Impossible Pop 2010

It’s 2011 and I’d like to talk (some more) about my favorite music from 2010. Last year was possibly the year I followed music the closest. I used my emusic subscription to the fullest and I was keeping up on all the big trends. Honestly, it was kinda overwhelming. I don’t plan to follow music as closely or acquire as much music this year. It’s very possible I will talk about it more, though.

One album that surprised me to no end was Sufjan Stevens’ Age of Adz. The album is all over the map, combining Sufjan’s pastoralism with stuttering beats and wild electronics. (Beats and electronics aren’t foreign to Sufjan–see his first album or 2009’s The BQE.)

The last track of the album is a massive pop epic called Impossible Soul. The track rounds up a lot of different sounds in modern pop. It drives, gets loopy, yearning, ethereal, auto-tuned, and acoustic in its 25 minutes. Which makes it a pretty good framework upon which to lay some of my favorite tracks from 2010. Without further ado:

Impossible Pop 2010 (right-click and save as…)

Tracklist:

1. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. I
2. The Clientele – Jerry
3. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. II
4. Baths – Maximalist
5. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. III
6. White Hinterland – Icarus
7. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. IV
8. Kanye West – Lost in the World
9. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. V
10. Yeasayer – O.N.E.
11. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. VI
12. Hot Chip – I Feel Better
13. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. VII
14. Balmorhea – Bowsprit
15. Sufjan Stevens – Impossible Soul pt. VIII