The Wedding Jam Blog
Memorable Stories from Unforgettable Weddings.
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10 Wedding Jam Tracks of the Year
We know keeping up with new music isn't always easy as the responsibilities of adulthood increasingly crowd our lives, especially when you're planning a wedding!
Back in March, we shared 10 of our favourite new tunes of 2020, and as this most tumultuous of years begins to draw to a close, we thought we'd share ten of our favourite tracks of 2020 in addition to those March selections.
SAULT - Son Shine
Mysterious British collective SAULT appeared out of the blue around two years ago, dropping a pair of wonderful albums both in 2019 and yet again this year. Amassing widespread critical acclaim, they entirely eschew the media - instead focusing solely on creating an almost unclassifiable melting pot of sounds. Taken from this year's 'Untitled (Rise)' LP, this track is a real 80s vibe, with a groove and a sound reminiscent of Michael Jackson's Thriller cut Baby Be Mine.
The Weather Station - Robber
Canada's Tamara Lindeman - aka The Weather Station - has long garnered huge acclaim alongside a steady stream of Joni Mitchell comparisons. This mesmerising track moves away from her more overt Joni stylings, with a sound that evokes 'Spirit of Eden' era Talk Talk. A stunning arrangement coupled with sublime instrumentation makes for a unique track and one of the best of 2020.
Busta Rhymes feat Kendrick Lamar - Look Over Your Shoulder
Busta Rhymes crashed back onto the scene in October with this instant hip-hop classic. Trading verses with the returning great Kendrick Lamar over a Jackson 5 sample, it's a stellar and timely reminder of just how good these two are, and incredible production lays the foundation for both Rhymes and Kendrick to flow at their brilliant best. This inclusion - never in doubt since the minute we heard it - also gives us an excuse to share the incredible revelation that Busta Rhymes spent some of his formative years growing up in Morecambe and Liverpool.
Anderson .Paak - Lockdown
As the year wore on, more and more artists emerged from lockdown with their own tracks documenting those months of isolation. This one is our favourite of the lot - a typically fresh-as-hell cut from the ubiqitous modern great Anderson Paak that pays tribute to George Floyd and the BLM movement. Nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance at the 2021 Grammys.
Jane Weaver - The Revolution of Super Visions
Liverpool's Jane Weaver returned this year with The Revolution of Super Visons - a slightly St Vincent-influenced track taken from her forthcoming album slated for a 2021 release. This five minutes of slick pop funk will keep us going until then.
Phoebe Bridgers - Graceland Too
Taken from one of the year's most celebrated albums - a racing certainty to appear in the higher reaches of many of the end-of-year lists and recipient of five Grammy nominations - this lilting folk country effort is a beautiful piece of songwriting reminiscent of some of Sufjan Stevens' earlier banjo-infused work.
Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Never (Lagos Never Gonna Be The Same)
It would be remiss of us not to salute Nigerian afrobeat pioneer and Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, who sadly left us this year. Teaming up with the late South African jazz legend Hugh Masekela in 2010, they lament how "Lagos never gonna be the same without Fela". You're not wrong lads. The track, on an album called 'Rejoice', surfaced this year, and proved to be Tony's final release at the end of a prolific and dazzling career. Rest in Power, Tony.
Moses Sumney - In Bloom
One of the highlights from Sumney's wonderful album græ, this sublime piece of work builds towards a beautiful chord structure as he yearns 'Sometimes I want to kiss my friends/You don’t want that…do ya?'. A gigantic talent.
Sufjan Stevens - Landslide
A man of many guises, here Sufjan finds himself in glitchy electronica mode. One of the highlights of his epic album The Ascension, the bleeps, beeps and boops underpin a melancholy vibe in which Sufjan says 'let's take a walk in the circle of life'. It's been that kind of year.
Fleet Foxes - Featherweight
Robin Pecknold stunned the music world by dropping Fleet Foxes' unannounced return overnight to coincide exactly at the autumnal equinox on September 22. A very Fleet Foxes thing to do, but it - of course - turned out to be a beautiful record in this ugliest of years. This track, in keeping with much of the record, is an affecting and autumnal lament. Recorded mostly in lockdown, Pecknold sings "May the last long year be forgiven, all that war left within it, I couldn't, though I'm beginning to".
May the last long year be forgiven indeed.