So first of all let me be honest - I am ready for year end lists in the world of music. Those of you who either watch this space or know me should also know that 2020 was a really different year in terms of the music I listened to. Yeah, yeah, we can all reflect on COVID and work from home and say unprecedented a lot, but whatever it is or was, my musical tastes went really sideways. I'm sure I'll have more on that when I do my spotify write up, but for now, this list.
I fully appreciate that all the songs play embedded, here is the spotify direct link.
10. Long Road Home by Oneothrix Point Never off of Magic Oneothrix Point Never.
Do you know who this is? I didn't either, but I a couple seconds of searching informed me that it is Daniel Lopatin, the guy who did the excellent Uncut Gems soundtrack. This song is great and deserves more attention - its complex and challenging, but has enough structure there to be palatable to listeners who don's steep themselves in electronica or ambient. Great pick Time.
9. Uwrongo by Prince Kaybee, Shimza, Black Motion, and Ami Faku (Single)
I had no idea who any of these people were, Time gives some dramatic backstory, but the question is, is the song good? Yes, yes it is. It is great. Sadly most of my touch in African pop is random bits and bobs I pick up in pop culture and Paul Simon's Graceland. This song is Graceland, updated for 2020 R&B sounds. I loved every second of it. If you liked Nico and Vinz in 2015 but wanted something a little more authentic and less pop, this is probably it.
8. Back Door by Stray Kids, off of In Life.
2020 was truly my year of K-pop. I went from "I like a couple here and there because they are earwigs" to "I follow K-pop news and understand why music shows matter." That said, my appreciation of boy bands still lags well behind my enjoyment of the female idol groups. Of course, this must be balanced with the fact that I now categorize groups by their management, and know that I like a lot of what JYP is putting out. All of this is a long way of saying, if Time had to pick a single song to represent all of K-pop for 2020, this is not my choice but its passable.
7. 7 Summers by Morgan Wallen (single).
I'm not quite one of those people who says "Anything but country" when asked about my musical tastes, but I'm pretty close in practice. I don't stay that close to country except to understand that it is suffering from an identity crises where all the top 40 is formulaic and drowning out some really unique talents. This song honestly sounds like the former - there is unrequited love, beer, summer, and a river... The music is balanced but clearly makes use of 12 studio musicians to lay down the various layers of chords. The lyrics are also dripping in that bizarre sort of misogyny that is a warning sign of future violence when an internet troll expresses it but makes up the basis of country music. Wallen has the best mullet of 2020, and there have been some decent mullets this year.
6. Think About Things by Daoi Freyr (single, Eurovision)
I love Eurovision and spend a lot of time with it, and with it being cancelled this year, I think much like the 1992 Phillies, Daoi Freyr will always be remembered as being robbed. I've been listening to this song since it first attracted Eurivision buzz and it still holds up. Its great, just great, that sort of simple electro-pop that Iceland is singularly good at once every decade. I just love it, and you should too.
5. Good News by Mac Miller, off of Circles
Sadly, Mac Miller has never been able to capture my imagination the way he probably deserves. Circles was no different for me, and Good News fits that bill exactly. I listen to it, think to myself "This is really great" and then turn it off and never listen to it again until it shows up on a year end list. He is soulful, his lyrics are deep and well written, and he absolutely knows what his strengths are, but again, of the song's 5 minute run time the first 2 minutes are enough for me.
4. Little Nokia by Bree Runway off of 2000AND3EVA
Time's write up, and the video, probably hurt this one more than it deserves. This song is just great. As Time does correctly point out, this walks across genres in a way that could easily be trite but instead just makes it into its own song. Its smart, catchy, and bold in all the right ways - I feel like this is Rhianna if she went harder and less broad appeal.\
3. Yo Perreo Sola - Remix by Bad Bunny, Nesi and Ivy Queen (single)
I wasn't as enamored with this one as Time, in fact this and 7 Summers are the headscratchers for me. Its a solid Reggaeton song for sure, and I also really like the minimalist presentation here. Unfortunately, it will probably be slaughtered with all sorts of extra noise in clubs for the next two years (assuming clubs ever are a thing again...). I really enjoyed that the video makes use of drag, something I understand to be a big deal in latin machismo culture, but otherwise I'm just not seeing how this is better than all but two other songs released this year...
2. WAP (feat. Megan Thee Stallion) by Cardi B (single)
If there was a single song that I think captures 2020, this might be it - its unique role in trolling the Republican machine was perfect, the genius of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, the fact that everyone needed a rude escape, if in 50 years they re-do Forest Gump this is a big part of the 2020 scenes soundtrack. Again, though, this isn't that great of a song in and of itself - its value is the commentary it makes, the commentary it generated, the commentary it will continue to generate. If the list was "10 songs that explain 2020" this would be number 1, if the list is "the best songs" of 2020, this doesn't qualify.
1. People, I've been sad by Christine and the Queens off of La vita nuova
Ok, this can be the best song of 2020. This is a fine choice. I'm on board. This stands on its own as art, and you don't even need Time's overly contrived writeup about how this is how we all felt this year unprecedented etc etc. Song is so beautiful, so well performed, and it knows exactly what it wants to do at every moment. This is why I love the best IDM - there are a million bips and bops, and each of them represents a chance to be right or wrong, and the best (Aphex, mu-ziq) are always right, even when you aren't. This song has that quality.
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