Ted Leo returned in 2010 with renewed energy, which led to the real verve behind the songs on this record. More direct and focused than Living With The Living, packed with hooks and singalong choruses, it is - as I've mentioned before in this blog - a hopeful record.
Leo still wants to right the wrongs in the world, he still has his targets, and there's a lot to be said for channeling that vitriol in the way that he does. Songs like 'Ativan Eyes', 'The Mighty Sparrow' and 'Gimme the Wire' are simply full of energy, and are the pick of the bunch in a record full of life-affirming songs.
22. Janelle Monae - The ArchAndroid.
There was no more ambitious record this year than this: a 70minute, 18 track concept about a futuristic android.
The building blocks of The ArchAndroid are R&B and funk, but we go on excursions out to rap, psych rock, mini symphonies and Cotton Club-style cabaret. This was mainstream 'pop' music at its most experimental, and features cameos from rapper Big Boi, Of Montreal's glam pop, and poet Saul Williams. However, the star at the centre of it all is Janelle Monae. She has a remarkable voice, can sing those Christina high notes one second and be rapping the next, and it's scary to imagine what she could acheive in the rest of her career.
Oh, and it features 'Tightrope', hands down this year's best single. And man, can she dance or what?
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