50 Singles of 2010
Eminem got sober, Arcade Fire got spooked, Katy Perry flashed her hits, and Kanye sang one for jerk-offs everywhere
41. Junip
”˜In Every Direction’
Pale-voiced Swede José González kicks up the volume for a supremely pretty folk swirl.
42. Surfer Blood
”˜Floating Vibes’
Florida guys combine a Beach Boys-style surf tune with Nineties alt-rock riffs. Why didn’t anyone think of this before?
43. B.o.B feat Bruno Mars
”˜Nothing on You’
A nearly perfect pop-rap ballad, with the Atlanta MC telling his one and only, “You the whole package, plus you pay your taxes.”
44. Neil Young
”˜Love and War’
“I’ve been in love, and I’ve seen a lot of war”: Young wrestles with his two biggest topics ”“ and meditates on his entire career.
45. The Rolling Stones
”˜Plundered My Soul’
An expertly reconstructed track from the Exile on Main Street sessions, with Keith Richards’ damaged licks crying across the years.
46. MGMT
”˜Congratulations’
The psych-pop jokers let down their guard and rip off the Band for a hazily pretty singalong about fast fame.
47. Kid Rock
”˜Born Free’
Rock throws on a fringed jacket and cuts a Seventies-rock anthem that’s perfect for cruising in a vintage Chevy ”“ or just pumping your fist.
48. Das Racist
”˜hahahaha jk?’
NYC trio transcend joke-rap status by making a song about transcending joke-rap status, set to a finely stoned beat.
49. Elizabeth Cook
”˜El Camino’
A twangy, hilarious vignette about a schoolgirl who becomes powerless against the charms of a mulleted, El Camino-driving skeezeball.
50. Ke$ha
”˜We R Who We R’
Over Dr Luke’s arena-electro beat, Ke$ha takes stupid-savvy pop to bombastic heights.