The 2010s in 50 Songs That Defined My Life
This decade is basically my 20s, defined by an era of songs featuring witchy distortion and sparkly synths
Best-of lists are the most masturbatory thing in the world. And I love them. Being a music snob is also masturbatory. And I am the snobbiest. So naturally, I am so excited that it is 2019 and I have an excuse to catalog the best tracks of not just the year, but also the decade. A true testament to my lack of a life, I’ve been working on this list since January. Pitchfork released its rankings for the decade, so now it’s time for me to release mine. The more iconic list. The one more people are waiting for.
I have been agonizing over the song lineup for weeks. I tried to reflect the span of the decade, and resist my tendency to favor the newer and hipper. I wanted to include a range of artists and genres, from deep cuts to popular songs. For a while, I had two Grimes songs and two Kelela songs and two Erykah Badu songs rounding out the list, but I narrowed it down to one of each, which was like killing children. You’re welcome.
I’m 33 now, so this decade is basically my 20s — if you factor in the fact that I’m emotionally stunted. As with all best-of lists, it’s subjective and personal. It’s basically a self-portrait and I don’t think it’s…
