Top 20 of 2010: 11 - 15

This seems to be the more predominately 'stoner' segment of the Top 20 of 2010, but hey, it's all in alphabetical order, so it's of no fault of my own.

11. Monster Magnet - Mastermind (See Review)
Mastermind is one of the best releases in the long list of Monster Magnet albums. It is regarded (by myself and most other reviewers) as a return to the classic era of the group, along the lines of Powertrip or Dopes To Infinity. In my mind, while it doesn't have the few songs that act as hooks for the rest of the album (as most other Monster Magnet albums do), the overall song quality within Mastermind is much more level. I've been a long time listener of Monster Magnet, and while I like their spin-off act, The Atomic Bitchwax, a bit more, the group has always had a soft spot in my rock and groove heart. AllMusic already has a posting of the next Monster Magnet album, The Lowdown (albeit, it's not much), to be released sometime in 2011. If this is a full studio album, not a 'best of' or a live album, then it will be the quickest turn around for Monster Magnet LPs sense their first two (Spine of God in '92 followed by Tab...25 in '93 - which was really an extended EP but it's over 55 minutes long so I count it). After the superb release in 2010, I am with baited breath, waiting for this supposed album.

New Band: Samsara Blues Experiment

Also seen on Heavy Planet

I'm just finishing up Samsara Blues Experiment's debut (after a couple of demos) album, Long Distance Trip, and I'm pretty impressed. The album is only made up of six songs, but it lasts over an hour, so you can imagine. This album isn't all long songs though (if you hate a track over 10 min - not me), two are a little over four minutes long, one in nine, two are around twelve minutes, but the ending track is damn close to half of a hour (twenty-three minutes) long - as I haven't finished the album yet, I can't say if it is actually twenty-three minutes, or if it ten minutes followed by ten of silence then onto a 'hidden track.' God I hope not, one of these days I need to write an article about my disdain for these so-called 'hidden tracks' and their uselessness in the current age of music....but another time.