Pulse Rankdown: 2020 Year-End Alternative (#1 up π)
Jan 22, 2021 3:23:20 GMT -5
Post by macattack on Jan 22, 2021 3:23:20 GMT -5
My selections left:
3, 4, 9
15
22, 27, 28, 29
32,
74
Considering my track record it could have been a lot worse.
25. Declan McKenna - Beautiful Faces (#55)
An improvement over "Brazil" for sure. I can't really say what it was that didn't let it enter my top echelon of songs.
24. Bakar - Hell N Back (#30)
Bakar's vocal tones are interesting. It definitely can be an acquired taste - it took almost the full year for this song to grow on me. He shows a lot of potential to be great on here and on "1st Time" - it'll be interesting to see if he'll be here to stay. But yeah, I like this one. Kind of shocked this had three #99 rankings.
23. The 1975 - Me & You Together Song (#8)
The bisexual protagonist of this one resonated with me deeply, and I fell in love with both the lyrics and the layered, dream-y melody in this song. It feels like being transported into another world. Perhaps it's because it kind of is - a key lyric is "I had a dream where we had kids", after all. Love this song. Wish it could've made it further.
22. Glass Animals - Your Love (Deja Vu) (#87)
Glass Animals doing Glass Animals things. Can't stand it. Next.
21. Wallows f/Clairo - Are You Bored Yet? (#85)
Is this a rhetorical question?
20. Joywave - Half Your Age (#58)
This song has good parts but it was way too far repetitive for me. But this isn't a bad song at all, to be clear.
19. Twenty One Pilots - The Hype (#6)
One of the absolute stand outs from Trench. I love the instrumentation in this song - especially in the full version. This deserved to be an enduring hit - far more than "Level of Concern".
18. Joji - Run (#43)
This song was neat. I really liked the guitar sound on this, it reminded me of Metallica's classic "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". It ended way too soon and felt a little too flat for me to put in my favorites of the year though.
17. CHVRCHES - Forever (#25)
My favorite from Love Is Dead, and I was shocked when it turned into a single at such a late juncture. It deserved better.
16. The 1975 - If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know) (#24)
This didn't resonate as well with me as "Me & You Together Song" but this is still pretty good. Major 80's new wave vibes going on. I think what caused this song to slip a tier was that it felt a bit derivative while the previous single felt more original and unique.
15. White Reaper - Real Long Time (#12)
This song is an awesome powerpop anthem. It's so lively and vibrant. It's destined to be forgotten, sadly, but this will always be on my playlists.
14. Hayley Williams - Simmer (#68)
This just didn't work for me. I have enjoyed Hayley's music over the years but this just fell... flat. It felt overly artsy and extremely forgettable.
13. White Reaper - Might Be Right (#16)
This reminds me of Cheap Trick for some reason. White Reaper is going to be a force in rock revival. Just an excellent, bass-driven jam.
12. Of Monsters And Men - Visitor (#38)
Kind of says a lot when I rank a song #38 and it's one of the lowest rankings, lol. I actually do like this one a lot - Hanna's vocals are great, the melody works, the lyrics are good. But compared to a lot of the great material here, this just felt like more Of Monsters And Men. Which is good, but I wanted more than that.
11. KennyHoopla - how can i rest in peace if i'm buried by a highway?// (#5)
YBDYUFNTYJGNKKUYGNJYNJG REALLY? NOW? This deserved to be in the top 10! But yeah, this young man actually has turned out to be one of the more talented and versatile artists to burst onto the scene this year. He seems to be playing around with various genres (he's got a pop-punk banger with Travis Barker shooting up the chart right now), and hasn't settled on a core sound yet. It'll be interesting to see what he evolves into - but this Bloc Party-influenced banger was a great start.
Extras:
Check Your Phone: The instrumental is awesome. I'd buy the instrumental. The nonsensical lyrics tacked on ruin the damn thing.
Shakin' Off The Rust: I'll talk about this more on Active, but this is a great "hard indie" banger. The Blue Stones belong on Alt and I wish the format would give them more love.
alive: Fascinating ideas on display here. I actually didn't mind it.
Inside Out: Grouplove at their most bizarre but still packing the hooks. I thought it was decent.
3, 4, 9
15
22, 27, 28, 29
32,
74
Considering my track record it could have been a lot worse.
25. Declan McKenna - Beautiful Faces (#55)
An improvement over "Brazil" for sure. I can't really say what it was that didn't let it enter my top echelon of songs.
24. Bakar - Hell N Back (#30)
Bakar's vocal tones are interesting. It definitely can be an acquired taste - it took almost the full year for this song to grow on me. He shows a lot of potential to be great on here and on "1st Time" - it'll be interesting to see if he'll be here to stay. But yeah, I like this one. Kind of shocked this had three #99 rankings.
23. The 1975 - Me & You Together Song (#8)
The bisexual protagonist of this one resonated with me deeply, and I fell in love with both the lyrics and the layered, dream-y melody in this song. It feels like being transported into another world. Perhaps it's because it kind of is - a key lyric is "I had a dream where we had kids", after all. Love this song. Wish it could've made it further.
22. Glass Animals - Your Love (Deja Vu) (#87)
Glass Animals doing Glass Animals things. Can't stand it. Next.
21. Wallows f/Clairo - Are You Bored Yet? (#85)
Is this a rhetorical question?
20. Joywave - Half Your Age (#58)
This song has good parts but it was way too far repetitive for me. But this isn't a bad song at all, to be clear.
19. Twenty One Pilots - The Hype (#6)
One of the absolute stand outs from Trench. I love the instrumentation in this song - especially in the full version. This deserved to be an enduring hit - far more than "Level of Concern".
18. Joji - Run (#43)
This song was neat. I really liked the guitar sound on this, it reminded me of Metallica's classic "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)". It ended way too soon and felt a little too flat for me to put in my favorites of the year though.
17. CHVRCHES - Forever (#25)
My favorite from Love Is Dead, and I was shocked when it turned into a single at such a late juncture. It deserved better.
16. The 1975 - If You're Too Shy (Let Me Know) (#24)
This didn't resonate as well with me as "Me & You Together Song" but this is still pretty good. Major 80's new wave vibes going on. I think what caused this song to slip a tier was that it felt a bit derivative while the previous single felt more original and unique.
15. White Reaper - Real Long Time (#12)
This song is an awesome powerpop anthem. It's so lively and vibrant. It's destined to be forgotten, sadly, but this will always be on my playlists.
14. Hayley Williams - Simmer (#68)
This just didn't work for me. I have enjoyed Hayley's music over the years but this just fell... flat. It felt overly artsy and extremely forgettable.
13. White Reaper - Might Be Right (#16)
This reminds me of Cheap Trick for some reason. White Reaper is going to be a force in rock revival. Just an excellent, bass-driven jam.
12. Of Monsters And Men - Visitor (#38)
Kind of says a lot when I rank a song #38 and it's one of the lowest rankings, lol. I actually do like this one a lot - Hanna's vocals are great, the melody works, the lyrics are good. But compared to a lot of the great material here, this just felt like more Of Monsters And Men. Which is good, but I wanted more than that.
11. KennyHoopla - how can i rest in peace if i'm buried by a highway?// (#5)
YBDYUFNTYJGNKKUYGNJYNJG REALLY? NOW? This deserved to be in the top 10! But yeah, this young man actually has turned out to be one of the more talented and versatile artists to burst onto the scene this year. He seems to be playing around with various genres (he's got a pop-punk banger with Travis Barker shooting up the chart right now), and hasn't settled on a core sound yet. It'll be interesting to see what he evolves into - but this Bloc Party-influenced banger was a great start.
Extras:
Check Your Phone: The instrumental is awesome. I'd buy the instrumental. The nonsensical lyrics tacked on ruin the damn thing.
Shakin' Off The Rust: I'll talk about this more on Active, but this is a great "hard indie" banger. The Blue Stones belong on Alt and I wish the format would give them more love.
alive: Fascinating ideas on display here. I actually didn't mind it.
Inside Out: Grouplove at their most bizarre but still packing the hooks. I thought it was decent.