“undressed” by charismatic young artist sombr remains at #1 for a second week, while “Five More Seconds” by English duo Seafret and Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall moves up two spots to #2, and “Ensenada” by Southern California ska punk band Sublime also advances two spots, to #3. Nine Inch Nails‘ “As Alive As You Need Me To Be” enters the top 10 at #9, and “Sushi and Coca-Cola” by Alabama soul band St. Paul & The Broken Bones leaps 10 spots to #16, making it the biggest upward mover on this week’s chart.
Two songs make their debut, the first of which is “City Walls” by my longtime favorite band Twenty One Pilots, consisting of singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Tyler Joseph and drummer Josh Dun. The song replaces their previous single “The Contract”, which falls off my chart after its 14-week run. Both songs are from their eighth and latest album Breach, which dropped September 12th.
The second debut is the hauntingly beautiful “Specter” by American alternative melodic metalcore band Bad Omens. Formed in 2015, the band now consists of Noah Sebastian (lead vocals, programming), Nicholas Ruffilo (bass, backing vocals), Joakim “Jolly” Karlsson (guitars, programming) Nick Folio (drums, percussion). Their magnificent song “THE DEATH OF PEACE OF MIND” spent four weeks at #7 on my chart in late 2023 and finished the year at #56.
UNDRESSED – sombr (1)
FIVE MORE SECONDS – Seafret & KT Tunstall (4)
ENSENADA – Sublime (5)
JUPITER – almost monday feat. Jordana (2)
SALLY, WHEN THE WINE RUNS OUT – ROLE MODEL (3)
BACKSEAT – Balu Brigada (7)
BETTER DAYS – Yellowcard (9)
LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated (10)
AS ALIVE AS YOU NEED ME TO BE – Nine Inch Nails (11)
POLYESTER (YES SIR) – Sorry Ghost (6)
HORNETS – Western Jaguar (14)
MISTAKES – Caamp (15)
THE WEATHER – All Time Low (16)
ASSHOLE – The Lumineers (8)
WRECK – Neko Case (22)
SUSHI AND COCA-COLA – St. Paul & The Broken Bones (26)
MY MIND IS A MOUNTAIN – Deftones (13)
DOWNSTAIRS – Matt Maeson (24)
EVERYBODY SCREAM – Florence + The Machine (25)
ELEGANTLY WASTED – Hermanos Gutiérrez feat. Leon Bridges (28)
ANOTHER LIFE – Alabama Shakes (29)
MOODY – Royel Otis (17)
METAL – The Beths (18)
EVERYDAY MAGIC – My Morning Jacket (19)
FEELS RIGHT – Talk in Waves (12) 20th week on chart
There are some major changes to my chart this week, with a great new #1 song and four terrific new debuts. New York City born and now Los Angeles based sombr (the musical moniker of 20-year-old singer-songwriter and producer Shane Michael Boose) scores his second #1 song on my chart with “undressed” (“back to friends” spent three weeks at #1 in July). Both songs are featured on his debut album I Barely Know Her, which dropped August 22nd. I think the 6-foot, 7-inch tall young man is one of the finest new artists to emerge on the music scene this year.
“Light Years Apart” by Unobliterated, the music project of England-born and now Portugal-based singer-songwriter and musician Gary Taylor, enters the top 10 at #10. And “Mistakes” by Columbus, Ohio-based bluegrass-folk band Caamp, and The Weather” by Maryland pop-punk/rock band All Time Low are the biggest upward movers this week, each climbing eight spots to #15 and #16, respectively.
There were at least seven songs I wanted to add to this week’s chart, but not ready to drop that many off in order to accommodate them all, I had to limit my new additions to only four, the first of which is the delightful “Sushi and Coca-Cola” by soul band St. Paul & The Broken Bones, entering at #26. Formed in Birmingham, Alabama in 2012, the eight-piece consists of Paul Janeway (vocals), Browan Lollar (guitar), Jesse Phillips (bass), Kevin Leon (drums), Al Gamble (keys), Allen Branstetter (trumpet), Amari Ansari (saxophone), and Chad Fisher (trombone). Though they’ve released five albums, two EPs and numerous singles, I’ve somehow never heard of them until recently, when I saw “Sushi and Coca-Cola” rise up the Billboard AAA chart, where it currently sits at #2. I’m loving their soulful jazz-infused sound.
The second debut, coming in at #28, is the enchanting “Elegantly Wasted” by Hermanos Gutiérrez, featuring vocals by one of my favorite singers Leon Bridges. Hermanos Gutiérrez (Spanish for “Gutiérrez Brothers”) is a Latin instrumental band formed in 2015 in Zürich by Ecuadorian-Swiss brothers Alejandro Gutiérrez (guitar and lap steel) and Estevan Gutiérrez (guitar and percussion). The talented duo is totally new to me despite the fact they’ve released seven albums since 2017. One of them, El Bueno y el Malo, was recorded in Nashville in collaboration with Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys and released on his label Easy Eye Sound in 2022.
Next up is “Another Life” from another Alabama act, Alabama Shakes, a blues rock band comprised of Brittany Howard (lead vocals and rhythm guitar), Heath Fogg (lead guitar and vocals) and Zac Cockrell (bass). Formed in 2009, they released two albums, three EPs and numerous singles, including their big 2015 hit “Don’t Wanna Fight”, before going on hiatus in 2018 so that Howard could focus on her solo career (under which she’s released two critically acclaimed albums). They reunited this past December, and on August 29th, released “Another Life”, their first new music as a band in ten years. It’s great having them back!
Last but certainly not least is “Ordinary Creature” by Icelandic folk/rock band Of Monsters and Men, another act I’m happy has released new music, as I’ve been a fan since hearing their debut single “Little Talks” back in early 2012. Formed in 2010, the five-piece consists of lead singer and guitarist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir (guitar and lead vocals) Ragnar “Raggi” Þórhallsson (guitar and vocals), Brynjar Leifsson (lead guitar), Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson (drums), and Kristján Páll Kristjánsson (bass). “Ordinary Creature” will be featured on their forthcoming fourth studio album All Is Love and Pain in the Mouse Parade, due for release on October 17th.
UNDRESSED – sombr (2)
JUPITER – almost monday feat. Jordana (1)
SALLY, WHEN THE WINE RUNS OUT – ROLE MODEL (3)
FIVE MORE SECONDS – Seafret & KT Tunstall (4)
ENSENADA – Sublime (6)
POLYESTER (YES SIR) – Sorry Ghost (5)
BACKSEAT – Balu Brigada (8)
ASSHOLE – The Lumineers (9)
BETTER DAYS – Yellowcard (10)
LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated (11)
AS ALIVE AS YOU NEED ME TO BE – Nine Inch Nails (14)
FEELS RIGHT – Talk in Waves (7)
MY MIND IS A MOUNTAIN – Deftones (17)
HORNETS – Western Jaguar (19)
MISTAKES – Caamp (23)
THE WEATHER – All Time Low (24)
MOODY – Royel Otis (18)
METAL – The Beths (20)
EVERYDAY MAGIC – My Morning Jacket (21)
LOVE IS A FIRE – Art Block (12)
NO RAIN, NO FLOWERS – The Black Keys (14)
WRECK – Neko Case (25)
LONDON TOWN – HEALER (15)
DOWNSTAIRS – Matt Maeson (27)
EVERYBODY SCREAM – Florence + The Machine (30)
SUSHI AND COCA-COLA – St. Paul & The Broken Bones (N)
THE CONTRACT – Twenty One Pilots (22)
ELEGANTLY WASTED – Hermanos Gutiérrez feat. Leon Bridges (N)
Given that America is now an idiocracy that’s also descending into full-blown authoritarianism under our brazenly corrupt and cruel lunatic of a president, his evil, sycophantic cabinet, a completely spineless Congress and an unethical shadow docket-loving Supreme Court (not to mention the recent loss of our beloved cat), it’s been difficult for me to feel positive about anything these days, including music. That said, I can’t not compile my weekly list of favorite current songs, therefore will continue to bore my readers with my Weekly Top 30 charts.
Furthermore, though I’m now a tired old man, I’ve never lost my love for pop music, which is reflected in quite a few songs on this week’s list, starting with my new #1 song “jupiter” by San Diego-based indie pop band almost monday (comprised of Dawson Daugherty on vocals, Cole Clisby on guitar, and Luke Fabry on bass), featuring added vocals by L.A.-based indie pop singer-songwriter Jordana. The song was originally included on almost monday’s 2014 album DIVE as a recording by only the band, but a newer version with Jordana singing backing vocals, released in January on a deluxe version of DIVE, has become a big hit for them both.
More great pop abounds with “undressed” by sombr, which moves into second place, the rousing “Five More Seconds” by English duo Seafret and Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall at #4, and “polyester (yes sir)” by Los Angeles-based pop-rock band Sorry Ghost at #5. Three songs – “Ensenada” by Southern California ska punk band Sublime, “Asshole” by Denver, Colorado-based duo The Lumineers, and “Better Days” by Los Angeles-based pop punk band Yellowcard – enter the top 10 at #s 6, 9 and 10, respectively. “Better Days” recently spent three weeks at #1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart.
The lone new debut this week is “Everybody Scream” by English indie rock act Florence + the Machine, a longtime favorite of mine who’s previously topped my chart with “Hunger” in 2018 and “My Love” in 2022, which ranks #2 on my 100 Best Songs of 2022 list (I can’t believe it’s already been three years!). Released on August 20th, “Everybody Scream” is the title track from their forthcoming sixth studio album, set to drop October 31st.
JUPITER – almost monday feat. Jordana (2)
UNDRESSED – sombr (3)
SALLY, WHEN THE WINE RUNS OUT – ROLE MODEL (1)
FIVE MORE SECONDS – Seafret & KT Tunstall (5)
POLYESTER (YES SIR) – Sorry Ghost (6)
ENSENADA – Sublime (12)
FEELS RIGHT – Talk in Waves (4)
BACKSEAT – Balu Brigada (10)
ASSHOLE – The Lumineers (11)
BETTER DAYS – Yellowcard (14)
LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated (15)
LOVE IS A FIRE – Art Block (7)
NO RAIN, NO FLOWERS – The Black Keys (8)
AS ALIVE AS YOU NEED ME TO BE – Nine Inch Nails (16)
Talk in Waves holds onto the top spot for a second week with his exuberant ear worm “Feels Right”, while ROLE MODEL moves up two spots into second place this week with his delightful “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out”. London singer-songwriter Art Block remains at #3 with his darkly beautiful “Love Is A Fire”. The prolific artist has released three more singles since “Love Is A Fire”, and in fact, numerous acts have since dropped newer singles than their songs on this chart, including Healer, almost monday, sombr, Sorry Ghost, Twenty One Pilots, Royel Otis, Unobliterated, Western Jaguar, Caamp and Matt Maeson, and I simply cannot keep up with them all! “Five More Seconds” by English duo Seafret and Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall enters the top 10 at #9.
There are two new debuts again this week, the first of which is “”Wreck” by American singer-songwriter Neko Case, who since the late 1990s has released music both as a solo artist (including with her backing band Her Boyfriends) and as a member and lead singer of Canadian indie rock band The New Pornographers. “Wreck” is the lead single from her forthcoming eighth studio album Neon Grey MidnightGreen, to be released on September 26. The second debut, entering at #30, is “Downstairs” by American singer-songwriter and musician Matt Maeson. The song is featured on his third and latest album A Quiet and Harmless Living, which dropped this past Friday, September 12th. Matt’s great single “Hallucinogenics” ranks #5 on my 100 Best Songs of 2020 list.
FEELS RIGHT – Talk in Waves (1)
SALLY, WHEN THE WINE RUNS OUT – ROLE MODEL (4)
LOVE IS A FIRE – Art Block (3)
NO RAIN, NO FLOWERS – The Black Keys (2)
LONDON TOWN – Healer (5)
JUPITER – almost monday ft. Jordana (8)
UNDRESSED – sombr (9)
POLYESTER (YES SIR) – Sorry Ghost (10)
FIVE MORE SECONDS – Seafret & KT Tunstall (11)
THE CONTRACT – Twenty One Pilots (6)
MOODY – Royel Otis (7)
BACKSEAT – Balu Brigada (12)
ASSHOLE – The Lumineers (14)
TODAY’S SONG – Foo Fighters (15)
BETTER DAYS – Yellowcard (16)
LIGHT YEARS APART – Unobliterated (18)
UNRAVELLING – Muse (20)
AFTERLIFE – Alex G (21)
AS ALIVE AS YOU NEED ME TO BE – Nine Inch Nails (22)
It goes without saying that 2020 turned out to be a year for the record books on so many levels. It started out well enough, but quickly went to hell beginning in March as the Covid-19 virus spread throughout the world, causing a global pandemic that resulted in a shut down of many countries’ economies, and nearly 1.8 million deaths as I write this at the end of the year. One of the hardest-hit sectors has been the music industry, particularly live music, which in these days of unlimited streaming, most musicians count on to make a living and promote their music. On the plus side – if there was one – many musicians had more time to write and record new music, blessing us with some really stellar works. The Rolling Stones used the lockdown to put out their previously-written but timely “Living in a Ghost Town”, their first new single in four years, while AC/DC thrilled fans with their surprise release of Power Up, their first new album in six years. The Pretenders, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney also released new albums.
Like with every year, in 2020 we had to say goodbye to far too many legendary musicians – something that seems to be happening with greater frequency as music icons we grew up with pass away primarily due to having reached old age. Some of the notable passings included Bill Withers, Little Richard, Peter Green, Eddie Van Halen, Spencer Davis, Neil Peart, Kenny Rogers, Helen Reddy, Bonnie Pointer, Mac Davis, Ennio Morricone, Johnny Nash, Jerry Jeff Walker and Chad Stuart (of Chad & Jeremy). Sadly, we also lost John Prine, Charley Pride and Trini Lopez due to complications from Covid-19.
As a music blogger, I receive a lot of submissions from artists, PR reps and labels wanting me to review their music. I also follow a large number of music blogs, where I learn about music, and as a result, end up listening to a tremendous amount of new music over the course of a year. That said, I know I’ve heard only a fraction of all the singles and albums released in 2020. Some of the standout albums I had the pleasure of hearing were Taylor Swift’s Folklore, Run the Jewels’ RTJ4, Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters, The Killers’ Imploding the Mirage, Tame Impala’s Slow Rush, Fontaines D.C.’s A Hero’s Death, Fleet Foxes’ Shore, Two Feet’s Pink, Haim’s Women in Music Pt. III, Bryde’s The Volume of Things, Kidsmoke’s A Vision in the Dark, Surrija’s brilliant eponymous album Surrija, and MISSIO’s Can You Feel the Sun. (The albums I reviewed are highlighted in blue,and if you click on those titles it will take you to my review.)
One of my favorite music genres is Dream Pop & Rock, which seems to be undergoing a major surge in recent years. The genre was well-represented in 2020 by numerous stellar songs, including “Are You Bored Yet?” by Wallows ft. Clairo, “Can I Call You Tonight?” by Dayglow, “White Lies & Palm Trees” by The Lovepools, “Lost in Yesterday” and “Is It True” by Tame Impala, “Can I Believe You” by Fleet Foxes, “Downs” by Roadkeeper, “Fire For You” by Cannons, and the entire aforementioned album by Kidsmoke.
Obviously, my list of the Top 100 Songs of 2020 includes only songs I know. I’m certain there are likely other great ones that should be on this list, except that I’ve never heard them. Still, among the thousands of songs I did hear in 2020, there were many outstanding ones, and it frustrates me to have to cull my favorites down to only 100, omitting scores of tracks I really like and wanted to include. Furthermore, a song at #40 isn’t necessarily better than one at #60, but I had to rank them somehow.
Our music tastes are very subjective, so it’s guaranteed that not a single person reading this will agree with my song choices or their rankings. My list contains my favorite songs of the year, not necessarily songs that were ‘popular’ or influential. I’m now late middle-aged, so my song picks are going to reflect that, though I do still have my guilty pleasures.
Many bloggers and critics list songs in the year they were released, while Billboard and other charts generally place them in the year they were ‘hits,’ which is what I prefer. Many of the songs on this list were released in 2020, however, a number of them were released in 2019. Absofacto’s “Dissolve” was originally released in 2015, but didn’t chart until 2019. Because there are always a few songs that overlap from one year to the next, like Billboard, I include those songs on lists for both years if they spent enough time on the charts in each year. I always wrestle with how to rank them, as well as whether to list them in only one year or two. For example, Two Feet’s “You?” was #1 during the final week of 2019, and the first four weeks of 2020, so it would seem only fair to include it on the lists for both years. That song ranked #18 on my Top 100 of 2019, and ranks #3 on this year’s list. I suppose that at the end of the day it’s all silliness, but this is the way I choose to do it. The songs in this Top 100 that also appeared in my Top 100 Songs of 2019 are indicated with an asterisk *.
For previous years’ Top 100 lists, I wrote little pieces for each of the top 20 songs, as well as embedded their YouTube videos, then simply listed the remaining 80. That always left me feeling a little bad for those 80 songs, as it made them seem like afterthoughts, which was certainly not the case. For this year’s list, partly out of fairness, and partly to save myself huge amounts of time, effort and stress, I’ve decided to forego with the individual descriptions and videos, and simply list the entire 100 songs.
As always, I’ve created a Spotify playlist for this list, which is included at the end of the post. Hopefully you’ll find some of your own personal favorites on it. Let me know what songs were your favorites of 2020.
BLINDING LIGHTS – The Weeknd
LEVEL OF CONCERN – twenty øne piløts
YOU? – Two Feet *
CAUTION – The Killers
HALLUCINOGENICS – Matt Maeson
FEEL YOU – My Morning Jacket
EVERYTHING I WANTED – Billie Eilish
HELL N BACK – Bakar
DON’T START NOW – Dua Lipa
MARIA – Two Feet
BLACK & WHITE LOVE – Beating Hearts Club
MIGHT BE RIGHT – White Reaper *
ARE YOU BORED YET? – Wallows featuring Clairo
IS IT TRUE – Tame Impala
DOWNS – Roadkeeper
HOW WILL I REST IN PEACE IF I’M BURIED BY A HIGHWAY?// – Kenny Hoopla
CAN I CALL YOU TONIGHT? – Dayglow
WHITE LIES & PALM TREES – The Lovepools *
MY OWN SOUL’S WARNING – The Killers
IF NOT FOR THE FIRE – The Million Reasons
IT’S YOU – The Frontier
LOST IN YESTERDAY – Tame Impala
MARIPOSA – Peach Tree Rascals
CAN I BELIEVE YOU – Fleet Foxes
MONSTERS – All Time Low featuring blackbear
BLOODY VALENTINE – Machine Gun Kelly
NOVOCAINE – The Unlikely Candidates *
BLACK MADONNA – Cage the Elephant
USED TO LIKE – Neon Trees
WARS – Of Monsters and Men
CARDIGAN – Taylor Swift
ORPHANS – Coldplay
LEMON DROP – Absofacto
THE BEST – AWOLNATION
DISSOLVE – Absofacto *
HONEYBEE – The Head and the Heart
ADORE YOU – Harry Styles
YOUR LOVE (DÉJÀ VU) – Glass Animals
VISITOR – Of Monsters and Men
MOOD – 24kGoldn featuring iann dior
DELETER – Grouplove
PSYCH FILM – Strangely Alright
SOMEONE ELSE – Rezz & Grabbitz
A HERO’S DEATH – Fontaines D.C.
DANCE OF THE CLAIRVOYANTS – Pearl Jam
BAD DECISIONS – The Strokes
LOVE YOU FOR A LONG TIME – Maggie Rogers
THE RUNNER – Foals
VIRUS – Vanity Fear
REWARD – Paul Iwan *
THINK I’M CRAZY – Two Feet
SHINE A LITTLE LIGHT – Black Keys
2ALL – Catfish and the Bottlemen
VAN HORN – Saint Motel
LIFE IN THE CITY – The Lumineers
IDENTICAL – Phoenix
GIANTS – Dermot Kennedy
FIRE – Black Pumas
LAY YOUR HEAD ON ME – Major Lazer featuring Marcus Mumford & Diplo
OH YEAH! – Green Day
UNEVENTFUL DAYS – Beck
COME & GO – Juice WRLD & Marshmello
BLIND LEADING THE BLIND – Mumford & Sons
HOODIE UP – MISSIO
HERO – Michael Kiwanuka
PARADISE – Creeper
WATERMELON SUGAR – Harry Styles
UNCHAINED – Devon Gilfillian
EXPECTATIONS – Katie Pruitt
FIRE FOR YOU – Cannons
HEAVEN IS HEART – Jaded Jane
TEXAS SUN – Khruangbin featuring Leon Bridges
OVER AND OVER – Amongst Liars
HONEY – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard
LIVING IN A GHOST TOWN – The Rolling Stones
HOW WE LIVE – Mandalan featuring Cadence XYZ
MY FUTURE – Billie Eilish
STRANGERS – Mt. Joy
NOT OK! – Chaz Cardigan
MARINERS APARTMENT COMPLEX – Lana Del Rey
LETTER TO YOU – Bruce Springsteen
HOLD ON – Noah Reid
BE AFRAID – Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
FAULT LINES – Callum Pitt
LET’S FALL IN LOVE FOR THE NIGHT – FINNEAS
ME & YOU TOGETHER SONG – The 1975
HALF YOUR AGE – Joywave
SERAFINA – BAMBARA
COLORS – Black Pumas
THE LET GO – Elle King
SWIMMING CLOSER – HAZY
REAL LONG TIME – White Reaper
NOTHING LOVE – Surrija, Albert Chiang, Christine Tavolacci & Matt Chamberlain
ECLECTIC MUSIC LOVER 