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SONG #41


LEESTU

The Avalanches feat. Denzel Curry, Tricky & Sampa The Great, Take Care in Your Dreaming

This is one of those songs that I remember being impressed by the first time I heard it (well it was only about four months ago). At first by the beautiful nu-disco soundscape The Avalanches created, but then when Denzel Curry started rapping I was hooked. His features on other people’s songs are always so good. Then Sampa The Great (an African born Australian female rapper) comes in with her verse and it’s almost on the same level as Denzel. Then the song just kept growing on me even more the more I listened to it. Now as soon as those opening notes start a smile always comes to my face. A fantastic combo of features and easily my favourite song from their latest album.





SCREEN

SHAED, No Other Way





SHRYKE

AWOLNATION feat. Grouplove, Radical

No, not gonna lie 'cause I'm killin' your vibe, I'm a radical
And I'm not gonna die on the 405, I'm a radical
I'm not a rebel or a king
Not sure they've got a name for me
Since we all die eventually
Tonight, I'm a radical

I’m more into Grouplove than AWOLNATION, but the collaboration between the groups is pretty fun. There’s a breezy, almost reggae-ish vibe to it (thanks in great part to Aaron Bruno’s vocal track, and the video is pretty cool too. There will be another Grouplove song later on in the countdown, but for now, enjoy this.

Album: Angel Miners & the Lightning Riders
Other great tracks: The Best, Lightning Riders, Pacific Coast Highway in the Movies





SURFER

X, Alphabetland

It's been 27 years (and 35 since the original line-up) since we last heard from X, but the LA band returned last year to show everyone how it’s done. The title track of the album opens with all the bite you’d expect. In fact for a band with the average age of its members leaning toward the late 60’s, X lays it down with the conviction and authority of someone who knows what they’re doing, but with a youthful energy and spunk that belies their actual ages. Taking punk and rockabilly and marrying them into vicious melody that tastes both sharp and sweet, it makes for a tremendous return for one of the godfathers of punk.





TRANSFORMERS

Idles, Model Village

Although their third LP, Ultra Mono, was a slight disappointment overall, this is among the catchiest and most incendiary cuts Idles has ever put out.





UNDEADMONKEY

Black Eyed Peas & Shakira, Girl Like Me

Yes its generic, but I enjoy it.

Playlist updated and 50-41 complete.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/39FiO ... -cLRhbKFAw

#41

Nothing really stood out to me in this batch except for the X song. Great to see that, at age 64, Exene Cervenka hasn't lost a step. Love those Ramones-y guitars!

Tomorrow we start a new thread at #40. JohnErle and possibly Banks will be joining us.

#47

Surfer: Deeper, The Knife - this was awesome - can definitely see the Preoccupations reference - the way the rhythm section helped subtly build the intensity until you wonder how it got you to this level was impressive, then a slight release of intensity to calmly finish. Adding their album!

Tranny: Bring Me the Horizon, Obey (feat. Yungblud) - More palatable than most BMTH songs but I really like YUNGBLUD so that helps, this got a bit of play here throughout the year

UDM: This was perfectly fine. If for some reason I wanted to listen to Latin pop I could do a lot worse than Shakira

Screen: The Bonfyre, Automatic - I listened to this a few days ago and surprisingly I remember it.

Shryke: Far Out feat. Ally Thorn, Adventure - I listened to this a few days ago and unsurprisingly I don't remember it. There is a great Japanese 70s psych band called Far Out but this isn't them

#46

Surfer: TV Priest, Runner Up - excellent song...I enjoyed their singles and I'm really looking forward to their album soon

Tranny: Juice WRLD, Righteous - great song...oh what could have been...for me it's his lyricism and emotion that rise him above most of his peers...one of my sons is a huge Juice WRLD fan and most of the family enjoy his music so he's been a regular listen here

Screen: Cannons, Fire For You - the combination of the sultry vocals, just a dash trippy production (not too much), and the 70s disco influence really work here... this was good. Happy to hear it again

UDM: Duke Dumont, Ocean Drive - not my sort of song but it is a good song, I sing along to the chorus...got played a bit here too

Shyrke: almost monday, broken people - not what I would choose to listen to but it's well done...I wouldn't complain if it came on the radio

All good quality songs for #46. I liked this round.

I think I've got time for one more today...#45

Tranny: System of a Down, Genocidal Humanoidz - I had heard they released new music but I didn't check it out...There is no doubt this is SOAD and that's probably a good thing

Surfer: Adrianne Lenker, Anything - I haven't heard Instrumentals but Songs is a really nice, pleasant album...the first three songs are all really good

Shryke: Joji, 777 - another artist some of my family listen to so I hear by default...I like it but I don't choose it

UDM - The Chicks, Sleep At Night - I'll pass on this...I listened but there is nothing here for me

Screen: Taylor Swift, Lover - speaking of The Chicks, surprisingly the song featuring The Chicks is the best song from this album...this is not my thing but it is good to see her progressing

41 - This was a really good round. I put the Avalanches and Shaed song in my library. The others were enjoyable but don't know if i would go back to them. Solid round, looking forward to more.

Round 41

Leestu:
The Avalanches, Take Care In Your Dreaming - I will be honest, after adoring Since I Left You, I had huge hopes for their second record eventually released a few years ago. And it really let me down. Subsequently I never bothered listening to the new album, but I will be adding it straight away after this. They have moved away it seems from the countless samples which form the album as a whole and concentrated on each individual song, and it really is to the benefit in this instance. Love the mix of Air-like samples, piano, vocals and overall atmosphere of the song as it adds each element. Best new find so far.

Screen:
Shaed, No Other Way - Catchy, nice vocals. Not bad.

Shryke:
AWOLNATION, Radical - Catchy, very you, has a strong 80s vibe to it, was ok.

Transformers:
IDLES, Model Village - After a couple of stunning records this was a huge letdown for me. Not sure if its the hype or just rushing this record a little too much (I heard Talbot ended up writing lyrics in the recording booth), but I was so disappointed. This song is kind of similar to their previous style, but doesn't really add anything new, feels like the band have run out of ideas.

Undeadmonkey:
Black Eyed Peas, Girl Like Me - It is what it is, doesn't come close to the best of either act, but it was fine as background music.

I finished listening up to the end of the thread, but nothing much really stood out, so I have very little to say.

IDLES – Not bad, probably worth another few listens. I definitely wasn't expecting a reference to a dusty old country staple like Rose Garden. Other than that, no real surprises here, and I couldn't help thinking that Hot Fuzz did a better job of blowing the lid off of model villages. The last album didn't stick with me, so I doubt this will either.

X – That wasn't bad, but hardly worth the wait. At least the production was better than 99% of the modern imitators. At times the riff was suspiciously close to I Wanna Be Sedated.

Alexander23 – A nice piece of music, even though he's far too young for me to pay any attention to, and far too pretty to pull off these sad sack lyrics. Maybe when he's Alexander33 he'll have lived enough to have something interesting to say.

And as a more general comment, I used to bemoan the fact that very few UK vocalists used their natural accents when singing, but now it seems like an Indie Rock cliché.

And if I'd known songs from the 80s could be included in a Best Of 2020 list, I'd have included some Hawkwind tracks from the early 70s I heard for the first time in 2020.

#44

UDM: Hauser, Once Upon a Time in the West - a pleasure to listen to

Tranny: Travis Scott, The Plan - not my favourite 2020 Travis Scott song but it's good

Surfer: Jade Hairpins, (Don't Break My) Devotion - this was cool, I liked it

Shryke: ONR feat. Sarah Barthel, Must Stop - it's fine...Phantogram are worth checking out though, one of the high quality synth pop acts in recent years

#43

Shryke: The Strokes, The Adults Are Talking - it was good to see The Strokes put out a really good album, although I think it's a bit over-rated by critics and music nerds, often appearing in their top 3 albums of the year...anyway this is a good song, Ode To The Mets is probably my highlight of the album

Tranny: Doja Cat, Boss Bitch - I sort of ignore it when it comes on the radio on but I don't dislike it, the two minutes to the next song is passable

Surfer: Waxahatchee, Lilacs - It's probably me not them but I still haven't been able to get into Waxahatchee much yet

UDM: Avril Lavigne, We Are Warriors - I can see how this would have been appreciated and helpful in 2020 for fans of her/this sort of empowering pop ballad

#42

Surfer: Black Country, New Road, Science Fair - that was incredible, the heartbeat percussion, the build up of the intensity of insanity...I'm getting some great recs already from this countdown...adding the song to my 2020 favourites and I'll be keeping an eye out for the album

UDM: Alexander 23, IDK You Yet - this was really nice...reminds me so much of Dean Lewis, a family favourite

Tranny: LIl Baby, The Bigger Picture - powerful stuff...thematically goes well with my choice in this round

Shryke: Neon Trees, New Best Friend - nothing good or bad here

Screen: Lady Gaga, Stupid Love - I suffered through the whole album once last year, 2 bars in here I had to stop - I can't listen to this again

#41

Tranny: Idles, Model Village - love it...best song of the countdown so far

Surfer: X, Alphabetland - good to see them releasing new music...doesn't quite have their old energy but that's understandable

Shryke: AWOLNATION feat. Grouplove, Radical - they play of each other's strengths well here, AWOLNATION's pop rock sensibilities, and Grouplove's vocals and possitivity...and the end result is enjoyable if a bit disposable

UDM: Black Eyed Peas & Shakira, Girl Like Me - yep sounds like a BEP song featuring Shakira

Screen: SHAED, No Other Way - not quite the hard rock metal I was expecting with from an artist named SHAED