NUMBER 4: “CMYK” - JAMES BLAKE - FROM THE CMYK EP ON R&S RECORDS

I’m going to try to not mention James Blake’s startling young age but it’s hard not to. It isn’t just Blake’s delivery of three fully formed but very different sounding EPs in the span of a year or the fact that his upcoming debut LP reveals him as a lovely singer on top of being one of the most unique and exciting voices in electronic music. No, what’s most striking about James Blake and his young age is the way that he’s already found a unique way to make electronic music as emotional as it’s ever been. Whether he’s sampling his own voice or Aaliyah and Kelis as he is on “CMYK”, he’s tapped into the Joy Orbison/Burial vein of dubstep but had somehow managed to out do both of them on his first try. “Look I found her / DAMN / red coat.” Damn! He’s 22!

BONUS: As I mentioned, Blake released three great EPs this year. Somehow that didn’t quite cover it though. Check out his single “Air & Lack Thereof” here. Another great song.

2010 Top 10:

4) “CMYK” - James Blake

5) “Trouble Comes Running” - Spoon

6) “Odessa” - Caribou

7) “Blame Game” - Kanye West ft. John Legend

8) “Tightrope” - Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi

9) “Desire Lines” - Deerhunter

10) “Your Sweet Boom” - Jamie Lidell