2010 - a year in pop

So what sort of a year has 2010 been for pop music?

A pretty damn good one, actually – so much so that even if the year had stopped on January 31st I would have still had a number of credible contenders for my album of the year.

As it turns out that was an easy honour for me to assign – but before I do that, a bit about the music I've enjoyed listening to this year. Apologies in advance for mentioning so many records, but I don't want any to lose out!

As far as I'm concerned it's been a great year for electronica, from established producers to new names on the block. Four Tet's There Is Love In You put down a mark for its blissful textures right in the first few weeks, while his mate Caribou came up trumps with Swim, a warm weather treat if ever there was one.

The real finds for me, though, were Pantha du Prince, whose Black Noise album on Rough Trade is a real thing of beauty, incorporating Alpine field recordings to shimmering techno textures, and Jaga Jazzist, who threw everything but the kitchen sink into the space rock and energetic, Reich-influenced funk of One Armed Bandit, stood back and admired the results.

My new discoveries in this field were Reboot, a production talent whose strength lies in the street sounds and sample clips he places in the middle background of his work, Shunyata. Also Clara Moto, who does likewise to fuller house music beats in Polyamour but is equally original and atmospheric. Meanwhile Luke Abbott has been able to make picture postcard sketches of his Norfolk habitat and set them to softly voiced electronic rhythms on Holkham Drones.

Several dance groups made convincing comebacks. Hot Chip made us blush with the masculine romanticism of One Life Stand, while Daft Punk showed off their prowess as orchestrators on the Tron Legacy soundtrack, really packing a punch when its latent tension gets released. Massive Attack showed their pretenders once again how to make a great album, with Heligoland using more guests than might normally be the case, but playing to their strengths each time. Yet perhaps the best album in this field came from Gorillaz, Plastic Beach a statement of the importance of environmental and international unity as well as containing some damn good songs. Bobby Womack's turn on Stylo was not bettered at any point vocally.

Compilation wise I couldn't look further than Ninja XX, their 20th anniversary compilation, with its mass of essential new songs and tracks. In terms of a DJ mix Ewan Pearson's We Are Proud Of Our Choices was by some distance the best, a hypnotic blend of deep house and techno that moved seamlessly and inexorably forward. Other labels performing strongly in this field were Cr2, who took on the Café Mambo series with ease as well as pumping out some excellent party stuff with the MYNC Project. Bedrock still have the nod on tune selection in their field thanks to John Digweed, and their 12th anniversary comp is a bruising triumph. Brownswood, on their fifth instalment of Bubblers compilations, showcased a wealth of original talent.

So what of rock and pop? Well it's not been too shabby there either – and that's where my album of the year comes in. Before that I should wax lyrical on the talents of Everything Everything, whose Man Alive is an adventurous treat both musically and lyrically, Foals, who build impressively on the promise of their first album with Total Life Forever, and James Yuill, who charmed us once again with the winsome sentiments of Movement In A Storm. Special mention, though should go to Edwyn Collins, making an utterly triumphant return with Losing Sleep. Winners, too, were Mystery Jets – brilliant songwriting and uplifting choruses – and School of Seven Bells, bringing shoegaze a new set of wonderful harmonies to enjoy.

And the record of the year? I could tell you exactly where I was when I first heard Gayngs' Relayted – on the train from Cambridge to London. It made me sit up slowly and take notice, before singing into a glorious reverie. It really has been like nothing else I've heard this year, and on paper it shouldn't work. Born out of an obsession with 10CC's I'm Not In Love, it doesn't deviate from 69 beats per minute. Yet it does work, and the cover of Godley & Creme's 'Cry' is the single most beautiful piece of new music I've heard this year.

Onwards and upwards to 2011 we go then, though I'll pen a classical retrospective shortly. I can tell you though, I've already heard a candidate for the best pop album of next year!