2010 Songs: 41 - 60

At the midpoint...

41. "Dance Yrself Clean" by LCD Soundsystem (from This is Happening)
"Break me into bigger pieces / so some of me is home with you"

While another track featuring a sample of this song was more immediate (and thus higher on the list), the 9-minute original from LCD Soundsystem's potential swan song was also a highlight.

42. "O.N.E." by Yeasayer (from Odd Blood)
"No / you don't move me any more"

The acronym is from the song's first line: "One's not enough". "Ambling Alp", released in late 2009 as an advance single from Odd Blood was #8 on last year's list.

43. "Dirty Cartoons" by Menomena (from Mines)
"Go home / I'd like to"

While Mines is a bit of a letdown after Friend and Foe and the strong solo work by Ramona Falls and Lackthereof, Menomena is still one of the most creative, unique and exciting bands recording today




44. "The Adventures of Isabel" by Natalie Merchant (from Leave Your Sleep)
"Showed no rage / showed no rancor / turn the witch into milk and drank her"

Lyrics come from a poem by Ogden Nash. Our daughter likes it as much as we do.

45. "Trouble Comes Running" by Spoon (from Transference)
"Are you picking up / are you picking up what I'm putting down?"

While Transference is nowhere near the pop-rock masterpiece that Ga x 5 was, Spoon continues to make music that sounds both original and familiar at the same time

46. "Tom Cruz" by Plants and Animals (from La La Land)
"We're dying to be friends"

Source of the seemingly random title: "Our drummer titled that song as if we were Tom Cruise, hopping up and down on that couch on Oprah.” One of my very favorite albums of the year.

47. "Off the Ground" by Citizen Cope (from The Rainwater LP)
"Take the good with the bitter"

Slinky beat, mumbled lyrics, damned catchy.



48. "Until the Last" by The Album Leaf (from A Chorus of Storytellers)
<instrumental>

Each album, LaValle seems to add more vocals and at the expense of the instrumental-only tracks. Fortunately, his latest still includes a few choice examples of the latter.

49. "Magic" by B.o.B. ft. Rivers Cuomo (from The Ad ventures of Bobby Ray)
"See, I'll deceive you with my intergalactic ether"

A bit too glossy for my usual tastes, this song was played during the 7th inning stretch of the Giants playoff games at AT&T Park (aka There's Magic Inside^TM). So, yeah, it makes the list.

50. "You Are My Sun" by Sun Kil Moon (from Admiral Fell Promises)
"Leona (repeat)"

Mark Kozelek often walks the fine line between gorgeous and dull, but it's great when it works.


51. "The Ghost of Rockschool" by Belle & Sebastian (from Write About Love)
"I've seen God in the sun / I've seen God in the street / God before bed and the promise of sleep"

After God Help the Girl, Murdoch returns to the full band for their first album of nostalgic pop in four years. Great moment of quiet at 2:45 before the final build and refrain.

52. "Cease to Know" by Eluvium (from Similes)
"My eyes choose to blur / and my body unwinds"

As with The Album Leaf, I wasn't overjoyed to hear that Matthew Cooper was adding vocals to the newest Eluvium album. Fortunately, the understated singing and simple lyrics just add another lovely, languid instrument to the mix. While the song is (perhaps) about death, the lyrics above could also describe the effect the song can have on the listener.

53. "Trick Pony" by Charlotte Gainsbourg (from IRM)
"C.C. Rider riding"

The album Beck would make if he was a French actress who enlisted Beck to help him/her make an album.

54. "The Shore" by Basia Bulat (from Heart Of My Own)
"All over your eyes the storm is nearly over"

Nice combination of Bulat's vocals and her playing something called a "hammered harp"

55. "Afrikaan Passport" by The Shivers (from Sunset Psalms)
"All my friends say / he's a rebel"

It's hard to find much information about this band or album, but what I have heard I have really liked.

56. "Long Hard Times to Come" by Gangstagrass (from Justified)
"The devils hugging on my boots / that's why I own the gun"

Surprisingly, this is the only song on the list this year to come from an FX Network theme song.

57. "Acts of Man" by Midlake (from The Courage of Others)
"And when the acts of man / cause the ground to break open / Oh, let me inside, let me inside / not to wait"

"Roscoe" was my #6 song of 2006, but I didn't really love The Trials of Van Occupanther. On their follow-up, Midlake did a much more consistent job perfecting their Renaissance-Faire-rock sound.



58. "Bible Thumper" by Solid Gold (from Bodies of Water)
"Hands that smell like gasoline / but I'm too cold to burn"

So... despite all efforts to avoid something like this, apparently this came out in 2008. I was tempted to replace it with something that just missed the list, but #58 is too high for that. Also, I like the song. So, we'll just pretend that it came out in 2010, OK?

59. "Communion" by Maximum Balloon ft Karen O. (from Maximum Balloon)
"Gimme that beat!"

Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio released a solo project as Maximum Ballooon in 2010, with all vocals provided by guest artists, including Karen O on my favorite track.



60. "Please Speak Well of Me" by The Weepies (from Be My Thrill)
"But to never regret / means you have to forget / and I don't think that I could"

Not much to the song, other than Deb Talan's unique voice