Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)
Posted: February 21st, 2021, 7:00 pm
SONG #14
BANKS
Mothica, Vices
Yes, more Mothica, more kinda-sad pop music. I love it.
JOHNERLE
Steve Earle & The Dukes, Devil Put the Coal In The Ground
The low-fi aesthetic of this album gives much of it the feeling long lost folk songs, but in this case it adds an extra Tom Waits vibe.
LEESTU
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Hungry Wolf Of Fate
This is the last King Gizz song for 2020, I promise. I always love when they get heavy, and even though on its own this song feels like it might be just a little bit out of place on the album, the way the album cleverly flows throughout, makes this closing track fit nicely as the sludgy finale after the relaxing breather that was Honey.
ETA: The above link didn't work for me, so here's another one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YCVoVFLMJU
RON B
Shockone, Follow Me
SCREEN
Dua Lipa, Break My Heart
SHRYKE
Within Temptation, The Purge
Got no scars cut on my skin, only my truth is wearing thin
And it hollows me, it hollows me
I hate the darkness of my past, the cold rebelling, it drives me mad
And it follows me, it's carving the heart out of me
I've got to bleed it out, all my thoughts intoxicated
'Cause the weight on me, it buries me alive
I’ve listen to my share of goth/symphonic metal in the last year, including many bands with female lead singers. Few, if any, have mesmerized me like Within Temptation. Sharon den Adel is, IMHO, one of the best and most underrated vocalists in the world. Twenty-five years she’s been doing this, and it shows. She is a goth GODDESS, and I was drawn into “The Purge” from the first note. Sharon’s voice is layered wonderfully over the crashing drums and pulse-pounding guitar riffs. Read the above lyrical excerpt for a taste of the evocative emotions involved. Then press Play.
Album: TBA
SIX
Fiona Apple, Newspaper
I’ve always dismissed Fiona Apple as one of those typical folksy singer-songwriters, just from the look of her. But it was impossible not to be curious about her album Fetch the Bolt Cutters (a reference taken from the Northern Irish TV crime drama The Fall, apparently), since every critic gushed over it. And, despite not being that interested it gradually won me over. It sounds urgent, like Apple has too much to express, and on this track rather than rely on traditional melodies she focuses on rhythm, tapping out a beat whose anger matches the lyrics about trying to empathise with the lovers of her abusive ex who turned them against her.
SURFER
Public Practice, My Head
Since the demise of NYC bands Wall and Beverley, and the formation of its parts into Public Practice, it has taken a couple of years for the collective to finally release something, but it was worth the wait. Fusing so many different genres from post-punk, new wave, ska, funk and beyond, they are a vibrant act filled with funky beats to keep you interested throughout. My Head fizzes along with the verve and intensity intensity of Tom Tom Club, The Au Pairs and Blondie even and makes for a thrilling ride as Samantha York provokes with themes of how to live a better life. Listening to this song is a good start on that journey.
TRANSFORMERS
Deftones, Urantia
A return to churning out multi-layered tracks that blend dreamy atmospherics with some metal crunch allowed Deftones to properly atone for the sins they committed on their underwhelming previous record "Gore".
UNDEADMONKEY
Shakira, Antologia
Yes a tour album was my most listened to album of 2020, but since there no new music from Shakira, i had to make do.
BANKS
Mothica, Vices
Yes, more Mothica, more kinda-sad pop music. I love it.
JOHNERLE
Steve Earle & The Dukes, Devil Put the Coal In The Ground
The low-fi aesthetic of this album gives much of it the feeling long lost folk songs, but in this case it adds an extra Tom Waits vibe.
LEESTU
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Hungry Wolf Of Fate
This is the last King Gizz song for 2020, I promise. I always love when they get heavy, and even though on its own this song feels like it might be just a little bit out of place on the album, the way the album cleverly flows throughout, makes this closing track fit nicely as the sludgy finale after the relaxing breather that was Honey.
ETA: The above link didn't work for me, so here's another one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-YCVoVFLMJU
RON B
Shockone, Follow Me
SCREEN
Dua Lipa, Break My Heart
SHRYKE
Within Temptation, The Purge
Got no scars cut on my skin, only my truth is wearing thin
And it hollows me, it hollows me
I hate the darkness of my past, the cold rebelling, it drives me mad
And it follows me, it's carving the heart out of me
I've got to bleed it out, all my thoughts intoxicated
'Cause the weight on me, it buries me alive
I’ve listen to my share of goth/symphonic metal in the last year, including many bands with female lead singers. Few, if any, have mesmerized me like Within Temptation. Sharon den Adel is, IMHO, one of the best and most underrated vocalists in the world. Twenty-five years she’s been doing this, and it shows. She is a goth GODDESS, and I was drawn into “The Purge” from the first note. Sharon’s voice is layered wonderfully over the crashing drums and pulse-pounding guitar riffs. Read the above lyrical excerpt for a taste of the evocative emotions involved. Then press Play.
Album: TBA
SIX
Fiona Apple, Newspaper
I’ve always dismissed Fiona Apple as one of those typical folksy singer-songwriters, just from the look of her. But it was impossible not to be curious about her album Fetch the Bolt Cutters (a reference taken from the Northern Irish TV crime drama The Fall, apparently), since every critic gushed over it. And, despite not being that interested it gradually won me over. It sounds urgent, like Apple has too much to express, and on this track rather than rely on traditional melodies she focuses on rhythm, tapping out a beat whose anger matches the lyrics about trying to empathise with the lovers of her abusive ex who turned them against her.
SURFER
Public Practice, My Head
Since the demise of NYC bands Wall and Beverley, and the formation of its parts into Public Practice, it has taken a couple of years for the collective to finally release something, but it was worth the wait. Fusing so many different genres from post-punk, new wave, ska, funk and beyond, they are a vibrant act filled with funky beats to keep you interested throughout. My Head fizzes along with the verve and intensity intensity of Tom Tom Club, The Au Pairs and Blondie even and makes for a thrilling ride as Samantha York provokes with themes of how to live a better life. Listening to this song is a good start on that journey.
TRANSFORMERS
Deftones, Urantia
A return to churning out multi-layered tracks that blend dreamy atmospherics with some metal crunch allowed Deftones to properly atone for the sins they committed on their underwhelming previous record "Gore".
UNDEADMONKEY
Shakira, Antologia
Yes a tour album was my most listened to album of 2020, but since there no new music from Shakira, i had to make do.