The Top 50 Songs of 2010
40. Spoon – “Mystery Zone” (Merge)
(from Transference)
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I do not have the Spoon gene. I don’t think there’s anything particularly special about anything related to them—not Britt Daniel’s voice or lyrics, not their workmanlike take on indie rock. I will however acknowledge that they know how to make a good earworm from time to time, when they exploit interesting arrangements and production. Halfway through Transference we hit a 5-minute groove that shows them doing just that. The spare rhythm section and the soft two-part guitar riff supporting it make for toe-tapping consistency, as if made by samples or loops instead of flesh and blood. And something about Daniel’s phrasing, as it bobs and weaves around drums and string sections, puts this on a level with the band’s other curious and arresting successes. It might even range higher, as it recalls the spare stomp of “I Turn My Camera On” without the pretentiousness of a breathy falsetto-cum-whisper. – Adam Blyweiss
39. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists – “Bottled In Cork” (Matador)
(Single; from The Brutalist Bricks)
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Ted Leo’s 2003 ugly American odyssey “Ballad of the Sin Eater” details the account of a Yankee traveling abroad, meeting the most brutal of resistance at each point along his travelogue. But whereas that groovefest read more like “The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook,” the similarly globe-trotting “Bottled In Cork” is closer to “How To Win Friends and Influence People.” After shaking the listener to his senses with a punk rock intro about the futility of a U.N. peacekeeping mission, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists ease into a jaunty acoustic melody, which backs the song’s motivational lines like “sometimes the path of least resistance will get you the most” and “a little good will goes a mighty long way.” Leo’s good at protest material, but here he proves even stronger when celebrating life and its pleasant surprises. Raise your glass and say “prost.” – Jeff Terich
38. James Blake – “CMYK” (R&S)
(from CMYK EP)
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After drawing some critical attention for his excellent 2009 single “Air & Lack Thereof” / “Sparing the Horse,” James Blake laid his claim to the throne of dubstep’s more deliberate and reflective underbelly in 2010 with a couple more noteworthy singles and three stellar EPs. His growing discography is filled with an impressive amount of variation and standout tracks, but his strongest single offering from this year is the title track of the R&B-obsessed CMYK EP. Though quickly becoming known as a master of stark minimalism, Blake’s “CMYK” balances its initial sparseness with a massive, surging wall of buzzing bass, fuzzy waves of static, vocal cut-ups, and layered, syncopated beats. Centered on a few sampled passages of Kelis’ 1999 single “Caught Out There,” this tune completely transforms these fragments into something well beyond the traditional role of lyrics and language in pop music, mutating and modulating them into mysterious, hazy, dark, and emotive elements of sound. Ultimately, “CMYK” feels like one of those watershed moments for dubstep and electronic music more broadly, as Blake stretches and embellishes the familiar into something refreshing and wholly original. – Derek Emery
37. Gorillaz – “Empire Ants” (Virgin)
(from Plastic Beach)
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Plastic Beach is my pick for best album of the year and “Empire Ants” is proof of its genius: a non-single that dramatically changes gears in the middle, featuring one of the least known guest vocalists on the album who absolutely steals the show. The song gently glides in, a soft caress, highlighted by Damon Albarn’s feathery vocals. Shortly, a deep groove takes hold, and one can’t resist its entrancing beat. Yukimi Nagano, of Swedish pop band Little Dragon, takes the reins at this point, turning the song from perceived sleepy aside to most memorable track on the album. In an album full of great tracks, this is really saying something, and as much as I love “Superfast Jellyfish” and “On Melancholy Hill,” “Empire Ants” trumps them both. – Terrance Terich
36. Kanye West – “Devil In a New Dress” [feat. Rick Ross] (Roc-a-fella/Def Jam)
(from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
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From ’90s hip hop inspired “boom bap record” to the massive conceptual opus it became, there’s little argument that My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy gradually evolved into another leap forward in creativity for a hip-hop artist who has already traversed a greater musical landscape than most. Still, in the midst of gritty guitar work, abrasive production, copious guest appearances, and two-minute auto-tune solos, Kanye did not forget where his strengths lie; on “Devil in a New Dress” he even found space to indulge his newfound prog tendencies while revisiting his roots. Opening with the kind of heart-tugging, chopped-up chipmunk-soul vocal sample and string work that has become forever intertwined with his legacy, Ye breaks down a collapsing relationship with characteristic emotional depth, introspection, sarcasm and humor. This version of the song is pushed further than its original incarnation as a “G.O.O.D. Fridays” offering, expanded to include a bridge of climactic guitars and piano, as well as a swagger-laden closing verse from Rick Ross. As a rousing centerpiece of My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, “Devil in a New Dress” operates as a testament to both where Kanye began and currently resides artistically, fusing two perspectives with rewarding grace and subtlety. – Derek Emery
35. Panda Bear – “Slow Motion” (Domino)
(B-side; from “Tomboy” single)
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This key member of Animal Collective made a welcome solo return to the studio this year for his 7-inch single “Tomboy.” While that track chugged along pleasantly enough, it was the song on the flipside that made the vinyl worthwhile. PB’s distinctive Beach Boys timbre comes through clearer even in the fractured lyrics of “Slow Motion.” His best-recorded moments occur when he manages to use that voice and his words more as instruments than as delivery agents for story and meaning, and he does that with aplomb here. Backed by the clicks and clomp-clomp of 3/4-time keys and percussion seemingly lifted from Portishead’s second album, Panda Bear proves Public Enemy right: The B-side wins again, and again, and again. – Adam Blyweiss
34. Arcade Fire – “The Suburbs” (Merge)
(Single; from The Suburbs)
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At first, “The Suburbs,” with its placating piano, comes across as the breeziest song in the Arcade Fire’s catalogue. Singer Win Butler wisely exercises restraint, but even still, it doesn’t take long for his ragged intensity to creep in. Initially confessing that, “Sometimes I can’t believe it/ I’m moving past the feeling,” it isn’t long before Butler admits, “In my dreams we’re still screaming.” So if “The Suburbs” wasn’t quite a retreat, it did signal a shift in the focus of the Arcade Fire’s bombast. No longer feeling the need to combat the ills of the world at large, the spotlight was now on Butler’s own inner struggles. It was a welcome change in tone from a band that ran the risk of wearing out their pomposity. Sure, the band is still tackling weighty topics, but would we expect, or more importantly want, anything less? – Chris Karman
33. Beach House – “Walk In the Park” (Sub Pop)
(from Teen Dream)
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The sounds that make up Beach House’s languidly grand, “Walk in the Park,” are wonderfully suited to its title. They fill the song to the brim with sunlight and deep green foliage and make it pulse with the radiance of that peace found in slow, aimless motion through a tree-filled expanse. Victoria Legrand’s lyrics are like snapshots of wandering thoughts thought while wandering, each superimposed over the general atmosphere of wonder and weary bliss. And, of course, her voice delivers a depth and coloring that makes this one of those unforgettable songs about a place where you may dream of going in body, but to which the song alone can transport you in mood. – Tyler Parks
32. Twin Shadow – “Slow” (Terrible)
(Single; from Forget)
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Stylistically bearing both the moody lamentations of Morrissey and the atmospheric goth sheen of The Cure, Twin Shadow’s standout single “Slow” is a song certain to break the hearts of every romantically hopeless listener within earshot. But that’s only because it’s so easy to fall in love with. George Lewis’ low-key croon conveys a subtle melancholy through the glossy, gossamer verses, almost downplaying his contribution beneath the twinkling synth, flickering guitars and surprisingly heavy bassline (which sounds a little like “Barbarism Begins at Home,” come to think of it). But Lewis’ presence becomes more pronounced, crucial even, during the song’s soaring chorus as he transitions from the refrain “I don’t wanna believe, believe in love” to “I don’t wanna leave… believe in love.” It’s a subtle, but clever shift, and one that’s all the more heart-wrenching when packaged with melodies this transcendent. – Jeff Terich
31. Kanye West – “Power” (Roc-a-fella/Def Jam)
(Single; from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy)
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Much to the contrary of his claims in another recent single, Kanye West is not a monster. He’s human, just like you or me. The primary difference is that when we fuck up, nobody notices. When Kanye does, it makes headlines. And so he groans, “No one man should have all this power.” But “Power,” the first, head-splitting single from My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is far more complicated than that. As conflicted as West is about the level of his notoriety, he still revels in it, snarling “fuck that, the world’s ours.” With such a contradictory message, however, comes an aptly placed sample, and West’s choice placement of a vocal hook from King Crimson’s “21st Century Schizoid Man” is all too perfect. Over four minutes and 50 seconds of explosive guitar and hard-hitting beats, Kanye grapples with fame, responsibility and even death, but for all the song’s fatalist drama, he still comes out on top. Early in the song, West posits, “I guess every superhero needs his theme music.” And sure enough, this is his. – Jeff Terich
