Best Of 2020: Songs In Alphabetical Order Through March 31st
ringtone (Remix) [feat. Charli XCX, Rico Nasty, Kero Kero Bonito] – 100 gecs, Charli XCX, Rico Nasty – state of the art
Cinderella Story – A Boogie Wit da Hoodie -chill r&b sounding with stronger beats by one of the best
Normalization Blues – AJJ – folkie protest perfection
I Think You’re Great – Alex the Astronaut – the guitar lick is solid silver
Si Veo a Tu Mamá – Bad Bunny – the one where he samples Antônio Carlos Jobim
Promises – Beach Bunny – punk pop SoCal style
For The First Time – Best Coast – Beth moves on
Murder Most Foul – Bob Dylan – a dirge for the loss of Camelot retracted into a cultural moment
Deep In Love – Bonny Light Horseman, Eric D. Johnson, Josh Kaufman, Anaïs Mitchell – folkie supergroup, get this gorgeous love song right
Bigger Boat (feat. Randy Newman) – Brandy Clark, Randy Newman – a charming piece of agitprop
Murda She Wrote – Buju Banton – Banton dancehall
Time – Childish Gambino – The Ariana Grande duet of sustained strength and steel and scariness
Sulfur Surrounding – Code Orange – in a different world this would break the screamos pop
Shoot Sideways – Conway the Machine, The Alchemist, ScHoolboy Q -this is what is great about OG -nursery rhymes and murder
Heart Attack – Courteeners – kings of the tempo quick hard kick
Out The Slums – Remix – Drakeo the Ruler, Danny Brown, 03 Greedo – not just serious stuff but, hey, it’s Danny so it’s also fun
BUSSIT (with Ari Lennox) – Dreamville, Ari Lennox – Ari in strong voice
Godzilla (feat. Juice WRLD) – Eminem, Juice WRLD – Juice is strong on the chorus
My Attitude – Flo Milli – a straight up and casually brilliant rap track plus major hook
Life Is Good (feat. Drake) – Future, Drake – better together
Your Reply – Frances Quinlan – so good I went back and listened to Hop Along
Gary Lives in the Twilight Zone – Gary Wilson – why don’t you call him on his new telephone?
You should be sad – Halsey – the glad i never ever had a baby with you is devastating
Something Relative – Honey Harper – beautiful voice singing beautiful country style Americana
Like a Woman Should – Hayley Mary – good song, incredibly great singing
Slide (Remix) (feat. Pop Smoke, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie & Chris Brown) – H.E.R., A Boogie Wit da Hood a who’s who of pop on a what’s what
Sometimes – H.E.R. – one of her best songs to date
Be Afraid – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit – agitprop points the finger at his peers
Verde – J Balvin, Sky Rompiendo – this is pop 2020, trap beat to ecstatic pop electronica
Flower – Jehnny Beth of Savages were lo fi they’d be this
P*$$Y Fairy (OTW) – Jhené Aiko – hot and chill sex song
Tuesday I’ll Be Gone (feat. Blake Shelton) – John Anderson, Blake Shelton – a legend, a great, and the lick of a lifetime
In The Basement – Juiceboxxx – sounds like sadcore but this guy has been around forever
Intentions (feat. Quavo) – Justin Bieber, Quavo – maybe he only has one but it is a great one (on the new album I mean)
Wishful Thinking – Katie Pruitt – low key Americana folk bummer
la – Kelsea Ballerini – then she took a pill in Ibiza
Back of a Cab – King Princess – the brooding add on for the deluxe album is a brooding piece of missynched weird soulfulness
Stupid Love – Lady Gaga – This is what Gaga does best, a pure disco concoction filled with character and zass
Set Me Free – Lecrae, YK Osiris – The apex of Christian rap not named Kanye heralded by a Mary Mary sample
Digging in the Desert – Lié – get up and use them
I’m Sorry – Lil Uzi Vert – The real follow up to “The Way Life Goes”
Forgiveness – Mandy Moore – The one where Mandy gets to the finishing end of Ryan
Lost Girl – Music from the Netflix Original Film – Lucinda Williams – Americana marble mouth for nine minutes of wow
MIB – Myke Towers – Latin trap with an excellent rap
Cut Me – Moses Sumney – stunning, bass picked and then there is this: “Might not be healthy for me but seemingly I need
what cuts me
Me in 20 Years – Moses Sumney – art pop
Oh Canada – Nadia Reid – folk beat from a woman who sounds like she is Canadian
Elevator (127F) – NCT 127 – and not only that, they beat Coronavirus to a standstill
God’s Own Children – Obongjayar – African dance pop
Blue Moon – Onyx Collective, Ian Isiah – The New York jazz guys with a delicate and lovely cover
What Makes Me Think About You – Nicolas Godin – Airtight electronic pop move
Garden Song – Phoebe Bridgers – sweet, aching nostalgia
Concrete – Poppy – Bury her six feet deep
Sweet – Porridge Radio – the face of errant sadcore as post-punk prog wakemare
Keep Up – RaeLynn – the shade of her lipstick matches her neck
Cocoon – Sam Huber – neo r&b as art rock
Hard To Forget – Sam Hunt – There stands the song
Rare – Selena Gomez – it isn’t Ariane on romance, but it is still great
Slow Down – Acoustic – Skip Marley, H.E.R. – Bob’s Grandson and H.E.R.’s third song on this list
Mal – Slow Mass – melodic hardcore meets punk
Only The Young – Featured in Miss Americana – Taylor Swift – Yeah, Taylor gets political but you’ll stay for the terrific hook
The Man – Live From Paris – Taylor Swift – killer track but really, women are completely paranoid when it comes to male power. I mean, really? Taylor IS THE MAN
Iron Fist – Tha God Fahim – if Wu were from the South…
Trash Glam Baby – The Boomtown Rats – their first song knocking on forty years and it’s still like clockwork
Scared To Live – The Weeknd – best use of a major Elton John sample EVER
Dressing America – TORRES – she goes Americana-y
Bikini Porn – Tove Lo – Hot stuff EDM nursery rhyme, the video is killer -co-produced by Finneas
Lilacs – Waxahatchee – A brilliant metaphor fuels a sad and sweet and smart indie folk rock in love that seems slipping and needs holding, just a sense of how life fades
