This year 2020 has been a challenging one at best. For many of us it’s been a matter of trying to survive – financially, emotionally, and health-wise – in the face of the virus-driven pandemic and massive socio-political turmoil.
Through this life-changing time period (both bad and good), what keeps many of us going is our connection to and passion for those and what we love, including music.
My ‘Best of 2020’ playlist/list is an eclectic reflection of my path through 2020, with an emphasis at times on topical punk and/or protest songs (TOP 30 ALBUMS: #8, #9, #14, #15, and #29; TOP 50 SONGS: #1 – #8; TOP 20 VIDEOS: #1 – #7 and #20).
My usual faves also make the grade in the shoegaze and dreampop to post-punk and darkwave (sub-)genres (scattered throughout the list), as well as my perennial favorites like (The London) Suede, Katiejane Garside (as Liar, Flower), Steve Kilbey, Grant-Lee Phillips, The Twilight Sad, Amy Duncan, mr. Gnome, Bad Religion, Secret Shine, and Cousteau(x).
While my TOP 30 ALBUMS and TOP 20 VIDEOS lists are generally in countdown order, my TOP 50 SONGS list is a bit of a mix, where I tried to group similar song genres together for a better playlist flow.
Enjoy, I hope!
Jen
MY TOP 30 ALBUMS of 2020
1. Suede (or, ahem, The London Suede in the US) – Beautiful Ones: The Best of Suede 1992 – 2018 (4-CD/6-LP compilation) – (Demon Music)
Official NEWS about compilation
Suede TV – Suede videos 24/7:
2. Liar, Flower – Geiger Counter – (One Little Independent)
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Geiger Counter”
MY NEWS on Katiejane Garside (Daisy Chainsaw, QueenAdreena, Ruby Throat) and Chris Whittingham’s (Ruby Throat) new project Liar, Flower
3. Iress – Flaw
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Hand Tremor”
4. Loveblind – Sleeping Visions – (Saint Marie)
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Daydream”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “A Strange Place”
5. Bloody Knives – 70 Years of Static
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of 70 Years of Static
6. Seasurfer – Zombies – (Reptile Music)
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “SOS”
MY VIDEOPREMIERE of “Lovers Breakdown”
7. The Twilight Sad – It Won’t Always Be Like This (live) – (Rock Action)
8. I Like Trains – KOMPROMAT – (Atlantic Curve)
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “The Truth”
9. Sheafs – Vox Pop EP
10. Bambara – Stray – (Wharf Cat)
11. Deftones – Ohms – (Reprise)
12. Fearing – Shadows
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of Shadows
13. Amy Duncan – The Hidden World – (Filly Records)
14. Joy Oladokun – In Defense Of My Own Happiness Vol. 1
15. Resistance Revival Chorus – This Joy – (Righteous Babe)
16. Steve Kilbey & Gareth Koch – Songs From Another Life: Music of Antiquity – (Foghorn / MGM)
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Nero”
17. Grant-Lee Phillips – Lightning, Show Us Your Stuff – (Yep Roc)
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Mourning Dove”
18. Total Rubbish – Triple Negative EP – (Born Losers)
19. Forever Honey – Pre-Mortem High EP
20. Slow Pulp – Moveys – (Winspear)
21. Holy Motors – Horse – (Wharf Cat)
22. Pia Fraus – Empty Parks – (Seksound)
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Love Sports”
23. Backwards Charm – Nevergreen – (Somewherecold)
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of Nevergreen
24. Ultrviolence – Sally Would Say..
MY VIDEOPREMIERE of “Self Care”
25. Tombstones In Their Eyes – Collection (compilation) – (Somewhwerecold)
MY NEWS on double LP compilation Collection
26. mr. Gnome – The Day You Flew Away – (El Marko)
27. Aint About Me – Aint About Me
MY ALBUM REVIEW
28. Search & Seizure – Outer Space EP
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Missing Person”
29. Scary Hours – Margins – (Pyrrhic Victory Recordings)
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of Margins
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Worthwhile Victims”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Cost of Living”
30. Record Setter – I Owe You Nothing
MY TOP 50 SONGS of 2020
1. Bob Mould – “American Crisis”
2. The Elected Officials – “Death for Sale”
MY INTERVIEW
3. Bad Religion – “What Are We Standing For?”
4. The Venomous Pinks – “Todos Unidos”
5. Mid City – “Liar Liar”
6. The smallest Creature – “Glow”
MY NEWS on The smallest Creatures’ album Magic Beans
NO SC 7. Benchmarks – “Our Finest Hour”
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of Benchmarks’ album Summer, Slowly
8. Gangstagrass – “Do Better” feat. Randal Wyatt
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Ride With You”
9. Secret Meadow – “Of One’s Desire”
10. Grrrl Gang – “Dream Grrrl”
11. Stars & Rabbit – “Little Mischiveous”
12. The Luxembourg Signal – “2:22”
MY ALBUM PRMIERE of The Luxembourg Signal’s album The Long Now
13. Swirlpool – “Spinning In Reverse”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Spinning In Reverse”
14. Milly – “Star Thistle Blossom”
MY NEWS on Milly
15. Peel Dream Magazine – “Pill”
16. Pinkshinyultrablast – “Songs”
17. Secret Shine – “Ember”
18. Holy Fawn – “Candy”
19. White Flowers – “Night Drive”
19.5. Slow Crush – “Reel”
19.75. White Ring – “Lower Road (Down)”
20. R. Missing – “Placeholder For the Night”
21. Manor – “Is This What You Really Want?”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Is This What You Really Want?”
22. Spacette – “City of Gold”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “City of Gold”
23. “Joseph of Mercury – “Can’t Take Your Love”
24. Choir Boy – “Complainer”
25. Lavender Blush – “I’m in Love”
26. Fassine – “Magpie”
27. Secret Shame – “Dissolve”
MY INTERVIEW
28. Mor Mor – “Don’t Cry”
29. Das Mortal – “Wicked Desires”
30. The Churchhill Garden – “Light”
MY NEWS on The Churchhill Garden’s album Heart and Soul
31. Mint Field – “Delicadeza”
32. Keep Shelly In Athens – “Neon Glare”
33. The Reds, Pinks, & Purples – “Last Summer In A Rented Room”
34. Mt. Doubt – “68th in Orbit”
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of Mt. Doubt’s Doubtlands
35. Cousteaux – “When the Bloom Has Left the Rose”
36. “Lunar Twin – “Drunken Sky”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Slow Down”
37. MOAT – “Acid Rain”
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Acid Rain”
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Gone By Noon”
38. My Dear Mycroft – “By Passion Alone”
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of My Dear Mycroft’s Heaven’s Entertainment
MY SONG PREMIERE of “The Ghost That Slows You Down”
39. The City Gates – “Roman Empire”
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Roman Empire”
40. Soft Kill – “Floodgate” feat. Tamaryn
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Floodgate”
41. Topographies – “Rose of Sharon”
42. Houses of Heaven – “Sleep”
43. Bootblacks – “Traveling Light”
44. Crying Vessel – “The Third Covenant”
45. Vlimmer – “Vorwehen”
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Falter”
46. Outward – “I Will Be Something
MY ALBUM PREMIERE of Outward’s I Will Be Something
47. Eldridge Rodriguez – “Country and Western”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Your Dead Boyfriend”
48. Touche Amore – “Lament”
49. The Raging Nathans – “Signals”
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Where Ya Been?”
50. BiS – “It’s Too Late”
MY TOP 20 VIDEOS of 2020
1. Jimbob – “2020 WTF!”
2. America’s Got Talent 2020 winner Brandon Leake – “Pookie” (spoken word)
3. Too Many T’s – “This Earth Is F**ked”
4. Gina Volpe – “Don’t Touch Your Face”
5. Mechanimal – “Scavengers”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Scavengers”
MY INTERVIEW
6. The 65’s – “Waiting Here So Long”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Waiting Here So Long”
7. The Lovely Eggs – “This Decision”
8. K. Enagonio – “I Have A Problem” (Beartooth cover)
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of K.’s band Matriarchs’ “Bomba Clot”
9. Gjon’s Tears – “Repondez-Moi”
10. Indochine & *Christine and the Queens – “3SEX”
11. SRSQ – “Temporal Love”
12. Gunship – “The Drone Racers” (edit of “The Drone Racing League”)
13. State To State – “Bye Bye”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “Bye Bye”
14. Beauty in Chaos” feat. *Tyler Bates and Rafe Pearlman – “Temple of Desire” (Box Cutter Mix)
MY NEWS on “Temple of Desire” (Box Cutter Mix) and new video
15. Ramsey – “Home To You”
16. The Stargazer Lilies – “Icarus Sun”
17. Billie Eillish – “my future”
19. Elizabeth Gillies – “Woman of Heart and Mind” (Joni Mitchell cover)
19. Future Islands – “Born In A War”
20. The Velvet Hands – “When This Is Over”
MY VIDEO PREMIERE of “When This Is Over”
MY SONG PREMIERE of “Fallout”
MY NEWS on “Back On A Winner” (alt version)
