ILM's Top 77 Tracks of 2020

yeah I'm watching now and I'm a dummy xp

funkless? the video would suggest it's self-consciously in the so-stiff-its-funky vein of disco

hook the thomas dolby-esque synth flourish at the end of each chorus in "lick in heaven" directly into my veins

its nice. sounds apparent to me that jeremy greenspan is involved

I placed Jessy's album ahead of all the more straight ahead disco stuff from 2020. Cuz I couldn't go dancing? who can say.

I can’t quite get Jessy Lanza but Lick in Heaven is the closest I’ve gotten to liking her music.

Highly recommend the entire album and the recent remix EP!

I meant to spend more time with this album in 2020, because I was really looking forward to it coming out, but it just fell by the wayside. I guess I'll do it this year.

Oh more stuff I voted for. 'Lick In Heaven' another of my most played last year. #deadcatplaylist

Yes, I might need to give her last album a second chance.

There's just the teeny tinyest bit of Janet Jackson in this song's DNA, which is *chef's kiss*

Love the Coba Sey rework of 'Melt' too.

I think Melt! was the first song I voted for to place. I love how her uncomplicated KLO's music is. Enjoyed the last album more than this one as a whole, but Melt! bangs.

Oh more stuff I voted for. 'Lick In Heaven' another of my most played last year. #deadcatplaylist

These updates are very cute and tragic. Sorry about your cat.

The push I needed to listen to the Lanza. Thanks.

xps Smidge of Latoya as well

If that low key anthem didn’t scratch your dancin’ with myself itch, maybe you’d prefer we nudge the BPM up half a notch with Romy “of The xx” Madley Croft’s feel-good, pool toy of a club track?

https://i.imgur.com/g6ekziQ.png
#54: Romy - “Lifetime” - 154 points - 6 votes
video

The XX

singles jukebox

This one impressed me for about a day but wore off quickly.

Just because, I started listening to Dagny's album despite finding "Somebody" entirely nothingy, and pretty much every other song is better than that one.

look forward to her album

It never occurred to me in the context of The xx, but Romy solo sounds like a time traveling Tracey Thorn.

good intro

I prefer Thorn's collaborators though.

This one impressed me for about a day but wore off quickly.

x2

Jessy Lanza and Kelly Lee Owens were the two electro pop songs I decided to vote for this year. But I have not much to say about them they are just really catchy songs I find it fundamentally pleasant to listen to.

um... is it weird that i've definitely heard this song before but i had no idea it was romy? god knows where i heard it

i think it's great btw

oh it must've been while researching a ballot i had to submit back in october

it seems to have grown on me a lot

re: Waxahatchee, I voted for the album over any individual tracks and can absolutely see how out of context "Fire" specifically could be received as cloying (my favorite "singles" are "Lilacs" and "Hell"), but the record plays for me as perfect summer southern American rock -- easy and unpretentious, a couple genuine sing-alongs, full of vivid lyrics that stayed with me all year. It was very comforting for me during quarantine this year. Went back to it again and again, and every time it felt like it was over before it started.

All that said, I was shocked to see how well it did critically. Think it was like #4 or something on Rob Mitchum's aggregated sheet.

"Lifetime" was one of my favorite discoveries from the Track noms but just missed my list.

i like the yodelly bit at the very start, it makes me think of 'it's a fine day' by opus iii. not keen on the rest of it though i'm afraid

Lanza: the song itself is a bit limp, but I adore the synth flourishes and the slightly glitchy breakdown is great.

Romy: despite seeming initially more engaging than the Lanza, I like this less. I dunno, maybe it'd grow on me?

I know The XX are popular around here, but I'm surprised to see Lifetime make it. It didn't seem to get much traction at all. I didn't end up voting for it but it's a cool song. Kind of gives me Hot Chip vibes. Excited to hear her album.

This one impressed me for about a day but wore off quickly.

Okay, maybe it wouldn't grow on me.

i like this song but it's just kinda merely-good, not sure it would come even close to placing if romy weren't already well-known/-liked from prior work

The Romy is excellent, as are all the remixes - Anz, Jayda G, Haai. The Anz mix is a total hardcore revival banger.

I hope thats not the only Kelly Lee Owens to place, there are at least 4 better tracks on the album

"bloody morning" gives me big "la ritournelle" vibes (a great thing!)

^^^ yes!

Romy song sounds like "Pretty Boy" by Young Galaxy and a dozen other shambala type tracks from previous years...

yeah you've heard this before even if you haven't

Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode - “Jerusalema” : i really like this! hadn't heard it before, just a very breezy and uplifting track. very cool that it became such a widespread phenom. (agreed that the american industry would have fucked it up somehow)

Waxahatchee - “Fire” : i kept seeing the name of this act and figured it was like a duo of electronic bros or something but then the polite-but-unmemorable tune my city's community station played one morning was back-announced as being by them (or her, not sure if the name is for a group or what). of course the dj also had to mention that it was "from my number-____ record of the year" or w/e b/c ppl who listen to those stations are presumed (i guess correctly) to be preoccupied by where things fit into hierarchies of quality or at least where tastemakers would draw those lines. (not that we're much different here!) anyway this is better than the other one i heard but still not that good? i probably wouldn't have liked it at all if not for the very basic but nice chord progression.

Kelly Lee Owens - “Melt!” : i like this but it should be longer imo. maybe i'll give the album a try.

Jessy Lanza - “Lick in Heaven” : pretty neat but a little lacking in something that i can't quite put my finger on. video is horrible

Looking forward to the Romy album but can’t help feel disappointed by this.

"anyone around" was my lanza jam of last year (didn't vote for it), thought it played a lot more to her particular strengths. "lick in heaven" is a little too wispy to be the kind of populist dance hit it's trying to be.

Nigerian afrobeat crooner Wande Coal’s first-ever appearance on the 77 comes courtesy of “Again,” a minimal R&B ballad that provides an uncluttered showcase for Coal’s buttery, graceful voice.

https://i.imgur.com/SKcI5um.png
#53: Wande Coal - “Again” - 155 points - 5 votes - 1 #1 Track Vote
video

rolling afro 2020

too!!! low!!!!!!

This is tasteful and pretty

This song succeeds despite its shit synth and drum sounds. Credit to his voice I guess.

third time through and still enjoying this
v relaxing