best songs pitchfork
In the spring, he was at the top of the Nigerian charts. –Alphonse Pierre, Listen: Pop Smoke, “Welcome to the Party”. He runs rampant, bullying, threatening, and coercing his enemies, his claims brought to life by his bum-rushing delivery. But whether the song is country or rap is irrelevant; “Old Town Road” doesn’t just transcend genre, it transcends music altogether. After a mixtape’s worth of unfinished music was leaked in 2013, Paul basically disappeared for the next six years, establishing himself as a reclusive mad genius. –Evan Rytlewski, There are biblical overtones to “In My View,” from Young Fathers’ third album, Cocoa Sugar. –Mark Richardson, No one was prepared for “APESHIT.” The lead single from Beyoncé and JAY-Z’s surprise joint album brims with cocky gratitude for the high life, flaunting Bey’s head-spinning flow and JAY’s louche, laid-back delivery over an expensive, pop-trap background courtesy of Pharrell. The 22 Best Songs by Latinx Artists in 2020. Nudy is a perfect sidekick, Carti is a born star, and Bourne is the most daring rap producer working now. Malamente - Single. Eric B. Singing over her lilting guitar, she makes it known that her decision is a compassionate act. Nudy proves a capable leading man, and few rappers sound more untroubled while detailing how they evade cops, but it’s his song in name only: Playboi Carti dominates with his spectacular, baby-voice verse. It hurts and it's fabulous, this humiliation fantasy that begins with vocalist Laura Les calling you a “piss baby,” spitting and scream-singing through sheets of voice processing. His was a swagger that couldn’t be imitated, though people tried from every rooftop, apartment window, and car door. She sounds positively serene. Pulsing drums and radiant synths propel and lift her, goading her into sharing intimate details—the hair swept under her bed, the long stares in her mirror, the fact that she struggles with it all. On April 11, 1964, the burgeoning Beatles both topped the Billboard charts with “Can’t Buy Me Love” and set a record for the most songs in the Top 20 by a single artist, with six. Airy melodies seemed to drift out of her like breath. –Braudie Blais-Billie. It was first based in suburban Minneapolis, then Chicago, later moved to Greenpoint, is currently in One World Trade Center, and is owned by Condé Nast.. But according to reports, some friends of Oliver’s saw the confluence as “divine timing,” the lyrics about a “moon river, wider than a mile” and “crossing it in style someday” ringing like a blessed premonition of their friend peacefully floating away. –Jesse Dorris. By using our website and our services, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Dancehall. –Noah Yoo, Listen: Young Thug, “What’s the Move” [ft. Lil Uzi Vert], Black midi traffic in beautiful convulsions, spazzing between rhythms, textures, and keys with a dexterity that’s so precise it’s dazzling, so fluid it’s showy. I dipped into Pitchfork's list of the top songs of the 2010s tentatively, not knowing what to expect. Pitchfork have listed their 200 best songs of the 2010s. Pusha-T spilled the tea on Drake’s baby. As a lyricist, Adrianne Lenker captures even the most abstract observations with profound precision. In interviews, the rapper was always open about addiction, and on his final album, Swimming, he was even more candid and unflinching. This isn’t just a character study, though: As one woman's world goes up in smoke, Del Rey zooms out to observe other anguishes: Kanye West is a shadow of himself; Hawaii is panicked by fictional missile strikes; David Bowie’s vision of life on Mars is now being pursued by Elon Musk. “Staring at a screen/Makes me itch and scream,” Ali Carter yells. The book focuses on specific genres including indie rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop, metal, and experimental underground. “Little boxes you can’t stick unto me,” she sings, her vocals melting over a commanding backbeat. As this crumbling volcano of a song goes down, it leaves the listener with one last “It’s Charli, baby” whispered in their ear. “747” is not a criticism of our transformation from wide-eyed infants to weary elders, but a tranquil acknowledgement of its inevitability. –Alphonse Pierre, In his instantly famous Genius “Verified” video for “Ransom,” teenage rapper Lil Tecca detailed what he made up while writing his not-so-humblebrag of a breakout hit: He has never gone to Europe, he doesn’t wear designer clothes, and he can’t mentally handle being a player. Two much-hyped music videos were subsequently abandoned, making it quite clear: The song itself is plenty. Dr. Dre (feat. On “New Apartment,” Lennox conveys this particular sense of freedom with a delightful string of images. Because when you’ve aimed a spotlight at yourself, perhaps all that matters is knowing you’re worthy of its glow. All of Uzi’s various flexes coalesce during his appearance on “What’s the Move,” a highlight from Young Thug’s album So Much Fun. These details simmer over insistent plucks of guitar and swells of harmonica, building to a cathartic climax as McMahon gives thanks for his past and confronts his future head-on. His choppy acoustic strums seem to cut through a breeze, as he sings out to the person he cherishes: “Don’t sweep it under the rug.” Through all the self-doubt and pained longing Lilitri describes in this simple acoustic song, he has one sick plan to defy time: enduring love. –Stuart Berman. The word “relief” implies a temporary state, a short break from a more permanent condition, but Tamko’s statement can also be seen as an acknowledgement of what creativity in 2019 looks like: at its best when untethered from the exhaustive rituals of self-promotion. For a remedy, they delve deeper into Youngian psychology, unleashing a series of pained fretboard squeals that sound like the guitar-solo equivalent of screaming into your pillow. But the music here is slower-paced, introspective. “money machine” is a purification ritual for the rotted-out brain, a seething, monstrous prayer to burn the slime away. Over the course of his last several albums, each a document of loss, Phil Elverum has become one of the most bracingly frank songwriters of our generation. “Hate the Real Me,” the last track on his and Zaytoven’s BEASTMODE 2, recognizes that pain as unresolvable. The 30 Best Electronic Music Releases of 2020 . These gonzo escapades lack the teeth-chattering urgency of Brown’s previous music, but ultimately, his dirty-uncle act comes across as relief. Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual misconduct. in May, Big Thief seemed content to spend 2019 suspended above Earth. “I’m the runaway, I’m the stay-out-late,” she declares, tough and incandescent. In the frail centerpiece of the band’s Why Hasn’t Everything Already Disappeared?, he simply prods at the multiple ways humans give up, decay, and vanish. The fragmented story that unfolds against crisp, quiet hi-hats and warm piano chords has a nostalgic quality, though it’s hard to know if Lange is acknowledging someone from his past, present, or future. He’s interested in making you jealous of his furs and his girls; private flights to tropical villas are worth it if an ex sees them on Instagram and feels a pang of envy. The tongue-twisting, lip-smacking assonance of this irresistible single’s chorus—“In the kitchen, wrist-twistin’ like it’s stir fry”—makes crack preparation seem as harmless and wholesome as a cooking show. It’s as if we’ve been let into her colorful interior world, witness to the elaborate orchestra she’s constructed to fill in the empty space. In his 2004 song “We Squirm,” Elverum characterized feelings as “captors” from which we’ll never be free. Elsewhere on the well-named Outer Peace, Bear says he’s “bad with the words,” but the lyrics here are worth chewing over. As the song continues, these disruptions become more frequent, building to a tempest of discord that’s cathartic, indulgent, and kind of silly. “A born storm, fire cyah calm,” she declares over a soundsystem-perfected bassline that will suit American festivals just fine. 4.3k votes, 2.2k comments. In this vulnerable moment, she forgives herself for her faults and embraces her eccentricities: “You hide in the bones of a stock image,” she sings at the close of her chorus, her voice taking on a sudden operatic tremor. feat. –Rebecca Bengal. Mercifully, Rico Nasty returned with her dynamic brand of catharsis, smashing through walls like a pint-sized Kool-Aid Man. Pitchfork's Top 25 Songs of 2019 25. Pitchfork, a user on Spotify. Once upon a time, listening to her music meant scouring all the references and layers to find the reasons for the apocalyptic dread in her voice, the slow-burning romance in her melodies, the nostalgic haze of her videos. I Cry (Night after Night) The Egyptian Lover • On the Nile. He has Crohn’s disease, and he’s repeatedly expressed the desire to transcend his own fleshy form. Ariana Grande released her exes with love. “Seventeen,” her anthem from Remind Me Tomorrow, is the climax of her journey from quiet café folk singer to venerable rock star. –Mark Richardson, Hearing “money machine”—the raucous, euphoric peak of trash-pop duo 100 gecs’ debut album—is like getting blasted in the face with a million Swarovski crystals and leaky glowsticks. After years of buttoned-up tastefulness, the band seems to be creeping into enemy territory here. On the standout ballad “747,” Callahan contemplates the unspoiled gaze of a newborn baby, likening it to the view from an airplane. So “In My View” becomes a sinewy soul song that swings and sways while riding an undercurrent of tension and uncertainty. –Colin Lodewick, Lil Keed is from the same Cleveland Avenue apartments in Atlanta as Young Thug. The times are changing in Nigeria, both politically and culturally, and the next generation of Afropop sounds like Rema. Everything Indie Music related; from the newest releases and news, to … The 200 Best Songs Of The 2010s Pitchfork. In “Comeback Kid,” the first single from her forthcoming LP Remind Me Tomorrow, she comes across as something between a film noir heroine, an Outsiders-esque rebel, and an aging boxer. “Lover,” the title track from her most recent blockbuster LP, is a reminder of how effortlessly she can translate specific gestures and moments into universal expressions of romance. Like a single malt whiskey with a drop of spring water, “Claim It” both dilutes and liberates Klein’s distinctive musical flavor, a reminder from this most maximalist of producers that less can occasionally be more. In 2019, Lana Del Rey doesn’t have to explain why she considers hope to be a dangerous thing, but what does she mean by “a woman like me?” How does one of the decade’s greatest pop music enigmas define herself? Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Whagwaan Presents: Realbusters Mixtape #1. Pitchfork's 200 Best Albums of the 1980s On any given night in America, there is an open mic event where a green comedian jokes about paying strippers with change and inevitably uses the phrase “making it hail.” No one laughs. 10 Playlists. When “Not” finally crescendos into a scorched-earth guitar solo, it feels more like an exorcism than an exhale. 22 Shares. “If it’s needed,” he told the New York Times, “it will find you.” Perhaps it’s telling that, on the solo album ANIMA, Yorke appears to confront his loss on a song called “Dawn Chorus.” It’s a title (if not the same composition) that fluttered around Radiohead lore for years. –Sasha Geffen. The Songs That Define Stevie Nicks as an Icon. 3. Pitchfork Music Festival Aiming For September Return: Report. “Would you make a wish of my love?” she asks in the high voice, before dropping down and remembering the pain she caused in the past. Pitchfork is an American online music publication launched in 1995 by Ryan Schreiber. Maybe it’s just a “bloody racket,” as Yorke mutters, riffing on how one man’s symphony is another’s dirge. On the first single from his sequel to the 2008 Mount Eerie album Lost Wisdom, he and collaborator Julie Doiron zoom out from the everyday minutiae of grief, excavating a broader-reaching poetics from blunt observation. CN Entertainment. At that point, Dabice splits in two—her internal dialogue goes to the left channel as her newly courageous external self moves to the right. The Weather Station: “Robber” 23. Invoking the name of the strongman turned Death Row Records boss Suge Knight, Da Baby’s breakout single is all about graduating from thug to kingpin but still being ready to put hands on fools—or, you know, dangle them off of a balcony (allegedly) if need be. It’s that sugary delivery and his control that elevates the track into a standout in a city that has no shortage of hits. Pitchfork The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s. Released on the label of the powerful and enigmatic producer Don Jazzy, who also helped establish Afropop powerhouses like Tiwa Savage, Rema’s self-titled EP was composed of four tracks, each with a different sound—Juice WRLD-style trap, Young Thug-influenced melodies, and Afropop love ballads. Here are our picks for the best songs of the year. But lead singer Mana isn’t about to accept her fate as a prisoner to the beauty industry: “Someone’s trend, it’s a shame!/Someone’s rules, it’s a shame!” she shouts in Japanese, transforming “Fashionista” from a lip-glossed pop jam into a revolutionary cry to stomp on your compacts in 4/4 time. Some may consider this changing of the guard a pop travesty of apocalyptic proportions—or, at least, a shameless byproduct of newfangled streaming metrics—but there is actually some kismet at work here. “Do you remember the nights I called you up?” Dabice asks her former lover. To remind myself, I didn't didn't write that song wanting to hear it again almost immediately after you've listened to it is a sign of a great song. On the surface, “Freelance” may seem nonchalant, maybe even absurd, but there’s plenty going on here—and, given how much it burrows into your brain, it’s ultimately impossible not to notice. But even though everything she’s released since has followed a similarly winsome template, “Party for One” is Jepsen’s first explicit sequel to that hit. Chai’s “Fashionista” belongs in this tradition, though the Japanese pop maximalists are less focused on supermodels than on the cosmetics consumers buy in attempts to look more like them. A whisper of a beat propels an inquisition into self-doubt, longing, and regret—her voice aches, soaring with resolve before a gravitational pull brings it back down. On the chorus of “Flood,” in the shadow of a drum machine and synthesizers that rise tall like futuristic oaks, Tamko’s voice embodies that modern-day creative isolation, taking on an almost robotic sheen. The 100 Best Songs of the 2010s From Robyn to Taylor to Kendrick to J Balvin to Drake — here are the greatest songs of the last 10 years 2. Borrowing the epistolary conceit of Nas’ “One Love,” Maxo narrates a letter to an incarcerated friend. Like Hurston, the namesake of the album’s first single, Woods is something of a polymath: a singer-songwriter, poet, teacher, and activist. But after each one, he seemingly shakes his head while asking the question: “Isn’t life beautiful?” The track’s producers, Smokeasac and IIVI, envelope his melancholy vocals with pooling synths and creaking cello lines, giving it a pulsating, breathing quality. –Noah Yoo, In the debate over whether it’s better to burn out or fade away, Deerhunter leader Bradford Cox doesn’t take sides. It fits the contradictory aspiration expressed in Quavo’s Auto-crooned hook: the wish and the vow to “still be real and famous.”, This was the year Migos became a meme: parodied in a “SNL” sketch, piling into James Corden’s “Carpool Karaoke.” They now exist somewhere between street and simulacrum, turning snapshots of vice and viciousness into blithe and buoyant entertainment. He does it a lot, perhaps with some irony, in “Life Is Beautiful,” a song originally written and released in 2015 and then gorgeously reworked for the emo rap star’s posthumous album, Come Over When You’re Sober Pt. Olsen intones ominously about lost beauty, being buried alive, and repeating the past, building to the kind of cathartic climax that demands to be shouted from a windswept cliff in a fierce rainstorm (preferably while wearing the elaborate bejeweled headpiece from the song’s striking music video). Bun B and Rich Boy – Paper Planes (Diplo Remix) Beyoncé feat. –Quinn Moreland. But soon, the song’s steady groove and bright handclaps underpin a growing skepticism, as her perfectly intact heart begins to strike her as its own worrisome condition. Music. Both songs are tributes to the dirty work that goes into keeping a relationship healthy, and they’re spiked with the fear and doubt people feel even when that work is paying off. In all its wounded grace, the song gets a chance at new life. III. So cynical.” But for the actual teens who’ve followed her rise to the top of the charts, Eilish captures the tender mess of being young and alive. The song marks college players as victims of institutional suppression of opportunity, implicating the system as exploitative of the primarily black stars who earn billions in revenue for others. But nothing in “In My View” is perfectly clear, even if it is one of Young Fathers’ most accessible tracks to date. Joaquin Oliver, an avowed Frank Ocean fan who loved Blonde so much he’d dyed his own hair to match, was only 17 when he was gunned down in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting this past February. It began as a blog that developed during Schreiber's teenage years working at a record store. The South Korean producer Peggy Gou’s “Starry Night” summons revellers around a familiar gathering point: bright, bold piano chords, the tentpoles of summertime house classics ever since the music migrated from Chicago basements to Balearic terraces. Love Is All may specialize in songs that sound sharp and jagged, but their best single is more like a series of rounded upward curves, building up … “These are vintage jeans,” he half-mumbles before offering a clipped affirmative: “Mhm.” The song is a subdued flex coupled with a borderline sleepy delivery. The song’s chorus alone is so rhythmically irresistible, it makes you wonder why Spanish wasn’t always pop’s lingua franca. Rory Cashin. Party? "Daydreaming" is a song by the English rock band Radiohead, produced by longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich. While clearly indebted to Migos, whose demo of the song leaked just a few days after the Carters’ came out, “APESHIT” is further proof that the zeitgeist belongs to this power couple, who can claim a cultural moment whenever they please. –Sam Sodomsky, Two-and-a-half minutes into “Hey, Ma,” the music fades to silence, the song grows calm, and Justin Vernon’s voice emerges almost naked, mostly free of the effects that have colored his vocals since 2007’s For Emma, Forever Ago. Although it’s set against a backdrop of action—the robbery in the chorus is detailed with the kinetic precision of a Brian De Palma film—its real drama is internal, as Polo G processes the toll that playing the villain takes on your psyche. “Juice” wasn’t the hit that landed her at No. –Michelle Kim. Christine and the Queens’ Héloïse Letissier is Charli’s perfect foil, adding her own cryptic ruminations on self-isolation over spiky synth stabs and glittering, glitched-out effects. The marching, Honorable C.N.O.T.E.-produced “NCAA” is the album’s centerpiece, detailing the rapper’s rise from amateur baller to pro rapper while taking on corruption in the sporting world. On paper, Mendes is pining after the girl who got away with the obsessiveness of an Instagram stalker—and yet his effervescent delivery, and shameless cheesing in the video, make it clear that this winning rom-com of a song has a happy ending. Listen to Pitchfork's Best New Music now. As he sits by the titular airplane’s window, “flying through some stock footage of heaven,” he compares the celestial sight to an infant’s purity. The song itself is all sweeping Laurel Canyon haze: a hook that’s almost entirely pedal steel guitar and a sad, swooning vocal delivery that seems coated in FM static. … The song’s beat samples Nine Inch Nails, which you’d never know, and the lyrics, loosely about riding horses, are crooned with effortless confidence. “I can’t really miss you if I’m with you,” Grande offers, gently reminding a lover that intimacy doesn’t mean constant proximity. With a reporter’s sense for detail and a matter-of-fact delivery, the rapper tells of lives marked by crime and poverty with gut-punching pathos and bleak humor. Beiträge: 1,138. SONG ALBUM TIME Malamente. In July, she dropped “Time Flies,” a Dee B-produced loosie that appears on the Madden NFL 20 soundtrack. Listen to playlists by Pitchfork on Apple Music. Here, love is rendered as a horizon, a void; it’s beautiful and it’s terrifying, and it goes on forever. It’s a song best listened to alone, where the beauty of its restraint can be made clear. The 36 Best Rap Songs of 2020. Here at Pitchfork, we sure tried. –Jonah Bromwich, Two years after Stormzy’s debut record lifted him from emergent grime talent to the all-around pride of London, the first single from his forthcoming second album took it back to the basics he built his name on. Her voice expresses a gentle yet pervasive melancholy, but the swaying cymbals, woozy guitars, and lazy pedal steel keep you from sinking too deep into self-pity. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. OutKast – B.O.B. He’s got nice things, but he’s not going on and on about it. “I push you down, I drink, you drown, I am alone,” she sighs, as her other side boasts, “Everyone, gather ’round, I have the answer now.” “Drunk II” expresses the push and pull of love and hate, and how we’re all surrounded by other people just trying to figure it out. Empath’s “Roses That Cry” is so joyous and unsteady, so beautiful and compromised, that you feel compelled to pray for its existence immediately. Glenn Gould - Bach: The Goldberg Variations. –Peyton Thomas, Home is an ambiguous concept for Dan Snaith: In his nearly two decades of music-making, the producer has dramatically reinvented himself on an album-by-album basis, veering from glitchy electronica to blown-out shoegaze to kaleidoscopic pop to subaquatic house without ever retracing his steps. 3:25 0:30. This melding of our recent and distant pasts is crucial to Mering’s songwriting; she moves forward by studying where we’ve been, rendering it both familiar and somewhat uncanny. Radiohead – " Paranoid Android ". –Simon Reynolds, Released at the very end of last year, Charli XCX’s Pop 2 mixtape saw the electro-pop star perfecting her ongoing collaboration with maximalist bubblegum collective PC Music. As voted by our full time staff and contributors, these are Pitchfork's 200 best songs of the 1970s. Originally made for T.I. Search query All Results. –Noah Yoo, It’s been two long years since Lil Uzi Vert’s Luv Is Rage 2, and all we’ve had to hold us over is leaks, label drama, and the occasional Instagram fit pic. Mark Ronson’s most recent LP, Late Night Feelings, is full of sad dance tracks that mix glitter with broken glass, and none cut as deep as the Angel Olsen feature “True Blue.” Olsen sings like the final patron at a bar, crooning just loud enough to tell her sob story over the blaring jukebox. In this Scottish trio’s half-rapped, half-sung verses, references to kings, saints, sinners, and Delilah abound, and wisps of background vocals evoke a holy choir. –Colin Lodewick, Nothing symbolizes freedom quite like the pairing of a motorcycle and open road. You may have seen this ending before, but you’ll cry all the same. But on “ZORA,” she asserts that her selfhood is far more expansive than these labels, or any others thrust upon her, would suggest. Kerrang! While Grande’s refrain of “I’m a star, I’ma need space” verges on cutesy, the delicate harmonies and airy production of “NASA” make its blown-out bass and trap drums feel weightless. On “hope is a dangerous thing,” she lays the mystery bare, looking directly into our eyes and telling us what she sees. Play on Spotify. It’s a powerful moment: one of the most influential musicians of the 21st century stripping everything away so he can sing directly to you. Public Playlists. Howard creates a space for luxuriating in the company of another person, sharing a private escape from the downcast grind of everyday life. Why? “Party for One” sounds like ending credits music for a teen movie that adults love too, the kind where angst is resolved and new love blooms in one glorious party of dancing and cheering and synchronized bursts of spangles. “Toyota Man” mixes endearing details (learning English from The Larry Sanders Show) with broad truths (“Todos somos Americanos,” or, as translated, “We are all American”) concoct a perfect celebration of his own immigrant experience—and, by extension, the American experience writ large. The opening track of her second album, At the Party With My Brown Friends, it is Pacific Northwest indie rock at its finest—all quiet humming and watery guitar, mist and cold air—but it retains the redemptive quality of gospel. –Ben Cardew. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21). “Am I incapable of love?” she asks herself. Die Liste. Led Zeppelin – "Immigrant Song" 104. –Noah Yoo, “Freelance,” the spiritual centerpiece of Chaz Bear’s sixth album as Toro y Moi, is the sort of catchy song that follows you—onto the subway, into the bathroom, into your dreams. Jay-Z – Crazy in Love ; Daft Punk – One More Time As summer turned into fall, that sentiment proved just as useful as her anger has been. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) Darlene Love. While the verses move slow, with half-spoken lyrics shrugged into wide-open space, the choruses build like a panic attack, anguished and ferocious. One of her bullet-like couplets—“You heard what I said/That anti-black’s programmed in your head”—sticks particularly hard, shot as it is through the barrel of Haram’s increasingly intense samples. Even as a leak, this is the new benchmark for the SoundCloud rap elite. –Ryan Dombal, You know it’s been a rough year when the man behind “Uptown Funk” makes an album of breakup songs. EAT SHIT!” Carter screams. –Stephen Deusner, Big Thief’s most resonant music keys into a sweeping modern dread—namely, that tech expansion and the ecological crisis have orphaned us from nature, maybe from part of our soul. Betrayal may be the song’s fuel, but the overarching feeling is one of ease, unburdening, and independence regained. As if with a finger wag, she adds, “You will never know everything.” But there’s sweetness even in Woods’ venom, as when she taunts her foes by threatening to “tenderly fill [them] with white light.” It’s another nod to her multitudes: White light contains every color of the rainbow. Registriert seit: 18.03.2006. Recommended If You Like Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia. Invoking 2000s nostalgia in a bid to create her own rap hit, Saweetie samples from a crunk classic: Petey Pablo’s Lil Jon-produced “Freek-a-Leek.” But instead of adopting Petey’s suave, come-hither vibe, Saweetie delivers “My Type” with bite: “That’s my type!” she yells, as if she’s just spotted a man at the other end of the club and she’s ready to take a swipe at any woman who dares approach him. When he delivers the chorus—which features the word “running” repeated eight times—it feels like a meditation of gratitude. Though “What Happens to People?” was recorded before the death of former Deerhunter bassist Josh Fauver late last year, the loss can’t help but hang like a specter over this song about the inevitability of life’s end. Your California Privacy Rights. The 50 Best Albums of 2020. Listen to selections from this list on our Spotify playlist and Apple Music playlist. Pitchfork is the world's most trusted voice in music, with expansive daily coverage of indie rock, hip-hop, electronic, pop, metal, and experimental music. Hand Habits—gives voice to the lovers left behind by non-committal types on the hunt for something better, as the song’s slow, Neil Young gait sets the pace for their fellow walking wounded. 196 songs Pitchfork is the most trusted voice in music. –Olivia Horn, Sometimes the difference between a good pop song and a great one lies in the sticky details: a borrowed bassline, a baby coo, the loop of a tumbi melody. Yet it’s featherlight: Hval’s euphoria and divine hooks transform scholarly thought into pure pop. It’s a sentiment all of us can believe in. –Jazz Monroe, After decades of owning the age of 17, Stevie Nicks finally passed the torch. The central refrain lulls like gentle ocean waves: “We will always sing,” Paul murmurs. Pitchfork is an American online music publication launched in 1995 by Ryan Schreiber. 3. On “Dirty Laundry,” being a broke, horny schmuck is the setup instead of the punchline, and Danny Brown kills. Politics, humor, and Palomo’s Mexican-American identity were already latent in Neon Indian’s discography, but this warped Spanish-language protest anthem finally brought them all brilliantly to the front. “Drømmen om Ø (Forever Mix ’19)” may hit like a shock of tropical color against a gray city exterior, but it takes the length of an early-morning dream to achieve its blissful effects. A cartoon fever dream about getting high like a pilot, liking girls’ pics on IG, and the designer brands he wears while he glides through the streets of Georgia, “Flyin’” is the quintessential Duwap single. They came crashing down with “Not.” The standout lead single from Two Hands, the quartet’s second incredible record of the year, is driven by carnal desperation. Pitchfork's highest rated albums of all time. It turns out the woman who built a career on fairy tales and scorched-earth breakup songs is just as deft with the simple and soulful.