Top 50 Songs of 2020 (50-41)

[numbersix]

Bloody hell, I thought I had listened to everything from Ty Segall last year, having bought the Wasted Shirt and the Fuzz albums. Does that guy ever sleep???

[Shrykespeare]

SONG #46


LEESTU

King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Ontology

Another year, another handful of King Gizz albums. One studio album, one soundtrack album to their live documentary, one archival album of older material unfeatured previously on albums, one album of demos, and a bunch of live albums. I will only be featuring songs from their studio album K.G., which strangely enough for their 16th studio album, would make a good intro to the band for interested newcomers. It is like a tasting platter of various styles they have done before but all with the microtonal tuning they so successfully used on Flying Microtonal Banana. Amazingly with so many different styles the album manages to flow beautifully from beginning to end without feeling disjointed at any stage. Impressively done. With Ontology they harken back to their spaghetti western album Eyes In The Sky with a warped galloping tune full of chugging guitars and exotic melodies. I can just picture this soundtracking a horseback chase in an arthouse western movie.



ETA: Above video didn't work for me, so here's another one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5q5OEho8II



SCREEN

Cannons, Fire For You

No spoilers, but this won't be the last time you'll see this song on this list. The production here is outstanding, and the song is catchy.





SHRYKE

almost monday, broken people

Some things are hard to get
Some nights that I regret
But I'm cleaning up the mess

This alt-pop trio from San Diego made their debut last year, and the catchy riff hooked me instantly. Dawson Daugherty, looking like this generation’s Napoleon Dynamite, leads the band with its funky bass-line and a danceable groove that will hopefully get your toes tapping.

EP: don’t say you’re ordinary

Other great track: parking lot view, don’t say you’re ordinary





SURFER

TV Priest, Runner Up

For a band that, due to the pandemic, have only played one gig ever, TV Priest have made quite the impression! They have been together for a little over a year and have connections to Fontaines DC and Sports Team, but these guys have a something a little different on offer. Lead singer Charlie Drinkwater has been compared to Joe Casey of Protomartyr due to getting into music later than many, while they have also drawn similarities to IDLES. That is not to say they are not their own band, but they certainly fit nicely in with the latest slice of post-punk. The second song released by the band, Runner Up has an urgency to it that is undeniable, as the band target pre-pandemic Britain (and the West as a whole) and its need to constantly be in motion, finding something better than what one currently has. It makes for a dynamic and exciting song, and builds a lot of anticipation for a debut album release next month. And all this having played just one damn gig!





TRANSFORMERS

Juice WRLD, Righteous

Rising star rapper Juice WRLD died of an accidental drug overdose exactly one week after he turned 21 in December 2019 and it was quite frankly one of the greatest losses the hip hop community has endured in the last 20 years. He had a gift for writing memorable melodies that was he was just beginning to really cultivate and was able to convey his struggles with depression, anxiety and addiction in a concise, visceral fashion that was deeply resonating with kids from the current generation in the same way that Kid Cudi's early work did with mine. His label, family members and other associates from his personal/professional life spent the early stages of last year combing through the several hundred tracks he had in the can (his work ethic became the stuff of legend in hip hop circles) to put together a posthumous LP entitled Legends Never Die that was released in July. This track-which served as the lead single-in particular stood out because it is a great showcase of his burgeoning talent as well as an eerie and heartbreaking look at his doubts of being able to shake the substance abuse problems that ultimately took his life.





UNDEADMONKEY

Duke Dumont, Ocean Drive

Love this jam, only discovered them this year. Good vibes all around, reminds me of living in LA.

[Shrykespeare]

#46

Leestu - I kind of liked this. Surprise!

Screen - Point of fact, when Screen says this isn't the first time you'll see this song, he means it will appear on my list too. VERY HIGH. I absolutely love this song, and this band.

Surfer - A little too discordant for me.

Tranny - Did not know that about Juice WRLD. What a shame. This was a decent tune.

UDM - Really liked this.

[undeadmonkey]

#47 - i didnt love any of these, but surfers was most enjoyable.

#46 - loved the Cannons song, added it to my library. I enjoyed Broken People, would definitely not turn it off if it came on. Righteous is pretty good too, can definitely see the resemblance to Kid Cudi

[Shrykespeare]

SONG #45


LEESTU

Bob Vylan, We Live Here

Some punk UK hip hop with no doubt what the song is about, but with what is going on in the world lately maybe the obvious needs to be said bluntly and in your face. Bonus points for the Crass t-shirt in the video.





SCREEN

Taylor Swift, Lover

This is a guilty pleasure at best, but it reminds me of the days when these types of songs ruled.





SHRYKE

Joji, 777

Ooh, live fast, ride fast like two hundred on the dashboard
Ooh, it's my way, my way, even if it is a crash course

Japanese-born Joji has made strides to building his musical resume in the last few years, and his latest album, Nectar, shows he’s on the right track. This is the first of two songs from that album to appear, a lively tune with a breezy synth and accompanying electro-percussion.

Album: Nectar
Other great tracks: Gimme Love, Sanctuary, Afterthought





SURFER

Adrianne Lenker, Anything

After finding herself isolated following the pandemic, the Big Thief lead decided to moor up in a remote cabin to record a couple of records. What resulted was Instrumentals and Songs, the latter of which this beautiful piece of songwriting comes from. Lenker has never sounded more intimate or vulnerable than this, with just the vocals and guitar laid bare for all as she chronicles abstract memories of seasons past, finding the elusive joy in those individual moments.





TRANSFORMERS

System of a Down, Genocidal Humanoidz

Clearly 2020 didn't deliver a lot of positive surprises, but a pair of new tracks from System of a Down after 15 years of inactivity on the recording front was definitely among them. The faster, heavier side of the single release “Genocidal Humanoidz” is a particularly seamless return to form both musically and lyrically for the abstract, political metal heavyweights that inspired hope that something worthwhile would be produced if they ever decided to reunite for a full project.





UNDEADMONKEY

The Chicks, Sleep At Night
I've always been a fan of the Dixie Chicks and waited 13 long years for more music. While I wasn't blown away by anything in the new album, i did enjoy hearing new music and this is one of my favorites on it.

[silversurfer19]

Spotify Playlist updated.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/39FiO ... 9Qxva61rDg

[JohnErle]

FYI, I have no wi-fi at home by choice, and I haven't been working since Halloween, so no access to Wi-fi there either any more. I won't be around much during the countdown, and I definitely won't be watching all the YouTube videos, but as long as Surfer keeps updating the Spotify playlists I'll listen to whatever is available there. I probably won't comment much unless something blows me away, and so far nothing's really grabbed me.

I will send some picks to Shryke so I'll join in for the top 40.

[Shrykespeare]

#45

Leestu - Yeah, no. Just no. (My roommate in college used to listen to Crass. Obviously, I didn't sleep much.)

Screen - Never been into Taylor, but this was okay.

Surfer - Didn't really do anything for me.

Tranny - Always great to hear Serj's voice. Shouldn't they be called System of a Lockdown now?

UDM - Not a fan of the Chicks in any incarnation, but this was decent.

[Shrykespeare]

Added Screen's #45. Please add to Spotify.

[silversurfer19]

Added Screen's #45. Please add to Spotify.

Done

[silversurfer19]

Catching up:

Leestu:
King Gizzard, Ontology - Has an Eastern vibe to it which was unexpected, but the Spaghetti Western slant keeps it interesting. Not the most immediate of songs of theirs I have heard, and not exactly a reminder for me to listen to the record, but it was ok.
Bob Vylan, We Live Here - First off, terrible name. Was quite a powerful song, however. Not really my style but lyrically had an impact.

Screen:
Cannons, Fire For You - Comsidering all the acclaim on here was expecting something special. Nice production but otherwise did little for me.
Taylor Swift, Lover - Not what I generally expect from Swift, though to be fair I probably know all of 3 songs of hers. Definitely seemed more mature and despite their past obviously Ryan Adams has had an influence on her work. Can see why she is starting to gain so much critical acclaim now and not just the popular vote.

Shryke:
Almost Monday, Broken People - Very poppy, again good production and nice beat, can see this being played on ads for tv programmes a lot. Far too pretty to be a Napoleon Dynamite figure though!
Joji, 777 - Cool synths, but the chorus was horrible. Can see the appeal, but not for me.

Transformers :
Juice WRLD, Righteous - Not for me musically, but the lyrics were powerful again.
SOAD, Genocidal Humanoidz - Didn't know they were back, and pretty much picks up where they left off. Didn't have the immediacy of something like Chop Suey, Sugar or Toxicity, nor the intensity of Aerials, but was decent.

Undeadmonkey:
Duke Dumont, Ocean Drive - So not a cover of the Lighthouse Family classic then! Lots of pop this round, this didn't stick as much as some of the others.
The Chicks, Sleep At Night - Not what I expected from the band, I'm much more familiar with the country side of their music. Again, well produced and I liked the guitar line in the background. Chorus is a little Pop Idol, but was fine.

[Shrykespeare]

SONG #44


LEESTU

Gorillaz feat. slowthai & Slaves, Momentary Bliss

My favourite song from Gorillaz great album full of collaborations. Cool lyrics, that awesome guitar tone at the beginning and end, an interesting mix of ska, dance-punk and UK hip hop, with a fantastic energy to it.





SCREEN





SHRYKE

ONR feat. Sarah Barthel, Must Stop

For seven years
I've had the same old dream, my teeth fall out
I looked it up
Apparently (yeah) it's a sign I'm growing up

I touch a lot of European acts in my Top 50 – today’s Eurotrip goes to Scotland. ONR (aka Robert Shields) has been making music since 2017 and toured since then. I love his voice, his sound, his musicality. I’ll be keeping an eye out for him. Sarah, FYI, is the singer in a group called Phantogram, which I also may look into.

EP: Must Stop
Other great tracks: Sober (feat. Carina Jade), Human Enough





SURFER

Jade Hairpins, (Don't Break My) Devotion

While Fucked Up completed Dose Your Dreams a couple of years ago and then went on hiatus, Jonah Falco and Mike Haliechuk of the band decided to keep things fresh and start this side project that draws influence from the 80s British pop scene. With hints of Gang of Four, New Order and LCD Soundsystem, while the vocals recall Devo a little, this song makes for a fun and very danceable piece of pop. Just wait until discos can open again, this would be a floor filler for sure.





TRANSFORMERS

Travis Scott, The Plan

Travis Scott nailed his small contribution to Tenet by taking a slightly reworked version of Ludwig Goransson's thumping score and turning into a moody, nocturnal hip hop track that is much more cohesive and satisfying than the movie it’s from.





UNDEADMONKEY

Hauser, Once Upon a Time in the West

When composer Ennio Morricone passed in the summer, I listened to a lot of his music and also discovered Hauser. I have probably never listened to as much classical and instrumental music as I did in 2020. If youtube did a top played list im sure Hauser would be #1.

[JohnErle]

I'm caught up to round 45 and nothing's really wowed me yet, but that Adrienne Lenker track was solid and worth revisiting.

I was also surprised that I kinda liked that Dixie Chicks track. I respected them for the whole Shut Up And Sing controversy, and for covering artists like Patty Griffin and Lucinda Williams, but I never really listened to them assuming they were too mainstream country for me. That was undoubtely commercial, but catchy.

[Shrykespeare]

#44

Leestu - Love Gorillaz. This is not one of my faves on the new album, but it's good. I do have one coming up later (and you already know which one, Stu).

Screen - ?

Surfer - Definitely get the New Order comparison. Took a little longer to fold in Devo, but it got there (though I find his voice closer to David Byrne than Mark Mothersbaugh).

Tranny - Didn't see Tenet (most of you who have seen it have completely put me off of it), but this was cool.

UDM - This was gorgeous. Thanks for sharing.

[silversurfer19]

Spotify Playlist updated

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/39FiO ... ExgjGWiztw