3. TV on the Radio "Family Tree"

I knew with the first echoing piano chords that I would love "Family Tree." Unexpected amid the dance-funk of Dear Science, "Family Tree" was unlike any other ballad that TV on the Radio had made. "Ambulance" was heartfelt as was "A Method," yet neither of them harnessed orchestration quite like this. "Family Tree" aches with yearning and is filled with lush melodies and is unabashedly romantic. It has more in common with the pop ballads that appeared later on this list than anything else. That's not a dig, far from it. "Family Tree" builds and delivers like a big pop ballad but never gives in on any saccharine tendencies.

"Family Tree" mines a love story that has been retold over and over: the forbidden love "brought down by an idea whose time has come." Aching with melancholy, the song still manages to lift its head with hope of a reconciliation; perhaps it's only because I want it to. Whether it does or not, "Family Tree" is a gorgeous ode to impossible love and seems like a loving slow dance for those who have felt it.