DoctorIce Posted December 6, 2020 Author Posted December 6, 2020 7 hours ago, JGibson said: GGTT 7 hours ago, Delta said: I love Gotta Get Thru This Taste. Poor Natasha.
DoctorIce Posted December 7, 2020 Author Posted December 7, 2020 Top 10 | Drum & Bass Most of these weren't released in 2020 but are some of my most played and favourite DNB tracks of the year. #10 - Demons - Hybrid Minds ft. Charlotte Haining Yeah, the song itself is a bit on the overwrought side, but it works so well in contrast with the drum patterns and swelling strings that I can't help but get swept away in this one every time it comes on. The London Underground sample introducing the song establishes the mood nicely. This is definitely one of those songs that remind me of being a kid in the back of the car, staring out of the window at the rainy city and feeling as though I'm in a music video. #9 - September - Future Prophecies A dreamy guitar and piano driven liquid track that practically forces you to reminisce about a 'cool September' from your past. It is 99% instrumental with only a few lyrical vocal samples here and there, yet it communicates so much. #8 - Highs That Never Last - MEL ft. Matti Just a straight up liquid hit really. Makes me long for a proper night out after 9 months of the clubs being closed. The post-chorus synths give me 'Applause' vibes in the best possible way. #7 - Way Home - Air.K & Cephei The Lana Del Rey fans out there will like this one. Built around the hook from her song 'Ride', this beautiful liquid track uses the melancholy of the song to great effect with an exhilarating driving momentum. Best played while driving, on your way home. #6 - I Will - DRS ft. Patife, Vangeliez A bop and a tearjerker. This is a heartbreaking but hopeful song about spreading love in a world that desperately needs more of it. The lyrics hit you right in the throat. The video is also cute as hell and a great pick-me-up. #5 - Poveglia - Degs Probably my favourite pop/drum & bass hybrid ever - the smooth melodic vocals, relatable lyrics and warm piano chords make this an absolute MUST for anyone who's a fan of either genre. Flawless. #4 - Is Anybody Out There? - Bcee & S.P.Y (Friction & K-Tee Remix) I'm going to be real: this one is in my top 5 every single year, I never get tired of it. The feels. The memories. I - The (brief) vocals, surging bassline and strings are timeless. This is the type of track that exemplifies why I love this type of music so much - the contrast between emotion and the intense drums makes this essential liquid D&B to me. #3 - Oh Woman, Oh Man - London Grammar (DC Breaks Remix) Another wonderful liquid song that's full of emotion and good vibes. This is the kind of bop you want to hear in a club on a big sound system, but I don't care how you listen to it, just hear it! This one is sent straight from heaven. #2 - I Wonder // Lost Your Love - Eevee A cover of the classic 'The End Of The World' by Skeeter Davis that seamlessly works as a dance song, a breezy summer tune and an all round stunning piece of music. I already know I'm going to be bumping this track for years to come. #1 - Wings - Birdy (Nu:Logic Remix) While I haven't done a 'Best Of' list on ATRL before, this one would have been #1 for DNB for several years running if I had. I don't like to tire this one out by overplaying it, but every time I listen it gives me life. You're probably familiar with the original song but this remix quite frankly, blows it out of the water. It's an amazing song but the urgency of the drums and the string arrangement elevates it to a new level. It's such a beautiful track and any music fan should give this one a spin, whether you usually like DNB or not. The fact that this isn't on streaming platforms (other than YouTube) is quite upsetting. A masterpiece.
DoctorIce Posted December 8, 2020 Author Posted December 8, 2020 Top 10 | Pop #10 - Tucked - Katy Perry Smile was a horrendous album but this track is a gem. I'm certainly not a fan of Perry's music generally but this is one slaps. The sound is a variation on her typically sugary vibe and it's all the better for it. This is pretty much the only song of hers I genuinely like. #9 - August - Taylor Swift While it does lowkey sound like a bit of a rip-off of 'Back For Good' by Take That, there is enough here to make this song stand on its own. Again, not a fan of Taylor Swift's music at all usually but the first half of Folklore is excellence and this track is the pinnacle. #8 - Say So - Doja Cat One of the better disco-pop songs of 2020, the 70's vibes are strong with this one. Not overly keen on the Minaj remix, the OG is where its at. It's got a fair bit of replay value and will do the trick nicely when the clubs open up again. #7 - Frank - Easy Life Easy Life make bops exclusively, it's crazy to me that they haven't blown up at this point. Featuring their usually jazzy hip-hop vibes, this one is tinged with sadness and euphoria to great effect. #6 - Alice - Lady Gaga This is a freight train of a 90's house throwback with a savage beat that is impossible to resist. The end-of-a-Harry-Potter-movie-sounding interlude that it transitions from is wonderful (and much better than 911's, in my opinion) and fits like a glove. #5 - Nightmares - Easy Life Easy Life's best single as yet and I'm still mad it didn't smash. The jazzy bop vibes are strong again with this one and the song is hook after hook. The video screams early-00's MTV and I'm here for it. #4 - Lightenup - Parcels The vibrant guitar loop/bassline that permeates this song has lived rent free in my head all year. This is a brilliant alternative pop song about stubbornly refusing to cheer the **** up (we've all been there). #3 - Rain On Me - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande One of the best pop moments of the year and an authentic collaboration between the two. The contrast between the playful bassline and the soaring hook gives this track a ton of replay value, as does the nostalgic 90's house instrumental break that takes me straight back to the Y2K days when I was a kid. #2 - Replay - Lady Gaga On an album that can be accused in parts of relying on same fairly generic production, this one stands out as the most original. The hook is instantaneous and followed by an overwhelming swirl of dysphoric French house beats and a haunting vocal sample that literally sounds like an old tape being rewound and replayed. 'Replay' has the delirious and demented energy that Gaga pulls off better than anyone. #1 - Lost In Yesterday - Tame Impala This is the purest 'pop' song he has crafted so far, so much so that Kevin was thinking of giving it to a pop artist but ultimately decided to keep for himself. Another track with a relentlessly fun bassline underscoring a banging tune about the uncomfortable idea that your best days might be behind you. This year more than most, getting lost in yesterday has been something I'm sure we've all been doing to some extent.
ATRL Moderator madonnas Posted December 8, 2020 ATRL Moderator Posted December 8, 2020 damn, i had NO idea that replay had so many stans until yesterday but its a pretty good song so its not undeserved or anything, just surprising. tucked is the second best on frown
ARTPØP Posted December 8, 2020 Posted December 8, 2020 Lost In Yesterday, Rain On Me, Replay, Alice, Say So, August great list!
DoctorIce Posted December 9, 2020 Author Posted December 9, 2020 5 hours ago, Madame X said: damn, i had NO idea that replay had so many stans until yesterday but its a pretty good song so its not undeserved or anything, just surprising. tucked is the second best on frown Oh it's certainly that bitch. Ignoring Sour Candy and 911 for obvious reasons, it's the most popular album track on Spotify after Alice (opening track) and Free Woman (high on track list and has remix EP) despite being one of the last songs on the album. 4 hours ago, JGibson said: Rain On Me + Lost In Yesterday 3 hours ago, ARTPØP said: Lost In Yesterday, Rain On Me, Replay, Alice, Say So, August great list! We love to see it. Rain On Me and Lost In Yesterday somehow complement each other so well.
Ewan Chaos Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 Damn I forgot how much I loved that Parcels album, lemme stream. Your thoughts on the song were basically mine all of 2019 nnn. Exotica was always my underrated pick from their album.
Sunderland 4ever Posted December 9, 2020 Posted December 9, 2020 Wow that #1 caught me off guard. Awesome pick! That's my second favorite track of The Slow Rush.
DoctorIce Posted December 9, 2020 Author Posted December 9, 2020 8 hours ago, Ewan Chaos said: Damn I forgot how much I loved that Parcels album, lemme stream. Your thoughts on the song were basically mine all of 2019 nnn. Exotica was always my underrated pick from their album. It's such a great album. Withorwithoutyou, Tieduprightnow, Tape and Bemyself are also everything. 7 hours ago, Ava Max said: Katy & Gaga Don't let the KP base know that I stan that song. 5 hours ago, Sunderland 4ever said: Wow that #1 caught me off guard. Awesome pick! That's my second favorite track of The Slow Rush. Most of The Slow Rush is ahead of this list to be honest, but LIY is just perfect pop. 4 hours ago, Insanity said: Alice My name it is not.
DoctorIce Posted December 9, 2020 Author Posted December 9, 2020 Artist Of The Year | 2020 Abby Jeanne (Soul/Psychedelic Rock) "Adele meets old-school Tame Impala" Easily my favourite find of 2020, Abby Jeane is a wildly talented singer/songwriter/producer who makes amazing soul and psychedelic rock music by herself. Most of her music is very 60's sounding but with modern day fidelity and mixing which sounds like absolute fire. She sounds (and to an extent looks) a bit like Adele but with a lot more vibrancy and colour to her voice. She's a low-budget independent artist who makes and sells her own vinyls with really cool artwork. She clearly has a strong vision and aesthetic which is reflected also in the music. She hasn't released an album this year but I'm hoping for AJ2 sometime soon. _________________________________________________________________________________________ If you like the idea of Adele meets Tame Impala, you will LOVE this women and her music. Songs to check out on streaming platforms: 'Cosmic Beings', 'Somebody To Love', 'Be In The Sun', 'Aged Young', 'Music Box Dancer', 'Pleasures Pain' I need more stans on board so that we can start a base.
ATRL Moderator madonnas Posted December 9, 2020 ATRL Moderator Posted December 9, 2020 mess, i dont even know who she is, i like her look though. maybe i should listen.
DoctorIce Posted December 9, 2020 Author Posted December 9, 2020 1 hour ago, Madame X said: mess, i dont even know who she is, i like her look though. maybe i should listen. Oh yeah she's practically a fetus in terms of notoriety: 2,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. She's mad talented and has a stunning voice though so I'm happy to promote. If you give her a try let me know your thoughts.
Ewan Chaos Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 Lemme add Abby to my list of people to check out! Always love when people promote their faves who deserve an extra push, I try to do the same
DoctorIce Posted December 10, 2020 Author Posted December 10, 2020 8 hours ago, Ewan Chaos said: Lemme add Abby to my list of people to check out! Always love when people promote their faves who deserve an extra push, I try to do the same Yass! When there's this much talent involved I have no choice but to advocate hard.
DoctorIce Posted December 10, 2020 Author Posted December 10, 2020 (edited) Top 3 | Albums This hasn't really been a big album year for me, I've mostly been collecting tracks here and there to add to my playlists. I'm always shook by how many albums you guys manage to listen to and rank/review. With that being said, here are my three favourites of 2020. #3 - Chromatica - Lady Gaga (Pop/House) ★★★½ Highlights: Replay, Rain On Me, Alice, Enigma Gaga choosing house music as a foundation for her return to dance-pop was an great choice. It's not a genre that's necessarily known for big choruses and pop hooks but for the most part, she makes it work. It's easy to gloss over the album at first given the fluid nature of its structure and the general sound, but relistening to the album is a rewarding experience. Reflecting on rough mental health issues and the yearning for escapism is the storyline, making for some fairly unique and hard-hitting dance tunes ("Replay", "Rain On Me"). The sonic detours into Ibiza and Eurovision unfortunately drag the album down quite a bit, especially with the baffling track placement of such songs ruining the pace of the album ("Free Woman", "Fun Tonight") and frankly serving some irredeemable lyrics and hooks... I still can't believe she uses a 'millenial whoop' as the climax for the latter. Unforgivable. Still, this is one of the best pop albums of the year and I'm glad it's being recognised as such despite her forgetting that it exists. #2 - The Slow Rush - Tame Impala (Psychedelic Rock/Pop) ★★★★½ Highlights: On Track, One More Hour, Borderline, It Might Be Time Another one that I wasn't enamoured with instantly, The Slow Rush is a slow burn. After serving a breakthrough moment with 'Currents' which has had five years to stew, he was never going to be able to overcome the insurmountable expectations. There are a few dull and self-indulgent moments and some iffy lyrics but the offending tracks aside, the highlights here are every bit as good as the best of 'Currents'. In fact, I'd argue that this one is significantly more musically varied and rich sounding than the last LP which to be fair, can be a bit samey. The TL purists may bitch and moan and cry at the lack of guitars and the resulting loss of #indiecred (his first two albums haven't gone anywhere, go and listen to them), but here we have a producer who is more confident and less afraid to embrace the pop elements he's always flirted with. This is a super colourful album that works as a cohesive piece of work about the obsession with time, the past and a future coming at us at an exponentially increasing speed. "Our lives are ending one minute at a time and there's nothing we can do about it". Enjoy the album for what it is and stop comparing it to something that it isn't. #1 - Breathing Exercises - Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn (Hip-Hop/Rap) ★★★★½ Highlights: Adult Workers, Humble Pie, Water Colours, Good Will Hunting, Serotonin? I don't know her. Breathing Exercises is a stunning album of great sonic variety - haunting choirs, trap, garage beats and indie ballad vocals all strung together by some unflinchingly candid lyrics about how life can beat you down and the importance of looking forward and remaining ambitious. The production on this thing is beautiful with tasteful samples, crystal clear minimalist beats and a sonic clarity that ensures the songs have room to breathe. This is the Frank Skinner brand of hip-hop that straddles the lines between spoken word, straightforward rap and melodic hooks. Frankie & Harvey do have some upbeat bops and gems in their discography, but here their content to deal in some rough emotions. There are some bright spots on the album in terms of tone, but in general this is the kind of album that is made for a specific mood and it ain't happiness. If you've wallowing in regret after a heavy night of abusing MDMA, this album should be your very first choice to get you through the comedown. Edited December 10, 2020 by DoctorIce
Mr. Blue_Shirt Posted December 10, 2020 Posted December 10, 2020 The Grudge is THE worst movie this year i can't believe that is the last movie i watched on cinema before pandemic happened. I'm fuming! aklagf Yes at Parasite, The Lighthouse, The Invisible Man at the top 3 best film Even when i watched them multiple times, i still have the experience as i did the first time i watch it. They were THAT good! I haven't watched any of the TV shows but i'm interested in I May Destroy You because it's been recommended on someone's HBO Max account that i used for quite sometime lmao The lists of Pop, Drum & Bass & Albums are all great
DoctorIce Posted December 10, 2020 Author Posted December 10, 2020 2 hours ago, Mr. Blue_Shirt said: The Grudge is THE worst movie this year i can't believe that is the last movie i watched on cinema before pandemic happened. I'm fuming! aklagf Yes at Parasite, The Lighthouse, The Invisible Man at the top 3 best film Even when i watched them multiple times, i still have the experience as i did the first time i watch it. They were THAT good! I haven't watched any of the TV shows but i'm interested in I May Destroy You because it's been recommended on someone's HBO Max account that i used for quite sometime lmao The lists of Pop, Drum & Bass & Albums are all great I only see taste buds here. I was considering creating a Drum & Bass appreciation thread but I don't know how much of an audience there is on ATRL for it.
ATRL Moderator madonnas Posted December 10, 2020 ATRL Moderator Posted December 10, 2020 23 hours ago, DoctorIce said: Oh yeah she's practically a fetus in terms of notoriety: 2,000 monthly listeners on Spotify. She's mad talented and has a stunning voice though so I'm happy to promote. If you give her a try let me know your thoughts. i listened to a couple tracks. she's got a great voice! kinda reminds me a bit of the exes and ohs girl + beth ditto.
ATRL Moderator madonnas Posted December 10, 2020 ATRL Moderator Posted December 10, 2020 i know there are ogh but i dont get why chromatica is met by some repulsed reactions sometimes. its a cute girl! i wouldn't put it top 3 but there are worse offenders this year. i can't believe i never listened to the slow rush... it just never happened. lol
DoctorIce Posted December 11, 2020 Author Posted December 11, 2020 21 hours ago, Madame X said: i listened to a couple tracks. she's got a great voice! kinda reminds me a bit of the exes and ohs girl + beth ditto. Beth Ditto is definitely a good comparison vocally! 21 hours ago, Madame X said: i know there are ogh but i dont get why chromatica is met by some repulsed reactions sometimes. its a cute girl! i wouldn't put it top 3 but there are worse offenders this year. i can't believe i never listened to the slow rush... it just never happened. lol There are legitimate criticisms that can be levelled at the album in a reasonable discussion, but this is ATRL so "dated!!1!!", "thank you Ariana!!1!!!!" become the headlines. Truth to be told, I have only listened to like five full albums this year and these were the three that I liked/loved. 15 hours ago, Ava Max said: Chromatica ChromatiCAN.
DoctorIce Posted December 12, 2020 Author Posted December 12, 2020 Top 10 | Overall Music This list is lowkey a compilation of songs I've already mentioned, but this is my top 10 overall regardless of genre. #10 - Rain On Me - Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande The 90's house perfection, the instrumental disco vibes, the vocals, the lyrics, the bassline and the hook >>>. It is a perfect dance-pop track with significant replay value and deserving of its acclaim. #9 - Replay - Lady Gaga I've already praised this song enough in this thread, but still, praise be! The combination of the hook, the sample and the weird ass dance break is perfect. Her most infallible and uniquely 'Gaga' dance track since Bad Romance. Argue with the wall. #8 - Adult Workers - Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn The contrast between the choir and the lyrics of ambition just do it for me. As usual with these guys, the lyrics are very specific to Frankie, but it's still easy to relate to the struggle. #7 - For You - India Jordan While it doesn't quite stand up to the original disco classic that it samples, this is nonetheless a blast. For those who like their house bops frenetic and French. #6 - One More Hour - Tame Impala Another top-tier feature length track from Tame and certainly one of his most epic and dramatic tracks. The outro in particular is beautiful and I wish it went on longer, but I guess that's kind of the point of whole album. #5 - It Might Be Time - Tame Impala I hated this initially, but I switched pretty hard. The drums in the song are unmatched and the Kill Bill sirens drive home the lyrics really well. It's one of his most fun tracks, despite the sobering lyrics about growing up. #4 - Cosmic Beings - Abbe Jeanne The way this song transports me straight into the first Austin Powers movie, ugh, the talent. This is a colourful psych rock song with great vocals and a lot of fun. #3 - Water Colours - Frankie Stew & Harvey Gunn This is elite Frankie & Harvey right here. One of their more melodic and accessible songs, it hits the spot every time and is the highlight of their album from earlier this year. #2 - I Wonder // Lost Your Love - Eevee It's been a pretty dead year for drum and bass releases, but even if it wasn't I'm pretty sure this would still be one of the best. It's a beautiful song and one of the best examples of liquid drum and bass being the absolute best type of dance music. #1 - On Track - Tame Impala I knew this was my SOTY from the first time I heard it and in the 10 months since its release, its #1 status hasn't been challenged. The hopeful lyrics, bright piano keys and typically flawless drums are all I needed this year. It sounds like what I imagine The Beatles would sound like in 2020 in the best possible way. Regardless of your opinion on the album, it's lowkey his best overall song. Fight me.
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