» Top Music of 2010 orangefever

This year has been yet another of year of not-so-good music. Again, it is the combination of me losing interest in music as a hobby, changing tastes of “pop radio”, and just music that is not that great (although the last two might be intertwined). I spent almost half a year feeling that Bulletproof and Bad Romance from 2009 were the best top40 songs before they started going stale. In any case, here is my list (without a clear #1 or even top 5):

Boys Like Girls ft Taylor Swift – Two Is Better Than One
I couldn’t imagine putting a song by punk boy band as the best song of the year a few years ago. In fact, I probably hate punk boy bands worse than pop boy bands! Well what can I say, either I’m getting mellow or this is a great ballad.
Scissor Sisters – Fire With Fire
This is a song that I first downloaded from iTunes and have been listening to all year. Scissor Sisters make some good pop and this is another example. It’s not a spectacular but it’s a solid hit even after quite a few listens (although not being played on the radio helps).
Bruno Mars – Marry You
I first heard this on Glee, and looked up some if its unique lyrics to figure out what song it was. I think this song is the beneficiary of being a catchy song that I found out late in the year.
Drake – Find Your Love
Drake has had a big year, he had a couple of singles and I liked this one the best since he’s actually singing in this one instead of just rapping. Good summer song.
Rihanna – Only Girl (In The World)
Rihanna had a killer end of the year, a couple of big hits and some of them were actually great! Like this one. I think what sets single apart from the other Rihanna ones is that it has a Trance beat. Actually, if you take away the beat, I think her singing would sound very odd (try and imagine her singing the chorus acapella, it needs the Trance synths to act as a foil).
Lady Antebellum – Need You Now
This one is another Country crossover hit a la Taylor Swift. It’s a good ballad but I don’t know what else to say about it. It might blend in with all the Shania hits in a few years.
Dragonette – Pick Up The Phone
Although I heard this on the radio, I don’t think this one is your typical pop song. I like it because of its dance heritage and because there is a consistent (although vague) story throughout the song. I can see myself listening to this a lot (actually I did get it for free from iTunes too), and preferring it over the other hits that I ranked higher in a few years.
Usher ft Will.i.am – OMG
I respect Usher for actually singing in his songs; he can actually carry a melody (although it does sound like auto tune). That is one of the reasons I like this song, because it’s not the same 2 melodies for the whole song (see Rihanna songs); the melody actually on a rollercoaster of a ride.
Ke$ha ft 3OH!3 – Blah Blah Blah
Of all the crappy Ke$ha songs, I think this one’s the best. It’s just trashy pop, but this one is actually catchy to me.
Katy Perry ft Snoop Dogg – California Gurls
I don’t understand Katy Perry as an artist, she doesn’t seem to have anything special about her to seek out a specific demographic. It’s just very vanilla, yet they keep setting her up with good singles. California Gurls was the song of the summer, and the best part is Snoop Dogg’s rap and Perry’s interplay during it. Could this be the duet of the year? If so, that’s depressing.
Ne-Yo – Beautiful Monster
I don’t think song got a lot of airplay, but I like it the same reason as I like OMG. It’s got a non-typical melody, and there is also a driving dance beat. Ne-Yo should really be Usher’s protégé (or Michael Jackson v3.0)
Rihanna – Rude Boy
This is a catchy song but it also illustrates how poor of a singer Rihanna is. I think the whole song is sung within a perfect fifth, and it’s the same 3 phrases over and over!
Kanye West ft Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, Bon Iver – Monster
This one’s a late addition and it is a piece of work. It sounds scary and mean, and once you hear Nicki Minaj’s verse, it sounds crazy. I haven’t heard it enough to know if it’s truly a good song or not, it doesn’t have a catchy hook by any means, but it might be complex enough that it could be great.
K’naan – Take a Minute
The hook is catchy, but I don’t think this song is THAT great. Perhaps this song is surfing on the popularity of the Haiti cause.
B.O.B. ft Bruno Mars – Nothing On You
I didn’t understand who B.O.B. and Bruno Mars were until I watched this video (I thought maybe they were the same person or something). So Bruno Mars can sing, and B.O.B. handles the rapping. I think this song was the big breakout for the two of them, it’s a nice song.
Spose – Awesome
This song IS awesome. You have to listen to the lyrics to really appreciate it. Probably a one-hit wonder so I should grab it from iTunes later.
Maroon 5 – Misery
I’m kind of afraid to like this song because I’m afraid that this will be another catchy lead single that fools me into buying their album when the rest of it sucks.