2010 Song Project - Countdown - #170-#161

#170 Vampire Weekend - "I Think Ur A Contra" from "Contra" - The closest VW has ever come to writing a ballad, "I Think Ur A Contra" is a solid change of pace from a mostly up-tempo band.

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


#169 Prince - "Compassion" from "20Ten" - 2010 saw Prince return to the funky style of music (like "Compassion") that made him one of the biggest stars in the world in the 80's. It's not the most unexpected comeback of the year, but it was a very welcome surprise.

Prince's songs aren't available on youtube.


#168 The Audio Bullys - "Only Man" from "Higher Than The Eiffel" - Not quite trip hop, but there are definitely elements of the genre in this aggressive dance rock track from Audio Bullys.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yD0KEi554c


#167 The New Pornographers - "Moves" from "Together" - "Moves" is one of the best indie pop songs of 2010 and a perfect example of the vocal dynamics at play in the New Pornographers sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYyu5vbwvbA


#166 My Chemical Romance - "Planetary (Go!)" from "Danger Days: The True Lives Of The Fabulous Killjoys" - One of the most successful songs off of "Danger Days", "Planetary" is a vintage glam-punk song in the MCR tradition.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvfNmXbVHi4


#165 Travie McCoy - "Billionaire" from "Lazarus" - One of the biggest pop songs of 2010, "Billionaire" was written by and features guest vocals from Bruno Mars. Mars' vocals are the highlight of the song, but Travie's lyrics are also fun and the song has an upbeat reggae beat to it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aRor905cCw&ob=av2e


#164 The Paper Tongues - "Trinity" from "The Paper Tongues" - Another song making a re-appearance from the 2009 list, "Trinity" is an obscure alt rock song from a band that has yet to reach these heights again. The sweeping chorus is the highlight of the song to be sure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOBay3G4aQU&ob=av2e


#163 LCD Soundsystem - "All I Want" from "This Is Happening" - The first of four brilliant songs from LCD Soundsystem's farewell album, "All I Want" is a driving indie pop ballad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6BYCcy5aeo


#162 Kelis - "Acapella" from "Flesh Tone" - Kelis isn't a prominent artist in my countdowns to date, but "Acapella" is a great R&B dance track with a pulsing beat and a hooky chorus.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8D9xCBcfzw&ob=av2e


#161 Sleigh Bells - "Riot Rhythm" from "Treats" - "Riot Rhythm" finds the tiny middle ground between distortion rock and radio-friendly pop thanks to the sharp guitar riff that drives the song and the bouncy lyrics.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ld-0na1mpI