The Empty Reviews Mixtape :: Top Songs Of 2010

Here it is y’all, the list you’ve all been waiting for! Here we present 15 hand-picked songs representing our year in music. 2010 was a down year for the music biz by our estimation, but this list of guilty pleasures, mixtape staples, and downright instant classics should prove that it wasn’t as bad as we’re going to try to make it sound in our end-of-year wrap-up. There’s a playlist of most of these tunes at the bottom of the page. Enjoy…
One More Night In Brooklyn / Justin Townes Earle
A totally harmless, sweet song that won’t win any awards or even turn that many heads, but every good mix needs a song that can be played in any setting from Sunday morning coffee to cocktail party with friends. This little ditty does the job. [Buy it!]
Indestructible / Robyn 
Remember up there at the top when we were talking about guilty pleasures? This song is the queen of that group for 2010 (the rest of Robyn’s Body Talk included). It’s disco-pop at it’s finest, and because it’s European it’s got more street cred than California Gurls.  Also, SYNTH SOLO! Also, there’s this naughty video that goes along with it. Rawwwr. [Buy it!]
War Again / Balkan Beat Box 
In a year that featured the unchallengeable noise and diversity of the World Cup, this head-banger from Balkan Beat Box is a perfect urban-international jewel.  [Buy it!]
Bratty B / Best Coast 
We loved this album, and this song kind of sums the whole thing up in less than two minutes: The misadventures of a manic pixie-dreamgirl in love. [Buy it!]
Girl I Love You / Massive Attack 
The best of a weak album, this track brings back memories of what made Massive Attack so fucking great in the late 90’s. [Buy it!]

Rococo / Arcade Fire 
If there were more songs like this on The Suburbs, they could have called it Neon Bible Part II and we would have liked it a lot more. [Buy it!]

Bad Bad World / Guster
Why are there not more songs like this? Why are there not more artists with this view of the world? Why is is so hard to see the goodness in life sometimes? These are the this things we think about when this song comes on. We’ve thanked Guster for many things in the past and continue to do so for this song. [Buy it!]

Drop Dead Gorgeous / April Smith & The Great Picture Show
A perfect addition to your break-up mix and our favorite female vocal performance of the year. [Buy it!]

Take It Easy / Surfer Blood
Something from Astro Coast needed to be on this mix and this song was the best of many that we could have chosen. [Buy it!]

I Think Ur A Contra / Vampire Weekend
Like sparks over a flame, the conclusion to Vampire Weekend’s stellar Contra flutters around beautifully before leaving you sitting in silence to hit the “replay all” button. [Buy it!]

Twenty Miles / Deer Tick
Musically, their 2010 release was not Deer Tick’s greatest, but this track showcases John McCauley’s talent for gritty, emotional songwriting. [Buy it!]

The Ghost Inside / Broken Bells
We were all thinking “what if Danger Mouse mated with James Mercer?” This was the answer we were all hoping for. That and a music video featuring Christina Hendricks in outer space. [Buy it!]

Rhinestone Eyes / Gorillaz
From Day 1 this was our favorite track from Plastic Beach, and we owe it thanks for keeping us interested an album which took awhile to warm up to. You have not lived until you’ve seen this song performed live with a horns section. [Buy it!]

Telephone / The Black Angels
The sentimental favorite of the group, we’re always trying to get more people to love The Black Angels. This little ditty towards the end of Phosphene Dream might be the poppiest song they have ever produced, but it’s also one of their best. YOUNEVERCALLMYNAME! [Buy it!]

Fuck You! / Cee Lo Green
”Aw, really Empty Reviews? That song is so played out.” We’re like, fuck you (ooo ooo OOO)! We like it and we think that with this track Cee Lo has produced a song that will be (and in our mind, should be) the one people remember from 2010. [Buy it!]