I love the direction Noel Gallagher is going with his career. Psychedelic club music is the sound of the 21st century. His voice suits the style quite well. I also like the return to seeing Extended Plays from artists. Reminds me a lot of the UK single which I miss a great deal.
Here is the title track from his latest release.
The future of Brit Rock is in good hands with London outfit Another Sky. What a shovel to the head stunner of a debut record.
Here is one of many choice cuts...
I love it when hometown heroes make good. I've been a fan of The Jayhawks since the mid-'80s, seeing them in all sorts of great bars and clubs. Some still exist and others (like the 400 Bar) sadly do not.
Our treasure is still around...
Even though they are from Sydney, Australia, the DMA's are keeping the Brit Pop sound very much alive. Their latest record, The Glow, is aptly named as it fills the listener with sonic warmth.
This track is one of the standouts and my favorite on the record.
Bannagun burst out into the world last summer and it's never been the same since. Their first record (The True Story of Bananagun) is a start to finish corker. Here is my favorite track, clocking in at #21.
A powerful return to the fold for Midnight Oil. After 18 years, it's so great to hear this band again!
How many of us have hoped that "she loves us back?" The yearning in Boy Pablo's stand out track from Wachito Rico is universal. I'm looking forward to seeing the growth of this artist.
Glasgow's Travis is a band perfectly suited for these darker, introspective times. In many ways, they are our collective therapists. 10 Songs is a pandemic record and the opening track sums it all up perfectly.
We are officially in the Top 25 and the Moz himself slots in here to continue our journey and exploration of the best tracks of 2020. His current release, I Am Not A Dog On Your Chain, is classic HIM.
San Cisco is a very special band for me because my hometown of Minneapolis helped to break them in the US. Well, that and the fact that they make amazing music.
Their new record is magnificent. Here is my favorite track.
Paul Weller's latest record (On Sunset) shone brightly in 2020. The Modfather continues to make exciting, innovative, and relevant music six decades into his career.
The opening track is my pick for #27 of 2020.
Next up in our countdown is the opening track from the latest LP by The Flaming Lips. American Head is a true return to form for this band. What a stunner!
The Boss clocks in at #29 with the title track from his latest record. How many decades has this guy been making music?
Six.
Next up in our countdown is this amazing track from Freemantle's own Spacey Jane. Man, I love a good guitar-driven pop song!
It's that time of the year again! The best tracks of 2020 unfurled over the next 31 days in all their glory. I chose the odd number of 31 because I couldn't cut down the list any more than these tracks.
First up is The 1975 with a banger of a tracker called Yeah I Know from Notes On A Conditional Form
West Yorkshire's proudest sons The Cribs are back with their eighth full-length record. Wow, has it really been that long? I suppose so given they started their career back in the Dudes With Guitars era.
Their new album is called Night Network and all the usual Cribs-y stuff is present (love, loss, pain, yearning) plus a much wider sound. The lads keep growing and searching!
Here is my favorite track...
LA's Wallows have a brand spanking new EP out called Remote and it is completely MEGA. I continue to hope and pray that they continue to carry the torch of "Dudes with Guitars."
When I first became a teenager, some adults in my hometown told me that if I listened to AC/DC, I was going to go to hell. In fact, they encouraged me to burn any AC/DC albums I had to save myself from eternal damnation.
I didn't listen.
And now AC/DC is played at all major sporting venues and a wide variety of family events all across the United States.
For those about to rock, WE WON.
AC/DC is still going strong after all these decades. Their new record, PWRUP, is all the things we love about the band and more. It just rocks like crazy and reminds me of my early teenage years. Nostalgia is something we all really need right now!
Here is the opening track...
I miss the club. I really, really do. Being able to dance, sweat, and meet interesting people doing strange things on the floor is something I will cherish even more when the pandemic has passed.
Thankfully, we have Tobacco (AKA Thomas Fec). The Pennsylvania native just dropped his fifth record and it is a great salve for those of us missing going out. The whole record makes me feel like I'm there!
But I have to close my eyes...
Hearing that Sydney's own Midnight Oil had a new record coming out sent me into a prolonged state of absolute glee that has lasted for several weeks. This is a band from youth, Gen X in all its glory. And they haven't made a record in 18 years!
The Makaratta Project is a stunning achievement not merely for the band but also for First Nations peoples all over Australia. Here is the first track.