10. Lady Gaga, “Paparazzi”
I’ve tried to resist the machine that is Lady Gaga, but there’s no denying that, minus all the theatrics, at her core she writes some rock-solid pop songs. And this one had me clicking replay at an alarming rate. I really could have picked any of her singles, but something about the low-key wistful nature of “Paparazzi” really worked for me.

9. DJ Hell, “The DJ”
This may be the funniest song of the year. Over DJ Hell’s menacing techno backdrop, secret dance music enthusiast Daddy gives an eight-minute, profanity-laced rant about how DJs need to take more chances in the club and not be afraid to play the long version. It’s amazing, hilarious and epic.

8. Rick Ross (featuring John Legend), “Snow Days”
Rick Ross cannot rap very well. His success is kind of mind-boggling. Yet he somehow can put together tracks like this. It just bubbles along and is instantly contagious. The song is just irrespirable, and every time I hear it, I can’t help but do a two-step—even if I’m sitting down.

7. The Lonely Island, “On a Boat”
Yeah, at this point everyone has quoted this song to death. But let’s not ignore the fact that it manages to simultaneously make fun of the amped-up T-Pain song while being a T-Pain song. Still, one doesn’t cancel out the other. And let’s not forget that there are more quoteables than an episode of Jersey Shore. It’s kind of scary when comedians can make better hip-hop tracks than some legit rappers.

6. NASA, “Way Down” b/w ”Electric Flowers”
The NASA record was a let down, but these two songs hit the nail on the head. “Way Down,” featuring RZA, John Fusciante and unsigned artist Barbie Hatch, is a tense and moody love song with a “Curtis Mayfield meets Portishead” vibe to it. And while RZA drops a really short verse, it manages to actually be on topic and the perfect coda, an anomaly in the world of hip-hop cameos. Sadly, the best song on the record, “Electric Flowers,” again with RZA as well as the Cardigans’ Nina Persson, was cut from the final release in favor of a Kanye West–Santigold collaboration. It’s a shame as it’s the perfect bookend for “Way Down.” The song is tense and claustrophobic with an almost painful longing. Quietly stunning.

5. Dirty Projectors, “Stillness Is the Move”
I’m super late to the party that is Dirty Projectors. And it took some YouTube investigation and a cover by Solange Knowles to find out what I’ve been missing. “Stillness Is the Move” is a strangely groovy and vocally intricate track which suggests that indie rock and R&B can join together without any awkward ironic overtones.

4. Bat for Lashes, “Glass”
“Glass” evokes everything dramatic and over-the-top about the early ’90s. There are epic female vocals, a stampede of drums and a tension that seems on the verge of breaking, but never quite does. It would sound great along side some 4AD artists. In lieu of that, it’s the perfect entry into the world of Bat for Lashes.

3. Keri Hilson, “Turnin’ Me On”
One would imagine that after being stuck in label limbo for the better part of the year, this record had to have a good reason for its shelving. Instead, this sassy minimalist track, which features a cameo by the ubiquitous Lil Wayne, is so effervescent it’s shocking it wasn’t one of the biggest hits of the year. There’s nothing groundbreaking about it, but why must every song be Neil Armstrong?

2. Major Lazer, “Pon de Floor”
Too many times to count a supergroup is a major letdown. At worst, it’s a compromised dilution of the traits that make each artist great. Or it just can never live up to the hype in your head. So it’s with no minor relief that Diplo and Switch have delivered with “Pon De Floor,” a glitchy electro/dancehall track with Baltimore club undertones. Not so much a call to the dancefloor as it is a demand to totally lose your gotdang mind, tossing self-control to the wind. If you’re not dancing when this song comes on, you may be a zombie vampire, in which case, the good Major would like to speak to you.

1. The Gossip, “Heavy Cross”
After the surprise success of “Standing In the Way of Control,” people began to look at the Gossip a little differently. In the place of bluesy punk rock were sleek dancefloor jams belted out with authority. But what would they do for a follow-up? The answer is “Heavy Cross,” a tightly wound, tense, slow-building track that explodes into a hard soul shout custom made for unapologetically strutting and singing into a hairbrush.