It's that wonderful time of year when this very site chooses its favourites (OK, my favourites) from the past 12 months. What with the global pandemic crisis and numerous restrictions in place around the world, listening to music has never been more important or as frequent as we have been trying to occupy our minds with old and new sounds from the furthest recesses of the internet (or our own record/CD collections).
Somewhat incredibly, I have amassed around 1500 tracks for my rolling annual listening list on Spotify, some 40% up on last year's rundown and rather less guitar-oriented than in recent years.
To celebrate this otherwise unforgettable year and as part of the ongoing Splendid Isolation series of playlists curated by this writer, this year's Top 120 will be presented as three 3-hr sets on Spotify from Friday 18th December to Sunday 20th December, from 1pm to 4pm (GMT). It's free to listen, just press play at a minute past the hour and see what has been keeping me sane in 2020. And let's hope that 2021 will see an end to all of this!
Links:
Splendid Isolation 38 (120 - 81) here
Splendid Isolation 39 (80 - 41) here
Splendid Isolation 40 (40 - 1) here
Flyers:
All of these, the previous 37 and future Splendid Isolation playlists will be available for your unbridled pleasure forever by heading to Spotify and searching for Splendid Isolation then a hashtag then any number 1 to 38 (as of 18/12/20)
Thanks for listening and season's greetings to all.
UPDATED LIVE:
120 - Biosphere - Angel's Flight
119 - Afriqua - Moonspa
118 - Blancmange - Diagram
117 - Neuzeitliche Bodenbelage - Gelb's Groove
116 - Christian Kjellvander - Baptist Lodge (The Galaxy)
115 - Ed Harcourt - Only The Darkness Smiles For You
114 - Hot Chip and Jarvis - Straight to the Morning
113 - Destroyer - It Just Doesn't Happen
112 - A Winged Victory For The Sullen - Desires Are Already Memories
111 - Duma - Pembe 666
110 - Sink Ya Teeth - Sweetness
109 - Brendan Perry - Gypsy Girl
108 - Blood Everywhere - Peak Flow
107 - Alpha & Omega - Real Eyes Realize
106 - Faithless - Inna
105 - Anne Clark - So Quiet Here
104 - Common & Black Thought - Say Peace
103 - Lucy Gooch - We Carry
102 - Bill Callahan - Pigeons
101 - Automat - Easy Riding
100 - Kettama v Lone - Anniversary
99 - New Cool Collective - One More Time (remix)
98 - Jimmy Plates - Vinyl Comeback
97 - Jori Hulkkonen - Humanitarian Roar
96 - Baxter Dury - Carla's Got a Boyfriend
95 - Kemback - Miles
94 - Denise Johnson - Steal Me Easy
93 - Justin Martin - Needs
92 - GĂSPEL - Something4u
91 - Oded Tzur - Miniature 1
90 - New Order - Be a Rebel (Stephen's T34 Mix)
89 - Yansima - La Kappa
88 - Khruangbin - Time (You and I)
87 - Scissorgun - Terminal Velocity
86 - Maps - The Plans We Made (ACR Remix)
85 - Ride - Kill Switch (Petr Aleksander)
84 - Melt Yourself Down - Crocodile
83 - Shinichi Atobe - Lake 2
82 - John Tejada - Moving 909s (Plaid mix)
81 - Gramme - Cool Cool Cool (Tracy Rhodes Rerubber)
80 - Paula, Povoa, Jerge - Primavera
79 - The Waterboys - The Soul Singer
78 - ANZ - Loos In Twos (NRG)
77 - The Orielles - Space Samba (Disco Volador Theme - Sensory Arm)
76 - Machynlleth Sound System - DCNYM
75 - KUSP - Give It To Me (RV TRax 5 mix)
74 - Steve Jansen + Theo Travis - Let Go
73 - John Foxx and the Maths - Everything Is Happening At The Same Time
72 - Emma-Jean Thackray - Movementt
71 - Jaydee - Who Is
70 - Tkay Maidza - Shook
69 - Domenique Dumont - People On Sunday
68 - Napalm Death - Backlash Just Because
67 - The Chap - Toothless Fuckface
66 - Krust - Negative Returns (Four Tet)
65 - Max Cooper - Resynthesis 3D
64 - A Certain Ratio - YoYoGrip (Jacknife Lee mix)
63 - Automat - Ankaten (Patrick Pulsinger mix)
62 - Andrew Weatherall - Unknown Plunderer (Manfredas mix)
61 - Applescal - Copyshop
60 - Binker and Moses, Village of the Sun - Village of the Sun
59 - Obongjayar - 10K
58 - Toots and the Maytals - Just Brutal
57 - Kenneth Bager w/ Peaking Lights - Donuiorum (Jez Phunk & Islandman)
56 - Tindersticks - See My Lights
55 - Thundercat - Funny Thing
54 - Sleaford Mods - Mork n Mindy (Billy Nomates)
53 - Venom Prison - Usurper of the Throne
52 - Skalpel - Blow
51 - Paul Harvey - Four Notes (Paul's Tune)
50 - Other Lives - All Eyes For Their Love
49 - Number - Wedges (ACR mix)
48 - Deadbeat & Paul St Hilaire - War Games
47 - Mogwai - Telt
46 - Starless w/ Steven Lindsay - Breakdown
45 - Wim Mertens - Victims Over Victors
44 - Nils Frahm - Black Notes
43 - The Nightingales - Devil's Due
42 - Modern Studies - Photograph
41 - Robin Guthrie & Harold Budd - Coral
40 - Chris Watson - The Drinking Boy
39 - Falle Nioke & Ghost Culture - Barke
38 - Glass Animals - Your Love (Deja Vu)
37 - John Beltran - Entardecer
36 - Peaking Lights - Silver Clouds
35 - Edikanfo - Blinking Eyes
34 - Gus Gus - Lifeline (Raxon mix)
33 - Yello - Spinning My Mind
32 - Sparks - Lawnmower
31 - Khurangbin & Leon Bridges - Texas Sun
30 - Daniel Avery - Into the Arms of Stillness
29 - Pet Shop Boys - Will-o-the-Wisp
28 - Working Men's Club - Valleys (Massey Acid)
27 - Pye Corner Audio - Weather the Storm
26 - Roger Eno & Brian Eno - Spring Frost
25 - Dubstar - Hygiene Strip
24 - CJ Bolland - Fire
23 - Dub Pistols & Rhoda Dakar - Stand Together
22 - DJ Haus - See U In My Dreams (Lone mix)
21 - Harold Budd - The Kiss (soundtrack version)
20 - PINS - Hot Slick
19 - Spooky - Bells Of Fury pt2
18 - International Teachers of Pop - I Stole Yer Plimsoles
17 - Unloved & Raven Violet - Strange Effect
16 - O.B.F. & Nazamba - Hot Beer
15 - Ada Kaleh & Traumer - Speranta
14 - Stuart Moxham & Louis Phillipe - Fighting To Lose
13 - Pearson Sound - Alien Mode
12 - Tricky - Fall Please
11 - The Psychedelic Furs - No One
10 - Doves - I Will Not Hide
9 - Wire - Humming
8 - Jon Hassell - Moons Of Titan
7 - Bob Mould - When You Left
6 - Pauline Murray - Secrets
5 - Wrangler - Situation
4 - Louis Phillipe and the Night Mail - Rio Grande
3 - Cabaret Voltaire - Night of the Jackal
2 - Roisin Murphy - We Get Together
1 - A Certain Ratio - Taxi Guy