91Èȱ¬

As December approaches and Christmas songs start to take over the playlists, I've spent today screwing up my face in intense concentration and trawling the recesses of my mind to break down the first of my lists of the year.

Thankfully the playlist for 91Èȱ¬ Introducing is online, so from the 40-odd radio shows we've done this year my mission was to find the gems, the pearls, the glistening tracks of wonder from a year which has had so much fun, excitement, and a myriad of 'favourite' new bands.

These are pieces of music have made me smile, and sadly produced spontaneous bouts of singalongs at the top of my lungs in studio. From a brilliant 11 months of music, here are my painstakingly edited highlights.

Top 10 Welsh tracks of 2010

Wickes - Binary Code (unsigned - Sweet Baboo and Voluntary Butler scheme colaboration)
Gruff Rhys - (Ovni/Turnstile)
Jonny - (Turnstile)
- Ringerz (Shape Records)
- Awesome Tapes from Africa (Unsigned)
- Sam, Isaiah And The Wolf (Unsigned)
- Hollow Trees House Hounds (Irony Bored)
- Whirring (Black Bell Records)
- Undegpump
- Miami Spider (Holy Roar Records)

Top 10 non-Welsh Tracks 2010

Warpaint - Undertow (Rough Trade)
Avi Buffalo - What's It Good For? (Sub Pop)
Foals - Spanish Sahara (Transgressive Records)
Caribou - Sun (City Slang)
Zola Jesus - Sea Talk (Sacred Bones Records)
Spectrals - Peppermint (Moshi Moshi)
Dutch Uncles - Fragrant (Memphis Industries)
Hudson Mohawk - Joy Fantastic (Warp Records)
Darwin Deez - Constellations (Lucky Number)
Sleepy Sun - Marina (ATP Recordings)

Top 10 Unsigned Tracks of 2010

Vanguard - Femme Fatale
Kutosis - The Man Is A Ghost
Ivan Moult - Wasn't With me
Crash.Disco! - Something Like This
Lucky Delucci - Dec 1986
Sweet Baboo - I'm A Dancer
Houdini Dax - Robin You Lie
John Mouse - Last Great Rhondda Romance
Bastions - Island Living
Town - Eighteen

Feel free to comment. I've got a few lists left to write (best festivals, best experiences, top 10 albums) but there's only so much my little brain could cope with today!