Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

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

Moderators: Buscemi, BarcaRulz, Geezer, W

User avatar
Shrykespeare
Site Admin
Posts: 14273
Joined: September 12th, 2009, 11:38 pm
Location: Glendale, AZ

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by Shrykespeare »

Tranny,

Your list is probably the one with the most variety (present company included). When you have stuff like Miley Cyrus and Tame Impala thrown in with RTJ, The Weeknd, and Travis Scott on TOP of your growly demons... well, I tip my cap to you, sir.

I always love it when someone besides me pick grizzled veterans for their countdown - in your case those being SOAD. BMTH and Deftones, as well as Four Year Strong, a band I was happy to be introduced to.

I did enjoy your #1. For me, The Weeknd is like a lot of R&B/pop acts in that they are SO CLOSE to getting me to want to check them out in earnest but never quite getting there.

As for the "next time" we do this... well, February 2022 is only 11 months away dude. Start building your 2021 list. :)



JohnErle:

If Smash Mouth released a new album this year, I doubt I'd listen to it. They have gotten on my bad side permanently after the crap they pulled at the Sturgis rally in 2020, performing to a packed, maskless, un-socially distanced audience. The lead singer said things like "Fuck this COVID shit" at what proved to be quite possibly the biggest super-spreader event of the whole damn year. So, rest easy.
Happy 60th birthday Jet Li! (4/26/23)

User avatar
JohnErle
Snake Plissken
Posts: 2905
Joined: October 22nd, 2009, 4:01 am
Contact:

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by JohnErle »

Shrykespeare wrote:
March 12th, 2021, 3:12 pm
If Smash Mouth released a new album this year, I doubt I'd listen to it.
Then perhaps some good has come from this pandemic after all.

User avatar
Leestu
Ratzo Rizzo
Posts: 1652
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 11:46 pm
Location: Western Australia

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by Leestu »

Surfer,

Your number one is an excellent choice for the top spot. I loved it. An interesting mix of styles that really worked. I loved her voice (strongly reminded me of Siouxsie) especially later in the song when she got passionate and you could hear the emotion in her performance. It was at that time of the song when the violins, which had started sort of folky sweet became noisily chaotic and dissonant, and that combination was something special. I've added this to my 2020 songs, and after one listen I can already tell this would have been in my favourites of 2020 if I had of heard it then.

Speaking of not hearing it before, I thought I listened to a lot of obscure artists that not many people know, but you have me beat there. It's not just that I hadn't heard of a lot of those bands on your list, but the fact they are often from genres and scenes that I try to pay attention to and still haven't heard them. Mostly I liked all of your songs, though I admit sometimes I didn't get the "best songs of the year" appeal, but that applies to everyone's list and no doubt to mine from others point of view, but there was nothing I disliked. We both agree on Sweet by Porridge Radio being one of the best songs of the year though, and we also shared The Aughts by Flatworms, and something each from the Osees album but different tracks. Runner Up by TV Priest didn't make my top 50 but it was in my top 100, as were a different Destroyer song, a different Bully song, and two different Protomartyr songs. Ballet Of Apes by Brigid Dawson was probably my favourite song I hadn't heard from your list, along with Post Truth by Crack Cloud and Science Fiction by Black Country, New Road. I have since listened to the Black Country, New Road and it is easily the best album of 2021 so far.

Thanks for participating, I found quite a few albums to listen to, and I loved your write-ups - they always made me want to love the song even if I didn't.

User avatar
Leestu
Ratzo Rizzo
Posts: 1652
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 11:46 pm
Location: Western Australia

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by Leestu »

John,

Another fun song from The Sparks. I enjoyed the theatricality of this one, and the lyrics interested me enough to maybe surf the net about Stravinsky.

I mostly enjoyed your list. It was good to get a bit of a grip on what modern Sparks are like. I have previously checked out a tiny little bit of their earlier material and actually own one of their albums on CD, Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins, but I only listened to it a couple of times.

Probably the best thing about your list is that you have made me realise I do like Steve Earle and will pay attention to him more from now on. I did listen to I Feel Fine and it was a good rec, solid throughout with CCKMP the highlight, thanks for that.

I really liked the Ray Lamontagne songs, an artist I am pretty sure I first discovered through you from one of our previous song/album projects and have listened to a bit since then. Time has shown I do get something out of these projects from nearly everyone so it's worth participating in, and I hope we keep doing this sort of thing.

Fleet Foxes was interesting because I had already heard the album once, and to be brutally honest it bored me. I didn't dislike it, just found it dull. However re-listening and re-evaluating each of these songs on their own I found something to enjoy in most of them, but I still have no desire to listen to the album in full again. I find this weird because it is the opposite to how I normally consume and enjoy my music.

AC/DC are just not the sort of rock and roll I like, and these selections did not change that in the slightest. Growing up when and where I did I have well and truly heard enough of them to know this will probably never change. Although like nearly everything there are a couple of exceptions with some of their early classics.

I added the My Morning Jacket album to listen to. Thanks for that. Do I need to listen to The Waterfall first?

Jason Isbell - see my Fleet Foxes comment above - similar scenario. I'm curious though - where are Drive-By Truckers? Their Jason Isbell era was obviously their best, but their last few albums, including their two 2020 releases, have been solid with a couple of highlights here and there.

You started with the best with Trail Of Dead. They were all great and I've added the album.

Lastly, Heartless Bastards, whatever, but Hawkwind do rule - added Space Ritual to listen to.

User avatar
Shrykespeare
Site Admin
Posts: 14273
Joined: September 12th, 2009, 11:38 pm
Location: Glendale, AZ

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by Shrykespeare »

Ron B hasn't been around for much of the countdown, and regrettably did not provide anything but the songs and links. Still, I'm grateful that he participated!


RON B'S LIST

30. Bagi-la-m Bargan feat Fred Leone, Birdz
29. flowerkid, miss andry
28. Yungblud, Cotton Candy
27. Genesis Owusu, I Am
26. Matt Corby, Brother
25. Haim, Don't Wanna
24. Julia Jacklin, To Perth, before the border closes
23. Cosmo's Midnight, Yesteryear
22. Hilltop Hoods, I'm Good?
21. DMA's, The Glow
20. Gorillaz feat. slowthai & Slaves, Momentary Bliss
19. G Flip, Hyperfine
18. Pendulum, Driver
17. Tame Impala, Breathe Deeper
16. Eiffel 65, Blue (Flume Remix)
15. Drake feat. Lil Durk, Laugh Now Cry Later
14. Shockone, Follow Me
13. Travis Scott feat. Young Thug & MIA, FRANCHISE
12. Lime Cordiale, Reality Check Please
11. The Weeknd, Save Your Tears
10. Kid Cudi, Leader of the Delinquents
9. Hands Like Houses, The Water
8. Juice WRLD, Righteous
7. Tame Impala, Lost in Yesterday
6. Grouplove, Deleter
5. Gorillaz feat. ScHoolboy Q, Pac-Man
4. King Princess, Only Time Makes It Human
3. Childish Gambino feat. Ariana Grande, Time
2. The Avalanches feat. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu ,Running Red Lights


And, his #1:

The Avalanches feat. Denzel Curry, Tricky & Sampa The Great, Take Care In Your Dreaming

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

User avatar
JohnErle
Snake Plissken
Posts: 2905
Joined: October 22nd, 2009, 4:01 am
Contact:

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by JohnErle »

Leestu,

I'll try to answer your questions and address some of your comments.

I'm glad the modern Sparks sound finally started to click for you. Gratuitous Sax is a pretty decent album, and When Do I Get To Sing My Way was a big hit in Europe, but the album as a whole is definitely not representative of modern Sparks. You can hear a bit of it in songs like Frankly Scarlett I Don't Give A Damn or I Thought I Told You To Wait In The Car, but most of that album is closer in spirit to Pet Shop Boys, so if Shryke were ever to like a Sparks album, it would probably be this one. As for Stravinsky, I never knew much about him either, but I did listen of Rite Of Spring after hearing Sparks name drop it, and it's kind of fascinating and intense, but I'm pretty sure he never did coke on the dance floor at Studio 54. Everything I know about classical music I learned from Bugs Bunny and Sparks.

And I'm glad all my Steve Earle tracks finally won you over, too. I saw that you'd listened to I Feel Alright on Spotify so I was curious to hear what you thought of it. I'm pretty sure I highlighted CCKMP when I included the album in my all time top 5. And I seem to recall you saying that I'd introduced you to Ray LaMontagne in one of the previous countdowns as well.

As for Fleet Foxes, I have a few artists like that who I can only take in small doses. Early Iron & Wine, The Ramones, or any band whose sound is too limited to keep my interest for a full album. I'd say this latest Fleet Foxes album is half great, half disappointing, so I'm happy to pick and choose the songs I like on Spotify.

There's no reason you'd need to hear The Waterfall before part II. They're similar in style, but it's not like they're part of an overall story or anything.

Drive By Truckers have never really clicked for me. I haven't listened to them much, but the stuff I heard didn't thrill me for whatever reason. Like Strurgill Simpson, they're an act that seems like they'd be right in my wheelhouse on paper, but in practice, nothing's tickled my fancy yet.

User avatar
numbersix
Darth Vader
Posts: 11545
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 2:34 pm

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by numbersix »

Tranny,

Well I have to say that was the best The Weeknd song of the countdown, so glad you left it to #1. I got into him with House of Balloons but everything after that seemed a little too polished, a little too mainstream R&B for me. So you're right, this track does take his present and his past and meld them together perfectly.

Your overall list was another odd mix of heavy metal, hip hop and pop. And once again it was the hip-hop I enjoyed the most, particularly RtJ whose album I adore.

Slight amusing aside, but I went to see RtJ live at a festival a few years ago. That night I was supposed to visit family outside of London and get the last train home. But we opted for the festival instead. RtJ were the last act and as they finished everyone in the park started looking concerned and getting calls. There was a terrorist attack, where two guys with machetes started attacking people on a bridge by a train station, and even killed some before the police gunned them down. If we had decided to go to my relative's house, the last train home would have had us at that station at the very time of the attack. So maybe, just maybe, RtJ saved my life.

Anyway, despite not being a fan of the metal or pop, we had more crossovers than anyone else -RtJ and the magnificent Yves Tumor, whose album is my #2 of last year. Glad you appreciate him and have inspired some of the gang to check him out.

User avatar
JohnErle
Snake Plissken
Posts: 2905
Joined: October 22nd, 2009, 4:01 am
Contact:

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by JohnErle »

RonB,

I don't know if you'll even see this, so I'll keep it brief.

The Julia Jacklin and Juice Wrld tracks grew on me over time, but not much else in your countdown appealed to me. Your #1 started off with nice, dynamic, Moby-styled sounds, but it totally lost me once the rapping started.

User avatar
transformers2
John Rambo
Posts: 7730
Joined: October 23rd, 2009, 5:15 pm

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by transformers2 »

Surfer:
Your #1 was pretty solid. The violin provided kind of a Celtic atmosphere that had an oddly soothing effect (anything even vaguely Irish is like a fucking white noise machine since I've been around it my whole life :lol: ) and served as a nice juxtaposition to the increasingly frantic vocals. Definitely one of my favorite picks of yours.

As for your list overall, it honestly might've drew the biggest range of reactions I had of the entire list-which isn't exactly a huge surprise because the general genre art punk/indie/post-punk/garage rock space you operate tends to be very volatile for me . There was some stuff that bored me to death, a lot of stuff that intrigued me musically, but grated on me vocally and on occasion, some stuff that really dazzled me (Total Revenge and Metz in particular). Like everybody else, the biggest takeaway I had by far from your list was the volume of obscure acts that were featured. I'd usually give each act I was unfamiliar with a quick search on RateYourMusic to at least get an idea of what I was getting into before I pressed play and was routinely blown away by how a good chunk of the acts you featured had so few ratings on a site that is literally full of Hall of Fame-caliber music nerds. Even with all the tools available on this wonderful thing we call the internet, it isn't easy to uncover under-the-radar acts and I respect the hell out of your dedication to actively seek these artists out.
BRING BRENDAN FRASER BACK TO THE BIG SCREEN DAMN IT
Check out my blog http://maitlandsmadness.blogspot.com/
Movies,Music,Sports and More!

User avatar
transformers2
John Rambo
Posts: 7730
Joined: October 23rd, 2009, 5:15 pm

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by transformers2 »

John:
First of all, I greatly appreciate you featuring going deep on only a handful of records because now I don't have to spend 10-15 minute trying to recall my takes:lol: Despite the extensive pain you caused me with the tedious run of songs from My Morning Jacket and a longtime musical nemesis of mine in the Fleet Foxes, I generally enjoyed your picks. Sparks has a unique style that's very easy to respect despite not really working for me (except for that goddamn iPhone song of course), Trail of Dead's constant experimentation and heavy utilization psychedelia atmospherics made their songs engaging listens, Jason Isbell and Steve Earle are profound, old school country storytellers I really need to dig deeper into and it was nice to find out that AC/DC can still churn out some energetic hard rock at this stage in their career-particularly after Brian Johnson endured all of those health issues in recent years. Now don't chicken out in 2021 and give us the fucking Hawkwind that we the people of ReelSociety demand.

As for the "surprising" makeup of my own list, it quite simply came down to 2020 being a great year for pop and a not so great one for metal. Maybe the balances will shift back this year and Satan will reign supreme once again ;)
BRING BRENDAN FRASER BACK TO THE BIG SCREEN DAMN IT
Check out my blog http://maitlandsmadness.blogspot.com/
Movies,Music,Sports and More!

User avatar
Leestu
Ratzo Rizzo
Posts: 1652
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 11:46 pm
Location: Western Australia

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by Leestu »

Tranny,

I think I've said enough about what I think of The Weeknd but I can see why this song and album could be someone's favourite song and album of the year.

It was always interesting seeing your pick every day. Even if there was too much pop at least it wasn't awful pop, and it was counter balanced with some great rap and metal picks.

We shared one and a half songs, with Model Village by IDLES, and my choice of a cover of Righteous by Juice WRLD. But we also shared different Run The Jewels songs, and I had a different Travis Scott song in my facebook 100 (Franchise). Good to see Yungblud and MGK make an appearance too. Right Shryke? ;)

I didn't really discover anything new to explore, just reminders to check out Kverletak, Every Time I Die, and The Black Dahlia Murder further. Thanks!

User avatar
Leestu
Ratzo Rizzo
Posts: 1652
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 11:46 pm
Location: Western Australia

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by Leestu »

Ron,

I'm glad you picked the better Avalanches song as your #1. Great song!

Thanks for joining in. Your list was the most familiar to me (which I guess is expected as it seems we both listen to the same radio station). I knew every song, which I found comforting, and there was nothing I disliked. In fact I really liked most of these songs, there was a lot of family favourites here, (Birdz, Genesis Owusu, Julia Jacklin, Hilltop Hoods, DMA's, G Flip, Pendulum, Tame Impala, Shock One, Lime Cordiale, Juice WRLD, Grouplove) and this would make a great shuffle playlist for one of our family drinking nights.

We shared 3 and a 1/2 songs (the 1/2 being Righteous again as with Tranny), including your number one pick, Momentary Bliss by Gorillaz, and miss andry by flowerkid. So pleased to see you pick flowerkid. Their debut song was also really high in my 2019 favourites, and I think they are a genuine talent, both as a song writer and a vocalist, (both of these songs were wriiten when they were still a teenager, and both I think are self produced) and seriously under rated even here in Australia. I fully expected both of their songs to make the last 2 Triple J hottest 100 lists, and they didn't even make the 200 of either!?!?

Again great list, I loved it, and thanks!

User avatar
Leestu
Ratzo Rizzo
Posts: 1652
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 11:46 pm
Location: Western Australia

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by Leestu »

#1

Ball Park Music, Cherub

When my oldest son finished high school he spent two years studying music at college. This included music theory, production, and performance. At the beginning of the performance part of the course the class was assigned by the lecturer to groups of four or five (randomly or by some design of the lecturer I don't know, just that they couldn't choose their own groups) to form a band, practice, write, and rehearse together, and perform at the end of the year. It was a bonding experience, and he is still in contact and friends with them today. I mention this because that is how Ball Park Music formed in 2008....and here they are six albums and thirteen years later, still together, and achieving their greatest accomplishment so far - topping my 100 favourite songs of the year list. :lol:

Cherub is the third single from their sixth album, the self titled Ball Park Music, my #10 album of 2020. It is a tender indie rock slow burner with delicate accoustic guitars, understated keyboards, and layered vocals that ascends (descends?) into a glorious, fuzzy, euphoric cacophony of neo-psychedelic shoegaze. The lyrics are about imagining getting away and starting afresh when you are not at your best and feel that you are burdening others. I apologise but in an attempt to explain why this song meant so much to me in 2020 I am going to get a little bit personal here, trying to be honest and open without revealing too much details. Like a lot of us I imagine, I struggled at times throughout a lot of 2020. I turned fifty in 2019, and while that didn't bother me at first, age had started catching up with me. 9pm became the new midnight, my body was no longer bouncing back from gigs, my back was paying the price for festivals for weeks after, and then going out altogether was forcibly stopped by you know what for a while. I had gone from being extremely comfortable with who and where I was, to feeling like needing to change some habits, lifestyle choices, and thought patterns. Of course like any period of change and self growth this affected those around me and my relationships with them. So the lyrics in this song hit home for me. Not that I ever wanted to literally physically get away but metaphorically at times I did. And the lines "Have I changed too much? Maybe not enough, I don't wanna weigh you down" were like they were written for exactly what I was thinking and feeling. The lyrics "Happiness weighs a ton, It's all speckled in luck ,And heavy as fuck" also felt appropriate. That's the power of music and song, when it feels like it is speaking directly to you, and you know that it is having a similar effect on others, for probably totally different reasons. Anyway to sum it up this ended up being a song that resonated with me on a very powerful emotional level, that selfishly moved me to near tears at times, but also had a helpful, positive effect on me that somehow gave me an optimistic outlook and determination to keep improving and be the best person I could be.



And here is an incredible live version that blew me away.



And just to show them off here is their impressive (if a bit karaoke like) live cover of the difficult Paranoid Android by Radiohead.



My top 50

#50 Flat Worms, The Aughts
#49 The Smith Street Band, Big Smoke
#48 Fontaines D.C., A Hero’s Death
#47 Ty Segall & Cory Hanson, She’s A Beam
#46 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard , Ontology
#45 Bob Vylan, We Live Here
#44 Gorillaz , Momentary Bliss ft. slowthai & Slaves
#43 Tired Lion, Lie To Me
#42 Enola Gay, The Birth Of A Nation
#41 The Avalanches, Take Care In Your Dreaming (feat. Denzel Curry, Tricky & Sampa The Great)
#40 Violent Soho, Lying On The Floor
#39 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Intrasport
#38 Tiny Little Houses, Richard Cory
#37 Osees, Toadstool
#36 Stand Atlantic, Righteous
#35 Fontaines D.C., Televised Mind
#34 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, Honey
#33 Iceage, Lockdown Blues
#32 Run The Jewels, JU$T (feat. Pharell Williams & Zack de la Rocha)
#31 IDLES, War
#30 Peter Bibby, Whyalla
#29 Sly Withers, Cracks
#28 Waax, Pool Party
#27 Hope D, Second
#26 Sports Team, Lander
#25 Jeff Rosenstock, Scram!
#24 Psychedelic Porn Crumpets, Mr. Prism
#23 Peter Bibby, Oceans
#22 Ball Park Music, Day & Age
#21 Soccer96 (feat. Alabaster De Plume), I Was Gonna Fight Fascism
#20 Jeff Rosenstock, N O D R E A M
#19 IDLES, Grounds
#18 flowerkid, miss andry
#17 Last Quokka, Colony
#16 Slaves, One More Day Won’t Hurt (Bob Vylan Remix)
#15 Run The Jewels, a few words for the firing squad
#14 King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, The Hungry Wolf Of Fate
#13 The Smith Street Band, I Still Dream About You
#12 Grandaddy, RIP Coyote Condo #5
#11 IDLES, Anxiety
#10 Cable Ties, Sandcastles
#9 IDLES, Mr. Motivator
#8 Noah Dillon, Knievel Daredevil (feat. Asha Jefferies)
#7 Matt Berninger, Holes
#6 Car Seat Headrest, Can’t Cool Me Down
#5 RAT!hammock, Word Of The Day
#4 Porridge Radio, Sweet
#3 Fuzz, End Returning
#2 IDLES, Model Village
#1 Ball Park Music, Cherub

Thanks everyone for participating and making this a success, and massive plaudits to Shryke, for suggesting, organising, and running this whole thing.

Lastly if anyone is interested here is a link to my 100 favourite albums of 2020.

https://www.besteveralbums.com/thechart.php?c=57250

User avatar
numbersix
Darth Vader
Posts: 11545
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 2:34 pm

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by numbersix »

Ron,

Your #1 was quite befitting, as it represented most of what was on your list. If I were to define it as a single entity, it would be a list of easy-listening music. Most hate a sort of late-night-chill vibe. So for the most part the songs didn't bother me nor particularly excite me. Tame Impala, The Weeknd, Gorillaz, Childish Gambino all worked fine for me. And The two Avalanches songs that made your Top 2 songs of the year were similar. Decent, light electro music. This was in stark contrast to Tranny's list that provoked either strong love or vile hatred!

User avatar
numbersix
Darth Vader
Posts: 11545
Joined: October 21st, 2009, 2:34 pm

Re: Top 50 of 2020 - The #1's

Post by numbersix »

Leetsu,

I'm really glad you opened up about your song of the year. It has been hard, and I think lockdown has forced everyone to reevaluate their lives, sometimes for the better and sometimes not. Some of us had existential crises and some of us buried ourselves in whatever was comforting. So I certainly understand why the lyrics of that song resonate so much with you.

The song itself was okay musically, and certainly got better in the latter half. But overall I really enjoyed your list, as expected. Som eof the local Aussie bands didn't quite grab me, and probably need to be seen live. But the likes of Osees/OCs/Thee Oh Sees/whatever Dwyer calls himself these days, and of course King Gizzard and Ty Segall, are always welcome to these ears. Also between us we managed to make the group listen to all of the new IDLES album, with Mr Motivator being a crossover. Are you on the AF gang group on Facebook? It's a really warm, welcoming space. Also great to see Fontaines, RtJ, and Porridge Radio. That slaves song was new to me and excellent, and also good to see Bob Vylan has hit Antipodean shores. Lots of crossover with your favourite albums too.

So yeah, thanks for sharing not just the music but your thoughts too, and hope it helped with what you're going through!

Post Reply