The talent for moody, arresting singles that gave the world "What's a Girl to Do" in 2008 clearly hasn't abandoned Natasha Khan. She can still work spooky magic with a drum machine.
14. Young Hearts Spark Fire - Japandroids
A bittersweet song about drinking your way through the anxieties of growing older. "I don't wanna worry about dying. I just wanna worry about those sunshine girls."
13. Standing on the Shore - Empire of the Sun
Riding the crest of Australia's current dance-pop wave (which also includes Midnight Juggernauts and Cut Copy), Empire of the Sun wields a sleek and breezy sound that seems custom-made for high-end marketing campaigns. (The band's "We Are the People" already soundtracks a recent Vizio ad.) But being slick isn't always a bad thing. Pour yourself a tequila sunrise and let the pre-party begin.
12. When I Grow Up - Fever Ray
Not to be confused with the 2008 Pussycat Dolls song of the same name, Fever Ray's first single is a slow-burn epic of mind-boggling Euro-art. The video, in which a refugee from the "Love Is a Battlefield" video makes a swimming pool boil, is something to behold.
11. Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
In 2009 YYYs made the big-room synth album no one knew they wanted to make, and "Zero" is the floor-filling A single, replete with prodigious use of the phrase "shake it."
10. My Girls - Animal Collective
"My Girls" is a perfect distillation of what I DO like about Animal Collective (a band with whom I have a very hit/miss relationship): heavy use of echo and lysergic processing effects, droll lyrics, and a rock-solid melody.
9. Empire State of Mind - Jay-Z w/ Alicia Keys
Honestly, when Jigga calls himself "the new Sinatra," it's hard to argue with him.
8. French Navy - Camera Obscura
Sure, all their songs are about reading, moping, or wearing sweaters, but Camera Obscura's grasp of 1960s chamber pop is rivaled only by The Clientele. Horns, strings, and a classic wall-of-sound echo...enough said.
7. Sea within a Sea - The Horrors
The Horrors lay off on the Goth histrionics in favor of a Motorik beat snagged fresh from the first two Neu! albums, and the result is a sprawling epic that soars miles above the graveyard.
6. 21 Guns - Green Day
Despite its sub-Nickelback video and prominent inclusion in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, it's okay to like this song. It's got the marching beat, tight harmonies, and two-chord riffage that marks the best latter-day Green Day tracks. It also helps if you're 14 years old.
5. Lisztomania - Phoenix
An ultra-catchy French dance-pop confection named after a Ken Russel film about Franz Liszt and starring Roger Daltrey? Sure, why not?
4. You Need Satan More than He Needs You - Future of the Left
The song title pretty much sums it up.
3. Help I'm Alive - Metric
I never cease to be amazed my Metric's uncanny ability to meld mid-tempo guitar rock and 4/4 dance music. It's one of those combos that seems so damn offensive on the face of it, but they make it so much more than just respectable.
2. Cornerstone - Arctic Monkeys
A sentimental favorite if ever there was one. The thought of Josh Homme producing the sessions for this romantic tale of love lost and found never fails to bring a smile to my face. Alex Turner gives the song his vocal best, and he never plays the dramatic lyrics for a wink.
1. While You Wait for the Others - Grizzly Bear
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