Top 50 Singles of 2010: 15-11

15. The Wanted - All Time Low



Just when I thought boy bands were dead, along comes this song. From the strings to the beat to the cathartic chorus, this was a massive hit for the second half of the year.

14. The Hoosiers - Unlikely Hero



Never had the success it deserved, but it represented everything that I love about the Hoosiers‘ new sound in one song. I don’t know how anybody resists that chorus.

13. Katy Perry - Teenage Dream



California Gurls started to turn me around, but Teenage Dream was the song that cemented Katy Perry as an artist worth listening to. This will be a classic for some time, I think.

12. Mark Ronson - Bang Bang Bang



The craziest confection of this past Summer, I immediately fell for this pop/electro/rap hybrid and couldn‘t stop playing it. The MNDR bits are the best.

11. Foxy Shazam - Unstoppable



Not since the days of Queen have we seen a stadium anthem this huge. It was played during the Superbowl this year. With any luck, that’s a harbinger of the level of fame this underrated band will achieve.

Mark Ronson - Somebody To Love Me (ft.Boy George & Andrew Wyatt)

"I lost what was in the teenage dust"

So, I've gotta say Mark Ronson's upcoming album doesn't quite live up to the bar set by the singles, but it's a whole heck of a lot fresher than his last release. The pair of Boy George and Andrew Wyatt (from The Bird And The Bee) feature prominently on this track (and Wyatt is on a number of the tracks throughout). This is by far my favorite of his features, though. The track hearkens back to Ronson's soul sound from the last album, but the haunting vocals and building instrumentation really add up to something special. There are hooks upon hooks here, from the sprightly to the almost funereal. It adds up to a seesaw melody that really sneaks up on you. Of all the tracks on the record, I could see this as a future single (and it would follow the same path that Stop Me did -- the songs are very similar).

Mark Ronson - Somebody To Love Me (ft. Rose Elinor Dougall & Andrew Wyatt) by alienhits

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

Pop Blitz 9/21/10

Cheryl Cole - Promise This This is what her first album should have sounded like. Gone is the R&B-lite, replaced by a storming dance track with an in-your-face (to the point of being mildly irritating) french hook. A-

Katy B - Katy On A Mission
I just don't get the appeal of this song. It's all bark, no bite. Attitude everywhere, but not much of a hook to hang it on. C

Jay Sean - 2012 (It Ain't The End) (ft. Nicki Minaj)
Jay Sean attempts to avoid one-hit-wonder status with this gimmicky, derivative track. The melody's lazy and completely forgettable. Amazingly, Nicki Minaj is the highlight. C-

Mark Ronson - The Bike Song (ft. Kyle Falconer)
Miles away from his last single, but nearly as good. It's such a laid back, summer song that it's a shame that it wasn't released back in June. Always a plus to hear Falconer's vocals, too. A-

Far East Movement - Like A G6
I'm not sure what's supposed to make this "far east," but beyond the elastic beat, there's nothing much here. Dumb lyrics + a boring hook = D+

The XX - Islands
Winners of this year's prestigious Mercury music prize, this pretty, laidback single showcases the band's downtempo style. It's a pleasant sound, though I can't say I understand what all the fuss is about. B

B.O.B. - Magic (ft. Rivers Cuomo)
I much prefer this to Airplanes. Rather than maudlin, the chorus is catchy and fun. Cuomo was the perfect choice for a guest artist. A nice Autumn single with a Summer feel. B

Mark Ronson - Bang Bang Bang (ft. Q-Tip & MNDR)

"Je te plumerai la, tete"

Okay, it's not as though this song isn't well-known already (in fact, it's been flirting with the UK top five for a couple of weeks now). But, when a single is this good, I feel a certain responsibility to spread it around to any who may not have heard it. And the truth is, I was somewhat of a late-comer to Bang Bang Bang. I was not a huge fan of Mark Ronson's first album so I was expecting more of the same from his new work. I was totally wrong, as he's ditched the retro sounds in favor of something brighter, weirder and far more current. Once I heard BBB, I was completely hooked. I'd actually go as far as saying that this is the most addictive (best?) pop/hip-hop hybrid since Outkast's Hey Ya! back in 2003. Like that track, this one's built on a simple (yet mind-bendingly catchy) hook and decorated with a bunch of funky, quirky gobbledygook (it's really the best descriptor I can use!). And also like that track, I predict that this will become a global hit and Mark Ronson's American breakthrough, if they choose to release it here. Be sure to search out the music video, too. It's one of the year's best.

Mark Ronson - Bang Bang Bang (ft. Q-Tip & MNDR) by alienhits

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