Top 50 Songs of 2020 (40-31)

 Continuing my list of my top songs of 2020:

40. Darkstar - "Text"

UK duo Darkstar keeps taking their sound into interesting areas.  Their latest record Civic Jams uses loops and repetition to create sometimes chilling and sometimes euphoric tracks that are like dystopian mantras.  "Text" is an example of a middle ground; feeling hopeless but giving in to the hopelessness and moving forward.

39. Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande - "Rain On Me"

You have to take the good with the bad and have to believe that there is going to be more good than bad.  Lady Gaga and Ariana portray that sentiment perfectly in this dance-pop banger.

38. CXLOE - "Swing"

Dark-pop star CXLOE works her magic in this sinuous track that has her vocals snake in, out, and around the trap/trip-hop mix.

37. Shygirl - "SLIME"

UK phenom Shygirl is woefully unheard of outside clubs.  She works with an astonishingly brilliant array of producers whose beats never overwhelm her slyly measured vocals.  Teaming up with SOPHIE, Kai Winston, and mainstay Sega Bodega, Shygirl throws down some sleek lines over a thumping track marking her sexual territory and daring anyone to cross her.

 36. Perfume Genius - "Without You"

Strings, lightly strummed acoustic guitars, and lovely piano rolls provide the bittersweet background to this lovely ballad from Perfume Genius about love lost.

35. Clock Opera - "Carousel"

It's difficult to convey any sort of appreciation for a song from this year without couching it in terms of the surrealness of this year. "Carousel" is about finding happiness in the face of the loss of control.  You just have to hang on for dear life and hope for the best.

34. DRAMA - "Days And Days"

Chicago duo DRAMA brings some serious Massive Attack meets Sade vibes on their album Dance Without Me.  "Days And Days" is a sensual track that pairs hauntingly emotional vocals with pounding beats and dreamy guitar lines.

33. Cut/Copy - "Love Is All We Share"

Can you have a dance song that is not a dance song?  "Love Is All We Share" builds like it is going to erupt at any second into a huge raver.  That Cut/Copy never give you the release you want is a testament to them being in control of their songs.  You beg and beg for it to bloom and yet during it and at the end you are sated from the journey.

32. Elliot Moss - "Silver + Gold"

Taking a page from the evocative sounds of James Blake, Elliot Moss transcends his influences to stake his own claim on this swirling dervish of a song that envelops itself and over and over again, revealing multiple layers.

31. I Break Horses - "Death Engine"

Swedish dream-pop/shoegaze act I Break Horses released their masterpiece this year, the monolithic Warnings.  "Death Engine" might begin like a muted hymn, but when the analog synths kick in, you know you are in the presence of something otherworldly.