100 Songs Outtakes: The Final Cuts

The last day of Outtakes!  100 Songs for 2010 still available December 6!

So these are the final cuts, each one a heartbreaking ordeal in its own right.  Our long Outtakes nightmare is finally over.  Check back over the weekend for some bonus downloads that I'm actually very proud of, then Monday we go live with the Top 100.

Cults - "Go Outside"

If you're disappointed that this song didn't crack my Top 100, you'll probably feel better when you see it on absolutely every other best songs list that will come out this year. Probably a top-20 candidate for Pitchfork's year-end retrospective, too. These guys will do fine without me.

Sambassadeur - "High and Low"

I love the way they use the string section to build intensity, but I'm left with the feeling that it's more of a technical exercise than a song. Still, there's already another Sambassadeur song on the Top 100, and this gives me a chance to celebrate Swedish pop even here, in the Outtakes section.

FM Belfast - "Par Avion"

Reasons why this song didn't make the Top 100, from least likely to most likely:

(1) My subconscious hatred of all things Icelandic.
(2) Ongoing debate about how to pronounce the word "Caribbean."
(3) Ilana thinks the "And we could go there!" vocals sound like a Muppet.
(4) I really have nothing interesting to say about it for the Listening Guide.

Ou Est Le Swimming Pool - "Dance the Way I Feel"

Technically disqualified as a 2009 single, these guys sadly gained notoriety only after their lead singer committed suicide in 2010. Since the album came out in 2010, I really debated adding this to the Top 100 this year, but it's just too weird to feel sad while listening to dance music.

Kathryn Calder - "Arrow"

Apparently not satisfied with being both the leader of Immaculate Machines and the Girl in New Pornographers Who Isn't Neko Case, Calder is now an accomplished solo artist as well. Honestly, is every Canadian in multiple bands? I get the feeling Calder has written three more songs in the amount of time it took me to type this blurb.