2020 Music Award Show

 2020 is really close to being over. Let's talk about the best and worst musical things of this year. I made up a couple awards to talk about a couple artists and a couple songs. I am doing it this early to predict the nominees of an actual award show, but we'll get to that later.

Best Lyrics

Here are my favorite lines, choruses, and words said in the music I listened to this year. I made a top 8 list to cover more songs.

8. Little Hurt- Alaska: "Yeah, I could bring the vibe down from ten to zero /The world's most pointless superhero"

7. Matt Maeson- Hallucinogenics: "Go find yourself a man who's strong, and tall, and Christian"

6. Run the Jewels feat. Pharrell Williams and Zach De La Rocha- JU$T: "Master of these politics, you swear that you got options/ Master of opinion 'cause you vote with the white-collar/ The Thirteenth Amendment says that slavery's abolished /Look at all these slave masters posin' on yo' dollar."

5. Cardi B fest. Megan Thee Stallion- WAP: "If he ate my ass, he's a bottomfeeder"

4.  Janelle Monae- Turntables: "You fuck up the kitchen, then you should do the dishes"

3. Ava Max- Kings & Queens: "And you might think I'm weak without a sword/ But if I had one, it'd be bigger than yours"

2. Cheap Cuts feat. Pete Wentz- Check Your Phone: "This is why we can’t have nice things/ Like a clean car, or world peace."

1. Winnetka Bowling League- Kangaroo: "She backs me and my indie rock/ I’m kidding ‘bout the indie part, I ain’t that cool."

The One Country Song

I am not a fan of country music. I have tried to get into it on multiple occasions, but it does nothing for me. However, at the end of 2018, I discovered Kacey Musgraves for the first time and I found a country artist I like. Now I try to find one country that resonates with me. In 2018, it was Oh, What a World by Kacey Musgraves. In 2019, it was The Chain by the Highwomen. And in 2020, it is House Fire by Tyler Childers. I know the album came out in 2019, but I did not hear it until this year. I like how it has a strong folk/bluegrassy vibe that I can appreciate, while Tyler talks about how his girl can destroy everything about him, but it will be for the better.

Best Nostalgia Act Songs

This award is dedicated to the acts pop music forgot about or moved past but still carried on with writing or releasing new songs. To qualify, the act must've been out of the mainstream success spotlight for over a decade. They can have hits on genre-specific charts, but not on the Hot 100. This is another list.

Honorable Mention: Dreams by Fleetwood Mac

This song doesn't count, but I want to mention it anyway. This song was a hit in the '70s, but thanks to Tiktok, this song charted in the top 25 earlier this year. I never thought much of this song. It always got overshadowed by their other songs, like "Don't Stop" and "The Chain." However, seeing the video of the guy on the skateboard drinking cranberry juice really showed how this song works to me.

5. Superblood Wolfmoon by Pearl Jam

This song rocks. Pearl Jam is a legendary grunge band that has consistently released albums since the '90s. In this song, Pearl Jam's guitarist wails on the guitar for a couple minutes. Honestly, I do not know or care to know what this song is about. I just enjoy the raw intensity and passion coming from Eddie Vedder and company.

4. You're Not Alone by Semisonic

Semisonic is a one-hit wonder, famous for "Closing Time" and nothing else.  Earlier this year, they reunited and released new music for the first time in 19 years. I like how this song makes me feel. It is very hopeful and optimistic. Then they crank up the guitar and play it at just the right moments. This band will never leave the shadow of their big hit,  but they have many great tunes other than "Closing Time." 

3. Shameika by Fiona Apple

This is Fiona Apple. She had a hit song in the '90s with the song "Criminal" when she was 17. She is surprisingly influential. Any female act that performs pop-leaning alternative music got its start thanks to her. Artists like Lorde and Billie Eilish would not be famous without her work. Earlier this year, she released the album Fetch the Bolt Cutters and received much critical acclaim for her work. This is the first single I heard from it. I like how she is "pissed off, funny, and warm." Also, the piano sounds great. It is a solid piece in this artist's catalog. 

2. Patience by Chris Cornell

Chris Cornell became famous as the lead singer of the grunge band Soundgarden and the rock band Audioslave. In 2016, he helped his daughter learn how to play the song "Patience" by Guns N' Roses on the guitar. This, as well as the announced reunion of GNR, inspired him to make his own cover of the song. He passed away the next year. On his 56th birthday earlier this year, the cover was released. Cornell shows his strong vocals mixed with his passion and charisma. Rest in peace Cornell and thank you for covering Guns N' Roses.

1. Sharkbait by Teddy Geiger

Teddy Geiger was a John Mayer ripoff in the mid-2000s. Most of her music was disposable pop songs that gave her only a bit of mainstream success. Eventually, she fell out of favor with the pop crowd, like most musicians do, and moved behind the scenes to be a songwriter. In this position, she wrote some of Shawn Mendes's biggest singles. She also came out as transgender, as anyone who opened the link would see. Her early work is not bad. She reminds me of John Mayer, but she had a lot more sincerity than Mayer could ever pull off. She is better now with the simple surf-rock song about how fun going to the beach is with some undertones of her own anxiety. 

Most Improved

It's not every day a bad artist surprises you. Before 2014, I thought OneRepublic was a boring Coldplay ripoff that took the safest, least ambitious route possible. Then they released "Counting Stars" and surprised me with a riskier rock song and album. Before last year, I hated Post Malone and the droning, unemotional voice he used on every single. Then he released the album Hollywood's Bleeding and showed that his vocals can be emotional and moving. This year, I have to give props to Machine Gun Kelly. I heard Kelly on his XXL Freshman Cypher where he impressed everyone with his solid flow and bars. However, the music industry seemed to neuter all of his skills. He made a boring song with Camila Cabello where they butcher a Fastball sample to talk about the kinky sex they were having. Then, he fired shots at Eminem just for his rap career to be murdered by one "Killshot." Now, he makes pop-punk.  He is way better at this than he was as a pop rapper. In an age where rock is going extinct, I hope MGK can revive the genre's popularity.

Best New Artists

This is why I started working on the list early. I wanted to predict who the Grammys are going to nominate for Best New Artist this year. The nominations will come out next week. But I think they will pick:

Megan Thee Stallion

Doja Cat

Joji

Gabby Barrett 

Phoebe Bridgers

Pop Smoke

Morgan Wallen

Blackpink

Now that that's over with, let's see who actually are this year's best new artists, according to me, in no particular order.

beabadoobee

Sports Team

Remi Wolf

Jack Harlow

Gus Dapperton

Caamp

070 Shake

Inhaler

A special shoutout also goes to almost monday, Ashe, and Royal and the Serpent. When you guys get more music, I might be comfortable adding you to a Best New Artist list.

Best Cover Song: Toy Soldiers by Silversun Pickups (Marteika cover)

I knew this would be the best cover for a while now, but it had strong competition in the end. I could've easily given this to Phoebe Bridgers and Maggie Rogers' version of Iris, originally by the Goo Goo Dolls. However, this won out. The frontman's slightly feminine voice helps give this cover a similar range to the young girl who did the original. Now it is back with some killer rock grooves to hit this song out of the park.

Worst Cover: WAP by Biffy Clyro (Cardi B feat. Megan Thee Stallion cover)

This song shouldn't ever be performed by men. It's weird and slightly embarrassing. They try their best. They change the lyric "Wet as pussy" to "Wet like Biffy" along with many of the other sexual lyrics. This song is not meant to brag about music skills, it's about bedroom skills. Anyway, listen to "Many of Horror" by Biffy Clyro. That song is great.

Well, that's all I got for now. Stay tuned for more year-end music lists in December.