Or, the last set before ...
THE TOP TWENTY!!!
30. Death Cab for Cutie - Cath
If I Will Possess Your Heart was the more ambitious of the singles Death Cab released this year, Cath found the band digging deeper into heartbreak than they'd ever done before.
29. Santogold - L.E.S. Artistes
As many critics have already astutely pointed out, this is the best song the Yeah Yeah Yeahs never did. I'd go so far as to declare it better than a lot of the songs the YYYs have made! With this song, Santogold defined a generation full of people that like to rebel against "the man" without seeing how much they're confirming to it. (AMERICAN APPAREL). It takes measured skill to walk that fine of a line, and Santi is one hell of an acrobat.
28. The Hold Steady - Sequestered in Memphis
The catchiest chorus of the year, captured in a song that not only shows the greatness of the band, but the power of one of the greatest voices in rock'n'roll today - Mr. Craig Finn. Highly literate without being too much, like Hemingway after a few drinks. Really really good show, gentleman.
27. Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal
Two minutes and twenty seven seconds of pure bliss. I've not heard a purer, more focused group of singers in a long time - and I live for girl groups! Such old souls, with a preternatural gift for harmony - when all four members combine their voices, I reckon it's the closest any of us will get to hearing angels sing.
26. Britney Spears - Womanizer
Womanizer has become one of Britney's most covered songs, and it's easy to see why - it's bat-**** catchy. But all of the covers have revealed some of the song's most glaring faults, namely a lack of melody that renders the chorus something of a non-event. So what makes Britney's version so special? Sterling production (courtesy of the Outsyderz), and Britney's computerized, double tracked vocal - one that, unlike a lot of her recent work - doesn't take out all of the passion that's left in her voice. You say I'm crazy? I got your crazy. Although she hasn't been able to pull that line off in her "live" performances, on record, it's a alarm call.
25. Paramore - That's What You Get
Aided by one of the best voices in pop/rock (because that's what they are people!), That's What You Get became one of the year's most enduring singles. It depicts teen heartbreak in a way that avoids cliche, and instead settles for nothing less but the truth. And that opening riff is KICK ASS.
24. Roisin Murphy - You Know Me Better
It doesn't come close to the one-two punch of Overpowered and Let Me Know, but You Know Me Better is a great summary of everything that makes Roisin great: pitch-perfect lyrics, a voice that recalls the honeyed heights of one Ms. Springfield, and, above all, spirit.
23. Hercules and Love Affair - Blind
In 2008, Andy Butler and Antony Hegarty make a song that looks forward to the future by looking back at the past. In all of it's near seven-minute glory, Blind pays tribute to forgetten legends (close your eyes, and Antony sounds like Sylvester's long-lost son), breaks hearts and stands as one of the best disco songs to not come from the 1970s.
22. Spoon - Don't You Evah
The ongoing push and pull between optimism and cynicism gives this track it's power; an incredibly rewarding experience for all involved.
21. Kanye West - Love Lockdown
Almost shattering in its precision. When the drums kick in, it's all over.