We asked a bunch of our most handsome music contributors to send us a list of their "Top Ten Things" for 2010. The "things" that tickled their musical bells, be it albums, gigs, videos, haircuts, emotions...whatever. Here's the second installment in our week long coverage of the best musical moments of 2010:

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Katie Olsen
Top 10 favourite quotes from interviews conducted by me for Lifelounge.com

DAM-FUNK - on what it’s like in the Funkmosphere:
“Beautiful music for all people while sky-riding through peaks and valleys, accompanied with super sunsets of life, resulting in healing.”

NAS - on the Queensbridge Houses influencing him musically:
“Surroundings have a lot to do with it. They say it takes a village to raise a child, so...that was my village. It had a lot to do with everything. Everything.”

PEACHES - on non-musical influences on her music:
“John Waters, Cindy Sherman, Paul MaCarthy and the movies Tron, Grease, Liquid Sky and Phantom of the Paradise.”

DAVE 1 FROM CHROMEO - on guilty pleasures:
“I’m embarrassed that I like David Guetta. Like when it’s [sings] “I gotta feeling… bam-bam-bam-bam!” – I, I’m embarrassed. Because objectively it’s shit, but I like it.”

ALI SHAHEED MUHUMMAD OF A TRIBE CALLED QUEST - on being different:
“The old school generation looked at us like, ‘Yo! These cats are weirdos!’ But we were persistent and we stayed true to ourselves. I’m still like that to this day, I stay true to who I am. I think it’s human nature to want to be embraced and loved by everyone, but it’s not realistic.”

LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION - on seeing sounds, aka synesthesia:
“Yeah, it’s hard to explain…. Sometimes it’s based upon a melody or a pattern that appears in my head. Like I’d be walking around all day or I’ll wake up with it in my head. Then I’ll try to fit it into other palettes and colours that will complement the melody… And it sounds really insane.”

DIPLO - on working on projects he doesn’t respect:
“You’d be surprised. There’s some shit. There’s a whole world [laughs]… there’s some shit I’ve gotta work on. But I get through it. That’s why we have drugs.”

LIL KIM - on the moment Diana Ross jiggled her nipple-stickered boob at the ’99 MTV Music Video Awards:
“She was just basically giving me a motherly tap like ‘[gasp!] Don’t you know you have a boob hangin’ out?!’ [laughs] You know. I mean, hey… I’m a trend-setter!”

ERYKAH BADU - on the theory that if a man looks her in the eyes they fall in love and begin wearing crochet pants:
“It’s true, girl… Women too!”

KOOL KEITH - on having fans and groupies… and possibly crack:
“You know, more people will probably come to my show to give me gifts. Weird gifts. Somebody might make a weird gift to give me. A rock. A pink rock. Or, a rock with a bunch of polka dots on it. A soda pop bottle with marbles inside. My music attracts creative people. People might make a polka dot suitcase and give it to me, with something inside. A cat inside the suitcase. And I have to take it home and figure it out.”

Katie Olsen

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Andrew McMillen
The 7 Best Songs and 3 Best Gigs of 2010

Songs:

Big Boi - 'Shutterbugg' (feat. Cutty)
Precis: Impossibly addictive; the single standout track from an album full of ‘em.



From the album Sir Luscious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty, reviewed in July for The Vine: "Built around a compact backbeat and unique usage of the talkbox, Boi’s chorus hook in ‘Shutterbugg’ - “Now party people in the club, it's time to cut a rug / And throw your deuce up in the sky just for the shutterbuggs” - is irresistible. It’s one of the best singles of the 2010, regardless of genre." (Link)


Crystal Castles - 'Baptism'
Precis: A gripping vision of an electronic apocalypse.



From the album Crystal Castles II, reviewed in May for The Vine: "'Baptism' is the best thing they've ever written, surpassing Crystal Castles I standout 'Air Wars' by a considerable margin. On 'Baptism', they do everything right. Sheets of urgent synthesisers give way to a dainty, circular keyboard melody pasted over a pulsating beat, before Alice Glass's pained vocals are met by the synthesised opening phrase cut into staccato triplets. 'Baptism' concocts an air of foreboding unlike anything they've summoned before." (Link)


Foals - 'Spanish Sahara'
Precis: Slow-burning pop songwriting perfection.



From the album Total Life Forever, reviewed in May for The Vine: "'Spanish Sahara' sits in the album's centre; in turn, it forms the beating heart of Foals' revised artistic direction. In stark contrast to their previously-accessible singles, the epic song's payoff occurs over halfway into its seven-minutes. Singer Yannis Philippakis urges listeners - and himself, perhaps - to "Forget the horror here / Leave it all down, here / It's future rust, and then it's future dust", as the song slowly builds upon a sparse introduction to climax amid an ethereal lead guitar melody, thundering tom rolls and, ultimately, a somber, circular synth pattern. As an artistic statement, 'Spanish Sahara' is peerless among indie pop circa 2010. (Link)

Surf City - 'Icy Lakes'
Precis: The definitive noise pop track of 2010.

(Listen)

From the album Kudos, reviewed in November for Mess+Noise: "It’s a saccharine rave so wide-eyed and beautiful that you wish it to never end. While the rhythm section stays pinned to a groove, the guitarists shear off great chunks of the surrounding landscape with abrasive, Jesus & Mary Chain-like chords. Needling lead phrases punctuate each section, while the singer says “When your icy lakes swallow me” in the chorus over and over (or so I imagine; it’s pretty hard to tell through all the reverb). The result is a song more deserving of that idiotically-overused descriptor “widescreen” than any song that came before it. The best part is that the band is acutely aware of the rare musical alchemy they’ve tapped into, and opt to extend the jam to nearly eight gorgeous minutes." (Link)

My Disco - 'A Turreted Berg'
Precis: Musically ominous; lyrically, even darker.

(Listen on TheVine)

From the album Little Joy, reviewed in November for Rolling Stone: "Album closer 'A Turreted Berg'  – characterised by a subterranean bass hum, a simple backbeat and screaming guitar squalls – is the single best song they’ve released. " (Link)

Die! Die! Die! - 'Frame'
Precis: Frantic, emotive, timeless.



From the album Form, reviewed in August for The Vine: "Closing track ‘Frame’ proves the singular highlight. It might be the most satisfying, most perfect song that Die! Die! Die! have ever released. Its sparse verses shiver in anticipation of the release offered by the towering chorus (“Give up the ghost, you can’t escape / We’re too close; I am here now”). ‘Frame’ is a masterpiece in three-point-five minutes." (Link)

Tokyo Police Club - 'Bambi'
Precis: Clipped electronica and sharp drums, intercut with a killer pop chorus.



If you asked me to pick a song released in 2010 that best evokes 'joy', this would be my first choice. It remains as exciting in December as when I first heard it in August. You should play it five times in a row, at least.

Gigs:

Metallica - Brisbane Entertainment Centre, Saturday 16 October (review)

(Video of the opening)

"For the first hour, it's exciting enough just to be in the same room as Metallica. Metal bands don't come bigger than these four men, and since it's been six years between visits, there's electricity in the air. From the moment the lights dim and their introduction music – 'The Ecstasy Of Gold', the theme from The Good, The Bad and The Ugly – plays, we're transported. We forget we're in a big, shitty shed 20 clicks from the city centre. This show is about spectacle, and nothing's done by half. It's something special to witness a band who still sound fresh in a stadium despite having been in the game for nearly 30 years, and having punched in this weight division for more than half of that. This is their norm. By their standards, playing to 13,000-odd fans probably qualifies as an intimate show.

As they rip through the climactic vocal section of 'One' with blistering intensity ("Landmine! Has taken my sight! Taken my speech! Taken my hearing!"), I realise what a rare talent they have, to make some these tired-ass songs sound fresh. And then they follow up 'One' with 'Master Of Puppets', one of the greatest metal songs ever. There's no-one not grinning, headbanging or fist-pumping. For some artists, reminiscence is a dirty word. Not so for Metallica, who dip deep into their back catalogue tonight, all the way back to their 1983 debut Kill 'Em All. The house lights are requested for their finale, 'Seek & Destroy', during which dozens of Metallica-branded beach balls are dropped from the ceiling and punted around by both band and fans, and by this point, I can't stop grinning. I'm not alone."

Massive Attack - Brisbane Riverstage, Tuesday 23 March (review)

('Teardrop' footage)

"They wield a back catalogue that makes lesser artists tremble, and they're not afraid to use it. British trip-hop production duo Massive Attack close out their first Australian tour since 2003 with a commanding performance at the Brisbane Riverstage that delivers on all fronts: sonically, visually, and emotionally. Speaking to The Vine (link) on the eve of their Perth show nearly two weeks ago, Grant Marshall - a.k.a. Daddy G, who forms half of the core duo alongside Robert del Naja (3D) - spoke of how he's learned that "you’ve got to give people something that’s quite memorable". Check that box. Take a song like 'Teardrop'. It's that rare kind of musical composition whose impact is felt across generations, gender and race. Tonight, it's performed by longtime Massive Attack collaborator Martina Topley-Bird, whose talented, vocal loop-heavy support slot proved a fascinating precursor to the main act. Their most distinguished tune has been reworked into an arrangement comprising little more than a backbeat and her beautiful voice that sings of love, loss and hope. It's a touching moment for the thousands stood in silence, and as the song climaxes, I decide that it reaches a summit of human expression through music that few others can lay claim to."

Faith No More - Soundwave Festival @ RNA Showgrounds Brisbane, Saturday 20 February (review)

(Video of the opening)

"Immaculately dressed in pale suits, Faith No More immediately establish rapport with the tens of thousands who crowd the main showground bowl to witness the reunited headliners after their 12 year absence. Opening with a full-band lounge version of 'Reunited' by vocal duo Peaches & Herb, it's made immediately clear that their 'Second Coming' tour is no half-baked cash-grab; instead, the band are serious about doing justice to what was left behind in 1998. Serious, that is, while maintaining the playful, casual air for which they became known. (During set closer 'Just A Man', Mike Patton hijacks a video camera and - mid-song, without dropping a note - forces the operator to film his cock, which briefly appears on the giant screens that flank the main stages - video of the incident [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GazZQBLsHNo].) Any doubts about their reformation were squashed the moment the suits walked onstage."

Andrew McMillen

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Nick Holt
Top 10 Great Festival Moments

Festivals are often synonymous with inebriated punters who momentarily forget that camera phones and the internet have come into fruition - that, or they just don't care. Heavy substance abuse usually leads to newfound theatrical confidence and the events that transpire are, well, pure fucking gold. And in many ways, are often a stronger beacon of reflection than the artists performances.

2010 saw a lot of great 'festy faux pas'; with new and innovative methods of self-embarrassment showing promise across the board. There were a few home soil standouts. like the affable young lady who decided to get her tits out early in the piece at this years Melbourne Good Vibrations festival (review) and the "yellow sign dancing man" at Perths Summadaze (below).

But in order to properly reflect on some great moments in human mortification, I've cast the net across the planet and pulled in the 10 best crowd moments at festivals, for 2010.

10. Yellow Sign Dancing Man (Summadaze, Perth)



9. Guy Asleep In Rubbish Pile (Download Festival, UK)



8. Old Fat Man's Sex Is On Fire (Cheltenham Festival, UK)



7. Two Guys, Too Drunk, No Tent. (Volt Festival, Hungary)



6. Dickhead On Roof In Cape (Big Day Out, Melbourne)



5. Swede Disposition (Sweden Rock Festival, Sweden)



4. Tighty, Whitey (Coachella, US)



3. Damn Paparazzi (Roskilde Festival, Denmark)



2. Nico It's Time For Faithless



1. Ain't No Big Thong (Coachella, US)



Nick Holt

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Jonno Seidler
Top 10 Australian Songs

So many people (including this writer) have been going gaga for Mr West and his contemporaries towards the end of 2K10. But that doesn’t mean we should forget that this was a boom year for Aussie music. Some of the most catchy, ephemeral tunes played on radios and Ipods across the country were local, and someone needs to acknowledge that. Accordingly, that someone will be me.

1. The Jezabels - 'Dark Storm'

Nothing can touch The Jezabels. The Sydney quartet released their third independent EP this year and the songs, like this title track, unfold into more amazingly evocative musical diagrams each time you press play. Lush, brooding, technically brilliant and emotionally spot-on, The Jezabels take a range of influences from femme fatales and alt-rock outfits past, and craft them into something entirely their own. Singer Hayley Mary has transformed from a rough diamond to an absolute gem, and her stunning voice, aided by her very capable band, carries this song through the night and far beyond anything else released locally in 2010.

2. Miami Horror - 'Holidays'

For Gen Y kids, at certain points in ones' life, there is a great electro-house song that sums up the moment better than any issue of TIME. At ten, that was Stardust's 'Music Sounds Better With You', at twenty, Calvin Harris' 'Acceptable In The 80s'. Now to fill the void and bring summer to places like Melbourne that don't even have beaches to enjoy it on, Miami Horror, with some added vocal might from Mr Neon Indian, Alan Palomo, tear the roof off wherever you're working - 'Holidays' busts out basslines and synths designed to make you smile. One of many standouts from an album (Illuminations) that keeps on giving, 'Holidays' is a ripper tune that is justifiably murdering the radio the nation over.

3. Andy Bull ft. Lisa Mitchell - 'Dog'
As someone who never really liked Lisa Mitchell and always liked Andy Bull, this song is a revelation. Not only does it manage to singlehandedly make both of them sound amazing, but it's a 3/4 waltz that managed to become a hit at a time when every beat processer in the world is turned to four on the floor. Bull, who has had this kind of material in him for years but only recently decided to do something about it, gives the performance of his career in a song that equally addresses both depression and animal cruelty, though the second is possibly a metaphor. Andy's voice is always a joy to hear, and paired with Mitchell's they make for one of the most wistful and engaging few minutes of pop released this year. Ben Folds would be very proud.

4. Washington - '1997'
It's difficult picking a song by this wonderfully talented Melbournian without lapsing into some sort of awful hyperbole that belies the fact that Megan is a very smart cookie. Songs like this don't stick in your head by accident; they're expertly put together by the brightest young female this star has seen since Missy Goodrem or Delta Higgins jumped on the dude from Baywatch. That she can back it up with considerable attitude and aplomb live only makes her more loveable. After all, who can forget her amazing turn as a screen siren that almost single handedly saved the ARARIAS? This oval-eyed, Rufus Wainwright-loving, delightfully foul-mouthed singer is the real deal. She recently tweeted that most of the songs for album number two are almost finished being recorded. Never soon enough, we say.

5. Hungry Kids Of Hungary - 'Set It Right’
Brisbane’s Hungry Kids hit the ground running with ‘Wristwatch’, which sounded far too much like Vampire Weekend for anyone to really consider them as a real prospect. But that was before they smashed through the East Coast multiple times in the same season, released the very excellent Escapades LP and proved themselves to be not only hungry, but harmonious, too. These are the men who could fix your pool, sleep with your wife, sing to your kids and be off to the next house before you even got home; they're that good at pretty much everything. A fantastic live band with a solid album full of killer tunes, these faux-Hungarians were one of the best things about 2010.

6. Kimbra - 'Settle Down'
The Kiwi-Aussie princess hit the ground running with this hybrid jazz, dance and pop piece that sounded pretty much like nothing else around - except possibly Bertie Blackman. But even she couldn't fake a joy this sincere. A big voice with an even bigger ambition, Kimbra's single is still exciting when played the 15 millionth time, which says a lot about its production. It was, of course, recorded by Francois Tetaz, the man who helped craft the beautiful sounds of Gotye’s Like Drawing Blood a few years ago. But Kimbra remains the hot ticket here; she also contributed vocals to another close contender for this list, Miami Horror's 'I Look to You' and with everyone from Triple J to Perez Hilton getting on it, it's not hard to see why she’s making some serious waves.

7. Parades - 'Dead Nationale'
Jonathan Boulet’s other band (the one where he plays drums instead of guitar, that is) happens to be this blissed-out, Radiohead-esque prog-rock dream that not enough people have heard yet. Parades, whose debut album Foreign Tapes was released in the first quarter of this year, features some of the most satisfying ear candy ever produced by a bunch of twenty-somethings in a garage in Sydney’s North-West. Featuring the otherwordly kyu on backing vocals, ‘Dead Nationale’, like the rest of this band’s repetoire, simply refuses to get old.

8. Philadelphia Grand Jury - '99 Problems'
The hardest working band in Australia without competition, the Philly Jays spent most of 2010 pimping their wares in the UK. But they did find time to finally lay down on wax this fantastic Jay-Z cover that has become a live favourite ever since they dropped it back when Dan W from Art Vs Science was on the skins. Though they lose drummers faster than Ron Jeremy removes his pants, Berkfinger and MC Bad Genius make up for it with a raucous punk attitude and a spirit that, despite hardships, never dies. And isn’t that what hip-hop is all about?

9. Papa Vs Pretty – Wrecking Ball
Produced by Paul Dempsey, groomed by the best in the business and still kicking out the jams like Daniel Johns never discovered Nirvana, Papa Vs Pretty had a huge 2010 but next year will be even bigger. Songs like ‘Wrecking Ball’ demonstrate not only the weird and wonderful shit going on inside frontman Thomas Rawle’s head, but his ability to transmit that into highly complex yet enjoyable rock songs. These guys pen songs faster than a million chimps on typewriters, and they play them pretty damn well, too. All dark and stomping, ‘Wrecking Ball’ is the glam tribute to Jeff Buckley that could only come from a trio this competent.

10. The Holidays – ‘Broken Bones’
Though they started out sounding a bit like The Arctic Monkeys, The Holidays have well and truly honed their art down beyond any throwaway comparisons with the release of Post Paradise. Remarkably self-assured and probably the most chill thing not released by Ministry Of Sound in 2010, ‘Broken Bones’ combines three disparate, amazing elements (Carribean percussion, steel drums and sliding synths) into an unlikely hit. These guys are offensively talented, the production on their record is top-notch and anyone who’s seen them play live knows that they’ve got it all going on. ‘Broken Bones’ is the best escape many of us would have had from the daily grind this year, so it helps that it’s also highly enjoyable and pulled off with a suitable amount of cheek.

Jonno Seidler

PART 1 OF THEVINE'S 'TOP THINGS' CRITICS POLL FOR 2010
PART 3 OF THEVINE'S 'TOP THINGS' CRITICS POLL FOR 2010
THEVINE'S YEAR IN MOBILE PHONE PHOTOS