Songs of the Year

2010 is over, may it rest in peace. These are my top songs of 2010, the songs that meant the most to me. They didn't necessarily come out last year (in fact very few of them did) but they are the songs that I kept returning to the most. I found myself revisiting a lot old favorites, focusing on individual tracks rather than full albums. And unlike previous years where I tried to listen to a lot of new music (new to me anyway), this year I really narrowed down the listening to a couple of handfuls.

Opeth A Fair Judgement, Hessian Peel, Wreath

Hessian Peel has to be one of the most fascinating recordings I have heard in the last five years or so. You wouldn't get it. A Fair Judgement is a song that perfectly captures my general mood of the past six months.

Harry Nilsson Without You, Everybody's Talkin', Don't Forget Me, Save The Last Dance For Me, Many Rivers to Cross

I discovered Harry Nilsson this year, a name I had been familiar with for a long time, but had never listened to any of his stuff before. I can't say that I am love with the majority of his music, but there are songs....songs!

Ozzy Time, Life Won't Wait, Crazy Train

I have always been infatuated with Ozzy's voice, and a new album from him is always cause for celebration. Then you realize a lot of it's not that great, but it's still Ozzy singing so it can't be too bad. Not surprisingly, the two ballads on his new album were my favorites. Crazy Train is a song I have heard hundreds of times over the past 15 years, but now it makes sense.

Rush Time Stand Still, The Larger Bowl, Far Cry, Limelight, Bravado, Mission, Marathon

Rush could be considered my band of the year, either them or Iron Maiden. Rush was definitely the best (out of three) concert I saw last year. All of the above songs have great relevance to me. Limelight never gets old. I also found myself getting into a lot of their mid 80's keyboard stuff. Never would have expected to like those songs.

Metallica Fade to Black, Harvester of Sorrow, all of Death Magnetic

I think ever since I saw the Big Four performance in the theater, I realized that I actually love Metallica. I don't love everything they've ever done, far from it, but those 4 or 5 key albums they made are among the best music I have ever heard. And Fade To Black is such a powerful song, really captures a place not everyone gets to, but those who do appreciate it. I wish I could write songs like that.

Fear Factory Final Exit

Another song about death, I suppose. Don't really care about the message as much as the delivery. Burton C. Bell is not a particularly good singer in the scheme of things, but the contrast between his "soulful" voice and his death metal voice is usually pretty effective.

Black Sabbath Walk Away, Lonely is the Word, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Die Young

Well, we lost Dio this year, so Dio-era Black Sabbath was huge on my playlist. But then again, the Ozzy-era stuff never dies.

Thin Lizzy Southbound, That Woman's Gonna Break Your Heart, Didn't I, The Sun Goes Down, Cold Sweat, Killer On The Loose

Phil Lynott was such an amazing songwriter. A song like Southbound...on the surface a western themed track full of cliches, but it's all metaphoric...beautifully so.

Iron Maiden Blood Brothers, Infinite Dreams, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, Coming Home, Wasted Years, No More Lies

Maiden was probably second place for band of the year. Their new album was a little underwhelming, and their concert could have used quite a few more classics in the set, but it's Maiden, and they are a staple of mine. I'm still listening to the old songs with as much interest as I did 15 years ago, and I'm even going back to records like Brave New World and Dance of Death years after they came out and realizing how great they were.

The Beach Boys Surf's Up, 'Til I Die, Pet Sounds, 20/20, etc.

No surprises here. Of course the Boys were in heavy rotation last year, because they always are. Pet Sounds is always one of my favorite records, as is 20/20, Sunflower, etc. The Beach Boys never fail to elevate my mood, at least for a couple of minutes.