2010 End Of Year Review - Top 10 Albums.

The final installment of BobbySix.com's Review of the Year features the main event - the Top 10 Albums of 2010: 

Choosing BobbySix.com's album of the year was a tough run thing in 2010. It fell between two strong front-runners: Laura Marling and These New Puritans. For a long time, TNP were in the lead but Marling's album proved to be a real grower - even taking into account the fact that she seems to wander into an Irish accent at regular intervals. And, besides, we couldn't be seen to agree with NME, who handed the number one spot to the band from Southend. So Laura Marling (pictured above, in concert in Sydney) wins. The fact that she has only just turned 20 is, frankly, unbelievable.

TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2010

1. I Speak Because I Can - LAURA MARLING
"A dark, serious, yet breathtakingly elegant album. Her delivery is slow and her delicate, beautiful poetry has developed yet further. Like Emily Brontë with an acoustic guitar, she gives an almost unbearable sense of sorrow and yearning... " (full review...)

2. Hidden - THESE NEW PURITANS
"These New Puritans haven't so much changed direction as ripped up the whole road. This isn't half-arsed, sloppy experimentation either. Hidden is as precisely executed as it is ambitious. If you thought they were little more than indie also-rans, think again." (full review...)
 
3. The Memory Machine - JULIA STONE

"Anyone who assumes The Memory Machine to be a collection of songs that were thrown away when they were cutting the last Angus & Julia Stone record is a million miles from the truth. Rather, this lovingly-crafted, poetic and absolutely beautiful record represents Julia Stone’s best work to date." (full review...)

4. Let The Hard Times Roll - DAVID FORD
Eastbourne's David Ford returns with his best record so far. Panic, Call To Arms, Hurricane and To Hell With The World show just how Ford can mix pessimism and optimism and create something truly romantic in a world gone to shit.

5. We Are Born - SIA 
"Probably her best solo record to date, the slickly produced and downright fun We Are Born is the sound of Sia really letting loose. Stand-out track, the disco-pop You’ve Changed, sums up the vivacity of the album as a whole. On it, Sia sings, 'You’ve changed/For the better.' Indeed." (full review...)

6. Dark Night of the Soul - DANGER MOUSE AND SPARKLEHORSE
"In bringing down the curtain on Mark Linkous’ own tragedy, the wonderful and poignant Dark Night… adds to a Sparklehorse legacy that perfectly illustrates the beauty and fragility of life. In Linkous’ passing, the world is a poorer place." (full review...)

7. The Suburbs - ARCADE FIRE
A mixture of classic kitchen-sink throwing and really perky melodies from the one of the greatest bands in the world right now.

8. Serotonin - MYSTERY JETS

"While its big-hitting songs don’t better the singles that Twenty One boasted, Serotonin is the band’s most well-rounded offering to date and bursts with guts, heart and honesty." (full review...)

9. Body Talk Part 1 - ROBYN
"With the eight songs clocking in at half-an-hour yet still managing to seamlessly travel in so many directions, Body Talk Pt 1 is quite the achievement and really whets the appetite for parts two and three." (full review...)

10 Erland And The Carnival - ERLAND AND THE CARNIVAL
"Quintessentially English in its sound, the psych-freak folk of Erland and The Carnival is a weird and wonderful treat, and potentially one of the best debuts from a UK band this year." (full review...)

2010 End Of Year Review - Top 10 Films

Tomorrow is the big day where BobbySix.com announces it's Top 10 Albums of the Year, so in order to tidy up the housekeeping, here are the best movies of the year and everything else of note:

TOP 10 MOVIES

1. TOY STORY 3
"Seeing the likes of Woody and Buzz on screen again offers the warmth and familiarity of delving into your own childhood toy box, and there are also new characters to enjoy, not least a vacuous Ken doll voiced, brilliantly, by Michael Keaton. The story whizzes along at pace, with moments of humour punctuating exciting and inventive set pieces. There is laugh-out-loud hilarity (and not the tiresome in-gags that have littered other animated movies, but, rather, well-crafted and perfectly-delivered jokes) and, importantly, there are tear-inducing moments too.

Toy Story 3 has clearly been created with genuine loving care, rather than having its dots joined by accountants and marketing executives. It is a work of art, and as perfect an example of storytelling with a heart as you are likely to find." (full review...)

2. INCEPTION
"Finally, a blockbuster with a brain in its head that pays the audience the respect of assuming they have one too. If you want your movies to offer food for thought rather than chewing gum for the eyes, then give Nolan's cracker your true support and show the money men that audiences are cleverer than they give us credit for. Maybe then we'll get a few more Inceptions and a few less Tranformers." (full review...)

3. KICK ASS
Really funny and charming, with its mix of superhero movies like Spiderman and Batman and teen-flicks-with-a-heart like Juno and Ghost World, all held together with a small sprinkling of Superbad-style comedy and some mega violence/swearing. Oh and with and a bit of Leon thrown in.

4. MADE IN DAGENHAM

The remarkable true story of a group of women workers as they battle for equal rights. As many tears as there are laughs, Made in Dagenham might end up being this year's Slumdog when the award season comes around. And some of it is set in Eastbourne - the birthplace of Bobby Six!

5. THE SOCIAL NETWORK
"It’s as simple as this: The Social Network is much, much better than a film about obnoxious, affluent young men either sitting in rooms bickering over litigation or sitting in rooms writing computer code has any right to be." (full review...)

6. FOUR LIONS
A comedy about suicide bombers? Surely such a thing is not possible. Well, when it pours out of the brain of Chris Morris then, of course it is. What's more, it is perfectly-measured. Close to the bone yet neither judgemental nor especially sympathetic, it is a funny and strangely touching account of four men's rather misjudged and half-baked plan.

7. EASY A
"A loving homage to the John Hughes teen movies of the 1980's, Easy A is well-observed, nicely paced and, crucially, very funny. The dialogue, similarly to Juno, is snappy and sharp as hell, and just like you did with Ellen Page, you'll find yourself totally engaged and charmed by Stone. In fact, the redheaded young actress is by far and away the best thing about Easy A. For someone that we have only really seen in the supporting roles in Zombieland and Superbad, she absolutely owns the screen from start to finish. Funny, sassy and intelligent while all the time purveying the kind of vulnerability that most teenagers feel, Stone's performance suggests we'll be hearing a lot more from her in the future.

Easy A might be a love-letter to the likes of Sixteen Candles, Say Anything and Ferris Bueller's Day Off rather than being an equal to them, but it may well stand the test of time and isn't too far away from those era-defining, female-led teen flicks like Mean Girls and Clueless." (full review...)

8.WINTER'S BONE
Jennifer Lawrence delivers an astonishing performance in this bleak drama about a teenager who has to hunt down her absent father in order to prevent her family from having their home repossessed.

9. THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
An intelligent comedy that boasts fine turns from Julianne Moore (although when has she ever put in anything less?) and Mark Ruffalo. It is far less annoying and smug than it could have been and has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments.

10 (joint place). SCOTT PILGRIM VS THE WORLD and STEP UP 3D (yes, really)
These two films deserve mentions for different reasons. Scott Pilgrim was clever, fairly witty and offered heaps of winks and nudges towards the computer game generation. The problem is that it was just too ambitious. There was too much plot to squeeze into one film and too many big budget set-pieces. It seemed not to know what it wanted to be -  a blockbuster or an indie flick. In the end it landed awkwardly and messily between the two. And so it is with disappointment that it only just squeezes into the top ten. It was good, but it should have been great.

Conversely, a film with seemingly little to offer turned out to be the most accidentally funny movie of the year and, consequently, massively entertaining. Take a bow, Step Up 3D. The plot? Well, plot schmot. Essentially the exposition - clunky, cheesy and hackneyed as it was - merely served to join the dots between fantastic dance routines and featured some brilliantly hopeless dialogue. Characters would say something like: 'The biggest decisions in life are never easy,' before looking into the mid-distance with a thoughtful/troubled expression, like Plato in pumps. Another example came when, as the romantic leads were considering leaving New York, the girl with the abs said to the guy with the pecs, 'We could go anywhere,' before slightly undermining the world of possibilities by adding, 'Even California.' (full review...)
 
BEST TELEVISION MOMENT
“So, the winner, and Australia’s Next Top Model for 2010 is…. It’s you Kelsey. Wait… what? Oh."

TOP 3 PODCASTS
Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo’s Film Review Podcast, BBC Five Live
Guardian Football Weekly Podcast
The Collings and Herrin Podcast

BEST SPORTING HIGHLIGHT
Well, this. Obviously.

2010 End Of Year Review - Top 10 Gigs

Kicking off four days' worth of posts relating to BobbySix.com's End Of Year Review is the Top 10 live gigs of 2010. Still to come over the next few days, top albums, top movies and top songs:

1. REGINA SPEKTOR, Sydney Opera House 
"Heartbreaking tender ballad Samson remains one of the best songs of the last ten years and commanded hushed awe from the audience but, on this occasion, the highlight was Apres Moi. For someone so softly spoken, Spektor has a massive vocal range and when she ended the song by belting out couplets in Russian, it was jaw-dropping.

Though, on record, her edges seem to have smoothed a little, live, she was as weird and leftfield as ever, using her vocal as an instrument and singing ditties about how “Someone next door’s fucking to one of my songs.”  In taking the step to this next level, Regina Spektor proved that it is possible to make intelligent, beautiful music that is accessible while still remaining daring and oddball." (Full review...)

2. JEFFREY LEWIS & THE JUNKYARD, Oxford Art Factory,Sydney 
"There were punky rock outs and gentler - really wordy - acoustic numbers that showcased his writing talents, as themes of self-doubt, lost love and depression were treated with sincerity and humour. He told fantastical stories about various ways he could commit suicide... while suggesting that Pitchfork would only give his death 3.6 out of 10." (full review...)

3. LAURA MARLING, The Famous Spiegeltent, Sydney
"The use of cello, keys, drums, mandolin, guitar, bass and banjo offered a round sound, yet the set really dazzled when Marling stood alone with just her voice and acoustic guitar... This was a truly enchanting evening from one of the finest young talents around." (full review...)

4. DANIEL JOHNSTON, Monster Children Gallery, Sydney
"Life doesn't often make sense. Plug A rarely fits nicely into Slot B. People conflict and contrast, friction prevails. Sometimes though, very, very occasionally, everything comes together. And, as I stood on the steps, looking over Johnston's shoulder onto a crowd that were hanging on his every word. It was clear that these were my people, and this was my soundtrack. If only life were always like this." (full review...)

5. THE CRIBS, Manning Bar, Sydney
"Even four albums in, The Cribs' raw energy and vivacity hasn't abated, and to combine that with tunes to die for is to be in the presence of one of the most thrilling live bands around." (full review...)

6. KLAXONS, Enmore Theatre, Sydney

"The hour-long set flew by, and, as they wrapped things up with It’s Not Over Yet, Surfing The Void and Atlantis To Interzone, the band seemed genuinely taken aback by the fervent reception they received. “I’m not joking,” said keyboardist/vocalist, James Righton (above) with a look of bewilderment. “You’re the fucking best audience ever.” True, the crowd were going absolutely mental from start to finish, but that’s largely to do with the fact that the Brits practically ripped the roof off from the get-go." (full review...)

7. ANGUS & JULIA STONE, Metro Theatre
"What better way to celebrate your record going gold, than by playing three sold-out shows over two days in your home city? Following Friday night's gig, the siblings played a matinee performance to an under-age audience on Saturday afternoon. Cue a Beatlemania-esque frenzy from the crowd as fourteen-year-old girls took time out from screaming every word of every song to yell requests for impregnation from Angus. If it was all a bit much for the shy, unassuming Mr Stone, then the evening was happily a more chilled-out affair." (full review...)

8. PARADES, Enmore Theatre, Sydney 
"Sydney’s Parades looked like a bunch of high-school misfits who had been rounded up from the loneliest corners of the playground and ushered onto the stage against their will, but, behind their Breakfast Club aesthetic was an awesome, layered soundscape so huge that it’s hard to believe any venue smaller than The Enmore could cope with such epic noise. As is their wont, the quartet bolstered their numbers for their live show and with five boys and one girl offering four vocals and all manner of percussion and effects, their set was diverse and their songs experimental and enormous. This is a band with a really exciting future." (full review...)

9. CABINS AND BRIDEZILLA, Changing Lanes Festival, Sydney

"Cabins' performance drilled its way relentlessly through the audience's bodies. Their bone-shaking set - which included a cheeky cover of Edwin Collins' A Girl Like You - was loud with a capital L.O.U.D. and their catchy indie with alternating vocalists was the highlight of the day...

...Bridezilla (above)  performed a handful of promising new songs in their 30-minute set, the last of which really showed the band's desire to push themselves in new directions. This set-closer, Hey Girl, saw Millie Hall put down the saxophone and take centre stage, playing keys and sharing lead vocals with Holiday Sidewinder. Written by Hall, the poppy number was infectious enough to suggest it will soon be quite the crowd-pleaser, with Hall, Sidewinder and guitarist Pia May delivering some 60s girl-group singalong harmonies." (full review of festival...)

10. FLORENCE & THE MACHINE, Laneway Festival, Sydney
"Florence Welch ripped through the headline slot with gusto. By the time she ended with a winning trio of Dog Days Are Over, You've Got The Love and Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up) - all of which showcased that lung-busting voice - she had the crowd going apeshit (full review of festival...)

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

Ineligible, to be honest (largely because representatives of BobbySix.com made up part of the performance), but still worthy of a shout is David Ford's Milk and Cookies gig in December. Also due a mention are Kate Nash and Lily Allen's performances in Sydney.

Sydney-based artists that are well worth a look the next time they are playing in your neighbourhood are The Laurels, who - with their shoegazey post-grunge wall of noise - are Australia's most underrated band. Elsewhere, The Preachers put in an outstanding performance at Oxford Art Factory - they are fast becoming one of BobbySix.com's favourite bands. Similarly, Cameras played a stunning show at the same venue. Meanwhile, Melbourne's Howl at the Moon played a winning set at King's Cross' World Bar.

One of the most unique and exciting artists in Sydney remains Kirin J Callinan . His boundary-pushing afternoon show at a warehouse in the iconic Hibernian House (above, photo courtesy of Emma Daniels) was the perfect example of how he brings something genuinely different and interesting to the table. Yeah, so it actually took place at the back end of 2009, but we didn't get a chance to mention in last year's review and, anyway, who's counting?

There are probably loads of other really awesome shows that we have overlooked, or that have been lost in a drunken blur, but these are the ones that have jumped to mind. Have we forgotten anything? let us know...