Well, we made it! Do I even have to open this article with how horrible 2020 was? I didn’t think so but hey, just in case you want a stark reminder, it sucked. Political fallacy, civil unrest, mismanagement, job loss, and that horrendous virus that killed nearly 300k in just under 10 months. But despite zoom meetings, e-learning, and having to tell adults to wear a mask and wash their hands, the music was good! So let’s talk about my Top 20 Albums of 2020!
Trying my best to support the artists I love during their tour-less struggle was as easy as overindulging in really good snacks. So needless to say, I consumed quite a bit… albums that is. Well, snacks too but you’re probably not interested in reading about that. Anyway, on with my list.
With their sixth album in only eight years, you’d think a stoner rock band would’ve done all they could do by now. Well, you’d be wrong. Nothing As The Ideal is the heaviest and maybe most experimental by this Nashville trio. I know as sure as you read this, All Them Witches would slay this in a live setting. God, I miss live music so much.
Synths, hi-tops, and acid-washed jeans might make for some faux-nostalgia on indie playlists these days but Moonbeau’s 1980s romanticism is more than aesthetic. Up All Night is a collection of pop perfection tailor-made for summer. Even if you couldn’t really go anywhere this year.
18. Melkbelly – Pith
As much as I love overdriven guitars and fuzzy vocals, Pith showcases the wonderful chaos of Melkbelly’s live show. Just when you think you know where a hook is gonna take you, a plot twist sends you tumbling down the stairs. Would you want any less from Chicago’s indie rock scene?
17. Jeff Rosenstock – No Dream
Man, I don’t even know where to start with Jeff Rosenstock. Not only does the guy know how to write a hook, but he also knows the struggle of post-adolescence. It’s okay to vent those frustrations and it’s okay to sing along. The same can be said for every album other than No Dream when you think about it. Jeff Rosenstock is a treasure.
16. Local H – Lifers
It’s hard to believe Local H has been functioning as a band for 30 years but here we are. Where most bands that age has cashed on greatest hits packages and nostalgia tours, Local H sound as if they’re just getting started. Lifers isn’t Local H reinventing the wheel, it’s them pulling the nail out and driving to your house to kick your teeth in.
15. Run The Jewels – RTJ4
For their fourth album, El-P and Killer Mike have taken the juvenile quips down a few notches and replaced it when a sense of urgency. The lyrics are cold, focused, aggressive, and eerily on point, calling out racist cops and social injustice before it was a hot topic on social media. The revolution needs a soundtrack and Run The Jewels got it covered.
Listening from start to finish, Honeymoon celebrates the awkward inexperience of a young adult finding love. It’s difficult, worrisome, and sometimes scary, However, if you listen to it in reverse order, the same story is anxiety-ridden and running on tension. No matter which path you choose, Beach Bunny knows the score.
I really wasn’t expecting a Cloud Nothing record so soon but they came out of nowhere with The Black Hole Understands and it’s everything I’ve loved about this band for decades. I also want to give them props on their subscription service on Bandcamp this year. You get to feel good for supporting them during a year where they can’t tour AND you get some amazing music throughout the year.
Most publications call Fantastic Negrito’s music simply blues, but there’s nothing simple about anything he records. For Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?, Fantastic Negrito puts a greater emphasis on funk in his R&B but the entire record is a mixing pot of genre and feeling. It doesn’t get much better.
Industrial royalty returns with sinister vocals of sexual deviance and a rhythm section that sounds like a cyborg beating your head in with a shovel. Pain Is God is the most fun one can have without selling your soul. My favorite track is a reworking of classic KMFDM and even features the legendary Sasha Grey!
10. Mic Harrison & The Highscore – Bright Spot
Even though we’ve been confined to our homes for the entire year, Mic Harrison and the boys have crafted the kind of album you blast on a road trip with the windows down. Raw, wholesome, and liberating, Bright Spot is the comforting pound-hug we all needed during one of the worst years in history.
Guitars aren’t just for hooks ya know, some bands are able to create worlds with those things. After a 22 year absence, HUM returns with an unexpected epic that sounds less like their 1995 radio hit “Stars” and more like a hybrid of Failure and My Bloody Valentine. Have I mentioned how much I miss live music yet?
8. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
For her sophomore album, Bridgers trades in some of her soft-spoken alt-folk for sarcastic quips and savage takedowns. If she thinks you’re garbage, she has no problem calling you out for it while poking fun at her own vulnerability. Music this candid can’t be faked. Bridgers is the real deal and I love her for it.
7. Brian Owens & The Royal Five – Love Came Down
Combining elements of soul, jazz, R&B, and a hint of gospel, Brian Owens comes into his own with an audio love letter of peace, love, and family. There’s no question, Owens stands shoulder to shoulder with his influences Al Green and Michael McDonald. With all the stuff going on in the world, we need all the peace and love we can get. But having it in the form of a stellar soul record is a well-appreciated bonus.
6. Beabobadoobee – Fake It Flowers
While most 20-year-olds in music are trying to be the next Billie Eillish or Taylor Swift, Beatrice Laus is effortlessly writing and performing an album that would’ve been my favorite record of all time in 2000. Of course, I don’t have to tear an artist down to praise another, but Fake It Flowers has an honest-to-goodness vulnerability missing from other critical darlings. That’s okay though, I need it more now in 2020 than I did the year she was born.
With a black tongue planted firmly in a rotted cheek,
Moon Stand Still is a dark, sexy, and oddly sentimental funeral of equal parts goth and surf. If Vincent Price and Elvira had a kid it would be Dom Kreep and this album would be his award-winning science project.
Check out my interview with Dom Kreep, here.
4. The By Gods – Goldy
While most modern bands act embarrassed for even playing guitar, The By Gods couldn’t care any less what you think. Goldy is the album The Foo Fighters set out and failed to make for over 20 years. There’s plenty of attitude and angst but it’s all complemented by earworm hooks. Guitars aren’t going anywhere anytime soon and neither is The By Gods.
Slayer retired and Metallica are still Dad Metal, but Testament is single-handedly keeping classic metal alive whether they’re officially part of The Big 4 or not. From start to finish Titans is a brutal assault of guitar, thrash, and death. Just the way we like it.
Many artists utilized their mental health in their creative output this year. But no one captured the existential dread and the in-your-own-head aspect of depression quite like Sophie Allison. Color Theory covers the bases but still manages to pull a strangely positive solution via self-awareness. Who else has the audacity to give Lucifer a cute pet name like ‘Lucy’?
1. The Lees Of Memory – Moon Shot
2020 has been hot wet garbage but it didn’t stop The Lees from turning in my album of the year! John Davis has been recording music for over 30 years and been a part of many popular acts ranging from MTV buzz bins to warbly cassettes. But with each project, he finds away to celebrate the old and challenge the future. Channeling the likes of Big Star, Guided By Voices, and even Prince, Moon Shot is exactly what rock n’ roll is supposed to do.
I want to take this opportunity to encourage everyone to support their favorite artists by buying physical copies, merch, or donations. 2020 has been a terrible year for all of us and especially terrible for those who make their living by going out on tour. Our favorite artists have supported us through some troubled times so it’s only right for us to return the favor! Come on 2021!
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