Special: Gary's Top 50 Songs of 2010

One glance at the calendar should render this post rather customary. To make it seem slightly more impressive or reputable, this is my sixth foray into the whole “Songs of the Year” arena. It is pretty remarkable to see how markedly my music taste has changed since 2005, and how much more music I am exposed to in a given calendar year (thanks, high-speed internet and torrents!)

With that filler intro out of the way, here is another rundown of my favorite songs from 2010. Unlike year’s past, I have expanded the list to fifty and allowed multiple entries by the same band (a whopping ten occurrences.) Even still, I tried not to overstock a particular artist to allow for diversity. A song must have been released on a proper LP in 2010 to be considered, so “Very Busy People” finally gets some much-deserved praise. If a particular song was released in 2009 but its LP came out in 2010, it still counts. I typically bombard myself with 2010 music in December, so I am sure I will uncover some fantastic gems that I have snubbed here. Shit happens. Without further ado, here is my Top 50, with the Top 20 linked to their respective YouTube videos, because, like, you really need to check ‘em out:

50. “hahahaha jk?” by Das Racist
49. “The Ghost Inside” by Broken Bells
48. “Into the Mirror” by Minus the Bear
47. “Sextape” by Deftones
46. “Do The Astral Plane” by Flying Lotus
45. “Die By The Drop” by The Dead Weather
44. “Airplanes” by Local Natives
43. “Apply” by Glasser
42. “Boyfriend” by Best Coast
41. “Mouthful of Diamonds” by Phantogram

40. “You Won’t Need Me Where I’m Goin’” by How to Dress Well
39. “Stay Close” by Delorean
38. “Silva & Grimes” by Holy Fuck
37. “Swim” by Surfer Blood
36. “Glitter” by No Age
35. “Flash Delirium” by MGMT
34. “XXXO” by M.I.A.
33. “The Weekenders” by The Hold Steady
32. “Ready To Start” by Arcade Fire
31. “Tell ‘Em” by Sleigh Bells

30. “Stylo” by Gorillaz
29. “White Sky” by Vampire Weekend
28. “Triangle Circle Square” by The Limousines
27. “Stick to My Side” by Pantha Du Prince featuring Panda Bear
26. “Ambling Alp” by Yeasayer
25. “Desire Lines” by Deerhunter
24. “Born Free” by M.I.A.
23. “Odessa” by Caribou
22. “Scarecrows on a Killer Slant” by Liars
21. “WTF?” by OK Go

20. “Post Acid” by Wavves
19. “Horchata” by Vampire Weekend
18. “Rill Rill” by Sleigh Bells
17. “Empire Ants” by Gorillaz
16. “Madder Red” by Yeasayer
15. “Norway” by Beach House
14. “Celestica” by Crystal Castles
13. “Fuck You” by Cee-Lo Green
12. “Round and Round” by Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti
11. “Spanish Sahara” by Foals

10. “Shutterbugg” by Big Boi featuring Cutty

09. “Love Cry” by Four Tet

08. “Good Neighbor” by The Dillinger Escape Plan

07. “Monster” by Kanye West featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj and Bon Iver

06. “I Can Change” by LCD Soundsystem












05. “Runaway” by Kanye West featuring Pusha T

04. “Helicopter” by Deerhunter

03. “Very Busy People” by The Limousines












02. “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)” by Arcade Fire












01. “All I Want” by LCD Soundsystem

Can’t say I’ve ever had three hip-hop songs in my Top 10 before, so there’s a first. I think this is just a testament to all of the great music I was exposed to in 2010, but some legitimately awesome songs are far too low. “Round and Round” was one of a few last-minute additions, but this one in particular has demanded repeated listens.

That’s it for now, expect my contentious albums list in about a week. Until then, enjoy this early Christmas present.