- The Wonder by Color of Clouds
- Miracle by Oceanlab
- Sol Solis by Moving Mountains
- Eulalia (Remix) by In Aviate
- Yuki by Vessels
- Shine by The Morning Of
- Fearless by Falling Up
- First Floor People by Barcelona
- One By One by Swans
- everything by Wolftron
- My Never by Blue October
34. Sunshine and Rain by The Icarus Account
33. Mr. Pushover by Hey Monday
32. Thieves In The Night by Hot Chip
31. Stays Four The Same by The Ready Set
30. For The Win by We Are The In Crowd
29. Goodbye From The Start by Alpha Rev
28. Heaven or Hell by The Morning Of
27. Ihnfsa by Kyte
26. Sleep Means Sleeping by I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business
25. Infinite Arms by Band of Horses
24. Spinnin' by The Ready Set
23. I Know You Know by The Morning Of
22. Follow Me Back Into The Sun by The Rescues (I was so sure this would be #1...funny how that turned out)
21. Clap Your Hands by Sia
20. Dark Storm by The Jezabels
19. Watermark by Sleeping At Last (from October)
18. Believe In Me by Sing It Loud
Now for the even better stuff, my top 17 tunes of the entire year!!! Enjoy!
17. The Time It Takes To Grow by The Morning Of
"If I said I was sorry, would you believe in me?"
After falling in love with "Shine", I was thrilled to find out that The Morning Of had a new album out this year. I picked it up soon after it came out and couldn't get enough, making it my most played album of the year. This song features an amazing vocal duet with super charming instrumentation. I especially love the slow part and can't believe how powerful two piano notes prove to be here.
16. Waiting by The Morning Of
"You're the one, I hope you know."
Another song from my 2nd ranked album of 2010! There's something about this song that makes it so empowering and uplifting. The fantastic lyrics and superb vocalization (which The Morning Of can always be trusted to pull off) make this a fun song to listen to and one that ended up claiming spot 16 despite my expectations.
15. Only You by Soletta
"I never knew beautiful, but now I know it's you."
My introduction to Soletta was a chance encounter. In going to see Sherwood and The Dangerous Summer, I was also able to pick up a new amazing band with this, their most touching tune. This is the sort of song I'd want to dance to at my wedding, the sort that makes me impatient when it comes to falling in love (do you ever feel that way when a great love song pops up in your life?). Don't miss out, whether you're a fan of that sort of thing or not.
14. Bring Night by Sia
"The music cuts into me and I know it can't be wrong."
Bring Night...where to begin? Let's just say if I were a DJ, this is the first song I would play. It's so infectious! I think listening to this song gets me the closest to hyper that I'll ever be! I sure hope no one ever catches me dancing to it...that would be embarassing. Sia is my Lady Gaga, my Katy Perry. My pop queen. I dare you not to at least tap your foot to this song.
13. Name by Fireflight
"He sees you and He loves you. He knows your name."
This was my first favorite of '11. It's been about ten months since I picked up this powerful album and this song still gets me every single time. I'm usually not a big fan of super religious tunes, but this one's different; It's not cheesy like some can be...it's heartfelt like no other I've heard. I think you guys will particularly enjoy this one.
12. My Hands Hurt by I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business
"Just need to know where I belong."
Here's the first of three songs on this list from my top album of 2010. It's less than a minute and a half, but it deserves position #12. My Hands Hurt is so simple, yet so meaningful. I think I might pick up the acoustic guitar just to play this diddy. I'll leave the rest of the opinions up to you. Unfortunately, I can only find some random guy's cover of it to share with you guy, but he sticks to the original pretty darn well.
11. Put The Days Away by Sun Airway
"You're gonna find something to hold close."
I was taking a chance when I bought the Sun Airway album. The samples seemed mediocre at the time, but these wonderful tunes pulled through for me! Here we have Put The Days Away, which exemplifies everything I love about this album: a vocal range I can manage, repeating melodies, tons of atmospheric sounds, nifty lyrics...I could listen to this song over and over for quite a long time before getting sick of it. Tell me what you think.
10. Hidden Lakes by Shearwater
"You send a last balloon...that dreams of our lives."
Here's another one I originally thought would make #1. Just goes to show you how much amazing stuff I've come across this year. This album is the most unique found I've found this year. The voice is killer. The progression is powerful. The instrumentation screams musical brilliance. I'm honestly in awe of what Shearwater has to offer. Some love 'em, some think it's too strange...let me know which side you're on.
9. Wide Open by Brightwood
"Could this be true love? Cause it feels so real."
Early this year, Brightwood announced that they were giving out a song that didn't seem appropriate to include in their 2009 album. I thought it was a cool choice on their part and was fairly interested to have a listen. My jaw dropped almost instantly upon hearing the first few words. This is a fabulous love song. One of the most realistic, unglorified out there. I adore everything about it.
8. We Clean Up So Well by Lydia (*Language Warning*)
"Now that you're here, I guess we made it."
Lydia!!!!!!!!! From this point on is where we're getting at my deepest musical passions. To be honest, I couldn't help but be a bit disappointed at Lydia's fairly short 2010 album, but I'm so glad they still made it so far on this list. Tears came to my eyes when I belted out these lyrics at the concert...I'll never forget all of those amazing memories and I have this song to help keep them in mind. Thanks for everything Lydia!
7. Emphasis by Sleeping At Last
"The sweetest thing I've ever heard is I don't have to have the answers, just a little light to call my own."
Sleeping At Last...one of my new favorite bands. They kicked butt at the end of this year with their October, November, and December EPs. This one right here shows off how amazing all of their lyrics are, as well as the sweet melodies and vocals they never cease to provide. Listen carefully, and you'll quickly come to question why these guys aren't more popular. I'm more than pleased with the January EP, which provided my first favorite song of 2011 on the very first day of it! I've never been more frustrated with waiting for something than I am with the rest of the Yearbook collection.
6. Yellow Shirt by The Icarus Account
"No one's fine on their own."
The Icarus Account showed everyone what's up with their four dominating songs on the new Sunshine and Rain EP, my top EP of the year. This song's so sweet, the sort that'd definitely mean something real special to a couple. Rather than saying any more, I'll let you get the full effect right here:
5. Stop Smoking Because It's Not Good For You by I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business
"You say life has got you down. Steady course, we're breaking out."
I think this song caught on to my musical delight faster than any here. It's touching and groovy at the same time...how does that happen!? I'm going to have to give I Can Make A Mess the diversity award for the amazing array of musical feeling they stuffed into their 11 new songs. This song makes me want to dance and to be a better person at the same time. There aren't too many songs like that, haha. Embrace it!
4. Snow by Sleeping At Last
"May we remember who we are...unconditionally cared for by those who share our broken hearts."
Yet another I thought had a chance of snatching the top spot...this was my winter song, my Christmas song. So many fabulous memories have already attached themselves to it. It's not too fabulous are far are instrumentation goes, but the mood and message make this song hard to stop listening to. Never before have I felt so strong a desire to savor a song...to save it for the right moments to increase its effect. That's a sign of a truly incredible song right there.
3. Telling Me Goodbye by I Can Make A Mess Like Nobody's Business
"I'm not holding on, but I can't let go."
I'm a big fan of fairly long songs, songs that can take you many different places and get you emotionally involved in a mini-story. Telling Me Goodbye, the last of the tunes from my top CD of the year, is the perfect example. It starts out pretty cool, then suddenly transforms into something jammed-packed with sound and feeling, expanding it to a point where you almost can't stand the intensity any longer.
P.S. - Start this video at about 2:17 for Telling Me Goodbye
2. Conversations With Stars (Acoustic) by Brightwood
"Out of an ocean of faces, have I met your eyes?"
Last year, my top album and top song shared the same artist, but two beat out the top CD this time around. I disqualified the rest of Brightwood's acoustic album from being in this list because, though they are all fantastic, they are just new versions of old songs. They added something special to Conversations With Stars, however, that allows this version to stand alone: a female voice with extra lyrics. This just might be the most heartfelt love tune I know. Enjoy.
1. On Melancholy Hill by Gorillaz
"Are you here with me? Just looking out on the day of another dream."
Here it is!!! Numba one! The Gorillaz album wasn't as spectacular for me as it was for most, but this song blew my mind. With 108 plays since March (the first 50 were within a week), this stands as not only the most enjoyable song of the year, but also the most played. I can listen to this song no matter what mood I'm in or want to be in...it's all-inclusive in a way I've never known in a song before. Well-deserving of this position.
Vs. 2009's top (Changed By You by Between The Trees)? As far as the entire lists go, this year kicked 2009's butt, but I think last year's top four songs all beat Melancholy Hill. Check those out here: http://aslickgimmick.blogspot.com/2010/01/songs-of-moment-119-best-songs-of-2009.html I'm gonna have to say both years win here.
There it is...the last of the best of 2010. I guess it's finally time to start letting it go so I can focus on embracing the already-rockin' 2011. I can't wait to see how next year's lists will compare. Thanks for checking these tunes out. If you like what you've heard, spread the word! These musicians deserve everyone's attention.
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