Making my annual top 10 Madison songs list takes me back to the days when I made mix tapes at Christmastime for friends. MP3s may not be the same, but assembling this list was as much fun. That's because these 10 tracks are just as inspiring as any long-lost 1980s cassette compilation.
So, Madison, here's my 2010 mix tape for you.
Count these tracks down as you read my list of the city's 10 best albums of 2010, and then check out my pick for the best Madison music video of the year, "Teach Me How to Bucky," by the precocious, smug and endearing Zooniversity.
1. Icarus Himself: "Digging Holes." From the indie-infused Mexico EP. The sad, sweeping horns are only part of its beauty.