2010 Song Project - Countdown - #280-#271

#280 Little Big Town - "Why, Oh Why" from "The Reason Why" - One of the best country songs of 2010, though "twangy pop song" might be a more accurate description.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3aE4DMw5sg


#279 Here We Go Magic - "Collector" from "Pigeons" - A catchy indie pop song with murky lyrics but a great hook in the chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KtrX6ft1HQ


#278 Nas And Damian Marley - "In His Own Words" from "Distant Relatives" - Mix reggae with rap and what you end up with is a ballad? Anyway, it works thanks to solid lyrics and a surprisingly good vocal from Damian Marley.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLs6GXkZhk0


#277 She And Him - "Over It And Over Again" from "Volume Two" - Zoey Deschanel's insanely pretty vocals shine on this sweet, hooky indie pop song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Rf6HGhjxFw


#276 Brandon Flowers - "Jilted Lovers And Broken Hearts" from "Flamingo" - I think this is Flowers' top-ranked song of 2010. The song starts out slowly, but builds quickly to a Springsteenian chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOE-Tg1NjnU


#275 Boxer The Horse - "Mary Meets The Pilot" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - An excellent hooky indie rock song from an obscure band.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-_YxLAokEI


#274 Flobots - "Airplane Mode" from "Survival Story" - Another fun, edgy rap song from Flobots, this time highlighted by string instruments playing in the background to raise tension.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ou8TXcW3C1c


#273 Lissie - "Pursuit Of Happiness" from "Blalock's Indie Rock Playlist" - I generally tend to dock cover songs on my countdown, especially if the song being covered is only a year old, but this is simply a brilliant cover of Kid Cudi's 2009 classic. Lissie brings a different style and perspective to the song that works better than the description would indicate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmsbHGEB6UU


#272 John Legend And The Roots - "Compared To What" from "Wake Up" - John Legend taps into the great R&B / soul music of the Motown era on this Stevie Wonder-esque funk song from his team-up album with the Roots.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii-9toToBW8


#271 The Hold Steady - "The Sweet Part Of The City" from "Heaven Is Whenever" - The Hold Steady specialize in deeply personal indie rock that bites heavily from the Springsteen apple. "The Sweet Part Of The City" may be the best example of their unique style off of "Heaven Is Whenever".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJg7-Ryqy8s