10. Stars - Undertow This song is incredible. It's so delicate, yet it also has this weird surreal dream like electronic trance about it.
09. Britney Spears - Circus I actually preferred this over Womanizer for the mere fact that it instantly reminded me of vintage, 1999 Britney.
08. Grand:pm - God Save the Scene This was a random song I heard on MTV from this awesome Ontario indie band.
07. Travis - Closer This track reminds me a lot of the song Sleep by the Dandy Warhols because it has this depressive quality about it, and that really appeals to me.
06. Tokyo Police Club - In a Cave Oh man, oh man, did I ever love this song. I still do, actually. There's something about TPC that I can't get enough of - maybe it's the short length of all their songs, or their extreme catchiness, but they always leave me wanting more. I used to think that Be Good was the best example of how good their work was, but in reality, In a Cave is so much better.
05. Coldpay - Life in Technicolor The first time I heard this I literally hit the back button my iPod because I needed to listen to it again. The fact that it contains no vocals cements the fact that Coldplay are an actual band with other members than just Chris Martin.
04. Sara Bareilles - Love Song For some reason this song reminds me of San Francisco, which is especially odd since I've never been there. But those are the images this song conjures up in my mind. It could almost be the perfect "white person" song - singer/songwriter, self accompaniment, somewhat obscure, San Francisco, it has it all.
03. Cut Copy - Feel the Love Ah, my Australian/hipster/indie-electronic band. I don't think much more is needed to be said.
02. Coldplay - Viva la Vida Coldplay. Again. I was really nervous for their album after I heard Violet Hill. I assumed I was going to hate the new record. But then I heard this song. Everything about it is immaculate. The use of strings, the progression and the climax, the regret-tinged lyrics, everything.
01. The Ting Tings - Shut Up and Let Me Go I bought this song the night before my trip back to PEI on a whim, and I listened to it on the flight over. Then I listened to it over and over and over again. There's something about the sheer quality of the song that doesn't allow me to listen to it just once, but I have to repeat it. It has dance qualities, assertive lyrics, a hint of British accents, an indie street cred about it, and it's all rolled into one. Success!
There are 2 Coldplay tracks in the list, which is simply because the album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends was fantastic. With that said, honourable mention goes to their song Lovers in Japan, which narrowly escaped placing in my top 10. Other songs that deserve honourable mention include: Bruises by Chairlift; Hot N Cold by Katy Perry; 4 Minutes by Madonna; American Boy by Estelle; Time to Pretend by MGMT; and Pork and Beans by Weezer.
