For some reason, I struggled with this list in 2020 a little more than I usually do. And I was gonna go and secretly expand it into a Top 25 list by doing five honorable mentions. But screw it. Let's just go for it.
Once again, I'm going to spread this list out over two posts. I'll be covering #'s 20-11 here, and #'s 10-1 in a second post later this week.
Note that these weren't necessarily singles. (In fact, probably none of them were.) They were just my 20 favorite songs of the year.
So here's Part 1 of my list, in reverse order:
20. Torres - "Two of Everything" Torres - Two of Everything
This isn't the first time singer/songwriter MacKenzie Scott (aka Torres) has made one of my Best Of lists. But this one is all about the lyrics, which is unusual for me. A lot of time, I love a song for years before the lyrics even sink in. This time, though, it's the story the song is telling that fascinates me, as Torres sings to her lover's (presumably male) lover, and sort of passive-aggressively taunts him, with questions like, "Does she also call you 'baby'?/You should know she calls me 'baby'." Heh. Poor bastard.
19. Mora Mothaus - "Toxic Snow" Mora Mothaus - Toxic Snow
I don't have a whole lot of information I can tell you about Japanese singer/songwriter Mora Mothaus. Her EP Overture to a Dream was actually the first album I listened to in 2020, and it stuck with me. This song is slow, hypnotic, and oh so cold. And also a little sad.
18. Seether - Dangerous" Seether - Dangerous
OK, I lied before. This one was actually a single, and a fairly successful one. I never really listened to this South African hard rock band before this year, and I was surprised I liked their 2020 LP Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum (which means "If you want peace, prepare for war" in Latin) as much as I did. The song has a nice undercurrent of menace to it, and the video is pretty sick (in a good way).
17. Alexia Avina - "Inner Garden" Alexia Avina - Inner Garden
This pretty, ethereal song is my favorite from the latest LP by Canadian singer/songwriter Alexia Avina. Now when I make my Top 20 Songs list, I do it based on how much I like the songs, not how nicely it fits together as a playlist. Unfortunately, this being the third song in the first four by a somewhat quiet female singer/songwriter, this time the first part of my playlist is a little draggy. Sorry about that. It really is a nice song, though.
16. Enter Shikari - "Modern Living" Enter Shikari - Modern Living...
Sorry guys, another fairly slow song. I've noticed that this album by British alternative rock band Enter Shikari is a bit divisive, at least on the Sputnik Music website. It's got a good rating (3.6/5), and it's getting significant action in the Top 10 Albums of the Year voting. But some people really hate it (and the band). Well, no matter. I can't tell you exactly what I like about this one - it's kind of obnoxious. But like it I do.
15. Psychotic Waltz - "Devils and Angels" Psychotic Waltz - Devils and Angels
Now this one picks up the pace. This is the opening track on the brand new LP by Californian progressive metal band Psychotic Waltz, their first new LP in 24 years. It's a reasonably heavy track, but with a good sense of dynamics that keeps it interesting throughout its 6-minute-plus run time.
14. Lisa Loeb - "Skeleton" Lisa Loeb - Skeleton
Oops, back to the whole chick singer/songwriter thing. What can I tell you, I'm a sensitive male of the 21st century who's in touch with his feminine side, and not at all a toxic male. Yeah, right. Anyway, I think this might be Loeb's best song since "Stay," not that anyone else noticed. This was actually released as a single also, although it didn't go anywhere. But I like it, and since this is my list ...
13. Haley Mary - "The Piss, the Perfume" Hayley Mary - The Piss, the Perfume
Now you might think, given the rest of this list, that this is yet another sensitive singer/songwriter track, but you'd be wrong. This one is actually a fairly raucous shitkicker of a number, by Hayley Mary, the lead vocalist of the Australian band The Jezebels. It's the title track from her first solo effort, an EP released early in the year.
12. Woods - "Just to Fall Asleep" Woods - Just to Fall Asleep
Brooklyn indie folk band Woods is another one of those outfits I just discovered this year, although they've been making albums for more than a decade now. This hypnotic little track probably would have finished higher on this list, except for a weird and abrupt ending. (So be forewarned). But it still deserves its place in my Top 20.
11. Echosmith - "Everyone Cries" Echosmith - Everyone Cries
OK, if ever there was a song that cemented my place in the Sensitive Male of the 2000s Hall of Fame, this is it. But I'm secure with my manliness, dammit! I am! Even if I like some of the same music as a fourteen-year-old girl, I'm secure, I tell you!
OK, that's it for the first half of my list. I have to go and have a good cry now. I'll see you later in the week.
