Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by Shrykespeare »

SONG #23


BANKS

Snow Tha Product - Nowhere To Go (Quarantine Love)

Snow is a fiercely independent Mexican rapper/singer in Los Angeles; she’s known for keeping everything in-house (she writes the music, her brother produces, and they mix in their in-house studio, while also shooting all the videos herself at her house (her brother also edits all her music videos)) and that really shows here. If the songs seems a bit undercooked, it’s because she challenged herself to write the song, record and mix it, and shoot the music video all within 24 hours as a sort of cabin fever exercise. “Nowhere To Go” was my personal pandemic theme song for almost the entire year. It’s hella fun and so very timely for 2020.





JOHNERLE

Fleet Foxes, Sunblind

Seattle's favourite hippies delivered a surprising return to form in 2020.





LEESTU

Peter Bibby, Oceans

Noisy, hectic, amateurish, depressing shit. I love it!





RON B

Cosmo's Midnight, Yesteryear





SCREEN

M.I.A., Galang





SHRYKE

Erasure, Careful What I Try to Do

I ain't never met a muse
Before you came along, created new
Simply brought the best right outta me
Never thought it possible to see

Anyone who knows me knows my love for Erasure and Pet Shop Boys. As luck would have it, both released new records in 2020! Of the two, I found Erasure’s to be the better listen. Erasure's album The Neon will have two songs on my list (with the other being in the Top 10), and Andy Bell’s voice has lost none of its magic after 36 years. Erasure has always been fun electro-Britpop, and that will likely never change.

Album: The Neon
Other great tracks: Fallen Angel, Shot a Satellite





SIX

Protomartyr, Bridge & Crown

2020 was a tough year for most of us, and Protomartyr were clairvoyant during the recoding of their 5th album, which is lyrically their gloomiest, singing stories of emotional ennui, overbearing governments, and the empty drive for achievement, hence its title Ultimate Success Today. Here, the satirical story of a medical institute shows a glimpse of autobiography, as Joe Casey confesses a doctor killed his father (in reality medical malpractice), showing some raw hurt. Musically it’s a sort of dreary waltz that climaxes with a flurry of fuzzy guitar and some bass clarinet whose passion work perfectly with Casey’s desolate vocals.





SURFER

Damaged Bug, Sold America

The second and final John Dwyer contribution of my countdown, this time with one of his many OSees side projects, which embraces a more electronic edge to their sound. Stuck in the middle of writer's block, however, Dwyer found an outlet by creating a covers record of the criminally under rated Michael Yonkers, a musician who had a huge influence on Dwyer as one of the pioneers of the drone guitar sound back in the 60s. Thanks to Dwyer applying some of the ideas of his later OSees records with the synth sound of Damaged Bug, Sold America feels not like a novelty but a worthy follow up to Yonkers' effort, as drum machines, synths and howling vocals push the envelope while Dwyer comments on US capitalism, a theme which despite the 50+ years since the song's creation doesn't seem to have changed much.





TRANSFORMERS

Miley Cyrus, Midnight Sky

Miley Cyrus' distinctly raspy voice is the lone constant of her constantly shifting sound and I don't think it's ever been better utilized than it is here. The rawness of her vocals paired with some tremendous '80s synthpop production by Andrew Watt and Louis Bell gives this post-divorce independence anthem an authentically cathartic feeling while also being catchy as all hell.





UNDEADMONKEY

Sam Wick, Сон

Can understand a word of Russian, but i played this song a lot

Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by JohnErle »

I couldn't sleep last night, so I jotted down some insomnia snark before I finally nodded off.

Dua Lipa – So not for me. Unworthy of snark.

Not King Gizzard – I heard some Beatles in the vocals and verses, but the production doesn't appeal at all.

Julia Jacklin – I'm obviously open to these kinds of sparse, mellow singer-songwriters, but nothing here stood out. I'll add it anyway in case it catches me in the right mood some day.

Billie Eilish - I'm way past the age where trying to keep up with what the kids are listening to is both creepy and pathetic. I never wanted to be that grey haired guy at all the gigs who the kids assume is a narc. That being said, I should probably listen to more Billie Eilish. Her sound is fresh and interesting, unlike most of her contemporaries. ADDED

The 1975 – The intro was nice, but the song itself was generically 80s, right down to the Alan Parsons tinged vocals.

Bob Dylan – This is way more age appropriate for me, and I dug it. Nice Daniel Lanois flavoured bluesy production. Nothing he hasn't done before, but ADDED

Thurston Moore – Some nice familiar riffs, but ultimately too repetitive. I gave up after four minutes. He should try to do Thurston Less.

Death Metal Whatever – It started off nice, but the shouty demons are as laughable as ever.

Hauser – I love me some cello, but this came off a bit like elevator music. My first impression is that this guy is the Yanni of the cello.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by transformers2 »

#24
Banks: Terrific song, although I enjoy the original version a bit more since DaBaby's presence adds absolutely nothing to it.

John: Perfectly fine track.

Leestu: Definitely out there, but it didn't really do much for me.

Ron: Her voice was vaguely reminiscent of Lana Del Rey, so I'm obligated to enjoy it ;)

Screen: Strong contender for Billie's best song. Love the sinister vibe on this one.

Shryke: The 1975 usually put me to sleep, but this was actually alright. The new wave sound suits them well and the sax line was decent.

Six: Bob Dylan's music is akin to getting punched in the balls for me, particularly now that's he 120 and his droning mumble signing is worse than it was in his heyday back during the Gold Rush. Pure fucking auditory torture.

Surfer: An uneven 11 minutes that pretty much ran the full gamut of quality for me, but Moore definitely has something left in the tank, which is cool to see.

UDM: Dude seems like a hell of a cello player, but his music isn't for me at all.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by Leestu »

#25

Nothing I really liked here :cry:

Six: Sneaks, Sanity - not bad, felt a bit like an endless loop though, could have been a 3min song or a 9 min without losing or gaining anything

Surfer: Bad Moves, Night Terrors - while I've listened to and liked both of their albums there is not quite enough to bring me back to them...same with this song, I enjoy it while it's on but nothing I'll choose to listen to or put on a playlist

Shryke: Bea Miller, Forever is a Lie - so we're starting to see the Billie Eilish influenced artists...it's quirky enough to maintain my interest

Transformers: Mac Miller, I Can See - I don't mind the dreaminess here but I do think his albums are a bit over-rated

Ron: Haim, Don't Wanna - much to my chagrin I do find myself singing along

Banks: Mothica, Blackout - didn't do much for me except now I want a drink and it's only 9.30am, I have to wait at least a few hours

John: AC/DC, Realize - nothing new or exciting here, standard acca dacca

UDM: Selena Gomez, Dance Again - two Selena songs, and there's more to come???

Screen: Selena Gomez, Lose You to Love Me - yawn

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by Shrykespeare »

#23

Banks - Jon Snow Product - Not for me. It's cool you found your own quarantine anthem, though.

JohnErle - Fleet Marmosets - Very nice.

Leestu - Peter Bbbbibbbbby - Noisy, hectic, amateurish, depressing shit. I hate it. Four minutes haven't felt like twenty since my last root canal.

Ron B - Kramer's Midnight - This was cool. I enjoyed it. But then, after Bibby, anything would have been a step up. Had a definite Tame Impala feel.

Screen - Mia - Jeez, was Paper Planes really 13 years ago? Anyone this was cool. Nice and jumpy.

Six - Protoplasm - Sorry, Six, I like my drear a lot happier. :) This was all right.

Surfer - Damaged VW - Interesting song. Sounded like Geddy Lee if he was frontman for The Doors.

Tranny - Billy Ray Jr. - I'm not a fan, like at all, of Miley. But this was decent. Blame the 80s synthpop. Lots of "Edge of Seventeen" going on there.

UDM - Sam Wick Antebellum - Not too shabby. BTW, if you want the translation to the lyrics, here it is:

https://www.musixmatch.com/lyrics/Sam-W ... on/english
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by Leestu »

#24

Much better round than #25

Screen: Billie Eilish, bury a friend - can't go wrong with a Billie Eilish selection with me...this is probably my favourite of hers

Surfer: Thurston Moore, Breath - great song from a great album in my top 50 for the year, he keeps managing to both experiment and still maintain his own recognisable sound...love the ending to this song...Hashish is probably my favourite from the album

Ron: Julia Jacklin, to Perth, before the border closes - Julia has a beautiful voice and some great song writing chops...if anyone else likes this I highly recommend both of her albums, they are full of great songs even better than this one. Crushing is in my 100 top albums of 2019, and I featured a cover version of her song Pool Party earlier on in this countdown...and Perth represent!! (although she is from NSW)

Six: Bob Dylan, I’ve Made Up My Mind to Give Myself to You - I don't know if I would recognise any piece of opera :lol:, but yes this is a really good song from a "return to form" album ;) in my top 100 albums for the year

Transformers: Black Crown Initiate, Invitation - oh yeah, this was pretty cool...I turned the volume up

UDM: very nice pleasant and relaxing

John: AC/DC, Through The Mists Of Time - wow! restrained AC/DC just did not feel right

Banks: Dua Lipa feat. DaBaby, Levitating - a DaBaby feature on a Dua Lipa song is something I didn't need

Shryke: The 1975, If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know) - I wasn't a fan of 80s music like this at the time and 30plus years hasn't changed that...for some reason The 1975 manage to both bore me and irritate me at the same time, I've tried four of their albums so far and only found 1 song I like, which sounds nothing like anything else they've done...and yes those opening guitar lines are very reminiscent of Everybody Wants To Rule The World...the sax solo was cool though

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by Leestu »

#23

Surfer: Damaged Bug, Sold America - I haven't explored much of Damaged Bug, I usually find what I have listened to too experimental electronic, but this was excellent...might have to check out this Yonkers guy as well

Screen: M.I.A., Galang - influential and great!

Six: Protomartyr, Bridge & Crown - I didn't know that story about what this song is about...I like the song and love the album but it's probably my least liked song on the album

UDM: Sam Wick, Сон - Sam Wick doesn't sound like a very Russian name, how did you even find this?

Shryke: Erasure, Careful What I Try to Do - I didn't mind this

Ron: Cosmo's Midnight, Yesteryear - I don't mind the funkiness but it's a bit too chilled for my dance party tastes

Banks: Snow Tha Product - Nowhere To Go (Quarantine Love) - liked the rapping, hated the chorus (repeated verse?) that reminded me of Rebecca Black, and who wants to be reminded of that?

John: Fleet Foxes, Sunblind - Fleet Foxes have never clicked with me...nice but dull

Transformers: Miley Cyrus, Midnight Sky - sometimes I like what Miley Cyrus does, but not often...vocals were alright but I'm not keen on the synthy dance-pop vibe

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by numbersix »

#23

Banks: It's hard to write a song. It's very hard to write a song in 24 hours that will be memorable. This is proof
John: I kept meaning to buy their new album, but they just don't excite me enough. Pleasant, though.
Leetsu: People like this guy have nothing to lose, so why does he sound like so much other Pixies-inspired garage rock? It got better towards the end.
Screen: Featured on my Songs of the millennium. Love it. I know we're allowed to have songs from before 2020, but what's the point?
Surf: This was great. Dwyer is so prolific that I lose track of all his side projects, but this is one I must check out.
UDM: Just sounds like any old club music to me.

The others didn't last long enough in my memory to comment on.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by JohnErle »

Saturday Snark

Snow Tha Product – Some of the best songs in rock & pop history were written very quickly. This is not one of them.

Peter Bibby – When a song is compressed this much, the drums hit with all the impact of a wet noodle and the song itself becomes irrelevant.

Cosmo's Factory At Midnight – Are we certain this isn't Tame Impala?

Erasure – If anyone can get away with being stuck in the 80s it's bands from the 80s. This was all right, and probably worth hearing again. I'm not a big fan of his voice, though. ADDED

M.I.A. - I hate M.I.A., and this is definitely not from 2020, so there's only one appropriate response to this: More Hawkwind!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MUR7FIV ... wind-Topic[/youtube]

Protomartyr – Too dour, dull and Nick Cave for me.

Damaged Bug – Some of the guitar sounds reminded me of QOTSA, and I don't even like QOTSA.

Miley Cyrus – I swear I dropped my phone and broke it before I could listen to this one. Maybe there is a God.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by Shrykespeare »

SONG #22


BANKS

Travis Scott & Kid Cudi, The Scotts

Will forever be known as the song that debuted inside of Fortnite, but getting to watch a global, animated live concert inside of a videogame was so much fun and an early pandemic highlight. Not to mention the return of Kid Cudi, who’d been away from music for a couple of years. There’s barely any lyrics to note here, the production and the energy are the stars.





JOHNERLE

Fleet Foxes, Featherweight

They really got their Simon & Garfunkel on with this one.





LEESTU

Ball Park Music, Day & Age

Some beautiful neo-psychedelic indie pop rock, a well written song, and vocal melodies that are a pleasure to sing along to.





RON B

Hilltop Hoods, I’m Good?





SCREEN



SHRYKE

Joji & Diplo, Daylight

Bad luck, I don't wanna be home at midnight
Sun's up, I don't really wanna fight the daylight
I don't care if you moved on
I'm not laying in bed with a fucked up head
I'm not laying in bed with a fucked up

The second of two appearances by Joji (the guy in the green wool cap). Here he’s joined by DJ Diplo (the long-haired guy in the black), and together they make a fun song with an even funnier video.





SIX

The Cool Greenhouse, Alexa!

Another amusing track dominated by cool-as-cucumber deadpan lyrics. I know very little about the band but this indie dance song is a hilarious love song to Alexa, that “stereotypically subservient female automaton” who laughs “manically at me in the middle of the night”. Bonus points for the 2001 and Blade Runner references.





SURFER

Shell of a Shell, Away Team

The return of the Nashville band last year found Shell Of A Shell dealing with isolation, something I'm sure quite a few have had experience of this year! My Wildfire is quite astonishing though, as the band weave various dynamics to reveal an emotional turmoil via a series of riffs and lyrics which get to the heart of mortality. There are moments of quiet reflection, anxiety and impending doom, all within just the one song, and it makes for a hell of an experience.





TRANSFORMERS

RMR, Dealer

Backed up by some fittingly woozy production, RMR powerfully croons and raps his way through a very candid, powerful song about a substance-abusing drug dealer trying (and failing) to establish himself as immune to the same addiction issues that his clients have.





UNDEADMONKEY

Jonas Blue/Tracy Chapman, Fast Car

I love this song, I discovered it first from Jonas Blue, Then I discovered they had an acoustic version of the song, and then through that I realized it was a remake of Tracy Chapman song that was released a few weeks before I was born, and I love them all. have the remake and the original below.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIOAlaACuv4
Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by Leestu »

#22

Nothing I really disliked this round...nice!

Surfer: Shell of a Shell, Away Team - I really liked this when you posted it on FB...liked it again now...great song!

Six: The Cool Greenhouse, Alexa! - that was pretty cool, not just the lyrics I really liked the music throughout too..."Cause when you ask to play Girl Band, (I love Girl Band), They play The Shangri-Las, (I also like The Shangri-Las)" made me laugh out loud...added to my 2020 songs playlist, and went to add their album to my "to listen to" list but it was already there. I haven't heard this song before so another song of theirs must have piqued my interest but I can't recall it

Ron: Hilltop Hoods, I’m Good? - The elder statesmen of skip hop...it seems like they hardly even have to try any more with a hit nearly every year for so long now, and I mean that in a positive way, it just feels so effortless and natural...as usual the lyrics, rhymes, and message (putting a positive spin and some humour, but acknowledging the difficulty, of quarantine lockdowns) are the highlight here

Shryke: Joji & Diplo, Daylight - one of my son's favourite songs of 202 so I heard this a lot, it's not quite my taste but Joji has a good voice that conveys emotion quite well, and there's no doubt Diplo knows what he's doing behind the controls to keep the music interesting

Banks: Travis Scott & Kid Cudi, The Scotts - I heard this a few times throughout the year but it never grew on me at all...musically it's interesting enough but overall I don't get the energy, it just feels a bit flat to me

John: Fleet Foxes, Featherweight - now that you mention I can hear the Simon & Garfunkel...I didn't mind this but it didn't stand out in an album context. Maybe that's my issue with Fleet Foxes, I should stop listening to their full albums and just some songs here and there and I might not get bored and appreciate the individual songs more - the opposite to how I usually listen to artists.

Transformers: RMR, Dealer - I liked the sitar(?) at the end...apart from that as trap goes nothing stood out

UDM: Jonas Blue/Tracy Chapman, Fast Car - the original is a classic, this is a bit pointless apart from maybe introducing a classic to those who weren't around at the time ;)...here's a decent version from 2020 you might like https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=boj2b6F8P8A but again a little bit pointless

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by numbersix »

#22

Drifted away when listening to a lot of these

John: This was quite nice, actually. Better than the previous one.
Surf: This was great. Like a best of Steve Albini-engineered albums from the 80s and 90s.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by silversurfer19 »

Catching up on last three rounds:

Banks:
Dua Lipa- Obviously not my type of music usually, but this was undeniably catchy, despite the male vocals.
Snow Tha Product - Didn't really appeal at all.
The Scotts - Again, not for me. Not familiar with Kid Codi or Fortnite either really so not surprising. And despite you remarking on the energy I actually felt it was kind of lethargic really.

JohnErle:
AC/DC - Definitely a side I am not familiar with from the band, so at least they are trying something a little different. It is all just a little overblow, still, however.
Fleet Foxes - Their record got quite a bit of acclaim last year so I checked it out. It is very nice, though I couldn't recall a standout track, the songs all kind of just blurred into one. Makes for a nice bit of mood music, but not something I would ever seek out again.

Leestu:
Psychedelic Porn Crumpets - I could not have just been me that heard Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright in this, surely? At times it also recalled a little New Pornographers but mostly was firmly bedded in the 70s. Was enjoyable enough.
Peter Bibby - Yes, he is obviously heavily indebted to his influences, but this was cool so I don't care. Will be checking out his albums after this for sure.
Ball Park Music - Pleasant enough, melodies were nice, and was nice to listen to as background music. Will I invest further, though? Probably not.

Ron:
Julia Jacklin - Really love her vocals, and while this probably isnt a good as anything from Crushing, it was still very nice, lovely build up before reaching those big notes.
Cosmo's Midnight - Has a very mid 2000s vibe that I can imagine works great chilling in the sun. Its barely 2° here at the moment though so I tried my best to get into it, and it was fine.
Hilltop Hoods - This had a nice vibe to it, funky even. Not something I will ever listen to again, but not a waste of a few minutes.

Screen:
Billie Eilish - Been listening to her quite a bit this week after discovering I like her stuff on here. This is one of the standouts so far, it feels very future thinking, yet at the same time with one foot in the past, with nods to vaudeville even at times. Really good stuff.
M.I.A - Finding it hard to comment on songs this old, to be honest. Yeah its cool, but we have all heard it, a lot. Guess I'm glad MIA is still finding new audiences.

Shryke:
The 1975 - Very 80s, so obviously very you. A little too 80s for me, especially when the brass comes in, needs something to make it feel fresh.
Erasure - While the vocals are still the strong point of the band, the music was just a little plodding, unfortunately.
Joji and Diplo - I should hate on this just for the stupid names, but the music was so nothing I can't even build up the enthusiasm for that.

Six :
Dylan - Only really listened to Murder Most Foul from his latest record, but this was lovely. Those vocals still get me after all these years.
Protomartyr - This song was a slow burn for me on the new record. At first, like Leestu, it felt like a bit of filler, but after countless listens, I found riffs and bridges that really just worked for me, and that ending is magnificent.
The Cool Greenhouse - Love Tom, and this is right up there with my favourites of his. Was how I discovered them in the first place although it has been reworked a few times since. Such great wit to their songs, and the repetitive beat is addictive. Googling them is a lot of trouble though!

Transformers:
Black Crown Initiate - You know the score by now, some cool guitars, vocals are horrid.
Miley Cyrus - I do know this one, and Miley has fully embraced the 80s and Stevie Nicks here. Her voice is still like dragging my knuckles along a wall like Juliette Binoche in Three Colours though.
RMR - Nothing about this appeal, unfortunately.

Undeadmonkey:
Hauser - This is a cover, right? Sure I know this as a piano based song, which I think I prefer to this. Kind of lift music. Or on hold music for a bank.
Sam Wick - Not my genre, at all.
Jonas Blue - Just turned a fine song into a club song? Not for me.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by JohnErle »

First broken headphones, then a broken phone, and now snow and freezing temperatures in Vancouver that keep me from using the normally abundant free wi-fi in my 'hood. Being an unemployed hermit has drawbacks at times. I'm bound to fall way behind, but like James Bond, the snark will return.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (30-21)

Post by undeadmonkey »

#23

Snow Tha Product - Nowhere To Go (Quarantine Love)
a part of me really liked this and a part of me was reminded of 'friday' by that girl that can't sing. However, this girl can at least sing and the rapping section was fun.


Cosmo's Midnight, Yesteryear
really liked this, reminded me of MGMT. Added to my library


M.I.A., Galang
I really like MIA but then some of her stuff is so repetitive, this one unfortunately was more of the latter.


Erasure, Careful What I Try to Do
i liked it, in a strange way it reminded me of Aphex Twin


#22

Fleet Foxes, Featherweight
i really enjoyed this one. added to my library


Ball Park Music, Day & Age
really liked this one too. added to my library


the others were not for me

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