Best of 2010 40-39

40) The Babies - Meet Me In The City

Details about Brooklyn ‘super group’ The Babies started emerging from various music websites and blogs during the summer, reporting that Vivian Girls’ Cassie Ramone and Woods bassist Kevin Morby had been working on a new project together, along with Bossy drummer Justin Sullivan and Stupid Party’s Nathanael Stark.  Meet Me In The City was the second single from the group and is a brilliant piece of utterly shambolic pop-punk.  As simple a song as you will hear all year, Morby is on lead vocal duty shouting, screaming and yelping with magnificent results while Ramone provides a sweet counter with her 60’s girl group-esque backing vocals.  At less than three minutes it’s over before you know it but I can guarantee you will find yourself putting it on again. And Again.  And Again.  Music doesn’t get more addictive than this. 

39) Caribou - Odessa

Odessa is the astonishing opening track to Dan Snaith aka Caribou’s latest LP Swim.  I won’t even bother trying to bracket Odessa within a genre, bits and pieces of indie/dance/disco/funk/electropop and even elements of house are audible throughout the track, it  really does just seem to encompass everything that is brilliant about pop music.  There is so much going on in Odessa that a brief summary of the track is a near impossible task, but here goes.  A prominent and addictive bassline, some brilliant drum loops, plenty of bizarre yet fantastic electronic samples and Snaith’s delicate yet utterly engaging vocal combine to make a fantastic and genuinely innovative piece of pop music.  Truly wonderful.