Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

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Shrykespeare
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by Shrykespeare »

#16

Banks - Demi L - I appreciate the story behind the song, and the road she traveled, but I didn't care for it musically.

JohnErle - Ray L Part 4 (5?) - It was ok. Definitely get the LZ reference.

Leestu - Slaves - This is the band that guest appeared on that Gorillaz song not long ago, right? Not really my thing.

Ron B - Eiffel 65 - Gotta go with Six on this one...

Six - Caribou - You had me interested with the Blue Monday comparison, but this song never came close to hooking me in.

Surfer - Activity - I rather enjoyed this. Not quite Radiohead, but Radiohead-adjacent.

Tranny - Every Time I Die - You already know what I'm going to say about the music. Liked the polygon show, though.

UDM - Chris R - I tend to avoid gospel songs like the proverbial plague. Not because I'm a heathen, they're just not for me. This was ok, but nothing I'll ever flock to again. (See what I did there?)
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by Shrykespeare »

WOW. What are the odds of the same song appearing twice on the same day?? And that both times, lyrics would be quoted (albeit from different parts of the song?)



SONG #15


BANKS

Run The Jewels, a few words for the firing squad

The emotional closer to their 2020 album RTJ4, the ominous piano and the beautiful saxophone do a lot of heavy lifting here. I love when RTJ gets introspective and Killer Mike’s verse about his mom dying and his wife’s worry that Mike is sacrificing his family for political work is nothing if not that.

“This is for the do-gooders that the no-gooders used and then abused
For the truth tellers tied to the whippin' post, left beaten, battered, bruised
For the ones whose body hung from a tree like a piece of strange fruit
Go hard, last words to the firing squad was, "Fuck you too"”

A few words for the firing squad, literal and emotional, indeed.




JOHNERLE

Steve Earle & The Dukes, The Mine

“29 DEAD IN COAL MINING DISASTER” That sounds like a headline from the Great Depression, but it happened in the 90s in West Virginia. Thirty years later, Steve Earle became involved in an off-Broadway production about the disaster which opened two weeks before Covid-19 shut down all the theatres in New York. The play might have been lost in the confusion of 2020, but the songs Earle wrote for the play were luckily recorded and released before the world went topsy-turvy. This song acknowledges that, despite the obvious risks, some people still see coal mining as their ticket to a better life, and that makes it even more insidious.




LEESTU

Run The Jewels, a few words for the firing squad

There are some fantastic lyrics throughout this album regarding the current socio-political climate in the USA, but it’s here where they get a little more personal as well that resonate with me.

“But my queen says she need a king
Not another junkie, flunky rapper fiend
Friends tell her "He could be
Another Malcolm, he could be another Martin"
She told her partner I need a husband
More than the world need another martyr”

And then the icing on the cake is the fantastic jazzy saxophone. All making this closing track of the album my favourite.





RON B

Drake feat. Lil Durk, Laugh Now Cry Later





SCREEN



SHRYKE

Nation of Language, Rush & Fever

We'll never find ourselves so in love
They say, "How can people find what I can never find?"
"How can people find what I can never find?"
We were supposed to feel young in heart
But I can always find you sitting there
With your second hand malaise
I looked at you with a rush and fever
That melts my teeth away

Thank Surfer for this entry. I immediately fell for the Peter Hook-reminiscent guitar strums, the retro alt-90s feel. Even so, it doesn’t feel like a carbon copy of my favorite genre’s bands – the album is never overly lush or tacky but pulses with new-wave magic with sounds that feel timeless. Thanks, bro, for introducing me to this band!

Album: Introduction, Presence
Other great tracks: Tournament, On Division St., Sacred Tongue





SIX

IDLES, Mr. Motivator

There was a lot of debate about IDLES’ third album. Many fans were disappointed by the overtly simplistic lyrics that felt like lazy sloganeering, while others love the record’s energy and no-fucks attitude. I stand in the middle, disappointed by singer Joe Talbot but delighted by the band continuing to develop their sound. And on Mr Motivator, the lyrics are silly and surreal, so aren’t as offensively inane. It’s also, as the title’s reference to the 1990s TV keep-fit celeb suggests, a great song to run to.





SURFER

Bdrmm, Happy

Following a series of impressive EPs over the past couple of years, Bdrmm finally released their debut LP last year made up of completely new songs. The centrepiece of this was Happy, a swirling, dreamy song recalling the sonic distortions of My Bloody Valentine put through the pop blender of The Cure. Emotive guitar riffs rolling with a manic bassline whilst being complimented by an innocently pallid vocal, this is an anthem in the making for any teenage escapist.





TRANSFORMERS

Kali Uchis, angel

Upon delaying the release of her 2nd LP-which was scheduled for a late spring/early summer release-at the start of the pandemic, Kali Uchis decided to not leave her fans completely empty handed and released an EP which consisted of some reworked/further fleshed out demos from her early days and completely new material. "Angel" fell into the former camp and by changing the instrumental to something trippier and subsequently adjusting her vocal delivery to fit the more psychedelic production, it gained a hazy beauty that the original version didn't have.





UNDEADMONKEY

DVBBS feat. blackbear & 24KGoldn, Tinted Eyes

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

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numbersix
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by numbersix »

Hah, that is quite the coincidence. Or is it a conspiracy???

Good round today.

Banks and Leetsu: Definitely one of the highlights of the record. A fantastic climax that builds, and has a cinematic intensity.

John: Poor Steve Earle. 2020 was a shit year, but for him it was an incomparable tragedy.

Shryke: I should have known Surf was behind this. I get a more 80s vibe due to its use of synths, but it was pretty decent

Surf: Really liked this. Not sure if they've crossed my path before, but I will certainly check out the album. Would sit very well next to a DIIV record.

Tranny: Really nice, chill rhythm.

Ron B and UDM: I enjoyed the other songs so much that even these didn't sound too bad.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by JohnErle »

For those who don't know what Six is referring to, Steve Earle's son, Justin Townes Earle, died of a drug overdose in 2020. Their relationship had been complicated, but it seemed like they were in a good place near the end. Steve Earle had nearly lost everything to drugs in the early 90s, so to see his son succumb to the same affliction must have been particularly hard. In January, Steve released a tribute album of his son's songs, plus one of his own, that will pop up in my 2021 countdown.

Now on to round 15...

RTJ – The lyrics didn't register initially, and it wasn't as interesting musically as the previous tracks since it seems to be built on a sample from INXS' Never Tear Us Apart that repeats endlessly, but the sax was nice. Similar to that song a few rounds back, the reference to Strange Fruit only reinforces how this is no Strange Fruit. The movie trailer at the end didn't do much for me either.

Drake – Why am I listening to fucking Drake?

80s guys – Too generically 80s.

IDLES – Even on their last album the lyrics didn't impress me much, and this one didn't quite thrill me as a piece of music either. At least they have a sound that feels distinctive to me.

Other 80s guys – Too generically 80s.

Kali Uchis – Not for me. That screengrab tho.

DVBBS – Not for me. That screengrab tho.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by Leestu »

#16

Surfer: Activity, Earth Angel - this was great...will check out more, haven't heard of any of those artists, got some exploring to do

Ron: Eiffel 65, Blue [Flume Remix] - fun remix that makes me smile, but not the best version of Blue from 2020 - that honour belongs to this sinister, symphonic death metal cover by Fleshgod Apocalypse:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dH9QVJqh-Z8

John: Ray LaMontagne - Roll Me Mama, Roll Me - Agreed with the Zep III feel. I liked this the most of the Ray LaMontagne songs from this album so far

Six: Caribou, Never Come Back - I don't listen to much deep house but I enjoyed this album...he balances the repetitiveness with interesting sounds and effects so I can lose myself in it while maintaining attention to it...one of the better songs from the album

Transformers: Every Time I Die, A Colossal Wreck - this was cool, I like the shouty vocals a lot

Banks: Demi Lovato, Anyone - Well I'm depressed now. Tragic story, apparently she now has permanent damage. This was an emotionally powerful performance and very moving.

UDM: Chris Renzema, Springtime - not that bad...can happily listen to this without wanting to stop it

Shryke: PVRIS feat. Raye, Thank You - if I remember correctly I didn't mind the other two PVRIS songs but this generic electropop was a big no for me...

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by Leestu »

JohnErle wrote:
February 20th, 2021, 9:42 pm
....RTJ – The lyrics didn't register initially, and it wasn't as interesting musically as the previous tracks since it seems to be built on a sample from INXS' Never Tear Us Apart that repeats endlessly, but the sax was nice. Similar to that song a few rounds back, the reference to Strange Fruit only reinforces how this is no Strange Fruit. The movie trailer at the end didn't do much for me either....
Just curious, and slightly off topic - do you have a favourite Strange Fruit? Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Josh White, or someone else entirely?

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by JohnErle »

Leestu wrote:
February 20th, 2021, 11:50 pm
Just curious, and slightly off topic - do you have a favourite Strange Fruit? Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, Josh White, or someone else entirely?
There can be only one -- Billie Holiday.

Nina Simone's is fine, and I don't know the other, but Billie Holiday's version might be the most chilling song ever recorded.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by Leestu »

#15

Six: IDLES, Mr. Motivator - love it...I have no problem with the lyrics, my take is they are self aware of the sloganeering and this song is admitting that with a bit of a so fucking what, and I agree...the video is pretty funny too

Banks: Run The Jewels, a few words for the firing squad - you get it! :D

Shryke: Nation of Language, Rush & Fever - a really good song from easily the best synthpop album of 2020, made my top 100 albums of the year, great vocals

Surfer: Bdrmm, Happy - Six is spot on with the Diiv comparison...adding the album to listen to

John: Steve Earle & The Dukes, The Mine - it's fine, like his vocals here

UDM: DVBBS feat. blackbear & 24KGoldn, Tinted Eyes - nothing I would choose to listen to but its ok

Transformers: Kali Uchis, angel - not my sort of thing but its alright

Ron: Drake feat. Lil Durk, Laugh Now Cry Later - not a Drake fan at all, I find his moaning monotonously dull

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by Shrykespeare »

Leestu wrote:
February 21st, 2021, 12:27 am
Shryke: Nation of Language, Rush & Fever - a really good song from easily the best synthpop album of 2020, made my top 100 albums of the year, great vocals
No argument here. The whole album is fucking amazing. I may listen to it a few dozen more times in the next month.

I'll have to check out their other non-album releases:

What Does The Normal Man Feel? (2016)
I've Thought About Chicago (2017)
Reality (2018)
Gouge Away (Pixies cover) / One More Try (7"-exclusive track) (2020)
A Different Kind of Life (2020)
Deliver Me From Wondering Why (2021)


Have you heard these?
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by Leestu »

Shrykespeare wrote:
February 21st, 2021, 12:31 am
Leestu wrote:
February 21st, 2021, 12:27 am
Shryke: Nation of Language, Rush & Fever - a really good song from easily the best synthpop album of 2020, made my top 100 albums of the year, great vocals
No argument here. The whole album is fucking amazing. I may listen to it a few dozen more times in the next month.

I'll have to check out their other non-album releases:

What Does The Normal Man Feel? (2016)
I've Thought About Chicago (2017)
Reality (2018)
Gouge Away (Pixies cover) / One More Try (7"-exclusive track) (2020)
A Different Kind of Life (2020)
Deliver Me From Wondering Why (2021)


Have you heard these?
Nope...only their album...but I'm gonna pause the Nico album I'm currently listening too and look for Gouge Away roght now :D

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by transformers2 »

#16
Banks: A powerful, soul-bearing performance with the single best vocal performance I've ever heard from Lovato-which makes it even more impressive since she's a fucking terrific singer.

John: Quite good. The Led Zeppelin III comparison is definitely apt-particularly in the Plant-esque vocal inflections on the high notes.

Leestu: Well that was relentlessly abrasive and insane. In other words, I loved it. Hopefully it appears in a British action or crime movie some point down the road.

Ron: So utterly ridiculous that it's fun, although I second Leestu's take that the Fleshgod Apocalypse version that dropped in early January has it beat in that department.

Shryke: Pretty decent little electropop song.

Six: The over-the-top house production and restrained, almost whispered vocals just didn't work together.

Surfer: Completely lifeless track that dragged on for what felt like at least twice the length of its actual 4 minute running time. Also that pseudo-screaming section at the end was pitiful and unintentionally hilarious.

UDM: Couldn't possibly be less tailored to my musical interests
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by transformers2 »

#15
Banks and Leestu: A terrific, explosive closing track to another exceptional album from RTJ.

John: A dreary and powerful song that captures that explores the inexplicable continued romanization a handful of Southern states have with coal mining.

Ron: For better or worse, it's vintage sappy, poppy Drake and that honestly comforted me to no end after hearing the other recent underwhelming recent material he released earlier last year and after the Raptors won the NBA title in 2019. Excited to see hear his new record when it drops later this year.

Shryke: Completely understand the appeal of this-particularly for a huge new wave like yourself-but it didn't do much for me.

Six: The snarky tone and vibrant energy of this track made this the most purely fun song on Ultra Mono. Great choice.

Surfer: Passable, but I'm not likely to revisit it.

UDM: About what I expected from a song with Blackbear on it: A harmless but disposable pop/rap/electronic track that alternates between being catchy and annoying.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by BanksIsDaFuture »

JohnErle wrote:
February 20th, 2021, 9:42 pm
the reference to Strange Fruit only reinforces how this is no Strange Fruit. The movie trailer at the end didn't do much for me either.
A reference isn't equal to a comparison...saying the song is no Strange Fruit isn't valid because it was never trying to be?
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by BanksIsDaFuture »

15:

Leetstu - obv I love it haha

JE - can definitely appreciate the talent here, but wouldn't be something I listen to regularly

Ron - great Drake song

Shryke - there's no way you can't convince me this song isn't from 1973 (in a good way)

Six - nothing inherently bad, but not for me

Surfer - really like the music but I feel the voice didn't match. Seemed like an odd mashup.

Tranny - really like this, not sure how I've never heard of her before.

UDM - pure party music, it'd definitely get the job done but wouldn't mess with it outside of 2AM at a house party
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

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bumped to next page
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