the top 100 songs of 2011

graphic by daniel schrimshire

perhaps it's because i was much more selective about which songs were posted on the Pop Sucker in its second year that the annual roundup of the year's top songs proved to be much more difficult to pull together than last year. while there's no surprise that you'll find a generous helping of pop, electropop and synth-drenched tunes -- this is the Pop Sucker after all -- there's also quite a bit of alternative, folk, indie and rock featured throughout the list. and artists, singers, songwriters, bands, DJs, and producers from every corner of the globe.

thank you to all of our regular readers for making the Pop Sucker your go-to place for new music. for all of our new friends, we hope you'll come back again and often. special thanks to my bestie daniel for making all of the graphics, logos and mix-tape cover art throughout the year. the site will be getting a serious makeover in 2012 -- one any real housewife of beverly hills would be proud of -- so stay tuned! and of course to the literally thousands of musicians and artists who submitted tracks, and to those who simply created beautiful music for people to hear: thank you. keep doing what you're doing. music makes the world go 'round.

don't forget to follow the Pop Sucker on facebook and twat me on twitter. talk to me, message me. i want to hear from you, so please don't be shy.

without further ado, i give you the top 100 songs of 2011.

- jared stearns

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01.COMINGHOMETHEBIANCASTORY
barring any other pop masterpieces that presented themselves throughout the year, it was evident from the first listen that "coming home" by the bianca story was going to be the number one song of 2011. it's an exquisite pop perfection from start to finish. what makes it so special is lead singer elia rediger's richly emotive baritone. so soaring and uplifting, yet so heartbreaking. a song about lost loves and new beginnings, it contains some rather cryptic visuals. i still have no idea what "i could paint a circle on a blanket/and walk through a hole" means, but it doesn't matter. it doesn't get any better than this. "coming home" was released late last december and a follow-up album will finally see the light of day, at least in germany and the band's homeland of switzerland, in late january 2012.

The Bianca Story - Coming Home by the Pop Sucker

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02.UPALLNIGHTALEXCLARE

oh, dubstep, your charm escapes me. 2011 was undoubtedly the year of dubstep. you couldn't run. you couldn't hide. it was everywhere. it was the sarah palin of the musical trends. still, when used correctly (and sparingly), the results can be explosive. "up all night" by u.k. blue-eyed soul singer alex clare is chock-full of dubstep, pop, dance and r&b elements. mixed together perfectly it ends up being a frenetic, intense adrenaline jolt.

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03.ELEVATORFIORIOUS

speaking of explosive, let's talk about fiorious for a moment. this boy is about to blow up in a big way. (trust me. i didn't call him "the new king of electro-funk" for nothing.) if you were looking for a song to burn up the dance floor, you didn't need to look any further than his track "elevator." as soulful as it is dizzying, it's hard not to get caught up in its energy. his debut album comes out early next year.   

Fiorious - Elevator by the Pop Sucker

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04.IDONTMINDEXPO

electropop may have taken a backseat to dubstep this year, but that doesn't mean artists stopped creating. the best of those new creations was undoubtedly expo's "i don't mind." it's an electropop rush: swirly synths, '80s inspiration, a big hook and a lot of heart. the belgian band will be releasing their debut EP early next year.

I Don't Mind by expomusic

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05.WATERGUNNEIGHBORS

the best thing about neighbors' "watergun" is the way lead singer noah stitelman so casually tells his lover: "you said, 'love me'/i said baby, 'like hell.'" the delivery is almost devoid of any emotion, which is exactly why it works. at the same time the song is surging with pain and heartbreak. and those two things have never sounded so wonderful.

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06.AMORFATIWASHEDOUT

holy hipster love letter! this song is really obscure, you probably haven't heard of it. unless it was in an ironic way ... washed out got a ton of press this year and say what you want about him, but this song is gut-wrenching in its beauty. his debut album, within and without, wasn't nearly as intriguing as his earlier singles such as "belong," but "amor fati" is nothing short of magnificent; a sumptuous, glossy chillwave tune.

Washed Out - Amor Fati by subpop

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07.WOLVESTHEGOODNATURED

another band about to burst is the good natured, and rightfully so. recently they've teamed up with swedish DJ/producer adrian lux for the tune "alive," which is garnering much-deserved buzz. (it's #23 on our list.) "wolves," from their EP skeleton, is a dark, melodic pop tune accentuated by sarah mcintosh's slightly distorted but always inviting vocals. speaking of accents, hers is one example where it's actually beneficial to the song and sound.

The Good Natured - Wolves by The Good Natured

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08.ROLLINGINTHEDEEP(BOSLEYREMIX)ADELE

yes, yes, adele is talented. that we know. truthfully though i haven't taken to any of her music. not for lack of trying. call me old-fashioned but i want my suicide-inducing ballads to be wrapped in bouncy pop melodies and filtered through computers and synthesizers. is that too much to ask? enter bosley. he turned one of the biggest pop hits of the year into something special. no easy feat, but bosley makes it look easy. (he's also got the #54 song of the year for one of his solo tracks.)

Adele - Rolling In the Deep (Bosley Remix) by the Pop Sucker

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09.BEGGINGMEFLORRIE

"my heart's beating/is it serious?" oh, it's serious, gurl. it's serious. seriously pop. u.k. sensation florrie is bursting with charm on her single "begging me," from her official debut EP experiments. it's tasty, pop candy. no nutritional value, but who the hell cares?!

Begging Me by Florrie

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10.NEEDYOUNOWCUTCOPY

cut/copy didn't just avoid the sophomore slump of their 2008 album in ghost colours, they produced one of the best albums of the decade. so there were high hopes for their third album, zonoscope, released this year. while it didn't reach the high-water mark of their previous effort, one of the songs, "need you now," was classic cut/copy through and through, and one of the best dance songs of the year. this is also the only song that appears twice on our survey. the second time is the slowed-down version remixed by architecture in helsinki which appears at #45.  

Need You Now by cutcopymusic

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11.HOUSEAMANDAMAIR

12.SHOOTMEDOWNJOHANREINHOLD

13.LIONSMOUTHYOUNGREBELSET

14.BADFEELINGVERONICAFALLS

15.CONQUESTTHESOUNDOFARROWS

16.INTOTHEWILDERNESSBURNINGHEARTS

17.THENERVE(NERVOUSDANCING)THEREPUBLICTIGERS

18.ODETOTHEBOUNCERSTUDIOKILLERS

19.VIDEOGAMES(MOVERSHAKERREMIX)LANADELREY

20.FOLLOWITHOMESTATES

21.IAMMUSICEMIA

22.POSTBREAKUPSEXTHEVACCINES

23.ALIVEADRIANLUXFEATTHEGOODNATURED

24.IREALLYWANNAWORKTHISOUTCHALKANDNUMBERS

25.WEFOUNDLOVERIHANNAFEATCALVINHARRIS

26.IWONTLETGOMONARCHY

27.ANIMALTHEKICKDRUMS

28.YOUMATTERPEACHCAKE

29.LITTLEDIAMONDSPEARLANDTHEPUPPETS

30.WATCHTHEWORLDGOBYJOHANAGEBJORNFEATLAKEHEARTBEAT

31.JUMPINTOTHEFOGTHEWOMBATS

32.SADNESSISABLESSINGLYKKELI

33.ABDUCTEDCULTS

34.MONEYTHEDRUMS

35.NOBODYKNOWSYOUSUMMERCAMP

36.NUCLEARSEASONSCHARLIXCX

37.HEAVYMETALLOVERLADYGAGA

38.OPHELIANEIGHBORS

39.BADDOGNEONHITCH

40.WHITEELEPHANTLADYTRON

41.WETSUITTHEVACCINES

42.SUNBIRDLCTRISC

43.LEAVEARGENTINAPOLARSETS

44.BURIALGROUNDSAIRLINES

45.NEEDYOUNOW(ARCHITECTUREINHELSINKIVERSION)CUTCOPY

46.MAGICPRIMARY1

47.HEAVENEMILESANDE

48.TRYINGTOREACHYOUNURSES

49.TELEVISIONYOUWONT

50.HOUDINIFOSTERTHEPEOPLE

51.NOIDFRANKMUSICFEATCOLETTECARR

52.HEATOFTHENIGHTBAKER

53.MESSUPMYHAIRMYA

54.ENDOFTIMEBOSLEY

55.CLOSEROWLEYES

56.NERDYFRAMESLECTROLIPS

57.SMOKEANDMIRRORSADVENTURE

58.UNSTOPPABLEZAKWATERS

59.HUSHMOMOFOKO

60.PARISCOLLIDESRÜFÜS

61.SOMETHINGTODIEFORTHESOUNDS

62.SECRETLOVERTHATWORK

63.WAITINGFORTHESUNOHSTEREO

64.WELDINGLOVEFILUR

65.DEEPFREEZEBRONZE

66.PROMISELANDHOODEDFANG

67.THESWANMACHINEBUTCHERBLADES

68.YOUTHKNOWSNOPAINLYKKELI

69.VAMPIRESMILEKYLALAGRANGE

70.HEATLIGHTNINGICKYBLOSSOMS

71.THEFUTUREAUSTRA

72.HAPPINESSMASQUER

73.TAMERANIMALSOTHERLIVES

74.ONATRAINYUKSEK

75.NOLOVEHOORAYFOREARTH

76.STAYAWAYCHARLIXCX

77.LOVESONTHELINETYSON

78.NEVERSAWTHEPOINTCULTS

79.UNTITLEDPOMPEYA

80.CHANGEDTHEWAYYOUKISSMEEXAMPLE

81.2HEARTSDIGITALISM

82.FIREINTHEHOUSEHARDFI

83.LOVEWONTSAVEYOUNOWECHOES

84.NIGHTWATCHACRYLICS

85.SOMETHINGSPECIALPNAU

86.AMERICANDAYDREAMELECTRICGUEST

87.ANNASUNWALKTHEMOON

88.ANYTROUBLEGLENCAMPBELL

89.HEARTLINESFLORENCEANDTHEMACHINE

90.SEARCHINGTHROUGHTHEPASTBLEACHED

91.TONIGHTTONIGHTTONIGHTLOWROAR

92.WHATYOUWERETHEDRUMS

93.THEWAYTHATIDOFIREFOXAK

94.GONEVACATIONER

95.ILLNEVERBETHROUGHWITHYOUBANGLES

96.NOTAFRIENDCATSEYES

97.AOKPRIMARY1

98.BETTEROFFWITHOUTYOUSUMMERCAMP

99.BORNTHISWAYLADYGAGA

100.ZIMBABWENEWNAVY