2010 Song Project - Countdown - #60-#51

#60 Janelle Monae -"Tightrope" from "The Arch Android" - A bouncy pop / R&B song from Monae with guest verses from no less than Big Boi make for one of the coolest songs of the year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwnefUaKCbc&ob=av2e


#59 The Black Keys -"Tighten Up" from "Brothers" - While Vampire Weekend is a strong challenger for the song placement title, they'll never catch up with The Black Keys, whose music was present in over 18% of all pop culture moments in 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpaPBCBjSVc&ob=av2e


#58 Vampire Weekend -"Holiday" from "Contra" - As heard in multiple commercials in the last year, "Holiday" has almost allowed Vampire Weekend to permeate the popular culture, whether said p.c. likes it or not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vraoiVCDdaM&ob=av2e


#57 The Arcade Fire -"City With No Children" from "The Suburbs" - Yet another great song from the year's best concept album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unwL8TaG8LA


#56 The K-Os -"I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman" from "Yes!" - It seems like every year I find a catchy De La Soul-esque underground hip hop song that's fun, but doesn't take itself too seriously. This year's owner of that crown is The K-O's with their Phantom Planet sampling "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman".

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


#55 Against Me! -"Suffocation" from "White Crosses" - Against Me! is a band that sings revolutionary punk but does so using hooks so catchy that they could have been in a pop song and "Suffocation" is a fine example, as the stabbing chorus makes the song more memorable and accessible than the usual punk fare.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3y0us6-PXJg

Note: I picked this video because the parkour is friggin' insane. There's another video out there that's just album cover and lyrics if you prefer.


#54 Daniel Merriweather -"Change" from "Love & War" - When I first listened to Daniel Merriweather's album I had honestly never heard of him and that's surprising because his music is great, starting out with this pop / R&B gem.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvz2PLiHyo4&ob=av2n


#53 Spoon -"Written In Reverse" from "Transference" - Another year, another great indie pop song from Spoon, one of the most reliable artists in the genre.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYWlg9iHHlY


#52 Nas And Damian Marley -"Africa Must Wake Up" from "Distant Relatives" - You would think that Nas' rap style would clash musically with Damian Marley's reggae, but the opposite is true as their sounds flow seamlessly back and forth throughout their first album together. On this, the best track on the album, they get a helping hand from K'naan, one of 2009's most promising new rappers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKPP9KMS3o0


#51 Los Campesinos! -"There Are Listed Buildings" from "Romance Is Boring" - 2010 was a big year for twee indie-pop band Los Campesinos! as several of their songs made my countdown, with this track being at the top of the heap.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dbs9nzErz4