In 2010, Pitchfork Media, in their second year of reviewing tracks, including album-only cuts, singles, remixes, a-sides and b-sides of singles and so on, awarded 97 tracks as Best New Track (BNT) as part of its Best New Music section. The first song to earn this honor in 2010 was the English band Sade's title track of their sixth studio album, Soldier of Love , while the last was "Six Foot Seven Foot" by Lil Wayne featuring Cory Gunz. Pitchfork assigned track reviews numerical scores until the week of their review of Round and Round by Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti on March 15, when they renamed their track review section to "The Playlist". [1] If a track was awarded a score of 8+ but was not labeled BNT it will not be included on this list. This list also does not include tracks that were featured on Pitchfork's staff lists, but did not receive BNT.
Track | Artist | Score | Review date | Album |
---|---|---|---|---|
"Soldier of Love" [2] | Sade | 8 | January 4 | Soldier of Love |
"Chase the Tear" [3] | Portishead | 8 | January 6 | - |
"Exhibit C" [4] | Jay Electronica | 8 | January 11 | |
"Colouring of Pigeons" [5] | The Knife featuring Mt. Sims and Planningtorock | 9 | January 13 | Tomorrow, in a Year |
"Lil Freak" [6] | Usher featuring Nicki Minaj | 8 | January 14 | Raymond v. Raymond |
"Facelove" [7] | PS I Love You | 8 | January 18 | "All Yr Songs/Facelove" |
"Yellow Wings" [8] | Keepaway | 9 | January 22 | Baby Style |
"Odessa" [9] | Caribou | 8 | January 27 | Swim |
"New York Is Killing Me" [10] | Gil Scott-Heron | 8 | February 5 | I'm New Here |
"Rocket" (Richard X One Zero remix) [11] | Remix of a song by Goldfrapp | 8 | February 15 | Original song from Head First |
"Excuses" [12] | The Morning Benders | 8 | February 17 | Big Echo |
"Good Intentions Paving Company" [13] | Joanna Newsom | 9 | February 19 | Have One on Me |
"Tightrope" [14] | Janelle Monáe featuring Big Boi | 9 | February 22 | The ArchAndroid |
"Night" [15] | Zola Jesus | 8 | February 23 | Stridulum II |
"World Sick" [16] | Broken Social Scene | 8 | February 26 | Forgiveness Rock Record |
"Go Outside" [17] | Cults | 9 | March 5 | Cults |
"In New Jersey" [18] | Julian Lynch | 8 | March 8 | Mare |
"Round and Round" [1] | Ariel Pink's Haunted Graffiti | - | March 15 | Before Today |
"I'm Back" [19] | T.I. | - | No Mercy | |
"Over" [20] | Drake | - | Thank Me Later | |
"The Blues" [21] | Primary 1 featuring Nina Persson | - | March 17 | Other People |
"Collector" [22] | Here We Go Magic | - | March 18 | Pigeons |
"You" [23] | Kingdom | - | March 19 | "Mindreader/You" |
"O.N.E" [24] | Yeasayer | - | March 24 | Odd Blood |
"Tron" [25] | Joker | - | March 25 | - |
"Stay Close" [26] | Delorean | - | March 26 | Subiza |
"Drunk Girls" [27] | LCD Soundsystem | - | March 29 | This Is Happening |
"Window Seat" [28] | Erykah Badu | - | March 31 | New Amerykah Part Two (Return of the Ankh) |
"Year's Not Long" [29] | Male Bonding | - | April 2 | Nothing Hurts |
"Shutterbugg" [30] | Big Boi featuring Cutty | - | April 7 | Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty |
"All I Want" [31] | LCD Soundsystem | - | April 15 | This Is Happening |
"Burn Bridges" [32] | Dom | - | Sun Bronzed Greek Gods | |
"Dancing on My Own" [33] | Robyn | - | April 20 | Body Talk Pt. 1 |
"Celestica" [34] | Crystal Castles | - | April 23 | Crystal Castles II |
"Tell 'Em" [35] | Sleigh Bells | - | April 29 | Treats |
"32 leaves dipped in blackness making clouds forming altered carbon" [36] | Shabazz Palaces | - | May 3 | Shabazz Palaces |
"Just Enough" [37] | Julian Lynch | - | May 13 | Mare |
"Solitude Is Bliss" [38] | Tame Impala | - | May 14 | Innerspeaker |
"Country Shit" [39] | Big K.R.I.T. | - | May 21 | K.R.I.T. Wuz Here |
"Blue Moon" [40] | Cover of a Big Star song by Kendal Johansson | - | May 24 | Original track from Big Star's 3rd |
"Come With Me" [41] | ceo | - | June 2 | White Magic |
"Chinatown" [42] | Wild Nothing | - | June 3 | Gemini |
"POWER" [43] | Kanye West | - | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | |
"CMYK" [44] | James Blake | - | June 4 | CMYK |
"Younger Us" [45] | Japandroids | - | June 9 | Celebration Rock |
"I Go Away" [46] | MNDR | - | June 10 | E.P.E. |
"We Can't Fly" (radio edit) [47] | Aeroplane | - | June 21 | We Can't Fly |
"Don't Change For Me" [48] | Ramadanman | - | June 22 | Ramadanman |
"King Night" [49] | SALEM | - | June 23 | King Night |
"Yamaha" [50] | The-Dream | - | June 24 | Love King |
"Let's Get Lost" [51] | Beck and Bat for Lashes | - | June 25 | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) |
"Mr. Peterson" [52] | Perfume Genius | - | June 28 | Learning |
"Boyfriend" [53] | Best Coast | - | June 29 | Crazy for You |
"While We're Young" [54] | Department of Eagles | - | July 8 | Archive 2003-2006 |
"Slow Motion" [55] | Panda Bear | - | July 15 | "Tomboy/Slow Motion" |
"Revival" [56] | Deerhunter | - | July 22 | Halcyon Digest |
"Reckless (With Your Love)" (Tensnake remix) [57] | Azari & III | - | July 23 | - |
"Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)" [58] | Arcade Fire | - | July 30 | The Suburbs |
"Phoenix" [59] | Hyetal | - | "Phoenix/Like Silver" | |
"Cheaters" [60] | Teengirl Fantasy | - | August 3 | 7AM |
"National Anthem (Fuck the World)" [61] | Freddie Gibbs | - | Str8 Killa | |
"Cold War" [62] | Janelle Monáe | - | August 6 | The ArchAndroid |
"Little People (Black City)" [63] | Matthew Dear | - | Black City | |
"Returnal" (piano rework) [64] | Oneohtrix Point Never featuring Antony | - | August 9 | Original version from Returnal |
"Decisions" [65] | How to Dress Well featuring Yüksel Arslan | - | August 13 | Love Remains |
"Fuck You" [66] | CeeLo Green | - | August 23 | The Lady Killer |
"Heirloom" [67] | Sufjan Stevens | - | August 25 | All Delighted People |
"Home" [68] | Glasser | - | August 27 | Ring |
"Slow" [69] | Twin Shadow | - | Forget | |
"Monster" [70] | Kanye West ft. Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Bon Iver and Nicki Minaj | - | September 7 | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy |
"Helicopter" [71] | Deerhunter | - | September 10 | Halcyon Digest |
"Eyesore" [72] | Women | - | September 13 | Public Strain |
"Ready for the World" [73] | How to Dress Well | - | Originally: February 2010 Republished: September 14, 2010 | Love Remains |
"I Can't Wait" [74] | Twin Shadow | - | September 17 | Forget |
"Parade" [75] | Tyler, The Creator | - | Bastard | |
"Kaili" [76] | Caribou | - | September 20 | Swim |
"Fever Dreaming" [77] | No Age | - | September 21 | Everything in Between |
"I Only Know (What I Know Now)" [78] | James Blake | - | September 24 | Klavierwerke |
"Angela Surf City" [79] | The Walkmen | - | September 28 | Lisbon |
"MmmHmm" [80] | Flying Lotus featuring Thundercat | - | September 29 | Cosmogramma |
"Runaway" [81] | Kanye West featuring Pusha T | - | My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy | |
"2 Forms of Anger" [82] | Brian Eno | - | October 1 | Small Craft on a Milk Sea |
"The Heat" [83] | Twista featuring Raekwon | - | October 5 | The Perfect Storm (Best Buy edition) |
"Limit to Your Love" [84] | James Blake | - | October 13 | James Blake |
"Not in Love" [85] | Cover of a Platinum Blonde song by Crystal Castles ft. Robert Smith | - | October 27 | Crystal Castles II (Big Day Out deluxe reissue) |
"The Joy" [86] | Kanye West ft. Jay-Z, Pete Rock, Charlie Wilson, and Kid Cudi | - | November 3 | - |
"Weekend" [87] | Smith Westerns | - | November 4 | - |
"Narrow With the Hall" [88] | Women | - | November 8 | Public Strain |
"Upside Down" [89] | Off! | - | November 9 | First Four EPs |
"Heart in Your Heartbreak" [90] | The Pains of Being Pure at Heart | - | November 11 | Belong |
"Carolina" [91] | Girls | - | November 17 | Broken Dreams Club |
"Call Your Girlfriend" [92] | Robyn | - | November 23 | Body Talk |
"Only Girl (In the World)" [93] | Rihanna | - | November 24 | Loud |
"Chinatown" [94] | Destroyer | - | Kaputt | |
"Written on the Forehead" [95] | PJ Harvey | - | December 2 | Let England Shake |
"Fireworks" (Deadboy Slo Mo House edit) [96] | Remix of a song by Drake featuring Alicia Keys | - | December 3 | Original song from Thank Me Later |
"Six Foot Seven Foot" [97] | Lil Wayne featuring Cory Gunz | - | December 15 | Tha Carter IV |
Dedication 2 is the fifth mixtape by Lil Wayne, hosted by DJ Drama. It is a sequel to Lil Wayne's previous mixtape, The Dedication, and is second in DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz series with Lil Wayne. It is one of the few mixtapes in the hip hop genre to be both financially successful and critically acclaimed. Despite its illegal use of unlicensed instrumentals and samples, it was sold through iTunes and retail stores such as Best Buy and FYE, was widely reviewed in the mainstream media, and peaked at #69 on Billboard's "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums” chart. The cover shows Lil Wayne with "Fear God" tattooed on his eyelids. Much of the mixtape showcases Lil Wayne's free associating rhymes and "liquid non-sequiturs."
Ross Matthew Birchard, better known by the stage name Hudson Mohawke, is a Scottish-American producer, composer, and DJ from Glasgow. He is known for his influential work in 21st century hip-hop and electronic music. A founding member of the UK label collective LuckyMe, his fractured, colorful take on hip-hop made him a leading figure in the late-2000s wonky scene. He released his debut album Butter in 2009 on Warp Records. He has followed with the solo albums Lantern (2015) and Cry Sugar (2022), both on Warp.
Cold Cave is the solo project for musician Wesley Eisold, described as a "collage of darkwave, noise, and synthpop." A number of reviewers note the affinity with early 1980s post-punk and early synthpop, in particular Joy Division and New Order.
American rock band LCD Soundsystem has released four studio albums, three extended plays (EP), one compilation album, two remix albums, three live albums, eighteen singles, and fourteen music videos. The music of LCD Soundsystem is a mix of dance music and punk, and contains influences of disco. The band first gained attention when they released the single "Losing My Edge" on DFA Records, which became a well-known indie song in 2002. They then released more singles over the next few years and their self-titled debut album to critical acclaim. The album was certified gold in the UK but failed to chart on the US Billboard 200.
Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo, who is also known for his work with the band Ghosthustler, and as the solo artist VEGA. The project has been characterized as defining the 2010s music genre chillwave.
Chaz Bear, known professionally as Toro y Moi, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and graphic designer. He is often recognized as a spearhead of the chillwave genre in the 2010s, alongside contemporaries Washed Out and Neon Indian, although his music has explored various styles since. His stage name is a multilingual expression consisting of the Spanish words toro and y and the French word moi.
Crazy for You is the debut studio album by American indie rock duo Best Coast, released July 27, 2010 by Mexican Summer. The album was recorded by singer-songwriter Bethany Cosentino and her musical partner Bobb Bruno. It was produced, engineered, and mixed by Lewis Pesacov of Fool's Gold and Foreign Born. The album was released after a series of EPs that brought the band to underground notoriety with songs such as "The Sun Was High " and "When I'm with You", the latter being included in this release as a bonus track. The album artwork was created by David Rager and includes Cosentino's cat Snacks (2007-2022), alongside many references to the state of California. The lyrics deal mostly with romance and relationships, with Cosentino describing them to Pitchfork Media as "about weed and my cat and being lazy a lot." The album was made available for streaming on July 12 at Urban Outfitters. Crazy for You was well received by music critics.
The discography of Canadian rock band Japandroids consists of three studio albums, one compilation album, two extended plays, ten singles, and two music videos.
Belong is the second studio album by American indie pop band The Pains of Being Pure at Heart. It was released on March 29, 2011 by Slumberland Records. The album was chiefly produced by Flood. The band recorded Belong at the Manhattan studio Stratosphere Sound and Flood's London studio Assault & Battery 2 throughout the summer of 2010, in between touring stints.
"Otis" is a song by American hip hop artists Jay-Z and Kanye West from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song posthumously features soul singer Otis Redding, whose version of "Try a Little Tenderness" is sampled in the song. The production was covered solely by West. The track was premiered by Funkmaster Flex's Hot 97 radio show and was released onto the Internet the day afterward. Lyrically, the song has the two rappers sharing lines discussing wealth, decadence and fame. The track received highly positive reviews from music critics who praised the trading off of verses by the two rappers and the Redding-sampled beat, which was compared to the style heard on West's The College Dropout. Several publications placed the song amongst the best of the year.
"Why I Love You" is a song by American hip hop artists Kanye West and Jay-Z, from their first collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). The song features pop musician Mr. Hudson who is signed to West's GOOD Music label. "Why I Love You" heavily samples French house duo Cassius' 2010 single "I <3 U So", which itself is based upon a sample from the original 1971 version of "I Feel a Song " by Sandra Richardson. The song almost entirely features Jay-Z rapping and only contains a few lines provided by West. Lyrically, the song is about the people who have stood in the way of Jay-Z throughout the year and expresses themes of victory and anger. The song received generally positive reviews from music critics, who normally praised the production.
"No Church in the Wild" is a song by American rappers Jay-Z and Kanye West featuring American singers Frank Ocean and The-Dream, from the former two's first collaborative album Watch the Throne (2011). Opening the album, the song explores themes of religion and decadence. The track received highly positive reviews from music critics, who praised Ocean's vocal hooks, the depth of the verses, the cinematic production and the song's power as an opening track.
"Blood on the Leaves" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). In the song West presents his thoughts on how fame can cause the destruction of relationships, while making comparisons of contemporary times to the lynching of African Americans in the United States during the pre-civil rights era. West delivers his vocals through an Auto-Tune processor, like on his 2008 album 808s & Heartbreak. It contains samples of both singer Nina Simone's 1965 rendition of Billie Holiday's song "Strange Fruit", and "R U Ready" by the duo TNGHT, who co-produced the track.
American rock duo Best Coast has released four studio albums, two live albums, seven extended plays, 24 singles, and 15 music videos. Formed in Los Angeles in 2009, the band consists of singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bethany Cosentino and multi-instrumentalist Bobb Bruno.
Meow the Jewels is a remix album by American hip hop duo Run the Jewels. It was released on September 25, 2015, by Mass Appeal Records and RBC Records. The album, a remix of the duo's original album Run the Jewels 2, has all instrumentals replaced with sounds of cats.
"I'm In It" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album, Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Evian Christ, Dom Solo, Noah Goldstein, Arca and Mike Dean. The song features vocals from Justin Vernon and Assassin and a sample of "Lately" by Kenny Lattimore. In the song, West describes numerous sexual fantasies using very sexually explicit lyrics. The song has received mixed reviews from music critics, with its explicit lyrics receiving the most criticism. Despite charting in the United States in 2013, the song is one of the worst performing songs on Yeezus.
"Send It Up" is a song by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, from his sixth studio album Yeezus (2013). It was produced by West, Daft Punk, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski, Arca and Mike Dean. Like other songs on the album, it features an industrial hip hop sound, with elements of electronic music. The song features vocals from American rapper King Louie, who improvised his contributions. It contains a sample of "Memories" by Jamaican reggae and dancehall singer Beenie Man. Eight days before its release on the album, West performed the song live at the Governors Ball Music Festival, along with four other tracks from Yeezus.
"Coldest Winter" is a song by American record producer and vocalist Kanye West from his fourth studio album, 808s & Heartbreak (2008). The song was produced by West, with co-production from No I.D. and Jeff Bhasker. The producers served as songwriters alongside Roland Orzabal, who received a writing credit as a result of music that he wrote being interpolated. In October 2008, the song was previewed via Power 106. An electropop number, it interpolates Tears for Fears' "Memories Fade". In the lyrics, Kanye mourns the death of Donda West.