The Top 50 Songs of 2010

The last 11 months produced an overwhelming number of great songs. An obscene amount even, which made the very act of narrowing a list down to the 50 best songs of the year made for a tricky assignment. By the time all of Treble’s ballots were in, the total candidate field numbered a dizzying 314 songs, adding up to a playlist that could last for a couple days. That said, the sheer volume of music to sift through merely reinforced just how great of a year for music 2010 was. And in the end, the 50 songs that rose to the top are just that much more kickass than the others. Here are the top 50 songs of 2010.

50. Dum Dum Girls – “Jail La La” (Sub Pop)
(Single; from I Will Be)
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Most pop songs are waist-deep in paradox, but few have rendered it in so listenable a manner as Dum Dum Girls have here. On the one hand, their soft, chiming guitars, smooth vocal harmonies, and clean, intimate production by Robert Gottehrer (the guy who produced Blondie and The Voidoids and wrote “My Boyfriend’s Back”) suggest that they’re nothing short of angelic. On the other hand the hard-driving rhythm section and maddening neo-noir lyrical narrative equally suggest they’re as dirt-sodden as the rest of us. It might not necessarily be a classic as classic standards go (though most of them being moronic anyway), but it’s one hell of a song and a perfect for ringing in the decade College kids today might not have their cushy jobs to look forward to, but they at least have “Jail La La” at their parties if they know what’s good for them. – Chris Morgan

49. The Roots – “The Fire” [featuring John Legend] (Def Jam)
(Single; from How I Got Over)
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In lesser hands, “The Fire” might have been a tepid backpack rap single with motivational aspirations. But The Roots set their sights a little higher, boosting the song with one of their funkiest arrangements to date, and a hook from John Legend that gives some extra pathos to the muscle provided by ?uestlove & Co. Though overcoming self-doubt and the desire to strive aren’t necessarily new topics for emcee Black Thought, it’s a state of mind he sells better than most. And when Legend croons, “You don’t say good luck/ You say don’t give up” over the unstoppable combination of beats and piano, the song approximates a hip-hop equivalent to “Eye of the Tiger,” but much, much cooler. – Jeff Terich

48. Broken Bells – “The High Road” (Columbia)
(Single; from Broken Bells)
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For all of the beats and hypnotic production Danger Mouse has churned out so far this century, his use of restraint has clearly evolved since his maddening, mainstreaming mashups of Jigga and John Lennon. Teaming up with erstwhile Shin James Mercer in this organic duo, DM looked primarily to a purposely broken (ha!) retro synth to kick off and carry this sweetly swinging ode to change. And while Mercer’s lyrical protagonist is female, the words he lifts into the atmosphere – “‘Cause they know and so do I/ The high road is hard to find/ A detour in your new life” – could just as easily describe Danger Mouse’s progression from merely a prankster thumbing his nose at sample clearances to a studio übermensch. – Adam Blyweiss

47. Caribou – “Kaili” (Merge)
(from Swim)
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Creating an intimate song about a vaguely defined “she” is never the simplest of tasks. To do it through a wildly puzzled together array of sounds, many of them inspired by the liquid synthesizers of Detroit-minded house and techno, is bold and risky. Risky for most people, that is – for head Caribou, Dan Snaith, it is par for the course to twist and turn the skeleton of a pop song with the tools occasioned by new fascinations. In the case of “Kaili,” Snaith’s warm, sedate vocals are enveloped in a massive, tidal sound world, resulting in a song that, like the album of which it is part, is graced with a wiry, melancholic beauty of its own invention. – Tyler Parks

46. Zola Jesus – “Sea Talk” (Sacred Bones)
(Single; from Valusia EP)
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Zola Jesus’ Nika Roza Danilova used to get her kicks in lo-fi noise rock, but it didn’t take long for the 22-year-old, operatically trained singer to cast off the fuzz and embrace her songwriting’s more darkly beautiful side. The highlight of the second of two EPs released this year, “Sea Talk” is as romantic as gothic synth-pop balladry gets. It is, however, remarkably sad: Danilova dramatically pleas to a love that is not to be, “I can’t give you what you need all by myself.” But amidst the longing and teardrops, the song’s powerful, majestic arrangement conveys a sense of hope through its gorgeous sonic glow. Robert Smith didn’t write anything quite so delicately affecting until he approached his 30s, but Zola Jesus is clearly performing at an accelerated rate. – Jeff Terich

45. Deerhunter – “Helicopter” (4AD)
(Single; from Halcyon Digest)
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While watching concert footage of Morrissey getting overrun by adoring fans, I began to think about the vivid, introspective, yet also mysterious lyrics and how much devotion they inspire. These fans rushing up onstage don’t incite a near riot out of rage, but out of a profound sense of identification and even desire. It’s that same mix of obscured naked emotion that permeates Morrissey’s lyrics that pervades through Bradford Cox’s music. In Deerhunter’s “Helicopter,” Cox sings, “No one cares for me? I keep no company/ I have minimal needs/ And now they are through with me.” The lyrics exude woeful self-pity, yet are swathed in music that is sweetly melodic, almost childlike. Cox’s writing may be vague at times, but are still so evocative that I can easily imagine them inspiring the same adoration Morrissey’s music does. The darkly tragic and even morose lyrics touch on profound isolation and questions of faith (“could you pray for us/ we know he loves you the best“) are tempered with sugary guitar strums and water drop beats, making a song that is painfully and staggeringly sweet and melancholic. – Jackie Im

44. Arcade Fire – “Sprawl II: Mountains Beyond Mountains” (Merge)
(from The Suburbs)
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Almost farcically topical, The Suburbs is nevertheless a rousing inquisition of the new American decade. No song on it is more poetic or demonstrative than “Sprawl II.” Moreover, no song in the band’s brief canon manages to be so uplifting while being so desperate. Darkness, dead shopping malls and police lights may constitute ravaged imagery, but soaring strings and Regine Chassagne’s shapely howl drown it all in both audacity and hope. It’s absolutely an anthem for every bummed-out misfit stuck somewhere that sucks. – Anthony Strain

43. Erykah Badu – “Window Seat” (Universal-Motown)
(Single; from New Amerykah Part 2: Return of the Ankh)
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In the massive hullaballoo over Erykah Badu’s provocative and mesmerizing music video for “Window Seat,” what got lost in the shuffle was just how good the song was. Months later, as talk over Badu’s naked body, questions over obscenity, and cries of “won’t somebody please think of the children?!” died down, “Window Seat” still stands as a lovely example of the true talent of Ms. Badu. After a spell into epic songwriting and music that defied the boundaries of R&B and verged on the outer space battiness (in a good way) of George Clinton and even Sun Ra, “Window Seat” rides a groove so smooth and silky that its effortlessness gives the song a warm sensual edge. Torn between the desire for someone near (“I need you to want me/ And I need you to miss me/ I need your attention/ I need you next to me“) and the quest for personal peace (“Can I get a window seat?/ Don’t want nobody next to me“), Badu’s comforting voice wavers between vulnerable wants and commanding needs. While the music video sparked a debate over artistic expression, the song eased into an organic beauty that sounded lived in and like an instant classic. – Jackie Im

42. Sleigh Bells – “Tell ’em” (N.E.E.T. – Interscope)
(Single; from Treats)
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As with their N.E.E.T. Recordings label head M.I.A., there is no middle ground with this noisy electro-pop duo from Brooklyn. You love or hate Treats, their debut full of Derek Miller’s distorted and pixilated beats and guitars threatening to obliterate Alexis Krauss’ cheerleading and your ears along with it. Not gonna lie here: I personally found Treats almost impenetrable, and seeing them perform it live this past September was downright irritating. Yet for the first 3 minutes of the album Krauss manages to channel New Wave girl-group vocals in front of Miller’s collection of fingersnaps and handclaps, buzzsaw synths, and guitar hooks suggesting Dexys Midnight Runners as much as Rammstein. If only that opening bark had been an accurate predictor of Sleigh Bells’ overall bite. – Adam Blyweiss

41. Owen Pallett – “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” (Domino)
(Single; from Heartland)
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Heartland, released early in 2010, became one of the albums that set a high water mark for the rest of the year. The postmodern conceit of the singer’s creations becoming self-aware and rebelling against the creator was a daring one, but Owen has always been daring. What was most revealing about this endeavor was Owen’s choice to ditch the Final Fantasy tag (though that was mostly for legal reasons) and using his own. “Lewis Takes Off His Shirt” quickly became an epic track off of the album with its hypnotic keyboard loops and kinetic violin. It gained a bit more epic credibility when a YouTube video of a performance of the song surfaced, recorded at the Hillside Festival in Guelph, in which Pallett performs the song in the driving rain with festival organizers trying to stop him mid-song and he simply refuses to stop. – Terrance Terich