My top 10 albums of 2010

Here is my top 10 list of the albums that I happened to be listening during the year. I haven't been number crunching or applying a systematic scientific evaluation method in order to compile the list, just albums that somehow happened to end up in my record collection. There were plenty of great records during the 2010, and you can came up with completely different list of records that were stirring your emotions and keeping you moving on - on the run. Anyway, here is my list, tell me yours.


1. I Like Trains - He Who Saw The Deep

I Like Trains are characterized by the deep Dave Martin‘s baritone and post-rock guitar crescendo leading to mind blowing sound explosions, albeit the latter softened on the second record, a pessimistic world view is a constant in their expression. Their second record explores our future world and the fall of human kind due to rising sea level and climate change. As the sequel to the “Elegies to lessons learnt”, a thoughtful musical exploration of tragic historical events and characters that human kind fail to learn their lessons from, this record is a pure zeitgeist and the soundtrack of our lives.


2. Foals – Total Life Forever

As they appear with their debut album “Antidotes”, Foals have delivered an inventive, futuristic sound that people like to put into math-rock drawers. Yet their sound is unique and unheard of mixture of disco-punk as inherited from classical eighties post-punk bands, including but not limited to Gang of Four or Talking Heads infused by African rhythms. With their second album "Total life forever" they have slightly soften their rhythmical exploration but further developing their unique rhapsodic expression, still bringing ecstasy and euphoric climax on the dance floors.


3. Small Black – New Chain

These guys sound so familiar, though at the same time inventive, and unheard of. This is not so unexpected since 'chillwave' is a trademark of their sound. I am not sure who was the first to coin the term, but 'chillwave' is like a new hype genre - melancholic soundscapes created by mashing up hip-hop rhythms with classical 80s synthpop. Hence, familiar, yet unknown pleasures. Perhaps, if post Joy Division - early New Order met Coctoe Twins introduced to each other by Afrika Bambaataa signed with 4AD label, they could came up with such a sound. Strong bassline, drum and synth - 'New Chain' tracks are made to bring chill into the lounge bar in as confident a manner as they bring ecstatic joy at the indie disco dance floor. Even more, happy geek will swear that he felt his endorphin level rising after a couple of hours listening to 'New Chain', while hacking. ‘Small Black’ came up with the most versatile sound, applicable in any situation. 'Mehr als hip-hop'


4. Mystery Jets – Serotonin

Neatly packed collection of love songs bringing the whole spectrum of emotion from melancholy to happiness. Whistling (Flash a hungry smile), wordless chanting (The Girl is gone) Blaine Harrison and Willaim Rees vocals mash up with ascending synths and protuberant indie guitar are trademarks of the Mystery Jets sound. If happy geek could swear that he felt his endorphin level rising listening to the 'New Chain', here he will definitely feel the same for his serotonin level.


5. Liars - Sisterworld

Liars are true liars, indeed. A three-piece band managing to re-invent their sound with each new album, while at the same time performing sonic-dance-punk-art-noise-youth explorations, delivering exceptional soundscapes remaining recognizable to their faithful crowd of fans following fellow-geeks. The 5th album, Sisterworld is not an exception, they take us on a trip through the dark corridors of mankind leading us safely across the soundscapes that I can easily imagine as my favourite gothic-like hell nightmare. If you were wondering what the hell is my favourite gothic-like hell nightmare, try to imagine a soundtrack for 'The Temptation of Saint Anthony' paintings, probably the best captured in the Hieronymus Bosch and Salvador Dalí masterpieces. If it's not easy to imagine a sound with still painting, try imagining a soundtrack for Püha Tõnu, Bella Tar or David Lynch movies - that will do.


6. The Divine Comedy – Bang Goes the Knighthood
7. The National – High Violet
8. The New Pornographers - Together
9. Brendan Perry - Ark
10. Vampire Weekend - Contra

Honorary mention
The Rural Alberta Advantage – Hometowns (though European release appeared in 2010, they were already on my 2009 list)
Gonjasufi - A Sufi and A Killer (this is something I can imagined as a soundtrack for the Death and the Dervish, a book by Mesa Selimovic, so it will probably fit on Geistarbeiters top list)
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs (not sure if I love it or hate it but certainly well-worth listening)

New hopes – Bands that appeared with EP-es in 2010 and I am hardly waiting their full length LP-es
The Jezabels
Avatar

Soundtrack of my life - 2010 (part 2)

The Beet Fleet - Data

Goranin Čobanin - nodding his head in a consent approval, still a bit surprised and a bit shocked as if he does not believe - the time has come. He was about to deliver a milestone Matrix release - Hello World! Reality is going down for a major update and the time is about to begin, again.



Who would thought about that, that he is going to reach 'Commander Data status', after all this years? Perhaps is just the right time to disintegrate into the void and became hacking legend - retired at the digital debris depot, falling asleep, counting electrical sheep or maybe is just the right time to update the status?
Das ist status!

Film - Neprilagodjen



Goranin Čobanin je danas bacio mobitel kroz prozor. Razbio se u tisuće komada. Na zidovima nije bilo ništa za me, samo kuruza i spam, e! Facebook ovo je tvoj kraj, bye-bye-bye

Vampire Weekend - California English



‎"Ti si iz Virovitice, znam te", doviknuo je za mnom potpuno mi neznani junak i ne bi to bilo ništa neobično da se radnja ne odvija nedaleko Warschauerstr stanice S+U-bahna u sali Astra Kulturhause, i da je osim mene - on, vjerojatno jedini lik koji u sali govori hrvatski. I sad gledamo se, gleda on me, gledam ja njega,... prekapamo po sjećanjima i preispitujemo se. Jesi išao u KSET, Jabuku, Močvaru, Krivi Put..., i naravno da su svi odgovori potvrdni, ali nikako da se smjestimo u kontekst, a onda glupo pitanje gdi radiš? I odgovor se nameće sam, pa znamo se s faksa. Uglavnom došli dečki iz Zagreba na koncerte, jučer Vampire Weekend, večeras 20 years of city slang festival (Calexico, Notwist, Get well soon) i sutra Interpol. E to su vikendaši!

I Like Trains - Bang Bang Club Berlin 9.11.2010.

Goranin Čobanin teško može dočarati razgaljene uzdahe ushita malobrojne, ali probrane publike koji su ispunili malu salu Bang Bang kluba na koncertu iLiKETRAiNS . Može tek staviti poveznicu, a za sve ostalo tu je Ajfon Jutjubić



Highlander Shepherd can hardly describe delighted sighs and standing ovations coming from meager but exquisite audience that filled the small hall of Bang Bang Club during the iLiKETRAiNS gig. He can only put the link, and for everything else there is Iphone Youtube

Siouxsie and the Banshees - Face to Face



Goranin Čobanin u prethodnom svesku fejsbuka saznaje se: Student nije zapalio žito, Tihi nije pustio teglu cvijeća, ili možda ipak je? No tko je smjestio koki Mi Ki? U slijedećem tomu sve se pomalo raspliće, ajmo se fejsat! Face to
face, cheek to cheek!

Soundtrack of my life - 2010 (part 1)

The Rural Alberta Advantage - Don't Haunt This Place

Goranin Čobanin at the Rural Alberta Advantage gig, is with great pleasure being introduced to the crowd of the fine young vegetarian lady. It's an interesting gallery of urban freaks who could easily play episodic roles in the Herr Lehmann movie, and some of them could flawlessly star a lead role in their own movies, such as Herr Bussi or DJ Vossi.



Goranin Čobanin lernt beim Gig von The Rural Alberta Advantage mit großem Vergnügen die Clique seiner feinen jungen Vegetarierin kennen. Es ist eine interessante Galerie urbaner Freaks, die ohne jegliche Schwierigkeiten episodische Rollen im Film Herr Lehmann spielen könnten. Und einige von ihnen könnten makellos sogar die Hauptrolle in ihren eigenen Filmen übernehmen wie z.B. Herr Bussi oder DJ Vossi.

(thanks are due Sanja for grammar correction and translation.)

Garbage - The World is not enough

Goranin Čobanin found himself in unenviable situation trying to resolve glitches in the COSMO's performance.
"Reward for the patience is patience itself", said him the Architect - wise gray haired being.
"What if the World is not enough", he posed him a question?
"You'll know it when the time comes", said the Architect and left him empty handed, disintegrating into the void.


Small Black - Photojournalist

Goranin Čobanin sa zadovoljstvom se prisjeća sretnih trenutaka provedenih u opskurnom klubu Maria-Antoinetta na koncertu Small Black, u društvu frenda pred kojim je karijera, te je želio ostati anoniman i vegan bande. Zanimljiva je to galerija urbanih freakova koji bi s lakoćom iznijeli solidnu minutažu epizodnih uloga u filmovima poput Herr Lehmann-a, a neki od njih bez problema bi odigrali i glavnu rolu u vlastitim filmovima, kao npr. Herr Bussi ili DJ Vossi.
Lako ti je u Berlinu bit kreativan. Provozaš se s Ubahnom 3 stanice i već imaš materijala za 5 kratkih priča i scenarij za film - serviran, primjeti frend iz akademskih krugova bliskih Arhimedovim krugovima ali i Nietzsche-ovim sferama, te ostade inkognito.


April Stevens - Teach me tiger

Goranin Čobanin je imao nos za nevolju i iako je slutio da mu dublji emotivni angažman sa šarmantnom vilom od šanka dugoročno može poremetiti planove, teškom mukom je odolijevao jebezovnoj melodioznosti njenog glasa - načinu na koji je koristila riječi, kad bi uzbuđeno uzdahnula "zuUupEaar", ili komentirala njegova svjedočansta s putovanja na kraj noći riječima "deeeekadent, toOotaAal - total dekadent!", pri tom ga prekidajući, smijući se da izrazi komplimemnte njegovom priučenom njemačkom dok se borio tražeći njemačke riječi, germanizirajući engleske riječi - ona je uspjela čuti tragove berlinskog slanga.
"A kaži mi kaži, ako si vegetarijanka, zašto imaš tako velike zube kao, kao ženka sabljastog tigra?"
"Da te bolje gricnem, tigre!"
Kafanu su zatvorili uz prigodni hit večeri:

Winter is back in town

It's a first day of climatological winter, and the coldest 1st of December in Berlin since inception of instrumental measurements. Cold winter is coming indeed, but it does not mean that anthropogenic impact on environment is negligible.

The daily North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) index, as obtained from the Climate Prediction Center (CPC). Check their web pages for the most recent figure and the methodology.

Internal climate variability - phenomenons such as El Nino, Northern Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), are in their phases that favor cold winter. For example NAO negative phase results with increased snowfall above the Scandinavia and Western Europe.
We saw a consistently negative NAO since mid-August (see figure), strong at times, and interupted with positive phase in October (remember "Goldene Oktober" in Germany). Since mid-November we see very strong negative phase (remember I told you Mr. November did not let us down). Forecasters are expecting generally negative NAO to continue through December and probably until mid January with an occasional period of +NAO possible. More frequent exchange of positive and negative phases is expected during second part of January and February. Furthermore some researchers suggest that heat transport between tropical and polar latitudes is reduced due do weakening of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) i.e. Gulf stream does not produce that much heating as it used to due to Greenland ice-sheet melting and decreased ocean thermohaline mixing.