39. Underoath- "Paper Lung": Underoath's first album without the pop-minded Aaron Gillespie proved to be their heaviest work yet, but the band took a chance on the slower "Paper Lung," where Spencer Chamberlain extends his mastery of his voice into clean vocals in addition to the screams he's been known for.
38. Man Overboard- "Real Talk": The opening statement and title track on Man Overboard's critically-acclaimed debut Real Talk is a loud, raucous, brief introduction of what's to come, and provides the band's strongest, most stinging lyrics yet.
37. K'Naan- "Wavin' Flag (World Cup Remix)"- The 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa needed a theme song, and thankfully African rapper K'Naan was able to provide it, creating an uplifting, gang vocal-driven remix to his song of empowerment "Wavin' Flag," and the song gained an incredible amount of exposure because of it.
36. Emarosa- "We Are Life": It'd be easy to pick lead single "A Toast to the Future Kids!" on Emarosa's self-titled full-length, so I figured I'd put something else up here to further expose the beautiful vocals of Johnny Craig.
35. Jimmy Eat World- "My Best Theory": The lead single off of JEW's new album Invented is an aggressive track with a quick-moving chorus that still manages to be easy to sing along to, and the guitar riff stays stuck in your head long after you're done listening to the song.
34. B.o.B. feat. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer: "Magic": 2010 was a HUGE year for B.o.B., and "Magic" showed his ability to not only cross over into the mainstream after the success of "Airplanes," but his rap skills as well. Rivers Cuomo adds an unexpected flair to the song, and this song is a flat-out giant.
33. Chiodos (post-Craig Owens)- "Notes in Constellations": I decided to divide Chiodos into two separate bands for this post, and you'll see why later. Nevertheless, Brendan Bolmer's replacement of Craig Owens went over better than anyone could have expected, as he proved to help the band expand and grow into a more concise and mature band, as seen with the gorgeous use of imagery on "Notes in Constellations."
32. The Sleeping- "Young Vibes... Don't Run Away From Me": The Sleeping took a more toned-down approach to their usual blend of post-hardcore on The Big Deep, and it paid off in a big way with bigger, catchier songs and a more focused attack on the eardrums of their fans, no more evident than on "Young Vibes...," the lead single, which finds Douglas Robinson longing for the kid in all of us to return.
31. Senses Fail- "The Fire": Senses Fail's self-proclaimed return to form album features frontman Buddy Neilson's strongest vocal offering, and the title track from the new album offers up some of his most personal lyrics yet.
30. Bring Me the Horizon- "Crucify Me": The lead-off track on BMTH's new album (with a title too long to remember) is a showcase of how far the band have come from their scene-girl fanbase status, with a higher focus on song structure and technicality than Oli Sykes' shrill screams. Sykes provides a great vocal delivery, and his lyrics on "Crucify Me" have never been better.
29. Foxy Shazam- "Unstoppable": Foxy Shazam went for a less-spazzy approach on their new self-titled album, and it paid off big dividends, as the band created a few arena-ready anthems, with "Unstoppable" shining through all the rest.
28. Destroy Rebuild Until God Shows- "If You Think This Song is About You, It Probably Is": Craig Owens continues his theme of ridiculously long song titles into his new band, choosing to hand an incredibly long band name as well. And while the song is short, it packs a definite punch and a hard-hitting chorus as Owens takes his voice to places he's never taken it before.
27. The Wonder Years- "Washington Square Park": The Wonder Years sent shock waves through the pop-punk scene with their debut The Upsides, and while "Washington Square Park" doesn't contain Dan "Soupy" Campbell's signature line ("I'm not sad anymore"), it still shows off his creative and simplistic lyrical approach.
26. Minus the Bear- "My Time": Minus the Bear shook up 2010 with their groovy release OMNI, and "My Time" was a big part of its success. With a synth line that you'd expect from a mediocre pop-punk band and a racy set of lyrics, the song became one of the anthems for sucking face (and maybe a little more) all year.
25. Hellogoodbye- "When We First Met": Four Years removed from the unexpected success of the dance hit "Here (In Your Arms)," Hellogoodbye practically dropped the synth altogether and put out a stellar indie/power-pop album. The band were able to keep their cute-as-a-button lyrics though, and "When We First Met" should be a prime candidate to be a couple's "song" for many years to come.
24. Motion City Soundtrack- "Disappear": Motion City Soundtrack show off a bit of an edge on their new album My Dinosaur Life, and "Disappear" is by far the edgiest. Justin Pierre trades in his usual quirky, upbeat lyrics for quirky, dark lyrics, and it provides for a new spin on the band's sound, and a welcome one at that.
23. A Day to Remember- "All Signs Point to Lauderdale": What Separates Me from You proved to be A Day to Remember's best album yet, and "All Signs" is the new "Anthem of Our Dying Day" for those too young to remember Story of the Year's breakout song. The chorus is one of the best the band have produced, and fans will be singing it back to the band all year long when they see ADTR's killer live show.
22. Chiodos (Craig Owens-Era)- "Thermacare": Though it was just a rough demo the band recorded, many fans got a hold of "Thermacare" when it leaked and quickly regarded it as Chiodos's best song. And while Owens's new band has been playing it live, "Thermacare" has left a sour taste in some Chiodos fans' mouths over what the band could have become with Owens still in the band.
21. The Dangerous Summer- "Good Things": While The Dangerous Summer spent most of 2010 touring behind the monstrous Reach for the Sun, they still found the time to record "Good Things," a single to hold their fans over until their new album due out in 2011, and thankfully, it held up with RFTS as another solid output from TDS.
And now, we get to the big-timers: the top 20 songs of 2010 are:
20. Taio Cruz- "Dynamite": Arguably the song of the summer, there's no way you could go to a party of any kind for any age without hearing this song. Taio Cruz took over the airwaves with "Dynamite," and it still has people throwing their hands up in their air, sometimes.
19. The Audition- "Honest Mistake": The Audition poured their hearts into Great Danger, what I consider to be the best break-up album of 2010, and "Honest Mistake" sees Danny Stevens venting over a relationship he wishes never happened, with a series of stinging lines to prove his point.
18. Coheed and Cambria- "Here We Are Juggernaut": Co&Ca saw their five-album long sci-fi saga reach its end with the first story in the series, and the end of the story was a celebration of sorts. This led to a series of beautiful songs, and "Here We Are Juggernaut" led the charge with Coheed's signature emotion and a chorus ready for Madison Square Garden.
17. Pierce the Veil feat. Jeremy McKinnon of A Day to Remember- "Caraphernelia": This monster single from PtV's new album Selfish Machines gave fans of both bands the best of both vocalists, as Vic Fuentes's nasally vocals were perfectly complimented by Jeremy McKinnon's aggressive growls, and the band's instrumentation provides the perfect backbone while the vocalists show off throughout.
16. Norma Jean-"Leaderless and Self-Enlisted": Norma Jean turned up the aggression on Meridional, their wonderful new album, and "Leaderless" is the standout from that album, blending together all of the best parts of the band's previous work into a swirl of emotion and aggression.
15. Circa Survive- "Imaginary Enemy": Circa Survive's Blue Sky Noise is a monumental effort, and on an album defined by its raw emotion, "Imaginary Enemy" is by far the most emotionally-driven song on the album, and possibly the year.
14. Valencia- "Dancing With a Ghost": The title track off Valencia's new album could have easily fit in to the track listing on the stellar We All Need a Reason to Believe, but is able to stand out amongst the band's great catalog of quality songs as one with both lyrical depth and a catchy chorus, and some awesome backing vocals.
13. Mumford and Sons- "Little Lion Man": Driven by a banjo and a stand-up bass, Mum&Sons are a new and upcoming act that just may take the world by storm with their blend of folk-rock. "Little Lion Man" is a song littered with self-examination and regret, and its dark lyrics were a welcome addition to the other wise bland bubble-gum pop of mainstream radio late in 2010.
12. The Gaslight Anthem- "American Slang": Yet another title track on the list, "American Slang" is one of Brian Fallon's best lyrical efforts, and the band keeps its edge despite seeing success from their 2008 release The '59 Sound. Look out, world: The Gaslight Anthem are poised for big things.
11. Of Mice & Men- "Second and Sebring"- A song so important to former OM&M vocalist Austin Carlile he publicly requested his replacement Jerry Rousch sing the lyrics correctly, sparking an online battle, but one listen to the emotion Carlile poured forth on "Second and Sebring" shows you why it means so much to him, as the song thrusted the band atop the metalcore scene.
10. Eminem feat. Rihanna- "Love the Way You Lie": 2010 was a big year for Eminem, as he cleaned up and released Recovery, his personal assertion of his lasting impact on today's hip-hop game. Rihanna's chorus is chilling, while Em's verses are top-notch, something we haven't seen from him since The Eminem Show.
9. Chiddy Bang- "Opposite of Adults": Chiddy Bang's sample of MGMT's "Kids" proves to be more than effective, as "Opposite of Adults" blew up in 2010, providing the perfect backdrop to any Summer get-together and showing off the budding superstars Chiddy Bang seemed destined to become.
8. Four Year Strong- "One Step at a Time": Usually known for their upbeat pop-punk, FYS took a more serious tone for "One Step at a Time" as vocalist/guitarist Dan O'Connor paid tribute to his brother who passed away. The song keeps with FYS's proven formula of catchy songs with a punch, but this one packs an emotional punch instead of the usually happy punch.
7. La Roux- "Bulletproof": The official scorned lovers' anthem of 2010, La Roux came out of nowhere with their 8-bit Nintendo style beats and auto-tuned yet tasteful vocals to provide anyone going through an ugly break-up with the motivation to move on and dance their worries away.
6. You, Me, and Everyone We Know- "Some Things Don't Wash Out": The final title track on the list (I promise) is by far the best, as YMAEWK prove that while it took them far too long to finally get a full-length out, it was well worth the wait, as "Some Things" gives Ben Leibsch's signature tongue-in-cheek lyrics with an uplifting twist and a bonifide smash lead-off single.
5. Neon Trees-"Animal": Another band that came out of nowhere to have mainstream success, Neon Trees struck gold with "Animal," the groovy, guitar driven indie/rock track that provides the perfect party environment for hearts that have a bite or two taken out of them, young and old alike.
4. Against Me!- "I Was a Teenage Anarchist": When AM! saw a spike in sales after the success of "Thrash Unreal," many fans feared another huge single was on the horizon. They were right: "Teenage Anarchist " is a phenomenal rock track, as Tom Gabel takes listeners through his mindset as a teen compared to what he knows now, pissing off the band's loyal fans in the process.
3. Ke$ha- "We R Who We R": Just when you think Ke$ha is just a party girl, she releases Cannibal, the EP to serve as a companion to her debut Animal, containing "We R Who We R," the empowerment anthem for boys and girls of all ages across the world. And surprise, surprise, it's a great dance track, too.
2. Kanye West- "All of the Lights": Rihanna, Sir Elton John, John Legend, KiD CuDi, Fergie, La Roux's Elly Jackson, Charlie Wilson are all featured on this song, how could it not be great? "All of the Lights" is Kanye West's full assertion of his power, as he displays the long line of artists chomping at the bit to collaborate with him by putting all of them on the same track.
1. Cee-Lo Green- "Fuck You": If I had to pick one song to remember from 2010, this would be my choice without any debate. Cee-Lo's return to music proves his worth as a singer, and his profanity-laiden smash gives us all a glimpse of how good mainstream music could (and should) sound like.
I know for a fact I left some great ones out there, so help me fill in the blanks: what songs did you listen to the most in 2010? What did you enjoy playing the most this year? To the comments, and away!
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