What did you listen to this year?

[Onyx2]

A little crossover with @jazzygeofferzwith one notable exception.

Here, let me save you the trouble: #BringBackDownvotes

In all seriousness, I'm absolutely certain Coldplay isn't my most listened. It's been John Williams for five years running, and I don't think that's changed. It named a Coldplay track I don't know as my #1, got my podcast listens completely wrong too, something odd is going on. 

[SuperBacon]

6 minutes ago, Onyx2 said:

In all seriousness, I'm absolutely certain Coldplay isn't my most listened. It's been John Williams for five years running, and I don't think that's changed. It named a Coldplay track I don't know as my #1, got my podcast listens completely wrong too, something odd is going

Own it! Parachutes is a great album and Coldplay were great when I saw them live. Let's discuss in the future over some plain Dairy Milk and Ready Salted crisps at a Lib Dems conference in Surrey.

#ChokeOnYourDownvotes

[Keith Houchen]

Oliver’s Army in Coldplay love shocker. 

[Jazzy G]

1 hour ago, Keith Houchen said:

Oliver’s Army in Coldplay love shocker. 

I imagine they're here to stay. Unlike downvotes. 

[Keith Houchen]

5 minutes ago, jazzygeofferz said:

I imagine they're here to stay. Unlike downvotes. 

I’d rather they’d be anywhere else but here when downvotes ruled the world. 

[BomberPat]

It was a little skewed because I have a playlist I'd been using to fall asleep, and only two or three albums downloaded on my phone - when I'm out, I do most of my listening on a knackered old iPod with terrible battery life, and I just keep a few things on the phone as a back-up.

My number one artists were;

1. Johnny Clegg
2. David Bowie
3. Tom Waits
4. Savuka
5. Sparks

That's definitely skewed by a best of Clegg/Savuka being one of my downloaded albums, and one Clegg song being on the sleep playlist, though I do listen to him a lot. Bowie and Waits are in a similar spot, in that they're in constant rotation, but probably wouldn't have made the top 5 list otherwise. Sparks I have listened to a hell of a lot this year - and most years, admittedly - but the new album definitely had them high on my list.

Top songs were;

1. The Long Winters - The Commander Thinks Aloud
2. Johnny Clegg - The Crossing (Osiyeza)
3. Johnny Clegg - Love In The Time Of Gaza
4. Gordon Lightfoot - If You Could Read My Mind
5. Nick Drake - River Man

Which were all definitely a result of the sleep playlist.

 

Top genres were;

1. Dance Rock
2. Alternative Rock
3. Folk Rock
4. Chamber Psych
5. Rock

 

Which is impressive, as I couldn't tell you what Chamber Psych is.

[The Gaffer]

I don't have Spotify either, but it's obviously the same piece of classical music that's my most played every other year.

[PunkStep]

17 hours ago, SuperBacon said:

What's with the sad face? That's a fucking banger!!!

Poxy auto-emojis! That was a closing bracket at the end so god knows how it turned it into a sad face

And yes, it really is a banger

Edited December 3, 2020 by PunkStep

[Rule One]

8 hours ago, Statto said:

An Alan Carr lookalike who used to be a bank teller, a fact I also enjoy. I'll always remember the first time I heard SPATBB - was riding through rural Alabama to the liquor store in my buddy Beau's vintage Chevy Z28, he stuck the aux cable in and said "Check these boys out". Having been brought up on Muscle Shoals soul by my mum, it was like a warm hug. Love that SPATBB continue that tradition of the best soul music being performed by Alabamian country boys.

I saw Colter Wall that same trip, playing 3 songs on the bill of a charity gig in Nashville. This would have been September 2015, so about 18 months before his first full-length album came out. His manager at the time is an acquaintance of mine so briefly met him that night, recall him coming across as exceptionally shy both in person & on stage.

I'm very jealous that you have got to see them both. SPATTB were supposed to be doing a tour over here this year until things went tits up. I'm hopeful that when things start to pick up again that they'll come over and I'll be first in line to catch them. 

I'd love to see Colter live too but I fear that may take a trip to America to do so. I'd would have loved to have been a spectator when he played the Music City Roots gig in 2017. I imagine his voice to be even better live. 

[Hannibal Scorch]

Blinding Lights is my most listened to track this year by a country mile.

most listened to album is My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Hamilton - Broadway Cast. Because most of my listening is now podcasts when I go out on walks.

 

[Zebra Kid Mark]

3 hours ago, Rule One said:

I'd love to see Colter live too but I fear that may take a trip to America to do so. I'd would have loved to have been a spectator when he played the Music City Roots gig in 2017. I imagine his voice to be even better live. 

He's scheduled to play the Black Deer festival in Tunbridge wells in June of next year (if that actually takes place).

My top 5 was:

1) AJJ

2) The Felice Brothers

3) John Prine

4) The Avett Brothers

5) The Interrupters 

 

Notable exemptions would be Colter Wall and the Dead South, I think I listened to both a hell of a lot in 2020 so I am not quite sure how they missed out. 

It's also the first year since Spotify started doing these reviews that NoFX wasn't my number 1 artist and this year they didn't even make my top 5 so I think I need to give them some more love next year.

[neil]

Top 3 albums of the year:

1. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today

2. Osees - Protean Threat

Tied for 3rd. Idles - Ultra Mono. Fuzz - III

 

I can't insist more strongly about the Protomartyr album, its outstanding, their best work, and perfect for 2020

Edited December 3, 2020 by neil

[Jazzy G]

@Zebra Kid Mark I think the reason NoFX snuck onto my top 5bwas because my friend got me a ticket to go to see them at Slam Dunk this past May, but obviously things precluded that and I'm not entirely convinced it'll happen again this May yet. I usually give them a good listen, so they'd normally be in my top 10.

My routine for the week tends to be that I'll listen to the Discover Weekly playlist on my way to and from work on a Monday, Completely Unnecessary Podcast on a Wednesday and Sequelisers on a Thursday or Friday depending on when they decide to release a new episode, then other stuff around it. That Discover Weekly can be a bit of a joke sometimes. Last time I had it on it suggested I "discover" Daft Punk. One week it also "recommended" 2 Soulwax songs, and one of their remixes. 

[Chest Rockwell]

9 hours ago, neil said:

Top 3 albums of the year:

1. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today

2. Osees - Protean Threat

Tied for 3rd. Idles - Ultra Mono. Fuzz - III

 

I can't insist more strongly about the Protomartyr album, its outstanding, their best work, and perfect for 2020

Never heard of any of this. What genre even? Want to know if I should be checking it out

[neil]

Protomartyr are post-punk most often compared to The Fall. Osees is garage rock with a psych and progressive slant on that album. Idles straddle the post-punk/punk/noise line. And Fuzz are a based power trio, music media tend to refer to them by the awful "proto-metal" tag, but its pure riffs to the face.