List and Words by Patrick Bowman

Obviously, Pittsburgh has a vibrant music scene (this site wouldn’t exist if it didn’t), and while I don’t want to pat myself on the back, it was a herculean task narrowing down the Top Ten Steel City Tracks of 2010. I had about 100 favorite tracks not two weeks ago, now only ten remain. For any of those Pittsburgh bands releasing music between now and the end of the year, I apologize for your exclusion, this is my favorite list to make every year and I couldn’t wait any longer. Regardless, I hope you all think this is a pretty good representation of the Pittsburgh music scene in 2010. Enjoy!

10. Meeting of Important People / Jesus Song

With their latest EP Quit Music, Meeting of Important People embraced a distinctly English sound, recalling the classic pop of British Invasion acts like The Troggs, The Zombies, and of course, The Kinks. On “Jesus Song,” lead singer/songwriter Josh Verbanets combines the personal storytelling chops and hook ready happiness of Ray Davies with a galloping guitar line and drum beat to produce arguably MOIP’s catchiest song yet.
Meeting of Important People / Jesus Song

9. The New Shouts / Answers on a Postcard

Cory Allen and Derek White’s (formerly of Pgh’s Takeover UK) latest retro-pop project The New Shouts continues where their group Gems and solo work left off with yet another foray into the blue-eyed soul revivalism. “Answers on a Postcard” is a sugary shotgun blast of AM radio power pop bliss, stuffed with Wall of Sound harmonies, vintage organs, and Allen’s classic croon. It’s impressive to see what White, Allen, and Co. can accomplish with a full band and studio at their disposal; I can’t what to hear what this 60’s pop vibe sounds like stretched out over an entire album.
The New Shouts / Answers On a Postcard

8. Librarians/ Hard to Unwind

Yes, even though Librarians are from Morgantown, WV, I can’t help but think of them as residents of Pittsburgh (the tons of shows they’ve played here are a testament to their locality), if only to include “Hard to Unwind” on this list. The standout from their 2010 release Present Passed, “Hard to Unwind” is the Rust Belt’s “Summertime Clothes,” a churning, tribal piece of synth pop that is equal parts gorgeous and massive, a track that shines brighter and brighter with each listen. Ryan Hizer’s almost-baritone vocals play perfectly off the twinkly synths, swaths of droning reverb and double time percussion, producing what is most certainly Pittsburgh’s, and West Virginia’s, finest headphone symphony of the year.
Librarians / Hard to Unwind

7. Run, Forever / A Sequence of Sad Events

Along with rough and tumble Springsteen/rockabilly stalwarts Gaslight Anthem, Titus Andronicus, and The Hold Steady, Pittsburgh’s Run, Forever nail the inherent spirituality of rock and roll religion without even trying. “A Sequence of Sad Events” from their 2010 release The Devil, and Death, and Me, is a searing and literate rocker; a song that preys on those tried and true notions of fleeting youth and wasted time, where it’s horrifying to realize life could be “a sequence of sad events/I keep repeating,” as lead singer Anthony Heubel wails in the chorus. Regardless of all that dread, “Sequence” is still a hell of a party, and Run, Forever play it with just enough hardcore edge to pummel the cynics, exalt the saints and pay tribute at the altar of rock and roll.
Run, Forever / A Sequence of Sad Events

6. Mother Sun / Wonderful Feeling

Now, for the record, I don’t want to call Mother Sun a “drug band,” but a track like “Wonderful Feeling” with its glitchy, synth orgy of electronic happiness kind of makes it hard for me not to. I could attribute all that positive energy to your standard “good vibrations-”style excitement, but, where’s the fun in that? “Wonderful Feeling” is literally a song about searching for that moment of euphoria when the world suddenly pops into Technicolor and nothing else seems to matter. It also doesn’t hurt that the track seems hell bent on hypnotizing the listener with wave after wave of synth drenched melody, but that’s the point. “Wonderful Feeling” is a sensory overload, a five minute endorphin rush that takes 30 to come down from. Enjoy it while it lasts.
Mother Sun / Wonderful Feeling

5. Lohio / Family Tree

“Family Tree” marks yet another significant step in Lohio’s evolution, with the group slowly moving away from the alt country of History, the Destroyer and their self-titled 2009 EP and producing arguably their prettiest, most cared for composition to date. Shimmering xylophones, a sturdy drum pattern, faint melodic “ooh’s” and lead singer/song writer Greg Dutton’s rubbery guitar provide the song’s central harmony and soul, allowing chorus and verse to repeatedly dissolve beautifully into the wistful cloud it creates. Dutton’s songwriting has never been stronger as he paints an elegant picture of quiet, familial desperation in the chorus, “You got a job, found a wife, made a family/You’re lookin’ down from the crown of your family tree.” The track possesses a certain Christmas feel to it, but it’s a Christmas of mixed drinks, not boughs of holly. As the holiday’s roll around, make sure you give “Family Tree” a couple listens before the New Year’s hangover sets in, Dutton and company will make the incoming winter a little easier to bear.
Lohio / Family Tree

4. 1,2,3 / Confetti

With the dissolution of Pittsburgh’s Takeover UK in 2009, a couple new bands emerged in their wake: New Shouts, with Derek White (who appear on this list) and 1,2,3 comprised of lead singer Josh Sickles and drummer Nik Snyder. The duo used 2010 to work on their debut album (due out any day now), get signed to indie powerhouse Frenchkiss Records (home to Passion Pit and Local Natives), and release their lead single “Confetti” with Ooh La La Records – a stomping Britpop gem that slows down TUK‘s speedy pub-punk to a boozy slog. The track swaggers with just a touch of glammy androgyny and shares a lineage with the delirious sway of “Ob La Di, Ob La Da,” as Sickles plays his part, belting out some romantically dirgey lyrics (“even though we’re all gonna die here/you’re my kind, dear”) with the rapier wit of an Irish eulogy.
1,2,3 / Confetti

3. Ennui / Coconino

It’s been two years since Ennui’s stunner of a debut album The Myth in Which We Live became probably the most impressive independent release to come out of Pittsburgh in some time. With “Coconino,” the first track Ennui leaked from their yet to be released sophomore effort, the bar already seems to be set even higher. The production is cleaner and tighter than ever, as main man Jim Doutrich and co. imbue their twitchy synth-pop with complex, swirling guitar and piano harmonies reminiscent of classic Devotchka. This time around, Doutrich’s voice is free of any electronic filters, soaring across the track with a beautiful elasticity, sweetly pleading to a nameless partner “Ooohhh, we don’t talk anymore.” Damn this song is beautiful….that’s really all I can say.
Ennui / Coconino

2. Wise Blood / B.I.G. E.G.O.

In all honesty, I’ve listened to and thought a lot about Chris Laufman’s bedroom soul project Wise Blood this year, and it all began with “B.I.G. E.G.O.” Built around the classic breakbeat of Led Zeppelin’s “When the Levee Breaks,” “B.I.G. E.G.O.” was the thesis statement of Laufman’s debut EP “+,” revealing his intentions without any hesitation. The track’s components are simple but potent: an angelic organ hum (probably lifted from the intro to Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy”), a melting cluster of classical strings, John Bonham’s kick drum, and Laufman’s fragile falsetto seductively telling the listener “these drugs are kicking in, I hope you understand.” Its fifty years of soul and funk filtered through a white kid’s fever dream, unabashedly sexual, confused and excited, usually in the same moment.
Wise Blood / B.I.G. E.G.O.

1. Tobacco / Fresh Hex (ft. Beck)

Does Black Moth Super Rainbow front man Tobacco have an unfair advantage over the rest of Pittsburgh because of his superstar collaborator? Probably, but I don’t think Beck could have ever made “Fresh Hex,” a song that compresses all of Tobacco’s favorite toys (8-bit synth lines, sloggy distorted beats, general mishmash of psychedelic rock and Dr. Dre) into a 1:30 freak sundae of epic proportions. He uses Beck’s verses like a deranged Speak & Spell, cutting them up, shuffling them around and cutting them up some more. Good thing Mr. Hansen was up to the task, rapping like it was 1995, spewing one beautiful non-sequitor (“color coordinate your cowboy catchphrase”) after another (“crystal canary in the coalmine” ) after another (“like a concrete cactus cracking in the dodgeball coliseum”). The first time I listened to “Fresh Hex” it made me want to run through a goddamn wall. I won’t be surprised if you get that feeling yourself, I don’t think Tobacco would want it any other way.
Tobacco / Fresh Hex

Patrick’s Five Honorable Mentions (in no particular order)

Colonizing the Cosmos / The Phononauts
Dandelion Snow / The Grand Scheme of Things
Mariage Blanc / Whatever You Say I Am
The Van Allen Belt / Lovely in Akron
Wise Blood / Rot My Brain Away

Well there you have it. Another great year in music happening right down the street from you. Isn’t Pittsburgh awesome? (YES) Leave a comment or three and tell us what you think of the list. Did we forget your favorite song from a Pittsburgh indie artist? We want to know. We gots to know. Hey Thanks!

Filed under: 2010 Dunzo Lists, Homegrown Goodness, Lists, Not Blake, Jim, or Brendan