Top 20 Albums of 2010: 12-11

12. Yeasayer - Odd Blood



This was released very early in the year and became one of my first obsessions of 2010. The band’s previous release had been a dreamlike, aural collage of sounds and vocals that I found quite haunting, but with their follow-up they chose to fully embrace 80’s pop and go for big hooks. It was an utter success, containing some of the year’s strangest, most compelling pop songs. Ignore the experimental opening track. It’s a red herring of sorts, because what follows is a collection of tunes heavy on melody. It’s the album MGNT should have released this year.

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11. Bjørn Johan Muri - Airwaves



Rarely is a Eurovision hopeful’s debut so engaging. The genius here lies with the material Muri was given. Instead of trendy, urban pop (which would have been the obvious way to go), this album’s filled with soft-around-the-edges, lightly electronic music that is tailored for radio without losing any of its artsy cool. It’s all carried through by Muri’s instantly recognizable vocals. Polished radio pop didn’t get much better this year. It takes the Norwegian "Donkeyboy" sound and augments it into something more youthful and interesting.

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Top 50 Singles of 2010: 40-36

40. Katy Perry - California Gurls



The song of the summer, no doubt. And even with all the hundreds of times I heard it on the radio, it never really got to the point of oversaturation. That’s quite a feat, especially for such a stupid song.

39. Yeasayer - Ambling Alp



In just one song, these guys transformed themselves from a band that I could appreciate to a band that I could really love.

38. The Hoosiers - Choices



A shockingly ace new sound from a band that I had only tolerated before. This was the stateliest electro-pop on the radio last August.

37. Staygold - Backseat



What a surprise it was to hear Salem Al Fakir letting loose and trying on a completely new style on this track. As far as I’m concerned, he should never go back to the old stuff.

36. Sweet Thing - Change Of Seasons



A sweet summer song from a sweet Canadian band. It didn’t surprise me at all that this became ubiquitous this Fall as the soundtrack to movie ads.

Pop Blitz 5/19/10

Katy Perry (ft. Snoop Dogg) - California Gurls
This should be horrible. It's got a lame title, some dubious lyrics, and a general Ke$ha-ness about it. Yet the summer beat washes all the shortcomings away and makes this one of Perry's strongest tracks. It's gonna be inescapable. B+

Muse - Neutron Star Collision
This Eclipse single is stronger than most of the stuff on Muse's last album. Sure, it's basically a Queen soundalike, but it's a very good one. And it only gets better as the beat speeds up. B+

Natasha Bedingfield - Touch
Unsurprisingly, she's gone the electropop route. The chorus, as with most of her songs, is slightly irritating and the song as a whole isn't particularly memorable. I'd rather have her brother back, honestly. C

Yeasayer - One
By far their danciest single to date, and one of their best. It comes off a very strong album, too, and has a great video. Very 80's, in the best possible way. A-

Christina Aguilera (ft. Nicki Minaj) - Woohoo
The worst thing I've heard her do (and that's including the last single). It's a thoroughly unsexy "sex" song and by far the most irritating thing in this week's blitz. In fact, it just may be the most obnoxious thing I've heard this year. It's that bad. What a fall from grace. F

Travis Garland - Believe
A budget-rate Jason Derulo/Jay Sean, who themselves are inferior versions of greater artists, this will be here and gone in the blink of an eye. The only thing that saves this song is Garland's voice, which could actually be spectacular given the right production. C

Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina - Stereo Love
A huge hit in mainland Europe, and now the UK, this is certainly an interesting club track. All swishy noises and exotic strings, without much of a melody. I really can't make my mind up about this one. I'll probably like it better the more I hear it, but for now it's a B-

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

"Stick up for yourself, son"

This is the first great single of 2010 (though technically it's been out for a few weeks. I mean, just... wow. I was a fan of Yeasayer's first album in 2008, though it was pretty far from what I usually post here. Now they've come back with something even stronger. The melodies are brought to the forefront and the sound is a bit more eclectic (ie: the wicked Scissor Sisters-esque middle eight). Most importantly, the band have discovered hooks. Tons of them. This track, despite its odd title, is ridiculously singable and simple to the point of being an iconic step in the band's evolution. They haven't lost their weird little quirks (witness the awesomely drugged out video - complete with artistic nudity aplenty), but they've developed a pop edge that suits them perfectly. The album's out soon. It's fantastic as well.

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp by alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Preorder the album here. Follow me on twitter at nickajames)