Top Alternative Songs of 2010 (So Far)

Linkin Park's Chester Bennington conceptualized this side project in 2006, along with their debut album, 'Out of Ashes,' which reveals a more melodic, guitar-centric hard rock sound. But the album was unfortunately not released until just last year -- including their fourth single, 'Too Late' -- due to Bennington's commitments to LP.

Although a mere one word short of being considered the title track, this single is tied intrinsically to their fifth studio album, ('The Resistance.' Composed by main Muse Matthew Bellamy, it is the band's top single of 2010.

Featuring heavy acoustic guitars, tribal drums and accented piano chords, the first single off Incubus frontman Brandon Boyd's debut solo album is already one of 2010's best alternative songs. The album, titled, 'The Wild Trapeze,' is truly a solo endeavor, with Boyd writing every song and playing nearly every instrument, and is said to be about a guy who "has been given full license to make as much noise as he pleases."

The Australian band Sick Puppies have seen plenty of airtime and TV exposure, thanks to their 2009 album release, 'Tri-Polar.' The album's third single, 'Maybe,' is attempting to meet the standards set by the first two; 'Odd One,' which reached the Top 10 on the rock chart and 'You're Going Down,' which was the official song for a WWE Pay Per View wrestling event.

The anthem-driven title track to 30 Second to Mars' third studio album, 'This Is War' includes backup vocals by their fans, a prominent feature throughout their third studio album. The song's paired music video -- featuring the band as US soldiers fighting in Afghanistan -- has been shot, but has yet to be released.

From the oldest album on this list, 'The Crow & the Butterfly' is the fifth single from Shinedown's 2008 album, 'The Sound of Madness.' While he knows the song means something different to everyone, lead singer Brent Smith admits, "Lyrically this was one of the most intense stories I have ever written."

Ironically, the third-best alternative song of 2010 wasn't originally slated for release. Appearing as a bonus-track on their self-titled third studio album -- and first with new singer Dan Chandler -- 'Erase My Scars' is Evans Blue's first charting single since 2007's, 'The Pursuit.'

'The Good Life' revels in the simple pleasures of having a good time. And with its hard-rocking, anthemic sound, it's no wonder the track was featured on several sports broadcasting events in 2010: ESPN's Winter X Games, the NFL Draft and the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament, among others.

Co-written by Breaking Benjamin's Benjamin Burnley and RED's Jasen Rauch, 'Lights Out' is, so far, our top alternative song of 2010. Burnley says of the song's co-penmanship: "I consider [Rauch] to be kind of my partner in crime and my writing partner and I definitely look forward to doing a lot more things with him in the future."