Who Picked What? Triplew.me Team

A rag-tag bunch of rapscallions (Yes! Used that word in an article), the team at triplew.me has some of the most diverse music taste that you could potentially imagine. Yet our lists, in places, are almost replicas.

Mick D – Australian Correspondent

1. Dead Letter Circus - This Is A Warning

“This up and coming Australian band is the new Tool. This album is full of complex, dark yet uplifting tunes, without a single track stepping in the wrong direction."

2. Birds Of Tokyo - Birds Of Tokyo

3. The Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards

4. OK Go - Of The Blue Color Of The Sky

5. Dillinger Escape Plan - Option Paralysis

6. John Steel Singers - Tangalooma

7. Surfer Blood - Astro Coast

8. The Black Keys - Brothers

9. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

10. Girl Talk - All Day

Favorite Music Moment of 2010

Checking out 3 fantastic emerging Australian indie pop/rock bands, Philadelphia Grand Jury, The John Steel Singers and The Shiny Brights in a small Adelaide venue.  One of the most fun, happy gigs I’ve ever experienced with all bands playing as if it was their last gig ever……..actually the most memorable part of the night was when I ran into the lead singer of Philadelphia Grand Jury in the toilet, and someone asked him, “What are you up to?”.  He replied “About to do a s**t.  I always need to do one when I’m nervous!”

Rasha Omer – Middle East Editor

1.The National - High Violet

"High Violet tops my list because after spending the year listening to a lot of albums - none of them could come close to what this record offered: An uncomfortable intimacy which lied perfectly within a very comfortable, gorgeous atmosphere."

2. The Tallest Man On Earth - The Wild Hunt

3. Twin Shadow - Forget

4. Titus Andronicus - The Monitor

5. Perfume Genius - Lessons

6. Steel Train - Steel Train

7. Sleigh Bells - Treats

8. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

9. Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

10. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid

Favorite Music Moment of 2010

Arcade Fire's The Suburbs debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the UK album chart (amongst other accolades) - also their interactive video for "We Used to Wait" was nothing short of brilliant.

Will Nixon - UK & Europe

1.Holy F*ck - Latin

"I first heard the single Latin America about a year ago, loved it, then promptly completely forgot about these guys until this album popped up in Mick Devastatrix's "Best Albums of 2010, so far..." back in August. From my first full-length listen, I've been hooked on this album. Holy F*ck's mix of live drums, samples, and spaced-out synths is mind-blowing. Oh, and Mick D - cheers for the heads-up on this one..."

2. Crystal Fighters - Star Of Love

3. Dangermouse and Sparklehorse - Dark Night Of The Soul

4. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

5. Sleigh Bells - Treats

6. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

7. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

8. Crystal Castles - Crystal Castles (II)

9. Klaxons - Surfing The Void

10. Yeasayer - Odd Blood

Favorite Music Moment of 2010

Saturday night, Bestival - 50,000 costumed revelers and the Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne "crowd-walking" in his giant inflatable ball. Magical.

Calvin Houlison - Special Features (Australia)

1.Klaxons - Surfing The Void

" A collision course of anthemic pop hooks, seriously dirty guitars and flying saucers- this surreal second album kept growing and growing on me until I was fully submerged in the Klaxons parallel universe. Not a bad place to be, mind."

2. The Chemical Brothers - Further

3. The National - High Violet

4. Birds Of Tokyo - Birds Of Tokyo

5. Foals - Total Life Forever

6. Linkin' Park - A Thousand Suns

7. Midnight Juggernauts - The Crystal Axis

8. Kele - The Boxer

9. LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening

10. Digitalism - Blitz (it’s not a new album but this new track sounds very tasty)

Favorite Music Moment of 2010

Foals whipping up a frenzy under the big top at Splendour In the Grass, Woodford, Queensland in what was an epic daytime festival set.

Luke Oram - Features

Luke’s gone for a describe everything approach and potentially this is not in order. Or it is.

1. Jónsi - Go

“While you still would have traded it for a new Sigur Ros album, the singer’s solo jaunt was a brilliant exorcism of all the songs he couldn’t express with the Sigur Ros wall of sound. Pop sensibilities, twisted rhythms, orchestral flourish and singing in English even."

2. 65daysofstatic - We Were Exploding Anyway

"Sheffield post-rockers were all set to follow in the footsteps of Mogwai and Explosions in the Sky with their dynamic, guitar-driven soundscapes – until Exploding, which suddenly shot synths and big, caustic beats to the fore. Exploding is almost an electronica album, but full of dynamic guitars, live drums and their usual chaos. A real interesting surprise for 65days fans – and the Robert Smith cameo doesn’t hurt either. One of my high-rotates of 2010."

3. Radiohead - Live in Praha

"Radiohead’s controversial commentary on the music industry continues with this - their new project: a “strictly not for sale” documentary shot in Prague by a group of camera-toting Radiohead fans, with audio supplied by the band."

Help Yourself to it Here

4. Grinderman - Grinderman 2

"Although it takes a little more time to warm to it than their debut, once you’re there, Nick Cave and co’s seedy, back-alley side-project is real hard to turn off."

5. Popstrangers - Happy Accidents EP

"This NZ art-noise outfit deserves some serious attention. The fizzing title track is absolute magic."

Have a Listen Here

6. Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Beat The Devil's Tattoo

"The San-Fran rockers wised up, kicked their perma-stoned drummer to the curb and brought on The Raveonette’s siren Leah Shapiro. Then they made one of the best albums of their career yet. Every track is a slow-burning, fuzzed out gem."

7.  Deftones - Diamond Eyes

"The boys finally bounced back from their horrible post White Pony slump, creating a slick and brutal return to form; Stephen Carpenter’s guitar sound is heavy enough to slice steel, Chino’s voice is in full form, and for a long time in years, the songs are great."

8. Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

"Enough has been said about Kanye/this album. But the fact remains, it’s genius. While I’m no hip-hop aficionado, the greatest thing about Fantasy is that it almost seems like a hip-hop album in disguise. It’s a sprawling, diverse and a profanely confessional listen."

9. Janelle Monáe - The ArchAndroid (Suites II & III)

"Totally long awaited full-length after the teaser E.P Metropolis in 2007. Monae is pure theatre spaz-pop. It’s like a jazz/R&B album played by robots."

10. Stone Temple Pilots - Stone Temple Pilots

"Sometimes great things fall apart - And sometimes if you’re lucky, they’ll fall back into place again. Scott Weiland has always been a little off the mark in the other projects he’s been involved with – there’s something he could deliver only with the alchemy of the STP behind him. The solo in ‘Army Ants’ was singlehandedly responsible for making me want to play guitar. Their grand comeback, taken care of across band members’ private home studios, was a brilliant homecoming."

Editor's Picks

If you're still reading - well done!

1.The National - High Violet

"Hauntingly reminding me of everything good and bad that’s ever happened to me; enlightening my perfect future and seeing myself as a barfly in a seedy dive all in one glorious collection of songs. An album hasn’t connected & resonated with me like this in a very long time."

2. Vampire Weekend - Contra

3. The Black Keys - Brothers

4. Gorillaz - Plastic Beach

5. Foals - Total Life Forever

6. Dead Weather - Sea Of Cowards

7. Broken Bells - Broken Bells

8. Arcade Fire - The Suburbs

9. Deerhunter - Halcyon Digest

10. M.I.A - Maya

Favorite Music Moment of 2010

Thinking someone cares enough to still be reading this. Oh, and launching triplew.me and connecting with amazing talent from all over the Middle East.