Best Songs of 2010

Five years ago doesn’t seem like that long a time when thinking about music. If anything, it seems like a proper amount of time to truly understand the course of trends and the evolution of a particular artist’s sound. It probably would not surprise you, for example, to know that a bunch of the artists featured on this list will also pop up on my upcoming Best of 2015.

And yet, a great majority of these artists represented here could be best categorized as moments in time, these songs (and often the albums from which they emanate) now little more than a memory, their provenance in my life, if not forgotten, then increasingly blurred through the passage of time.

Luckily a few stand out and still have meta-narratives for me. I wonder if 5 more years down the road, they will still be the keys that open up my memory of the first year in the second decade of a new millennium. This, maybe more than any other list I’ve published this year, was a list born in the year in which it is set. It is no period piece, looking back with rose-colored glasses. Sure, there are a few added songs here and there, but for the most part, this is who I was musically in 2010.

Who was that, exactly? Someone only tangentially engaged with pop music, for one. Second, you will find that this is one of my most rock-heavy lists in any year of my lifetime. These two points seem corollary, for the general public’s appetite for rock was, if not on its last legs at the time, then at the very least, in the decline. That said, as always is with me, you will find other genres—from hip-hop to dance to Americana—peppered throughout.

For these year-end lists, I like to undertake the seemingly impossibly task of creating an hours-long mix. The order you see below represents that effort, which you can listen to via Spotify. Sadly all 100 tracks aren't available—only 1 missing this time, so close!—but you get the general idea. Track notes to come eventually or maybe never.

December 2015

Show Grid

Designed

Pablo

Designed

self-released
via past experience library: 12/9/2010

Notes
The Good Book

Tired Pony

The Place We Ran From

Mom and Pop
via TK library: 10/14/2010

Notes
Blue Blood

Foals

Total Life Forever

Sub Pop
via past experience library: 6/15/2010

Notes
World Sick

Broken Social Scene

Forgiveness Rock Record

Arts & Crafts
via past experience library: 4/20/2010

Notes
One Life Stand

Hot Chip

One Life Stand

Astralwerks
via past experience library: 2/26/2010

Notes
Home

LCD Soundsystem

This Is Happening

Virgin
via past experience library: 5/22/2010

Notes
Tin Man

Future Islands

In the Evening Air

Thrill Jockey
via past/future experience library: 3/28/2014

Notes
Ambling Alp

Yeasayer

Odd Blood

Secretly Canadian
via past experience library: 11/7/2009

Notes
Shine Blockas

Big Boi featuring Gucci Mane

Sir Lucious Left Foot’ The Son of Chico Dusty

Def Jam
via past experience library: 12/8/2009

Notes
Yamaha

The-Dream

Love King

Def Jam
via Stereogum library: 12/9/2010

Notes
When the Night Falls

Chromeo

Business Casual

Big Beat
via TK library: 9/18/2010

Notes
What You Know

Two Door Cinema Club

Tourist History

Glassnote
via TK library: 12/18/2010

Notes
Home

Glasser

Ring

True Panther Sounds
via TK library: 12/9/2010

Notes
You

Gold Panda

You EP

Ghostly International
via TK library: 12/9/2010

Notes
Dancing on My Own

Robyn

Body Talk

Konichiwa
via TK library: 12/11/2010

Notes
Only Girl (In the World)

Rihanna

Loud

Def Jam
via TK library: 12/11/2010

Notes
Perfect Defect

N*E*R*D

Nothing

Neptunes
via TK library: 11/4/2010

Notes
Somebody to Love Me

Mark Ronson & The Business Intl featuring Boy George & Andrew Wyatt

Record Collection

Columbia
via TK library: 9/28/2010

Notes
Thank You for Your Love

Antony & the Johnsons

Swanlights

Secretly Canadian
via past experience library: 10/13/2010

Notes
The Thrill Is Gone

Fantasia featuring Cee-Lo Green

Back to Me

J
via TK library: 12/18/2010

Notes
Fuck You

Cee-Lo Green

The Lady Killer

Radiculture
via TK library: 8/23/2010

Notes
Tightrope

Janelle Monáe featuring Big Boi

The ArchAndroid

Bad Boy/Wondaland
via TK library: 12/11/2010

Notes
How I Got Over

The Roots featuring Dice Raw

How I Got Over

Def Jam
via past experience library: 7/1/2010

Notes
I Need a Dollar

Aloe Blacc

Good Things

Stones Throw
via TK library: 4/3/2010

Notes
Hard Times

John Legend & The Roots

Wake Up!

G.O.O.D. Music
via past experience library: 9/21/2010

Notes
I Learned the Hard Way

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings

I Learned the Hard Way

Daptone
via past experience library: 4/8/2010

Notes
High on Your Love

Kings Go Forth

The Outsiders Are Back

Luaka Bop
via TK library: 12/19/2010

Notes
Power

Kanye West

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy

Roc-A-Fella
via past experience library: 11/24/2010

Notes
A More Perfect Union

Titus Andronicus

The Monitor

XL Recordings
via TK library: 12/11/2010

Notes
Little White Horse

Quasi

American Gong

Kill Rock Stars
via TK library: 3/11/2010

Notes
King of the Beach

Wavves

King of the Beach

Fat Possum
via TK library: 8/13/2010
Floating Vibes

Surfer Blood

Astro Coast

Kanine
via TK library: 4/29/2010

Notes
Not Like Any Other Feeling

The Thermals

Personal Life

Kill Rock Stars
via TK library: 9/8/2010

Notes
Wide Eyes

Local Natives

Gorilla Manor

Frenchkiss
via TK library: 7/14/2010

Notes
This Could All Be Yours

Guster

Easy Wonderful

Aware
via past experience library: 10/13/2010

Notes
Come Home

Chappo

Plastique Universe EP

self-released
via an iPod Touch commercial library: 11/9/2012

Notes
The Mighty Sparrow

Ted Leo and the Pharmacists

The Brutalist Bricks

Matador
via TK library: 4/28/2010

Notes
The Mystery Zone

Spoon

Transference

Merge
via past experience library: 1/26/2010

Notes
Answer to Yourself

The Soft Pack

The Soft Pack

Kemado
via KEXP library: 4/29/2010

Notes
Younger Us

Japandroids

Younger Us 7"

Polyvinyl
via TK library: 12/13/2010

Notes
Up in the Dark

The New Pornographers

Together

Matador
via past experience library: 5/13/2010

Notes
Little Golden Age

Wolf Parade

Expo 86

Sub Pop
via past experience library: 12/11/2010

Notes
We Used to Wait

Arcade Fire

The Suburbs

Merge
via past experience library: 8/4/2010

Notes
Swim Until You Can’t See Land

Frightened Rabbit

The Winter of Mixed Drinks

Fat Cat
via TK library: 3/11/2010

Notes
Back Down South

Kings of Leon

Come Around Sundown

RCA
via past experience library: 10/26/2010

Notes
Laredo

Band of Horses

Infinite Arms

Columbia
via past experience library: 6/1/2010

Notes
Where’d All the Time Go?

Dr. Dog

Shame, Shame

Anti-
via TK library: 4/8/2010

Notes
The High Road

Broken Bells

Broken Bells

Columbia
via past experience (The Shins, Danger Mouse) library: 12/27/2009

Notes
Helicopter

Deerhunter

Halcyon Digest

4AD
via KEXP library: 11/4/2010

Notes
Faded High

Gayngs

Relayted

Jagjaguwar
via KEXP library: 11/20/2010

Notes
Simple Graces

Delorean

Subiza

True Panther Sounds
via KEXP library: 11/20/2010

Notes
Mouthful of Diamonds

Phantogram

Eyelid Movies

Barsuk
via KEXP library: 11/7/2010

Notes
Angel Echoes

Four Tet

There Is Love in You

Domino
via past experience library: 2/3/2010

Notes
Talamak

Toro y Moi

Causers of This

Carpark
via KEXP / Mark Baker library: 12/20/2010

Notes
Wishery

Pogo

Wishery

self-released
via TK library: 11/18/2010

Notes
I Only Know What I Know Now

James Blake

Klavierwerke

R&S
via TK library: 12/11/2010

Notes
Me and Jane Doe

Charlotte Gainsbourg

IRM

Elektra/Asylum
via KEXP library: 2/3/2010

Notes
Undertow

Warpaint

The Fool

Rough Trade
via KEXP library: 12/9/2010

Notes
And This Is What We Call Progress

The Besnard Lakes

The Besnard Lakes Are the Roaring Night

Jagjaguwar
via TK library: 12/18/2010

Notes
Giving Up the Gun

Vampire Weekend

Contra

XL Recordings
via past experience library: 12/13/2010

Notes
Solitude Is Bliss

Tame Impala

Innerspeaker

Modular
via KEXP library: 11/20/2010

Notes
In the Water

Beat Connection

Surf Noir

self-released
via KEXP library: 12/5/2010

Notes
Sundriped

Com Truise

Cyanide Sisters

Ghostly International
via TK library: 9/10/2011

Notes
Not in Love

Crystal Castles featuring Robert Smith

Not in Love

Downtown
via TK library: 12/9/2010

Notes
Odessa

Caribou

Swim

Merge
via TK library: 4/28/2010

Notes
Windstorm

School of Seven Bells

Disconnect From Desire

Vagrant
via KEXP library: 7/15/2010

Notes
Rill Rill

Sleigh Bells

Treats

Mom and Pop
via KEXP library: 8/27/2010

Notes
Go Outside

Cults

Go Outside

self-released
via KEXP library: 7/29/2010

Notes
WHALE

Yellow Ostrich

The Mistress

Barsuk
via KEXP library: 1/25/2011

Notes
Dirty Cartoons

Menomena

Mines

Barsuk
via past experience library: 7/27/2010

Notes
Afraid of Everyone

The National

High Violet

4AD
via past experience library: 4/20/2010

Notes
End of a Spark

Tokyo Police Club

Champ

Mom and Pop
via past experience library: 6/10/2010

Notes
The Sweet Part of the City

The Hold Steady

Heaven Is Whenever

Vagrant
via past experience library: 5/15/2010

Notes
What’s in It For

Avi Buffalo

Avi Buffalo

Sub Pop
via KEXP library: 1/27/2010

Notes
Some Wild Going Outward

White Denim

Last Day of Summer

self-released
via Sirius XM Blog Radio (Aquarium Drunkard) library: 12/9/2010

Notes
Out of Tune

Real Estate

Out of Tune

True Panther Sounds
via TK library: 11/4/2010

Notes
Waterfall

The Fresh & Onlys

Play It Strange

In the Red
via TK library: 11/7/2010

Notes
Girls FM

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday

Sub Pop
via TK library: 6/10/2010

Notes
When I’m With You

Best Coast

Crazy for You

Mexican Summer
via TK library: 7/27/2010

Notes
Switchblade

Jenny and Johnny

I’m Having Fun Now

Warner Bros.
via TK library: 9/1/2010

Notes
Gonna Get Along Without You Now

She & Him

Volume Two

Merge
via past experience library: 3/27/2010

Notes
Victory

The Walkmen

Lisbon

Fat Possum
via past experience library: 9/18/2010

Notes
In Every Direction

Junip

Fields

Mute
via past experience library: 9/21/2010
Free Translator

The Books

The Way Out

Temporary Residence
via past experience library: 7/27/2010

Notes
Love Is All

The Tallest Man on Earth

The Wild Hunt

Dead Oceans
via past experience library: 3/16/2010

Notes
A Lot of People on My Mind

The Moondoggies

Tidelands

Hardly Art
via TK library: 10/13/2010

Notes
Middle of the Night

Loudon Wainwright III

Songs for the New Depression

Cummerbund Music
via live in concert (Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 2009) library: 3/8/2010

Notes
Belly of June

Horse Feathers

Thistled Spring

Kill Rock Stars
via TK library: 3/6/2010

Notes
With Whom You Belong

Fistful of Mercy

As I Call You Down

Universal
via past experience (Joseph Arthur, Ben Harper) library: 10/5/2010

Notes
Soft Skin

Mountain Man

Made the Harbor

Partisan
via TK library: 12/9/2010

Notes
Lying

Martina Topley-Bird

Some Place Simple

Ipecac
via the Greg Dulli cover library: 7/19/2010

Notes
Pigeon

Maps & Atlases

Perch Patchwork

Barsuk
via KEXP library: 11/14/2010

Notes
Volunteers

Megafaun

Heretofore

Hometapes
via TK library: 11/7/2010

Notes
Merry Man

Buddy Ross

Merry Man

self-released
via KEXP library: 11/7/2010

Notes
The Stranger

Lord Huron

Mighty

Linian Music
via TK library: 12/18/2010

Notes
Kalama

Damien Jurado

Saint Bartlett

Secretly Canadian
via past experience library: 7/31/11

Notes
Mr. Peterson

Perfume Genius

Learning

Matador
via John Richards on KEXP library: 7/19/2010

Notes
There Are Many of Us

Aska & The Lost Trees

I’m Here

Chocolate Industries
via the short film library: 11/15/2010

Notes
Love More

Sharon Van Etten

Epic

Ba Da Bing
via TK library: 11/4/2010

Notes
Impossible Soul

Sufjan Stevens

The Age of Adz

Asthmatic Kitty
via past experience library: 11/4/2010

Notes