My container playlist Carte Blanche Music 2021 doesn’t only include all of the 998 songs I recommended last year. It also holds the 100 best tracks in my opinion, the Carte Blanche Music Top 2021, which I published last week. But that’s only my selection. Isn’t it more interesting to see which of my recommendations you read the most? In other words: which of them were Your Favourites in 2021?

Apparently, the Carte Blanche Music blog has a strong archive function. A quarter of the Top 100 below consists of blog posts from earlier years, which you find via search engines. ‘Google is your friend’, as they say… Also, I think it’s wonderful to see young and upcoming artists like Angèle, Aili x Transistorcake, Mina Okabe, Eyjaa and Videoclub having more than one track amongst your favourites. These are acts to keep an extra keen eye on!

Thank you for being such loyal visitors of Carte Blanche Music. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and you won’t miss a single recommendation. You’ll find all of these brand-new songs and more in my daily updated Spotify playlist.

And now, enjoy last year’s greatest chart of all: Your Favourites 2021!

1. Drew Sycamore – 45 Fahrenheit Girl ^(WC)
2. Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu (2020)
3. Super db – Wait For Me
4. Japanese Breakfast – Paprika
5. Just – Walk Slow Smile More
6. The Blue Stones – One By One
7. Saint Motel – A Good Song Never Dies (2020)
8. Mina Okabe – Miss Those Days
9. Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda (2020) ^(WC)
10. Agnes – Here Comes The Night
11. Pixey – Free To Live In Colour (2020)
12. Laura Mvula – Got Me
13. Angèle – La Loi De Murphy (2017)
14. Temples – Paraphernalia (2020)
15. Who – Hey! Get Out The Way ^(WC)
16. Julietta – Not Today
17. Lola Le Lann – Portofino (2020)
18. a-ha feat. Ingrid Helene Håvik – The Sun Always Shines On TV (MTV Unplugged) (2019)
19. Eyjaa – Don’t Forget About Me
20. Indochine x Christine & The Queens – 3Sex (2020)
21. Me & My Toothbrush – Funking Around (2020)
22. Jealous Of The Birds – Something Holy (2020)
23. Saint Motel – Preach (2020)
24. Izo FitzRoy – Red Line (2020) ^(WC)
25. Videoclub – Enfance 80 (2020)
26. Therapie Taxi – Eté 90
27. Christopher – Fall So Hard
28. Isaac Dunbar – Fan Behavior
29. Mina Okabe – Walk Away
30. Alfie Templeman – Things I Thought Were Mine (2020)
31. Danilo – Bringing It Back
32. Negramaro – Ora Ti Canto Il Mare
33. Videoclub – En Nuit (2019) ^(WC)
34. Good Health Good Wealth – Guinness
35. Ivan & The Parazol – Mást Vártam
36. Placebo – Beautiful James
37. Super-Hi x Neeka – Following The Sun
38. Trunky Juno – Daddy’s Gone For Cigarettes
39. Shanguy – Toukassé (2019) ^(WC)
40. Del Amitri – Close Your Eyes And Think Of England
41. Raffaella – Ballerina (2019)
42. Ali Barter – You Get In My Way
43. The Roop – Discoteque
44. Izzy Bizu (feat. Chris Martin) – Someone That Loves You ’19 (2019)
45. Fear Of Tigers – Tiger Blood
46. Grand Corps Malade – Pas Essentiel ^(WC)
47. Olivia – Can’t Break A Broken Heart
48. The Bamboos – Ride On Time
49. Angèle – Balance Ton Quoi (2019)
50. The Vices – In And Out (2020)
51. The Academic – Not Your Summer
52. Gotts Street Park feat. Flikka – Favourite Kind Of Girl (2020)
53. Aili x Transistorcake – Pari Pari
54. Mélodie Lauret – À Quoi Tu Penses Quand Tu M’adores ? (2020)
55. Eyjaa – The Wrecking Crew
56. Dubstar – Tectonic Plates
57. Tom Jones – Talking Reality Television Blues ^(WC)
58. AKA George – Manic Machine
59. You Am I – The Waterboy
60. Grand Corps Malade – Des Gens Beaux
61. The Vices – Looking For Faces
62. Kuzko – My Mama Says
63. Alessia Cara & The Warning – Enter Sandman
64. L U – Liquid Gold
65. Ruby Waters – Blow
66. IBE – Table Of Fools (2019)
67. Banji – Listen
68. Moby feat. Gregory Porter & Amythyst Kiah – Natural Blues [Reprise Version]
69. Rori – The Same Way
70. Gracie Abrams – Friend
71. Said The Whale – Honey Lungs
72. Clara Luciani – Respire Encore ^(WC)
73. Papooz – Theatrical State Of Mind (2019)
74. Lou Hayter – Time Out Of Mind
75. Mia Nicolai – People Pleaser
76. Why Don’t We – Slow Down
77. Miss Machine – Regarder Les Choses
78. Sitting On Stacy – Chest Hair
79. Devon – Warning Signs
80. Videoclub – Roi
81. Kristiane – Wish I Could Be Your Girl (2020)
82. Laura Mac – Garage Full Of Dreams ^(WC)
83. Dopha – The Game (2020)
84. Maty Noyes – New Friends
85. Bugs – Old Youth Feeling
86. Kailee Morgue – This Is Why I’m Hot
87. Calby – Burnout (2019)
88. Dry Cleaning – Scratchcard Lanyard
89. Our Lady Peace (feat. Pussy Riot) – Stop Making Stupid People Famous
90. Eelke – Too Much Too Soon
91. Troi Irons – She Loves Me Not
92. Niko Rubio – Bed
93. Aly & AJ – Don’t Need Nothing
94. Luz – Counting Houses
95. Son Mieux – 1992
96. Valeras – Rita
97. Amen Mustang – (The Shit You Say) When You’re High
98. Angèle – Libre ^(*)
99. Milo – What’s The Matter
100. The Hisunz – CNTRDCTNS

^(WC)    ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard
^(*)       album track

My container playlist Carte Blanche Music 2020 doesn’t only include all of the 994 songs I recommended last year. It also holds the 100 best tracks in my opinion, the Carte Blanche Music Top 2020, which I published yesterday. But that’s only my selection. Isn’t it more interesting to see which of my recommendations you read the most? In other words: what were your favourites in 2020?

I think it’s funny to see the Carte Blanche Music blog has a strong archive function. That’s apparent from the number of older posts you still like to visit (and which you find via search engines). A good example is the best read article this year: Toukassé by Shanguy. It stems from 2019, just like 24 other entries in the list below. Even more impressing is La Roi De Murphy, Belgian songstress Angèle’s debut single from 2017 (also her break-through), which is still among the 20 most read blogs in 2020.

Thank you for being such loyal visitors of Carte Blanche Music. Don’t miss a single recommendation by following me on Twitter, Facebook or, new for 2021, Instagram! I’ll do my best to make sure those accounts will soon be your favourites too, just like the tracks below:

1. Shanguy – Toukassé (2019) ^(WC)
2. Saint Motel – A Good Song Never Dies
3. Dopha – The Game
4. Rick Astley – Every One Of Us
5. Lola Le Lann – Portofino
6. Daði Freyr & Gagnamagnið – Think About Things
7. Pyro – Come Back For You
8. Rat Boy – Brave New World
9. Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda ^(WC)
10. Gotts Street Park feat. Flikka – Favourite Kind Of Girl
11. Raye – Natalie Don’t
12. Liela Moss – Atoms At Me
13. Friedberg – Go Wild (2019)
14. Lola Lennox – Back At Wrong
15. Fixkes – Dardennen
16. Eliza & The Delusionals – Just Exist (2019)
17. Angèle – La Loi De Murphy (2017)
18. Just Jack (feat. Melissa Jo Heathcote) – Long Grass
19. The Magic Gang – What Have You Got To Lose
20. Videoclub – En Nuit (2019) ^(WC)
21. Jealous Of The Birds – Something Holy
22. Casey Lowry – Psycho
23. IBE – Perfect Storm
24. IBE – Table Of Fools (2019)
25. Lilly Hiatt – Brightest Star
26. Angèle – Balance Ton Quoi (2019)
27. Izzy Bizu (feat. Chris Martin) – Someone That Loves You ’19 (2019)
28. Saint Motel – Preach
29. Videoclub – Enfance 80
30. The Wannadies – Can’t Kill The Musikk
31. Tout Va Bien – This Is How We Say Goodbye
32. The Mountain Goats – Get Famous
33. Izo FitzRoy – Red Line ^(WC)
34. Temples – Paraphernalia
35. Inhaler – My Honest Face (2019)
36. Kristiane – Wish I Could Be Your Girl
37. Miss Machine – Tout Autour
38. Calby – Burnout (2019)
39. Child Of The Parish – Relic Of The Past
40. Zola – Crystal Floors (2019)
41. Raffaella – Ballerina (2019)
42. Gin Wigmore – HBIC
43. Calby – The Everyday Bit (2019)
44. Elsa Birgitta Bekman – All ‘bout Love
45. Just – Dark Days
46. Pixey – Free To Live In Colour
47. boy pablo – 50 Souls And A Discobowl (2019) ^(WC)
48. Merci, Mercy – Fucked Myself Up
49. Royal & The Serpent – MMXX
50. The Vices – In And Out
51. The Radar Station – Subtle Science [2020 Version]
52. Charles – Far Gone
53. Semisonic – Basement Tapes
54. Parov Stelar feat. Muddy Waters – Soul Fever Blues (2019)
55. The Black Keys – Shine A Little Light (2019)
56. Papooz – Theatrical State Of Mind (2019)
57. Jaguar Jonze – Kill Me With Your Love (2019)
58. Esteban – Suburban Paradise
59. Pet Shop Boys – Monkey Business
60. Sitting On Stacy – Chest Hair (2019)
61. Grace Farriss – All The People ^(WC)
62. Mélodie Lauret – À Quoi Tu Penses Quand Tu M’adores ?
63. AKA George – Bad For You
64. Joel Stoker (The Rifles) – Stuck Inside
65. Ethel – Rubikscube (2019)
66. The Big Moon – Barcelona
67. Inge van Calkar – Spinning Around
68. Lux Lyall – Mad With The Moon
69. League Of Wolves – On The Run
70. Charmless i – Superhero
71. Maria Mena – Not OK
72. Alex The Astronaut – Caught In The Middle
73. Rhea – Under My Skin
74. Helmut Fritz – Ça M’énerve [2020 Version]
75. Don’t Bring Stacey – Waiting For It
76. Nana Adjoa – She’s Stronger
77. Stuck On Planet Earth – Ghosts On The Radio
78. Sheppard – Kiss My Fat Ass (2019)
79. The Man Who – Give Me Something (2019)
80. Lead Pony – Soul Sucker (2019)
81. a-ha feat. Ingrid Helene Håvik – The Sun Always Shines On TV (MTV Unplugged) (2019)
82. Barry Moore – Hey Now (2019)
83. Ellie Dixon – Space Out!
84. Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler – Sabotage (Looks So Easy)
85. Gracie Abrams – Friend
86. Roads To Roam – Firework
87. Baxter Dury – I’m Not Your Dog
88. Alfie Templeman – Things I Thought Were Mine
89. Sunbather – Softly Spoken
90. Eliza & The Delusionals – Swimming Pool
91. Pyro – Your Love
92. Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu
93. Marble Waves – Caught In A Current
94. Me & My Toothbrush – Funking Around
95. Corine – Je Danse Le Mia (2019)
96. Raye – Love Of Your Life
97. Michelle David & The Gospel Sessions – Victory!
98. Some Sprouts – At Full Capacity
99. Papooz – Figs And Gorgonzola
100. Fickle Friends – Pretty Great

^(WC)    ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard

Ahead of your favourites among this year’s Carte Blanche Music recommendations, which I’ll publish tomorrow, these are my personal choices from the songs that came out in 2020. This list holds only 100 tracks, but you can find all of my 994 recommendations in my container playlist Carte Blanche Music 2020.

As always, I love to share some statistics about the Carte Blanche Music Top 2020. These findings are further evidence of the fact that the music radio stations play for you is far from representative of the wealth of great new music out there. Thankfully, there are blogs like Carte Blanche Music that are independent and unbiased, and don’t want to please everybody at the same time. We’re here to surprise you with great new music, no matter what genre or gender, origin or orientation. Just a few statistics:

• Judging from this Top 100 alone (let alone the full container playlist), 2020 was a great year for pure pop music, young artists, ‘80s influences, independent releases, the Australian music scene, queer pop-rock and female vocalists
• A whopping 70% of the tracks in this year’s list feature female lead vocals (and I thought the 60% in the Carte Blanche Music Top 2019 was impressive already)
• Overall, rock ruled. 54% of the tracks in my year-end chart is guitar-based (just over last year’s tally)
• The list clearly shows there are more countries that produce great artists than Great-Britain and the United States alone. This year, more nationalities than ever are represented in my Top 100. You’ll also find artists from Armenia, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland
• As a result, although most lyrics are in English, you’ll also hear songs (partly) sung in French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish and Swedish

The Carte Blanche Music Top 2020 features 100 tracks, which are presented below in alphabetical order. You can listen to them all via the Spotify player. If you prefer another order, just use the shuffle button 😉.

Meanwhile, you can read my original recommendations through the links below.

• A Is For Arrows – Every Now And Then
• Abbie Ozard – True Romance ^(WC)
• Aili x Transistorcake – Dansu
• Aitana – 11 Razones
• Alex The Astronaut – I Think You’re Great ^(WC)
• Alice & Moi – T’aimerais Que Ce Soit Vrai
• Altered By Mom – Better On The Page
• Amy Allen – Difficult
• Archie X – Loud Boy ^(WC)
• Ava Max – Kings And Queens
• Awolnation feat. Alice Merton – The Best
• Badflower – 30
• Baxtr – Bloom ^(WC)
• Bée – Nothing Alike ^(WC)
• The Beths – Mars, The God Of War
• Betty Who – The One
• Blossoms – It’s Going To Be A Cold Winter
• Bloxx – Off My Mind
• Bloxx – 5000 Miles ^(WC)
• Calogero – La Rumeur
• Charles – Far Gone
• Daði Freyr & Gagnamagnið – Think About Things
• Dagny – Coulda Woulda Shoulda ^(*)
• Don Diablo – Invincible
• Don’t Bring Stacey – Waiting For It
• Dopha – Anti Breakup Song
• Doves – Prisoners ^(WC)
• Dua Lipa – Physical ^(WC)
• Dua Lipa – Break My Heart
• Dua Lipa (feat. DaBaby) – Levitating [Single Version]
• Efecto Pasillo feat. Huecco – Funketón [2020 Version]
• Egoism – You You ^(WC)
• Ella Grace – Unfree
• Ellur – Alive
• The Flowers – You Don’t Say!
• Francesco Gabbani – Il Sudore Ci Appiccica
• Genes – Super Single
• Gin Wigmore – HBIC
• Grace Farriss – All The People ^(WC)
• Gracie Abrams – Friend
• Grand Corps Malade – Pas Essentiel ^(WC)
• Håkan Hellström – Alla Drömmar Är Uppfyllda ^(WC)
• Harper Bloom – Walk My Way
• Hedda Mae – Madness
• The Hold Steady – Family Farm
• Hollie Col – She Knows ^(WC)
• Holy Holy (feat. Queen P) – Port Rd ^(WC)
• Hope D – Second
• Hoshi feat. Corine – Larmes De Croco ^(WC)
• Icona Pop & Sofi Tukker – Spa
• Indochine x Christine & The Queens – 3Sex
• Izo FitzRoy – Red Line ^(WC)
• Jaclyn – Energy
• Jake Bugg – Rabbit Hole
• Joan – Want U Back
• Joel Culpepper – WAR ^(WC)
• Julie Bergan – Commando ^(WC)
• Kailee Morgue – This Is Why I’m Hot ^(*)
• Keleketla! – International Love Affair ^(WC)
• Killboy – That’s OK I’ll Just Fuck Myself
• King Princess – Pain
• Kristiane – Wish I Could Be Your Girl
• La Oreja De Van Gogh – Te Pareces Tanto A Mí
• Lauran Hibberd – Boy Bye
• Lime – Fever
• Lola Lennox – Back At Wrong
• London Grammar – Baby It’s You
• The Lottery Winners – An Open Letter To Creatives ^(WC)
• Lova – Black Converse
• Lova – One Day Left
• Lucas Hamming – Falling
• The Magic Gang – Make Time For Change ^(WC)
• May-a – Apricots
• Miss Li – Therapy
• Miss Machine – Tout Autour
• MisterWives – Rock Bottom ^(WC)
• Monowhales – BL/FF (Fake Friends) ^(WC)
• Ocean Grove – Dream
• ONR (feat. Nile Rodgers) – Kill TV ^(WC)
• Palace Winter (feat. Penny Police) – Richard (Says Yes) ^(WC)
• Pixey – Just Move ^(WC)
• Pyro – Your Love
• Raave Tapes – Habitual
• The Radar Station – Zanzara [2020 Version] ^(*)
• Raye – Love Of Your Life
• Red Rum Club – The Elevation
• Ren – I Drive Me Mad ^(WC)
• Rinse feat. Hatchie – Back Into Your Arms
• Rooue – What You Want ^(WC)
• Sebu with Eraserfase – The Worst That Could Happen To Us ^(WC)
• Semisonic – Basement Tapes
• Sidonie with Delaporte – Mi Vida Es La Música
• Slum Sociable (feat. Kye) – You’re In My Head
• Super-Hi x Neeka – Following The Sun
• T99 vs. Youngr – Anasthasia [Youngr Bootleg]
• Temples – Paraphernalia
• Texas & Wu-Tang Clan – Hi
• Town Of Cats – Lemons ^(WC)
• Veronica Fusaro – Beach
• Videoclub – Enfance 80

^(WC)    ex Carte Blanche Music Wildcard
^(*)       album track