Top 30 Songs of 2010

For the sake of originality, there are no artist repeats.

Also, if you like a song, I definitely recommend finding a higher quality mp3 stream, rather than trying to enjoy it in it's lowest quality form on youtube.

I hope you enjoy.

30. Clive Tanaka y su orquesta - Neu Chicago
It reminds me of tropic islands, of poorly recreated Hawaiian lauas, of those plastic leis you can buy at the dollar store. I love it.




29. Evenings - Still Young
It starts off chill and explodes with a noise-rock meets midi-file jam. Say what you will about chillwave, but you can't tell me this isn't catchy.





28. Mount Kimbie - Mayor
Post-dubstep at it's finest. I really love the voice samples, and the sudden synth attacks separate this song from you typical IDM.




27. Balam Acab - See Birds (Sun)
There's a light at the end of the tunnel...




26. Sleigh Bells - A/B Machines
While their 2010 debut Treats may have gotten old after a few listens, "A/B Machines" is as fun and upbeat as ever.




25. Millionyoung - Day We Met
The last minute is pure bliss.





24. Atlas Sound - Mona Lisa
Out of the 49 songs that make up the Bedroom Databank Volumes, "Mona Lisa" may very well be the catchiest tune. Honestly, this is on, if not, above Logos' level.




23. Caribou - Jamelia
A fantastic closer to an already incredible electronic LP.




22. Tanlines - Z
Glasser is featured on this track, providing vocals complimentary to this bass heavy chillwave song.




21. The Knife / Planningtorock / Mt. Sims - Colouring of Pigeons
This track is just unreal in almost every meaning of the word. I probably played it three straight times after first hearing it, but a song at this magnitude certainly merits that. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is pretty unlistenable, but "Colouring of Pigeons" is a gem from 2010 that didn't go unnoticed.



20. Blackbird Blackbird - Pure
Simply aesthetic.



19. J. Cole - 2face
"I'm playing daddy to another niggas daughter / don't worry even Jesus never saw his real father"...damn.




18. Girls - Carolina
I'll admit, it sounds a lot like "Hellhole Ratrace"; however, the build up and the execution make it the EP's standout.




17. Big Boi - General Patton
The words "epic" and "rap" and scarcely used in the same sentence, but I think it's entirely appropriate here with the production on this track.




16. Freddie Gibbs - National Anthem (Fuck The World)
Freddie Gibbs is quickly becoming one of the biggest names in the rap scene, and "National Anthem" further proves this.




15. The Tallest Man on Earth -The Wild Hunt
I could honestly put any song from The Tallest Man on Earth's 2010 LP, but I decided to just keep it simple and go with the album's opening title track.




14. Tyler, The Creator - Seven
Tyler goes hard on this song and the 18 year old's sick production just backs him with even more ferocity.




13. Nails - Suffering Soul
You hear that? It's the sound of your balls redropping. "Suffering Soul" is about as brutal as you can make a song. I can't get enough of the traumatized vocals and the gut-wrenching guitar tone.
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO SUFFERING SOUL



12. Gonjasufi - She Gone
It's probably the most accessible song on A Sufi and a Killer, but damn, if it isn't the trippiest thing you'll ever hear. The lo-fi production just makes this song (and the rest of the album for that matter). I also love the chorus, especially the subtle piano; let's be honest though, if it wasn't for Gonjasufi's wailing voice and the unyielding thumping bass, this song just wouldn't be the same.




11. Family Trees - Dream Talkin
I blindly purchased the 7” single ""Dream Talkin" earlier this year. Talk about a fantastic way to spend my money. "Dream Talkin" is short, but only after a few plays it proved the be relentlessly catchy.




10. Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross - In Motion
The Social Network was a phenomenal movie, but it goes without saying that the OST only added to the films greatness. In particular, In Motion is simple yet undeniably catchy; the perfect theme to almost any adolescent adventure.




09. Beach House - Norway
"Norway", the explosive track from dream-pop outfit Beach House, is the best song on their monumental 2010 LP Teen Dream. Victoria Legrand's vocals hit really hard here, especially in the choruses; her breathy chants matched by Alex Scally's jangling guitar is a high point for the band instrumentally. "Norway" is a great example of a song that is truly captivating, and one that only spells out a successful future for this still improving band.




08. Mathemagic - Breaststroke
"Breaststroke" is lazy, minimal, even monotonous; but gosh, it's easily one of the prettiest things I've heard all year. Everything is just caked in reverb; from the refrain of "It's alright" to the pulsing bass drum; it's a song that's just absolutely beautiful. The music video of this song gets it completely right. You're in the pool on a gorgeous summer day. You're with the girl you love, the friends you spend every day with. You just don't want it to end.





07. Teenage Reverb - Double Exposure
Teenage Reverb is a criminally unknown bedroom ambient project. Like Foxes in Fiction, I've fallen in love with his work; both because of it's surprising quality as well as the fantastic price (completely free!). "Double Exposure" starts of slow, but that gorgeous guitar tone matched by the lazy, simple vocals warm up with surprisingly velocity. But before anything happens, everything falls apart; the guitar completely fades out, the vocals lost, the reverb segues into wavy bliss. The guitar softly clangs in the background, synths softly twinkle. And just as you're about to wonder if the song even had any purpose, the song makes a defiant return, lead by a outro that's arguably the catchiest of the year. The chanting vocals and that incredibly basic drum beat might seem lame, but I'd be lying to say if I don't absolutely adore them. Too bad it can't last a bit longer.




06. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
I love it when songs unpredictably explode. The opener for This Is Happening, "Dance Yrself Clean", does just that. The synths and James Murphy's superb vocals really pull you apart here. It suffices to say this is easily LCD Soundsystem's best song, one that alone guarantees this album to be a must listen. Oh, and that uncontrollable feeling to just break out dancing is all too natural, don't worry.




05. Foxes in Fiction - 8/29/91
I'm a sucker for talking in ambient music. One of the more famous examples is Godspeed You! Black Emperor's "Sleep". The song opens with an old man looking back at Coney Island, his youth that's long past, his nostalgic childhood he wish he could relive, and the poor, inept version of the island that remains; it's unambiguously heartbreaking.

In "8/29/91", the poetic monologue that carries over is spoken by Charles Bukowski. It's honest, haunting, mesmerizing; the perfect addition to this ambient piece. Like "Sleep", "8/29/91" wouldn't be the same without this sample. Some excerpts:
"I had a gambler friend once who said: 'I don't care if I want to win or lose, I just want to gamble'".
"I used to laugh more. I used to do everything more. Now, I'm writhing and writhing and writhing." "
"I smoke too much, I drink too much, but I can't write too much."
"We're all set to die, all of us, what a circus. That alone should make us love each other, but it doesn't."
Incredible.




04. Flying Lotus - Do The Astral Plane
Whereas most electronic artists would just add a repetitive bass drum, Flying Lotus does so much more. There's claps, raucous synths, vocal samples thrown in every which way, violins, crunchy sounding cymbals, a rattling cage thing, bleeps and bloops, another vocal sample, more bleeps and bloops, saxophone, louder synths, and unexpected pauses; it's an incredible sounding clusterfuck, all along backed to that all too familiar repetitive 4/4 bass drum. The production is insane, and despite all the stuff that's added, it's legitimately a straightforward dance song. "Do The Astral Plane" my summer anthem, and a highlight to one of the years greatest achievements.




03. Kanye West - Dark Fantasy
Kanye has never sounded better. The rising calls of "Can we get much higher?" serve as both a musical standout and as foreshadowing; when's the last time a song has gone from a storytelling intro to an r&b-esque breakdown to arguably one of the dopest beats of the year? Probably never, but that doesn't matter to Kanye. And while the production might be on another level, lyrically, Kanye's on fire. The quoteable lines take up almost the entire song "So much head I woke up to Sleepy Hollow", "The plan was, to drink until the pain's over/but what's worse, the pain or the hangover?", "Too many Urkles on your team that's your Winslow". Can Kanye get much higher? I really don't know, but I have a feeling that he's proven that he certainly can.




02. Deerhunter - Desire Lines
I really wish more bands would take note of Deerhunter's simplicity. What's the need for ridiculously complex solos when you can just pluck a few notes and make something sound good? Neckbeards everywhere collectively argue against this, but what they fail to realize is that melody is what makes music sound good. "Desire Lines" is about as melodic as Deerhunter has been thus far. It's a standout track from Halcyon Digest, and potentially the best song in their already fantastic discography. The shoegazy jam that takes up the final 3 minutes reminisces of "Nothing Ever Happened", but "Desire Lines" is completely different; it combines the new, pop sounding Deerhunter with the lo-fi shoegaze jams of My Bloody Valentine. The result works tremendously well, making "Desire Lines" an unforgettable song that will only inspire generations of musicians to come.




01. Sufjan Stevens - Impossible Soul
"Impossible Soul" is probably the fastest twenty five and a half minute indie-rock song that has ever been made. Actually, it might be the only one, but I digress; Stevens is really on to something with "Impossible Soul". He's ditched his old persona, no longer relying on his Fifty States Project. He's creating indie-rock in an entire different category. Like Kid A, Stevens has gone against everything he's been known for, vouching for experimental nature and uncharacteristic electronic music. The production is, at times, overwhelming. "Impossible Soul" is a collage of everything The Age of Adz is made of. Split into five different movements, it incorporates the new Stevens sound with the old; he seamlessly sings in autotune at one point and plays his acoustic guitar later on. It's a sprawling epic, a song that defines the man who has created it. Thanks Sufjan, you really did the unexpected here, and it completely paid off.

Part One:

Part Two:




Thanks for reading. My top albums will be posted next week.

Sorry for the lack of updates guys

I've been on a brief hiatus, but I return for my end of the year festivities. In the following weeks, I will post a top 30 songs of the year list, as well as a top 30 albums of the year list. Stay tuned.