Top 50 Singles of 2010: 50-46

50. Lady Gaga & Beyonce - Telephone



Two of the biggest popstars on the planet and an epic, long form video. It was a deliriously entertaining way to start the new year.

49. Elin Lanto - Funeral



An anthem if there ever was one. She set the chorus to “soaring” and never let up after that.

48. Mike Posner - Cooler Than Me



A deserved hit for its sleek electro shuffle and endearingly catchy hook. One of 2010’s best one hit wonders.

47. Yolanda Be Cool - We No Speak Americano



The year’s best novelty dance tune, it’s as stupid as it is catchy. Infuriatingly catchy, as a matter of fact…

46. Alphabeat - DJ (I Should Be Dancing/Le Kid - We Should Go Home Together




I can’t separate the two because the bands are so similar. Both deserved wider success than they got this year. Two of the happiest songs of 2010.

Top 20 Albums of 2009: 8-7

8. Alphabeat - The Spell



Alphabeat changed up their sound with this second album, which is always dangerous, especially when the first one was such a success. For the follow-up, they amped up the electronic elements and took inspiration from 90’s dance music. The result is a remarkably consistent album that, song-for-song, is probably better than their debut. It doesn’t have the staggering highs of the last one, but it’s a different kind of album and one that grows with time. Bottom line is that this group is one of the best pop bands out there, and they only cemented that fact in 2009.

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7. Bodies Without Organs - Big Science



What to say about BWO that hasn’t been said already? Four albums in and they remain as polished and immediate as ever. They’ve never released a bad album, so it’s easy to get complacent about their music and forget that compared to anything else in the genre, they are the ones to beat. Big Science might just be their best work yet. Though it didn’t possess the number of hit singles of albums past, it’s an excellent batch of songs that veer ever so slightly in the sci-fi direction, which is always a plus for me.

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Top 50 Singles of 2009: 50-46

50. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Zero



The furthest they’ve come to obtaining that infamous label of poptastic. The video, especially, shows Karen O at the height of her power.

49. Alphabeat - The Spell



A reinvention of sorts, which took some getting used to. The adlibs and synthesizers are ever better than the main melody.

48. Aqua - My Mamma Said



The group’s most mature, achingly beautiful song with a dark, artsy video to match. Far removed from novelty pop.

47. Carolina Liar - Show Me What I'm Looking For



The biggest radio ballad of the summer, they stuffed this one to the brim with drama and layered a hands-swaying-in-the-air chorus on top.

46. Janet Jackson - Make Me



The most Janet Jackson sounding single she’s released in a long while, it’s not among her best, but even autopilot Janet is better than most.