#TheTwen2ie5 Day 50: #1: Phoebe Bridgers - I Know The End (2020, 🇺🇸, 12 pts) It was my no 1 for Fear of Music and I haven’t changed my mind. What better to end this challenge than a cathartic scream? youtu.be/WJ9-xN6dCW4?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 49: #2: Jessie Ware - Remember Where You Are (2020, 🇬🇧, 11 pts) One of my two songs of the pandemic, the balm to contrast with my #1 youtu.be/tfiGH2fO7Ok?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 48: #3: Mdou Moctar - Afrique Victime (2021, 🇳🇪, 11 pts) The Hendrix of the Sahara in full effect, with the incremental increases in tempo adding to the excitement youtu.be/hppSIHl2tp0?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 47: #4: Cleo Sol - Don’t Let Me Fall (2021, 🇬🇧, 11 pts) Heartbreaking song from the voice of Sault youtu.be/dcz9VTG10HU?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 46: #5: Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (2024, 🇺🇸, 11 pts) Inverts the quiet verse/loud chorus template with excoriating verses and a beatific chorus youtu.be/EvgYIXc4JDA?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 45: #6: Bob Vylan - We Live Here (2020, 🇬🇧) Sadly this song becomes more relevant every year youtu.be/VFqhJyvly1g?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 44: #7: Magdalena Bay - Chaeri (2021, 🇺🇸) This has been Track 1 on my 20s playlist since I first heard it in the People’s Pop Poll youtu.be/ben9qDbrLYU?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 43: #8: BC Camplight - The Last Rotation of Earth (2023, 🇺🇸) Great piano intro, the rest of the song’s pretty good too youtu.be/DB1pRAriY9o?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 42: #9: Kacey Musgraves - Star-Crossed (2021, 🇺🇸) One to add to the list of great divorce songs youtu.be/ah4r5XjBNRo?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 41: #10: Wet Leg - Wet Dream (2021, 🇬🇧) All the filth of Chaise Longue but with a better tune youtu.be/tjpgJjdk52c?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 40: Wilma Archer ft Sudan Archives - Cheater (2020, 🇬🇧/🇺🇸, unranked) Excellent use of menacing brass youtu.be/GpjK57J3WLY?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 39: Weyes Blood - It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody (2022, 🇺🇸, unranked) Gorgeous voice, heartbreaking post-pandemic anthem youtu.be/3g7BSnavHH8?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 38: The Weeknd - Blinding Lights (2020-ish, 🇨🇦, unranked) My second and last UK number one youtu.be/fHI8X4OXluQ?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 37: The War On Drugs ft Lucius - I Don’t Live Here Anymore (2021, 🇺🇸, unranked) Late 80s rock reimagined for the lockdown era youtu.be/MVh6XTwWhMY?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 36: The Waeve - Can I Call You (2022, 🇬🇧, unranked) Rose Elinor Dougall’s voice and gift for melody meets Graham Coxon’s guitar and sax, alchemy results youtu.be/9AVtNq2hmNw?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 35: Soccer Mommy - Circle the Drain (2020, 🇺🇸, unranked) Another song which I associate strongly with lockdown youtu.be/DTc1w32Vbeo?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 34: Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - The Price of Love (2021, 🇬🇧/🇺🇸, unranked, Ice Spice fail) My last Ice Spice fail, a spectral take on the Everly Brothers youtu.be/etwD0lk2k-o?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 33: Pulp - Tina (2025, 🇬🇧, unranked, Ice Spice fail) Nice to have them back, isn’t it? youtu.be/ogkaiFytzu8?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 32: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - Wild God (2024, 🇦🇺, unranked, Ice Spice fail) After his recent awful experiences, it’s good to hear Cave in a more positive mood on last year’s album. “Make love with a kind of efficient gloom” made me laugh youtu.be/uAgsn7la3jg?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 31: The Mountain Goats - Training Montage (2022, 🇺🇸, unranked, Ice Spice fail) I feel like I’m watching an 80s action movie while I’m listening to this youtu.be/UxU1tKph7WQ?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 30: Vivien Goldman - Russian Doll (2021, 🇬🇧, Ice Spice fail) The first of my last run of Ice Spice fails (don’t worry, I’m still under the quota); here’s a dub-tinged song from an ex Flying Lizard youtu.be/rD1qGjJoRQc?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 29: Baxter Dury - I’m Not Your Dog (2020, 🇬🇧, unranked) Another pick featuring spoken vocals; this has a grubby seediness comparable to prime Arab Strap youtu.be/x_x9tB2Qsyk?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 28: Jacob Alon - Liquid Hold 25 (2025, 🇬🇧, unranked) From the man hotly tipped to win the Mercury Prize this year (but didn’t) youtu.be/ejyumDSv_Hw?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 27: Erin Lecount - Silver Spoon (2025, 🇬🇧) A 21st century take on This Be The Verse, with added class dynamics youtu.be/fr4_7LAVCdE?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 26: Divorce - Karen (2025, 🇬🇧, unranked) This Karen is a rock singer, rather than someone who asks to see the manager youtu.be/uwnM7Qh7WpU?...

#TheTwen2ie5 HM 5: Yukimi - Break Me Down (2025, 🇸🇪) Fifth country for my HMs youtu.be/lzRMBTALmDU?...

#TheTwen2ie5 HM 4: Park Jiha - Grounding (🇰🇷, 2025) Mesmeric blend of traditional Korean instruments and electronics youtu.be/5NHO6ZV15iY?...

#TheTwen2ie5 HM 3: Destroyer ft Fiver (2025, 🇨🇦, Ice Spice fail) Starting a run of 2025 tracks that will go on into the main list - the last six songs that had to go into three youtu.be/LCEqe50p8Bw?...

#TheTwen2ie5 HM 2: Janelle Monae - Lipstick Lover (2023, 🇺🇸) We’ll see if Bluesky allows everyone to see the video! youtu.be/Y7S6wLP_vsY?...

#TheTwen2ie5 HM 1: Sault - Wildfires (2020, 🇬🇧) Excoriating lyric, doesn’t make the main list as I don’t think the music quite backs it up youtu.be/GRC4Ac6IB1w?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 25: Momma - Speeding 72 (2022, 🇺🇸, unranked) One to add to the list of great driving songs youtu.be/nZWxWsEiGBQ?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 24: Michael Kiwanuka - Lowdown (2024, 🇬🇧, unranked) Fantastically mellow guitar solo in the second part youtu.be/agx-kVgC3sg?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 23: L’Rain - Two Face (2021, 🇺🇸, unranked) Another People’s Pop Poll discovery - a sort of deconstructed r&b that sounds like nothing else youtu.be/LWmN7vXnnCo?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 22: Laura Marling - Alexandra (2020, 🇬🇧, unranked) Marling’s response to Leonard Cohen’s Alexandra Leaving (which is eligible for the Noughties challenge!) youtu.be/oOIxtDuLwSQ?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 21: The Last Dinner Party - Sinner (2023, 🇬🇧, unranked) If they’re an industry plant, the industry should do more plants youtu.be/IfVpq86tOw8?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 20: Kenya Grace - Strangers (2023, 🇬🇧, unranked) First of two UK number ones in my list youtu.be/qmfOaREwYew?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 19: Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler - The Eagle and the Dove (2022, 🇨🇮/🇬🇧, unranked) Another established/new act pairing. Olivier Award, Oscar and BAFTA nominations - is there no end to Jessie’s talents? youtu.be/4oqGqbFHxvA?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 18: Japanese Breakfast - Be Sweet (2021, 🇺🇸, unranked) A serving of 80s-inspired indie pop youtu.be/2ZfcZEIo6Bw?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 17: Jane Weaver - Love In Constant Spectacle (2024, 🇬🇧, unranked, Ice Spice Fail) Sublime vocals over hypnotic backing youtu.be/To6d6zPyffs?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 16: Jack White - Archbishop Harold Holmes (2024, 🇺🇸, unranked) Jack returns to the White Stripes sound to thrilling effect youtu.be/ru5afNNSPeU?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 15: Heartworms - Retributions of an Awful Life (2023, 🇬🇧, unranked) Post-punk that doesn’t just sound like a Joy Division knock-off youtu.be/thC-C_Bk8H0?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 14: Hayley Williams - Simmer (2020, 🇺🇸, unranked) I wouldn’t cross her! youtu.be/8lSj5k2K7w0?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 13: Elbow - Balu (2024, 🇬🇧, unranked, Ice Spice fail) After a decade of pleasant but unmemorable albums, they’ve woken up again youtu.be/B0zYKdfu6Zo?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 12: Dry Cleaning - Leafy (2021, 🇬🇧, unranked) “It was chucking it down when I stepped out It's not now” youtu.be/twqNuW7Q6-Y?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 11: The Delines - This Ain’t No Getaway (2022, 🇺🇸, unranked) Gorgeous piece of country soul youtu.be/cQSX80CCy4Y?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 10: David Gilmour ft Romany Gilmour - Between Two Points (2024, 🇬🇧, unranked, Ice Spice fail) Heartbreaking cover of obscure 90s indie pop track youtu.be/A9qdvkx9E3o?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 9: Chvrches & Robert Smith - How Not To Drown (2021, 🇬🇧, unranked) First but not last pairing of a veteran and a new(er) artist in my list youtu.be/7U_LhzgwJ4U?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 8: Cassandra Jenkins - Hard Drive (2021, 🇺🇸, unranked) One of a few songs on my list that particularly resonated in the pandemic youtu.be/eW8XoovSlsM?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 7: The Brother Moves On - You Think You Know Me (2021, 🇿🇦, unranked) Another People’s Pop Poll discovery youtu.be/aQNqrdbjB1M?...

#TheTwen2ie5 Day 6: Boygenius - Not Strong Enough (2023, 🇺🇸, unranked) One of the supergroup will also be along later as a solo artist youtu.be/bIX_ouNJsTs?...