My first two “Best Songs of 2010”

It’s been kind of a slow year for great singles so far. Spoon’s new album, Transference, is terrific but no one song stands out for me. Ok Go has the viral hit of the year with the song “This Too Shall Pass” (the second song to enter my comp list for this year), but it’s more notable for the (not one, but two!) cool videos that go with it (see below). Sorry to report that the rest of the album, while boasting a big sound and funky vibe, is quite short on hooks and melodies, and passes by without making much of an impression.

So, my first official “best of” for 2010: Yeasayer’s “Madder Red” from their second album Odd Blood. It doesn’t rock out, it doesn’t have an “oh wow” hook, but it gets by on cool charm and a slightly retro vibe:



Nice tune, with vocals that remind me of mid-70’s Moody Blues. The whole album is quite an aural extravaganza, with enough musical weirdness to keep it interesting, but not so much as to completely disorient the senses (see Animal Collective).

Allmusic.com review of Odd Blood.

As for OK Go, you’ve probably already see them, but just in case, here are the two videos of “This Too Shall Pass,” both worth checking out:

Marching Band version

Rube Goldberg Machine version


I actually like the lyrics as well (usually an important consideration for a Best Of compilation), but I had to listen without video before I could really focus on them. Mysterious yet hopeful:

You can't stop these kids from dancin'.
Why would you want to?
Especially when you're already gettin' yours.
'Cause if your mind don't move and your knees don't bend,
well don't go blamin' the kids again.
Let it go
This too shall pass