On the Couch

You might remember my Top 10 list from a couple of weeks ago. After careful deliberation over this past holiday week, I have narrowed down the list to my favorite album of 2010. I couldn’t get through this post without giving some love to two albums though, so I have included a runner-up.

The Runner Up for 2010: The Dead Weather: Sea of Cowards

Rational: This band was relatively unknown, even though the it is made up of the lead singer from The Kills (Alison Mosshart), Jack White from The White Stripes, Dean Fertita of Queens of the Stoneage, and Jack Lawrence of The Greenhornes. In the music business, we like to use a highly technical term for bands like this “Super Group”.  One of my favorite stories about this band was when they were on their most recent tour back in September. They were playing a show at the Don Hill venue in New York. The show was star-studded, with such notables as Liv Tyler and Mary Kate – Olsen. Jack White was understandably upset by the atmosphere of the venue and by the fact the crowd was mainly filled with hipsters who were too cool to participate in rocking out. According to the Seattle PI, Jack White told the audience “F**k you, you hip motherf**kers! Why don’t you rock the f**k out? Maybe I should go grab those free drinks and shove them down your throats, you hip mother**kers!” I just feel like that is a completely appropriate response to a negative concert environment.

Yelling at a lame audience is not the only reason why The Dead Weather get the runner-up spot. Their brand of rock and roll is infectious and innovative. I get the baselines stuck in my head from so many of their songs. It’s impossible to remain motionless. And I can testify that they are one of the best acts I have ever seen live. I saw them in a truly lousy venue in Billings, Mont., and yet the hall was still able to rock. The Dead Weather exemplify what it means today to be an indie rock band in this day and age. They are real. They set a good example for any up and coming artists. I can’t wait for their third installment.

Album of the Year for 2010: The Black Keys: Brothers

Rational: The Black Keys have always been a hipster doofus band. Not particularly mainstream, but well know in many hipster circles. All of this changed upon the release of Brothers. The fact of the matter is that when Brothers came out it spurred a revival of The Black Keys. Before you knew it many of The Black Key’s previous albums were reissued in vinyl, they were insatiable. Brothers, in fact, has two vinyl releases. You can run out and buy the normal edition of vinyl or you can pony up your tax rebate and get the 180 gram vinyl addition. I had friends that never listened to The Black Keys, they eventually became zombies. As they began looking for b-sides and concert recording, along with all of The Black Key’s previous albums. Nothing was enough for the zombie nation of The Black Keys fans.

Overall the year 2010 may have sucked for the nation, but for Indie Rock and Roll it is a year to remember. My Top Ten Albums are must owns, but we should hope that 2011 is as cool or cooler than 2010.