RE|CAP

 

200|Clare Maguire 'Ain't Nobody'

199|Cut Copy 'Take Me Over'

198|Danger '4h30'

197|Eric Lau feat Muhsinah & Kaidi Tatham 'Always Will'

192|Sufjan Stevens 'All Delighted People'

190|Tinashé 'Zambezi'

187|LCD Soundsystem 'You Wanted A Hit'

184|Hurts 'Silver Lining'

181|Duck Sauce 'Barbra Streisand'

179|Kathryn Williams '50 White Lines'

172|Robyn 'In My Eyes'

171|Sub Focus feat Coco 'Splash'

168|Husky Rescue 'We Shall Burn Bright'

165|Baths '♥'

164|Best Coast 'Crazy For You'

161|Future Islands 'Swept Inside'

155|Maximum Balloon 'Communion'

 

You have impeccable taste. There are actually some tracks here that I haven't heard of and others (From the Mouth of Gabriel / Swept Inside) that I've just overlooked. Going to have to do some re-listening.

I kinda forgot about this, I shall continue at some point today and hope to finish before 2012.

Chart run: 16-10

The Go! Team returned at the end of 2010 with this, the first single from their Rolling Blackouts album. They really should take to releasing things in the Summer, their style is just so suited to it and I can well imagine that I'd have loved this even more if they had. There's no major progression here from previous material but it's a nice enough addition to their catalogue nonetheless.

 

Chart run: 29-19-10-08-07-10-15-21-26-33-39-47

High Violet was quite the grower of an album and the singles from it have been exactly the same for me. In contrast to The Go! Team, I think this would have benefitted in my eyes from being released in the Winter months as I've found myself wanting to listen to the album far more of late than I did upon release, it just kinda sits better somehow with the bleak landscapes. This was typified on Christmas day this year when the family went out for a post meal walk in the woods and it just sounded perfect on my ipod as we wandered aimlessly among the leafless trees.

 

Chart run: 25-08-06-07-08-13-22-34-37

Love the rhythm on this one, this OTT single of theirs is by far my favourite thing they've released to date as I found the rest of the album really disappointing and didn't care for them at all first time around. Still, you can't beat an epic - especially the moment around four minutes when the brass briefly appears before giving way to the choral section.

 

Chart run: 39-39-35-34-26-12-07-07-08-11-18-22-34-49

I don't know anything more about this lot aside from this track which hit my playlist in September. Quit a slow grower for me but the abrasive synths and indie-female vocal eventually won me over, possibly an act to keep an eye on in a Crystal Castles/Knife kinda way.

 

Chart run: 24-16-11-09-16-27-40

Sometimes I love this track, other times I think it's just a bit naff. I'm currently of the former opinion and it's high tempo bleeps and synths are strangely uplifting, one of the few dance records to make an impression on me in 2010. Where HAS the genre gone? :(

 

Chart run: 31-22-18-12-09-06-04-08-16-24-31-42-49

Ladytron returned in 2010 with... well, they may as well have done anyway, this is so similar to the fantastic synth group's efforts that it really could be lifted from practically any of their past few albums. Still, I'm not complaining when it's synthpop like this. I think they got entered into Unknown Pleasures recently, this one's far better than the one that was entered imo.

 

DNC

This is the first example that I have potential to turn into my dad and some point with his musical tastes. Dear God don't let it happen. Anyway, this really got under my skin in 2010, it's not something I would ever seek out but I do have a soft spot for a decent soul tune and a jazzy piano sample every now and again.

 

Chart run: 29-13-08

The X Factor in influencing Dandy* shocker. I did already have this as I liked the cover on the album (it is a GREAT striking shot) but I was never going to really play it. Then came one of the many Saturdays that I was forced to endure that show and it's useless big name performers and Rihanna came on to perform this and it was just brilliant and really stuck in my head, the best solo song she's had ever. Oh and it turns out the album's not that bad also... :o

 

Chart run: 23-19-14-08-06-05-08-12-18-25-39

An appearance in the year end for my entry to UPII which flopped so badly that it was pretty much last. Gah. I thought this was Santogold the first time I heard it as it would have fit perfectly with her sound a couple of years back but the slow and somewhat brooding sound of I Go Away has made me keep an eye out for future releases - I see Fade To Black is being released this month too, another one that's pretty decent.

 

Chart run: 32-25-16-13-11-16-27-36-49

I know very little about this lot aside from the fact that I love this track. Yet another band making 80s influenced music, this lot really remind me of a specific group and song but I can't for the life of me remember who it is (if you're reading and know, please do say! Ultravox maybe but I don't think so?)

 

Chart run: 17-08-10-19

Just confirmed as #2 on the Sound of 2011 list and easily deserving of inclusion to these ears. The only problem is that, from what I know of his work so far, I really cannot see him ever appealing to the masses in any form at all but I guess we'll see... This Feist cover is the first inclusion in my end of year list and is probably him at his most commercial that I've heard so far, I must admit I do still prefer the original version though...

 

Chart run: 30-17-11-10-19-31-46

Another track with a great bassline, this seemed to go completely unnoticed but I prefer the vocal style of this track to most of the others within this genre in 2010. Again, another act that I've actually only heard this one track by.

 

DNC

There's something a tad mid to late 90s Manic Street Preachers about this for me, especially the verses. Their album is one I've been meaning to check out all year long but have never quite gotten around to hearing but this single is something that I've played a fair few times over the year and can't believe that I appear to have never charted it. :o Odd.

 

137|Bad Autopsy 'Rotpot'

Chart run: 24

More funky cut up house music, splicing vocal samples over beats really has been inescapable in 2010 and this was the last one to make an impression on me having just been released at the end of December.

 

Chart run: 25-13-11-15-28-39

First single from the lovely Teen Dream album, it didn't quite click with me at first but the album was yet another grower and this remains one of the best tracks on it.

 

135|Crystal Castles 'Vietnam'

DNC

First track on the end of year chart for Crystal Castles is this album track, I could have chosen about 8 of them but settled on this one as it always draws me back to it. Whilst I liked CC with their last album, I never thought they were quite deserving of the hype until their second one was released this year, practically perfect from beginning to end.

 

Chart run: 28-17-09-14-18-26-32-44

I do love this band's style of mixing Animal Collective-esque vibes over house music influences but find that the tracks work better as an album rather than as singles. Nothing released was quite up to the standard of last year's Ayrton Senna EP but this was still a decent enough effort.

 

DNC

So here's 2010's underachieving indie band from the BBC Sound of lists. Counterpoint was a strong single and featured in my 2009 list but unfortunately none of the singles released subsequently managed to provide the same level of excitement. The album was released and was largely underwhelming I thought with the exception of the title track, this nine minute epic was a joy and wouldn't have felt out of place on an M83 album (which is praise!)

 

Chart run: 29-18-17-27-43

This was the first Diamond Rings single I heard and thought it was pleasant enough. Another act however that grew on me throughout the year until the release of his rather fabulous album in the tale end of 2010, definitely one of the better 80s influenced acts of recent years.

 

Chart run: 35-22-21-20-26-35-45

Four Tet returned in 2010 with yet another great album and this was the lead single from it. A few minutes of building the beats up before the repetitive cut vocals snap in and the whole thing just continues to build and build. One of those tracks that grabs your attention in a subtle way by demanding that you listen out for the introduction of every new sound or beat as it progresses.

 

Yay!

 

Some good stuff there. I agree with 'Buy Nothing Day', it's quite good if very much the same as what they've done before.

 

I thought These New Puritans album was pretty good, although 'We Want War's is definitely the best thing on it.

 

Not someone else who's fallen for Rihanna. I don't get this era at all, I don't see what's so special compared to her other previous tracks. 'What's My Name' is definitely better than 'Only Girl', although I'd say I prefer 'Rude Boy' to everything I've heard off 'Loud', it was a bit different.

 

MNDR's position wasn't exactly undeserved really, it's alright but I much prefer her new one 'Fade to Black'.

 

I've not heard anything by James Blake yet! :o His album's leaked however so I'm downloading it now....

 

'Acolyte' is stunning, definitely the best non-single on their album.

Chart run: 29-12-06-04-06-11-19-28-44

The original is a tad twee for my liking but Baths manage to completely transform the song into something that, well, sounds like a Baths track instead. A vast improvement then. I'd really love to hear a compilation of any remixes Baths have made as his sound is so distinct that it really could work as a complete album.

 

129|Hard Mix 'Memories'

Chart run: 40-32-33-32-33-29-35-35-41

Hard Mix are yet another act who transpose vocal snippets from more famous acts over their music, they stand out for me though as their choices are classic and the dreamy music they paste them into is a cut above most others. This one features a sample from The Four Tops and manages to make it sound like it was written specifically for the track.

 

DNC

The link is to the Museum Of Bellas Artes Remix as the original doesn't appear to be available to view almost anywhere. Strange. The original is better imo and combines slight indie guitars with a shimmering set of synths and beats. Lovely.

 

Chart run: 43-32-29-34-37-40

Ratatat returned with their fourth album LP4. It was a distinct drop in quality for me but it did continue to have a few moments that stood out, this one combines the usual Ratatat sound with playful vocal rum-dum-dums to a nice effect.

 

DNC

How they have fallen from grace eh! Although to be fair it wasn't a complete surprise as their sound is somewhat out of place in 2010, this was my favourite track on an album that was actually far better than the critics made out, certainly their most cohesive work to date. This track explores the similarity in emotion levels between the extremities and is one of my favourite things of theirs to date. :wub:

 

125|Take That 'Kidz'

DNC

:blush: Welcome to the first ever Take That song to make my year end chart, ha! The other half came home with the Progress album on the week of release to much eye rolling from me, he then spent the next few days playing it while I protested out of principle but in actual fact it turned out to have some pretty decent moments - none more so than this which for them has quite an unusual structure, they're definitely an improved act with Robbie back on board and you can hear his ideas running through this one... Not sure I'll live this one down though!

 

DNC

Their album is surprisingly decent and this is one of the highlights for me (although I think it's already been a single elsewhere though). It basically sounds like the few tolerable tracks on MGMT's debut album though.

 

DNC

Another #1 from this year to feature, this is totally not my thing at all. Yet somehow I really have grown to love it, the lyrics are fairly poor at times but the backing track is amazing, especially towards the end when the whole thing just explodes, it's just impossible to ignore.

 

Chart run: 38-28-20-10-05-04-06-11-18-27-32-41

I've always had a soft spot for Sia's sound, her beautiful vocals over strings have been perfect for accompanying my morning caffeine fixes over the years. This however was Sia sounding really not at all as I expected her to, it's fun and incredibly uplifting and, importantly and completely unsurprisingly given the title, contains hand claps which is ALWAYS a winner.

 

DNC

I've only just realised thanks to youtube that this has a video and in fact was the first single to be released from their Golden Archipelago album. That rather explains why it's been the standout for me since hearing it but rather knackers my planned comments about what a beautiful album track it was. Ho hum.

 

Thanks for commenting! :D

 

Not someone else who's fallen for Rihanna. I don't get this era at all, I don't see what's so special compared to her other previous tracks. 'What's My Name' is definitely better than 'Only Girl', although I'd say I prefer 'Rude Boy' to everything I've heard off 'Loud', it was a bit different.

I must admit she had somehow crept into my life in 2010, I still don't think she's that great but she did feature on 3 great pop records last year (not that keen on Rude Boy myself).

 

MNDR's position wasn't exactly undeserved really, it's alright but I much prefer her new one 'Fade to Black'.

I wasn't expecting it to do well exactly either, but not necessarily that badly! :D Ah well, I have suspicions that my latest entry could suffer a similar fate as I love it but we'll see...

 

I've not heard anything by James Blake yet! :o His album's leaked however so I'm downloading it now....

Oh! Do let me know what you think, I won't be downloading it yet but I really can't imagine it being to many people's tastes if the previous work is anything to go by. He's all about atmospheric yet sparse noises and cut up vocals on his releases to date, Limit To Your Love is the only thing I've heard to date that I could ever imagine charting and even that's a surprise to me that it's looking like doing so next week.

 

120|Flotilla 'Behave'

Chart run: 25-15-13-10-10-17-21-30-44

The next batch begins with yet more electronica in the form of Flotilla and the rather lovely Behave. Spoken childish samples meets trip hop beats and spacey synths. Love it.

 

Chart run: 18-14-11-10-14-20-35-43

The follow up to 2009's excellent Storm was the equally great Wor. I don't really know how to describe this track but it's definitely retro in styling, the twangly guitars are straight from a western film and the pounding drums just lift the rhythm of the track to somewhere else completely. Great track.

 

Chart run: 21-17-14-16-21-20-15-18-17-23-23-28-40-48

Next up are No Age with lo-fi effort Glitter. They've never been a band that I've loved but I do admire them, this was the first single of theirs that I've truly grown to love and managed to stick around my top 20 for quite a while (something that's quite rare for me).

 

DNC

I've always found Kid Cudi to be unusually tolerable for a rapper and I definitely prefer his work when it's at the moodier end of things. This was lifted from his second album and the piano backing and simple beat structure is really effective - of course it gets all the better once the choral section begins and the guitars kick in.

 

116|Jónsi 'Animal Arithmetic'

Chart run: 31-18-10-08-12-23-35-49

Jónsi delivered his debut solo album and this was my highlight from it from the first listen. It was a rarity to hear him singing in English but I think of reflection I preferred Sigur Rós' music when it was in their made up language, it just added to the charm and mysticism surrounding their albums. That's not to say that this wasn't a great and catchy single however.

 

DNC

Listening to this now and I may have placed it too low, it's a great little song with a faintly tribal rhythm that just propels it enough to keep it going without ever overpowering the delicate layers behind it. Just lovely.

 

Chart run: 45-34-28-28-20-12-06-09-19-30-42

I was really surprised this year when Gorillaz, by their standards, completely flopped. Of all our indie bands that would stand a chance of coping with the urban and pop invasion of 2010, you would have thought they would have slotted in just fine and dandy. Well they did eventually scrape a top 40 single with Doncamatic and this one may have made it had it not been deemed NCQ, it certainly should have done as it's a great little track lifted by the distinctive vocals of Bobby Womack in the chorus.

 

Chart run: 17-09-06-04-06-07-13-17-27-33-47

First of two hits on my chart this year for Tanlines, both taken from their December issued EP collection Volume On. More 80s inspired indiepop that I always expected to sound like the might Depeche Mode due to the 'policy of' title. Instead we get faint hints of caribbean beats and tropical synths to back the typically emotionless 80s delivery style.

 

112|Deerhunter 'Memory Boy'

DNC

Deerhunter returned this year with their excellent Halcyon Digest album, it had a hard time following up Microcastle and I guess it never stood a chance of matching it. One of the main problems was that there was little in terms of stand out tracks, the whole was good but you didn't often think that anything would make a great single - so here's the one that I think would make the best one, I present to you Memory Boy.

 

Chart run: 13-06-11-21-29-39-48

The final track in this section is the standout track from the Black Noise album. Featuring Panda Bear this was a track that took a while to fully appreciate again (much like the album) but typified the direction that I hope dance music will continue to take in 2011, that being slowly developing tracks which really reward repeated listens.

 

Take That?! You must be mellowing as you get older! :P

 

Great to see 'Punching in a Dream' here, great song and their album just keeps getting better for me. 'Girls Like You' and 'All of This' are even better!

 

Also fantastic to see 'Pass Out' in here, I was wondering what the fourth number one would be (assuming that the other two are the same two which graced my top 15) and that would've been my guess, I just couldn't quite see Iyaz, Diana Vickers or Ne-Yo in here. My opinion of it is probaly the same as yours, I hated it at first but now I think it's brilliant. Definitely one of the best rap songs of recent years.

 

Love 'Animal Arithmetic', and 'Stick To My Side' was the only song I liked on Patha Du Prince's album, probably because of Panda Bear to be honest.

decisions <3

Chart run: 32-25-16-13-11-16-27-36-49

I know very little about this lot aside from the fact that I love this track. Yet another band making 80s influenced music, this lot really remind me of a specific group and song but I can't for the life of me remember who it is (if you're reading and know, please do say! Ultravox maybe but I don't think so?)

 

 

Sounds like an early track from OMD, that's actually a good track. I'm listening to some of their other tracks on you tube now :D Me like, thanks for another discovery.

Take That?! You must be mellowing as you get older! :P

 

Great to see 'Punching in a Dream' here, great song and their album just keeps getting better for me. 'Girls Like You' and 'All of This' are even better!

 

Also fantastic to see 'Pass Out' in here, I was wondering what the fourth number one would be (assuming that the other two are the same two which graced my top 15) and that would've been my guess, I just couldn't quite see Iyaz, Diana Vickers or Ne-Yo in here. My opinion of it is probaly the same as yours, I hated it at first but now I think it's brilliant. Definitely one of the best rap songs of recent years.

 

Love 'Animal Arithmetic', and 'Stick To My Side' was the only song I liked on Patha Du Prince's album, probably because of Panda Bear to be honest.

I know, I still can't believe I included it but I just do genuinely think it's great. :( at my standards.

 

I'm liking the Naked & Famous album too, really rather strong effort and really easy to listen to also which is nice for a change. Kinda like an updated version of Hot Fuss for me.

 

I obviously can't say which other two #1s are included (but YES they are the same) - Pass Out is amazing and I did indeed have exactly the same opinion change over time - without wishing to sound all Thom2, it sounded AMAZING in a club.

 

decisions

It's loooovely isn't it? I fear I definitely did place it too low though. :(

 

Sounds like an early track from OMD, that's actually a good track. I'm listening to some of their other tracks on you tube now :D Me like, thanks for another discovery.

Thanks for the reply - and for approving!

 

I noticed Mirrors have a new track out in the next few weeks, will have to check that out too. They definitely have quite an authentic 80s sound to their tracks.

110|Belle & Sebastian 'I Didn't See It Coming'

DNC

The opening track from their lovely Write About Love album sets the tone exactly for what to expect from the rest of the CD (or mp3s for you kidz). I'm not as sold on this as the singles from their last album but then again I'm struggling to think of any album that had a better run of singles than that so it's maybe an unfair expectation. This is basically like the last album but a bit more pleasant sounding, which is nice but hardly groundbreaking. I do really love the little bit at about 2:50 though where it goes momentarily synthy.

 

DNC

Love the old soul sound of this one, it was very much a grower though as I was completely meh at it for the first few months before it just clicked - think you have to focus on the percussion/piano/brass to love this one.

 

108|Blithe Field 'I Love You Tate'

Chart run: 48-40-34-31-25-21-16-11-10-16-29-36

The first time I heard this I thought it was a lost DJ Shadow track from his Endtroducing era and that my friends is no bad thing at all. It's the apparent effortlessness that runs through the track that just lifts it above your usual relaxed trip hop track, it's really very special indeed.

 

DNC

This was another one of those Pitchfork discoveries but unusually it is distinctly pop for them, couple the bouncy beats and bass over the odd flourish of harp and vocal samples and it really is rather marvellous.

 

DNC

Yet MORE spliced vocals over repetitive beats, I hadn't realised until doing this countdown just how much I've ventured back into electronica in 2010. There's something a bit jazzy and funky about this one, yet another track that flows effortlessly along but actually has really quite a few levels to it if you bother to listen closely enough.

 

DNC

Probably my favourite thing on their album, this manages to recreate the perfect blend of indie and sunblissed house music that they managed to combine so well on their earlier EPs. ODD video though as dogs appear to kill folk on beach and take on their lives. Hmmmmm.

 

Chart run: 29-16-10-12-18-27-42

Another song that makes me fear I'm turning into my parents. Martha is a Wainwright and therefore I must love everything she touches (which isn't strictly true but boy does she make an EXCELLENT backing vocalist/duet - the new Emmylou Harris perhaps?) - this is a great and darn catchy pure alt-pop track that really grew on me over the year, I literally will be humming this for the rest of the evening now.

 

Chart run: 44-33-21-18-20-20-16-11-06-09-15-23-31-36-46

The return of one of my favourite 90s bands, I literally obsessed over them from 1995-2002. This was their finest single in quite some time, probably since Galvanize. Would be higher but it didn't really introduce anything new to their formula, it was pretty much their 2010 version of Star Guitar (but that's most definitely a good thing and I hope they continue in this direction).

 

Chart run: 07-02-02-03-06-13-22-30-40-39-50

I think this is the first of the singles to make the top 2 in my chart this year to feature. Yep it's good enough but the overly artsy album just killed it for me after a while, I never did manage to sit through it a second time. A shame as I was really into this album taster back in back in January, now I'm just wishing they would return with something as amazing as Marble House was. I need another proper Knife album in my life.

 

DNC

I've literally only just realised how unlucky Karen has been, two songs in the top 200 and both literally just missing out on the top 100! This was a great choice of cover and would possibly have been substantially higher had I heard of it before December, she really brings out the best of the track - now THIS is what I want in a Knife album, MORE PLEASE.

Some great stuff there Dandy* - and lots for me to investigate too.

THIS IS ALL VERY GOOD.

 

 

Thank you kindly dear sirs. I really must progress this somewhat, it always ends up being far more effort than I remember it being though.

I'm not sure it's such a great idea myself now, I would have found it almost impossible to choose just 40 songs though. While 200 does seem a lot, I do love them all and they've accompanied me through 2010. We'll see how far I get with it...

 

:D