musicAddicted

16. Redshape - Red Pack
15. Raime - Raime EP
14. John Zorn - In Search Of the Miraculous
13. John Roberts - Glass Eights
12. Espen Eriksen Trio - You Had Me At Goodbye
11. Sophie Hutchings - Becalmed

(Listen to the albums & read my thoughts on them below;
Don’t forget to check ranks 10-6 & top 5-1. Also, there’s a chart of top pop albums of 2010 along with the best pop singles. Enjoy.)

    16. Redshape - Red Pack

Where the debut album, Dance Paradox, was an introverted and mysteriously noir affair designated more for listening alone than dancing in a vaporous club, Red Pack is sharper, catchier and more straightforward. The red-masked Detroit techno DJ preserved the mysterious darkness of his previous releases, while making his new material edgier and more robust. Red Pack wasn’t meant to be the successor of Dance Paradox and honestly, it isn’t that imaginative and subduing; these long, six tracks rather show Redshape’s dance-oriented side of mask that loves heavy beats, cold synths and party outside his inner-world.

    15. Raime - Raime EP

Electronic darkness, too rich on beats and synths to relax while listening to it and too slow to dance to it, reached its highest peak with Raime EP this year. It resembles paranoia of dubstep, minimalism and severity of techno, but from genre perspective it’s post-everything with a dose of gothic mysteriousness and tempting dizziness. Every song of these three pieces is a fragment of mosaic: significant, deep, propulsive, cryptic enough to stimulate fantasy and somewhat primitive and dangerous passions. Raime EP is the best definition of it’s label’s name: Blackest Ever Black. Forever.

    14. John Zorn - In Search Of the Miraculous

In the beginning of 2010 Zorn decided to make a record every month and as you may expect, such prolific and over-creative artist managed to explore various corners of avant-garde and experimental music. Surprisingly, his least adventurous and the most traditional record seems to be also his best. In Search Of the Miraculous is a trip through spiritual mysteries and search for absolution on the wings of vigorous and nuanced piano, moving bass, tender glockenspiel and ensemble of many other traditional instruments. This is another proof of a wide range of musical approaches that Zorn manage: his interpretation of modern jazz is an adventure itself.

    13. John Roberts - Glass Eights

The specialty and uniqueness of Glass Eights dwells in its diversity and unexpectedness. John Roberts is deep house artist and producer who’s not satisfied with just moving beats and catchy, repetitive motives. His first full-length documents his systematic and passionate exploration of the dance music’s possibilities and subsequent widening deep house’s definitions. Fragments of piano, hiss of vinyl, crystalline melodies, complementing acoustic to synthetic; all of these bring lush ambiance and welcome space with freedom while creating something very fresh and new. Glass Eights is more than a feeling of dance - it’s emotion.

    12. Espen Eriksen Trio - You Had Me At Goodbye

Simple melodies, cute motives and elegant atmosphere can be still arty, impressive and exceptional. Such is the case of a Norwegian trio lead by Espen Eriksen’s smooth and smart piano, whose moody melodies crossing the borders between traditional jazz and bop are accompanied by Lars Tormod Jenset’s playful bass and Jarle Vespestad’s elegant drums. You can argue, that we had Keith Jarrett, Tord Gustavsen or Esbjörn Svensson. But without doubt, Espen Eriksen is the jazz pianist of 2010.

    11. Sophie Hutchings - Becalmed

One of the very few females within a contemporary classical scene made a debut that feels and plays much more mature and thoughtful than an unprepared listener would expect. Hutchings excels not only in the piano parts that are the core of Becalmed &the cornerstone of her composition, but also in incorporation of accompanying instruments in the right places. She engages icily crying violins, velvet cello or cacophonous percussion that wonderfully deepen her nuanced and soothing melodies. Becalmed is a colourful and singular piece of art.