justin_bieber

Snow on the ground, a new year around the corner, must be time for the Top 100. As always, this is not an exact science but that never stops me from painstakingly ranking each one. The list follows but first the same ol’ rules and caveats:

+ They are listed in reverse order because that is the only real way to do a list. Any of you with any sense of drama will listen to the whole thing from 100 slowly building up to number 1, at which point you will practically be bursting with excitement.

+ These are tracks, not necessarily singles. Covers qualify as well though I usually only include ones that are markedly different than the originals.

+ I only have one song per artist because the list is way cooler that way. Having 12 Arcade Fire tracks in the Top 100 feels pretty anticlimactic. Everybody gets a shot this way.

+ They were all released in 2010 on either an album or as a single. Sometimes the album came out last year but it was released as a single this year (or vice versa). That is a loophole I happily exploit.

+ If I’m wrong about the release date of something, blame Wikipedia and Rhapsody.

The list is below and every song title features a link to that song. It got much harder this year thanks to MySpace destroying iMeem and Apple ruining LaLa. Thank you corporate overlords. If you have Rhapsody, you can find 88 of the songs assembled as a playlist here. Know that the Rhapsody list is missing songs # 100, 91, 81, 73, 69, 65, 64, 48, 45, 42, 39, and 30 so you’ll have to revert to this post if you’re a completist (and bravo if you are). Either way, set aside just over six hours to make it through the list. And enjoy.

THE LIST

100. by Wax Audio. These two are literally the same song

99. by The Lonely Forest.  Sounds like Christmas

98. by Freelance Whales.  More words-per-minute than any other song in the Top 100

97. Isn’t It A Pity by Bettye LaVette.  Somewhere George Harrison is smiling

96. by Breathe Owl Breathe.  That must be some moustache

95. by Anais Mitchell.  Cartoon devils everywhere have a new anthem

94. by T.I feat. Christina Aguilera. Tears of a rapper

93. Back Down South by Kings of Leon.  If a square dance took place in an arena…

92. by Smith Westerns.  If you crossed an electric guitar with a kazoo

91. by Denuo.  And not just because of the band name

90. by Karen Elson.  You can tell she’s married to Jack White

89. by Josh Ritter.  Like a friendlier sounding Nick Cave

88. by Deerhunter.  Sounds like Beck’s “Jackass” served scrambled

87. by Sufjan Stevens.  The musical equivalent of a fuzzy blanket

86. by Big Boi feat Cutty.  Someone got carried away with a vocoder

85. by Paul Weller. He doesn’t sound old to me…

84. by My Chemical Romance.  Like your bratty obnoxious little brother

83. by Daft Punk.  All grown up and orchestral

82. by Ray Lamontagne and the Pariah Dogs.  Cat Stevens back when he was Cat Stevens

81. Pearls by The Union Line.  It was a good year on the Top 100 for acoustic guitars

80. by Crowded House.  Crowded House! Absolutely McCartneyesque

79. by Cornershop.  The yogis are back in town

78. by Roky Erickson with Okkervil River.  As world-weary as they come

77. by Bear Hands.  Maybe the funkiest indictment of Wall Street ever

76. by Sweet Apple.  Devil horns in the air, y’all

75. by Zola Jesus. The goths may have found themselves a new high priestess

74. by Ray Charles.  From the grave but released for the first time so it counts

73. Trout by Skybox.  Tempo changes midsong are always a surefire way to get on the Top 100

72. by The Books.  Even the SAT vocabulary study guide sounds great when sung right

71. by Lightspeed Champion.  Someone finally rhymed “heart” with “Deutsche Marks”

70. by Brandon Flowers.  Behind that trembly voice are some pretty songs

69. Red Wine by Pepper Rabbit.  Especially for the sunny piano riff

68. by Robert Plant.  Has now nearly completed his transformation to full-fledged gypsy

67. by Broken Social Scene.  Apologies and forgiveness are big themes in this year’s Top 100

66. by Junip.  Like jamming to the organ part of “Riders on the Storm”

65. by Oberhofer.  Proof that an entire song can be built on a single riff

64. by Tame Impala.  If Pink Floyd was a modern day indie band

63. by Rogue Wave.  Especially for the ice-cream truck jig at the end

62. Hi by The Paparazzi.  Power pop lives!

61. by Versus.  Somehow obligates your head to bob back and forth

60. by Blitzen Trapper.  This demands an immediate cover version by Crowded House

59. by American Bang.  AKA Princes of Leon

58. It’s Working by MGMT.  Surf music + drugs = this

57. by Nas and Damien Marley.  Nas: “I got the guns”. Marley: “I got the ganja”

56. by Titus Andronicus.  Paranoia never sounded like such a hoot

55. by Rhymefest.  ’”While you were tryin to bang the chick with the moustache, I was hanging out with Tiger Woods when his truck crashed”

54. by M.I.A.  The complications of love/lust in the digital age make for good dancing

53. Absence Of Light by Maximum Balloon feat. Tunde Adebimpe.  2/4 of TV on the Radio sure feels like TV on the Radio

52. by Best Coast.  Hazy and dreamy

51. by Dr. Dog.  No one sounds happier than Dr. Dog

50. by The New Pornographers.  Same great New Pornographer sound, now with meatier guitar riffs!

49. by OK Go.  A great song even without the video

48. Something Somewhere Sometime by Ben Sollee & Daniel Martin Moore.  A primer in beautiful two part harmonies

47. by Lady Gaga feat. Beyonce.  I want a pair of those cigarette glasses

46. by Phosphorescent.  I have a soft spot for song titles that read like ironic T-shirts

45. by Menomena.  This is already a kickass song. Then come the horns.

44. by Patty Griffin.  Testify

43. by Goldfrapp.  ”Heart of Glass’ for the Space Age

42. Red River by Rocky Votolato.  The sound of someone singing with conviction.

41. by These New Puritans.   Next time I go into battle, this is the song I’m blaring from the loudspeakers.

40. by Stone Temple Pilots.  When we used to take drugs? We’ll let that one slide.

39. by Mr. Gnome. Good for shaking your fist and chanting in unison

38. Mange by Deer Tick.  Nothing kicks off a jam like the piano player finally waking up.

37. by Phantogram.  They must be Portishead’s cousin

36. by The Drums.  This was the year for indie surf music

35. by The Tallest Man on Earth.  A modern-day troubadour

34. by Caribou.  A flute solo Ron Burgundy would approve of

33. by Galactic.  This song is about heavy drinking and New Orleans. What’s not to like?

32. Birthday Boy by Drive By Truckers. Sad songs can still be rockin

31. by Kanye West feat Pusha T. Know that guy who doesn’t really seem sorry when he’s apologizing? That’s Kanye.

30. by Willow Smith. So stupid it’s brilliant

29. by Sage Francis. Hip hop as autobiography/personal therapy

28. by Jamie Lidell. He actually hits pause on the drum machine to offer up a tender love song

27. by Fang Island. Good for running with wild abandon in any direction

26. by The Soft Pack. The perfect modern rock song

25. by Neon Trees. The Strokes and The Killers give birth to a catchy overplayed track

24. by Cee-Lo Green. Al Green with a dirty mouth

23. by Surfer Blood. The big 80’s sound of echoey vocal and tasty waves

22. by Peter Gabriel. The year’s best cover will give you chills

21. by Broken Bells. Knob-twiddling + indie acoustic = pop heaven

20. by Japandroids. It’s always such a pleasant party until Japandroids show up

19. by LCD Soundsystem. The point at which the club erupts into pandemonium

18. by Spoon. Perfecting tenision-filled build-ups since 1994

17. by Janelle Monae feat. Big Boi. A James Brown for the space age

16. by Local Natives. Preapre for a four part-harmony smackdown with Fleet Foxes

15. by The Black Keys. This band has inisidiously found a way to lace their songs with something that spurs consumption of alcohol.

14. by Nicki Minaj feat Eminem. Matches Eminem note for note in terms of total insanity

13. by Corinne Bailey Rae. Heartbreaking.

12. by Free Energy. The perfect lost 70’s FM radio anthem

11. by Crystal Castles feat. Robert Smith. Disintegration with a beat

10. by Dan Black. I always imagine that right before the chorus he explodes into lasers

9. by B.o.B. feat. Hayley Williams. Listen to this song while you run and I guarantee a minimum 25% imrprovement in your pace.

8. by Arcade Fire. This song stayed stuck in my head for the second half of 2010

7. by Yeasayer. Like Depeche Mode and Talking Heads getting together to throw a party

6. by Sleigh Bells.  Sleigh Bells beat M.I.A. at her own game this year

5. by Nneka.  Stuttering never sounded so sexy

4. by The National.  Glorious

3. Hard Times by The Roots and John Legend.  Marvin Gaye meets Isaac Hayes

2. by Mumford & Sons.  If the chorus is catchy enough, you can repeat it over and over (and over)

1. by Vampire Weekend.  It’s not easy to make songs both happy and complex but VW pull it off every time.

 

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