Music Awards 2010.

Employee of the Month

(Song of the Year)

Winner: Nine Inch Nails - "Theme from Tetsuo: The Bullet Man" / Gorillaz - "Doncamatic" (Tie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu9bm-RJMWM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJQyTnD74gk

"Theme from Tetsuo: The Bullet Man" and "Doncamatic" are two amazing, amazing songs for practically opposite reasons. Each of them deserve thorough explanation.

It's no secret that Nine Inch Nails are my favorite band, but I try to exercise a healthy caution of that when considering and broadcasting my favorite music of the year. Having said that, "Tetsuo" is a brilliant five minutes of music. As near as I can tell, the film is the third in a trilogy about a man who finds himself partially changing into a machine. I don't know if it's closer to Kafka's Metamorphosis or id Software's Quake 4, but Trent Reznor's theme for it is pretty bang-on. It gets off to a rough first minute, but it's all smiles thereafter. Part throbbing electronics, part solemn piano, part crashing horns and cymbals, it's as juxtaposed as music comes, but its chord progressions and themes collide perfectly in an acquired, but worthwhile, taste.

"Doncamatic" is almost the opposite. I didn't think I'd find an easier-to-hear song than "Broken," on this year's Gorillaz album Plastic Beach, but then "Doncamatic" was released as a stand-alone single themed on PB. Daley is a great singer by himself, but for once in my life I find myself enjoying the use of autotune in a song. The verses groove and shimmer, the pre-chorus brings the energy up effortlessly and just enough, and the chorus is sexy without being slutty, catchy as can be and silky smooth. Great production, great songwriting, great performances. It's simple, sure, but it's been stuck in my head every day since it came out, and isn't that what pop music is for?

Runner-up: Dillinger Escape Plan - "Farewell, Mona Lisa"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Q5qvft2i-s

Dillinger's jackknife prog-metal isn't for everyone, but once you've heard any one song by them a few times, it's worth getting used to for the payoff. There's no better example of that (besides "Baby's First Coffin") than this year's "Farewell, Mona Lisa." I knew as soon as I heard Greg scream out "You should never have put your trust in any of us" this was a song I had to listen to on repeat until I knew it like the back of my hand.

Back from the Dead: The Zombie Award

(The Comeback)

Winner: Massive Attack - Heligoland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02Cqyq4gj-w

Maybe you'd argue this can't count since Massive Attack technically came back in '09 with their EP for "Splitting the Atom," which led up to Heligoland, but these are my awards so I'm breaking the rules. Do something about it.

After releasing 100th Window in 2003, it seemed as though Massive Attack would never release their next album. Reportedly it was Blur/Gorillaz man Damon Albarn who got 3D and Daddy G together working in the studio and they dropped Heligoland in February, nearly seven years after Window. Opting to provide each song on the album as a soundtrack for a short film rather than produce music videos, Massive Attack also enlisted guests from long-time collaborator Horace Andy, TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe, Martina Topley-Bird, Hope Sandoval and Guy Garvey. It trades in Window's electronic-based droning for frequently (but not always) organic sounds: The Albarn-led "Saturday Come Slow" and Adebimpe's crooner "Pray for Rain" are testament to that. All in all, a great return from a great band.

Runner-Up: Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnjISLJLQKI

Ah, Stone Temple Pilots. Ever since they cancelled a concert I was supposed to go to on Maui in the late '90s, I always got more enjoyment than I should've out of their trials and tribulations. Even still, when they disappeared after 2001's Shangri-La Dee Da I found myself missing one of the few remaining grunge-era bands still in existence. So when they suddenly announced that they were reuniting and happened to have a new album in the chamber to fire off last summer, it was good news all-around. They returned with their country-laced garage rock a la Tiny Music and, despite lagging a bit in its second half, tracks like "Take a Load Off" and "Maver" really help make this album a frequent spinner for lazy weekend afternoons.

Licensed to Ill

(Soundtrack of the Year)

Winner: Normand Corbeil - Heavy Rain / Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - The Social Network (Tie)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=woMbRTBWJQs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SBNCYkSceU

Another tie. Normand Corbeil's score for David Cage's mind-blowing interactive drama Heavy Rain on PlayStation 3 isn't merely guilty by association of being great; its themes and fully-orchestrated pieces give weight and meaning to the game unlike any other supporting music I've heard in 2010. The 16 tracks on this score are full of loss, sorrow, hope and tension and deserve to be experienced alongside the game on a great sound system.

Reznor and Ross do an equally impressive job scoring David Fincher's Oscar-hopeful film about greed, self-delusion and technology. They said they tried to utilize a mixture of organic and electronic instrumentation throughout, and as the script constantly bears down on the viewer with threats and tension to its characters, so does the score complement that sentiment with sounds "fraying around the edges." Easy to hear with or without the movie, but each song plays a pretty perfect part alongside the film.

Runner-Up: Anamanaguchi - Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (Video Game)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RmrMOEo1VI

How do Anamanaguchi make their 8-bit-inspired action music for this old-school beat-em-up? They use a hacked NES. Need I say more?

Annual Employee Pot-Luck

(Collaboration of the Year)

Broken Bells - Broken Bells

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gWBG1j_flrg

The Shins' James Mercer teaming up with Danger Mouse? Yes, mate! I've considered making a Danger Mouse mix recently, as his full, organic sound is instantly recognizable. He may go down in history as the guy who mashed up Jay-Z and The Beatles, or as half of Gnarls Barkley, but it would be a sin to dismiss his work with Gorillaz, The Good The Bad & The Queen and DangerDoom. Broken Bells follows suit, and I feel like his production and James Mercer's vocals are everything that a lot of bands are trying to be but aren't. This album trots along from start to finish and is more than worth your hard-earned dollars.

Honorable Mentions

(Honorable Mentions)

None of these quite fit into one category as a winner, but I'd like to point you to some of the following efforts in music. I feel they're more than worth their salt and have happily earned their place on my mix of my favorite 2010 music.

Deftones' Diamond Eyes is a fantastic rock album. I personally think a few tracks lag here and there, but a new friend turned me onto it at its release and I'm glad he did. Tracks like "You've Seen the Butcher" and "Rocket Skates" stand out immediately, but easily 80% of Diamond Eyes is a real treat. I also really liked the soundtrack for the film Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, which has music by Scott's band Sex Bob-Omb (written and mostly performed by Beck). Producer extraordinaire Nigel Godrich has his hand in there too, as do Frank Black, The Rolling Stones and Plumtree. Finally, against all odds, Soundgarden returned with a new single, "Black Rain," which sounds instantly classic. If their rumored reunion album sounds as good, they may win Back from the Dead next year.

Juiciest Brains 2010

(Album of the Year)

Winner: The Ocean - Heliocentric + Anthropocentric

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9LUw2JWLkI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyTQ6rrmW6A

Oh man. What can I say about The Ocean's two-album concept ruminating on mankind's and Earth's place in the universe? When the first disc, Heliocentric, was released in February, I initially heard it at work. It was about halfway through and I turned to a co-worker and said "If Anthropocentric is half this good when it comes out this fall, they may be my album of the year." And it was, and they are.

As you can tell by the disparity between the two songs linked above, The Ocean aren't afraid to take chances. Some may argue that the source material for their contemplation of Christianity, Anthropocentricity and morality is lofty or convoluted (from Darwin to Dawkins, from Nietzsche to Dostoyevsky), but the sheer volume of research and quality of lyrical and vocal content represented across these 20 tracks outweigh any complaints to be made. New vocalist Loic Rossetti screams, croons and vibratos his way across Robin Staps and co.'s 100-minute masterpiece of prog-metal, classical ballads and post-rock. All musicians are always on point and right where they need to be, and producer/guitarist/chief songwriter Robin Staps delicately balances up to 20 tracks simultaneously. From five-part vocal harmonies to string sections and waterfalls of guitars, it's a real orchestration from front to back. Get it immediately.

Runner-Up: Massive Attack - Heligoland

I think I said enough about Heligoland earlier, but I would like to add that it's a terrific listen all the way through and pleases the ear oddly at times, obviously at others. All killer, no filler. If you'd like to purchase it for me on vinyl, I wouldn't say no.

2nd Runner-Up: Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

I've always been impressed by Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's animated zombie-pop project. Since its release in 2000, they've been on my radar and have yet to disappoint. They return this year with Plastic Beach, boasting a guest list including half of The Clash, Lou Reed, Snoop, Mos Def, Bobby Womack, Little Dragon, three different symphonic ensembles and more. This is the perfect springtime album: it's bright, light and to the point. I'm also enamored with the idea that the cartoon characters who represent the band have washed up onto a floating island of humanity's flushed detritus (hence the title). Not a bad track on it.