jenny Kelly. http://www.youtube.com/user/fightlikeapesmusic#p/a/u/2/8IQUxXvnZ88

Fight Like Apes also prove they can slow it down and put out a pretty song Thank God You Weren’t Thirsty. The song does evolve into some screaming later, but it will end up on my top Cool Out songs of 2011 list at the end of the year.

Ok... one more link - Hoo Ha Henry. I love this song. Maximum told me once when listening to it, that he feels sorry for the guy she's singing to in this. http://www.youtube.com/user/fightlikeapesmusic#p/u/5/UO1cVBEutc8 . I don't like this video nearly as much as I love the song. The video focuses too much on the inability to express feelings and not the passionate way MayKay wants to be with anyone else then Henry.

Legs of Tina Turner is a much more complete album and will definitely end up with a BS award at the end of the year.

Movie Review: Super 8 in D Box

Being on the cutting edge of pop culture and movie viewing, I've been aware of the new theater experience of D-Box for some time. It existed in major markets for those movie-goers who felt like they just weren't quite spending enough money on tickets and concessions when they went to see the latest Hollywood blockbuster. D-Box is sort of like those "rides" at an amusement park where the seat moves along with the action and adds a whole other element, an extra "dimension" so-to-say, to the events on the screen.

For Father's Day, my loving family took me to see Super 8 in the only theater in the area that offers the D-Box experience, the Palladio 16. That's not to be confused with the D-Bag experience that comes at many theaters throughout the region. The seats are located in my favorite part of the theater - right in the middle seats of two rows, not quite halfway up the theater. The seats are big, solid chairs that recline are have movable arm rests. I half expected them to have seatbelts.

During the movie, the seat would rumble as if you were in a car with the characters if they were driving down the road. There would even be a different rumble based on the type of car and road you were on. During action sequences, the seats would jerk and bounce with the action, putting you in the same physical state as you might be if you were in the film. It was a pretty cool experience. Here's my criticism... I love movies and I love going to the movies. I like to see movies because unless the movie is really bad, I can get a bit lost in the movie. For the 2 hours that I am watching the screen, I am already involved in the scene emotionally, mentally and in a weird way physically. One of the reasons I like to see movies in a theater is because the screen in larger than life and the sound system is incredible. These facets enhance the "getting lost in the movie" part of the experience. I already feel myself is the characters cars. I already am jerking backward when something blows up because my mind is going to react involuntarily to that stimuli when I am involved in the movie. Having my seat do that seems to just be piling on.

I am very glad I had the D-Box experience it was fun and made the movie and even more physical experience. I recommend it for everyone once. However, I would recommend a repeat visit only for movies that are action packed that you may not be all that interested in. It did not hinder my enjoyment of Super 8 at all, I just don't think the value added was worth the $8 upcharge.

Super 8 is an excellent movie and might be the best movie I have seen this year. I won't go all into the details, but it has a perfect blend of growing up, science fiction, friendship, action and love that you might expect from a Spielberg produced, J.J. Abrahms written and directed movie. All of the young actors were excellent but Elle Fanning stole the show. She is going to be a force. (She was born on exactly the same day as Twin Sexies, so they have an opening line if they meet her.) The interaction between the 13-ish aged characters reminded me of the interaction of the kids in Stand By Me with the addition of teenaged first love. I know I would have really enjoyed this movie in all of my physical reactions were involuntary. Super 8 gets an A.

2011 Albums of the Year (so far)

Last year was a pretty down year overall for music for the Big Sexy. Of course there were awesome new bands, bands that I was finally exposed to and good efforts from long time favorites. But overall, it was not as strong as in years past. I am pleased to announce 2011 is making up for it! As we are entering the summer months, there are already enough great albums to have a top 5 albums of 2011. Some of these might be off the radar by the time the BS Awards are released at the end of the year, but I have a feeling many will still be high on the list, including a likely wire-to-wire winner. I encourage you to seek out these excellent albums and add them to your ipod toot-sweet.

1. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light See the review below for a detailed description and fawning for this excellent set of music. Get it. Really. There is a sea of youtube videos from a Live on Letterman webcast out there. Here is Bridge Burning. The background vocals are rough on this, but you get the idea. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZFMTjQ7Xi0&playnext=1&list=PLB9919D1E902A0681

2. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs It's tough to put this here as this album was on top of a lot of 2010 top alternative lists. It wasn't on the Big Sexy list as I hadn't heard it. I knew of it, I just didn't take an immediate shine when I took a listen. But when many of my favorite albums last year were on the same lists as Arcade Fire, but just lower, I thought I should give it a shot. I was late to the party but I'm enjoying the time just the same. The Suburbs is about exactly what it sounds like it is, growing up in the Suburbs. Arcade Fire is headed by a husband and wife team from Montreal. Win Butler, the lead singer, describes the album as a cross between Depeche Mode and Neil Young. I can buy that. They are pretty theatrical sounding, if that's possible. Here's my favorite song from the album and the most rocking Ready to Start. It is from The Daily Show. I have found they only book guests I love the TDS and The Colbert Report. http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-august-12-2010/arcade-fire---ready-to-start

3. Awolnation - Megalithic Symphony What would happen if you mixed the electronica of LCD Soundsystem with the Prog Rock leanings of Muse and added Maroon 5's singer. I'm not sure, but that doesn't seem like a good idea. That is the best way I can describe the awesomeness of new band of the year Awolnation. There is a lot of variety on this album that is very good from beginning to end. Plus the album cover is the best of the year and is unlikely to be topped. Their "hit" single Sail is not even one of my top songs on the album. It is cool though. Here's the video... http://www.youtube.com/user/awolnation#p/c/E61B647F92CE08AA. This song is more upbeat and the vid is fun. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN5AXq4WvZI

4. Cake - Showroom of Compassion I have loved Cake for a long time. You don't get to be my size with a considerable sweet tooth. But one of my first ever compilation cd's was a collection of my favorite Cake songs, cleverly titled Pure Frosting. I don't think my kids would think we were camping if they didn't hear that mix. Their unique sound has been varied but similar for nearly 20 years. Showroom of Compassion was their first studio album in almost 10 years. I can't believe it has been that long. This album is very similar to the others with some musical growth mixed in. But there are still kickin bass lines, awesome trumpet blasts and the vibra-slap is used more than on any other album. Not all the songs are top notch and it is not my fave Cake album of all time, but there are more than a handful of songs on this album that are brilliant. Brilliant enough to carry the whole album. Here's one of those great songs at the 98Rock studios right here in Sactown. It's Lil' Sexy's favorite song of 2011. He especially likes it because of the name drop of the Candlerock Lounge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuYU09zLIQU

5. The Decemberists - The King is Dead I loved their last effort, the weird and emotional fantasy rock opera, The Hazards of Love. I thought it would be one and out for them. I'm not a fan of their older stuff and think I was just caught up in the story and emotion of the HoL. I got this on a whim and it is really good. Colin Miloy has hanging out with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and damned if it doesn't show, especially on the near R.E.M. knock-off, The Calamity Song. Overall, The King is Dead has almost too much twang in it for me. However, their Cool Out songs are very emotive, especially Rise to Me and Dear Avery. Rise to Me is an ode to his wife and son. When Colin sings "My darling, my sweetheart, I am in your sway" I am very touched. I had never heard that phrase before, but it is very loving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4LfzxI07q4&feature=fvwrel

Not quite making the top 5 but still getting repeated spins on my ipod:

Radiohead - The King of Limbs Radiohead has turned into one of my favorite bands and there most recent album might be my favorite of several landmark albums, but The King of Limbs hasn't quite hit me too hard yet. It's a little too spacey for me. I like this song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT6zpCY44LMLM but overall I am not moved. (If you have seen the official video for the song, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfOa1a8hYP8&feature=relatede , the previous clip is more amusing) For Radiohead to succeed with the Big Sexy it needs to move my soul and not my ears. So far this album is not a hit.

The Lonely Island - Turtleneck & Chains So far, I really like this. It is mainly a rehashing of all of their SNL Digital Shorts with a few new songs. A good chance this ends up on the Top 10 BS albums of the year list. Sadly the album does not include the brilliant "3 Way" from the last episode of the season. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pi7gwX7rjOw) They get excellent guests musicians throughout the album. This clip for The Creep includes Nicki Minaj http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLPZmPaHme0 . I may have three little creepers for halloween this year. I guess only if Twin Sexies can't find shinny suits and boxes.

Art Brut - Brilliant ! Tragic! Art Brut is another of my absolute favorite bands. They are a punk-ish group with good, simple, fun rock melodies and hooks. But what pushes them over the top is the hysterical lyrics and personality of very British frontman Eddie Argos. Eddie is the only artist from a band that I actually ever talked to. I got to hang out with him briefly and awkwardly before and after a San Francisco show a couple years ago. I haven't had this album long enough to properly rate it. Right off, I suppose I'm a little underwhelmed. Eddie likes to talk his singing. I think he may actually be trying to sing more hear. On this song, it songs more like whispering. The music is great, but I think I'd rather he talk his way through it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_IGqNoB4eI I'll have a better feel about this album by the end of the year.

Cage the Elephant - Thank You Happy Birthday This is another album that was out at the end of the year in 2010 but I didn't get into it much until this year. Cage the Elephant had a minor hit a year or so ago with Ain't No Rest For the Wicked. I liked that the first 50 times I heard it, but got tired of the song and wrote this bank off as a one hit wonder. I gave them more of a chance and this new album is very good. http://www.youtube.com/user/cagetheelephant?blend=1&ob=4

I owe it to Ted to try out the new Kills CD and am getting geared up for new LMFAO and Modest Mouse. There are so many great months ahead for me and my ipod.

CD Review: Foo Fighters - Wasting Light

I love Foo Fighters. They are easily one of my favorite bands of all time. Not only do I love their sound, but I've loved their clever music videos and they are an awesome live band. Dave Grohl was named as Big Sexy Artist of the Decade for the Naughts. But I was very nervous for this release. The best I could hope for is that the Foo Fighters would maybe start to age gracefully and I would enjoy a new sound from the Foos much like Pearl Jam has evolved. I've liked the last couple of Foo Fighter albums, but they would include many songs that seemed to come out of a random Foo Fighter song generator. Whisper to shout vocals and hard songs that still have a bit of a pop crossover sensability. In 2009, the Foo Fighters released the dreaded "best of" set. That is usually the retirement of great bands. It included a couple of less-than-inspired new releases.

I am thrilled to report that Wasting Light is the Foo Fighters best album since 1999's There is Nothing Left to Lose and is the Big Sexy album of 2011. The album kicks you right in the nards with the blazing Bridge Burning. It builds up the tempo by adding one instrument at a time before finally getting to the kickass opening line of "These are my famous last words. My number's up - bitches will burn". Ok, maybe he says "bridges and not bitches" but ever since Mrs. Sexy made that mistake, I always hear that (as do all the cars with the window down next to me at any intersection). All of the first five songs rock hard, maybe a little too hard on the full-on metal assault of White Limo. The next 4 songs are very good songs that are a bit too reminiscent of the 21st century Foo Fighters that I really like but am not passionate about.

Song 10, I Should Have Known, is the track that has received much of pre-release buzz as it is supposed to be the first song by Dave Grohl that addressed Kurt Cobain's suicide. Without knowing that, you could certainly hear the song as just someone who has had their heart broken. Dave conveys a lot of emotion in the song. He ranges from the quiet acceptance of the heartbreak to more and more anger as the song goes on. What I think makes it even more wonderful is the song directly after it, Walk. Maybe on it's own it wouldn't be so special. But hearing it right after I Should Have Known, makes the uplifting and positive song about getting on with your life so powerful. I honestly get goosebumps and end up with a big joyful feeling when I hear the album in context at this point.

The deluxe version of Wasting Light comes with the electronica/club re-mix of the first single Rope as produced by Deadmau5. The only thing I knew about Deadmau5 before was the cool head he wears during his shows. I like this re-mix sometimes, but I love the original version of the song. It's cool to hear this version though. The better bonus is the excellent song, Better Off. I don't know how that isn't just on the album. Another excellent track.

This album is easily my number one album of the year, so far, in a year that includes many other excellent efforts. Despite it's horrible album cover, I'm pretty sure this horse is going wire-to-wire. 5 big hands from the Everlong video out of 5.

Kilt Pub Review

I was very excited when a Pub was going to open within stumbling distance of my castle. The peace of an inviting local place where you can drop in for a pop of excellent British beer is right up my alley. There is a feel that I asssociate with a pub that I acquired in my travels to London that differentiates itself for a bar. Simply put, I think of a bar as almost kind of a sad, almost lonely place where I think of a pub as a warm, happy spot in a community. There is a lot of fun you can have at a bar, and I have, but that is entirely dependent on the company you keep. A good pub will bring you together with people resulting in a fun night.

Since it's opening at the start of February, I have visited the Kilt Pub on many different occasions with a variety of people. Each time, I have had a nice experience. The heart of any pub is the staff. The owner and the handful of bartenders I have interacted with have all been very friendly and attentitive. As with a traditional pub, you place your orders at the bar and the food and drink will be brought to your table, if it can't just be handed to you in a pint. The bar staff invites you to open a tab that can be settled quickly at the end of your stay.

The bar itself is a beautful wood bar. In a perfect world, it would be twice or three times are long as it is, but space limitations make that impossible. Adjacent to the bar is a half bar where orders can be made without having to reach over patrons sitting at the bar. It's a nice touch. I love the rich coloring of the bar. I wish there were more of these rich accents throughout the pub.

In its infancy, the Kilt Pub still lacks a little character inside. The pleather booths are still very fresh and new. The decorative mirrors are still sparkling clean. I am hoping that, in time, the place will feel more lived in. There are two very nice flat screen tellies on the wall, showing sport. I like the amount of soccer that as been on during my visits. The back room seems very much like a work in progress. I love the two nice dartboards on the wall. I don't quite get the pictures that are back there. The room feels very much like overflow parking. There is an echo and some kind of a paint smell for now. The back room needs a telly or a jukebox with some cool British bands or something to give it more life. But there would need to be something done about the echo.

On to the main event, the beer. The Kilt has a wide variety of beers on tap an even more in bottles. My fave and current BS Beer of 2011 is Greene King's Abbot Ale. It is a creamy amber ale that is poured very slowly out of the tap. It is not a full on English style pull tap, but they have done something to the taps to make the beer come out slow, resulting in a creamy, less carbonated taste. There is a selection of British beers but would love to see them bring in some Samuel Smith's or Fuller's. Their selection is a bit safe (Guinness, Bass, Newcastle, Harp) with only a couple of wild cards (Old Speckled Hen along with the aforementioned Abbot). They also have a few Belgian beers and other imports. About half of the taps are domestic beers. While there is a pulse of creativity with Racer X, I would love to see them replace a few of the standard Sacramento beer pulls with a few more from the British Isles.

You can get the beers by the pint, the imperial pint (20 oz. - god save the queen) and pitcher. I love the shape of an imperial pint as well as the bonus beer in each one. Glad they have those and for there slight additional cost, I pity the patron with a puny pint.

I wish I could say I have tried a better variety of the food for this review. I can tell you that the fish in the fish and chips is spectacular. As good as any I have ever had anywhere. Big piece of white fish, battered and fried to perfection. Served with lemon and a pretty tasty tartar sauce. The chips are standard steak fries and make for an excellent accompanyment. The excellence of that dish is why my variety is weak. I have witnessed the bangers and mash walk by me. It looked awesome. I have also watched someone it a burger. I like the big fluffy bun. I don't know if I have ever had a burger in a big fluffy bun that wasn't great.

Overall, I love the Kilt Pub. With any new business, it will go through growth and change. I hope that the improvements make the Kilt Pub an even better place to visit. As it sits now, I implore you all to go to the Kilt Pub and give it a shot, just leave some Abbot Ale for me.

BS Beer of the Year 2010

I take my beer seriously. Whether I am enjoying a cold one after a Bad Gnus game on a warm evening, hanging out at home with the family or traveling the world, I try to never cheat myself out of the enjoyment of a tasty beer. That is why the BS Beer of the Year is the most prestigious of all of the BS Awards. The best way to read this narrative is by popping open your own favorite brew. I’d love to hear where you think I made a bad choice or hear of your experiences. I don’t have to agree, but I can respect.

Best Travel Beer - Goose Island 312. I love traveling. I think it is a rewarding and enriching experience that every one should do as much as possible. Stay tuned for my coming travel blog… Along these travels, I make it a point to sample the beers that the locals enjoy. You can really only assimilate into a society by getting a little tipsy with the natives. In Chicago this year, I fell in love with 312 from the Goose Island Brewery. You couldn’t stumble into a bar in Chicago without finding this beer. It is labeled an "Urban Wheat Beer". I don’t know what that means aside from marketing ploy. I didn’t hear any hip-hop when I sipped it. It is a very drinkable wheat beer but also has a nice flavor to it. It is filtered, so it is not as heavy as a Hefeweizen. This beer received a bit of international acclaim when President Obama offered up some 312 in a World Cup wager with British Prime Minister David Cameron. Sadly, I cannot find 312 at my local BevMo. Crikey.

Best American Beer not from Sam Adams - Alaskan Amber. This beer first made it too this list as a travel beer from my beautiful cruise though the Inland Passage. It is a tasty, drinkable beer that is good any time of year or day.

Best Beer on Tap – Pyramid Alehouse Amber. Can’t get this in bottles anywhere and that is just as well. It is so good on tap. The unfiltered Pyramids are always better live. This is a rare unfiltered amber brew, mixes two of my favorite beer characteristics. I am lucky that it is too much of a hassle for me to go downtown to fill up my growler with this. But maybe I can sneak away for just a bit this afternoon…

Best Mass Produced Import – Newcastle. This has been one of my favorite beers for years. This is such a smooth and tasty beer, I can’t envision a time when this isn’t one of my go-to beers. I like it so much that Newcastle United is now my second favorite English Premier League football club. Ironically, I have never had a Newcastle in England. It is a little better for me in the winter than the summer, but you won’t see me turning one down in July. Bonus points for the awesome little keg you can get. I love drinking from this.

Best English Beer - Sam Smith’s Nut Brown. This is a bit of a special occasion beer to me. It is a little darker than the typical amber beers that our littering this list. I’m sure it’s all mental, but drinking this makes with this of sitting in a pub in Londontown with dark brown paneling on the walls and highlights of footy on the telly.

Best Mexican Beer - Dos XX Amber. I love me some Mexican food. See previous post on Burrito Week and the spare tire around my middle as evidence. Whether I am at a dive taqueria or sitting in my kitchen, the wonderful tastes from south of the border go down more smoothly with a Dos XX Amber. I am noticing a lot of beers on this list are amber beers. I think I am gravitating toward a type.

Best Fruit Beer – Pyramid Apricot Ale. Ape Ale has been in my life longer than any other beer on this list. I’m not a big fan of apricots, but somehow this unfiltered wheat beer has just the right amount of subtle fruit flavor to love. I’m just gay enough to like a good fruit beer, but so often it is overdone. But when it is done well, it is fabulous.



Best Local Brewery – Rubicon. The Rubicon is a wonderful midtown place. It just has the right kind of feel to it. I like going there for lunch. I like going there for a mid afternoon break. I like going there for a late beer. It is a simple enough place with great food and better waffle fries. Rubicon harkens me back to Mrs. Sexy’s law school days when we would meet some of her lawyers-of-the-future friends and share a basket of fries and a pitcher or three of tasty beer. This was in the early days of craft brewers and the beer was something special and unique. I would refill my Rubic’s Cube of beer for special drinking occasions. My beer of choice back then is no longer available. One of my favorite beer names is Monkey Knife Fight. Unfortunately, that is too Sierra Nevada-y for my tastes. My beer of choice is the humbly named, wait for it, Amber. It’s a nice, smooth malty brew as you would expect from a beer so deftly named. Stop by for a basket of waffle fries and tell them the Big Sexy sent you.

This makes me think of the top places in town to grab a brew. Here’s my list.
1. Crawdad’s on a sunny, warm Spring day
2. Rubicon
3. Fox & Goose
4. Beach Hut Deli
5. Pyramid Brewpub

I’m very much looking forward to the Kilt Pub. Please do your part to help this new business. http://www.kilt-pub.com/index.html I know I will.

Best Sam Adams – Octoberfest. Samuel Adams is my favorite brewery. I can’t wait for a trip to Boston. I like many of their beers. Sammy Light was even beer of the year for 2009. I love the Cherry Wheat, Old Fezziwig, Blackberry Witbeir and Summer Ale. But topping of those is my BS Beer of the Year 2010, Octoberfest! It is a deep, rich beer with the slightest amount of bite for those cooler Fall evenings. Makes daylight savings time more palatable and gears me up for the holiday season.

With all of this information, none of you have reason to drink and weak or bitter beer. It doesn’t suit you. I know I’m thirsty now. Cheers!

BS Awards: Top 10 Albums of 2010

There is a big difference determining the best album of the year and the best songs of the year. To really stand out as an album, the whole listening experience must be critiqued. The best albums will be able to transfix me for 35 to 55 minutes and earn the right to be listened all the way through and in the official track listing order. Here are my top albums of 2010.

1. The National – High Violet. I never did a review of this album when it first was released. The reason… I knew I would like it the more I heard it. Usually, it is wise to listen to an album at least 5 times before forming an opinion. With The National, that number is closer than 20.
High Violet is more of the same that produced the wonderful Alligator and Boxer albums from previous years. High Violet is full of clever metaphors and deep, melancholy stories sung with the rich baritone of Matt Berninger. The best way for me to enjoy The National is to read the lyrics and really try to put together what Matt is trying to tell me. Once I get an understanding for it, I can really feel the songs at a deeper level. Matt is now married with kids and many of his songs tell of his emotional struggles with his new life.

I don’t think I can put this album in quite the same class as those The National’s previous albums. On those albums, there are few up tempo songs and High Violet doesn’t quite have anything that you could consider a rocker. The closest would be Bloodbuzz Ohio, which barely scratched the Top 20 of 2010. This is still an excellent album that I have probably listened to three or four times a week all year long. It is and has been my go to album when I really feel like a need a solid, soul touching, listening experience. Hearing the first strum of Terrible Love makes my blood tingle and my heart slow. Any album that can make your body, soul and heart react in such a positive way has to take the top album award.

2 . The XX – XX. In April, this album was named album of the first quarter of the year here: http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/04/album-of-year-2010.html. Surprisingly, the album hung on to finish this high. I find myself still going to it, despite the fact that I first heard it at the start of the year. Not one song cracked the Top 20 songs of the year, but there were probably 5 in the top 50 and a couple in the top 10 cool out songs of 2010. There is just a really good feel about the whole album. Like any good album, I don’t like to shuffle the songs when I listen to it and I don’t skip to certain songs. I start with Intro and listen until my ipod stops. I feel better at the end then I do at the start. I don’t know what more you can ask for from an album.

3 . The Hold Steady – Heaven is Whenever The Hold Steady might be my favorite band. That’s hard for me to actually place. That’s like me trying to pick a favorite son or a favorite beer. It can’t really be done. THS is up there though. I really liked this album, but it didn’t quite hit as high with me as their previous albums did. Still, an excellent album that earns high praise. Here’s what I said when the album was released.
http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/cd-review-hold-steady-heaven-is.html

4. Kings of Leon – Come Around Sundown. Despite giving this album 4 stars in my initial review (found here http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/11/cd-review-kings-of-leon-come-around.htmlml), I feel I gave the KOL a bit of a rough ride in my prose. However, the more I have listened to this album, the more I have listened to it. It really is very good. I just needed to readjust my expectations. I also had to overcome one of the worst album covers of 2010. The worst part about it is how incongruous it is. Here’s the list of the 3 worst covers of albums I have in 2010.

1. Ok Go – Of the Blue Colour of the Sky. Not only a horrible cover but a horrible title. Seriously, WTF?
2 .KOL – Come Around Sundown. Stolen from Jack Johnson’s rejected covers.
3. Weezer – Hurley. A picture of the big guy from Lost? Really?

Of course, I need to keep it positive… here’s the top 3.
1. Gorillaz – Perfect for the band and album
2. Everyone Was in the French Resistance – Nice Casablanca reference
3. The XX – So simple, it’s beautiful

At the end of the year, as with all good albums, I like to listen to Come Around Sundown front to back without skipping songs.

5. Kanye West – My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. This really shouldn’t even make this list as I didn’t own it until after the Big Sexy fiscal year ended. However, it is such a powerful and notable album, I couldn’t keep it off. See the review immediately below. This is number 1 on a lot of year end lists. Even with better fiscal year planning, I don’t think this would’ve finished any different than it does now on the BS List.

6. Gorillaz – Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach. The more time I spent on Plastic Beach the more I enjoyed it. The Gorillaz do not hook me with lyrical content. They hook me with hooks and fun phrases. Damon Albarn has lined up many guests on this album, especially on the standout tracks. On the title track, which opens up the album, Snoop Dogg lays down the vocals in his own way with genius lyrics such as "click clackin, crack-a-lackin, full packin, mo’ stackin, actin’ a fool when I teach. Welcome to the world of the Plastic Beach". Snoop has several other choice lyrical cuts. De La Soul spits out the jams on Superfast Jellyfish. Lou Reed brings his voice to Some Kind of Nature. Mick Jones and Paul Simonon from The Clash rock on Plastic Beach and I’ve seen them playing live with Damon Albarn during the Gorillaz tour.

The back half of the album misses a little more for me. It’s a little more of a sonic flow for me. I don’t skip the songs when listening to them, but I never come to attention. The first half does impress. Starting out with an orchestral intro into the Snoop song really sets the mood. I feel a little bit like I am traveling to a different crazy world while listening to the whole album. Each guest singer is someone I encounter along the way. When Damon sings, I feel like I’m back on our vessel heading to a new destination. Odd feeling for an album, but I like it.

7. The Black Keys – Brothers. You can find my original review here: http://bigsexyreviews.blogspot.com/2010/05/cd-reveiw-black-keys-brothers.html . As I previously stated, I love the start of this album. The first 5 or 6 cuts from this album are some of the best songs I have heard from the Keys. I never was able to embrace the second half of the album. A great album will grow on me and I will like it better 6 months after I first hear it then I did after the first 6 days. This album never did and I honestly haven’t fired it up lately.

8. Ok Go – Of The Blue Colour of the Sky. There were some very good songs from this album, but some very skippable ones, too. None of the songs were instant classics like Ok Go produced on previous albums. But they ran the spectrum (see what I did there?) of songs from very upbeat to mid tempo to ballad with success. Unfortunately, I could never get into a good rhythm on the album as a whole. There would be a couple good songs, then I’d have to skip one. They needed a better mix. Overall, there were enough very goods songs to crack the top albums of 2010 list. If Ok Go dropped the song count from 14, it might have made a better album. They promised to do one of their signature videos for every song of the album. So far, those have been like this album… some very good, so not so good.

9. Mountain Goats – The Sunset Tree and Tallahassee. This falls to this low as both albums were released years ago. Plus it is two different albums. They are new to me so they get recognition in 2010. The Mountains Goats are very much a lyrical band. I would call if folk music, but it rocks a little harder than that. What makes these albums stellar are the stories they tell. They are both heart wrenching albums that the vocals and the music emote wonderfully. The Sunset Tree is about growing up in a home with an abusive stepfather. Tallahassee is about the unraveling of a marriage. Thankfully, I never had to live with a stepfather and I am happily married, but John Darnielle weaves the stories so beautifully and tragically that it is very touching. At the same time, the music reflects the highs and lows of life.

10. Kate Nash – My Best Friend is You. This was just good enough to sneak onto the list above those below. As mentioned in the Top Songs of 2010 post, I don’t think I’d actually like her as much if I lived in London. But I don’t, so I do. Her songs paint her as the brainy but sad girl who stays home along on Saturday nights, which is highly unlikely. They are pop songs but I can feel the twinge of real heart in the songs. That must be why I elevate her above typical pop fluff. I like her accent and most of the songs are catchy.

Honorable Mention: Travie McCoy – Lazarus (Uneven, but good when good), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Best Soundtrack!), QOTSA – Rated R (Excellent re-release), Weezer – Hurley (too soon after a strong ‘09??) and Jack Johnson – To The Sea (More of the same: good beach tunes).

2010 was a bit of a musical downer overall. 2011 will likely produce a much bigger flow of excellent albums. I’m already excited for new albums from Cake, Modest Mouse, Radiohead, Foo Fighters and maybe even The White Stripes and Them Crooked Vultures. Most exciting is knowing that I will have new bands that I cannot imagine as I type this.