11. “Somewhere Only We Know”– Keane from Hopes & Fears– I do not want to like Keane. I am tired of sensitive Brit Rock. Nevertheless, I cannot resist this majestic ode to privacy, with its soaring melody, righteous pianos, and subtle synths.

10. “The Life and Death of Mr. Badmouth” – PJ Harvey from Uh Huh Her– A slow, pulverizing tune that proves Polly Jean to be a serious bad ass. Sounds as if molten lava oozed out of Mt. Vesuvius, flowed into her ears, than surged out of her guitar amp.

9. “Hoist That Rag” – Tom Waits from Real Gone – This raw, primeval stomp from the incomparable Mr. Waits is bolstered by a deceptively catchy chorus and the spidery, explosive guitar playing from Marc Ribot.

8. “All These Things That I’ve Done” – The Killers from Hot Fuss – Say what you want about the faux-Brit-accent wielding dance rockers from Vegas, but the quality of the songs transcends the pretty-boy posturing. “Things’” soulful chorus and the “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” refrain absolutely kills.

7. “The World At Large” – Modest Mouse from Good News for People who Love Bad News – The Modest ones released their strongest set of songs ever last year, and actually achieved commercial success – will wonders never cease? Good News opens with this slow simmering, melodic treasure that’s as sensitive as it is smart.

6. “It’s A Hit” – Rilo Kiley from More Adventurous – Smart, catchy, and a tad subversive, this tune about monkeys running governments gets better and better with each listen. There’s just not enough “Shoo-bop, Shoo-bop, My Baby” in popular music anymore.

5. “Sad And Lonely” – Secret Machines from Now Here is Nowhere – This driving rock epic from New York’s Texas transplants is all guitar glory and big choruses. “Sad and Lonely” has found itself on repeat on my iPod on many occasions.

4. “Wake Up” – Arcade Fire from Funeral – I’m not sure I could describe it any better than I did in my review for Funeral. The ultimate Indie-fist-pumper.

3. “Sweet Virginia” – Gomez from Split The Difference – Coming alive on top of a woozy bass line and drunken guitars, Gomez delivers their most beautiful song ever.

2. “Yahweh” – U2 from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb – The latest in the long list of “Bono Talks To God” songs, the last track from Atomic Bomb truly inspires. With a soaring chorus and some of Bono’s best lyrics, “Yahweh” rings true from beginning to end. I can’t help but feel grateful every time I hear it.

1. “The Late Greats” – Wilco from A Ghost is Born – Wilco’s rise to the top of the “mid-level artist” set (a dubious distinction, but an envious one – they can do anything they want these days!) was complete when they won a Grammy for an album that features 13 minutes of random amp buzz. Tucked away behind said buzz at the end of the marvelous A Ghost is Born, this track about the greatest lost song lives inside its own little myth. It’s probably not the best song on Ghost, but it has dug deeper into my heart than the rest, and I’m not ashamed to say it’s my favorite song from last year.

 

(**More because I find it impossible to cut this list down to ten – I wanted to make a Top 30 list, but who could possibly want to read that? Bad Spinal Tap references cover a multitude of sins, don’t they?)