1.  Rogue Valley – “Geese In The Flyway”
Chris Koza and his excellent band have released three albums already this year.  It’s an embarrassment of riches.  Each album corresponds with a season, and this is from Geese In The Flyway, their fall album. I feel like I’m taking all these beautiful songs for granted because there are just so many of them.

2. Mason Jennings – “Drinking As Religion”
Erin and I can sing Mason Jennings’s first album word-for-word. A lot of his stuff since then is great, but only if you don’t get itchy listening to someone sing explicitly about their path to “spiritual enlightenment,” whatever that is. This is from his terrific Use Your Voice album.

3. Big Star – “Give Me Another Chance”
I think I’ve written enough about Big Star already. But this is just a gorgeous song. Mellotron!

4. Sufjan Stevens – “O Come, O Come Emmanuel”
Sufjan actually likes Christmas. Is it cool to like Christmas again? Is it cool to like Sufjan again? Quickly, check the internet.

5. The Impressions – “Grow Closer Together”
From 1962…this qualifies as early soul music in my book, but there’s a lot going on lyrically here, which is rare for this time period. At around this time, Smokey Robinson (the songwriter to whom Curtis Mayfield is most frequently compared) was still writing sequels to “Get A Job.” And check the Latin rhythms – that’s the Chicago sound.

6. Miles Davis – “My Funny Valentine”
Miles’s second big recording of this tune is the one people usually talk about (and for good reason), but I was in the mood for this one from the Prestige recording sessions. It’s a softer pillow for kind of a prickly week.

7. Donny Hathaway – “Someday We’ll All Be Free”
I’m beginning to think that, as great as Donny’s studio recordings were, he was really in his element when he was performing live. I need this song lately – the things you see on your path to becoming an educator are sometimes heartbreaking. “All you got to do is hang on to the world.” Yep.

8. Kanye West – “Lost In The World”
I guess this would be the new Chicago sound. Although, if the film that Kanye made to accompany this new album is any indication, he spends more time in France than in the Midwest these days. Yes, that’s an auto-tuned Bon Iver creating the foundation for this one, proving that auto-tune isn’t to blame for our current radio problem. Kanye is a lyrical monster (as he will tell you) on this album, and although this song doesn’t highlight that aspect of the record, this is my favorite music on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. And on the album, it’s Gil-Scott Heron, not Matt Lauer, who gets the last laugh.

9. Robyn – “Indestructible”
You guys know how I feel about Robyn. The new songs are good, but I wish someone would remind her that there are electronic kick drum patterns other than the ones that got us through the 1990′s. Whatever. This one has corny classical synth squiggles underscoring a pledge to remain vulnerable without guarantee of reciprocation. So, basically, it’s perfect.

10. Martina Topley-Bird – “Phoenix”
Not quite the breathtaking back-to-back masterpiece that her first album was, The Blue God is still solid, and this one is the highlight. “I will stay for this last transformation.” And that voice. Good grief.

11. The Radio Dept. – “Heaven’s On Fire”
It took me a while to warm up to this album. I like the Smiths feel to it (obviously), but the singing felt half-hearted and fey. I was hearing it wrong. It’s great. And they had the nerve to use a saxophone on the song, which is something the Swedes seem less afraid of than us. I think there are a couple of Vapnet songs with saxophone used non-ironically. Incidentally, if you’re doing something ironically while making music, your name had better be Weird Al, or you’re getting the James Rone boycott. The Grand Avenue Freeze Out.

12. Bruce Springsteen – “Tenth Avenue Freeze Out”
Come on. I have to write something about Born To Run? No, thank you. It’s one of those albums you have to decide about for yourself.

13. The Old 97′s – “The Magician”
…and they’re back! It’s not perfect, but The Grand Theatre, Vol. 1 is the best Old 97′s album since Satellite Rides, and possibly since Fight Songs. When he’s on his game, Rhett Miller can write a bunch of clever stuff and then grab you by the valves with an as-the-crow-flies declaration like “I’m gonna be the one for you!”

Hey, should I do a “Best of 2010″ list? They’re kind of a lot of work, but it’s worth it if people are interested in that kind of thing.