It’s been a habit of mine to compile a list of my favourite songs released in a given year.
Well, 2020 has been a crazy year, but thankfully those dedicated to their craft of music have been able to release new content.
Some of the big stars who have access to recording studios in house, or even externally, have been able to hone their craft and have creative outlets.
The wonderful aspect of the digital world is people can mix and produce music from the privacy of their own studios.
Some albums were probably cut before the pandemic, so we have more polished sounds. I do have a couple of honourable mentions: “Death By Rock and Roll” by The Pretty Reckless, “Say Something” by Kylie Minogue — my biggest guilty pleasure — and “Blinding Lights” by the Weeknd.
Here are my five favourite songs from 2020.
| 5. |
| Song: “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” Album: The New Abnormal Artist: The Strokes Release: April 6, 2020 Why: Channelling the 1980s synth and vibrantly New Wave, Julian Casablancas warbles like an American version of Simon Le Bon. |
| 4. |
| Song: “Hero” Album: Van Weezer Artist: Weezer Release: May 6, 2020 Why: Classic Weezer lamenting loneliness and heroism during a time of uncertainty and death. |
| 3. |
| Song: “Leadfoot” Album: Crown Lands Artist: Crown Lands Release: August 13, 2020 Why: Both psychedelic and gothic in its composition, it’s a throwback to the days of Uriah Heep and Sabbath. It’s also Canada’s call to Wolfmother. |
| 2. |
| Song: “Dark Horse” Album: On My Own Artist: Lera Lynn Release: October 23, 2020 Why: There’s a haunting quality to Lera Lynn’s voice. I stumbled upon this song on Youtube and was hooked. |
| 1. |
| Song: “A Good Song Never Dies” Album: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack: Part 2 Artist: Saint Motel Release: March 13, 2020 Why: The lyrics are an homage to all those songs that mean something to us: “The first time it made you cry, the first time you felt alive.” |