Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Anything music related. Latest songs, good new bands, and blasts from the past.

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Shrykespeare
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

SONG #31


JOHNERLE

Jason Isbell, It Gets Easier

My favourite song on Reunions also shows why the album as a whole feels like a letdown. Isbell has been sober for a decade now, and he has a happy marriage and successful career, but he knows it was exploring his dark side that brought him such acclaim, so here he goes to the well one more time, but the emotions expressed aren't as intense or vivid. The song is still solid, but a few albums ago it would have been a filler track, not a highlight.





LEESTU

IDLES, War

What a way to start an album. A powerhouse of a song to start a powerhouse of an album.





SCREEN

Tove Lo, Passion And Pain Taste The Same When I'm Weak





SHRYKE

Cannons, Love on the Ground

Slip out of the dark
And into the light
Show me who you really are
'Cause I need a sign
Is it love or is it alchemy?
I need to know

Following yesterday’s song by The Birthday Massacre, my favorite discovery of 2020, comes my SECOND-favoritest discovery. San Diego trio Cannons enraptured me this past summer with their breakout album, Shadows, depositing four songs on my Top 100 (and three in my Top 50). I’m in love with Michelle Joy’s sultry yet sweet voice, and I couldn’t be happier that this band is now getting the recognition it deserves.

Album: Shadows
Other great tracks: Baby, Talk Talk





SURFER

Bob Mould, American Crisis

In a year which demanded so much vitriol, debate and burning rage, Bob Mould was undoubtedly the rock n roll star you want in your corner to fight the battle. Channelling the anger of Husker Du once again, this is the loudest he has sounded in 30 years, as he questions the state of the nation, bringing parallels between 2020 and 1984, and more specifically Trump and Reagan. American Crisis is the sound of an elder statesman refusing to stay silent, reflecting on the governmental misdeeds of the past and vehemently disagreeing with the moves of the present. It makes for an exhilarating and impressive return after the breezy Sunshine Rock of 2019, and a keen reminder of the power music still has in society.





TRANSFORMERS

End, The Reach of Resurrection

End plays the type of chaotic, noisy and super heavy metalcore that I'm particularly smitten with and this standout track from their debut LP "Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face" checks all of those boxes with emphatic proficiency.





UNDEADMONKEY

Pedro Capo with Alicia Keys & Farruko, Calma

For me, my favorite vacation is a hot beach somewhere with a cold beer in hand. 2020 had none of that, but this song did remind me of that. This Alicia Keys remix is pretty good too.





Tomorrow... new thread! And Banks, Ron B and Six join us!
Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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silversurfer19
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by silversurfer19 »

Catching up:

John Erle:
Jason Isbell, St. Peter's Autograph - Lovely guitar work, has a very early 70s feel to it all, matched perfectly by the vocals. Starting to bare fruit listening to more of his work.
Jason Isbell, Only Children - Didn't work for me so much this time, just kind of passed over me.

Screen:
Tove Lo, Jacques - Too much like club music, bass far too heavy for me and the vocals don't appeal.
Meg Myers, Grizzly - Her vocals were more interesting on the last song, this is just a little derivative this time round and very much of its time.

Leestu :
Iceage, Lockdown Blues - When I first heard we were getting an extra bit of Iceage last year in the midst of the pandemic I was very excited, alas the song is kind of stale. Lacks the usual energy of the band and the lyrics are a little too on the nose. Disappointed.
Run The Jewels, Just - Another bass that was just too heavy and lost me, but its catchy enough I guess without ever being something I would invest in.

Shryke:
Dayglow, Can I Call You Tonight - Lovely sunny song that recalls MGMT et al from that period in the late 2000s. No problem listening to this a few times.
The Birthday Massacre, Run - Feet firmly in the fans of Evanescence camp, and didnt really interest me.

Transformers :
Kvelertak, Ugly Hedgehog - Was very loud, far too much going on but there were a couple of cool riffs buried underneath it all.
Victoria Monet - Has a 90s feel to it, but didnt appeal.

Undeadmonkey:
Galantis, Faith - Poor Dolly, she didn't deserve this. And neither did I come to think of it.
Dua Lipa, Physical - Not the Olivia Newton John song then? Could literally be any of a dozen pop stars, autocue vocals and recycled beats. Not for me in the slightest.

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Shrykespeare
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

silversurfer19 wrote:
February 3rd, 2021, 1:22 pm

The Birthday Massacre, Run - Feet firmly in the fans of Evanescence camp, and didnt really interest me.
What a shame. And I really have to disagree about the comparison to TBM and Evanescence. Shoegaze and gothic rock do both have dark overtones, but I believe there is enough of a distinction musically to be able to tell one from another. Much closer to Evanescence would be Within Temptation (who IMHO are much much better) because of the grandiosity of the vocals and instrumentation. I have a Within Temptation song coming up in the next couple of weeks.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Shrykespeare »

#31

JohnErle - It Gets Easier - It was a'ight.

Leestu - War - What is it good for? Absolutely nothing. ;) Too screamy for me.

Screen - Passion and Pain - There was something endearing about this song, something I'd not heard in a Tove Lo song before.

Surfer - American Crisis - Good, but I doubt I'll remember it in an hour.

Tranny - The Reach of Resurrection - Painful.

UDM - Calma - Did nada for me.
Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by JohnErle »

Ju$t – It's rare that I enjoy hip-hop, but that sounded great at first listen. Is that vocal sample Damon Albarn? ADDED

Meg Myers – She sounds like Natasha Khan at times here, but the production is awful.

The Birthday Massacre – There's a tiny hint of shoegaze here, but mostly I just hear an even more commercial Evanescence, but with a singer who sounds too sweet for the genre. Fucking Canadians!

Alien Nosejob – Based on the album title I was prepared to hate this since “Everything Is Twice As Loud” is precisely what's wrong with 99% of modern music. Instead, the production felt reasonably open and airy and the result was some nice indie twee. ADDED.

Victoria Monet – Not for me.

Dua Lipa – Not for meepa.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by Leestu »

#31

Nothing extra special today but nothing bad either

UDM: I did not expect to like this but as soon as Alicia stopped singing and the latin reggae rap kicked in my head and shoulders immediately started bopping along and my mood elevated...a feel good song for sure

John: I agree, this was the song that stood out when I listened to the album but still pales in comparison to most of his best work...I do really like the line "it get's easier but it never gets easy"

Surfer: good to hear Bob Mould angry and passionate again

Shryke: it's a nice song

Screen: a bit of a nothing song for me

Tranny: I don't dislike it, there just seems to be too much going on all at once at the expense of listenability

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JohnErle
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by JohnErle »

IDLES - That sounded like the world's angriest Speak & Spell

Tove Lo - I don't normally like Tove Lo or R&B but that was quite nice. ADDED

Cannons - Nice 80s groove on this one. Maybe a bit too much bass in the mix, but that's nit-picking. ADDED

Bob Mould - I couldn't hear the lyrics and the music was just shrill noise.

END - The 20 seconds or so I sat through were very you.

Pedro Capo - This definitely reminds me of being on the beach in Costa Rica and wishing the snack bar was playing better music. I've heard worse Latin reggae, but it's not for me.

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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

Post by transformers2 »

#31
John: Great piece of emotional, visceral storytelling and easily the best Isbell track from this batch you've shared.

Leestu: A definite highlight from Ultra Mono. The anger and urgency is palatable and the instrumentation (particularly the drumming) is exceptional.

Screen: Ballads are definitely not Tove's strong suite (the only great one she's ever done is hey you got drugs? from Blue Lips) and while this is still merely decent, it's still in the upper echelon of her slower tunes.

Shryke: This was tight. Atmosphere was euphoric and the vocals had an intriguing hypnotic quality over those dream-like synths.

Surfer: Vocal mix was awful, but the energy, emotion and lyrics were good.

UDM: Pleasant enough, although the tropical vibe would work better for me if I wasn't currently looking at a snow bank outside my window :lol:
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