10 Cracking Songs from 2010

As 2010 draws to a close, it's time to reflect on the music that been making me tick this year. Some of them are songs from great albums - from which I could have picked any song really. Others, though, are rare, fleeting moments of genius from artists whom ordinarily I probably couldn't care less about. Even a stopped clock is right twice a day, eh?! So...without further ado, and in no particular order:


1. Surfer Blood - "Floating Vibes"

This album opener from Florida's Surfer Blood sets the tone perfectly for an upbeat album, full of guitar led surfer rock goodness. Their sound is supplemented by the excellent percussive work of Marcos Marchesani - who to be honest, looks like a bit of a mentalist. There's more than a little hint of Weezer and Pavement in there, which can't be a bad thing! Fun music - and with the album released in January, it juuuust qualifies for this selection!


2. Vampire Weekend - 'White Sky'

Funnily enough, the second track on my list also comes from an album with a January release here in the UK. After their hugely addictive eponymous debut album, I was intrigued as to what Vampire Weekend would do next. Their sound was very distinctive - borrowing heavily from 'Graceland' era Paul Simon (an album I can't stop listening to, recently), and one wondered how much longevity they would have. Thankfully, their 2nd album, 'Contra' was a triumph - different enough from their debut to be interesting and exciting, but maintaining the successful formula they'd struck upon. This track shows lead singer Ezra Koenig at his squeaky, quirky best, and was the stand-out number for me from the very first listen of the album.


3. Belle and Sebastian feat.Norah Jones - 'Little Lou, Ugly Jack, Prophet John'

What do you get when you cross one of my favourite bands ever, with a stellar recording artist with a gorgeous voice? Well, you get this delicious little song. It actually appears on two albums - Belle and Seb's 'Write About Love', and Jones' album of collaborations, 'Featuring Norah Jones'. Again, I fell in love with this song on first listen, and it's not got old yet. Warm but melancholic.


4. Beach House - 'Zebra'

Beach House, natives of Baltimore, have had to wait some time to find some genuine success over on these shores. Despite being acclaimed by the likes of Pitchfork.com for some time, it was 2010's 'Teen Dream' which saw them really hit the ground running in the UK, after 6 years together. Again, there's a surfer element to this band, but theirs is a much more wistful, oceanic sound, as opposed to bouncy and rocky. The voice of Victoria Legrande is the key feature of their sound - low and husky, and fitting perfectly to the songs.


5. The Tallest Man on Earth - 'A Lion's Heart'

There's so much great music coming out of Scandinavia at the moment! Enough to write a separate blog post about, actually - but I'll save that for another sound. The guitar playing throughout this album ('The Wild Hunt') is just lovely, but it's very obviously the voice of Kristian Mattson sets him apart from other acoustic acts out there. It may take you aback at first, but once you're used to it, there's real depth and beauty to each of the songs.


6. Sleigh Bells - 'Rill Rill'

This New York duo are a bit of a hit and miss case for me. I've heard some stuff that I just can't get into, to be honest. But this track is superb. There's a hint of M.I.A in there with that kind of samply, noisy feel. Again, it's a feel-good track for me, and one that deserves a mention even if the rest of their stuff doesn't float my boat.


7. Deerhunter - 'Helicopter'

Taken from the superb 'Halcyon Digest' album, this song is just beautiful. Crafted superbly, it's a classic example of the experimental band and their ability to pull sounds out of nowhere to make them into works of art. Brilliantly done.


8. S. Carey - In The Dirt

Having spent some time touring with the brilliant Bon Iver, as his drummer, it's no surprise that Sean Carey was inspired to put our an album of his own - and I'm so glad he did! It's a beautiful effort, with some really captivating tracks. This song is a typical of his ability to build a song with layers, adding them and removing them as he feels appropriate, building to a beautiful crescendo. Sublime.


9. Broken Social Scene - 'All To All'

I was massively excited when BSS - a collective hotch-potch of up to 20-odd Canadian musicians - released another studio album this year. And while 'Forgiveness Rock Record' did not, for me, match the heights of some of their previous stuff, this song stuck out for me as being flipping brilliant. It's helped by the fact that its lead vocal is provided by the lovely Lisa Lobsinger, of little known band 'Reverie Sound Revue', but as well as that, I just love the way it all fits together. It's a bit of a different sound for BSS, a but more electronic and atmospheric, but it really works.


10. Delorean - 'Stay Close'

And now, for something completely different! Not my usual style of music, this, but I just love it. Delorean are described as an 'alternative dance' band - whatever that means. For me, the track makes me feel sunny, floaty, and nice. And that's enough for me!