Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

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

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

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SONG #18


BANKS

Selena Gomez, Boyfriend

The gender may be off for me personally, but I completely relate to the feeling of being frustrated that relationships continually aren’t working as hoped. Especially during 2020 when dating became non-existent (for me personally, I wasn’t comfortable hanging out with strangers during a pandemic), and since dating became even more virtual than ever (ever had a Zoom first date? It’s awful), it made the entire notion of a budding relationship easier to dissolve than ever before.





JOHNERLE

Ray LaMontagne, I Was Born To Love You





LEESTU

flowerkid, miss andry

Far removed from the political punk of yesterday’s song and (spoiler alert) tomorrow's song is this exquisite piece of heart wrenching personal pain.





RON B

Pendulum, Driver





SCREEN

Alanis Morissette, Reasons I Drink





SHRYKE

Grouplove, Deleter

It's the future and I'm braindead
Yeah, I'm destitute, yeah, I feel no roots anymore, anymore
Take another picture (Picture)
Show 'em what you're doing (Doing)
And how we built a lighthouse
Out of all these godforsaken ruins

By a happy coincidence, I’m posting two Grouplove songs on the same day. My Top 100 list, which I’ve posted concurrently with this one, has reached #53, which happens to be Grouplove’s “Inside Out”. Both are from the band’s excellent album, Healer. “Deleter”, the opening track, starts the album off on a fast note with rapid guitar strums and a dance-able groove and catchy lyrics. It’s too bad Geezer isn’t doing this countdown with us, as I expect this would be right up his alley.

Album: Healer
Other great tracks: Inside Out, The Great Unknown, Ahead of Myself





SIX

Adrianne Lenker, My Angel

Youi could substitute this with almost any track off Lenker’s latest solo record. It’s a beautiful, pastoral record, her powerful yet vulnerable voice soaring at certain sublime spots. The song takes a while to start, and just cuts out, but the meat in this musical sandwich is perfect, evoking images of lazy sunny days in the wilderness.





SURFER

Total Revenge, Surgery

Ryan Pollie of Los Angeles Police Department returned this year with a new project of lo-fi garage pop, filled with reverb, fuzz and blown-out speakers to the max. Recalling the early bedroom efforts of both Cloud Nothings and Wavves (and perhaps a little Deerhunter added to the mix), as well as many a retro garage rock act of the 50s, this was a welcome diversion from the current rock scene, and delivered an intimacy often missed today. In times like this it is quite nice to just curl up in the warm comfort of a song like this, despite the emotional turmoil a co-dependent relationship can bring.





TRANSFORMERS

SZA, Good Days

This ethereal, bittersweet anthem that features SZA's trademark lyrical vulnerability, sweeping vocals and beautiful, nuanced production has been burrowed into my head since it was released on Christmas Day, and I'm increasingly convinced that it would be a top 5 track if it was released a month earlier. It's the epitome of a song that just sweeps over you with its haunting atmosphere and gets better with each listen once you start to dig deeper into the lyrics/emotions/smaller details present in the instrumental. I'm absolutely thrilled that it's already become her most successful single in the US and has gained widespread acclaim from music nerds all over the world.





UNDEADMONKEY

Rosalia, A Pale

One of my favorite beats of last year. Also has a little bit of the Billie Eilish vibe going on.

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

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

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Another round that just failed to do much for me. I can tell when Alanis is the only one doing something interesting and different.

The grouplove, SZA, and Total Revenge songs were all nice, although for a second I thought you meant Total Control and was all excited that they had reformed.
Last edited by numbersix on February 18th, 2021, 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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

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#18

Banks - Selena G - Not bad at all. Didn't expect that...

JohnErle - Ray M - Very chill. DID expect that...

Leestu - flowerkid - Second time on this song! Liked it more the second time around.

Ron B - Pendulum - DUDE I THINK I FUCKING LOVE THIS!!

Screen - Alanis M - I love Alanis, and I loved a lot of songs off her 2020 album. I had "Ablaze" on my Top 100 (at #98), but this song is awesome too.

Six - Adrianne L - Very sad. Borderline depressing.

Surfer - Total Revenge - Not usually a fan of the fuzz....y guitars. Same here.

Tranny - SZA - Not bad, but not something I'll listen to again.

UDM - Rosalia - A lot of singers are being compared to Billie these days, aren't they? Not a huge fan of Billie, so.... yeah.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

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Where did everybody go??

It's Wild Kingdom today... two Impalas and a Quokka...



SONG #17


BANKS

Joyner Lucas feat Will Smith - WILL Remix

Joyner Lucas created an ode to Will Smith last year that was very popular. Of course, it reached Will Smith himself, who then hopped back into rap mode to honor his own idols and express gratitude for a 20+ year career. Will Smith means a lot to me personally, he’s easily my favorite actor and the way he’s approached his career is enviable. From being the first rapper to win a Grammy to creating a TV show that defined my childhood to becoming the biggest movie star of the late 90s and 2000s - Will Smith is an entire inspiration. This is the definition of “give people their roses while they can still appreciate them”.

As always, R.I.P. James Avery.





JOHNERLE

Ray LaMontagne - Summer Clouds

This is for anyone who thought Fleet Foxes weren't mellow enough.





LEESTU

Last Quokka, Colony

Here is a song I expect no one will like, and I totally understand, but I’m choosing my favourite songs of the year, not songs I think people will like, and punk (especially political punk) was one of the first non-mainstream genres I got into as an early teenager. I will probably always have a soft spot for amateurish but passionate punk.

Extremely rough and raw local politico punk band deliver an angry and biting commentary on the perennial hot topic of Australian colonialism with catchy riffs and heavy rhythms.





RON B

Tame Impala, Breathe Deeper





SCREEN

Katy Perry, Never Really Over

I will get much shit for this, but...





SHRYKE

Balthazar, Losers

The stars are directing the future
And what they're tuning into I can't say
But I want the universe to love me
I'm writing songs every day
There's a girl singing into a hairbrush
There's a mob boss in every man
I wish I could sing "tralala"
The way Paolo Conte can

My Top 100 of 2020 features bands and artists from no fewer than nine European countries. Today’s entry is Balthazar, which comes from the Flanders area of Belgium. Though they’ve been around since 2004 and released four albums, I’d actually never heard of them before I randomly clicked on “Losers”. And boy, am I glad I did. I instantly fell in love with this song, which manages to sound both indie and commercial at the same time. The video, a two-minute movie (with a full minute of credits), gives it even more of a European feel that I plan to delve into when the album it comes from debuts in a couple weeks. (Full disclosure – after reading the lyrics, I had to look up who Paolo Conte was. I’m sure I’m the only one in this group who’d never heard of him either.)

Album: Sand (out 2/26/21)





SIX

Porridge Radio, Born Confused

Lockdown was tough. It still is. And one of my techniques to process being unable to go out was to listen to miserable music. Breakup songs and albums functioned as a sort of metaphor for not being able to see friends and family. So this Bristol band are perfect, delivering the best album of the year. Their gentle melodic indie masks the raw openness Dana Margolin who bears all, even the most embarrassing and pathetic thoughts that echoes around her mind. In Born Confused she reveals her vulnerability while also trying to convince herself that being dumped is a good thing. Like thinking being confined to one’s apartment will give you time to read those classics books, when you know you’re just going to reread Peanuts.





SURFER

Knot, Foam

Formed from the ashes of Krill, Knot have built on what they had done before but become more focused in this incarnation, and so while some of the messy nature of their former name was to be admired, they are a much cleaner, much more, dare i say, mature band this time around. And its for the better, ultimately. Nestled somewhere in between Wilco's playful Americana twang and Marcy's Playground, the building of intricate tangles of guitar and rhythm ensures Foam feels like a game of constant pressure and release, keeping you on edge at all times. The overtly political lyrics, in this instance, regarding global warming and how we are all doomed, feels like the band is attempting bigger things to, and is certainly helped by Albini's production in its execution.





TRANSFORMERS

Tame Impala, Lost in Yesterday

HOT TAKE ALERT: I think "Lost in Yesterday" features both the best groove and hook Kevin Parker has written thus far.





UNDEADMONKEY

Camilo, Shakira & Pedro Capo, Tutu

Another smooth latin pop, goes right into my wheelhouse.

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

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

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#18
Banks: Not quite Dance Again bad, but still pretty stinky.

John: Another decent nice. The little bursts of bluesy guitar were particularly pleasant.

Leestu: Ron picked this earlier right? It's an admirably heartfelt track, but there's something missing compositionally that prevents it from really popping.

Ron: Completely indifferent to this type of electronic music.

Screen: Well at least Alanis is trying something relatively new at this stage of her career.

Shryke: Pretty decent and energetic pop rock tune with a somewhat catchy hook/main riff.

Six: You weren't kidding about it taking a while to start. I though this shit was going to be an instrumental once it hit 2 minute mark. The vocals were pretty though once they finally kicked in.

Surfer: Sincerely might be the most insufferable hipster rock song I've ever heard.

UDM: Pretty fucking cool track. Like that Rosalia has been dipping her toes in the hip hop/glitch pop world of late.
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

Post by JohnErle »

Quickly playing catch-up. If your song wasn't mentioned, I'm obviously not hip enough to appreciate it.

Round 20

Jeff Rosenstock – The first part was nice, but the rest was overwrought histrionics.

Sir Edward Health – There wasn't a single original thought in this, but I begrudgingly enjoyed it. I must be grading on the curve at this point. ADDED

Yves Tumor – Not bad, if a little long. Worth revisiting. ADDED

Self Respect – Listening to this for the first time, I was thinking “please let this be from 2020 so I can actually like one of UDM's picks for a change!” The sudden harmonies near the end didn't work for me, but overall it was quite nice. ADDED

Round 19

IDLES – Well, it didn't immediately sound like something I'd heard a million times before, nor did it sound like something I'd never want to hear again. I'm not sure I liked it exactly, but at least it stood out as being a bit different. ADDED

Round 18

flowerkid – Pleasant, but forgettable. How do I know? Shryke says it was posted before, yet I have no memory of it.

Adrienne Lenker – That just sounded like Sun Kil Moon with a guest vocalist.

Surgery – I really could have done without the singer mimicking a guitar, but apart from that it was two minutes worth of pleasantly derivative indie twee.

And regarding Ray LaMontagne, I forgot to mention that one thing I love about the album is the wonderful stereo separation in the mix. You don't hear that very often these days, and it was a very pleasant surprise considering the album title.

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

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#17
Banks: Will Smith's effortless charisma helps sell the over-the-top earnest nature of this song. Also shoutout to Joyner Lucas for being 1 of 3 members of Boston's present day hip hop scene (and he's from an hour west of the city) :lol:

John: This was actually pretty great. The stripped down atmosphere really highlighted the power of his vocals.

Leestu: This was cool. Been a minute since I've heard a punk song that was this raw, visceral and overwhelmingly angry.

Ron: This is in the middle of the pack on my Slow Rush power rankings. A tad overlong, but the dance-friendly groove is great.

Screen: Katy Perry is a very hit or miss artist for me. Ironically, this track marks a rare instance of her putting something out that falls somewhere in the middle.

Shryke: Liked the borderline psychedelic guitar parts. Rest was just kind of there.

Six: "The Thank You for Making Me Happy" part was annoying and way too fucking long, but this was mostly a pretty good, angsty little art punk song.

Surfer: What a bounceback after #18. This sounded like 90's-era Billy Corgan joined a particularly chaotic math rock act. Can say without hesitation that this is my top discovery of the countdown thus far.

UDM: Latin pop just doesn't hit the same during the winter. I'll report back in June or July with a proper review ;)
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Re: Top 50 Songs of 2020 (20-11)

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#17

Banks: It's a really nice gesture from the Fresh Prince. Interesting though that he doesn't refer to any musicians as his influences - he's all about Mandela, Ali. No Sugarhill Gang, LL Cool J, Run DMC? There's something deeply arrogant about that.

Leetsu: Really enjoyed this. Sure it's not breaking new ground musically, but the sentiment regarding colonialisation is truly punk.

Ron and Tranny: Two Lame Impala's today. The thing about them is that they are good at finding a cool groove, and then they rub their hands and call it a day. So I drift off well before the 4-6mins are done. Still, the grooves are good, particularly Breathe Deeper.

Shryke: Not bad. They sound desperately like someone else but I can't think of it. Phoenix, maybe?

The rest were just tears in the rain.

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

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#17

Banks - Joyner L & Big Willie Style - Not bad. Grew up on FPOBA, so this was a nice nostalgic moment.

JohnErle - Ray LaInigoMontoya (coda) - Got serious John Denver vibes from this.

Leestu - Last Quokka - Didn't hate it as much as you thought I would. Kind of felt like the kind of record the Clash might make if the guitarists from Midnight Oil were behind them.

Ron B - Rabbit in a Hat with a Bat and a Tame Impala (Part 1) - Loved this album, which had two songs on my Top 100. Good song.

Tranny - Rabbit in a Hat with a Bat and a Tame Impala (Part 2) - Also a good song. Love those grooves.

Screen - Katy "Refrigerator" Perry - I kinda liked this. God help me.

Six - Pease Porridge Hot AM Radio - This was good. I'm definitely detecting a little Chrissie Hynde in her voice. The repetition was way overdone, though.

Surfer - Knotty By Nature - I found this unbelievably meh.

UDM - Shakira & Dos Hombres I Don't Know - Not a Shakira fan. I'll leave it at that.
Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

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

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Terrible, terrible, terrible round today, boys and girls. Well, boys. Maybe your better halves would have something more appealing to contribute.

Will Smith Stroke Fest – I guess Willy's earned the right to toot his own horn like this, but I still find this level of egotism obnoxious. And “effortless charm”? I always feel like he's trying too hard.

Last Quokka – At least you acknowledge how amateurish this sounds.

Tammy Faye Impala – Decent tunes, horrific production, as always. They're offering nothing new, so I have nothing new to say about them. Mostly I just wanted to call them Tammy Faye Impala

Katy Perry – She's way too gorgeous to pull off this lonely girl shtick.

Balthazar – Pretty generic modern Daft Punk styled disco. In this round, that makes it a highlight.

Pudding Radio – That was one of the less revolting songs this round, but my greater concern is the way you implied that Charles Schulz is somehow a less important artist than, say, Charles Dickens.

Knott's Berry Foam – The song was intolerable. At least their name was snark worthy.

Shakira etc. - What a perfect closer to this horrific round. Thank goodness it's over.

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

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SONG #16


BANKS

Demi Lovato, Anyone

Demi debuted this song at the Grammys last year, noticeably breaking down and crying throughout. She’s had a very-public battle with drug addiction for years, and listening to her here literally beg for help with it is heartbreaking. She wrote this days before her overdose in 2018, which gives it undeniable weight. Breaking herself open on the biggest night in music is so, for the lack of a better term, brave and she fucking belts it out flawlessly.





JOHNERLE

Ray LaMontagne - Roll Me Mama, Roll Me

This one would have sounded right at home on Led Zeppelin III.





LEESTU

Slaves, One More Day Won’t Hurt (Bob Vylan Remix)

Bob Vylan brings his punky grime and a verse of his own to this bruising take on addiction and thuggery.





RON B

Eiffel 65, Blue [Flume Remix]





SCREEN



SHRYKE

PVRIS feat. Raye, Thank You

Thank you for fucking it up
Thank you for cutting it off
You're nothing but a bullet that I dodged
Thank you for fucking me up
But it was worth all it cost
'Cause I found myself in all the blood I lost

Two other PVRIS songs appeared in my Top 100 (though well below my Top 50), “Use Me” and “Dead Weight”. This song hooked me from the get-go, and I credit Lynn Gunn for that. Just as welcome is the accompanying vocals of British-Swiss singer Raye, whose sultry baritone kicks in with the second verse. PVRIS pulls no punches lyrically, especially in this song. It made me an instant fan.

Album: Use Me (Deluxe Edition)
Other great tracks: Dead Weight, Use Me, Death of Me





SIX

Caribou, Never Come Back

While I don’t think Dan Snaith will ever reach the peaks of his 2010 album Swim, last year’s Suddenly had some great moments, like this song. I do enjoy songs that contrast the upbeat and the downbeat, and just like the iconic Blue Monday, this manages to balance a clubby vibe with a more melancholic vocal delivery and lyrical theme.





SURFER

Activity, Earth Angel

Formed from the ashes of Grooms, Russian Baths and Field Mouse, Activity are an interesting group fuelled by barren landscapes and desolation, and through the application of wispy vocals, wild guitar riffs, and ominous, bare bones melodies, conjure feelings of paranoia, no more so than in my favourite track, Earth Angel. Glowing in radiant waves of catharsis, while elegantly evoking jubilation and anguish within the same breadth, the song is quite the evolution from the minimalism of its beginnings to its climax.





TRANSFORMERS

Every Time I Die, A Colossal Wreck

Every Time I Die is a standout anomaly among the active bands that arrived on the metalcore scene in the early 2000's because they've never reached a level of complacency with their music. They've completely bucked expectations by making more energetic, ferocious and riff-driven material as they approach their 20th year as a signed, internationally-recognized act. With this blistering initial taste of their upcoming record that was released to celebrate the virtual edition of their annual Christmas show in their hometown of Buffalo, New York, they indicate that their upward trend of making heavier, more urgent and generally better music is going to last at least a little bit longer.





UNDEADMONKEY

Chris Renzema, Springtime

I don't generally listen to worship songs when listening to music. This one however crossed over to my general music category, it filled me with such hope at times during a very dark year. That springtime would come.

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

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

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#18

Ron: Pendulum, Driver - Pendulum aren't doing anything new here, either in the genre or for them, but damn they do it well...the first time I heard this it was an instant adrenaline rush, and I immediately played it to one of my sons who I knew would love it (I was right - it ended up one of his favourite songs for the year that he voted for in the triple J hottest 100)

Shryke: Grouplove, Deleter - another family favourite band and song...I probably heard it too much throughout the year for it to end up making my top 100 but it was there for a little while...there is a great energy to this song

UDM: Rosalia, A Pale - I liked her 2018 album, I find her music quite a fascinating mix of cultures...as to this song, her incorporation of glitch hop and UK bass with a hint of hip hop is probably even more fascinating...I really liked this!

Surfer: Total Revenge, Surgery- so lo-fi I can't help but like this

Six: Adrianne Lenker, My Angel - very nice, not an album I returned to at all but I liked it, just not very often in the mood for such pastoral folk

Screen: Alanis Morissette, Reasons I Drink - decent

John: Ray LaMontagne, I Was Born To Love You - I thought his Ouroboros album was great, and Part Of The Light was good, but I haven't heard this album, and this song doesn't make me want to

Banks: Selena Gomez, Boyfriend - surprisingly I didn't dislike this

Transformers: SZA, Good Days - soulful but not for me

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

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#17

Ron: Tame Impala, Breathe Deeper - one of the best songs from The Slow Rush...nearly made my list

Transformers: Tame Impala, Lost in Yesterday - That is a hot take, for me Let It Happen is easily his best groove, and I don't know, umm, maybe The Less I Know The Better for best hook...one of the best songs from The Slow Rush...nearly made my list...for the record these are the two best songs on the album after It Might Be Time which is easily the best song on the album, released as a single in 2019 and made my top 100 songs of 2019 at freakily coincidentally #17!!!

Six: Porridge Radio, Born Confused - it was my #5 album for 2020...great opening track that sets the tone for the album

Surfer: Knot, Foam - really liked this...I'm gonna check out the album sometime

Shryke: Balthazar, Losers - I've heard a couple of their albums, they are okay...this song was okay, I liked the crooning falsetto contrast

Banks: Joyner Lucas feat Will Smith - WILL Remix - not bad, good beat, good flow, good lyrics

John: Ray LaMontagne - Summer Clouds...nice peaceful mellow...good vocals

UDM: Camilo, Shakira & Pedro Capo, Tutu - I hardly even noticed this song while actively listening...not sure what that is saying

Screen: Katy Perry, Never Really Over - it's not awful but I'll never willingly listen to it again

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

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#16

Leetsu:Liked this a lot, and usually I'm not into remixes, particularly ones where a rapper dumps a few bars on top of a song, but here it works really well.

Ron: Surely you're trolling us

Surf: This was decent. Liked its brooding, almost sinister intensity.

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

Post by JohnErle »

16

Slaves – As much as I want to hate anyone with the stage name Bob Vylan, that was pretty solid. ADDED

Blue – Decent, but not for me.

Caribou – I didn't know he'd released anything this year. If you hadn't told me it was him I would have assumed this was just some generic club banger. Good dynamics, though. I might check out the album for that alone.

Activity – I enjoyed the bulk of this way more than your average pick, but I still doubt it'll stick with me. That part near the end where he went all shouty demon then his voice broke like Billy Corgan hitting puberty made me laugh out loud, which probably wasn't the intended effect.

I used up all my vitriol yesterday, so no comment on the rest.

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