Best Songs of 2010 -- Part Two

UPDATE: See Our Final List of the Best Songs of 2010

The current retro movement in the best songs of 2010 is a win-win: Oldsters who had declared music dead can now listen to new songs, making them look less uncool to their kids. Meanwhile, young folks can use new artists to discover songs from the past, which means they might finally learn who Al Green is. But even the non-retro tracks offer a respectful tip of the hat to what preceded it. Here is our second installment of the best songs of 2010, featuring tunes that had been spinning in our heads all summer.

'Come and Get It'

Eli 'Paperboy' Reed

Reed had been accepted to the University of Chicago, but he found better music education in Mississippi juke joints and the More Like Christ Christian Fellowship Church on Chicago's South Side, where he not only performed but found mentors who taught him authentic soul. This horn-heavy tune, led by Reed's Jackie Wilson-like energy, is good ole sweaty soul.

Read 'Come and Get It' Lyrics

Ben Meadows, WireImage

'The Suburbs'

Arcade Fire

If Bono and David Bowie both say they like a group, we take note. Two years after those rock gods praised this Montreal-based indie collective, the rest of the world seems to have caught on. This piano-driven tune is the title track to a concept album about middle-class conformity.

Read 'The Suburbs' Lyrics

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'Just Your Fool'

Cyndi Lauper

Technically, this isn't a new 2010 song, but it's a new blues cover off Lauper's latest album. Just off her 'Celebrity Apprentice 3,' appearances and riding on a bit of a comeback (an autobiography and reality show are in the works), Lauper gets to showcase her underrated vocals here, backed by harmonica hero Charlie Musselwhite.

Read 'Just Your Fool' Lyrics

Jemal Countess, Getty Images

'Excuses'

Morning Benders

Inspired by Phil Spector's "wall of sound," this retro rocker from Morning Benders features swirling harmonies that conjure pre-Beatles visions of flat tops and black-and-white television. Whether you remember the lyrics or not, you'll find yourself humming or whistling this infectious melody and its 'You Send Me'-like chorus.

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'King of Spain'

The Tallest Man on Earth

First of all, the Tallest Man on Earth is Kristian Matsson, a Swede who is actually just 5 foot 9. (It's called irony, all right?) Fans of folk rocker Richard Thompson will appreciate his busy acoustic guitar style here, and comparisons to Dylan's songwriting have already been made.

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Kristian Matsson of the Tallest Man on Earth

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'Heaven's on Fire'

The Radio Dept.

Another Swedish act on our best song list, this nu-gaze outfit listened to a lot of late-'80s and early-'90s hip-hop in writing the songs from their latest album, 'Clinging to a Scheme.' You can detect the hip-hop influence in this beat-based track's rhythm, but it also features a bouncy, warm bass and lazy vocals that make it ripe for summer tuneage.

Read 'Heaven's on Fire' Lyrics

myspace.com/officialradiodept

'Crash Years'

The New Pornographers

Driven by the sharp vocals of Neko Case, this tune from the New Pornographers features orchestral strings paired with tom-heavy drums, tight vocal harmonies and a chorus of whistling that would make Peter Gabriel proud. The harmony-heavy call-and-response at the end is icing on the cake.

Read 'Crash Years' Lyrics

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'I Don't Love You No More'

Kings Go Forth

Andy Noble owned a record store in Milwaukee before founding the 10-member funk band Kings Go Forth, with members ranging in age from 30 to 55. Featuring frenetic percussion, wah-wah guitar and Earth, Wind and Fire-like backing vocals, this could easily have been snatched from the soundtrack of a blaxploitation flick from the '70s.

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'No One in the World'

The Apples in Stereo

If you haven't seen the Apples in Stereo, you might be surprised to learn that the feminine-sounding singer is actually a balding, bearded 39-year-old man. Nonetheless, Robert Schneider has a knack for layered tracks and playful harmonies, as he proves here -- in a song that sounds like ELO-gone-disco.

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Robert Schneider of the Apples in Stereo

Bobby Bank, WireImage

'You and Your Heart'

Jack Johnson

Some critics have been quick to note that Johnson hasn't changed his happy-song formula, but we ask: Why should he? Johnson is so good at creating uplifting tunes, he can take a somber event -- like the death of his father -- and somehow turn it into an album of sunny songs. This trust-your-heart tune doesn't have his trademark acoustic touch, but it is bouncy, bright and perfect for the beach.

Read 'You and Your Heart' Lyrics

Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images

'100 Miles From Memphis'

Sheryl Crow

Crow, who actually grew up 100 miles from Memphis, recorded this album with the defunct (but not de-funked) Stax Records in mind. As she recently told a crowd in Cleveland, this title track, with its warm, sexy groove, is "a record to drink wine and make out to," reason enough to rank it as one of the best songs of 2010.

Read '100 Miles From Memphis' Lyrics

Joe Kohen, WireImage

'The Anchor'

Alejandro Escovedo

Having written his own songs since 1975, Escovedo is one of those best-kept secrets in the music biz -- even if Bruce Springsteen is a buddy. Escovedo, who has delved in punk and alt-country, goes for classic garage rock with this love song, featuring twangy guitar riffs and a catchy chorus.

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'Baby Lee'

Teenage Fanclub

Close your eyes when you listen to this Teenage Fanclub song and you're likely to picture the performers wearing tie-dye shirts, little round sunglasses and buttons proclaiming "Make Love Not War." Though the band formed in the grunge era, it stuck to its Byrds-like style -- and this track's jangly guitars and vocal harmonies are simply groovy, man.

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'Whut's Wit Dat'

Dr. John and the Lower 911

The Cajun funkster's last two albums were written with Hurricane Katrina in mind, but this time the eccentric New Orleans native, with his trademark N'awlins drawl and piano prowess, returns to more fun, less serious music. This one, about healthy food, is not only one of the best songs of 2010, it could almost be a 'Sesame Street' tune -- were it not for the 'bulls---' line.

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'How I Got Over'

The Roots

Lots of reviewers label them hip-hop, but the Roots have been known to perform songs by U2, James Brown, the Police and Paul Simon. This soulful ghetto tune by Jimmy Fallon's house band is named after a gospel standard.

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Bryan Bedder, Getty Images

'Mind Games'

Devo

For this 2010 song, America's favorite de-evolution dorks Devo just released their first album in 20 years (Yes, they do still wear the energy dome headgear). 'Mind Games' starts out with an Atari-sounding intro, then proceeds to rock out -- in that Devo kinda way.

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Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images

'Dreaming of Another World'

Mystery Jets

First of all, you have to like a band that started out as a father-son duo (Henry Harrison plays guitar; his son, Blaine, is the drummer). The title track to 'Seratonin' is a bold and full rocker (Jeff Lynne was a big influence on the album), while this one is more catchy pop. The UK band began writing the album of jaded songs in an old railroad carriage on an English farm.

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'I Should Have Known It'

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

When guitarist Mike Campbell purchased a 1959 Les Paul guitar not long ago, he and Petty decided to write an album around the instrument's unique tone. Of course, to showcase that, Campbell had to have bigger, badder solos -- like the blistering one that closes this number.

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'If I Had My Way'

Robert Randolph and the Family Band

Randolph, considered one of the best pedal steel guitarists in the world, is known for funk, blues and soul, but he was only allowed to listen to Christian ad gospel music growing up. So with the help of T Bone Burnett -- and $5,000 worth of gospel music purchased on iTunes -- he dug into gospel's past and offered his own sermon. After a rockabilly guitar intro, this song slides into a stomping gospel tune, with Ben Harper providing backup.

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C. Taylor Crothers, FilmMagic

'Tighten Up'

The Black Keys

Not quite a decade old, this blues-rock band -- just a drummer and a guitarist, really -- recorded their latest album, 'Brothers,' at the famous Muscle Shoals studio in Alabama. This track, the last one written for the album, was penned with Danger Mouse, and features a dirty, swampy blues feel, which makes it a fine capper of our best songs for 2010 list.

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