Off-Topic: 2020 Music

[Pirates GM (Hollar)]

Hi everyone! It's the end of a great year! Let's shitpost!

Those of you who listen to the podcast have probably gotten the impression that my musical taste is dumb and wrong, and should not be inflicted on anyone. You're an attentive listener, and correct! Here are some things I loved this year, musically:

Albums:

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher (My album of the year)
Run the Jewels - RTJ4
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions

I wanna put Feet of Clay by Earl Sweatshirt on here to sound cool, but it hasn't grabbed me yet, and I'm definitely not cool.
Also liking the Country Westerns album, but it's still pretty new to me.
And yeah, the Adrianne Lenker and Fiona Apple albums are great. Need to give them more time. That's a me problem.

Its own thing: Microphones in 2020

With reservations: Folklore - Taylor Swift. Yes, I'm old and white and love The National. But Jack Antonoff still produces close to half the songs on this album, and he's flat-out awful at music. Listen to the percussion on a track he produced, then same on one Dessner produced. The difference is striking. Then listen to the rest of the production on the same songs. Antonoff should be stopped, ideally by force. Get on that, ineffective Congress.

Songs:

Phoebe Bridgers - I know the End. Song of the year for me. Nothing else comes close, frankly. This song still makes my jaw drop. And just in advance, it has multiple sections, so if you give it a listen, please let it keep playing until The End.

Biggest disappointment of the year:

Grimes - Miss Anthropocene. Can we blame Elon Musk (Full disclosure: I already have)?

Old things I found this year that are awesome:

Have a Nice Life - Deathconsciousness
Fishmans - Long Season
Cocteau Twins - Heaven or Las Vegas. My god this album is beautiful.

More excited than I should be for new music coming from:

The Wrens
Viagra Boys. No one should be excited for new music from a band called Viagra Boys.

So, what did y'all like musically this year? What should I listen to? Finding new music is fun. Let's keep digging through crates in 2021, but ideally with live shows being a thing again.

[Cardinals GM (John C)]

Dec 21, 2020 22:04:14 GMT -8 Pirates GM (Hollar) said:

..... but ideally with live shows being a thing again.

Amen to this!  

The last live show I went to was British Lion (Steve Harris of Iron Maiden on bass) at the Trees club in Deep Ellum (Dallas) in Jan 2020 ... here's a video from that night (not my video): www.youtube.com/watch?v=pYgSPkOCPu4

If you want to listen to their music, choose their most recent album "The Burning", which I think is better then their debut and a very good album top to bottom.

BTW, if you are trying to read what is on Steve Harris' shirt, it reads:

WHALE
OIL
BEEF
HOOKED

Read the words quickly and with a cockney British accent to get the message.

I'm always looking for new stuff to listen to, checking out your recommendations on my desktop Spotify now.  Thumbs up for Waxahatchee ...

[Rays GM (Donavan)]

Great thread Hollar

Man I am getting old. I played 'I know the End', and was really enjoying it, then it just became loud noise for me in the final minute.

This year I have spent so much less time in the car driving, that I haven't really been listening to that much new music. Whilst at home, and occasionally in the office I have been listening (when not on zoom type meetings) to some 80's & 90's music that I hadn't listened to for a long time. Bands like Midnight Oil, INXS, Crowded House, Dire Straits.

In terms of live music, the last show I attended was Elton John & Billy Joel in front of 80,000 people, prior to that it was J.Lo (dragged there by my wife, the music was average, but the show was good), and earlier was The Police (with Pink as the supporting act....yes it was 15 years ago).

[Royals GM (Mac - Retired)]

I really like all genres.
I have always been a 50’s and 60’s person. Beatles, Temptations, 4 Tops, Louis Armstrong, Pink Floyd, the Doors, Johnny Cash
70’s were Queen, Lynyrd Skynyrd, the Eagles, Creedence, Abba, the Grateful Dead
80’s Were Springsteen (saw him at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ), Journey (miss you steve perry every time I hear Don’t Stop Believing and Arms Open). I remember hitting play/record on boom box (you heard that right) to get all my favorite songs. (I was my own iheart radio). The Cure drove me insane. I was mesmerized by their music (Friday I’m in love, pictures of you and just like heaven. Good Shit). GnR was the shit! U2, Pet shop boys, INXS, Elton John, Queen (again, why not), Aerosmith and Run DMC (same song), the Clash, Dire Straits, Blondie and Billy Joel
90’s were GnR (still lol), Nirvana, Green Day, Pearl Jam, the Cranberries (RIP Delores, you sexy bitch), Public Enemy, Midnight Oil, Digital Underground, NIN, RHCP, the offspring, 3 doors down, weezer, HATED SUGAR RAY 🤢🤮.
I won’t mention anymore bands because music lost its soul after the 90’s lol

I have been to at least 50 concerts while living in the northeast part of the US.

My great moment was after high school, I worked 3rd shift night auditor, at the Berkeley Carteret Hotel in Asbury Park, NJ. When he was in town, Johnny Cash would stay there. At night, he would roam the 1st floor corridor, humming the lyrics to Cry, Cry, Cry wearing a long dark trench coat, 10 gallon hat and spurs on his boots. I never said a word to him, I just stopped working and listened for an hour or so when he was done humming. It was my own little concert. Best time in the World.

Hollar is a Swiftie. How precious!

[Pirates GM (Hollar)]

Cardinals GM (John C) That was an enjoyable song (And awesome shirt). Thanks for the rec! Time to check out the album, and hopefully get a couple needles in the arm soon and get back out to clubs (Not for tattoos. I'm not that cool). Glad you're enjoying Waxahatchee. She rules.

Rays GM (Donavan) Dire Straits are great, I don't care what year it is. And as to I Know the End, yeah. It gets aggressive to close. I happen to like noise music (Glitch-based Dan Deacon tracks come to mind), but what really makes that ending for me is how the lyrics lead the music throughout. The imagery gets gradually more apocalyptic as the song progresses, culminating in, well, that. Love how they go together. And on a larger scale, the album opens with an acoustic instrumental piece entitled DVD menu that I didn't realize was that noisy end melody until I listened to it in the car and it looped around on repeat. Really nice touch.

Royals GM (Mac - Retired) Regarding my swiftiness. Well. I would like to begin by stating that I will not defend any of her songs I am familiar with that were released before 2020, as I regard every one of them I have heard as bad. This is by no means a comprehensive statement, as I have never listened to one of her albums straight through before this year, and don't see a reason to revisit the old ones. As to this year, well, things changed. I am an enormous fan of The National, as I am aging, middle-class and white (This also means I own multiple LCD Soundsystem albums. It's in the contract). Swift's albums this year were largely co-written and produced by one of the primary players in shaping The National's sound, with appearances from all other band members as well. Unsurprisingly, I am into this. The issue I have is with longtime Swift collaborator (And musician/songwriter in his own right) Jack Antonoff, which is why I cannot wholly recommend the album. Jack Antonoff is somewhere far beyond awful, both as a songwriter and a producer (Remember, all opinions are just that. Except mine are correct). Excising his contributions to the album, it would be on my best of the year, a statement that frankly shocks me to type. As-is, it's very inconsistent, with some great high points. Taylor Swift is...good? I dunno. Come at me, bro. She should work with The National and Bon Iver more. Jack Antonoff should be put on a rocket and shot into the sun.

[Pirates GM (Hollar)]

I'm not defensive. You're defensive. Time to listen to Exile again brb.

[Cubs GM (Beau)]

I spent five years in my twenties on the road going to shows. Straight up dirty hippie, livetronica, indie type shows. Lots of bluegrass and slamgrass. Tons of summer festivals. Lost track of how many, but probably seen somewhere between 1200-1500 shows in my lifetime. As I've grown older, I've somehow been adopted by the local punk scene lol. But I'm with Mac, the fifties and sixties produced some amazing music that will never die.

Disco Biscuits for life.