The beleaguered year of 2020 has come to an end, finally. Let us just say it's been a nightmare, but like any dark cloud, there were silver linings. Because everything got shut down due to COVID-19, including my sometimes job subbing at my local high school, it freed up my time to reinstate my music blog which I had all but shut down in January.
And while once again, the pop music scene left so much to be desired, it was actually a banner year of changes for Scenes 'n' Soundwaves. Perhaps because of the pandemic, many artists that couldn't perform live gigs, did so in their own homes, enabling fans who may not have gotten out to see them, could, via social media platforms.
Needless to say that musically for me, it was a unique year for writing my blog. My musical fascination, while enjoying the established artists, always has been about the indies, those starting out and trying to make it in the business, or perhaps just playing because they love to. And I met a few of them this year, and even friended many of them on Facebook as well, enabling me to follow their careers and keeping tabs on their music.
Artists from New Jersey accounted for over 20 percent of the songs in this year's top 100, and that includes three of the top five. And for the second time in three years, my number one song didn't "chart" anywhere (but should have!), from a band that really captivated me during the past year or so. ScreenAge, which formed in 2015 with its members hailing from Edison, Freehold and Milltown, last year released their first album, Station 42 and landed one its songs, "Vague" on my list from 2019, released the track "Blue Eyed Addiction". A song that combines vintage garage-rock sounds with a current production flair, especially the guitar break towards the end of the song, hit my top spot this past August, and stayed there for four weeks. That was enough to land at the #1 slot on this year's list. And the band is still activeand has music planned for 2021. Lead singer Emily MacMahon recently released two solo singles over the past year, the pandemic-themed "6ft Away", and "Only You", both of which I will explore shortly; while the band is writing and recording their soon-to-be-released second album.
ScreenAge thus becomes the first band containing Garden State members in twenty years to grab the year's brass ring, since Stone Temple Pilots, which included brothers Dean and Robert DeLeo who hailed from Montclair. STP hit the top spot twice ("Big Empty", 1994; "Sour Girl"; 2000). Before that, you have to go back to 1980, when Hawthorne's Debbie Harry fronted Blondie's "Call Me". The last band that had all Jersey members that hit my top spot was The Four Seasons, in 1976 with "December 1963 (Oh What A Night)". The only other band that came in on top that contained at least one Garden Stater was Tommy James & the Shondells. Peter Lucia, who passed away in 1987, was the drummer for that band, which also hit the top spot twice ("Hanky Panky", 1966; "Crystal Blue Persuasion", 1969; was from Morristown. It should be noted that Tommy James himself also lives in New Jersey (Clifton and now Cedar Grove) since the early 1980''s.
ScreenAge heads a list of Jersey-based artists that also include Donna Missal and The Outcrops in the top five. Missal, who was #5 on my 2018 list with "Keep Lying", released her second album, Lighter, and released three songs from it, all making the list, including "Let Me Let You Down" at #4. Among the others hailing from Jersey: Major pop star Halsey (Edison), notable artists Phoebe Ryan (Red Bank) and Real Estate (Ridgewood) landed on the tally. Others making the list include Elise Farnsworth (Middletown), Christina Alessi (Bloomfield) C. Lynne Smith (Cape May), King Tappa (Irvington), Paul Czekaj (Flanders), Kjband (Livingston), Karen Wallo (Bound Brook), and Sea of Otters (Jersey City).
Besides the home-grown slate, other "trends" I encountered this year include the proliferation of indie and aspiring artists, not just here but in neighboring states and even abroad. While most of the Jerseyans listed above are in this category, the sameness that is pop music these days, and even some alternative, has caused me to explore elsewhere. Aside from the above, pop/adult contemporary artist Shannon Marsyada; jazz-pop artist Avi Wisnia, and rock/avant-garde guitarist/instrumentalist David F. Porfirio, hailing from Hazelton PA, Philadelphia and Queens, NY respectively, also scored on the list, with the former racking up two more songs from her 2019 set Oceans that yielded three songs on the 2019 list.. Scroll down the list to perhaps see other acts from all around going the indie route.
I also delved into the past for some newly discovered artists. Contrary to some publications, friends and critics lists which analyze and rank the best music that was released during this year, my top 100 list are songs that I have added to my playlist and listened to this year, not necessarily released this year. While some songs were just leftover singles and tracks from 2019 albums, some were new artist discoveries, where, not having any new releases out, caused me to find older works by those artists. Examples here also include C. Lynne Smith, whose "Real" came from a 2006 release; Karen Wallo, now with Jersey Cowgirls, scoring with a song from a 2009 solo endeavor "Rain Away My Sorrow", Sea of Otters, with "I Tend to Offend", which was written in the 1990's and included on the band's 2015 album; and Avi Wisnia's "Sky Blue Sky" from 2015; Soundtracks from TV shows that I binged-watched in 2020, such as Shameless, gave me The Mystery Lights neo-garage sound of "21 and Counting" from their 2016 debut, as well as Pickwick's 2017 Lovejoys album spawning "Never Gonna Be Enough", while Sneaky Pete, featured Animal Island's "Tonight" from their 2018 EP.
Finally, there's the Soul/ Blues Revival. Although this genre never really went away, artists brought these styles back, often fused with psychedelic overtones. Leon Bridges started that ball rolling a few years back, but many other artists attracted buzz and radio airplay, especially in 2020, which has resulted in these artists scoring here. Making the list were artists like Michael Kiwanuka, Gary Clark Jr, Black Pumas, Devon Gilfillian and Bakar. It's no coincidence either, that these artists are doing social comment, something that has, for the most part, been missing for decades.
Despite the shortened length of the year that I did my blog, two acts---both coincidentally with names of sports in their moniker, tied for most entries with four: Winnetka Bowling League, and Tennis. Several artists had three, including the aforementioned Christina Alessi (two solo, one with her band); Michael Kiwanuka, Donna Missal and Black Pumas.
And then there are the Rolling Stones. Riding the crest of the pandemic, and featured in the "One World: Together at Home" special that aired in April; "Living in a Ghost Town" was a Triple-A hit, and reached #1 on my blog. But here's an interesting fact: The song landed at #6 on my year-end list and it was the first time that the Stones were in my year-end top 10 since.....1965 (!) when they had the #2 and #3 songs with "Satisfaction" and "Get Off Of My Cloud". Of course they came close to the Top Ten many times during the 1960's and 70's. It was also their first year-end appearance in my list since "Mixed Emotions" in 1989. The Pretenders, whose first appearance was in 1980 "Brass In Pocket" return to the list with "The Buzz"; Meanwhile, back to the COVID theme, Twenty One Pilots' "Level of Concern", also made the list.
As you may have expected, pop artists took a back seat this year. In fact only five songs on the list hit the Top 30 on Billboard's Hot 100, with only two top 10's: Dua Lipa's "Don't Start Now" which reached #2, and Harry Styles' "Watermelon Sugar", the only Billboard number one on my list. Miley Cyrus' "Midnight Sky", AJR's "Bang", Halsey's "You Should Be Sad", and Blake Shelton's "Nobody But You", which features his fiancé, Gwen Stefani, and is the only country song to make the list (Morgan Wallen's "7 Summers" just missed at #102) were the others to reach the top third of the Hot 100.
Here is this year's Scenes 'n' Soundwaves Top 100 of 2020. This year, along with the listing, I added descriptions of the artists and/or songs. Enjoy!
Scenes ‘n’ Soundwaves Top 100 of 2020
ARTIST - Title | ||
1 |  | Jersey band formed in 2015, and has gotten notice from as far away as England. Band released first album, Station 42 in 2019 which spawned "Vague", which made the #89 year-end position that year, setting things up for this new song. Released as a stand-alone single in advance of their upcoming second album. Spent 4 weeks at the top. |
2 |
 | Reggae oriented band originally from Hawaii breaks a hiatus in this collaboration with Collie Buddz. My song of the summer, the song spent six weeks at #1 here, the most of any song in five years. |
3 |
 | Accomplished songwriter who has written for Halsey, Demi Lovato and others steps into her own spotlight. This is the follow-up to "My Man". Haunting sound made this a winner, peaking at #2. |
4 |  | Jersey artist released this track and two others in advance of her second album, Lighter. Peaked at #2. |
5 |  | Another Jersey act, which I had seen in 2019 at the Hackettstown "May Fest". They released this "all-day" soulful song late last year, and was the among the first adds for 2020. It spent four weeks at the top last Spring. I went back and saw them play live in Clinton in September. |
6 |  | Aussie outfit had a major alternative hit with "Just Exist", but as is often the case, it was split between last year and this year, thus didn't make my list. While this follow-up wasn't quite as big, it did resonate with me, and had a long run on my playlist, peaking at #5 and spending 30 weeks on the chart. |
7 |
 | What more can you say about this band? While the pandemic canceled a planned tour, this song was retooled with a COVID theme and hit my #1 spot. As mentioned, this is the first time they've been on my list since 1989 and the first time in the top 10 in 55 years. |
8 |  | Pennsylvania songbird was another that I saw play live last fall. Amy Winehouse-sounding song reached #2 and was the fifth add from her excellent 2019 Oceans set. |
9 |  | Another from a 2019, in this case This Land. This was one of the songs that led to me reactivating the blog, thanks to hearing it at a bar on Stratton Mountain in Vermont. Spent two weeks at the top when summer began. |
10 |
 | LA duo fronted by Bethany Cosentino has been a steady performer in the blog era. This one reached #10. From the album Always Tomorrow. |
11 |  | One of two acts that had two blog number ones this year (the other being Winnetka Bowling League). This was actually the first single off of the Londoners' 2019 effort Kiwanuka. After some subsequent blog (and Triple-A radio) hits, I went back to this one, and it topped the chart. |
12 |
 | Another Londoner; this one from his 2019 first full-length album Will You Be My Yellow, reached #1 on Billboard's Triple-A chart (where it was also number one for the year), and #3 here. His follow-up, "1st Time" is my current leader but added too late to make the list for 2020. |
13 |  | Talk about a "left-field" hit with me. This artist pretty much fell on my lap as he was a friend of Karen Wallo's. Queens artist is a unique talent, with elements of avant-garde, prog, and guitar-based rock. Song became the second instrumental to top my list, after 2012's "Elizabeth's Theme" by Dirty Beaches. From his album Overactive Imagination. You need to discover this talent. |
14 |
 | A major reason why I do this blog is discovering new artists through unusual channels. This Middletown NJ artists was recommended by a person who worked for a company I worked for. Elise released her first effort Turn Her Up, and this second track pulled topped my playlist. Saw her play live in early October. |
15 |  | The other act with two #1's this year. Not really a "summer smash" as it was released at season's end, but its calming, surf-rockish sound was a major fall player. Band is, of course fronted by Matthew Koma. Song is one of three tracks that made the list from third EP Congratulations. |
16 |
 | Band and song discovered from the soundtrack to the TV show Shameless. Brooklyners owe their song directly to the 1960's garage-psychedelic rock scene, just slightly updated for these times. From their 2016 debut. |
17 |  | Burlington, VT singer-songwriter followed her #1 blog hit from 2018 "Jeannie Becomes a Mom" with this mid-sized Triple-A hit which almost equaled that song with a #2 peak here. From her fourth album Superstar. |
18 |  | You have to thank two of my hometown friends, sisters Diane Carson and Suzanne Logeman for introducing me to this alt-folk-country singer-songwriter. Her Facebook live performances from her Cape May home captivated me. While she didn't have any new material in release, I found that she released an album back in 2006. This song was really emotional tale of heartbreak, and reached the top 3 on my list in June. |
19 |  | Husband-and-wife duo from Denver have been a major player on my blog despite little success elsewhere. This song became their fourth chart-topper on my blog early in the year. They also equaled Winnetka Bowling League for the most entries on the 2020 list with four, three of which, including this one from their fifth full-length, Swimmer. |
20 |
 | Miley is, in my opinion, one of the most underrated pop stars. Her image with many of my friends is as a "poster girl" for bad pop. They couldn't be more wrong. This woman has talent and she showed it three years ago when "Malibu" landed in my 2017 year-end top 10, along with a five week stay at #1. This heartful entry, from her latest Plastic Hearts, almost equaled that feat, with three weeks at the top. The song also reached #14 on the Billboard Hot 100. No doubt this would have ranked higher if I had added the song earlier. |
21 |  | New York City rock band evolved from one called The Willosz. Song reached #8 on my list. |
22 |  | LA garage punkers led by Lydia Night slow it down just a tad. Reached #8 on the playlist. |
23 |  | Alt-rockers from Utah have hung around the middle of my playlist for years, but finally crack the top 5 with this cut from their fourth full-length I Can Feel You Forgetting Me. |
24 |  | Ridgewood NJ band (now part of the Brooklyn scene) scored an alternative radio hit with this one, teaming up with EDMers Sylvan Esso. |
25 |  | West Palm Beach FL indie rockers hit the blog top 20, as well as made my 2011 Year-end list with "Swim", but this one went all the way to the top here. Proto-punkish ode to a woman who loves music, from their third album, Hard Boiled. |
26 |  | Another cut from Lighter, became this Jersey rocker's second blog #1 (after 2018's "Keep Lying"). |
27 |  | Cut from Kiwanuka was a hit on triple-A playlists and has the distinction of being the last blog #1 back in December before "retiring" my blog, then upon reactivation, holding that position for four more weeks well into April. , |
28 |  | Psychedelic soul duo led by Eric Burton scored three songs on the year-end list, including this song from their 2019 debut. Song reached #3 on the Triple-A list and #8 here. |
29 |  | Another from the Denver husband and wife duo from Swimmer |
30 |  | MyKey is actually Mikey Ambrosino, from Rockville Maryland. He is joined by producer Robin Daniel Skinner, known as Cavetown. |
31 |  | Band are no strangers to my top ten. This one scored a top ten here, but was #1 for five weeks on Billboard's Triple-A listing. |
32 |
 | Cut from Matthew Koma and gang's Congratulations EP reached top 5 both here and on Sirius Alt-Nation channel. The video, recorded a month before the pandemic was shot in a real CVS store. |
33 |  | Ten Years ago, this band scored a #2 blog (and #12 year-end) with "Bushwick Blues". Fast forward to 2020, and San Diego rockers reached #3 blog with this. From fifth full-length, What Is There. |
34 |  | King Tappa (real name: Kurt Prince) is an acclaimed Reggae artist hailing from Irvington NJ, and actually worked alongside my wife at Solix for a time. His 2007 single "Take Your Time" (with guitar by Phil Alessi--Christina's brother--made inroads here. This topical song about the times were are facing reached #7 here over the summer. |
35 |  | Tennessee rockers have made my blog list before, but this was their first "breakthrough". From third album Leave What's Lost Behind. |
36 |  | The first cut extracted off of Middletown's discovery Turn Her Up, is, in her own words, a comment on the current political times. The song reached #3 on my blog list over the summer. |
37 |  | With the social unrest joining all the other problems that have beset the year, Devon, a vintage soul singer from Nashville has, like King Tappa and Elise Farnsworth above, commented on the times and the pleas for all of us to get along. The song hit #1 on my blog in mid-December, and #5 on the Triple-A chart. |
38 |  | Indie alt pop-rockers have been around since 2007 and scored here numerous times, but this is their biggest blog playlist hit, peaking at #4, surpassing "Congratulations" which reached #10 in 2010. |
39 |  | This 2018 cut from their self-titled debut EP was discovered from the soundtrack to the show Sneaky Pete. A top 5 blog hit. |
40 |  | One of the best cuts from talented PA artist's Oceans set, the fourth one extracted from that set, reached #5 in late spring. |
41 |  | Former One Direction member has had much solo pop success. While shunned from any rock airplay due to the band he came from, I added the song, which reached #6 here. Not only was it the lone Billboard Hot 100 to make it on my year-end list, but the only one ADDED to my playlist at all in 2020...certainly a comment on the times. |
42 |  | 2020 had me following the Triple-A chart much more than the alternative chart, with seven #1's on the former exceeding the 2 on the latter. This was one of those Triple-A number one's, by the bluesy rocker whose "Hey No Pressure" landed at #6 on the year-end 2016 list. This Monovision cut did almost as well, peaking at #11 on my blog. |
43 |  | This one made a very slow climb, taking 21 weeks to hit the top 10, but apparently I jumped on this song way before others did. Currently making its way up the alternative chart, for once, I may have led the way on a song. Indie rockers hail from Salt Lake City UT. |
44 |  | Singer-songwriter probably still best known for "Ex's and Oh's" and being the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider, releases her EP Isolation. While perhaps not as strong as her other material (she made year end top ten four times between 2015 and 2019) but still a worthy song. |
45 |  | Another top 5 Triple-A and top 10 blog song from Kiwanuka. |
46 |  | Ridgewood rockers follow "Paper Cup" with another great song that was pretty much ignored by radio. Too bad. |
47 |  | Flanders NJ laureate had released the video to this song that features beautiful sunsets, submitted by friends, family and fans (including yours truly), back in October 2019. His latest album of the same name came out at the beginning of the year, enabling this to chart. Peaked at #2 in the spring, kept out of the top spot by fellow Jersey artists The Outcrops. Very catchy song which I couldn't get out of my head for weeks. |
48 |  | Us Another song that took forever to reach my top ten, like the Backseat Lovers, taking 21 weeks to do so. Song is from Jersey artist's 2018 solo album. |
49 |  | Kentucky perennial alt-rock faves pretty much milked their 2019 Social Cues album in 2020. This was yet another #1 Triple-A song that reached #9. here. |
50 |  | This cut from their second EP Cloudy With a Chance of Sun, which also spawned the giant "Kombucha" (#3 year end last year). Both that and this one hit #1 on my blog (later joined by "Come to the Beach"). |
51 |  | New Zealander (real name Stella Rose Bennett) scored on alt charts with this song from her 2019 album Stella & Steve. |
52 |  | Met brothers scored early on the alt chart with this one, before crossing over to the pop chart top 30. Quirky song from the band noted for those kind of songs. From OK Orchestra. |
53 |  | Staffordshire, England artists scored a blog hit back in 2013 with "From Nowhere", which also made my year-end list that year. He finally returns with this gem that hit blog top 10 recently. From third album Grand Plan. |
54 |  | With Pepper's "Change" doing well on my list, it was time to check out what the other Hawaiian reggae outfit was up to. Turns out that they wereon WEQX's playlist and was up to their usual standards. From 2020 album Coastin' and the track features Eric Rachminy and Stick Figure. |
55 |  | Another from the transplanted New York to L.A. band, the first cut from third EP Congratulations. |
56 |  | Third and final cut from Lighter, which also reached my blog top 10. Artist has made some waves in the past; let's hope 2021 is her real breakthrough. |
57 |  | Another song copped from the TV show Shameless. Seattle band's next-to-recent album LoveJoy spawned this song. Band combines garage rock with R&B and has been compared to The Black Keys, Alabama Shakes and even Sam Cooke. |
58 |  | One thing you can count on is that perennial bands like these guys will find a spot on a year-end list. From 2020 album New Age Norms 2 |
59 |  | Another from the Bloomfield artist's 2018 solo EP. Reached #12 on the blog. |
60 |  | Singer who grew up in Bound Brook NJ was part of many area bands, such as NJ's Most WANTED, and Burn the House Band. She now fronts Jersey Cowgirls which got to play several gigs when the outdoor COVID band was lifted. When asked if she had any material released, she pointed to her 2009 album with the 2020 title: We're In This Together. I add the song, and it reached #10. |
61 |  | One of the most successful bands in the blog era for me, this was the third single from 'Let's Rock'. The first two both reached year-end top 5 in 2019, incidentally. |
62 |  | Psych-rock band has been around for several years and have graced many of my year-end lists. This year, they finally broke through to the rock mainstream. This song scored at #1 on the Triple-A chart (as did the follow-up, "Is It True" which just missed my list at #110). Both from the #3 Billboard album The Slow Rush. |
63 |  | Minnesota band has been around forever, first making an impact in 1992 with Hollywood Town Hall. The next album, Tomorrow the Green Grass in 1995 spawned my #5 song that year, "Blue". They made the list again in 2000, 2003 and 2011. They were due to make it again this year, with the song from their 11th studio set Xoxo. |
64 |
 | Similar to Michael Kiwanuka, after this duo's breakout success (winning some awards), I went back to the first single off of their debut and it peaked recently at #6. An awesome band to check out. |
65 |  | It's great that bands like this, Cage the Elephant, Cold War Kids stay consistent. While this band has definitely cooled off from brushes with success early in the 2010's, this cut from their just-released EP In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing; song reached #12 on the blog. |
66 |  | German duo teams up with seasoned singer-songwriter Johnson to offer this song with a reggae-ish beat to it. Landed on several alternative playlists including mine and of course the Triple-A charts. |
67 |  | Band played the Jersey Shore circuit in the 1990's. About ten years ago, they reformed led by Nick Ciavatta. In 2015 they cut a self-titled album containing their shore classics, of which this is one. Ciavatta also heads up the Jersey City-band Friggin' Fabulous Productions which presented many area bands and singer-songwriters, both online and on social media. The band still occasionally performs. |
68 |  | One of only two bona fide "hits" on my 2020 list. You can thank my friend Gail Bradley for introducing me to this one. It reached #2 on Billboard late last year. Singer is one of the better ones out there now, who hails from London, England. |
69 |  | I love this indie artist based in Austin Texas's style. So mellow and even lounge-ish but definitely contemporary. This song is one of two that also landed in last year's list. You may also want to check out her "Holiday Dreaming" song from her 2019 Christmas Album. |
70 |  | One of the few--very few--artists considered alternative to have pop hits as well. This one was released in response to the pandemic, with lyrics like "Will you be my quarantine". Needless it say, it landed at the #1 position on Billboards alternative chart for weeks and for the year-end. |
71 |  | While it would be, nice if this Seattle band released albums more often, when they do, they are always successful. Their three prior albums all produced at least one song that made my year-end charts, most notably "Mykonos" from their eponymous debut reaching #3 in 2009 and the #13 in 2011 "Grown Ocean" from second set Helplessness Blues. Their fourth album, Shore came out on the first day of autumn and spawned this one, which reached #8 on my blog. |
72 |  | Holdover track from the awesome retro-artist's 2019 self-titled fourth album. His previous album, 2016's Never Twice, was the one that introduced me to this California artist; one of those songs, "Straight Love Affair" was my #1 song of 2018. |
73 |  | Here's a talented singer who for the most part, has yet to break here. She holds tri-citizenship (UK, Sweden, Spain) . Ready made for pop success, her biggest (and only) Hot 100 song to date was the #66 "Don't Call Me Up" in 2019. As for this song, I have no idea how I got a hold of it, but I'm glad I did. Released in 2019, the song reached #7 on my blog and #6 in the UK. What I didn't realize at the time I added this song was that her mother is Neneh Cherry, who had a big pop hit in 1989 with "Buffalo Stance", and made my year-end list twice in 1993. She's also featured on my current blog hit "Wherever You Go". Her uncle is Eagle-Eye Cherry, who had a hit with "Save Tonight" which made my list in 1998. |
74 |
 | And another European artist (from the Netherlands, real name Annelotte de Graaf) that deserved a huge breakthrough, but hasn't gotten it yet. Her song "Something's Gonna Take Your Love Away" was my #9 of 2019, and this was the follow-up. From her 2019 album European Heartbreak. |
75 |  | Kjband is the project of Ken Johnston, another Jersey artist. Ken made my top 100 numerous times in the late 1980's with demos that he had made (he was a co-worker of mine back then). His first proper album with his current, ongoing project under the Kjband moniker, All I Want, came out in 1998. He made the year-end list twice in 2015. His 11th album, More Love Songs, gave birth to this track, which landed him in the top 30. |
76 |  | This may be surprising, but this LA based indie-pop band only made my countdown once before, with "Sweet talk" in 2017. This year they had numerous attempts, and this song, from their album The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Part 1, peaked at #4 here and in the teens on both alternative and Triple-A Billboard charts. |
77 |  | Back To Me One of my faves from the early days of the blog, the Vermonter releases her fourth solo set, Daylight in late 2019. which has a bit of her original rock edge that was lacking in her prior album 2015's Midnight. It was the follow-up song to "Love is Love" which made the list last year. As for Lucius, it's that Brooklyn-cum-LA's collaboration, having been featured on Nathaniel Rateliff's #1 blog hit "Coolin' Out", as well as some songs on their own. It would be nice to see a new album from them. |
78 |  | Aussie alt-rock duo make their first year-end appearance with this song that reached #3 on my playlist. From this year's second EP, All My Friends. |
79 |  | Ms. Burch's follow-up to "Only One" reached #22 one the blog. |
80 |  | The "Put the Gun Down" singer is still active, releasing a bunch of non-album sides in 2020, including this one. Her real name, incidentally, is ZsuZsanna Eva Ward. |
81 |  | Female sister trio (Haim is their surname) landed in the #10 spot in 2014 with "Forever". Their third effort, Women In Music Part III, spawned this song which garnered rock airplay. |
82 |  | LA Indie-folk band headed by Alex Brown Church have been around since 2007. New to my blog, this song is from their sixth release Through a Dark Wood. |
83 |  | Last of the three songs on the list from their debut. Another song which topped the Triple-A chart. |
84 |  | Nice to see this band having success. While perhaps overshadowed by other tracks on The Slow Rush set like "Lost in Yesterday" and "Is It True", it held its own, peaking at #4 on my blog. |
85 |  | Has it really been forty years since Chrissie Hynde's band first hit? "Brass in Pocket" made my 1980 year-end list; only the Rolling Stones go back further of all the acts currently on the list. It's their first appearance since "I'll Stand By You" in 1994. The band's 11th album, Hate For Sale, contained this song which landed on the Triple-A charts. |
86 |  | Country fave pretty much held that genre's banner in 2020. It's the only country song on the list; the song, with his fiancé and fellow The Voice coach Gwen Stefani featured, hit #1 on the country chart and top 20 on the Billboard hot 100. |
87 |  | Father of the Bride cut was probably overshadowed by other tracks on it, by this popular band, but "Sunflower" was definitely my favorite. |
88 |  | While this artist is probably overshadowed by his sister Billie Eilish, despite her ongoing popularity, none of her songs made the list, while Finneas O'Connor, her brother, got some airplay of his own and made my top 100. |
89 |  | The other holdover from 2019 probably suffered from being on the list for both years, but this is the song that introduced me to this artist who had previously written for others. It got some airplay on alternative stations. |
90 |  | Husband-and-wife Patrick Riley and Alaina Moore cover the Leon Russel-Bonnie Bramlett standard that scored for the Carpenters in 1971. That version was #88 on my list for that year, while Tennis' version--a standalone single release---came in two notches lower. |
91 |  | Although this Nebraska band has been around since the 1990's. this is only the second time they've charted. A 2007 single made the Triple-A list, but, not (yet) having compiled a list for that year, it went unnoticed. They did have a string of four albums making the top 15 on Billboard's album chart between 2004 and 2011. This one made their SNS debut, from the outfit's first album since then, Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was.. |
92 |  | Like C. Lynne Smith, this jazzy-pop musician was introduced to me via a series of online performances by friends Diane and Suzanne. The Philadelphia musician had released an album back in 2010, Something New. This song was a stand-alone single from 2015 that reached #22 on the blog. He is about to record his second full-length album to be released sometime in 2021 |
93 |  | The "other Stones" (will be have to be calling the more familiar Brit band "Rolling..." now? ) have scraped my blog top twenty several times. Last year, "Be My Fire" was on the list; for this band from Ontario Canada. The band has definitely a lot of pop sensibility to them. |
94 |  | In what was probably a great sense of timing, after two top tens from her 2018 solo effort had descended my playlist, the Bloomfield resident Ms. Alessi releases the first album with her band the Toll Collectors, who have played the Jersey clubs for several years now. Alessi previously fronted Hey Tiger. This was one of two tracks released ahead of their new Rainbows and Watercolors set. The band impresses! |
95 |  | One of the most successful pop artists hailing from New Jersey (Edison) in recent memory (along with, perhaps Charlie Puth), this song has enough of an alternative edge to make a lengthy stay on my playlist. The song from 2020 album Manic reached #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also picked up some alternative airplay as well. |
96 |  | The 4th and final track from the Denver duo is another from Yours, Conditionally. While the song peaked here at #22, breaking a top 20 string, it was still enough to make the list. |
97 |  | LA rockers have always been in the thick of things, and this cut from their 2020 Angel Miners and Lightning Riders set, was an alt-rock hit. |
98 |  | After some early 2000's success with tracks such as "Mr. Brightside", the band seemingly disappeared, only recording annual holiday singles (their "I Feel It In My Bones" from 2013 still shares the record for fastest trip to #1). But once they shelved the holiday music, the band led by Brandon Flowers seems to have reemerged. This is only one of two songs on the list to have been #1 on the Billboard alternative chart in 2020 (although another 2020 topper, Meg Myers' "Running Up That Hill" was on my 2019 list). Vegas band released Imploding the Mirage this year. |
99 |  | Oxford, England indie quartet has been around since the mid-2000's, and had my #3 song of 2016 with "Give It All", and they continue to churn out a variety of styles. In 2019 the band released two parts of Not Everything Saved Will Be Lost. This song, not to be confused with the Tennis song, is from Part 2. |
100 |  | Last, but certainly not least is this acclaimed talent from Red Bank, NJ who had won many accolades in the music industry and even charted as a featured artist with The Chainsmokers. She has written songs for acts such as Britney Spears, Wyclef Jean, and All Time Low. In 2020, she released her long-awaited first full length album, How It Used to Feel, which contained this song. |
