2010 Songs of the Year (Nos. 90-71)

90.  Laurie Anderson - Transitory Life

Laurie Anderson's Homeland is a revelation; each song a critique of modern America and a lacerating commentary on why our country is in the situation it is in now.  "Transitory Life," with it's minimal glitchy electronics and gutteral throat singing, is the gorgeous and haunting lead track, ruminating on the endless fear of hard times and death. (See also "Only An Expert" and "Another Day In America")

89.  Simian Mobile Disco - Sweetbread

Simian Mobile Disco smartly ditched their reliance on collaborators and hit the studio to make their own music.  Delicacies was the resulting album, a series of banging house tracks focusing on specific food delicacies.  "Sweetbreads" is one of the standout songs on the album, full of nervous energy: wobbly synths, skittering drum beats.  You can almost feel the juices pouring out of the meat.

88.  Nicki Minaj - Did It On 'Em

Nicki Minaj turned up as a guest rapper on a lot of slamming tracks this year, really creating an enormous buzz for her debut album Pink Friday.  Unfortunately the album was a bit of dissappointment, toning down her outrageousness in favor of a more mainstream sound.  Except for the filthy and depraved standout track, "Did It On Em."  If the whole album had followed this song's brashness and originality, it would have been a classic.  Here's hoping for more of this in the future.

87.  Cee Lo Green - Fuck You

The ubiquitous song of 2010 which never fails to make me smile.

86.  Matthew Dear - You Put A Smell On Me

Sleazy robofunk from one of the most flith-inducing records of the year.  And believe me, that is high praise.

85.  Holy Ghost! - I Know I Hear

Funky and driving song from the DFA dance-punks.  Where is there debut album dammit?!

84.  Scuba - Before

Drawing from the more minimal side of dubstep, Scuba creates some dark, cavernous soundscapes.  "Before," takes a stomach churningly low bass and drags it under a clipped diva vocal, evoking a lonely, nighttime ride through deserted city streets.

83.  Caribou - Odessa

"Odessa" starts simply with a bouncy bass and drum track and bird like calls.  By the end, you are crying Uncle! as he piles more and more onto the track until it sounds like it is going to burst.  It perfectly captures how someone's mind works while going through a breakup; the almost insane chatter of the brain.

82.  Azari & III - Reckless With Your Love (Tensnake Remix)

Every part of this song feels familiar and yet new at the same time: the Soul II Soul drum beat, twinkling percussion, house synths and keys, and diva vocals.  The mood brings me back to a time when dance music seemed to be able to cure the world's ills.

81.  Fever Ray - Mercy Street

Gorgeously dark cover version of the Peter Gabriel classic.  Where Gabriel's tone was hopeful and meditative, Fever Ray's is sinister and haunting.  I've always loved it when an artist can make a song sound completely different from the first artist's intended mood.

80.  Tamaryn - The Waves

Hello my name is Russell Beets, and I am a shoegaze addict.

79.  Perfume Genius - Mr. Peterson

Twisted and sad tale, made all the more despairing from the bleak, minimal accompaniment.

78.  Vampire Weekend -  Cousins

Furiously paced ska-influenced track from Vampire Weekend, that always feels on the verge of crashing but never loses its bearing. (See also "Horchata" and "Giving Up The Gun")

77.  Gold Panda - Snow and Taxis

Gorgeous dance track with a joyous melody.

76.  Shed - Keep Time

Featuring a punishing drum track, "Keep Time," was a standout proto-industrial track from electro-wunderkind Shed.

75.  Frank (Just Frank) - Beneath

Hello, my name is Russell Beets and I am addicted to Pornography-era Cure.

74.  Teengirl Fantasy - Cheaters

Taking a vintage soul sample and marrying it to some infectiously spacey trance R&B was pure genius. (See also "Floor to Floor")

73.  Delorean - Infinite Desert

Gorgeously woozy Baeleric house music.  Listening to this song takes me to a beach at sunset in some foreign locale, the booze kicking in and everything feeling AOK.

72.  Curren$y - Audio Dope II

Curren$y was one of the lone rap standouts this year for me.  His two album releases were filled to the brim with blunted and thick tracks and hilariously stoner-paced flow.  "Audio Dope II," with its molasses slow beat and Caribbean percussion is the perfect canvas for Curren$y's drug-addled paranoid rantings.

71.  Crowded House - Amsterdam

While the album Intriguer was a mixed bag to me, "Amsterdam" was a revelatory song.  Featuring a gorgeous vocal from Neil Finn and sterling melody, the song ironically details the wonders of freedom.