10 favorite albums of 2010 - #8: Condors by Nedry

Continuing the avian theme, Condors comes in at number 8 in my list. To be honest, this album contains some of my favorite musical ideas of any album in the top 10. If every track were as freaking awesome as "Squid Cat Battle" or as freaky-tribe-tastic as "Condors," the album could have easily landed at number 4. Condors, as it is, is a stunning debut for these three musicians. Ayu Okakita, the vocalist, has a wonderful voice - smeary, dream-inducing, soaring, chilling.

Condors mixes electronica and dubstep with some pretty straightforward rock ideas and drills right through the center with Okakita's haunting, beautiful voice. The end result is an album that is completely unexpected, and yet its sound is never forced, its form never seems out-of-place.

If you want a taste of the album, try one of the two previously-mentioned tracks. But if you listen to "Squid Cat Battle," I strongly encourage you to listen to it after its predecessor, "Four Layers of Pink." The two tracks merge together and "Four Layers" makes the opening to "Battle" all the more freakin' sweet.

I will, without a doubt, be watching this band's progression. They are already working on a follow-up album, and in my opinion, it cannot come soon enough.

For your listening pleasure, here is track 2: "Apples and Pears."

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And death i think is no parenthesis

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