In Which We Count Down The 50 Best Songs of 2010

The Best 50 Songs of 2010 (So Far)

by DANISH AZIZ & BRITNEY HEREDIA

2010 marks one of the first years in which (our) music has started to feel like the future. Artists utilize the idea of heterosis more than ever, resulting in a natural selection of sound that chews up genres at breakneck speeds. Meanwhile nostalgia, the recession, and the democratization of music-making / listening / gate-keeping have led to aesthetic shifts, while increases in both supply and demand have created a more discerning consumer.

Where once genres defined us, we say more now by what we don't listen to than with what we do. The disparate elements of the music in our corner of the Internet nevertheless occupy a spectrum of more familiar and visceral responses to melody and rhythm, which we've attempted to simulate with our choices.

1 "Stay Close" - Delorean (mp3)

2 "CMYK" - James Blake (mp3)

3 "Good Intentions Paving Company" - Joanna Newsom (mp3)

4 "Round and Round" - Ariel Pink (mp3)

5 "The Suburbs" - Arcade Fire (mp3)

6 "Subliminal Message" - Happy Birthday (mp3)

7 "Blastit" - Shabazz Palaces

8 "Mouthful of Diamonds" - Phantogram (mp3)

9 "Summer Holidays " - Wild Nothing (mp3)

10 "Long Money" - Gucci Mane (mp3)

11 "In Heat (Javelin Remix)" - Health (mp3)

12 "Zebra" - Beach House (mp3)

13 "Static On The Wire" - Holy Ghost! (mp3)

14 "I Feel Better" - Hot Chip (mp3)

15 "Suckas" - Jay Electronica (mp3)

16 "Scissor" - Liars (mp3)

17 "Baby (El-P Death (Re)mix)" - Justin Bieber (mp3)

18 "I Am Dead (CFCF Remix)" - Jori Hulkkonen (mp3)

lemonade
19 "Lifted " - Lemonade (mp3)

20 "Dark Allies" - Light Asylum (mp3)

21 "On Top of The World" - Magic Bullets

22 "Hold On" - Rusko ft. Amber Coffman (mp3)

23 "Runway, Houses, City, Clouds" - Tame Impala (mp3)

24 "FILA" - The Dream (mp3)

25 "The Blues" - Primary 1 (mp3)

26 "Moondance" - Blondes (mp3)

27 "Odessa" - Caribou (mp3)

28 "Come With Me" - CEO (mp3)

29 "Empathy" - Crystal Castles (mp3)

30 "Inch of Dust" - Future Islands (mp3)

31 "Power" - Kanye West feat. Dwele (mp3)

32 "World's Ending" - Lil B (mp3)

33 "Lovesick" - Lindstrøm & Christabelle (mp3)

34 "Mind Reader (CFCF Remix)" - Kingdom ft. Shyvonne (mp3)

35 "Rude Boy" - Rihanna (mp3)

36 "Real Life" - Tanlines (mp3)

37 "Soldier of Love" - Sade (mp3)

38 "Go Outside" - Cults (mp3)

39 "Living In America" - Dom (mp3)

40 "Clawing Out At The Walls" - Dominant Legs (mp3)

41 "Bicycle (Tanlines Remix)" - Memory Tapes (mp3)

42 "Minors" - Toro y Moi (mp3)

43 "Carbonated" - Mount Kimbie (mp3)

44 "Little Freak" - Usher (mp3)

45 "Love Cry" - Four Tet (mp3)

46 "Love/Lust (Dark Mix) " - D/R/U/G/S

47 "Never Never (SBTRKT Remix)" - Little Dragon

48 "Glut" - Ramadanman (mp3)

49 "Boyfriend" - Best Coast (mp3)

50 "Heavy Deeds" - Sun Araw (mp3)

Thanks to Brendan, Mike, Junior, and Dan for their suggestions.

Danish Aziz and Britney Heredia are contributors to This Recording. You can find their tumblrs here and here.