Top 50 Singles of 2010: 35-31

35. Taio Cruz - Break Your Heart



His North American breakthrough and the first song that made me stand up and take notice of his way with hooks. Listen to the original Ludacris free version, though.

34. Goldfrapp - Rocket



The year’s best “up yours” kiss-off song, set to a synth beat with enough pep to power a spaceship. It was Summer come early.

33. Timoteij - Kom



Laughed it off originally, then backed it to win this year’s Melodifestivalen. There’s no resisting that ethno-synth stomp.

32. One Night Only - Say You Don’t Want It



A reinvention that worked wonders. It wasn’t able to be sustained through an entire album, but here it’s three and a half minutes of pop bliss.

31. Hurts - Wonderful Life



The song that represented the shift from the Daggers to the Hurts sound. Began life this year as a charming mystery of a song. Ended it as a solid hit.

Top 20 Albums of 2010: 18-17

18. Goldfrapp - Head First



Though I can’t say the incredible promise of the singles was completely fulfilled in the album as a whole, I was nonetheless impressed by this shift in sound from Goldfrapp. By exorcising the whole electro-folk thing they had going on with the last album, they found aural success with a new bright, summery sound. It was an album of standouts and more atmospheric pieces, which at times made for an odd, disjointed listening experience. But it’s one of the band’s best releases and deserved to be far more successful than it was.

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17. Linda Sundblad - Manifest



The long awaited follow-up to this Swedish pop princess's debut, Manifest represented a subtle shift in sound for the singer. And while the r&b leanings on parts of the album suited her voice, it was the bombastic numbers that cemented this as an early Spring highlight. They don’t make pop albums like this in any part of the world but Scandinavia. She's like the poppier Robyn--minus the experimentation and indie-cred. It can be a good thing and a bad thing, but this is bubblegum pop at its best.

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Goldfrapp - Alive

Vers van de pers. Nieuwe video van Goldfrapp. Alive. Lekker fout.

Fresh new video from Goldfrapp.

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Track-by-Track: Goldfrapp - Head First

I love that all these artists are finally rediscovering what I call the "Van Halen synth." Goldfrapp change directions pretty drastically between albums and this is my favorite iteration yet. I only wish every song adhered to the upbeat synthpop of first single Rocket.

1. Rocket - One of their best singles to date, this puts a smile on my face every time I hear it. From the bubbling synths to the simple, cheeky chorus, it's a reinvention and kicks the album off in the best possible way. 10/10

2. Believer - A little more subdued than the last track, this is still a totally impressive pastiche of 80's synthpop. It feels more like some of their older stuff. 9/10

3. Alive - My favorite track on the album. It's a mix of ELO, Scissor Sisters and every cheesy 80's musical out there. It's one of the only tracks to feature guitar prominently and feels meatier for it. Plus, the sparkling sound effects after the chorus are pretty ballsy. 10/10

4. Dreaming - Another very 80's sounding song. It's sort of a midtempo verging on uptempo with a fantastic moody melody. There's a stunning instrumental outro as well. 9/10

5. Head First - This feels very Abba in some parts. It's the first track resembling a ballad and manages to be both dreamlike and folksy at the same time. There are some gorgeous, sweeping synths throughout. 9/10

6. Hunt - This one, which would be a standout on other Goldfrapp albums, suffers because it doesn't fit tonally with the rest of the tracks. It's not a bad song, for sure, but changes the energy of the album. 8/10

7. Shiny And Warm - More uptempo, but it lacks a hook that's as strong as the other tracks. It feels more like a leftover from a few years ago than a new track. Again, it clashes with the rest of the album. 7/10

8. I Wanna Life - Here we're back to the straight-up 80's sound, which makes me think that this would have fit better towards the beginning of the album. It sticks out like a sore thumb after the previous two tracks. It's a very welcome change. 10/10

9. Voicething - A very pretty sound collage with vocals but no lyrics. It's a beautiful closer to the album, though I can't say that it adds much to the overall package. 8/10

Album Grade: 8.9/10

Goldfrapp - Rocket

Ik geef toe: Alison Goldfrapp kan bij mij niet stuk. Zelfs niet met dit nummer, dat klinkt als een Eurodiscopopsong uit de jaren tachtig. De vette electrosound is even achterwege gelaten. Van het nieuwe album Head First.

I admit I'm a sucker for Alison Goldfrapp, even with this song. It sounds like a Eurodiscopopsong from the eighties. They left out the electro beats this time. From the new album Head First.

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Goldfrapp - ROCKET - single cover & audio preview from Myler Moss on Vimeo.

Pop Blitz 1/22/10

Goldfrapp - Rocket
This is better than I dared hope Goldfrapp would come back with, especially after their left-turn of a folk-pop album. Bright, summery synths never sounded better. It's like they studied this blog and constructed something to appeal especially to me. A

Young Money - BedRock
I remember when the whole Cash Money brand produced some decent (if incredibly stupid and easily mocked) rap music. I like Lil' Wayne when he was a teenager, or Juvenile's dumb singles, or even the ridiculous "Hot Boys." This is garbage. They took out all of the fun. F

Taylor Swift - Today Was A Fairytale
Let the overexposure begin. How long can she write about fairytales and princes and crap like that? I don't buy that she's always the great lyricist people claim she is. This is sub-par Hallmark card material. Her last one was heaps better. C-

Orianthi - According To You
The guitar is fantastic. Unfortunately, the song's an absolute bore. And, oh my god, who approved of that video? Why the hell is there the neck of a guitar covering the screen half of the time? C

Example - Won't Go Quietly
This could definitely use a stronger chorus. The verses are definitely the best part, but all in all it's pretty forgettable. A time-passer, though I doubt I'll remember it in a few months. B-

Justin Bieber - Baby (ft. Ludacris)
How lucky is this kid? Right place, right time. Like his past singles, it's certainly catchy. I actually kind of like the chorus a lot more than I should. Guilty pleasure, for sure.B

Marianas Trench - Beside You
An emo rock worth noting, especially since I usually hate emo rock. The African elements to this are gorgeous and add an interesting texture to what could've been a boring ballad. A-