Year in Review Mixtape: 2020
Well, thank goodness this piece of shit year is almost over. To be fair, I’ll at least thank it for its music.
I have to confess: I’m a thief.
For the last few years, my dear friend, Eric Hultgren (@TheIncredibleHult) has sent me a text around Oct/Nov—the first one without explanation—that reads: Your top 3 songs this year?
He and I are wired similarly and know each other’s tastes so I thought he was just looking for new music. Then, a couple weeks later, he drops his annual Holiday Mixtape (now in its 21st year!) and at least one of my songs after that first inquiry made the cut. This year; however, I take high offense because none of my Top 3 did. Jerk. Still, I’m listening to his playlist while writing this. It’s not bad. Mine’s better. If he reads this, he knows I’m playin’.
So, in 2019, after watching from the sidelines for too long, I finally copied his idea. While I didn’t poll anyone, I do pay attention to what my friends are listening to. Whether I mention it to them or not, anytime someone, whose passion for music rivals mine, shares a new artist or track, I more often than not stop what I’m doing to toggle over to Spotify and give it a listen. If I’m not immediately hooked, I move on without hesitating. If I’m intrigued, I file it in a designated, running playlist to revisit when I can give it my full attention. If it strikes me at go, it automatically bumps to the front of the line, and then I dive into the full album (if available). If it passes that test, I go as deep down as I can into their back catalog rabbit hole.
This year has sucked, no news there. Fortunately, its suffocating pressure and insurmountable frustration has gifted us with some sticky ear candy. Those tracks have kept me company and (mostly) sane. And, let’s be honest, we’ve all needed a little help this year.
Here are the rules, they’re simple:
Songs must be released to Spotify during the current calendar year. Sorry, MySpace. And while I try to steer away from them, I do allow for previously released songs only if they’ve been re-released (i.e, re-mastered, remixed, etc.).
Only one song per main or dominant artist. For example, I included one song from Deftones’ new album, ohms, and another Deftones song, from a previous album, that was newly remixed by another artist and released this year.
Make sense? Right on.
Without further ado, here’s my newly annual Year in Review Mixtape | 2020 . And, if you’re curious, you can find the link to 2019’s playlist here.
Here’s to an approaching, hopefully much better new year with another lineup of setlist bangers.
Keep rockin’, friends, and take care of your mental health with at at least one dose of music that moves you daily.
