[Important note: As always, song titles link to video]
1. Glasser – Apply
Apply was the standout track from Glasser's debut album, Ring, and it still wins every time I hear it. The song opens with a huge sounding carnival drum rhythm and a deep imposing synth. It would be easy for a singer to get lost in this cacophony, but not here. Here it only serves as the perfect backdrop for Cameron Mesirow's siren-meets-jungle-queen vocals. She dominates the song and oozes the sort of confidence and strength that it demands, but at the same conveys a sense of intimacy and grace. The final result is a fantastic song that gets better for every listen.
2. HEALTH - USA BOYS
Die Slow indicated a less nihilistic approach to crafting music and a greater focus on melody for HEALTH, and on USA BOYS the noisy pop sound is perfected. The song opens with a roar- like synth and then grooves along with a fantastic beat, consisting of hiphop- style programmed drums, a stuttering synth and a warm yet booming bass. On top of that you then have the trademark airy and shoegaze-y vocals, which gives the song an ethereal feel despite the loudness. Add it all together and you have one of the best pop (I use the term loosely) songs of 2010.
3. Here We Go Magic - Casual
Beautiful in its fragility, “Casual” grooves with a soft yet commanding drum and a propulsive bass that belies how breezy the song actually is. Constantly ascending, layer upon layer of synth, acoustic guitar and other effects are added on top as the song builds and finally peaks with a swirling guitar at the 3:45 mark. In the middle of all this lush orchestration you have Luke Temple softly singing “It’s Casual /Not Heartbreaking /Just Casual /Not Mind Shaking”, leaving it lyrically very open to interpretation. Is it about the end of a relationship or maybe even about abortion? I don't know, but whatever meaning you attach to the words, there is no doubt that this is a truly beautiful song.
4. Four Tet - Love Cry
Love Cry was the go- to song last year whenever I needed a mental break. The song is built around a pulsing and quite funky drum break yet possesses a very meditative quality. The song slowly builds over its 9 minutes and 13 seconds with small stabs of synth and acoustic guitar licks, but never wanders off course. It is this sense of perpetual motion that I find it incredibly relaxing. There is a fine art to sounding like something could just go on forever without being boring or aimless, and Four Tet hits the nail on the head with this gem of a song.
5. Fresh and Onlys - Waterfall
If there was to be made a manual on how to write a garage pop song, you need look no further than Waterfall. Once the song kicks off it never let’s go or even slows down, it just grooves along with the by far strongest melody of last year(in my humble opinion). A song so great you will never get tired of listening to it.
6. Caribou - Odessa
7. Drake - Karaoke
8. Beach House - Walk In the Park
9. LCD Soundsystem - Dance Yrself Clean
10. Deerhunter - Desire Lines
11. Earl Sweatshirt - EARL
12. Janelle Monae - Faster
13. James Blake - Limit To Your Love
14. Kanye West - Monster (Feat. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj & Bon Iver)
15. Harlem - Someday Soon
16. Warpaint - Undertow
17. White Hinterland - Icarus
18. Gorillaz - Empire Ants
19. Gauntlet Hair - I Was Just Thinking
20. The Samps - F.N.X.C.
Honourable Mentions (Aplphabetic Order):
Arcade Fire - Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains), Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti - Round and Round, ARMS - Emily Sue, Pt 2, Big K.R.I.T. - Children of the World, Born Ruffians - Sole Brother, Broken Bells - The High Road, Count & Sinden - After Dark (feat. Mystery Jets), Diamond Rings - Something Else, Foals - Spanish Sahara, Gil Scott- Heron - New York Is Killing Me, Golden Triangle – Jinx, How to Dress Well & cokc dokc - Ready For the World, Japandroids - Younger Us, Jay Electronica - Exhibit C, Jessica Lea Mayfield - Our Hearts Are Wrong, Katy B - Katy On A Mission, Kenton Slash Demon – Sun, Laura Marling - Alpha Shallows, Les Savy Fav - Let's Get Out Of Here, Male Bonding - Year's Not Long, Owen Pallet - A Man With No Ankles, Robyn - Dancing On My Own, Society of Rockets – We, The Soft Pack – Answer to Yourself, Suckers - Black Sheep, Tame Impala - Solitude is Bliss, Tennis – Marathon, Tensnake - Coma Cat, The Mantles - Lily Never Married, These New Puritans - Hologram (Salem Remix), These New Puritans - Three Thousand, Twin Shadow – Slow, Twin Sister - All Around and Away We Go, Two Door Cinema Club - Something Good Can Work, Tyler, the Creator – Bastard, Wacka Flocka Flame - Hard in da Paint, Wavves - Post- Acid, Wild Nothing – Chinatown, Women – Eyesore, Woodsman – Serfer, Yeasayer – O.N.E., Zola Jesus - I Can't Stand
