Spinner

Best Songs of 2010: Part Two

25
'Over'
Drake
Clearly shaken by his own hype whirlwind, Drake drops a surprisingly pissy first single, especially coming from a first full-length. But as longtime beatsmith Boi 1da alternates between gloriously uplifting horns and a clap-driven drum barrage, the Toronto MC emerges from his paranoid funk ("Who the f--- are y'all?") to take his place at hip-hop's head table. "Point the biggest skeptic out," he spits, "I'll make them a believer." Then he follows through.
Drake
Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images
24
'Celestica'
Crystal Castles
While the cold-blooded electro-terrorism of tracks like 'Baptism' and 'Doe Deer' proved that Crystal Castles still have plenty of anger issues to work out, the standout single from their (second consecutive) self-titled album proved that the Toronto duo can sigh as beautifully as they can scream. There's still plenty of unnerving glitch lurking behind that big, floor-filling beat, but it's nice to know there's a beating heart behind all the broken glass.
Crystal Castles
Roger Kisby, Getty Images
23
'Bang Pop'
Free Energy
Despite being produced by James Murphy himself, Free Energy, as DFA Records' atypical '70s-style pop-rockers, have little interest in appeasing hipsters, not when they could be brightening up your suburban bush party. The Philly band swaggers its way through this bouncy throwback, complete with air-guitar-ready axe solos, which practically promises to turn any given teenage weekend into a 'Dazed and Confused'-style bacchanal.
Free Energy
Tony Nelson, Retna
22
'Lucidity'
Tame Impala
The video for Tame Impala's psychedelic journey 'Lucidity' appears to echo the interpretation that the song is all about coming back down to earth after being, well, really high. Even if the narrator is asking for clarity from a different kind of haze, this is one dream you just don't ever want to wake up from. Consider this song a damn good argument for always keeping your totem handy.
Tame Impala
Mark Metcalfe, Getty Images
21
'Dog Days Are Over'
Florence and the Machine
Hollywood may have co-opted this song for 'Eat, Pray, Love,' but it still retains all the luster that first made jaws drop when it arrived on the scene for a second time this April. Thanks to Florence Welch's luscious nightingale voice, cutesy girl-group flourishes and a climatic kick-up-your-heels closing -- not to mention her breakout performance at the MTV Awards -- this rerelease from 2008 just might be 2010's most memorable call to arms.
Florence and the Machine
Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images
20
'Run'
Vampire Weekend
The casual Vampire Weekenders probably default to 'Holiday' or 'Cousins' from the group's sophomore set, 'Contra,' as the standouts, but smack-dab in the middle lays 'Run,' as close to a ballad as Ezra Koenig and company have written. You don't necessarily want to run, but instead ponder the idea that deep down the dudes in Vampire Weekend might be sweetie-pies.
Vampire Weekend
Gary Wolstenholme, Redferns
19
'Undertow'
Warpaint
If you've ever been to the beach, you know undertows rank right up there with jellyfish as far as buzzkills go. For Los Angeles' dream-fuzz quartet Warpaint, these ladies take the concept of being dragged to death by rippling waves and compare that to a relationship. For nearly six minutes, the song builds into a melodic, mid-tempo jam that slowly takes you into a miniature aural undertow of its own accord. Trust us, it makes sense.
Warpaint
Annabel Staff, Redferns
18
'Hearts Trompet'
Brasstronaut
This Vancouver six-piece helmed by Edo Van Breemen essentially reimagines indie rock as orchestral pomp. Brasstronaut's unconventional instrumentation (lap steel, clarinet, piano, the rare EWI wind synth and, of course, lots of brass) amazes throughout the debut album, 'Mt Chimaera,' but scales impossible heights with this epic, which, true to its title, makes the heart burst as those trumpets blare.
Brasstronaut
Steve Louie, Myspace
17
'Where I'm Going'
Cut Copy
Cut Copy's Beach Boys-influenced single "Where I'm Going" is a surprising turn for the Australian synth-pop outfit, but after a few listens, the ebullient, slightly psychedelic pop song does exactly what it's supposed to -- get you bobbing your head, singing "wooo" and wishing you were on a road trip with your surfboard in the 1960s.
Cut Copy
Don Arnold, WireImage
16
'Sprawl II'
Arcade Fire
Appearing toward the end of Arcade Fire's ode to life outside the city limits, 'Sprawl II' presents a resigned sense of longing as the narrator grapples with the same sort of personal dilemmas that Bruce Springsteen encounters -- except we're not just talking about the dead shopping malls of New Jersey here. While escape may seem impossible (that's kinda the point of the song) listening to it with headphones on, eyes closed, certainly helps.
Arcade Fire
Marc Broussely, Redferns
15
'Desire Lines'
Deerhunter
Stoic vocal delivery layered on top of transporting melodies create an emotive, swirly soundscape in this standout track off the Altanta rockers' Top 30 Album of 2010, 'Halcyon Digest.' "Come with me," Deerhunter guitarist Lockett Pundt beckons. And why not oblige? Go ahead, lose yourself.
Deerhunter
Gary Wolstenholm, Redferns
14
'Bang Bang Bang'
Mark Ronson & the Business Intl.
This infectious bit of space-age funk is shockingly devoid of the '60s soul sound that made Ronson a household name. Armed with vintage synths, the DJ/producer gives vocal duties on the hook to MNDR's Amanda Warner. And when you're making a party-starting anthem, it certainly doesn't hurt to have Q-Tip lending the smoothest voice in hip-hop on one of the year's best guest appearances.
Mark Ronson
Matt Kent, WireImage
13
'England'
The National
Much like their 2007 hit 'Fake Empire,' the National's 'England' builds from a commanding but mellow piano intro to a booming, horn-fueled peak. Thanks to a standout arrangement, the Brooklyn-via-Cincinnati band turns a lonely lament into a beautiful epic that's one of the standouts of their 'High Violet' album.
The National
Nick Pickles, WireImage
12
'The Mighty Sparrow'
Ted Leo and the Pharmacists
The muscular opener from this year's 'The Brutalist Bricks' grabbed us by the lapels and didn't let go. Punk-rock stalwart Leo's busked-up vocal and ever-clever lyrics are up to attention-snatching snuff with first line "When the café doors exploded/I reacted, too/Reacted to you," and the tension never lets up from there. Who knew a tiny bird could pack such a wallop?
Ted Leo
Jason Merritt, FilmMagic
11
'O.N.E.'
Yeasayer
With conflicted hearts -- "Hold me like you used to" one second, "You don't move me anymore" the next -- and Baltimora's "Tarzan Boy" on the brain, Yeasayer create a new-old sound: tribal synth-pop. This may be a song about willing oneself through a breakup, but by the sound of it, the worst of the pain is in the past. All that remains is to light the bonfire, toss in a few photos of the ex and dance all night to the wiggly New Wave grooves.
Yeasayer
Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images
10
'Need You Now'
Lady Antebellum
An undeniable force to be reckoned with, this Nashville trio had us all high-fiving over their "booty call" lyrics and humming their absurdly catchy melodies. We'll be damned if we aren't suckers for those ringing guitars Lady Antebellum are plucking and strumming.
Lady Antebellum
C Flanigan, FilmMagic
09
'Tighten Up'
The Black Keys
There's no way to refrain from grinning like a goof during the playful whistle-filled intro that kicks off this infectious gem. The Black Keys will make a believer out of anyone with this deceptively simple bluesy stomper, which rockets forward with rump-shaking rhythms and Dan Auerbach's walloping falsetto -- no doubt a career-defining song.
Black Keys
C Brandon, Redferns
08
'Laredo'
Band of Horses
Ben Bridwell and band pull out all the stops on this expansive anthem. It's radio rock in all the best ways: Rollicking Southern guitar lines, a mid-tempo pace that never becomes pedestrian, packed with watertight harmonies and entirely conducive to road-tripping. If we're honest, we're still not entirely clear what the song is about, but we do know we want to go to Laredo, and if there's a lake there for a-dippin', we're in.
Band of Horses
Tim Mosenfelder, Getty Images
07
'Monster'
Kanye West
Posse cuts tend to be soulless and bloated, but this time the all-stars went all in. Rick Ross barrels through, making room for West's self-aggrandizing jaw-drops and Jay-Z's hard-fought flow, while Bon Iver's Justin Vernon adds indie framing. Amid this, Nicki Minaj flips schizophrenically between accents, time signatures and personalities as she rampages through 32 bars, each one "hotter than a Middle Eastern climate."
Kanye West
Ben Hider, Getty Images
06
'Dance Yrself Clean'
LCD Soundsystem
Though you could probably pick a handful of equally deserving tracks from 'This Is Happening,' the wonderfully weird, synth-driven slow-burner "Dance Yrself Clean," is a quintessential LCD Soundsystem song: nine minutes long, quirky, awesome.
LCD Soundsystem
Mark Venema, Getty Images
05
'Wake Up Everybody'
John Legend and the Roots
Inspired by Obama's election and the 'Hard Times' in America of recent years, the talented smoothie Legend and Jimmy Fallon's house band turned a one-off session into a killer album of classic conscious-soul covers. Their stylish version of this Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes nugget lent the album its title, and its attitude.
John Legend
D Dipasupil, Getty Images
04
'Dancing on My Own'
Robyn
For anyone who's watched across a crowded room while his or her biggest crush crushed on someone else, Robyn's tale of unrequited dance floor love might hit a little too close to home. Calling a club hit "emotionally devastating" isn't usually a rousing endorsement, but this track packs in so much ass-moving brilliance that we can all just dance the pain away.
Robyn
Jason LaVeris, Getty Images
03
'F--- You'
Cee-Lo Green
Though the radio-friendly version comes off as relatively less significant, Cee-Lo's gleeful joint about being an Atari dumped for a richer Xbox is more than some curse-filled novelty. It sounds like a lost Stax deep cut, and while the chorus' lushly profane f-bombs add a humorous punch, they also emphasize that even a soul machine like Cee-Lo can get all tore up inside, as becomes epically clear during his "I still love youuuuu" breakdown on the bridge.
Cee-Lo Green
Gary Miller, FilmMagic
02
'The High Road'
Broken Bells
Becostumed beatmeister Danger Mouse and Shins melodist James Mercer were the Oscar and Felix of "indie" pop on a major label in 2010. First released as a download giveaway on Broken Bells' website, 'The High Road' began the year promising a Danger-ous bounty, which included a second Black Keys album and a second collaboration with the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse.
Broken Bells
Andy Sheppard, Redferns
01
'Stylo'
Gorillaz
The rubber-ball bass line alone makes any car ride feel like an adventure (just ask Bruce Willis, who hot-rods his way through the video). Then, when you throw in Damon Albarn's silky lead vocals and smoking guest appearances from Mos Def and Bobby Womack, you've got the Gorillaz's slick, soulful soundtrack to a never-ending road trip, as well as the makings for our top song of the year.
Gorillaz
Jakubaszek, Getty Images

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allie

Alrighty, I'm calling this one: you guys are serious Austin City Limits fans. And definitely attended ACL 2010. Love it!

June 07 2011 at 8:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
dan

out of all of them, #3 was like the only good one and the rest is hipster **** or rap

May 17 2011 at 8:14 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Ashley Heart

Anybody else notice that "Rolling in the Deep" by Adele, placed #50 on this list, is #2 on iTunes now?

February 27 2011 at 7:07 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
md

Did you really say that The Roots are Jimmy Fallon's house band? Dude, the Roots were around when Jimmy Fallon still sucked his thumb (maybe he still does). Disrespect.

February 01 2011 at 10:58 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
Crescit

This list is a total waste of time except few songs, many of them i had never heard. And spinners itself didn't listed few songs when they were released but they are listing them now :3

January 10 2011 at 7:49 AM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
kkn680

this is crazy!

January 08 2011 at 3:53 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Boogie

For a list of the 50 top songs that virtually no one ever heard of you might consider coming back to the planet Earth in 2011.

January 02 2011 at 11:39 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Boogie's comment
lynn

i have heard of pretty much all of these songs...im not saying i like all of them but at least im smart enough to know the songs

January 04 2011 at 11:15 AM Report abuse -1 rate up rate down Reply
Max

The only song I've heard of is F**k You, which is pretty damn amazing. I don't think anybody's heard the other ones. Apparently "best" means "completely unknown", but hey, at least it gives these artists a chance to get discovered.

January 02 2011 at 11:05 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply
poguedg

I have heard better more creative songs on ourstage dot com where people and musicians rate the work of other musicians. I have some of my songs and videos on there and made one into the top 50. The songs and videos that ranked higher than mine were better produced. The top 20 in Hard Rock, Rock, and Country in December blew me away they were so good.

January 02 2011 at 10:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Joe Blow

Lynn. Anyone who listens to this crap, NEEDS to get a life. Typical insults to intelligance, ( except to those that have none to begin with )! I make better music sitting on the toilet in the morning !!!

January 02 2011 at 7:53 PM Report abuse +1 rate up rate down Reply