Top 10 (or whatever) Songs of the Year - 2020

This was the list that I submitted for the Pitchfork reader's poll and I don't feel like thinking about it much more. A lot more top 40 tracks than there usually are for me.

1. "Only Children" - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
2. "The Motor" - The Wants
3. "New Jade" - Caribou
4. "ISH" - Zebra Katz
5. "Physical" - Dua Lipa
6. "Woo Woo Woo (feat. Amanda Blank & Micah James)" - Naeem
7. "Rain on Me (with Ariana Grande)" - Lady Gaga
8. "Martha Divine" - Ashley McBryde
9. "Both of Us" - Jayda G
10. "Blinding Lights" - The Weeknd

1. Run the Jewels - A Few Words for the Firing Squad

Released directly after George Floyd and in the middle of the protests. While a lot of people were quoting an "I Can't Breathe" line that Killer Mike has in the song Walking in the Snow. In my opinion that song can't hold a fucking candle how perfectly Firing Squad embodies the energy of that time period. Originally, I wasn't sure what to make of there being no huge drop with drums at any point after such a build, but I've grown to love that. The payoff of the sax at the end is much more impactful. I get chills as soon as the song begins and I leave feeling so much energy when it ends.

Icing on the cake here is Mike's first verse: "It'd be a lie if I told you that I ever disdained the fortune and fame / but the presence of the pleasure never abstained me from any of the pain / When my mother transitioned to another plane I was sitting on a plane / Telling her to hold on but she just couldn't hang / It's been two years, truth is I'll probably never be the same / Dead serious its a chore to not let myself go insane / It's crippling, make you want to lean on a cup of promethazine / But my queen says she needs a king not another junkie flunky rapper fiend / Friends tell her 'he could be another Malcom, he could be another Martin' / She said 'partner I need a husband more than the world needs another martyr."

I originally posed the question of which RTJ album closer is the best of the four since they have all been so great. But that question is a joke to me now as Firing Squad is easily the answer. The only annoyance is that I have to forget they tacked on a skit to the end of this song, which I'm choosing to not count as a part of the song.

2. Gorillaz - Desole (could listen on loop for hours straight)
3. Charli XCX - Forever
4. Disclosure - Tondo
5. Charli XCX - Detonate (underrated)
6. Charli XCX - Claws
7. Mac Miller - Circles (opening line of the album "well this is what it looks like right before you fall"... won't forget how I felt the first time I heard that over this instrumental)
8. Run The Jewels - Oh La La
9. Tkay Maizda featuring JPEGMAFIA - Awake
10. Fleet Foxes - Can I Believe You (feels like a guilty pleasure but whatever I belt it in the shower often)

My favorite album that doesn't have a song on the list is Jessie Ware's.

It's kinda of a grey area if the single drops the year before but the album comes out the calendar year after. Personally I like to go off the album release date and say every song counts for that year. More times than not I'll actually try to avoid listening to singles and wait for the album.

And I agree on "A Few Words for the Firing Squad." One of my favorite from their album and the no drums didn't bother me like it probably would it most songs. Almost included it in my HM but went with "The Ground Below."

Idk seems pretty black and white to me. Song came out in 2019. If 2019 songs count I'd have the Caribou singles and Heartless by the Weeknd on mine though.

Lol, fair enough. But like I said, many times I won't even hear a song until the whole album drops. But I'm weird like that... I prefer the idea of an entire album as the musical art form. I know things are different now tho with practically half an album getting released ahead of time via singles.

Aries is the biz (probably my #2)

Kyoto made it so I'm happy enough. Easily my SOTY

He listens to nav what isn't there to like about him

I post these because they are dumb.

lol I doubled checked Helados spotify the other day to see if I missed an album, just three singles about Love

In no particular order

My top 25 songs of the year:

25: Caribou - You and I
24: Taylor Swift - Exile (ft. Bon Iver)
23: Car Seat Headrest - Can’t Cool Me Down
22: Kali Uchis - vaya con dios
21: The Strokes - The Adults Are Talking
20: Sigur Ros - Dvergmal
19: Run the Jewels - Out of Sight (ft. 2 Chainz)
18: Rina Sawayama - Akasaka Sad
17: Fleet Foxes - Cradling Mother, Cradling Woman
16: Against All Logic - Deeeeeeefers
15: Dorian Electra - My Agenda (ft. Village People & Pussy Riot)
14: Holy Fuck - Luxe
13: Bonny Light Horseman - The Roving
12: R.A.P. Ferreira - Mythical
11: Gorillaz - MLS (ft. Chai & Jpegmafia)
10: Lianne La Havas - Weird Fishes
9: The Avalanches - Running Red Lights (ft. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Siifu)
8: Clipping. - Enlacing
7: Charli XCX - Claws
7: Mac Miller - Blue World
5: Yves Tumor - Kerosene!
4: Sufjan Stevens - Sugar
3: Gupi - Thos Moser (ft. Fraxiom)
2: Dan Deacon - Sat By A Tree
1: Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End

Like how we all picked a different Gorillaz song haha.

Missed this thread. I had a running list going, haven't really finished it.