Songs I fell in love with in 2010 (that weren’t released in 2010).

As long as I can remember, music in December has been synonymous with year-end lists that recap the best (and worst) of the past calendar year. For many, it provides a chance to catch up with all that potentially awesome music we missed the first time around in past the calendar year. It can serve as an enjoyable exercise that makes us stop and think about our musical tastes and preferences as opposed to the continuous search for our next dose of musical cocaine.

But what I find gets overlooked year after year is all the music that each of us discover that’s not from 2010. Sure, much of this has been digested time and time again in years past. But I find that a new found discovery of a new artist, album or song from previous years, no matter how popular or obscure it may be, remains much more gratifying in the short and long run.

Over the course of 2010, people undoubtedly fell in love with previously released music--whether it was quietly taking in Nebraska for the first time, finally understanding the dissonant complexities of Sonic Youth, having their hearts shattered by Bon Iver or being taught the duality of the Southern thing through Southern Rock Opera. These moments are the discoveries that define personal obsessions with music.

Best-of 2010 lists may act as a useful guide to us, but music-we-fell-in-love-with-in-2010 lists seem much more interesting to look at. So here’s my attempt to retrace the songs I fell in love with in 2010 (that weren’t released in 2010).

The Antlers – “Wake”
Beirut – “Postcards From Italy”
Big Star – “Feel”
The Books –"Be Good To Them Always"
Bruce Springsteen – “No Surrender”
Califone – “Polish Girls”
Centro-matic – “Glacial Slurs”
The Cure – “Just Like Heaven”
Dinosaur Jr. – “Start Choppin’”
Doveman – “Breathing Out”
Elvis Costello – “Miracle Man”
Fela Kuti – “Gentleman”
Fleetwood Mac – “Gold Dust Woman”
Fresh & Onlys – “Peacock and Wing”
Heartless Bastards – “Into The Open”
J. Tillman – “James Blues”
King Khan & The Shrines – “Welfare Bread”
The Low Anthem – “Don’t Tremble”
Magnetic Fields – “Papa Was A Rodeo”
Mayer Hawthorne – “The Ills”
Molina & Johnson – “Almost Let You In”
My Morning Jacket – “Death Is The Easy Way”
Okkervil River – “So Come Back, I am Waiting”
Patterson Hood – “Screwtopia”
Pavement – “Gold Soundz”
Real Estate – “Beach Comber”
Spritualized – “All of My Thoughts”
Stars – “Your Ex-Lover Is Dead”
Television – “Guiding Light”
Venice Is Sinking – “Ryan’s Song”
Wye Oak – “For Prayer”

I came up with 31 songs that left me speechless. What were some songs that rocked your world?