Dua Lipa – Indie Pong

Hello everybody! Happy New Year! So I am going to do something different this month. I usually write an article about my favorite music of the month, but since the shit show we call 2020 just ended I rather rank 50 of my favorite albums from 2020. Starting today on my YouTube channel I will be starting list week. I will be talking about my favorite and least favorite music from 2020. My top 50 albums video is the last video I will be uploading, but I think it would be a good idea to release my list early here on Indie Pong.

Although I think I have a pretty good list I do have a couple disclaimers. First of all, I kind of cheated. This list is called my top 50 albums of the year, but I do have a few EP’s in the list. Also, I know this is an indie music blog, but I do have some mainstream albums in the list. There has been several mainstream albums I enjoyed this year, so I would feel weird not to include them in my list. With that said, I don’t think my list is that bad. I am honestly proud of it. 2020 might be a shitty year, but at least there has been a lot of great albums released in 2020.

Without further ado here is my top 50 albums of the year for 2020!

50) Kota the Friend – EVERYTHING

49) Lady Gaga – Chromatica

48) Joji – Nectar

47) Bad Bunny – YHLQMDLG

46) Rico Nasty – Nightmare Vacation

45) Jme – Grime MC

44) SAULT – Untitled (Black Is)

43) Aminé – Limbo

42) Logic – No Pressure

41) Thundercat – It Is What It Is

40) Nas – King’s Disease

39) 070 Shake – Modus Vivendi

38) 21 Savage & Metro Boomin – Savage Mode II

37) Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind

36) Childish Gambino – 3.15.20

35) Action Bronson – Only For Dolphins

34) Deante’ Hitchcock – BETTER

33) Tame Impala – The Slow Rush

32) Jean Dawson – Pixel Bath

31) Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia

30) Blu & Exile – Miles

29) Fionna Apple – Fetch The Bolt Cutters

28) R.A.P. Ferreira – Purple Moonlight Pages

27) Qualle Chris & Chris Keys – Innocent Country 2

26) Kid Cudi – Man On The Moon III: The Chosen

25) Benny The Butcher – Burden of Proof

24) Oliver Tree – Ugly is Beautiful

23) Kali Uchis – Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios) ∞

22) Black Thought – Streams of Thought, Voll:3 Cane & Able

21) JPEGMAFIA – EP!

20) The Koreatown Oddity – Little Dominiques Nosebleed

19) Conway The Machine – From King To A GOD

18) Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats – UNLOCKED

17) James Blake – Before

16) Slauson Malone – Vergangenheitsbewältigung (Crater Speak)

15) The Weekend – After Hours

14) Charli XCX – how i’m feeling now

13) Poppy – I Disagree

12) 100 gecs – 1000 gecs and the Tree of Clues

11) clipping. – Visions of Bodies Being Burned

10) Jessie Ware – What’s Your Pleasure?

9) Tkay Maidza – Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2

8) Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo

7) Rina Sawayama – Sawayama

6) The Strokes – The New Abnormal

5) Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide

4) Boldy James & Sterling Toles – Manger on McNichols

3) Gorillaz – Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

2) Mac Miller – Circles

1) Run The Jewels – RTJ4

Let me know what you think?

p.s. Here is a link to my top 50 songs of the year playlist on Spotify in case you are curious.

This is our weekly best new tracks article. We cover mostly brand new songs but also some gems from the last few weeks. Follow our playlist if you want to follow on Spotify or if you hate my writing and just want the music:

84 Palms – Ackerman

Ackerman! I’ve been waiting for a long time for the EP from this Psychadelic Rock/Trip-pop Brooklyn band, and it finally dropped this week and did not disappoint. The only critique I have of this song is it has to be the hardest song to sing along to of all time. I did a little research, and asked my family and friends to listen to me covering this song and tell me if I’m using my head voice or falsetto. Haven’t gotten any responses yet, pretty sure something is wrong with my phone. There’s something about if you use too much data on Spotify it can mess with your signal. Keep you all posted.

Stainless – The Game/Anderson .Paak

You could have The Game rap over the sound of my broken dryer and I’d still be down. That’s a legend right there. I was watching this the other day so just for shits and gigs (timestamped to The Game):

Did you think Game was bout to stand around and take your shit Ashton? Hell no. He’s from Compton, wear the wrong colors be cautious and one phone call would have your body dumped in Marcy Ashton, think he gives a fuck about your concrete? Hell to the naw.

But I digress. Anderson Paak is as smooth as ever with an I can’t believe it’s not butter ass smooth ass hook that’s got me vibing like I’m popping bottles flying private to Cannes (when really I’m flying Spirit to Spokane to visit my grandparents).

Страшно – Shortparis

It has come to my attention that this song was actually released as a single late last year which slipped under the radar seeing as, you know, I don’t speak Russian. But I’m leaving it, because I’m a man of integrity and able to stand up to my own mistakes.

Shortparis was formed in Saint Petersburg, which if you didn’t know like I did without having to look it up on Wikipedia is the second biggest city in Russia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia

Threat – Charly Bliss

In the sharpest transition in Indie Pong history, next comes the 90’s nostalgia power pop absolute JAM from four piece Brooklyn band Charly Bliss that feels like it came straight out of a 90s teen movie in the scene where we see the three popular girls for the first time as they strut down the halls of their brightly colored high school wearing sequined everything and one of them is eating a lollipop, an then our protagonist says something like “Samantha Dean is all that and a bag of chips” and her best friend who is the rational one says out loud “barf”. Right guys? Am I right?

Don’t Start Now – Dua Lipa

This is what a perfect pop song sounds like.

And as a bonus, check out the live performance which is pretty amazing:

CRYBABY :*( – Dijon

When was the last time you had a good cry? I’ll tell you one of the most cathartic cries I ever had was watching The Color Purple on a plane, hot damn. Yes please I would like a glass of water.

This song is sweet, it’s got some Blood Orange/Frank/TV On The Radio vibes and I’m here for it. This song feels like experiencing the moment of a breakup and then all of the self-growth on the journey to getting over it up to the moment of finally getting there. Love a good jam that not only slaps but is incredibly substantive and emotional as well.

New York Holiday – Josh Rouse

Merry Christmas y’all. Thought we could use these tis’ the season Christmas vibes to break up this hard hitting playlist of Russian electronic and power pop songs. Thanks to Josh Rouse for spreading holiday cheer from Nashville by way of Spain as we slide into the holiday season headfirst.

The Holiday Sounds of Josh Rouse by Josh Rouse

Shaking – Hazel English

The Australians are showing up all at once over these last few years like that scene in Endgame where all the Avengers come back:

Image result for endgame final battle gif

Out of the woodwork, and they are absolutely killing it. Mallrat, Jessica Mauboy, Hatchie, Jack River, etc. they are seriously shaping pop music. Australian born Hazel English is no exception, the kind of song you can listen to first thing in the morning to pump you up or right before you go you go to bed to mellow you out. Love it and can’t wait for the album.

No Other Fault – ZLUTZ

TRASHPUNK ELECTRONICA BAND FROM THE UK is how they explained it, couldn’t have said it better myself. Sometimes you just need some techno to close out the week. This is just awesome, fist pump your heart out.

P.S. I understand that there was a shortage of electro girl pop this week which is an Indie Pong staple but don’t fret, we’re on the hunt:

Tag: Dua Lipa

Memo’s Top 50 Albums of The Year

Best Tracks of the Week 11/6/19