Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

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Leestu
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by Leestu »

#5

Despite Dua probably the best round so far!!! I seriously really dug every other song

Ron: Gorillaz feat ScHoolboy Q, Pac-Man - at first I wasn't sure but this song really grew on me throughout the year and ended up making my facebook 100...my only slight gripe is I would have liked another verse from ScHoolboy Q, it ends too soon, but then again maybe that would have lessened the impact of his feature because that does hit hard

Screen: Chelsea Wolfe, Survive - excellent song...as usual with Chelsea it has an intense dark atmosphere and a great build to a powerful finish

Six: Fontaines DC, I Don’t Belong - great opening track setting the tone for the album...glad to see someone else love a Fontaines, DC song

UDM: Billie Eilish, everything I wanted - I'm sure I've mentioned a few times I'm a fan of Billie...great song

Transformers: Yves Tumor, Gospel for a New Century - what you said...if you haven't heard his album before this (Safe In The Hands Of Love) I recoommend that too, I like it even more than this one

John: Sparks, The Existential Threat - easily the best Sparks song so far...I really liked this one...I got a Frank Zappa meets They Might Be Giants but with a darker tone to it feel here

Surfer: Coriky, Clean Kill - interesting song, both lyrically and musically...got the album on my to listen to list but haven't gotten around to it yet

Shryke: Night Traveler, Carolina - nice song with just enough going on to keep me interested

Banks: Dua Lipa, Don't Start Now - Unless I'm mistaken at least we haven't had this one yet? Still too dance-pop for me to enjoy. As an example of how out of sync I am when it comes to Dua Lipa, I think Good In Bed is the best song on this album, despite being thought of as one of the weakest

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silversurfer19
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by silversurfer19 »

Round 6

Banks, Artful Dodger and Craig David - This was everywhere when I was younger. Not a fan of drum and bass or the lyrics, so hearing it so often was awful. Time hasn't really helped.

JohnErle, Sparks - File this under the Sparks that I am well aware of. Far too theatrical for my tastes.

Leestu, CSH - While I appreciate the effort to try something new, give me lo-fi CSH any day. I tried with the album but it was all over the place stylistically so became a drag. This song highlights all those issues in one.

Ron, Grouplove - Definitely has an mid 2000s vibe too it, and while it isn't doing anything particularly new, it is a lot of fun so enjoyed listening.

Screen, Dua Lipa - Definitely my favourite of her songs posted on here thus far, has a catchy chorus.

Shryke, Coldplay - Continue to bore the tears off of me.

Six, Crack Cloud - Stunning song from a phenomenal album. Glad to see it represented on here, they are a band that completely defy preconceptions and have a way of surprising at every turn. Think I read somewhere recently that although they are a post-punk band, they tap into that Arcade Fire style and the climax of that song highlights this perfectly with such a cathartic close.

Transformers, Dua Lipa - Prefer the above song, this had a kind of Madonna feel to it at times, otherwise a little predictable.

Undeadmonkey, Riley Baron - A little dull if anything.

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silversurfer19
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by silversurfer19 »

Round 5

Banks, Dua Lipa - Think Screen had this a couple of weeks ago, not really a stand out of the songs listed thus far. Just pretty typical disco pop.

JohnErle, Sparks - Mixes Eastern European polka styles with the usual Sparks theatrics. A little too much for me, almost feels like the theme song for some larger than life bad guy in a movie.

Leestu, RATHammock - Has an early 2000s indie rock style to it that I could imagine played at festivals. Also reminded me a little of Alex G in terms of his application of the lo-fi style of it all. This was fun.

Ron, Gorillaz - Not really for me, much prefer the other songs listed on here.

Screen, Chelsea Wolfe - Lovely song from her strongest record. Quietly builds until those thumping drums and swirling guitars tip it over the edge into something intoxicating.

Shryke, Night Traveler - Seems very familiar, has a 70s feel to it, but it was pleasant enough I guess with nice vocals.

Six, Fontaine's DC - The standout song from when I checked out the album last year. Where as I feel sometimes the band have to go big, this just simmers, and in doing so becomes much more potent.

Transformers, Yves Tumor - Really good stuff. Beem looking for a good intro to Yves for a while now having heard so many good things about him. This is it.

Undeadmonkey, Billie Eilish - I continue to be impressed. Trip hop beats straight out of the 90s with dripping vocals that get into every pore.

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Shrykespeare
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by Shrykespeare »

SONG #4


BANKS

Alicia Keys feat. Sampha, Three Hour Drive

This was my favorite off of the ALICIA album in September, but then Netflix did a Song Exploder episode, which just drove it deeper into my rotation the entirety of the winter.





JOHNERLE

Sparks, iPhone

NSFW. Naturally silly, frightfully witty. If they'd had lyric videos in the 70s and 80s, Sparks probably would have been much more successful, but then they wouldn't be Sparks.





LEESTU

Porridge Radio, Sweet

My highlight from a top five album of the year for me. I love her voice, love her passion, love the dynamics in this song, and love the brutal desperate pain in the lyrics.





RON B

King Princess, Only Time Makes it Human





SCREEN

Lewis Capaldi, Someone You Loved





SHRYKE

Cannons, Fire For You

I was on fire for you
Where did you go?
I could've died for you
How could you not know?
I was alive with you
But you brought in the cold
Was I being lied to? Wish I never met you
Started to regret you

This was the song that introduced me to Cannons, the song that made me want to listen to everything they’ve done. Michelle Joy’s star has risen in the six months since I first heard it, and the fact that this song hit #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart a few weeks ago is proof of that. Sad yet sultry, this torch song is a modern twist on breezy 70’s disco cool. I cannot WAIT to see where this band goes next.

Album: Shadows
Other great tracks: Shadows (My #84), Love on the Ground (#31), Talk Talk





SIX

Public Practice, My Head

Snap, Surf! I’ve been tracking these guys since their first songs, which suggested a more alternative act, inspired by the underground acts of the New York No Wave scene. But then a more accessible influence seeped in, and out of the blue comes this white-boy funk song, which would be embarrassing if it wasn’t so catchy in its synthesis of Blondie and Talking Heads, with a nod to the Au Pairs for the similarity in vocals.





SURFER

Sweeping Promises, Cross Me Out

When the former Mini Dresses duo got together again to form yet another band (there have been so many I lose count), I was intrigued where Lira Mondal and Caufield Schnug were headed next, but this post-punk-slash-New Wave offering is their best yet. Tightly wound, angular guitars, bass lines to dream of, and vocals which serve as an instrument unto themselves, this is music that begs you to get up and dance along. Indented heavily to that period in the late 70s/early 80s, with dashes of Devo, but with a smattering of Sleater-Kinney added to the mix, is a groove filled lo-fi record that surprises with its inventiveness, and kept me going throughout this such strange year.





TRANSFORMERS

The Weeknd, Too Late

Through its disorienting vocal effects and restrained, pain-drenched delivery, the second track from The Weeknd's "After Hours" does an incredible job of portraying the album's overarching theme of how his life of hard partying and hurting people he loves with his selfish, reckless behavior has made him an irredeemable person that doesn't deserve to be happy.





UNDEADMONKEY

Seeed, Ticket

I had never heard of Seeed before last year, but apparently they have had a long history, guess i don't generally listen to german bands doing reggae, but i really really loved them. This was my favorite of their recent releases.

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

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by Shrykespeare »

Huh. I guess Seeed is the one who stole that letter E from The Weeknd.
Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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silversurfer19
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by silversurfer19 »

Leestu's video is for his last pick. And my comments seem to have caught some of my thoughts from something else I wrote at the end of last year on Facebook as I copied and pasted! That last sentence can probably be deleted!

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by transformers2 »

#6
Banks: 1999 is a hell of a cheat :lol: Anyways, it has a infectious groove, but the vocals were WAY too repetitive for it to turn into something truly fun.

John: I've run out of unique thoughts on Sparks. The musicianship and originality is definitely there, they just don't operate in my wheelhouse.

Leestu: Definitely a change of pace for Car Seat Headrest. The amount of dreary tedium present here is comparable to their older material though.

Ron: Still just alright to me.

Shryke: Coldplay sincerely might be the most boring musical act I've ever heard. Regardless of the nuances present in every iteration of the band over the past 20 years, every time I hear Chris Martin's voice I can't help but immediately drift off into space.

Screen: Obviously I love it since it appeared on my own list, but as I said when I Banks picked it, I like the original album version better since DaBaby's gruff presence takes away from some of the infectious bubbly energy of the track.

Six: The impending doom feeling present in the frantic, anxious nature of the music really helped convey its message. Enjoyed it.

Surfer: Not sure if it was you or six that picked another Promartyr song earlier, but I'm just as conflicted about them now as I was 2-3 weeks ago. Their emotionally raw, bittersweet sound alternates between being poignant and too cold to resonate on an almost note-by-note basis.

UDM: Nice little minimalist ballad with some powerful vocals.
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numbersix
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by numbersix »

Banks: Sampha's presence vastly improves this song. Must watch the Song Exploder episode to confirm my theory

John: Excellent chorus!

Leetsu: One of the highlights of my favourite album of 2020. Like you, I lovely the loud-quiet dynamic.

Ron B: Didn't do anything for me

Screen: Strange how someone was witty and charming as Capaldi can create such predictable and dull. Bonus points for Peter capaldi (who is a relative) in the video.

Shryke: I dug the 80s synths, but not enough to want to listen again.

Surf: Ah! I just discovered these guys. Love them and this track!

Tranny: Not bad. Quite lo-fi, which I wasn't expecting from The Weeknd as I assumed he's gradually get increasingly lush with his production.

UDM: what an odd mix. Worth it just for Shryke's quip

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by transformers2 »

#5
Banks: Dua Lipa stans unite!!!

John: Just look at what I said the last 5 rounds :lol:

Leestu: Really great offbeat energy and lo-fi guitar tone here.

Ron: A true mixed bag. Instrumentation was really cool and ScHoolboy Q filled his lightning rod guest spot role well per usual, but the whispering vocals fell really flat.

Screen: Vividly remember discovering this song via the trailer for everybody's favorite Ben Affleck movie Live by Night back in 2015 (between this and Hozier's terrific "Arsonist's Lullaby-the marketing team really did an incredible job of picking trailer music for that movie). The slowly escalating buildup and makes this a super haunting track that still ranks as the best Chelsea Wolfe song I've ever heard.

Shryke: This was solid. Really effective nocturnal atmosphere here and the little bursts of light in the vocals during the chorus make for a nice juxtaposition.

Six: Not usually crazy about this type of unflinchingly somber music, but there was something very forceful and urgent about the pain driving this song that made it work.

Surfer: Hard pass on this one.

UDM: Still believe this is a wee bit overrated in the grand scheme of Billie's work, but it's still a great, potent track.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by Shrykespeare »

#5

Banks - Dua Lipa - It was okay.

JohnErle - Sparkles - That was wacky. Reminds me of stuff XTC and They Might Be Giants did way back when.

Leestu - RAT!Bastard - Pretty cool. The lead singer sound much like the frontman from The Church, which I like.

Ron B - Probably one of my least favorite songs on the album.

Screen - C Wolfe - I rather liked this. Very angsty.

Six - Fontaines DC - I liked the beginning, as it sounded like The Doors filtered through Morrissey. Sadly, the repetition got grating real fast.

Surfer - Coriky Romano - Did nothing for me at all.

Tranny - Yves Tumor - Not my thing, but it did hold my interest.

UDM - Billie E - I've heard this a bunch of times. It's a decent song, but doesn't get my Eilish up.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by Shrykespeare »

silversurfer19 wrote:
March 5th, 2021, 10:33 am
Leestu's video is for his last pick. And my comments seem to have caught some of my thoughts from something else I wrote at the end of last year on Facebook as I copied and pasted! That last sentence can probably be deleted!
Fixed.
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JohnErle
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by JohnErle »

Round 4 – The Voyage Home

Seeed – I wasn't sure about it at first, but the African vibe kinda grew on me. Not sure if it'll stick, but we'll see. ADDED

Weeknd – The music grew on me as it went along, but I don't like his voice.

Everything else just kind of went in one ear and out the other. Nothing special, and nothing overly revolting either.

On to Round 3 – The Search For Songs

Also, welcome back Chien. Whatever it was, I'm glad you're feeling better!

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by Shrykespeare »

#4

Six - Notary Public Practice - Sounds like it should be in a movie. A goofy spy movie and the scene would be the agent on the beach, blending in as a customer at various shops while he spies over the rims of his sunglasses. Lol.

Surfer - Chimney Sweeping Promises - THIS. WAS. AWESOME.

Tranny - Everybody's Working For The Weeknd - He has a good voice and an admirable falsetto, but but between that and the production I could barely make out a word.

UDM - Do You See Ed? - German reggae? I dig it, mon.

Screen - Huey Lewis and the Capaldis - Had its moments, but not enough to make me a fan.

Ron B - Burger King Princess - Loved the energy!

Leestu - Pease Porridge Radio - This Porridge is Tooooo Hot! She's got a great vibe. I'm definitely getting a more baritone Siouxsie Sue here.

JohnErle - You Can't Start a Fire Without a Sparks - It was like a car crash. I could NOT look away...

Banks - Florida Keys & Play It Again Sampha - Pleasant, but nothing I'd frequent.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by JohnErle »

Shrykespeare wrote:
March 5th, 2021, 8:02 pm
#4

JohnErle - You Can't Start a Fire Without a Sparks - It was like a car crash. I could NOT look away...
As long as you didn't make a video of the crash with your iPhone.

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Leestu
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (10-2)

Post by Leestu »

#4

John might be on to something with the odd/even rounds - this was nowhere near as good as last round (my own choice the exception of course ;) )

Shryke: Cannons, Fire For You - this is pretty and cool, a nice relaxed sultry vibe

Six: Public Practice, My Head - enjoyed this just as much the second time around

John: Sparks, iPhone - it made me chuckle

UDM: Seeed, Ticket - an interesting fusion of genres...reminded me a little bit of Milky Chance, another German band, maybe these guys were an influence on them

Surfer: Sweeping Promises, Cross Me Out - decent song

Ron B: King Princess, Only Time Makes it Human - a little bit more interesting than most of this type of song

Screen: Lewis Capaldi, Someone You Loved - huh!! I never realised he was related to Doctor Who, I hadn't even realised they had the same surname...as to the song and video, they do their job of manipulating your heartstrings good enough

Transformers: The Weeknd, Too Late - they do have a couple of songs I really like (House Of Balloons / Glass Table Girls, & False Alarm) but most, like this one, just passes me by without me caring either way

Banks: Alicia Keys feat. Sampha, Three Hour Drive - the Song Exploder episode was a good watch, and made my appreciate the artistry, but not the art...I want to see a collaboration between Sampha and Sampa The Great now

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