nd we all thought 2016 was an annus horribilis! Just a few months ago, the horrors that the planet would collectively experience seemed unfathomable. One of the few positive outcomes of the pandemic lockdown is the trend of artists’ releasing a torrent of new material. Consider TayTay, who gave us Lover toward the end of 2019, and has now given us two surprise albums in 2020! In fact, just about everyone and their grandmothers are all releasing new music, and add to that the reality of we the audience actually having the time to pay attention, digest, and process a good portion of it. Since artists cannot tour anymore, they’re recording music instead. Even artists who have been inactive in the studio for years seem to have suddenly migrated back in and started putting out new content. In fact, 2020 has produced an overwhelming embarrassment of riches, and as a result, we have conducted a much larger survey than usual to reflect this enlargement of musical territory. Instead of the usual forty tracks per year, we're compiling eighty tracks this year, divided into parts 1 and 2.

As for the rationale for this year’s title for the compilation, it comes from the fact that millions of us were inspired by the zeitgeist-exploding song from which this phrase is taken. Sure, lyrics obliquely about 'eating out' have probably been around for millennia, and our musical forebearers such as Madge and TLC have all directly rhapsodised it in entire songs almost thirty years ago. We also issued the original 'Panani Palace' survey mix back fifteen years ago, so all the gynocentric celebrations are nothing new. However, the sublimely alliterative phrase 'punani dasani' sounds so inevitable right now that we're surprised that no one has done it sooner than Cardi B.

We've lost quite a few musicians to Covid this year, including producer Hal Willner, Kraftwerk's Florian Schneider, and the almighty John Prine. One of the best of perhaps hundreds of tributes to Prine in the wake of his death that was floating around the internet was one uploaded by Saskatchewan’s Colter Wall, here performing a Prine song on his Instagram account. He’s only 25, but his voice transcends descriptions (cf. Alex Chilton as a fifteen year-old in the Boxtops), and that’s why he appears no less than five times here. Other artists who had worked with Prine, and who had also recorded tributes, include Sturgill Simpson (four appearances here), Tyler Childers (two instances here), and Nathaniel Rateliff (one appearance). Another artist who passed away from Covid was Joe Diffie, who is represented here by a bluegrass track he recorded for Rounder back in 2010.

This year we also welcome back artists Mike Skinner, Miley Cyrus, Oasis (in the form of a previously unreleased demo), and AC/DC back to the survey after considerable absences. In terms of the latter, it's the first time they've been here without Malcolm Young, but as expected, they still sound pretty much the same since 1980 ('... so why fix what ain't broken?' some may say). Perennial regulars of these mixes who came back again this year included Avicii, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Hot Chip, Kesha, Major Lazer, New Order, OMD, Katy Perry, Pet Shop Boys, P!nk, Posty, Shakira, Britney Spears, and TayTay.

Slightly embarrassed, we’ve come way too late to discover the pleasures of Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoff’s Under the Covers series, but we're rectifying that omission with no less than two selections, partly in the light of the fact that Teenage Fanclub hasn’t released anything recently to represent well-crafted power pop on this year’s mix.

More striking this year than from previous years, we have strong representation by American roots musicians who are LGBTQ-identified and their allies. We’re not going to identify who exactly they are here, but if you’re familiar with them, you know there are many in the survey, and because it shouldn’t matter. What is important is inclusion of diversity, and queer-identified artists' reclaiming forms of music that shouldn't have excluded anyone in the first place.

Finally, this year’s cover image was taken during Christmas break 2019, at the campus of Cal Poly University Pomona, just ten minutes away from where we grew up.

For your convenience again this year, a m3u playlist file as been included in each of the zip packages below to ensure easy proper sequencing for the mp3 tracks. As usual, remember to click on each image displayed above here for its corresponding full-sized, hi-res version.

1. Jack GARRATT - Better (04.17)
2. IDLES - The Streets medley: Turn the page; Has it come to this; Geezers need excitement; Don't mug yourself (live on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge) (04.25)
3. The STREETS (featuring Hak Baker) - Falling down (02.52)
4. Sam SMITH - I feel love (04.46)
5. LADY GAGA - Stupid love (03.14)
6. Justin BIEBER (featuring Post Malone and Clever) - Forever (03.40)
7. HOT CHIP - Why does my mind (04.15)
8. PET SHOP BOYS - Decide (04.49)
9. Britney SPEARS - Mood ring (by request) (Pride remix) (03.11)
10. NEW ORDER - Be a rebel (04.48)
11. Taylor SWIFT - Cruel summer (02.58)
12. YOLA - Faraway look (03.10)
13. KESHA (featuring Big Freedia) - Raising hell (03.18)
14. Katy PERRY - Daisies (02.53)
15. Matthew SWEET and Susanna HOFFS - She may call you up tonight (02.22)
16. CIGARETTES AFTER SEX - Don't let me go (04.23)
17. TRAMPLED BY TURTLES - Kelly's bar (03.33)
18. Colter WALL - Calgary round-up (03.35)
19. KESHA (featuring Sturgill Simpson, Brian Wilson, Wrabel) - Resentment (02.52)
20. Sturgill SIMPSON - I wonder (03.15)
21. Colter WALL - How lucky (live) (02.18)
22. Dirk POWELL - Handsome Molly (02.28)
23. Jake BLOUNT - Where did you sleep last night (03.57)
24. Willi CARLISLE - Free little bird (01.49)
25. Joe DIFFIE - Rainin' on her rubber dolly (02.55)
26. Luke COMBS - Refrigerator door (03.21)
27. YOLA - What you do (03.17)
28. DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS - 21st Century USA (04.12)
29. Nathaniel RATELIFF - You need me (03.30)
30. Donovan WOODS - Empty rooms (03.01)
31. Colter WALL - John Beyers (Camaro song) (02.01)
32. Tyler CHILDERS - Country squire (03.23)
33. Luke COMBS (featuring Eric Church) - Does to me (03.45)
34. CARDI B (featuring Megan Thee Stallion) - WAP WAP Rasputin (Boney M. mashup by Finn the Garbage Bin) (03.49)
35. Fritz KALKBRENNER und Ben BÖHMER - Bright (04.51)
36. HEUSS L'ENFOIRÉ (featuring Sofiane) - Khapta (02.50)
37. HOT CHIP - Positive (05.38)
38. Carly Rae JEPSEN - Now that I found you (03.21)
39. Taylor SWIFT (featuring Bon Iver) - Exile (04.46)
40. Selena GOMEZ - Look at her now (02.43)

1. IDLES - Mr Motivator (03.14)
2. Kylie MINOGUE - Supernova (03.18)
3. DJ SNAKE - Magenta riddim (03.15)
4. BLANCMANGE - The Western (03.40)
5. SUDAN ARCHIVES - Glorious (02.31)
6. ARCA - Mequetrefe (02.22)
7. Rina SAWAYAMA - Comme des garçons (like the boys) (03.02)
8. Kylie MINOGUE - Say something (03.33)
9. !!! (featuring Meah Pace) - This is the door (03.52)
10. BEYONCÉ (featuring Shatta Wale and Major Lazer) - Already (03.28)
11. GAMBI (featuring Heuss l'Enfoiré) - Dans l'espace (02.53)
12. Miley CYRUS (featuring Stevie Nicks) - Edge of midnight (Midnight Sky remix) (03.42)
13. AVICII (featuring Zac Brown) - Broken arrows (Didrick remix) (02.56)
14. SHAKIRA (with Anuel AA) - Me gusta (03.11)
15. OASIS - Don't stop... (demo) (04.57)
16. Matthew SWEET and Susanna HOFFS - Girls talk (03.32)
17. TEN FÉ - Superrich (05.48)
18. The ROLLING STONES - Scarlet (03.44)
19. Sturgill SIMPSON - Sing along (02.55)
20. Red SHAHAN - Enemy (03.34)
21. AC/DC - Realize (03.39)
22. P!NK (featuring Chris Stapleton) - Love me anyway (03.08)
23. MAJOR LAZER (featuring Nyla and Fuse ODG) - Light it up (remix) (02.46)
24. Lipa DUA (featuring Madonna and Missy Elliott) - Levitating (The Blessed Madonna remix) (04.17)
25. OMD - Whole again (03.30)
26. Thom YORKE - Not the news (04.06)
27. TEN FÉ - Not tonight (03.27)
28. REX ORANGE COUNTY - Always (03.18)
29. HAIM - Now I'm in it (03.24)
30. Dua LIPA - Don't start now (03.03)
31. TY DOLLA $IGN (featuring Post Malone) - Spicy (02.24)
32. Sturgill SIMPSON - A Good look (04.02)
33. YOLA - Ride out in the country (03.15)
34. Cody JINKS - The Wanting (03.18)
35. Vincent Neil EMERSON - Willie Nelson's wall (02.42)
36. Vincent Neil EMERSON (featuring Colter Wall) - Road runner (02.36)
37. Tyler CHILDERS - Rock, salt and nails (live on Red Barn Radio) (03.33)
38. Jake BLOUNT - Roustabout (02.45)
39. Colter WALL - Thirteen silver dollars (02.31)
40. Donovan WOODS - Seeing other people (03.05)

ou can now explore other years' pop survey compilations and their respective liner notes and artwork by hovering over the artwork displayed to the left-- this will identify the year of the compilation of each corresponding image. Clicking on each image will take you to that year's dedicated page. The JR East Suica Penguin is just a convenient placeholder icon.

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