AMS Planet X Approved Favourite 150 Songs of 2010

Yep, it's that time. Two observations: 1) Not surprisingly Blitzen Trapper's album generated several favourites. I just really enjoy their sound--an amalgam of folk, rock, pop, and alt country with a dash of spaciness. 2) Scottish bands held more than a couple slots, including #1, #8, #18, #85, #92, #126, #136, #149 (that I know of). Toss in several Irish, Britts, Scandinavians, Australians, Canadians, a New Zealander or two, and at least one Estonian (#129), and it was a rather nifty year in music. Yay!

1. "Squealing Pigs" - Admiral Fallow
2. "VCR" - the xx
3. "Evening Star" - Blitzen Trapper
4. "Bloodbuzz Ohio" - the National
5. "Winter Winds" - Mumford & Sons
6. "Apple Pie Bed" - Lawrence Arabia
7. "Tithe" - Menomena
8. "Swim Until You Can't See Land" - Frightened Rabbit
9. "Vacation" - Beach Fossils
10. "Four Days Straight" – Scattered Trees

11. "The Ghost Inside" - Broken Bells
12. "I Can Change" - LCD Soundsystem
13. "Take It In" - Hot Chip
14. "Sleeping Bag" - Blind Man's Colour
15. "One in a Million Does" – Hancock Basement
16. "What Time Is It Now?" - the Consulate General
17. "Weathervanes and Chemicals" - Team Me
18. "Readers and Writers" - Idlewild
19. "Nun" - I Am Arrows
20. "Anyone’s Ghost" - the National

21. "The High Road" - Broken Bells
22. "Ambling Alp" - Yeasayer
23. "Audience" - Cold War Kids
24. "The Other Side" - AM
25. "White Knuckles" - OK Go
26. "Dirty Cartoons" - Menomena
27. "The Tree" - Blitzen Trapper
28. "In My Younger Days" - eels
29. "Swim" - Surfer Blood
30. "Eclipse (All Yours)" – Metric

31. "Claws Off" – Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s
32. "Heavy in Your Arms" - Florence + the Machine
33. "Us vs. Them" - Common Prayer
34. "A Story of Nashville" - Oblio
35. "Madder Red" – Yeasayer
36. "Licenses to Hide" – the Posies
37. "Wait" - Alexi Murdoch*
38. "To Build a Home" – the Cinematic Orchestra*
39. "Below the Hurricane" – Blitzen Trapper
40. "Run from the Gun" – Dead Confederate

41. "Runaway" - the National
42. "Flashing Red Light Means Go" – the Boxer Rebellion
43. "Shark's Tooth" - Archie Bronson Outfit
44. "Moves" - the New Pornographers
45. "Drunk Girls" - LCD Soundsystem
46. "Will You Love Me Forever" – Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s
47. "Gay Human Bones" – Harlem
48. "The Un-American" – Matt Morris
49. "Trap Doors" - Broken Bells
50. "I Walked" – Sufjan Stevens

51. "The Suburbs" – Arcade Fire
52. "It Will Never Slip" - Marching Band
53. "Twenty-two" - Wakey! Wakey!
54. "Own Stunts" - Breathe Owl Breathe
55. "I Got Tamed" - One for the Team
56. "Love and Hate" - Blitzen Trapper
57. "Banned (by the Man)" - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
58. "Starting" - Matt Pond PA
59. "Conversation 16" - the National
60. "Slow Poison" - the Bravery

61. "Love Is a Chain Store" - the Ropes
62. "Love Is a Dirty Word" - Jason Collett
63. "Compliments" - Band of Horses
64. "Bullets" - Tunng*
65. "One Day Like This" - Elbow*
66. "The Dead Dog" - Portugal the Man
67. "October" - Broken Bells
68. "Heaven and Earth" - Blitzen Trapper
69. "Stole My Heart" - Little and Ashley
70. "Mirror Mirror" - Dr. Dog

71. "Crash Years" - the New Pornographers
72. "The Curse" - Josh Ritter
73. "Take Everything" - Greg Laswell
74. "Unsophisticated Heart" - Joe Pug
75. "Paved with a Little Pain" - Dot Allison
76. "Modern Man" – Arcade Fire
77. "Dragon’s Song" – Blitzen Trapper
78. "Ours" – the Bravery
79. "Death of the Americas, Part 2" – Hello Dragon
80. "Skinny Little Bitch" – Hole

81. "The A.B.C. of L.O.V.E." - Pravda*
82. "Not in Love" – Crystal Castles featuring Robert Smith
83. "White on White" - Fredrik
84. "By Some Miracle" – Philip Selway
85. "Oil and Lacquer" – Bear Bones
86. "Airplane" – the Legendary Lightness
87. "World News" - Local Natives
88. "Five Little Rooms" – Menomena
89. "For the Ashes" – the Posies
90. "Norway" - Beach House

91. "Work" – the Mommyheads
92. "Chapel Doors" – Endor
93. "Laredo" - Band of Horses
94. "All My Real Friends Live in Buffalo" – Hello Dragon
95. "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" – Pinback
96. "A Token of Gratitude" – the Radio Dept.
97. "Futile Devices" – Sufjan Stevens
98. "Islands" – the xx
99. "Solid Ground" - Maps and Atlases
100. "Mongrel Heart" - Broken Bells

101. "Sweet Talk, Sweet Talk" – the New Pornographers
102. "Let’s Paint Our Teeth Green" – Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s
103. "Death by Diamonds and Pearls" - Band of Skulls
104. "Everytime I’m With You" – Dangermouse and Sparklehorse with Jason Lytle
105. "Suicide Policeman" - Yuck
106. "Red Hands and White Knuckles" – the Bravery
107. "Saturday Sun" – Crowded House
108. "Destroyer of the Void" – Blitzen Trapper
109. "City with No Children" – Arcade Fire
110. "Hide It Away" - Retribution Gospel Choir

111. "You Were a Kindness" – the National
112. "I’m a Hummingbird" – eels
113. "The Cave" - Mumford & Sons
114. "RFWK" – OMD
115. "Precious Stone" – Pete Yorn
116. "Castles in the Snow" - Twin Shadow
117. "The Beautiful Young Crew" - Lawrence Arabia
118. "New Inheritors" – Wintersleep
119. "Taos" – Menomena
120. "Airplanes" – Local Natives

121. "Hard as Nails" - Peter Wolf Crier
122. "Secret Language" – Ghosty
123. "Come Home" – Chappo
124. "The Oh Song" – Wakey! Wakey!
125. "Ones and Zeros" – Hello Dragon
126. "Circles in the Stars" - Idlewild
127. "Your Hands (Together)" – the New Pornographers
128. "Afraid of Everyone" - the National
129. "Astronaut" - Iiris
130. "This Fucking Job" – Drive-By Truckers

131. "Sink/Let It Sway" - Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin
132. "Silver State" – the Sleep-Ins
133. "Car Crash" – Telekinesis!
134. "Chunk" – Archie Bronson Outfit
135. "Little Lion Man" – Mumford & Sons
136. "Holiday" – Fran Healy
137. "In Ruins" – Fol Chen
138. "Mix Tape" – Tift Merritt
139. "Fears" – Fox in the Henhouse
140. "Microlite" – Trophy Wife

141. "Super Television" - the Cascade
142. "Giving Up the Gun" - Vampire Weekend
143. "Ghost" – Spring Summer
144. "Bees" – Jonah
145. "Let the Whiskey Take the Reins" – Old 97’s
146. "Hercules" – Guster
147. "Coasts and Continents" – Hello Dragon
148. "Wide-Eyed, Legless" – Laura Viers
149. "The Loneliness and the Scream" - Frightened Rabbit
150. "Christmas Bird" – the Farewell Circuit

* released sometime prior to 2010, but it's my list so I can make the rules, ha ha!

FAVORITE ALBUMS 2010

It's that time of year again... that time for year-end listy goodness!
In that venerable tradition I present... My list of FAVORITE ALBUMS for 2010! (in approximate order)

High Violet – the National
Destroyer of the Void – Blitzen Trapper
Broken Bells – Broken Bells
Mines - Menomena
Together – the New Pornographers
Sigh No More – Mumford & Sons
Buzzard – Margot & the Nuclear So & So’s
The Suburbs – Arcade Fire
Information – Hello Dragon
This Is Happening – LCD Soundsystem
Blood/Candy – the Posies