With 2010 now behind us, I’m rounding out the retrospective of my personal favorites from that year with a look at the top 10 full albums of that rather impressive spin of the earth.  This particular list is a little belated due to recommendations that I purchased and listened to pretty heavily around the new year, and the list reflects some changes because of that.  Now, when I say “full albums,” that eliminates a lot of otherwise great options, because I’m going simply by records with absolutely zero skipworthy tracks.

10.  Seth Swirsky:  Watercolor Day

Seth Swirsky is, to make the understatement of all time, an acolyte of the Beatles, but what he creates on his sprawling pop record Watercolor Day isn’t a mere imitation of the Fab Four (though his voice, at times, sounds almost exactly like George Harrison in his youth) but a fitting homage to the pop rock genre they kickstarted.  Watercolor Day plays like an album of Britpop covers written from distant but deep-seated memories, filtered through Swirsky’s decades of pop songwriting to form an engaging, novel creation. 

Watercolor Day is that perfect kind of album that doesn’t require much involvement to enjoy (though there’s plenty of subtext to dissect) and fits into your day at any time (clocking in at a comfortable 43 minutes) no matter what mood you’re in (enjoying the simple pleasure of the warmth of the sun or wallowing in malaise).  Oh, and Seth Swirsky is one of the only open conservatives in the music industry who isn’t a parody-peddling hack, and you should support him forever.

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9.  Caribou:  Swim

The pitfalls of electronic music are mind-numbing repetition and predictable soundscapes that grew stale in the mid-90s; however, the democratization of music production technology has fueled a veritable renaissance within the genre.  Whereas the ’90s saw masterful work from artists such as Daft Punk and Aphex Twin, there were way too many dance/techno albums I had to bump from this list merely due to the limit of ten entries [and with Greg Gutfeld introducing me to Tobacco, I'm already kinda regretting not bumping this one].  Caribou’s Swim is an experience like being dropped in a tight, dank underground maze where you’re being followed, catching only brief glimpses of sunlight.  The understated, chilling synths are anchored by intriguing variations on the ol’ bass-snare-bass-snare, and composer Daniel Victor Snaith’s falsetto vocals bring an element of humanity– isolated and fearful as it may be– that cement the music’s connection to your psyche.  It’s a dark, harrowing trip that leaves you exhausted but satisfied.

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In “Hoop Dreams,” documentary filmmaker Steve James and his team follow two talented high school basketball players, William Gates and Arthur Agee, both of whom have dreams of one day playing for the NBA. An audience award winner at The Sundance Film Festival, the film ended up on many Top Ten lists in 1994, and was Roger Ebert’s favorite film of the entire decade. It was oddly and controversially not nominated for best documentary that year, which led to a change in the selection of the nominees.

The movie remains great, a gripping sports documentary fraught with underdog heroics and powerful family drama. Many of the characters are straight out of a Syd Field book, and if these existed in a Hollywood narrative film, they would in some cases be absolute clichés. I think the three hour length allows us to get to know the characters so deeply that they move beyond the stereotypes they oddly seem cut from. There’s Curtis Gates, who, having failed at basketball, now drifts from job to job living his dreams through his brother William. There are Agee’s parents, his hardworking mother and his ne’er do well but likable father. Finally (for the purposes of brevity), there’s Coach Pingatore, seemingly only in it for himself, a hard ass whose claim to fame is coaching Isiah Thomas in high school. This fact is a carrot that Pingatore seems to dangle in front of Agee and Gates, as in, You could be the next Isiah Thomas, if you listen to me.

I love the film’s fly on the wall appeal. Steve James and his Oscar Nominated Editor, William Haugse, simply tell a story, without ever fully taking sides. Of course, Pingatore comes across as a bit of a jerk. Which is strange, because he’s a coach, and most coaches are so warm and fuzzy, y’know? (more…)

10. Listen, I didn’t know Willow Palin was 14. She was born in 1995. I thought she was still 13.

9. Why’s everyone so mad? I wasn’t making fun of Barack…?

8. I understand some offense was taken over my remarks last night. If that’s the case, I’d like to offer an apology to A-Rod. Tonight on the show, we have…

7. Careful buddy. You’re criticizing the guy who almost got the “Tonight Show.”

6. I’m a comedian and therefore not responsible for anything I say … ask Jon Stewart. (more…)