8. Arrested Development (Development Indefinitely Arrested)

“Now, the story of a wealthy family who lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together. 
It’s Arrested Development.”

-The uncredited narrator Ron Howard during the quick slide-show introduction sequence

Run time: November 2, 2003 – February 10, 2006

Created by: Mitchell Hurwitz

Broadcast via: Fox

Arrested Development was the true anti-sitcom. It didn’t have a laugh track or a three-camera setup. It wasn’t filmed in front of a live audience, nor was it bound by a couple studio sets. It was presented almost as if a reality series, even though it was scripted, rehearsed and absurdist (and none of the characters acknowledged the camera). It was hyper and hyperbolic, a quick-witted and quick-paced show that naturalistically blended so many disparate influences into one of the most unique creations of serialized storytelling. Scathing topicality, wacky wordplay, continuity callbacks (and call-forwards), omniscient narration, eclectic intertextuality, ultra-aware postmodernism, allusions to incest as well as irony – nothing was too much to handle in this dense and reflexive live-action cartoon, a continuing saga about the riches-to-rags lives of a spoiled, snooty, selfish, scheming and super-materialistic family that nonetheless love and depend on each other. The Bluth family begins as a wealthy lot, with patriarch George Sr. (played by the blusteringly blissful Jeffrey Tambor) running a real estate development firm (as well as a frozen banana stand) to great success. Or so it seemed, until it is revealed that the company has been defrauding customers and engaging in some “light treason.” George goes to prison, and the spend-happy Bluths are roped in by his straight-man son Michael (the return of Jason Bateman!) to get their lives and livelihood back on track. The odyssey of these down-and-out folks makes for one of the best comedic misadventures to ever grace that proverbial boob tube.

It’s another case of too much of a good thing to last long enough. Arrested Development won several awards, critical acclaim and a devoted “cult-sized” following, but it never got the ratings it needed or deserved, and it was only allowed three seasons to shine. It’s the network/comedic equivalent of Deadwood in that sense. And in that line of thinking, Arrested Development started just as strong, taking an exceptionally well-made pilot episode and straight running with it, not encountering a bad episode in its path. It also featured a diverse ensemble cast of very distinct actors delivering some first-class work in a highly collaborative yet tightly orchestrated creative environment. That’s about where the similarities end, however. Deadwood was on HBO, and allowed to unleash any filthy word that came from the writers’ minds. AD was a show that was fairly naughty as well – it just had to be cuter about it, since it was broadcast on a family network during prime time. But by scaling back the swears (or bleeping whenever necessary) and ratcheting up the subtext, the writers still managed to make plenty of jokes about oedipal conflicts, sexual innuendo, body parts and other scatology, identity crises, self-sustaining narcissism, adolescent angst, aging, alcoholism, sibling rivalry, familial manipulation – and because they seldom swore, they somehow managed to never get offensive. They benefited from their own need to censor, and they often called themselves out on their own trappings (they mined chuckles out of every opportunity they got, always to good effect).

Before it was en vogue, Arrested Development employed a mockumentary styling that really hasn’t been attempted since. Not just content to pretend that their cameras are capturing spontaneity unfolding, the show utilizes abrupt cuts to supplemental materials to help get its point across. Security camera footage, archival footage, family photos, fake posters, website screen shots and various other pieces of imagery to make this fictional tale entrenched in its own alternate reality. And again, I gotta bring up Ron Howard, who narrates the on- (and off-)camera shenanigans succinctly. Not just on-the-ball with keeping the audience up to speed, he also engages in some surreal banter with the onscreen characters. Banter is the wrong word, actually; they do interact, but not directly. For instance, there is a scene where Michael is talking with his brother Gob (pronounced like the biblical Job, but frequently mispronounced as a lump or clot of something gross – it’s actually an acronym for George Oscar Bluth). They both went out to a bar the night before, and recall their misadventures. Michael slept with a blind attorney, while Gob (a pitch perfect Will Arnett) flirted with a woman (played by Arnett’s real life wife Amy Poehler), turning the encounter into a series of escalating dares, wherein they stayed up all night daring each other until they ended up getting married. But by the time they got to their hotel room, it was morning and she had to get to her job (before they could consummate anything).

          MICHAEL: Boy, the lengths you will go to sleep with a woman.
          GOB: Believe me, we didn’t do any sleeping. I had sex last night.

          NARRATOR (offscreen, not missing a beat): But he really didn’t.

          GOB (satisfying himself more than anyone else): Yes, I did…

Howard’s voice is as essential a character as any member of the Bluth family. It’s perfectly in keeping with the off-the-walls approach of the comedy contained within. Even though we don’t see him, Howard’s narrator musters just as many guffaws as the rest of the brilliant cast. It’s a prime example of how nothing goes to waste of this show. Even bit players are every bit as apt to make us laugh out loud. This show is cast to perfection, and holy schlamoly, are there soooo many great actors on call here. The main cast that was assembled couldn’t have congealed more correctly. Casting is a crap shot, because no matter how well any individual is suited to their role, it’s all for nothing if the actors are not able to play well together. For such a random arranging, it sure works well more often than not, and Arrested Development deserves some recognition for this. Not only did it give us a major reason to love Jason Bateman (and that trademark wink of his) all over again, but it introduced us to Michael Cera, Tony Hale and Alia Shawkat. The main cast was incredible, not just for Tambor, Bateman and Arnett, or the new kids; there was Jessica Walther as the hyper- (and hypo-)critical mother Lucielle; and Michael’s twin sister Lindsay was played by Portia de Rossi, who did an amazing job of convincingly portraying a woman attracted to a guy like analysist-therapist (or, analrapist) Tobias Fünke, who was played to never-nude precision by David Cross. It was quite the dysfunctional family lineup, but add to that dozens of characters popping in and out through the fifty-plus episodes. Arrested Development has more talent per capita than any other series on this list, I’d wager. To whit: Dave Attell, Scott Baio, Justine Bateman, John Beard, Ed Begley Jr., Richard Belzer, Zach Braff, Dan Castellaneta, Gary Cole, Mo Collins, Rob Corddry, Bud Cort, Andy Dick, Jeff Garlin, Heather Graham, Judy Greer, Harry Hamlin, Ed Helms, John Michael Higgins, Michael Hitchcock, Clint Howard, Rob Huebel, Thomas Jane, Jamie Jennedy, John Laroquette, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jane Lynch, Jack McBrayer, Kevin McDonald, Liza Minnelli, Martin Mull, Frankie Muniz, Bob Odenkirk, Judge Reinhold, Andy Richter, Rob Riggle, Ian Roberts, Craig Robinson, Andy Samberg, Martin Short, J.K. Simmons, Richard Simmons, Ione Skye, Phyllis Smith, Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Charlize Theron, Dave Thomas, Alan Tudyk, Dick Van Patten, Carl Weathers, Henry Winkler… There’s more, of course, but I think you get the idea. Whether they were on for one episode of several, either as a fictional creation or a farcical self-parody, every person listed brought a new and fully realized character into this chaotically comedic family’s self-absorbed universe.

Since the show’s premature cancellation (though the crew obviously knew it was coming, as the later episodes made many jokes about its impending doom), the cult has remained strong, and thanks to home viewing and the internet, plenty more people have been catching up. There has been a lot of talk about a possible movie, but creator Mitchell Hurwitz has been pretty busy and, in fact, most of the people mentioned above have been doing pretty good for themselves. It’s hard to get that many good people together, and harder still to get them together years later when they’re increasingly famous and tied up. But whether it happens or not, I gotta say, this short-lived show is never short of complete. It’s surprisingly great storytelling, and it’s a new style of comedy that I hope never catches on. Arrested Development has its own style, it makes its own statement, and sometimes I’m thankful that it never had a chance to spoil itself.

BEGINNING & END CREDITS SCORE: 1.5/2

Quick and the point, just like the series itself. Seldom starting with a cold opening, each episode begins with the show’s jumpy theme music and a series of slides introducing the audience to the Bluth family. It’s another good case of a not-too-much-never-too-little type of intro. The end credits theme is a little jazzier, almost like a ‘70s day time talk show, sending out the viewer of a festive vibe.

BEST CHARACTER: Byron “Buster” Bluth (played by Tony Hale)

I love Buster. In a show filled with mostly hard-to-side-with sick and twisted individuals, Buster is one of the few (mostly) good-natured people. The youngest of George Sr. and Lucielle’s kids, he’s a stern foreshadowing of what George Michael (Michael Cera’s character, not to be confused with “the singer/songwriter”) could be, in that he’s endured a life of confinement due an overbearing and highly judgmental parent, and he is often nervous but curious whenever he steps out into the world. He dates a woman his mother’s age (also named Lucielle), and has a disfiguring encounter with a loose seal (get it?) while taking a swim in the ocean. Normally, this kind of character would be a bit of a creep, but Tony Hale played him with a sweetness, naivety and vulnerability that was never less than hilarious, yet always rooted in a strangely relatable sense of longing for acceptance.

BEST SEASON: 2 (of 3 total)

Though it had a slightly shorter run (18 episodes instead of 22), the second season found the show going full speed ahead towards nowhere in particular (though Michael is initially headed for Phoenix, Arizona before he’s ordered by the court to stay in state) with the same temerity and tenacity that made the first so famous. I find the second season to be the best because it’s far enough along to still be going strong, maintaining its continuing storyline with plenty of the good humor that made it so appealing in the first season. And it’s far away from the end of the show’s run that it doesn’t make you wince at the end of each episode as you realize you’re one step closer. This season had plenty of memorable moments: Tobias discovering and becoming a stand-in for the Blue Man Group ("I blue myself!"), the fifteen-year-old Maeby getting a job as a movie studio executive, Tobias and Lindsay deciding to have an “open” relationship, Buster joining the Army (and then getting kicked out by becoming a self-proclaimed monster), George Michael and bland Anne’s (literal) music burning party that turns into a (copying) music burning party, the return of the Hot Cops male dancer squad, Michael & Maeby singing "Afternoon Delight" without realizations its true connotations, Buster’s first drink of alcohol since nursing, Motherboy, Mrs. Featherbottom, Ice the Bounty Hunter/Party Planner, the introduction of Franklin the puppet, and Ron Howard’s sly critiques of shotty narration. And that’s just scratching the surface of what makes this season (and series) such an irreverent masterpiece.

BEST EPISODE: “Pier Pressure” (Season 1, Episode 10)

The set up alone is hilarious: having been scared by his father’s own “valuable life lessons” (achieved through elaborate means and a one-armed wingman), Michael decides he still must teach his son George Michael a lesson when he discovers that the boy is trying to procure pot (assumed to be due to stress from slipping grades in school, but actually to help his Uncle Buster’s girlfriend with her vertigo-induced nausea). But as all the pieces move into place, the set up becomes nothing compared to the pay off scene set at the titular pier. Without giving anything away, a valuable lesson is indeed learned, and the Hot Cops make for lousy police. This is a solid episode, as good as AD gets, and an early example of just how amazing the show is.

BEST MOMENT: “…There’s Always Money In The Banana Stand!!!” (From “Top Banana,” Season 1, Episode 2)

In the second episode of the series, Michael begins to realize just how much trouble the Bluth family is. Consulting his dad in prison, he continues to fret over their well being, to which George Sr. simply clicks his tongue and says, “There’s always money in the banana stand.” Out of options and with nothing left to lose, Michael decides to burn down the banana stand to collect the insurance money (as well as make a statement to his father about taking control of the company’s direction). When he tells George Sr. this, his father suddenly gets exasperated, revealing that there was $250 thousand dollars in cash lining the stand’s walls. As Michael tries to takes this in, the elder Bluth angrily grabs his son and demands, “How much clearer can I say, ‘There’s always money in the banana stand!’?” – it’s a sublime moment, perhaps the best thing Arrested Development (or any good show) can strive for.

SPECIAL CATEGORY

BEST CHARACTER NAME: BOB LOBLAW (played by Scott Baio)

There’s a plethora of interesting names for characters in Arrested Development – Maeby Funke (or, as George Michael often introduces her, “My cousin, Maeby,” which is the double entendre that it reads as), Maggie Lizer (as in “lies her ass off), Gene Parmesan, Kitty Sanchez, “Annyong” – but the best one was easy for me to identify (even if belonged to the character played by Chaci from Happy Days). Unlike choosing my favorite character, I knew exactly who deserved this spot. In fact, who am I kidding? I created this entry especially for Bob Loblaw. A super serious lawyer brought in to replace the incompetent Barry Zuckerkorn (played by the guy who played The Fonz – get it?), Mr. Loblaw has some of the finest advertising on the air (“Why should you go to jail for a crime someone else noticed?” being my favorite) and perhaps the coolest blog name around: The Bob Loblaw Law Blog. Pure tongue-twisting genius. 

Top 10 Albums of 2010

10) THE ROOTS How I Got Over (June 22, 2010)

The Roots remain one of the hardest working bands in the music business (let alone hip-hop). 2010 saw our boys from Philly continue to rock it as Jimmy Fallon’s house band, team up with John Legend to record a bunch of ‘60s and ‘70s protest/soul covers, and somehow even managed to release their highly-anticipated ninth studio album. Though it’s only two remain of the original members that formed in 1988, those two happen to be the most integral to what has kept The Roots such an incendiary band over the last twenty-two years: MC Black Thought (one of the finest in the game, even if his rhymes can be stiff or oblique at times) and drummer ?uestlove (the true driving force behind the band). And this is one of the finest albums The Roots have crafted. Though not the sonic masterpiece that Things Fall Apart (or even Phrenology) is regarded as, How I Got Over is solid, a product of gracious studio tinkering and a fierce understanding of how the last two years have shaped the American conscious. And The Roots continue to let a wide array of guests shine on their spots. Not only do we get the usual suspects (John Legend, Dice Raw, P.O.R.N., Peedi Peedi), but fresher faces show up (Blu, STS, Phonte), not to mention some surprises (Joanna Newsome, Monsters Of Folk [the super group consisting of M. Ward (She & Him), Jim James (My Morning Jacket), Conor Oberst & Mike Mogis (Bright Eyes)], Patty Crash). All this diversity does not distract from the mission statement: The Roots have always been a daring and provoking force, but on How I Got Over, they’ve never been more consise, restrained or methodical. And it all pays off. This is some of their most straightforward songwriting, and the band as well as the fans benefit from this. 2008’s Rising Down was rumored to be their last, but there’s been no word if The Roots plan on calling it quits any time soon. Based on how good these last two albums have been (and all of them, as far I’m concerned), I hope they never stop.

9) TRENT REZNOR & ATTICUS ROSS The Social Network (October 15, 2010)

If you’ve been listening to any Nine Inch Nails since Trent Reznor came out of his drug-and-alcohol haze (pretty much from With Teeth on), then you could probably guess he had a hand in The Social Network score even if you didn’t see his name in the credits. His love for ‘80s synths and sounds has always been prominent in his music, but on this instrumental outing with fellow sound manipulator Atticus Ross, Reznor’s ability to make sounds fill your ear drums in the same way that poetry creates space in the heart owe a lot to the glitches and beeps of the late Reagan era. Seriously, this movie sounds like a video game sometimes. But this is not the say the score exists strictly to give some sort of symbolism to the whole computer/digital aspect of the story. This album could work on its own, branching off of NIN’s all-instrumental album Ghosts to masterful effect, but it also makes for one of the most interesting sounding films. Considering that film is pretty much 50% sound (audio/visual), it’s amazing how we don’t crave as much originality audibly as we do visually. Evoking the same feelings of paranoia, drive, frustration and destruction that make the man such a creative and motivated force to contend with (I'm speaking about Zuckerberg as much as Reznor), the score contained within The Social Network proves that disbanding the Nails may have not been the worst decision Trent ever made.

8) KAYNE WEST My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (November 22, 2010)

Here’s why Kanye’s still on the list: Fuck the politics. Kanye is not any god’s gift to our ears, nor is he some completely idiotic regurgitation of hip-hop. What I’m trying to say is he’s not quite as extreme as a lot of people make him out to be. There are three Kanye Wests: 1) The beatmaker. 2) The MC. 3) The human being. I’m a fan of the first guy, which means I have to put up with the second guy (who can seldom backup the size of his ego with skill), but the third guy doesn’t have to factor one iota into the music at hand. And let’s talk about that: the music. Sonically adventurous in the extreme, the ridiculously titled My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (I miss the simplicity of his college-themed album names) is the very definition of what people mean when they say that Kanye’s a creative genius of sampling, this time dipping extensively into rock ‘n roll (from chopping up the Beatles to collaborating with Bon Iver). Admittedly, his overblown sense of himself does allow for a diverse amount of larger-than-life productions, and this album is probably his least cringe-worthy from the microphone’s point of view (too bad the same can't be said for his guest spot on "Erase Me," which is the only reason Kid Cudi's song didn't make my Top 10 Songs list). Most of Mr. West’s guest stars don’t add a whole lot to the equation (“Gorgeous” being the obvious exception), but they never detract from the glory going on (although I’m starting to join my sister in wanting to hate on Nicki Minaj). But this album is far from flawless. It’s certainly not the hip-hop album of the year that 85% of the music publications made it out to be (and then retracted later, in some cases), but it is Mr. West doing a decent job of apologizing for that whole Taylor Swift thing. Keep ‘em coming, Kanye. And if you feel you have some instrumental albums in you, go with it.

7) ROBERT PLANT Band Of Joy (September 13, 2010)

Proving that the best bands know how to do a mean cover as much as rock an original, Robert Plant’s new supergroup Band Of Joy (also consisting of Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller and Darrel Scott) have released an album of musical bliss that is timeless. Timeless in the sense that this album feels like it could have been written and recorded at any point in time over the past fifty years. This isn’t the first time since Led Zeppelin broke up that Plant has put out a near-classic album; 2007’s Raising Sand with Alison Krauss was pretty sweet music to my ears. But Plant and his Band really go to some deep and exotic places here, with as much skill as the days he was rolling with Page, Jones and Bonham. And there’s not a wasted track on here. Nothing is redundant, but nothing is abrasively different, either. The album meshes well, a fitting tribute to Zeppelin’s album-oriented rock. This is the type of album to get lost in, where the space within the sound suggests lots of wide open places. Band of Joy achieve a majestic sense of near-mysticism that only the best bands in the world can. And Plant has already been in one of those bands once, which makes the idea of this album’s success even more splendid (and mysterious).

6) SADE Soldier Of Love (February 5, 2010)

Nobody takes their time between albums like Sade. It’s been a decade since Lovers Rock, but Sade the singer always carries herself with a confidence that anything she puts out is going to be worth your undivided attention, and her eponymous band can always back that coolness up. In many ways, Sade (the band) still sound like a product of the 1980s, but they continue to elevate, incorporating new elements into their sound with each new album that refuses to buck to the trends that have came and gone between each absence. And yet they will always be that band that you play when it’s time to cool out, preferably with someone lovely nearby. Seduction remains eternal, and so too shall be baby-makin’ music. Sade the singer benefitted tremendously from never trying too hard to be the center of the celebrity that is Sade the music. I think this is what has allowed her to not get swallowed up by the media blitzkriegs that try to turn people into icons. Ms. Adu simply knows how to communicate longing, need, desire, passion and loss better than most that have tried to take her place, and that’s had nothing to with her looks and everything to do with her band’s solid sounds that have helped listeners slip through the night a little more smoothly all these years.

5) KERMIT RUFFINS Happy Talk (October 26, 2010)

This is my kind of jazz. Some call it a bunch of other things that do and don’t apply, but in the end, I don’t know what else to call music that jumps, skips, bogeys and hops so endlessly and effortlessly as the kind of music that NOLA native Kermit Ruffins can play. Every time he makes an album, there’s another good excuse in this world to dance the day away. Though it’s hard to experience the excitement of seeing such a warm and charming musician without living in New Orleans (or watching Tremé), you can still feel the good vibrations coming from this eternally optimistic trumpter all over his newest album. Flying through a few classic Louis Armstrong (an undeniable influence) numbers including my favorite “Hey Look Me Over,” Sam Cooke’s “Ain’t That (Good News),” and a funky Latin-spiced version of “If I Only Hand A Brain,” not to mention some get-ya-swingin’ originals – my personally preferred being the swampy blues big band closer “New Orleans (My Home Town).” Like Bob Marley or Marvin Gaye, Kermit Ruffins is the kind of guy we could use more of to bring some much need positivity to this world. Sometimes the answer to life’s woes and wonders is nothing more than some good music to move to. Look and listen no further than this barbeque master and bandleader who is all about the good times to provide you with all you need to get your party going.

4) GIRL TALK All Day (November 15, 2010)

Mashups have existed before the digital age, they just had to be covered by highly talented musicians (a prime example: The Afghan Whigs’ hybrid of “My World Is Empty Without You” and “Ain’t Nothing But A G Thang”). Turntables and samplers certainly have expanded the possibilities like never before, but with the infinite access came market saturation, and mashups just haven’t quite been the club owners that they were for a while mid-last-decade. This is a shame, because there’s still room for plenty of exploration, at least as far I’m concerned. Girl Talk is proof of this, though I know that seems like stretching it. Gregg Gillis is certainly no DJ Shadow, but he has shown some exceptional skill in blending beats and syncing songs over the last few years. And on All Day, he has maintained his knack for blending instantly recognizable pop hooks into insanely danceable “new” material. People can continue to discredit the art and science of loving re-playing your favorite records, but High Fidelity got it right, and people like Mr. Gillis are keeping it a steady rockin’ scene when they control the speakers at the clubs. Some of the best house parties I’ve been to had nothing more than a keg of Kokanee and Girl Talk CDs playing all night; they were the best because there was always alcohol accessible and the females never had a chance to stop dancing. Which makes All Day important for the new wave of kids who want to party but don’t have a DJ handy.

3) DAS RACIST* Sit Down, Man (September 14, 2010)

*I think it’s meant to be pronounced as “Dat’s Racist!” without the T (as opposed to German for “the” type of Das)

Hip-hop is a weird thing: some people still think of it as some fad (despite the fact that it’ll be forty in 2012), nothing to take with any musical seriousness; others take it so seriously that they’d have you believe it’s saving the world. People are so unswerving about hip-hop that it’s hard for them to take any rapper seriously if he or she deviates from the standard template. There are no openly homosexual rappers, and funny guys like MC Chris are labeled “nerd core” while multi-syllabic rhyme sayers like Slug are “emo-hop” or “backpack rap.” Yet some of the most visionary artists in the field (or any other) are the ones who eschew these conventional notions and simply present something as they see it (or hear it), while others are simply too busy having a good time to care what anyone else might think about their so call “artistic expression.” I’m not sure if Das Racist is more of the former or the latter, but neither is the point. What is important is this: Das Racist are making some of the most fun, funny, perplexing, freaky, self-aware-without-a-hint-of-self-conscious music I have ever heard. MCs Himanshu Suri and Victor Vazquez spit verbal somersaults of university-level cultural references, outlandishly crude jokes and profoundly poetic metaphors that blend together so seamlessly it’s hard to tell if this is all a big joke about rap or the next important voice of it. The density of their rhyming reminds me of the layers-upon-layers of sound found in the production of the seminal Beastie Boys album Paul’s Boutique – there’s a million things in a minute, all of it impossible to intake and decipher on the first listen. These guys make Ghostface Killa’s liquid fire raps look like boring declarative statements (and this is no disrespect to GFK). They cram so many literary references into a single line that you’d be too busy wondering how they make it look so easy if you weren’t having so much fun nodding along. The reason this mixtape wins over Shut Up, Man (another freebie, released earlier in 2010) is because the beats better match the elastic and chaotic stylings of the MCs. Forget that this is "only a mixtape" - this is the most off-the-cuff, yet easiest to enjoy, hip-hop album of the year.

2) DEFTONES Diamond Eyes (May 4, 2010)

More than any other album I picked, this album has a history that makes it all the heavier and more lyrically significant for the circumstances behind its creation. For Deftones fans, this is an album born of tragedy and perseverance. But to the casual listener, Diamond Eyes comes off as an energetic, almost upbeat record. Either way, it’s leagues better than bands that have been around this long should be making. It’s the kind of album that makes me seriously consider the possibility of listening to this stuff in my 60s, the way my father’s generation keeps blasting the Stones and Led Zeppelin. Deftones are still mostly under the radar for those not into heavy music specifically, but they make some of the most consistently engaging, interesting, and (more often than not) sexy music in hard rock over the last sixteen years. Something about Chino Moreno’s croon-to-scream and the band’s tight-wound and full-force wall of sound get people feeling very dark and primal things. Diamond Eyes was written and recorded in a six-month period after bassist Chi Cheng was put into a coma after surviving an auto accident. Despite this setback, while waiting for their friend to recover, the Deftones have endured. Enlisting Sergio Vega, they scrapped their previously planned (and mostly recorded) album Eros and decided to create something fresh to reflect their new state of mind. Instead of wallowing in misery, the ‘tones recorded what may be their most steady rockin’ album to date. Stephen Carpenter’s angular and anxious riffs grab each song by the collar and shakes it within an inch of its life, and drummer Abe Cunningham continues to implement the kind of spot-on hip-hip-influenced crisp beats that makes him one of the most underrated drummers in rock and roll history. Frank Delgado’s keys add textures and dimensions to the soundscape more clearly and effectively than ever before. And Sergio pays deft homage to Cheng, giving just the right amount of hammering thunder, the kind that would make Chi proud (the only thing Vega can’t replicate are Cheng’s shrill call-and-response screams). Note for note, this is not only one of the best albums of the year, but the best Deftones album since 2000’s breakthrough White Pony (a “metal” album that incoporated balladry, glitch and trip-hop to grand effect, reaching platinum status and winning the band a Grammy, and continues to influence both the Deftones sound and modern heavy business in general). If you’ve never given Deftones a try, there’s no better place to start then here.

1) THE BLACK KEYS Brothers (May 18, 2010)

If I say that it sounds like the Black Keys aren’t even trying anymore, I hope it doesn’t come off like I’m accusing them of phoning it in. Rather, the Keys have gotten so good at getting all the sound they can out of guitars and drums (with occasional flashes of keyboards or horns) that they make it seem almost too easy. Brothers isn’t deviating in any way from the progression that the Black Keys have been maintaining over the last decade, which is to say that they're making music that feels timeless all over again. Most musicians that have been so good for so long like the Keys have are either burned out or trying too hard to maintain that same fire; not the case here. Instead, we have our good ol’ Akron boys simply grooving to superior effect. It’s amazing how much two guys can get out their instruments, and the key to that is succinctness. The Black Keys have never really been about overdoing anything. Sure, they’ve incorporated many musical elements into their formula (I'm especially feeling the old school R&B flourishes on this release), but the Keys always stick with what works: Dan Auerbach’s singin' the blues while strummin' away as drummer Patrick Carney plays just the right amount of sanctified percussion to get the boogie where it needs to be. Brothers is a tight collection of 15 solid songs, quite a feat in an age where albums are becoming increasingly marginalized, yet largely continuing to consist of mostly filler tracks padding a good single or two. The Black Keys haven’t put out a bad song or album yet, and what makes Brothers so significant is that it seems so insignificant. This doesn’t try to be a big album in any sort of way. Even the rather basic cover does nothing to try to elicit anything extra out of you. All you’re getting here is good old-fashioned soul-manufactured music, pure and simple. 

Top 10 Songs of 2010

10) SEX BOMB-OMB We Are Sex Bob-Omb ("I got a breathalyzer..."*)

“WE ARE SEX BOB-OMB AND WE’RE HERE TO MAKE YOU THINK ABOUT DEATH AND GET SAD AND STUFF!” They sure did nail what I suspected Sex Bob-Omb sounded like as I read the original Scott Pilgrim books when it came time to make the movie. It’s amazing how punk can still seem fresh, and even more so when you realize there’s no electric guitar here – mostly just crashing drums and heavily distorted bass, with a little hint of acoustic strumming to match the coldly cooing vocals, all marching to an anarchic cadence that just keeps on getting louder. Sure, it’s just a song for a soundtrack, but this nifty number nails the spirit of indie rockin’ better than most so-called indie rockers out there this day and age.
*One of the few intelligible lyrics.
-Hear It Here

9) ROBYN Dancing On My Own ("Stilettos and broken bottles/I'm spinning around in circles")

Robyn’s been doing her thing for some time now, and whenever she owns the clubs it puts both the DJs and the dancers at ease, because Robyn has always known how to create instantly catchy pop vocals to match an insanely crowd-moving beat. Her return this year was fierce, with three amazing EPs (or one fantastic album, take your pick) of never-ending rhythm and loveable melodies sure to keep bodies swaying and mouths lip-synching. Still, from over 20 songs released within the year, “Dancing On My Own” shines as the most classic return to form for this long-absent dance hall queen.
-See The Video

8) FLOATER Wondering ("Are you ever gonna take it as far as you're afraid to go?")

It’s almost unfair to include a song from a  power trio based out of Eugene-cum-Portland, OR that have yet to break out of the cult status that has sustained them for nearly two decades. But this almost-annoyingly catchy tune from Floater’s new album Wake is better than most of the crap that passes itself off as rock on the radio these days, for one very important reason: cohesion met by clarity. While not the best representation of the Floater sound (then again, they are such a diverse band; no song is), this tune shows just how good these guys are at songwriting, crafting a hit that lasts just over two minutes and gets every note of “aww yeah” rocking that it can out of it. It’s one of those songs that are so short and sweet that you don’t mind playing it again. And again. And again.
-See Them Play It Live
-Hear It Here

7) SHE & HIM Gonna Get Along Without You Now ("...cos I didn't like you anyhow")

M. Ward and Z. Desch continue to long for the days when the car radio blared sunny country sing-alongs, and their earphoric trips down memory lane keep me confident that Patsy Cline would be proud. Their Volume Two album isn’t quite as mythic as One, but it still has many timeless moments. The first two singles (“Thieves” and “In The Sun,” both originals written by Mrs. Benjamin Gibbard herself) are already classics to me, but it’s their cover of Milton Kellem’s “Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now” that shows just how fun this grouping remains (and counters the sort of slow-burn sadness that they achieved earlier with their rendition of “You Really Got A Hold On Me”). I dare anyone who hears it to resist in clapping and “uh-huh, mm-hmm”ing in unison with the rest of the band.
-Hear It Here

6) ATMOSPHERE The Best Day ("You not alone, it's hard as hell/But don't waste no time feeling sorry for self")

Though they didn’t release a proper full-length follow up to 2008’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Hold, Atmosphere did give us a new offering in the form of so-called EPs released together as a “it’s-not-our-next-album” twelve-track deal called <draws breath> To All My Friends, Blood Makes The Blade Holy. Whatever. Though they decided on the touching “Freefallin'” as their official single, I’m giving it up to much more toe-tappin’ “The Best Day,” which rides a Southern soul piano riff and a stripped down blues guitar pluck-and-strum into a head-nodding beat provided by the still-exquisite producer Ant. And Slug stays true to form, giving us his clever wordplay and crafty takes on workday doldrums, reminding us that artists and average Joes alike are just looking for the next good song to free us from the slavery of our daily living.
-See The Video

5) BROKEN BELLS The Ghost Inside ("Just like a whiskey bottle drained on the floor...")

My new favorite duo is the collaborative effort between Danger Mouse and James Mercer, two of the early century’s greatest aural entertainers. Danger Mouse is a producer and multi-instrumentalist who first came to prominence by seamlessly mixing Jay-Z and the Beatles to illegal but immaculate success (The Grey Album). James Mercer is the singer-songwriter for arguably the most important indie rock band of the last decade (The Shins). Together, they’re created bouncy but dusty vintage pop-rock that is as fun as it is melancholy. This latter descriptive is fairly new to the musical masterminds’ output, and it’s nice to seem them embracing their more mature tendencies to let a song ride on more than swinging exuberance or optimistic sheen. This song, like the rest of the album, will keep you grinning somewhat misanthropically while nodding your head, whether it’s at a late night house party or alone in your bedroom.

-See The Video

4) BIG BOI Shutterbugg ("A beehive, cos now everybody buzzin' around me/Could it be the way that the verse's sounding?")

Hot damn, Big Boi can still run that mile-a-minute mouth of his into some of the most interstellar beats in the world of hip-hop. He took some time before dropping his first solo album, but when he did, he wisely decided to drop us all into the middle of one of the thickest slices of pure freshtastic free-range Southern rap ever to grace the charts (which is saying a lot considering he’s a part of Outkast). Producers everywhere must be jealous of Scott Storch and Big Boi for creating the most freaky, futuristic beat of the year, the kind of sound that warmly demands you to roll your windows down and crank the volume up as you shake around in your seat driving around in your ride. It kept the summer cool and the winter warm, and if all of Big Boi’s solo joints are going to spark like this, then André can take his sweet-ass time until his own solo work (or that hopeful Outkast reunion).
-See The Video

3) SPOON Written In Reverse ("Some people are so easily shuffled and dealt")

Spoon has been one of the more consistent rock bands in recent music making, and their minimalism has progressed surprisingly well considering how basic many of their bangers can seem. “Written In Reverse” is no exception. Though it was released as a single in December ’09, the album it was on (Transference) didn’t come out till January. It wasn’t quite as well received as the highlight of their catalogue (still Kill The Moonlight), but the album didn’t have a weak song in it. That confident swagger, those sinister hooks delivered by tight playing, and the dashing Britt Daniels’s love for twisted lyrics are what keep Spoon such a riveting rock band, and “Written In Reverse” is a thrashing touchstone of their loud and lasting legacy.
-See The Video This version is slightly different from the studio version, but a great example of what kind of live band Spoon is. They can build upon the staccato simplicity to remarkable effect.

2) ALOE BLACC I Need A Dollar ("Bad times are comin' and I reap what I don't sow")

With a smoothly distressed voice like Bill Withers, and an understanding of music production that rivals Kanye West and Smokey Robinson alike, Aloe Blacc is a modern day soul impresario, incorporating blues, R&B, Latin, jazz and hip-hop to strong effect by keeping things as simple as possible. It’s really all about the beat and the singing, and Aloe knows it. You may recognize “I Need A Dollar” as the theme song for HBO’s How To Make It In America, but the song stands up on its own – not just for its piano-driven down home funk, but for the idea that these are hard times for poor workin’ folk – as a pop anthem for our times (and a great way to kick off the his solid album Good Things). Blacc’s songs are fresh bursts of oxygen for the soul, and “I Need A Dollar” is the freshest hit of them all.
-See The Video

1) THE TWILIGHT SINGERS Blackbird and the Fox ("Cold blooded, but some like it freezing...")

Anything new by Greg Dulli is cause for celebration, and he has been pulling off some fantastic collaborations lately (Mark Lanegan, Joseph Arthur, Apollonia, Petra Haden and Shawn Smith are amongst the most recent lucky ducks). His latest Twilight Singers single (the first from his eagerly anticipated Dynamite Steps album) finds him dueting with fellow New Orleans adoptee Ani DiFranco for a dusky little ditty, a rollicking bar anthem as seductive as the right drinks with the right stranger in the wrong hole in the wall getaway. It's unclear which singer is which role, but the band encapsulates both the calm before the storm and the splendor of the squalor of a night on the town, the kind of experience where anything seems possible in a very sleazy kind of way. And then it ignites itself on lustful fire, blowing up and burning out into one of the brightest crescendos I had heard all last year.
-Hear It Here

Top 10 Movies of 2010

10) HOT TUB TIME MACHINE (Written by Josh Heald & Sean Anders & John Morris; Directed by Steve Pink)

This mostly-1986-set/all-‘80s-spoofing movie should not have been that good, let alone great. The obvious title, the ridiculous throwbacks, the ludicrous plotline and jokes… All of this shouldn’t have worked. But the solid cast (from ‘80s comedy prince John Cusack to Office and Apatow alum Craig Robinson and Childrens Hospital creator Rob Corddry to icons-of-the-time Chevy Chase, Crispin Glover, Billy Zabka) kept the mood light and casual, acknowledging that this was all too stupid to take seriously. Even as a “high concept” (a Hollywood term for an idea that could have only been conceived while inebriated) film, Hot Tub Time Machine turned out to be best straight-up comedy of the year.

9) PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 2 (Written by Michael R. Parrty & Christopher Landon & Tom Pabst; Directed by Tod Williams)

Yeah, it was pretty much the same thing, but this prequel/sequel did do a great job of maintaining the psychological terror that made the first one so fascinating. The minimalist moviemaking was expanded just enough to include a full family, most endearingly a dog and baby (to really dig at our fearful sensibilities). Though the ending of the Oren Peli's original  was far spookier, I would say that Paranormal Activity 2 is consistently more thrilling, quickly picking up the momentum of where the first one left one and upping the game (as sequels are wont to do). I’m actually curious enough that I’ll probably check out this year’s third installment.

8) GREENBERG (Written by Noah Baumbach & Jennifer Jason Leigh; Directed by Noah Baumbach)

Noah Baumbach is the king of slow-drip dramedy, having scored well with Kicking And Screaming and The Squid & The Whale, both powerful glimpses at awkwardness, doubt and insight amongst socially dysfunctional adults, usually from wealthy East Coast towns. Greenberg nicely mixes this Atlantic attitude with a West Coast setting, and Baumbach continues to mix humility and humanity into his humor with a grace few possess. Ben Stiller (playing a former mental patient who comes home to L.A. from N.Y.C. to do specifically nothing) proves that he can still do a great job of acting with nuance and subtlety (remember Permanent Midnight and The Royal Tenenbaums?), and Greta Gerwig matches his inexplicable strangeness with her own like it ain’t no thing. Every year of film is filled with idiosyncratic little movies about the emotionally existential crises that occur amongst everyday people, but few actually transcend the genre and work as simply great cinema. Greenberg is a rare exception, a winning comedy about spiritual inertia and hesitation that also has plenty of juicy dramatic moments to remind us of how weird we people can be to each other.

7) TRUE GRIT (Written for the screen by The Coen Brothers, based on the novel by Charles Portis; Directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen)

The Coen Brothers again fail to disappoint, sticking close to Portis's novel (that was also the basis for the 1969 film that finally won John Wayne an Oscar) and staying devoted to a genre instead of subverting it. I’m not going to bother comparing the two films, because they’re way different beasts. But the fine performances from Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Barry Pepper and especially Hailee Steinfeld, and the astonishing cinematography by Coen Bros. regular Roger Deakins, make for one well-crafted Western, a surprisingly funny story of revenge and a harsh critique about survival. Can’t wait to see what you unleash upon us next, Two-Headed Director, but thanks for wrapping up 2010 so sweetly.

6) SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (Written for the screen by Michael Bacall & Edgar Wright, based on the graphic novels by Bryan Lee O'Malley; Directed by Edgar Wright)

Michael Cera has slowly but steadily been expanding beyond his bumbling-nervous George Michael archetype that made him famous in the first place, and he does so to his best effect here. After slightly missing the adaptation of Youth In Revolt (still a good one, just nowhere near as good as the book), he redeems himself by teaming with Shaun Of The Dead/Hot Fuzz director Wright and completely nailing it when it came time to translate O’Malley’s beloved slacker hero into a silver screen champion. The supporting players are perfectly cast, and I can’t imagine how they could have pulled this movie off any better. It didn’t do well at the box office, but I don’t know if I had more fun at the theater this year. Here’s hoping it becomes the cult classic it ought to be.

5) 127 HOURS (Written by Simon Beaufoy & Danny Boyle, based on the novel "Between a Rock and a Hard Place" by Aron Ralston; Directed by Danny Boyle)

Despite loving most of Danny Boyle’s work, I was not the biggest fan of Slumdog Millionaire, a movie that robbed far more deserving ones of Best Picutre awards. But damn if he didn’t make up for it with this one, turning a true story about a guy getting his arm trapped beneath a boulder into something not only exciting but also affecting. Boyle and über-artist James Franco deliver some of their finest work by vividly and crazily recapturing the five most harrowing days of Aron Ralston’s life. Largely centered on Franco’s flawless performance (and Boyle’s continued use of strangely articulate camera shots), I’m hoping this one above all else gets the major nominations. And notice I haven’t even mentioned the inevitable but still climactic ending, one of the most cringe-worthy endings of the decade.

4) THE SOCIAL NETWORK (Written by Aaron Sorkin, based on "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich; Directed by David Fincher)

I don’t want to encourage David Fincher if it’s true that the fantastic first scene of “Facebook The Film” took 99 takes to finish, but being a perfectionist does pay off, and it speaks volumes about what the drive to create something can do to a person. The story of the rise of a powerful new type of asshole isn’t actually a biopic about the real Mark Zuckerberg per se; Sorkin merely wanted to define the cynicism and drive within the past decade of youth culture and found a perfectly nonpolitical way to do so by using the creation of Facebook as the backdrop for a rise to power/fall to disgrace story. Jesse Eisenberg gives his greatest performance by unhinging the sensitivity that usually accompanies him and unleashing it with powerful dialogue and disapproving stares that make him one of the finest actors of my generation. The supporting players are just as fun to watch (I especially loved Armie Hammer as both of the Winklevoss twins), but I’m sure it’s Eisenberg who’s gonna get all the awards for this picture.

3) TOY STORY 3 (Written by Michael Arndt & John Lasseter & Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich; Directed by Lee Unkrich)

Probably the best opening scene of the year, definitely the best 3-Dquel of the year (take that Piranha and Jackass) and undoubtedly the best family film in a long while – Toy Story 3 was a winning achievement all around. The screenplay was written by the guy who wrote Little Miss Sunshine, which may account for its dramatic touches. Toy Story 3, for all its adventurism and enthusiasm for imagination, is a surprisingly effective meditation on how time marches on (even for timeless seeming toys), while continuing the series's trend of reminding us of the fact that love does not always sustain the its same level of intensity over time (though the strong sense of sentimentality will continue to creep on those still affected by something as simple as a toy). It’s nice that Pixar has taken their time with the Toy Story sequels, because each has been just as good as the first (which was the first completely computer animated feature-length film made, opening the floodgates for all kinds of family fare – the good, bad and ugly) – in fact, the third is arguably the best yet. Not just the top-grossing film of the year, Toy Story 3 is everything a cartoon (and indeed, a movie) should be – it’s seldom that a third installment of any franchise is so competent. And how cool is it of Disney & Pixar to keep kickin’ it old school by also giving us another brilliant animated short (this time, Day & Night) before the main attraction?

2) INCEPTION (Written & Directed by Christopher Nolan)

Wow, Christopher Nolan, you just won’t stop, will you? Inception was the thrill ride of the year, a cinematic coup de grace against dreams themselves, spinning a what-it-is-it-ain’t subconscious heist film not quite like any other. From the shoot-‘em-‘up-ski-‘em-down to the taking-forever-for-that-van-to-fall-off-that-bridge sequences, the astonishing visuals are some of the most memorable in Nolan’s already adventurous career. Great performances from a stellar ensemble cast, and every scene generates more momentum than the last, until it all comes to a dizzying end, the kind that demands immediate rewatching. The fact that this was all a little detour while Nolan prepares to follow up the amazing Dark Knight with the last of his Batman trilogy makes this feat all the more impressive (then again, there’s a reason we all expected this to be the biggest movie of the summer – The Prestige was Nolan’s “little film” hot off the heels of Batman Begins, and look how that turned out).

1) BLACK SWAN (Written by Mark Heyman & Andrés Heinz & John J. McLaughin; Directed by Darren Aronofsky)

Darren Aronofksy’s really been coming into his own all over again with his last two features. Don’t get me wrong, I love each of the man’s movies, but The Fountain was fairly impenetrable, and I was wondering just where the weirdo director was going to go after that. But then came The Wrestler, which was about as mainstream as we’ve seen the man come (it was still a very brutal movie going experience, but certainly easier to follow than Pi). And then he’s come forth with what might be his best film of all, maybe better than Requiem For A Dream even. A strange and nightmarish recreation of Tchaikovsky’s beloved ballet Swan Lake, Black Swan is ostensibly about a girl vying for a coveted part amongst her fellow dancers but really about the darkness within each of us finding a way to emerge. Matthew Libatque’s camerawork and Clint Mansell’s score help the director push his star (a toned, twirling and teetering Natalie Portman) towards a chaotic climax, making for one harrowing and haunting trip all along the way. Not a frame is wasted in this vision of physical madness and mental descent.

Aarship's Top 10 of 2010

Now that 2010 is actually over, I feel obliged to deliver my lists for what I felt were the best. It irks me that most critics release their Best Of The Year lists in December  - not just because there’s still that last month of the year, but because it’s important to take a bit of time to let the year settle and strip away some of the hype when viewing something in context. I was going to take a little more time, in all honesty, but that emerging Academy Awards list (released annually sometime in mid-January) urged me to see how close I got with my picks (not that I’m ever known to be in sync with the Academy).

Each day of the week, Aarship will be unveiling a Top 10 list for the year. Of course, I should admit that as one person, I have not sampled everything that was offered. What can I say? It’s hard to keep up. But the joy is in the journey, and I had a lot of fun with what are now last year’s engaging entertainments. And this gives ample opportunity for others to remind me of what I missed. May the mud slinging and list clipping begin!

7. Deadwood (How The West Was Undone)

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