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 sixth 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."
808s & Heartbreak is the fourth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 24, 2008, having been recorded earlier that year in September and October at Glenwood Studios in Burbank, California and Avex Recording Studio in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dominating its production, West was assisted by fellow producers No I.D., Plain Pat, Jeff Bhasker, and Mr Hudson, while also utilizing guest vocalists for some tracks, including Kid Cudi, Young Jeezy, and Lil Wayne.
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.
Neon Indian is an American electronic music band from Denton, Texas. The music is composed by Mexican-born Alan Palomo, who is also part of the band Ghosthustler and releases solo music under his birth name and the stage name VEGA. The project has been characterized as defining the 2010s music genre chillwave.
Romance Is Boring is the third studio album by Welsh indie pop band Los Campesinos!, released on 26 January 2010 via Wichita and Arts & Crafts. Produced by John Goodmanson, the album's maximalist production, unconventional structure and particularly demoralising themes marked a departure from the band's previous twee pop sound.
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 late cat Snacks, 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.
"Celestica" is a song recorded by the Canadian electronic band Crystal Castles for their second studio album, Crystal Castles (2010). After a BBC Radio 1 premiere, it was released on April 16, 2010, as the first single from the album, being later accompanied by a music video. According to member Ethan Kath, the track was inspired by a suicide at the Celestica factories in Canada. Critics cited the song as a shift from Crystal Castles' usual sound, presenting a pop sound and resembling shoegaze. Others highlighted its melody and member Alice Glass' vocals. It was considered one of the best songs of the year by NME, while Pitchfork named it as one of the best tracks between 2010 and 2014 and among the best Crystal Castles songs.
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.
"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.
"Polish Girl" is a song recorded by the American band Neon Indian. It was released on August 3, 2011, as the second single from their second studio album, Era Extraña (2011). A music video, directed by Tim Nackashi and produced in collaboration with The Creators Project, was released on September 13. It was included in the PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One rereleases of Grand Theft Auto V in 2014 and 2015 as part of the radio station Radio Mirror Park.
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.
"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.
"Not in Love" is the 1983 Platinum Blonde song "Not in Love", covered twice in 2010 by Canadian electronic music duo Crystal Castles. Of their cover versions, the second one – a re-recording that features English musician Robert Smith of the Cure – is much more widely known. Crystal Castles' first cover version appeared on their second studio album, Crystal Castles (2010), and the version with Robert Smith was digitally released as a single on October 26, 2010. Although the album version was generally seen as unexciting, the version with Smith was named one of the best songs of 2010 by multiple publications. It appeared in the main charts of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Scotland, and the United Kingdom, and was certified gold by Music Canada.
The discography of the Canadian electronic duo Crystal Castles consists of four studio albums, fourteen music videos, one extended play, seventeen singles, and ten remixes.
"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.