[#40-31] [Last year's countdown]
Welcome back! Let’s keep things rolling with some very, very cute boys. Oh, and some good songs, too…

30. “I Won’t Let You Go” by James Morrison

Ooh, lord! James Morrison is all, “I’m sensitive, and I sing really well about loving you through hard times!” And I’m all, “Kiss me with your mouth open!”

Ahem.

I’m trying to say that “I Won’t Let You Go” is a lovely power ballad that gains traction in my heart because of Morrison’s slightly-cracked vocals and his willingness to pull back on the instrumentation when a typical song would ramp it up. Somehow, that lack of grandiosity makes me believe him more. Oh, and also? I want to make out with him.

29. “Hello” by Martin Solveig and Dragonette

You’ve got to admire a dance song with a slow burn. There’s an amazing beat in “Hello,” kind of like your favorite Nintendo sound effect bouncing over and over and over in your ear, but Solveig makes you wait for it. You can feel it coming, you know it’s coming, and then… WOOO! There it is. Once the beat drops and Dragonette’s chirpy vocals kick in, it’s a nonstop party.

28. “The Bad in Each Other” by Feist

Say it with me now: “Feist’s new album doesn’t sport anything as catchy as her breakthrough hit ’1, 2, 3,4.’” That’s true, of course, every review of Metals made that clear. But the album does offer some textured, bewitching songwriting. Though I’d recommend the entire collection, my personal favorite is “The Bad In Each Other.” It describes a tortured relationship with sad grandeur, using somber bursts of horns and booming drums. It’s not lively, exactly, but it’s alive.

27. “You Called Me” by Mayer Hawthorne

Of all the songs on the countdown, this is the only one I can’t find in an embeddable form, but at least you can hear a sample on Amazon. It’s my favorite track from Hawthorne’s vintage soul-styled album How Do You Do because the lyrics are clever, the musicianship is tight, and the experience isn’t marred by jarring curse words that Hawthorne occasionally drops to sound “current.” If you played this song in the Under the Sea dance at Back to the Future, ever kid in the place would be dancin’, but you’d probably get the same effect at this year’s junior prom. Wonderful soul can jump out of time like that.

26. “Heart Skips a Beat” by Olly Murs featuring Rizzle Kicks

Apparently, this part of the countdown is all about British pop stars I’d like to French, because Olly Murs is also super-cute. And when a white lad can throw out some 90s-tastic New Jack Swing, then I’m all the way on board. The rap interlude from rising hip-hoppers Rizzle Kicks just seals the deal.

25. “All I Ever Do” by Lori McKenna

Lori McKenna’s songwriting is almost painfully insightful. With just a few lines, she can conjure and entire soul, like she does with the chorus of this song about a working-class woman who doesn’t do anything but work and pray… but who loves someone enough to make it worthwhile. Her ability to capture the power of small comforts and tiny indignities ranks her with Patty Griffin as America’s best contemporary folk songwriter. Her new album Lorraine is also one of the best of the year. If you like what you hear up there, then do yourself a favor and track it down.

24. “Promises” by Nero

This was a wonderful year for thundering dance anthems that were humanized by interesting vocal performances, and Nero rides at the top of that wave. This is a club track with meat on its bones.

23. “Gangsta” by tUnE-yArDs

When I enthused about this bizarre, fascinating track back in May, I said it would “no doubt be the low-riding anthem for all the velvet pimps of 2230.” I stand by that.

22. “Peg O’ My Heart” by The Dropkick Murphys

You may recall that back in March, this kicky little ditty (featuring a guest vocal from Bruce Springsteen) made me parse the difference between “good noise” and “bad noise” in a rock song. It’s still on the right side of that line.

21. “Something Good Can Work” by Two Door Cinema Club

Oh, Twin Sunday Cinema Club! I love your jumpy, intelligent pop music that makes me want to get sweaty while wearing a tie and sweater vest. This song is rush of joyous energy that keeps me jogging through the hardest parts of my exercise routine.