(All week we’re counting down the top songs of 2010. For previous entries on the list, click here or simply scroll down. We hope you enjoy the music.)
10. The Morning Benders – “Excuses”
It’s no secret: harmonies are in. The last ten years have seen the re-discovery of The Beach Boys, The Zombies, The Turtles, and a bunch of other 60s rock musicians who actually enjoyed singing. No contemporary band captures the spirit of these past luminaries like The Morning Benders, whose 2010 record Big Echo sounds like Phil Spector after a trip to BALCO. Album opener “Excuses” is a veritable Wailing-Wall-of-Sound, but the album version seems tame in comparison to the ecstatic frenzy below. -LVL
9. Arcade Fire – “Modern Man”
Arcade Fire returned in triumph this year with The Suburbs, a concept album of pop anthems that reflect on childhood and adulthood while bemoaning the suburbanization of the modern world. “Modern Man” distills the album’s themes of alienation, confusion, and frustration, epitomized by Win Butler’s falsetto: “Something don’t feel right.” -KM
8. Kanye West – “Monster”
In Kanye’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (the album and the fantasy) he surrounds himself with considerable talent that gamely supports his celebration of all things Kanye. Justin Vernon lends creeping, distorted lyrics, and Jay-Z and Rick Ross throw in sweet supporting verses (Jay-Z peevishly knocking “these n-ggas I’ve made millionaires milling about, spilling their feelings in the air”). West dominates the track with a combination of self-aware arrogance (“Gossip, gossip/ n-ggas just stop it/everybody know I’m a muthaf-cking monster”) and romantic whimsy (“have you ever had sex with a pharaoh?/I put the p-ssy in a sarcophagus/now she claiming I bruise her esophagus”). Nicki Minaj, however, is the true revelation on this track, swapping in and out of accents, mocking the doubters and impishly frolicking like a flesh-crazed zombie. -PJB
7. Sufjan Stevens – “All Delighted People”
After abandoning his project to record an album for each of the 50 states, Sufjan Stevens emerged from seclusion this fall to release two records: All Delighted People and The Age of Adz. The song “All Delighted People” features Stevens’ signature blend of orchestral rock, borrowing and tweaking slices of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Sound of Silence.” It takes balls to mess with the classics, but Stevens does it with grace and innovation. Of the two versions of the song, we prefer the ironically titled “classic rock version,” eight minutes of lushly layered guitar, banjo, strings, horns, synthesizer, and female chorale singers whose harmonies shimmer behind Stevens’ plaintive voice. Delightful! -KM
6. LCD Soundsystem – “Dance Yrself Clean”
With “Dance Yrself Clean,” James Murphy concocts a nine-minute epic of danceable proportions, in the process revealing how irritating it is to be with some lame bastard who is dead set on ruining your night. The shifts between pessimistic introvert and hopeful extrovert lay the ground for one of the most relatable dance tracks in recent years. The track sets the tone for Murphy’s scene bipolar This Is Happening, casting a cool shadow over the listener. Just wait for the beat to drop. -PL
5. Janelle Monae – “Tightrope”
I can’t listen to “Tightrope” without picturing Janelle Monae’s frenetic dancing, bouncing hair, and visceral sense of urgency. Of course, that works in the song’s favor. “Tightrope” is the retro sock-hop heir to Outkast’s “Hey Ya” with a little bit of James Brown mixed in. To top it off, the song’s message is clear – however bad or frustrating things can be, “keep getting funky on the scene.” -PJB
(Original featuring Big Boi + remix featuring B.o.B. and Lupe Fiasco)
4. The Tallest Man On Earth – “Kids On The Run”
I’m a purist in the sense that I still listen to records from beginning to end. As such I’m a sucker for album-closing piano ballads (keep that in mind, ladies), and this one is the best of them all. I dare you not to shed a tear. -LVL
3. Glasser – “Mirrorage”
Sources say that a high school chorus in Manhattan is rehearsing “Mirrorage” for a performance this spring. Take that, Glee. -KM
2. The Black Keys – “She’s Long Gone”
The Black Keys reached back to dirty, sweaty, howling blues with “She’s Long Gone.” In doing so, the Keys conjure a yearning for lost love that erupts from the speakers. Drums and guitars trade feature moments, drums paired with lady-love and guitar paired with lady-loss. The two instruments gradually mix and blur throughout the song, then sift apart in an about-face, building to a final frazzled minute that culminates with the guitar alone and the drums long, long gone. -PJB
1. Kanye West – “POWER”
Little is left to say about “POWER” that hasn’t already been said. This song has become not only Ye’s theme, but an American anthem. So allow us to ask: what about ourselves can we see in “POWER?” As our country continues to split on issues of global and domestic importance and Democrats and Republicans continue to argue over who is more out of touch, a serious distaste swells among Americans. With our rich history and massive economic and cultural resources, we are nonetheless reduced to watching Bristol Palin on Dancing With The Stars. The system’s broken. The schools are out. The prison’s open.
Kanye expertly directed the spotlight towards his camp this summer when “POWER” dropped, acting as a shepherd to all us lost tweeps. After his public kamikaze act in 2009, he returned like Obi Wan, more powerful than we could possibly imagine. This reborn Mr. West is confused and vengeful, but he knows damn well one thing: we feeling this shit. -PL
[vodpod id=Video.5130901&w=425&h=350&fv=videoId%3D424751328001%26amp%3BplayerID%3D79558360001%26amp%3BplayerKey%3DAQ%7E%7E%2CAAAAEnJWcRk%7E%2C8QsGFjqjqRx2GlbB9LA9MkIqNRzwJ1YM%26amp%3Bdomain%3Dembed%26amp%3BdynamicStreaming%3Dtrue]
To recap, our Top 40 Songs of 2010:
40. Nas and Damien Marley – “Nah Mean”
39. Deerhunter – “Helicopter”
38. Twin Shadow – “Tyrants Destroyed”
37. Cloud Nothings– “You Were Scared”
36. The Rolling Stones – “So Divine (Aladdin Story)”
35. Broken Social Scene – “All To All”
34. Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – “Round And Round”
33. Kings Go Forth – “One Day”
32. Wild Nothing – “Summer Holiday”
31. Gayngs – “Spanish Platinum”
30. The Soft Pack – “Answer To Yourself”
29. Shabazz Palaces – “32 leaves dipped in blackness making clouds forming altered carbon”
28. Active Child – “I’m In Your Church At Night”
27. Clem Snide – “Sunrise in a Wal-Mart Parking Lot”
26. Chromeo – “Night By Night
25. B.o.B. – “Nothing”
24. James Blake – “CMYK”
23. The Hundred In The Hands – “Pigeons”
22. The Tallest Man On Earth – “King Of Spain”
21. Wolf Parade – “Yulia”
20. Vampire Weekend – “Giving Up The Gun”
19. Of Montreal – “Coquet Coquette”
18. How To Dress Well – “Decisions”
17. Cee-Lo Green – “Fuck You”
16. New Pornographers – “Crash Years”
15. Baths – “Plea”
14. Ra Ra Riot – “Too Dramatic”
13. Sleigh Bells – “Tell ‘Em”
12. Kanye West – “Runaway”
11. Titus Andronicus – “To Old Friends and New”
10. Morning Benders – “Excuses”
9. Arcade Fire – “Modern Man”
8. Kanye West – “Monster”
7. Sufjan Stevens – “All Delighted People”
6. LCD Soundsystem “Dance Yrslf Clean”
5. Janelle Monae – “Tightrope”
4. The Tallest Man On Earth – “Kids On The Run”
3. Glasser – “Mirrorage”
2. The Black Keys – “She’s Long Gone”
1. Kanye West – “POWER”
Be sure to check back next week for our Top 40 Albums of 2010.
-FP
Pingback: Expectations: An Absurdly Rushed Review of Watch The Throne « Frontier Psychiatrist