Top 50 Singles of 2010: 30-26

30. Marina & The Diamonds - Hollywood



Her calling card in a year full of great Marina singles. This was the song that finally convinced me that she was worth a listen. So glad it did.

29. Alcazar - Headlines



Their second Melodifestivalen entry in as many years, this string-laden disco track was unfairly shut out from the finals. Pity, as it’s one of their best.

28. Katy Perry - Firework



More anthemic and touching than I thought Katy Perry could be. Loved this as an album track, but as soon as I saw the video I knew this would be one of her biggest hits.

27. Take That - The Flood



Honestly, as much as I liked their singles in the past, this was the first time Take That became required listening for me. The grandest song on the list.

26. Carpark North - Burn It




I never thought they’d be able to match the quality of 2006’s Human, but with this gargantuan greatest hits single they came back in perfect form.

Alcazar - Glamourama

"I can see your glamourama shining bright"

Consider this post a tribute to the band that should have been in the Melodifestivalen final this Saturday. Headlines is still one of my favorites from this year, but Alcazar have been creating top-class pop music for years now. The fittingly-titled Glamourama is a little-known track from 2005, relegated to b-side status. However, it's one of the group's most aggressive grooves, built on a looped guitar that adds an incredible sense of urgency to the mix. The group is pure camp, but know how to deliver it in a mainstream way tailor made for the dancefloor. This, with an energy somewhat remeniscent of Alphabeat's excellent Touch Me, Touching You, is not something you can sit down and drink tea to. In fact, sitting down at all is pretty much impossible. The final third, when the beat drops out then slowly builds back for what seems like forever, is simply epic. The lyrics are pure cheese, but they're not important. It's all about the production, here. Consider this one for the club kids. Play it loud.

Alcazar - Glamourama  by  alienhits

(Music posted for evaluation purposes only. If you like what you hear, support the artists. Buy their most recent album here. Follow me on twitter and facebook.

Top 50 Singles of 2009: 5-1

5. Dyno - Don’t Speak Love



My favorite new indie group of the year, this song was seemingly written using a template of everything that I love. A stunning example of why Swedish pop is so unbeatable.

4. Lady Gaga - Poker Face



Her official, world-conquering arrival. For that alone, it’s worth noting. But that’s forgetting the sheer brilliance of the song.

3. The Galvatrons - Cassandra



The track where I can safely use the “synths from Van Halen’s Jump” comparison. That, by the way, is pretty much the highest praise in the world.

2. Alcazar - Stay The Night



Never liked them too much before, but this song single-handedly changed that. This will sound as fresh and joyous twenty years from now as it does today.

1. Lady Gaga - Bad Romance



Her gutsiest single to date, and the release that marked her speedy evolution into a proper pop artist. This is so far ahead of anything else on this list, it’s ridiculous.

Top 20 Albums of 2009: 10-9

10. Rihanna - Rated R



This was the album no one knew they wanted from Rihanna. After a string of ridiculously successful mainstream smashes, she goes and does something closer to the Velvet Rope than All For You (to put it in Janet terms, as I tend to). Rated R is nowhere near as good as the Velvet Rope, but it is a huge step in terms of artistic integrity and reinvention. I imagine it hasn’t appealed to everyone. It’s almost relentlessly dark, but it’s also easily her most consistent work yet. And more importantly, it sounds like the work of a human being, not a production team.

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9. Alcazar - Disco Defenders



Before 2009, I’d never listened to an Alcazar album. The band seemed too campy for me, too disco, almost (I know, is that even possible?). Their Melodifestivalen entry forced me to sit up and give them my attention, and I’m glad I did. This is one of the year’s best pop albums. The only reason it’s not higher is because there are a few clunkers in the tracklist that only prove my prior assumption of the group. But the highs are very high, and I can now safely count myself a fan. The opening trio of songs is just pop perfection. That album cover is still dire, though.

Myspace