Music: My Top 10 of 2010
A review of my ten favourite songs of 2010, as well as my favourite video clips and my nominated “worst song of 2010”.
I thought it might be timely to consider what my favourite songs of 2010 were. After much thought, I have compiled my list of my top 10 favourite songs of the past year.
Musically, things have been changing for me for some time. Where once I spent almost all my radio hours listening to Triple J, I now spend much more time listening to talk-back, so my musical exposure is somewhat reduced.
My tastes have also been slowly changing. Whilst I used to enjoy rock as much as dance/electronic, I now hear fewer and fewer rock songs that impress. I was surprised to note that two hip-hop songs have made it into my list because hip-hop is a genre that I have traditionally disliked.
In choosing these ten songs, I know that I have my own biases towards upbeat tunes and I tend to favour female voices. I also prefer musical richness and complexity over simplicity. Of course, this is a list of songs I like, rather than any attempt to provide an objective assessment of musical quality.
Number 1: Georgia Fields “Something Borrowed, Something Blue” (Australia)
Georgia Fields is a new artist discovered on Triple J’s Unearthed. To my knowledge, this song has had no commercial airplay, but Fields has the most beautiful voice and I am sure her musical career will blossom in the future.
Number 2: Art versus Science “Magic Fountain“ (Australia)
This song is distinctive, memorable and has an epic storytelling quality. The video clip is great fun, too!
Number 3: Danny Byrd feat. I-Kay “Ill Behaviour” (England)
This high-energy drum-and-bass tune is absolutely bursting with energy! I love the club vibes in this song….
Number 4: Mark Ronson & The Business International “The Bicycle Song” (England)
Mark Ronson’s Bicycle Song is just good fun, and whilst I am not overly keen on the rap in the middle, it suits the rest of the tune.
Number 5: Sia Furler “Bring Night” (Australia)
Sia’s voice is as distinctive as her music. This feelgood pop-rock song always brings a smile to my face upon listening to it.
Number 6: Illy feat. Owl Eyes “It Can Wait” (Australia)
I am not a fan of hip-hop, but sometimes a hip-hop song stands out and this is one of those. The inner-urban rhymes of Illy, who hails from Melbourne, are beautifully complimented by the rich vocals of Owl Eyes. Australian hip-hop has now fully matured, and Illy and Owl Eyes bring a valued local voice to this American genre.
Number 7: Martin Solevig feat. Dragonette “Hello” (France)
I just love listening to this up-beat song from France and I am not even sure why!
Number 8: The Jezabels “Hurt Me” (Australia)
This is a gentle and soulful song, distinguished by the strong vocals of 24-year-old singer Hayley Mary.
Number 9: Ganga Giri “Bayami” (Australia)
Ganga Giri features several indigenous band members, and their contemporary music is highly influenced by Australian aboriginal sounds. I only heard this song played once on Triple J and it became an instant favourite.
Unfortunately there is no YouTube clip, but you can listen to the song via http://gangagiri.bandcamp.com/track/bayami-radio-edit
Number 10: Crystal Castles “Baptism” (Canada)
This energetic but angry dance track is full of passion, and had a distinctive sound. The video clip is awful but the music is good.
After much consideration, those above constitute my favourite songs of 2010. But there are two more ‘awards’ I’d like to issue.
The first is for “Best Video Clip”, and I have split the award between Art vs Science for “Magic Fountain” and Sydney rapper Dialectrix for his song “Pieces of a Puzzle”.
The second award is for “Worst Song of 2010”.
I hear many songs that I dislike, but few generate such strong feelings of detest as the Black-Eyed Peas’ song “The Time“, a cover of “Time of Your Life” from the film Dirty Dancing. This abysmal cacophony can only be described as ‘musical vandalism’. It astounds me that this song even gets commercial airplay, but there you go. I am yet to find a person who likes this horrid tune thing.
Happy new year!
Comments
One response to “Music: My Top 10 of 2010”
I agree that the version from the Black Eyed Peas isn’t that great.