Top 5 Songs of 2010

#5 - Kanye West - So Appalled

So Appalled grew on me unlike any other track from MBDTF.  It's a classic style rap song with multiple contributors collaborating seamlessly - Kanye is joined by Jay Z, Pusha T, Prynce Cy Hi, Swizz Beatz and The RZA all of whom add their own charm to their parts.  The beat is slick and catchy and the chorus is simple but effective.  There's a reason why 'Fuckin' Ridiculous' has become such a popular internet in-joke already.

#4 - Beach House - Norway

Beach House's dreamy pop has been insanely popular this year and when you listen to Norway you can see why.  Legrand's vocals are haunting and dramatic, and the keyboards and backing seem to bend air around themselves.  The guitar is abstract and obtuse and the song is a perfectly calculated exercise in the creation of such a dreamy, ethereal tone.  When Legrand finally grants you with that soaring 'Norway' you can't stop that tingle shuddering down your spine.

#3 - Laura Veirs - July Flame

The guitar starts beautiful and simple, with Veirs' voice creeping slowly over the top invoking images of nature and beauty.  The drums kick in, but stay inobtrusive.  Veirs chants 'Can I call you mine?' and the song slowly rises, a new layer of guitar being introduced.  The spiralling piano signals the entrance of chorus chanting that interacts with Veirs' vocals - the song is rising and rising, but then, abruptly and suddenly, it ends.  You start it again from the beginning. 

#2 - Foals - Spanish Sahara

Promotional single for my top album of the year, Spanish Sahara is a climactic emotional journey sitting in the heart of the record.  The guitar starts sparse but catchy and the vocals are delicate and melodic, but the song rises slowly, unstoppably to heady heights of passion, with Yannis singing out: 'I'm the fury in your head/ I'm the fury in your bed'.  The sounds that pervade the song are complex, layered and intelligent but there is heart at the centre of the piece and it is that heart that shows Foals' evolution from their first album and also what makes the song so compelling. 

#1 - Sufjan Stevens - The Age of Adz

Sufjan Stevens is a man with grand ideas, and no song from Adz epitomises this more than the title track.  Its mix of synths, electronic beats and sampled sounds with the use of orchestral instruments such as violins, trumpets and piano is inspired.  The vocals and chorus singing are catchy and layered and the song changes volume expertly.  He has been renowned as being undiluted image of indie music, but Stevens' willingness to experiment and competence at doing so show us that he is something so much more that that.  This is how music will sound 50 years from now.