10 for 2010- WHERE ARE THEY NOW? //

It’s only appropriate for us to tell you how right we were when we made our predictions for bands to watch in 2010. So before we tell you who’s going to kill it in 2011, let us reflect… and GLOAT!

The above chart from NextBigSound.com shows how artists trend online through fan counts, song plays and comments. With almost 15 million fans, Drake was our best prediction followed by Local Natives, Fanfarlo and Screaming Females. Read below for a synopsis of each band/artists awesome year and please leave a comment and tell us that we told you so!

#1 Hank and Cupcakes- Hank and Cupcakes have a special place in our hearts.They are helped us celebrate our 1 year anniversary at the Glasslands last week. If you’ve ignored our affinity for them in the past year, its your loss! Check out pictures from our 1 Year Anniversary last week here.

#2 Local Natives- One of 2010’s most anticipated bands made themselves one of 2010’s most celebrated albums. Gorilla Manor made countless Top Albums of 2010 lists across the web including here at MV, and other reputable sources like Paste Magazine. We definitely told you so!

#3 Fanfarlo- These SXSW Veterans had a very Hollywood 2010 with multiple late night TV appearances and their songs were featured in movies like The Twilight Saga: Eclipse and Going the Distance.

#4 Zach Deputy- Releasing a few new singles in 2010, Zach Deputy, continues to delight his fans and acquire new ones. Touring extensively in the first half of 2011, fans lit up the dance floor on Jam Cruise this week.

#5 Neon Indian- Neon Indian took off like a rocket this year after releasing, Psychic Chasms on Lefse Records also the home of Keepaway.  After receiving tons of love from every important music publication out there and of course all the NYC and Brooklyn locals he took the show on the road and even made an appearance on in February of 2010, on NBC’s Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.  

#6 Drake- This artist blew up so big that they had to cancel his free show on the Seaport in NYC this summer because the crowds got so big they were blocking traffic and the city was afraid for the public’s safety. You saw him perform with Jay-Z and Eminem even before he had dropped his first LP.  Pretty good for a guy who then had no label and only a mix tape out.  Although, everyone tapped Drake as someone to have major success in 2010 I don’t think anyone knew how big he’s actually be. Most recently he has collaborated with top artists like Rhianna and Nicki Minaj.

#7 Angus and Julia Stone- Another band making our Top Albums of 2010

#8 Stryk Nine- For 5+ years, these guys have been rockin the Boston area and beyond and 2011 was no exception. It was a big year for the “Boston Metalcore” group who just released their new single, The Life I Want. Highlights of the year include a shows with The Misfits, Soulfly and Powerman 5000 and the boys kick-off 2011 with a tour down south. Love metal? Show your support by “liking” them on Facebook… because we told you last year!

#9 Screaming Females- The Screaming Females have had a great 2010.  They played the MOG music CMJ party with DOM and Yo La Tengo to a packed house at Brooklyn Bowl this year as well as Siren Fest on Coney Island this summer. Buzz has been building and anyone who can rip guitar and write lyrics like that deserves praise and attention.  They started in New Jersey’s basement underground with two mini albums, Baby Teeth, 2007 and What If Someone Was Watching Their TV, which has since been reissued.  After signing with Don Giovanni Records they released their first official LP, Power Move.  2010 saw the release of Castle Talk, by far the groups strongest and most polished album. If you’re a true rocker you will fall in love with this album. We predict that Screaming Females will have a killer year in 2011 too and that Castle Talk will become a classic.  We already consider it as a favorite in our archive.

#10 Keepaway- Babystyle made our Top Albums of 2010, you didn’t see that coming?

Favorite Label of 2010//Underwater Peoples 

Yes, they killed it at CMJ, yes all the artists are polite, personable and VERY talented, but that’s besides the point because you can be a total doucher and make amazing music and people will love you regardless, buy your albums, and pay an obscene amount of money to come to your shows (Kanye) I’m not a hater, love all the albums, just sayin.  Music fans are very forgiving.

But seriously, lets talk about the talent on this Label.  Ducktails, Julian Lynch, Family Portrait, Real Estate, Alex Bleeker and The Freaks, Tennis, Sad City the list goes on and on.  At the least, you know you know one of these bands and you have probably told all your musichead friends about them.  AND at least one or more of these bands will be on our who to watch for 2011 list. If for some ODD reason you’ve never heard of this label and never seen any of these bands you are missing out. Do your ears a favor, save some face.  You will fall in love with this label, the people and their message.

ABOUT:

Underwater Peoples aims to discover, release, and promote new artists with a progressive vision. We are striving to build a collective without the confines of genre, instead focusing on individuality and exceptionality. Underwater Peoples is unique in its endevor to maintain and foster a creative atmosphere that encourages collaboration between our artists, new and old.

We stand for our artists, their music stands for itself.  

Underwater Peoples

-music from my ears. to yours. with love. jp

Honorable Mentions//10 Albums That Almost Made Our Top 50 of 2010

For those of you who are already nostalgic for 2010 here is a list of 10 albums that didn’t make our top 50 but we still think they deserve some attention.  

1. Neil Young - Le Noise

2. Wavves - King of The Beach 

3. Bear in Heaven - Beast Rest Forth Mouth 

4. Incan Abraham - Adult World EP

5. Mikky Ekko-Blues

6. Strange Rivals - Proxy Wars EP

7. jj - jj n°2

8. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. – Horse Power EP

9. Here we go magic - Pigeons

10. Grinderman - Grinderman 2

MV’s Top Albums of 2010 // #10-1

We’re done, yipppiiieee!  Thanks for sticking with us while we counted down our favorite 50 albums of this year.  It was a taxing, but enjoyable feat and we hope you had as much fun reading about the albums and watching the accompanying videos as we did writing about them and putting together our list.  PEACEOUT 2010!! Looking forward to another awesome year of music in 2011.

10. David Byrne & Fatboy Slim - Here Lies Love

Another concept album, yippie! Sharon Jones teams up with David Byrne and Fatboy Slim to tell the story ofImelda Marcos, former First Lady of the Philippines. The disco-y interpretation of her life is set to take to the theatrical stage in the future, but for now we can picture what it would have been like to live in Imelda’s shoes throughTori Amos, Cyndi Lauper, Sia, Florence Welsh (of Florence and the Machine) and Santigold.

9. The National - High Violet

Most of us love The National some of us don’t.  If you’re an fan you are sure to love this album filled with sad songs, that deep unforgettable voice and the memorable brass and strings section to accompany it all.

8. Jonsi - Go

the lead singer of Sigur Rós first solo effort with moving lyrics and a voice that could move angels to tears. 

7. Here we go magic - Pigeons

The expanded line-up has been described as “psychedelic electro-folk” and walking “the line between ambient hypnotica and melodic indie rock” Whatever way you want to categorize it is up to you, no matter what it’s all good.

6. Robyn - Body Talk

Cooper says, “I like pop music. Even kind of dance-y top-40-y pop, when it’s done so so right. In this case, it’s the mix of personality (confidence and vulnerability in the right places), song writing and top-notch production.”

5. Earl Sweatshirt - Earl

The first thing that people fixate on is that Earl Sweatshirt put this album together at 16 years of age. The more important thing is that he is a lyrical phenom, with the casual, slant-rhyming swagger that sets the most talented rappers (Eminem and Lil Wayne apply here) apart from the herd. Earl raps like he was born to do it — he’s the breakout star in hiding from the rising LA-based rap clique OFWGKTA. And yeah, he’s 16.

4. Harlem - Hippies 

This is their second album. They are a scuzzy sounding 3-peice garage band that sounds like Nirvana and a little Clap Your Hands Say yeah, and probably some other stuff. The songs are about 3 minutes a piece, and they all rock and jam and shamble along from hook to chorus sounding often poppy but never neat. The lyrics are dopey, the album title is dopey, but it’s not asking to be taken seriously; just to be played loud and often.

3. Phosphorescent - Here’s to Taking It Easy

Popular interpretation attributes some of this artist’s musical direction on this album to his prior album of Willie Nelson covers. These songs are lovelorn and folky and remind me of Steve Earl and John Prine. There’s humble and swagger; some songs jam and others take a melancholy trip. It sounds like beer and weed and country and a little rock’n roll

2. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor (TIE)

These guys followed up a brilliant and rough freshman release with an even sharper, more cohesive album. All the rough and tumble grit remains — all the vocal-chord-shredding screams, the punk rock sensibility, the incredible song-writing, the chugging Springsteen tempos and structures, the whiskey, the soaring, the tumbling, the awesome

2. Cee-Lo Green - Lady Killer (TIE)

So suave and so much swagger.  Who’s more of a lady killer then Cee-Lo? Not you, so fuck you and fuck you too!

1. Tame Impala - Innerspeaker

This album saw the young aussies break in to the US. MV got to witness they’re intimate gig at the Glasslands Gallery in Brooklyn earlier this year, definitely a musical highlight of 2010.

MV’s Top Albums of 2010 // #20-11

We are so close to revealing our final favorite albums for 2010.  But there’s more awesomeness coming up after this list is complete.  We will be recapping with a “where are they now” from our artists to watch in 2010 post as well as choosing some new artist we that we think are gonna have a killer year in 2011 and that you should definitely be keeping an eye on.  

20. Bonobo - Black Sands

Although this album seems to reach back and take ideas from his previous three albums it’s still a good listen packed with richness and textures that you begin to appreciate more and more after each listen.  It’s a grower not a shower!

19. Big K.R.I.T. - K.R.I.T. Wuz Here

This self released album has gotten this southern rapper tons of attention, especially in the blogesphere. Pitchfork says, “K.R.I.T.’s ear is his biggest strength; as a producer, tracks like “Return of Forever” and “Country Shit” find him revitalizing the staid indie rap template with the 808s and swagger of Southern rap.”

18. High On Fire - Snakes for the Divine

Oakland, California-based power trio released this album back in February.  On this album it is easy to hear the bands natural progression in to a faster, stronger, heavier band then in the past.  If this is your genre you need to know these guys.

17. Vampire Weekend - Contra

The Vagabond team is split on this album some of us love it and others don’t understand the hype.  However it seems that most critics are in love with it. Thoughts?

16. Joanna Newsom - Have One on Me

Joanna Newsom and her unique place in the world in between folk and indie rock music.

15. Caribou - Swim

In Dan Snaith’s own words, “dance music that sounds like it’s made out of water.”

14. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti - Before Today

A man known to hole up in a home recording studio and create hundreds of unreleased songs while only a few making it to public ears on mix tapes and EP’s. This was his first effort putting together a group of songs to be released and heard cohesively at one time and it’s no to shabby.

13. Fang Island - Fang Island

This album is happy and inclusive.  Have a listen and let the good times roll.

12. Kurt Vile - Square Shells

His music eschews the electronic for the organic, which puts him at odds with much of what the hipsters are flocking to these days.  Square Shells is a great follow up to his last release Childish Prodigy.  Both are go-tos in our music library.

11. Flying Lotus – Cosmogramma

Global bass music matriarch Mary Anne Hobbs recently told The Fader “Flying Lotus, for me, is like the Hendrix of his generation.  When speaking of his genre we are inclined to agree.