Uza's favorite albums of 2010 - folk and the neighborhood

Falcao & Monashee - Fools (Self released, 06/2010) www.myspace.com/falcaoandmonashee

Monashee Sun and Rodrigo Falcao are responsible for what is, hands down, the most captivating listen Uza had in 2010. Fools is their sophomore effort and boy is it an ippon: think of Amon Düül II condensed to a duo, charge with the task of remaking Hölderlins traum. This if folk-psych at its best, rivaling the best the golden age of European prog and kraut has to offer (albeit in a completely different time). There is sheer beauty, in its raw captivating sense, lurking behind each and every note and bar of this album. This is a rare example of great musicianship meets mesmerizing song crafting. These are artists in an almost pagan, pantheistic meaning, real wizards that can bewitch the listener and take control of his emotions. To top all this, the album is free for download! If this is not a gift then I do not know what is. There is something excellent brewing the drinking water across Canada if this great country is responsible for the best two albums Uza heard this year (F&M and Sam Shalabi's Land of Kush), plus a handful of other releases. If there is one album you must have from the ocean of releases you may have missed out on in 2010, this is it.

Chinawoman - Show me the face (Big Yenta, 25/03/2010) www.myspace.com/chinawoman

Russian theatricals draped in a somber 80's delivery make these young Canadian one of the most bizarre things out there. This music is best served in dimly lit, underground clubs, where the chances of a non-Russian to survive the night hang on his ability to jug down a bottle of vodka. A safer, yet undoubtedly less entertaining, option would be to put on Beineix's Diva, mute it and play Show me the face instead. This is old-school atmosphere, not the contemporary connotations of electronic ambience: a woman, her voice and here delivery. In that category, Chinawoman is a serious contender to the great chansoniers of old. Her presence is bound to overpower any listener and I cannot wait for a new album.

Death in June - Peaceful snow (Nerus, 09/11/2010) http://www.deathinjune.net

Another musician who is by no means stranger to drama is Douglas Pearce, aka DiJ. Pearce has been around forever, and need not emulate dark 80's giants, as he is one of them. The British experimental folk scene that had emerged from the post punk scene has given us some of the greatest musical moments of the 80's, most notable of which are Current 93 (Pearce has collaborated with the great David Tibet of C93 and with Boyd Rice of NON). For the better part of his career Pearce has employed a revolving door policy under the moniker of DiJ and this time around he teams up with pianist Miro Snejdr to deliver a minimal interpretation (in style, not in scope) of the same old themes and ideas. While DiJ has grown to bore Uza repeatedly in the 90's, this release is a refreshing take on old material and everything simply clicks. Pearce was never one to boast complicated melodies, D-E-F parts or intricate arrangements, yet what he does best is sculpture the optimal musical support for his heady, cultish and often political texts. This is more of a cabaret drastically slo-moed than anything else, but – just as was the case with Chinawoman – pigeonholing it is futile: peaceful snow draws its strength from delivery and atmosphere. All of the sudden it seems as the cold war is back.

Piano magic - Home recordings (Second language, 01/05/2010) www.myspace.com/lowbirthweight

Glen Johnson is no stranger to Uza's best-of lists simply because he is the musician of the last decade, Uza's go-to guy. However, home recordings is perhaps a watershed mark for PM, as it seems that there is a need for another change, similar to the one Johnson performed with the breathtaking 2000's Artsits' rifles. Johnson has by now a solo career and other side projects, and so does Angèle David-Guillou. This may be the last solid release by this monumental band if they do not change something in a somewhat stagnant performance.

Puerto muerto - Drumming for pistols (Fire, 09/02/2010) www.myspace.com/puertomuerto

Another band that Uza loves dearly is Puerto muerto. Alas, Drumming for pistols has proved to be PM's last album, as the duo (also in life) has called it quits. One can read in whatever one wants (as in the case of the Thompson's Shoot out the lights) but musically this album remains a beautiful slab of Americana spiced with pop, rock and other American herbs.