Top 10 Favorite Songs of the 2010's

To be clear, the 2010's were not a decade in which I was super on top of popular music. It was the first decade of my life in which I was older than most of the musicians I paid to see in concert. (I haven't done a formal study, but I'm pretty sure anyway.) Although I find myself increasingly content to listen to the same old songs I know by heart, I still keep one eye out for new stuff that might interest me. And I still go to concerts once in a while. Like two a year, but that's gotta be better than some other fathers of two, right? And these aren't just 90's nostalgia shows either, though I like those too. True, I did pay to see The Verve Pipe in concert this year, though they haven't been relevant in twenty year (if they ever were). But I also saw Cage the Elephant - and loved it.

Anyway, if you're looking for a definitive Top Ten List, then check out Pitchfork or some other pretentious site. If you want to hear a 37-year-old suburban dad talk about his favorite songs of the decade - well, you've come to the right place.

10.) Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks - The National (2010)

I hate the name of this song, and I have no idea what it's about. It's beautiful and haunting, though. A perfect final track to High Violet, which is a gorgeous album. Maybe the best reason to like The National: their singer is a baritone, which means I can easily sing along to every track. Unfortunately, this was really the only album of theirs I liked.

9.) Pedestrian at Best - Courtney Barnett (2015)

When I listen to music, I tend to prioritize melody and harmony over lyrics. (Exhibit A: the song above, by The National) Courtney Barnett's lyrics are so freaking clever though: "Give me all your money, and I'll make some origami, honey. / I think you're a joke, but I don't find you very funny." How do you come up with that? Plus, I love her accent. This song is just a banger.

8.) "Beth/Rest" - Bon Iver (2011)

Even if we put the music aside, I have mixed feelings about Bon Iver. He's the absolute embodiment of white hipster culture. He and all of his fans look like they brew their own beer and brine their own pickles. And the music itself can be so pretentious. (All of 22, A Million, for example.) But at its best, his music can be so haunting. Sometimes, the thoughts and memories associated with the music can be as strong as the music itself. I associate his self-titled album with my summer in Asheville (2012), which was a pretty happy one, and this final song, with its Bruce Hornsby piano, is probably my favorite. (Note: Let the record show that my wife hates this song and groans whenever she hears the opening notes.)

7.) "This Life" - Vampire Weekend (2019)

I have a weird relationship with Vampire Weekend. I keep listening to their albums, enjoying them, and then completely disregarding the band until they put out another album. Really, I've never not enjoyed one of their albums, and yet I'd never call them one of my favorite bands. It might be time for to start taking them a little more seriously. "Father of the Bride," which came out earlier this year, is a fantastic album from beginning to end. Probably my album of the summer. It's a long album, full of solid songs, but I'll go with "This Life," by a nose. I've been cheating on cheating on you. / You've been cheating on cheating on me." Maybe the most danceable song about about (I assume) a dysfunctional relationship.

6.) "Ready to Let Go" - Cage the Elephant (2019)

I only just discovered Cage the Elephant this year. (I started listening to them when I found out they were the opener at the Beck concert, which I had tickets for.) They're a loud, old-school garage rock band. I described them as a mix between the Black Keys and Modest Mouse. Friends of mine have said the Pixies and Velvet Underground. On paper, it didn't sound like my thing. And even though I liked their album Melophobia well enough, I wasn't sure they were for me - until I saw their show. Damn if it didn't my whole perception of the band. Matt Shultz is one of the most dynamic performers I've ever seen in person. And this song, about a dissolving relationship, set against the backdrop of Pompeii, just rocks.

5.) "Helicopter" - Deerhunter (2010)

What a beautiful song. Every time I hear it, I feel like I'm standing in the middle of a fountain. If I only I liked this band more. Literally ever other song of theirs gets a big "Nope" from me. What a tease.

4.) "Proceed to Memory" - Pinback (2012)

There's a special pleasure in following an indy band that not a lot of other people follow. I've been listening to Pinback for almost twenty years. Constantly. Their low-fi music is comfort food for me. Needless to say, I was thrilled when they put out a new album in 2012, more than five years after the previous one. (Unfortunately, I've been waiting for another one to drop since then.) The first track on Information Retrieved, driving and earnest, is probably the high point.

3.) "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" - Tame Impala (2015)

Tame Impala easily wins the prize for "Best Band I Didn't Know Prior to This Decade." Pyschadelic Rock didn't sound like my thing, but once I heard InnerSpeaker, in late 2012, I latched onto it in a big way. Lonerism was even better. And Currents was even better than that. Hard to pick a favorite track, but I'll go with that hypnotic final cut, "New Person, Same Old Mistakes." And based on her cover, it seems like Beyonce agrees with me.

2.) "Blue Moon" - Beck (2014)

Sea Change is my favorite Beck album, so when Morning Phase was billed as an unofficial sister album, I was all over it. Turns out I still like Sea Change more, but Morning Phase is lovely. And worthy of that Grammy, despite Kanye's protestations. This is my favorite cut - just sweet old-fashioned folk rock from a chameleon artist who is always reinventing himself. As Kanye said, more or less, you've got to respect the artistry.

1.) "Helplessness Blues" - Fleet Foxes (2011)

Far and away my favorite artist of the decade. If I weren't abiding by a "one song per artist" rule, I could probably fill an entire list with Fleet Foxes songs. The Helplessness Blues album is a masterpiece from beginning to end. (And so is 2017's Crack Up, for that matter.) Could have gone in a bunch of directions here - "The Shrine/An Argument," "Third of May/Odaigahara," "The Plains/Bitter Dancer" - but in the end, I figured anything other than this gorgeous song would just be overthinking it.

Honorable Mentions:

"Yet Again" - Grizzly Bear

"Midnight City" - M83

"White Fire" - Angel Olsen

"Helena Beat" - Foster the People

"Falling Short" - Lapsley

"Strangers" - White Lies

"Teenage Dream" - Katy Perry (Don't @ me.)