2010 In Brief: The First Half

Four Tet – There Is Love In You (Domino)

Kieran Hebden lets go of his folk and jazz leanings for beat-laden hypnosis.

Rating: 8 out of 10 echoing angels.
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Frightened Rabbit – The Winter of Mixed Drinks (FatCat)

A round of pints with Scotland’s most endearing indie pop outfit.

Rating: 8 out of 10 overturned shot glasses.
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Goldfrapp – Head First (Mute)

Olivia Newton-John as S&M disco priestess.

Rating: 8 out of 10 bright pink jumpsuits.
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Gorillaz – Plastic Beach (Virgin)

A floating paradise where cartoon miscreants turn out jamz with Snoop and Bobby Womack.

Rating: 9 out of 10 superfast jellyfish.
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Here We Go Magic – Pigeons (Secretly Canadian)

Lo-fi psychedelic experience that’s way more fun than “art” should be.

Rating: 9 out of 10 rabbits pulled from hats.
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Hot Chip – One Life Stand (Astralwerks)

UK dance troupe sound their most sincere, while offering some of their best tunes.

Rating: 8 out of 10 effective uses of auto-tune.
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Jónsi – Go (XL)

Sigur Rós main man steps into the spotlight and drops the linguistic fiction.

Rating: 8 out of 10 rainbow-splashed watercolor press images.
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LCD Soundsystem – This Is Happening (DFA-Virgin)

Bowie, Eno, Heads, and the greatest aspects of the last 35 years of pop music are happening.

Rating: 10 out of 10 king hats in king houses.
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Ted Leo & the Pharmacists – The Brutalist Bricks (Matador)

Indie rock veteran stays punk while delivering gorgeous pop tunes.

Rating: 8 out of 10 obscure architecture references.
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Los Campesinos! – Romance Is Boring (Arts & Crafts)

This album is a lot of things, but boring isn’t one of them.

Rating: 8 out of 10 strangely comforting death fantasies.
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