In one of the better episodes of Black Mirror, entitled San Junipero (caution, spoilers), senior citizens go to live out the remainder of their lives in virtual worlds set in various decades (that de-ages them to their 20s). Most of the episode is gloriously set sometime in the 1980s. As miserable as 2020 has been for me, it has soundly proven that musically, I straight-up live in the 1970s (preferably 1973 please) with or without de-aging technology to send me into a virtual reality (although, that tech is likely coming soon). In any case, my displeasure with the year has required a space within which to release my soul. Given that living in the 1970s isn’t currently available, my pleasure place has dwelled in the tunes of my favorite albums of the year.
This wretched decade has certainly been the year of the throwback, and my list of favorite albums certainly reflects it. From vintage Latin sounds to 70s adult rock to the British resurrection of marvelously funked-out jazz, I suppose that my need to be transported away from this rather raucous, polarizing, and unhealthy time in the history of this teetering country has attracted me to more vintage music than contemporary sounds. Perhaps, artists have responded to some extent. Certainly, the technology that has delivered us with instant access to the latest, or even most dated music has likely facilitated much of our contemporary dependence upon classical and vintage musical references.
Sadly, however, there is just something about crumbling political infrastructures, global pandemics, unethical presidents (and his constituents), rampant racism, and social divisiveness that has very likely ushered our artists’ escape to the past. As I wait for 2021 to bring us something better or worse socially, politically, and culturally, I would rather just spend the next year existing in a grimy East Village rock club circa 1973. Until VR tech for dying seniors is available, I guess I’ll just settle for listening to the following albums on continuous repeat.
50. Kali Uchis – Sin Miedo del Amor y Ostros Demonios
Kali Uchis reaches way beyond her brand of pop/soul with a love letter to the roots of reggaetón and Latin soul. My favorite moments on this album happen when Uchis reaches for the classic sounds, such as the bolero throwback “la luna enamorada” and the La Lupe cover “que te pedi.”
49. Undeath – Lesions of a Different Kind
Perfecting vintage death metal is a definite accomplishment, and this debut album from Rochester NY’s Undeath certainly captures the old Celtic Frost feel that kicked off the genre in the 80s. Lesions of a Different Kind is fantastic in its execution, but what really stands out to me is Matt Browning’s drumming harkening a little farther back to the spontaneity and ramshackle beats (albeit with a more aggressive tempo) of Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward. This unique approach really stands out in the rhythm of tunes like “Acidic Twilight Visions” and “Kicked in the Protruding Guts.”
48. The Weeknd – After Hours
Along with just about every teenage girl in America, the sizzling summer hit “Blinding Lights” euphorically swept me up into a cartoony Ah-ha music video. But guess what? The rest of the album is pretty solid too. When Abel Tesfaye goes heavy on the cheesiest of cheesy New Wave pop sounds (check out the sax from “In your Eyes” and crashing electro-drums in “Save Your Tears”) I just want to let out an 80s twee squeal.
47. Kelsea Ballerini – kelsea
Kelsea Ballerini’s popoliscious self-titled album is the first “country” addition to my musical escapism of the year. I routinely applaud Nashville artists who cross over into pop (maybe with Taylor Swift as an exception – although, I am applauding her rather courageous “indie” efforts this year), and making the big “crossover” is precisely Ballerini’s approach to kelsea . I see deviations like Ballerini’s as a middle finger directed to the one-syllable-named country radio dudes that dominate Nashville and the Country Music Awards (oh, the patriarchy and misplaced masculinity of it all!). Anyways, female country artists just do it better. The stand-out poppy feel-goods in kelsea are especially apparent in “Hole in the Bottle,” “Club,” and the fun duet with Halsey, “The Other Girl.”
46. Widowspeak – Plum
Ohhh, the simplistic joys of Plum never fail to carry me away. With their latest album, Widowspeak double down on the most basic pieces of their vibe. From the album title to the chords to the lyrics, the tracklist offers a little easy listening escapism. “One of the Good Ones,” “Money,” and the familiar intro of “Even True Love” represent my favorite portals for escape in Plum.
45. Jeff Parker – Suite for Max Brown
Suite for Max Brown is a super progressive/indie jazz experience that makes for a fascinating and unusual listen. Jeff Parker offers an intriguing variability of soundscapes, all packaged within his meticulously orchestrated guitar compositions. The transference from the streamlined vocals “Build a Nest” to the repetition of the bassline transcending into Parker’s complex guitar strumming in “Fusion Swirl” at the outset of the album represents a microcosm for this entire project. Even with the meticulously technical and progressive heights found on the disc, Parker doesn’t hesitate to retreat back into a more traditional guitar-based, St. Louis jazz vibe à la 1960s Grant Green-styled tunes (such as “3 For L”). Parker is also playing with a myriad of electronic loops and samples on the disc, from an Otis Redding sample on “C’mon Now” to the splashes of electronic blips in “Build a Nest.” Suite for Max Brown represents a compelling portrait into the direction of the newest jazz. Standout tracks include the aforementioned “Fusion Swirl” (just because of the multiple, unexpected chord changes) and “Go Away” due to its infectious guitar jam.
44. Everything Everything – Re-Animator
I declare that British indie rock is always in order. My nearly accidental discovery of Everything Everything this year resembles my first encounter with the exhausting build-and-release rock of Foals or my nearly year-long, obsessive trek through Radiohead’s back catalog in 2011. Evidently, Everything Everything has been churning out eclectic, genre-spanning rock for a few decades now, while managing to remain in a “cult status” holding pattern throughout the run. The stuff the animates me the most in Re-Animator arises in the aggressive lyrical delivery in “Big Climb,” the Radiohead tribute in “It Was A Monstering,” and a nod to pop-rock stalwarts like the Killers and Snow Patrol in “Violent Sun.”
43. Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death
After their debut album appeared on my top ten of 2019 (such a naive time), Fontaines D.C.’s super quick follow up also lands as a favorite post-punk escape of 2020. Although this album represents the first appearance of a punk-ish record on this year-end, what stands out the most for me are the elements in A Hero’s Death that are quite nearly the antithesis of punk. The surprisingly chill balladry found in “You Said” and “Oh Such a Spring” are the standouts here. I do still love the Irish punk-outs in tunes though like “Televised Mind,” “I Was Not Born,” and “A Hero’s Death” (oh, and the “bop-bob-bops” found in the bridge of that tune are strikingly sublime).
42. Cuddle Magic – Bath
Draw me a bath, pour in bubbles, and light up the candles honey! Cuddle Magic’s Bath literally stands out as the first album I have listened to recorded next to a toilet (and hence the album title). Nonetheless, Cuddle Magic delivers the kind of chamber pop vibes that I almost always crave (“nicht immer aber immer öfter”), with or without a bathroom sink. The routinely muted keys and horns reverberating around the bathroom walls on display within the creeping melodiousness on “Working on Me, ” the sneaky bass clarinet on “Still in Touch” and the vocal harmonies on “This Way” might just be my favorite sounds ever made in a bathroom.
41. Crack Cloud – Pain Olympics
The notion of “Art punk” seems to be a rather slippery genre term, and I am not entirely sure it necessarily fits with the sound that the Vancouver musical collective Crack Cloud is offering in the outstanding Pain Olympics. The notion of “art” music at least works in instances such as the funky saxophone jam in “Bastard Basket,” or the dream-pop featured on the album’s closer, “Angel Dust (Eternal Peace).” Rather than art-punk, I feel a stronger Brooklyn indie vibe al la early 2010s, reminiscent of some of my favorite Brooklyn bands like Ava Luna or pre-Amber Coffman Dirty Projectors. And, of course, there is the rather explicit nod to the Talking Heads in “Ouster Stew” (and the song’s drum solo, primed for a nola mardi gras parade, is the absolute shit). The closest that Crack Cloud’s debut album gets to a truly punk sound is on my favorite tune on Pain Olympics, “Tunnel Vision.” The album sports a super tidy 8-track, 30 minute run time, but sometimes great things just come in small packages.
40. Bad Bunny – El Último Tour Del Mundo
Of the three albums that Bad Bunny put out in 2020, El Último Tour Del Mundo is by far my favorite. Pulling from a host of Bad Bunny’s influences, the album manages to explore the artist’s more intimate, exploratory side (even if I don’t understand a word of Spanish). Tunes like “Maldita Pobreza” and “Te Deseo Lo Mejor” sport a progressive sound journeying into a rather catchy pop/rock slant. As fun as such diversions are, my fascination with El Último Tour Del Mundo begins and ends with Bad Bunny’s exploration of the sounds that offer a peek into the world of “urbano” and Latin American R&B. As an illustration, the album closer, “Cantares de Navidad” (a Puerto Rican holiday song) sublimely demonstrates this approach.
39. Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide
Aesop Rock is my modern-day Ginsburg. I could listen to his streams-of-consciousness until my spirit animal (in my case, the roadrunner from Bugs Bunny) dashes off a cliff with that funny coyote (comparisons to Dante’s Inferno might also be appropriate here). Straight out of the gates, Aesop declares; “Hello from the Spirit World” and proceeds with a complete spoken-word manifesto for this collection, ultimately suggesting that the record should function as an exercise in “modern supernatural tourism.” Aesop Rock certainly delivers on this promise, consistently engaging listeners with his loosey-goosey tripped-out rhymes. My favorites on this voyage through the animal spirit world are the psychedelic “Gauze” with its crunchy guitars and the fun clip of a boy scout referencing his knives, and the kinda spooky “Boot Soup” is super cool too.
38. Moses Sumney – græ
The concept of releasing a double album, splitting up the two halves over the course of several months is an interesting one (San Fermin did it exceptionally well in 2019/2020). The first iteration of græ that hit in the winter of 2020 was very good, but the second iteration that dropped in the midst of all of the craziness with the pandemic in May was simply sublime and boosted græ into my top 50 of the year. My faves on græ are “Bless Me,” “Virile,” and the weird, cosmic piano jazz of “Gagarin.”
37. Sumac – May You Be Held
With its sheer density of sound, it took me at least twenty listens to realize I am in love with this album. Much has been written about Aaron Turners’ affinity for improvisational metal, but I have always just loved the chugging riffs he has trademarked from the earliest days of Isis up to everything he’s accomplished with the Sumac project. May You Be Held, however, offers a much more engaging and revolutionary foil to the kind of ambient drone metal that bands like Sunn O))) have pioneered. As for favorites, I could just listen to the twenty minute title track on endless repeat.
36. Other Lives – For Their Love
And now for something completely different… 2020 marks my first contact with the Oklahoma band Other Lives. And, I am an absolute fool for the brand of chamberesque throwback soft rock that Other Lives spins in For Their Love (which some might call “folk rock”). Perhaps in past iterations, folk rock might have been an appropriate rubric for Other Lives, but not on this outing. There are traces here of 70s film composers vis-a-vis maestros such as Ennio Morricone and Riz Ortolani found in the epic “All Eyes – For Their Love” and “We Wait.” Even in the largely acoustic “Dead Language” with the melodic background vocals and complex orchestral arrangements elevates the song away from just about any genre (unless “influenced by Italian spaghetti western soundtracks” counts). There isn’t a single bummer on For Their Love, but I especially dig “Hey Hey I,” the guitar solo in “Sound of Violence,” and the string swirliness of “Lost Day.”
35. Soccer Mommy – color theory
Gee whiz, absolutely everyone who’s anyone adores Soccer Mommy. While I appreciated and respected Sophie Allison’s debut as Soccer Mommy, Clean, a few years ago, I didn’t love it. color theory significantly raises the creative and sonic bar of her musical palette, offering up a really sleek, yet subtle, indie rock record. The tunes reflect a definite pop sensibility, but also express a great deal of artistic restraint. When I expect a song to take off with a Foals-esque release, Soccer Mommy stays the course of her compositional vibe. This adherence to consistency but maintaining a track list that is engaging, exciting, and interesting makes this record stand out as a bona fide achievement. color theory also provides one of my favorite songs of the year, “circle the drain” (I’m going down, baby!) with its jangly underlying guitar riff seemingly plucked off the vinyl of the Cure’s Disintegration album. Definite favorites are obviously “circle the drain,” the subtle aggression of “up the walls,” the anthemic nature of “lucy,” and the atmospheric and driving tone of “stain.” If you are curious where the heights of “indie rock” have reached as a musical genre, please consult the wonders of color theory.
34. Ambrose Akinmusire – on the tender spot of every calloused moment
If 2020 was anything in music, it was the year of unbelievably great jazz. Trumpeter and bandleader, Ambrose Akinmusire, delivers a super progressive, raucous spin on contemporary jazz, with as tight of a backing band as it gets (huge kudos especially to Justin Brown’s complex and thoughtful drumming). The opening cut, “Tide of Hyacinth,” with its smooth tenor sung in the West African Yoruba is an awesome highlight. on the tender spot of every calloused moment ends even stronger with my favorite two tracks – the strange and eerie trumpet in “Blues (We Measure the Heart with a Fist),” and the closer “Funeral Procession (read the names outloud),” which is simply a funeral song as social protest on keys.
33. ADULT. – Perception is/as/of Deception
I never pass up a walk down industrial music’s memory lane. ADULT. can always deliver up a satisfactory electro vibe, but Perception is/as/of Deception offers an extra punch of classic 80s industrial, plus a dash of Detroit-based techno. Right from the outset, the album harkens back to a strong Front 242/Nitzer Ebb sound with the opening track, “We Look Between Each Other” and later with “Why Always Why.” And, oh the sweet pounding electro of “Have I Started at the End,” nicely satisfies my techno fix. Thanks to its fun-as-hell nostalgic nod to the 80s and early 90s fringy New Wave sounds, Perception is/as/of Deception is one of the best electronic albums of 2020.
32. Inexorum – Moonlit Navigation
The bulk of metal albums in 2020 were often good, but rarely great. Moonlit Navigation (Inexorum’s second album) provides the exception through conjuring up the variety of melodic Scandinavian death metal that I crave whenever I find myself sipping mead while tending the sheep. Rather than a bunch of grimey, long-haired Swedish dudes though, Inexorum is surprisingly composed of a couple of middle-aged bros from rural Minnesota. I guess extreme winter weather influences great metal. Come for the epic death metal of title track “Moonlit Navigation,” but stay for the melodic, punchy black metal of tunes like “Dream and Memory” and “The Breaking Point.”
31. Thanya Iyer – KIND
This singer, violinist, Montreal popstar’s second album reminds me a little of Sudan Archives’ project of mixing stringed instruments with experimental pop music. The comparison ends there though, as Iyer employs a great deal of contemporary jazz into her compositions. KIND is the sort of album that engages through its sheer creativity and complexity, but demands repeat listens for the playfulness that Iyer explores through her dedication to pop. My favorite moments on KIND stem from the craziness + performance skill that Iyer exemplifies in tunes like “My Mind Keeps on Running” and “I Forget to Drink Water (Balance).”
30. Porridge Radio – Every Bad
I think that Porridge Radio represents that current torchbearers in guitar-driven indie rock. On their second album, Dana Margolin and her crew provide a nice tutorial in both superb musicianship and vocal risk-taking. From their rather lo fi debut on Rice, Pasta, and other Fillers to Every Bad, it is evident that Porridge Radio has significantly elevated their sound. The screaming versus balladry versus talkie-talk vocals in “Don’t Ask Me Twice” and the extreme lyrical emotiveness and clamour on “Sweet” are what I appreciate most on Every Bad.
29. Lianne La Havas – Lianne La Havas
Ever since I saw La Havas in a Williamsburg club in 2012, I have been obsessed with her absolute coolness. La Havas is funk, she’s jazz, she’s a vibey lounge singer, folky guitarist extraordinaire, she’s just (I reiterate) freakin’ cool. In her self-titled album, La Havas doubles down on the sparsity, strongly exemplifying her vocal range and guitar chops (check out the album closer “Sour Flower” and the centralized “Paper Thin.”). Heck, she even covers Radiohead (“Weird Fishes). Lianne La Havas is the perfect experience for a chilled-out Saturday night.
28. Brent Cobb – Keep ‘Em on They Toes
Much like what Dee White accomplished on his 2019 album, Southern Gentleman (my favorite album of that much better year), Brent Cobb flirts with both the margins and legacies of country music. Similar to White, Cobb calls back to the classic sounds of 60’s and 70’s crooner country, but with an extraordinarily rich and pared down instrumentation (which is what largely differentiates his efforts from White’s “baroque pop” approach). The lyrics in Keep ‘Em on They Toes are dry and humours, and sometimes incredibly ambiguous + ironic (check out “Sometimes I’m a Clown” for some of that action). The sense of tolerance and individuality in the title track “Keep ‘Em on They Toes” and “Soapbox” with its mellow, triptych of tuba, piano, and acoustic guitar accompaniment are what does it for me on this album. For me, Cobb’s vibe evokes the gloriousness of trucking around with my dad in his green International listening to Kenny Rogers on repeat.
27. Declan McKenna – Zeros
If it does anything, this top 50 list suggests that I am in love with anything that even hints of a 1970s pop influence. McKenna’s second outing on Zeros unapologetically cashes in on his 70s + 60s pop “heroes” vis-a-vis icons such as David Bowie and (as painfully as it is for me to admit) later manifestations of the Beatles. Songs like “Be an Astronaut” explicitly fashion a hybridization of Ziggy Stardust and Sargent Pepper. More so than any other album in 2020, Zeros emerges as an absolute grand opus, similar in scale to something like The Who’s Tommy or even the accomplishments found in Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Forget single song recommendations for this one – “you just sit back and enjoy the magic of ROCK!”
26. San Fermin – The Cormorant I & II
½ of this album was released toward the end of 2019, but I won’t hold it against San Fermin for a 2020 spotlight. San Fermin is my all time favorite “chamber pop” band, but their sparkle has seemed to fizzle since the widely popular single “Sonsick” that attracted a great deal of attention to their debut album. They’ve chugged along though since their initial appearance in 2013 producing a string of highly engaging albums. The concept behind The Cormorant is based on aquatic bird life (which is interesting, I guess). The watery-pastoral thematic definitely works its way into San Fermin’s smooth pop. There aren’t any bangers on the tracklist (like the previously mentioned “Sonsick” and their other big hit “Jackrabbit”), but the tunes here prove to be soothingly silky. The Cormorant’s’ Standout tunes are the easy-breezy “Westfjords” and “Summer by the Void,” both featuring the lyrical stylings of my favorite indie crooner, Allen Tate.
25. Deep Sea Diver – Impossible Weight
I was prepared to place Impossible Weight in my top 50 simply based on its translucent album cover (I wanna be the third person standing next to the moonish orbs with bandmates – and husband and wife duo – Jessica Dobson and Peter Mansen. Sonically, however, the album reaches a little past the soothing feel of the cover to create some really great, and at times raucous, indie pop. There are a few great synth tunes (I love the callback to earlier millennium synth pop bands like Chairlift and Metric in “People Come People Go”) in addition to the sheer energy and persistence of “Eyes are Red (Don’t be Afraid)” and “Shattering the Hourglass.”
24. Duma – Duma
This noisey, black metal, hair techno smashup from the Kenyan duo Martin Khanja and Sam Karugu is very likely the most unique album that landed in 2020 (upon first listen the disc hit me like a German WWII tank). Super heavy music (in terms of hard metal guitar and skull crushing techno beats) seems a super rare export from sub-saharan Africa (but, perhaps I missed the cruise ship on the whole African black metal scene). To get a sample of just how hard that Duma punches, skip directly to the tunes “Lionsblood” and “Omni.”
23. R.A.P. Ferreira – Purple Moonlight Pages
“Mood” is the word for Allen Philip Ferreira’s latest effort as R.AP. Ferreira (formerly known as the rapper milo). Ferreira’s underlying approach to this album – namely the employment of a jazz trio The Jefferson Park Boys – gives Purple Moonlight Pages a live recording sheen (a trend in hip hop that always hooks me – thanks Anderson .Paak!). The combination of a jazz band, the various percussive loops throughout the collection, and Ferreira’s quirky rhymes makes for a super clever take on hip hop. The back to back tour de force found in “Omens and Totems” and “United Defenders of International Goodwill” brilliantly exemplify this approach. Returning to the topic of mood in art, my take on the matter relates to how an aesthetic work provokes feelings and emotions for both the artist and the consumer (creating a unique experience and space of interpretation for both). Among all of the albums that I have listened to in 2020, R.A.P. Ferreira provides a master class on establishing mood both lyrically and compositionally. With the awesome jazz sounds featuring horns, vibraphone, woodwinds, and some excellent percussion, in addition to the odd musical clips and loops found on Purple Moonlight Pages, my mood harkens back to a 1990’s Philadelphia acid jazz & poetry lounge (such a glorious thing) upon every listen. Considering all of the great jazz released in 2020 (especially from the London scene), R.A.P. Ferreira’s work stands among the most innovative. Standout tracks here are “Omens and Totems,” “(U.D.I.G.) United Defenders of International Goodwill,” “Laundry” (for its lyrical absurdities), “Leaving Hell,” and “Masterplan.”
22. Perfume Genius – Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
Shame on anyone who doesn’t have Set My Heart on Fire Immediately on their top-whatever 2020 music list. In his fifth album, Mike Hadreas takes a deep and furious stab into one of my favorite musical genres, baroque pop. The game changer for me in terms of Perfume Genius’ ability to elevate his sound (versus his other four albums) is the employment of a massively good band. The drumming on Set My Heart on Fire Immediately’ is so tight, I had to loosen my belt upon first listen of cuts like “Your Body Changes Everything” and “On the Floor.”
23. Young Jesus – Welcome to Conceptual Beach
This jammy rock band never fails to carry me off to psychedelic wonderland. For this outing, Young Jesus doubles down on the funk, making its long-ish rock compositions seem infused with something extra special. This “specialness” might occur thanks to John Rossiter’s affection for improvisation that satisfyingly occurs on sweetly meandering, seemingly never ending tunes like “Faith” and “Lark.”
22. Glass Animals – Dreamland
I’ve never been a tremendous fan of Glass Animals’ brand of alternative rock. Yet, Dreamland surprisingly offered the kind of pop vibe that I simply needed in the miserable summer of 2020. The primary dimensions of this album that have been criticized, such as lyrical overexuberance and a dependence on employing hip hop production, are largely what has hooked me on Dreamland. Fortunately, any alt-rock album that invites Miami rapper Denzel Curry (check out the cut “Tokyo Drift”), will always elicit high marks from me.
21. The Naked and Famous – Recover
I totally understand that no one else in the world (outside of New Zealand anyway) really likes The Naked and Famous. Even though they have reached their “mach 2” iteration since the breakup of their original band, the now duo of Alisa Xayalith and Thom Powers reach the same lyrical and sonic heights that I never cease to love. I am completely obsessed with the slushy alt-pop sounds of “Sunseeker” and “Easy.”
20. Deradoorian – Find the Sun
Ever since seeing her contributions to the heights of the Dirty Projectors various projects, I have been a huge fan of Deradoorian. Upon leaving her gig with the Dirty Projectors and other stuff with Avery Tare, Deradoorian has released a lot of electronic, synth-driven, experimental music. This time, Angel Deradoorian recruited an actual band that undertakes her triumphant return to lo-fi pop with tremendous success in Find the Sun. Favorite tracks on this superb album include the 1960s ruffled rock sound of “Corsican Shores” and the harder, retro-guitar vibe of closer “Sun.”
19. Jhene Aiko – Chilombo
I always find Jhene Aiko’s albums to be epic trips. Her last album, (literally entitled Trip) was so moody and emotional that I lost myself in its lyric themes and dark vibes with every listen. In contrast, Aiko goes for a sound that is a tad more upbeat in Chilombo (the album is titled after one of her surnames), but no less dense and transcendent. The primary strength of any Aiko album is her ability to make the mix sound intensively personal and intimate. Chilombo kicks that sense of intimacy off with a piano soft-jazz vibe in the album opener “Lotos” and followed through in “Triggered” that sets the stage for the “chill” representing the consistent signature of this engaging record. Aiko’s projects are always richly textured and dense with both musical and conceptual ideas, and therefore they demand repeated listens to identify the quality of her productions (even more so than any other R&B/Soul artist I know). The album highlights are placed directly in the middle, initiated by the sublime “Born Tired” (my favorite cut) to 10K Hours. The melodic vibes found in this cycle make for a sweet, very cohesive and pleasurable listen. My favorite songs on Chilombo are “Born Tired,” “LOVE,” “10K Hours,” and “Triggered.”
18. Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
I have always been a casual listener of Tame Impala, but more as an expression of appreciation than a real fan. In The Slow Rush, I just can’t deny the brilliance of band leader, Kevin Parker. The psychedelic groove of the album and the sheer technical sophistry drew me into an amazing collection of tunes influenced largely by 70s prog rock, house music, and R&B + soul. My favorite The Slow Rush cuts arise from these retro moments, particularly the sweet R&B vibe in “Breath Deeper” and the straight up 80s pop of “On Track.”
17. Orville Peck – Show Pony
Orville Peck is definitely my greatest discovery of 2020 – a gay, masked, fomer punk-rocker, anonymous Canadian cowboy trying to croon like Johnny Cash, all delivered with a middle finger up to the patriarchy of Nashville is an absolutely glorious thing. It’s sorta like Luke blowing up the Deathstar (just watched his return in The Mandalorian, btw). The duet with Shania Twain in “Legends Never Die” is an even bigger FU. The song “Summertime” was my standby song all summer long, but a definite country treat for any season.
16. Protomartyr – Ultimate Success Today
I’m a long time fan of Protomartyr, but Ultimate Success Today raises their bar and represents my favorite punk-ish/post rock effort of 2020. The “bar raising” appears primarily with the greater density in the band’s instrumentation, employing a sweetass woodwind section and some jazzy saxophone throughout the album. I like Protomartyr best when they double down on their Detroit post-punk grunginess that songs like album closer “Worm in Heaven” and “Processed By the Boys” nicely exemplify.
15. Mura Masa – R.Y.C
With its host of female guest vocalists (Georgia, Clairo, and others), Mura Masa’s second album, R.Y.C. (short for Raw Youth Collage), is filled with some dance-ready bangers and guitar angsty anthems for teens, yet the tunes are intriguingly tempered with a rawness in the album’s electronic production. In addition to the bangers (“No Hope Generation,” “I Don’t Think I Can Do This Again,” and especially “Deal Wiv It”) the album also offers some exquisite, late night chillers (most notably, the ironically titled “Today”). R.Y.C has been labelled by some critics as offering predictable guitar melodies, juvenile overtones, and cliché + pastiche – all of which are tremendous assets for my musical tastes! Stand out tunes are the aforementioned “Deal Wid It” and “Live Like We’re Dancing.”
14. Haim – Women in Music Pt. III
The sisters from LA do it again – this time with a straight up feminist “fuck you” to the patriarchy of indie rock. The tunes on Women in Music Pt. III manage to simultaneously express tunefulness, melody, and harsh lyrical abrasiveness. More than any ever moment in their relatively young musical career, the Haim ladies demonstrate an incredible large spoonful of swagger, both lyrically and physically (check out their music vids of the sisters twinkling through the streets of their city). If it’s anything though, Women in Music Pt. III is a contemporary pop album, super chalk full of pop bangers, most notably “The Steps,” “ Gasoline,” and “Now I’m in It.”
13. U.S. Girls – Heavy Light
Whenever an album is branded as “experimental,” my thoughts usually turn to descriptors such as bland, dull, boring, and inaccessible (like anything released by Canadian or Scandinavian electronic musicians – Caribou & Lindstrom obviously are exceptions). On the contrary, Meg Remy’s “experimentalism” on Heavy Light is fresh, accessible, and overwhelmingly fun. Heavy Light is gloriously all over the place – beginning with a 70s girl pop vibe (“4 American Dollars”) through the saxophony Madonna groove in “Overtime,” into something that could find itself in a grungy Broadway musical, like Hair or Jesus Christ Superstar, in “Born to Lose.” Whether or not any “experimentalism” is happening on Heavy Light, Remy’s efforts serve as a bona fide trip through the modern history of pop music, and I can’t get enough.
12. Higher Power – 27 Miles Underwater
“Let’s face it, once Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” hit, the whole scene was dead,” Kip Winger reflectively explained to a blogger from the site Metal Sludge in reference to the late 80s pop metal that his band Winger had perfected (in addition to others such as Poison, Cinderella, and Skid Row). Higher Power’s 27 Miles Underwater provides a fascinating reflection on that transitionary period in rock from the pop metal of the late 80s to the more raucous alternative sounds of grunge and alt-rock in early 90s. While billing themselves as “post-hardcore,” I hear the roots of Higher Power’s tunes stemming much more from the Pixies and especially Janes Addiction (largely due to the lead singer’s, Jimmy Wizard’s ode to a Perry Ferrell vocal delivery). Simultaneously, Higher Power boldly pays tribute to the pop metal that fizzled once the style, sound, and stoner dudeness of the early grunge bands suddenly exploded. The crunching guitar in the opening cut “Seamless” and the chorus of “Shedding Skin” wouldn’t be out of place amongst the vibes of late 80s pop metal (by the way, no one with a sober mind and an understanding of the hard rock and metal scene of the 1980s should employ the patronizing retroactive reference, “hair metal,” to identify the period and its artists). Nevertheless, 27 Miles Underwater offers a wild ride through an important period in rock. The standout moments for me in this record are the very reverent-to-the-90s banger, “In the Meantime,” the all-hell’s-breaking-loose sequence at the end of “Passenger,” and the contemplative album closer “Drag the Line.”
11. Caribou – Suddenly
Suddenly is so layered with fascinating electronic sounds and effects throughout its 43 minutes, it would take an entire year of analysis to understand all of its complexities. I loved Dan Snaith’s last outing as Caribou (the dance-a-licious Our Love), but Suddenly comes across as a bit more musically sophisticated and focused. Certainly, Suddenly maintains its house-ish danceability, but there is a stronger quality to the tracklist in its sheer economy – there are no wasted moments in these tunes as they simply engage in nearly every second of the album’s runtime. My highlight songs are “You and I” (sounds like an opening credits song for any John Houston 80s flick) and the soulful, nostalgia ridden “Home” (but I really love absolutely everything).
10. Moses Boyd – Dark Matter
Moses Boyd’s debut solo LP sounds freshly contemporary but exquisitely aged (like a dry rosé). Dark Matter’s strength is its serious funk vibe employing an intoxicating diversity of instrumentation. A defining aesthetic highlight for me is Boyd’s effective use of jazz/funk guitar, African hand drums, tuba, in addition to the various samples and loops that accentuate the 70s-based funk dimension of this album (the tunes “BTB” and “Y.OY.O.” offer a nice illustration of this point). The instrumental work in Dark Matter is indeed awesome, but there are a few intriguing vocal performances in the collection as well found in “Dancing in the Dark,” “Shades of You,” and the sublime vibe of “Nommos Descent.” These vocal outtakes also add a layer of instrumentation to the complex wall of sound that Boyd maintains throughout the album. My favorites on this record are the consecutive double whammy of “BTB” and “Y.O.Y.O,” plus the insane piano tune “2 Far Gone.”
9. Molchat Doma – Monument
Classic, early 80s synthpop with lyrics sung in Russian by a band from Belarus – baby, I’ve come home! I don’t know what’s happening here, aside from a trip into a disco with the exuberance of early Human League, Pet Shop Boys, and even The Smiths. I especially love how the production values on Monument create a muted vibe in the recording that authentically replicates the experience of listening to Jimmy Somerville vis-a-vis Bronski Beat on vinyl in 1983. Rather, the collection is a remarkable labor of love for New Wave that represents an unsurpassed accomplishment among a myriad of artists attempting to cash in on 80s nostalgia. In addition to the synthy bangers, Molchat Doma (the band name, by the way, means “Silent Houses” in Russian) also offers a few tunes that mix in a little less synth with driving, jangly guitar evoking the likes of the Psychedelic Furs, Johnny Marr, and the Cure. “Zvezdy” (stars) and “Otveta Net” (No Answer) are outstanding examples of this. And oh, the amazing cover art! – an enormous Soviet-esque concrete monument located on a floating barge with a grey seascape. It takes me back to my first sojourn to Russia and Ukraine in the summer of 1989 (just a few months before the fall of the Berlin wall). The pic gloriously reflects both Soviet nostalgia and the time period in which Russian kids were sneaking bootlegs into the Soviet Union of western metal and New Wave. My favorite track on Monument is “Discotheque” (no-brainer – I am passionately obsessed with anything wreaking of disco – shouts to Roisin Murphy’s excellent 2020 disco album!). Other standouts include the opening cut “Utonut” (meaning “to drown”), “Zvezdy” and “Otveta” for the Smiths influences, and finally “Ne Smeshno” (not funny) just because it’s gothy and cool.
8. Sufjan Stevens – The Ascension
I love everything that Stevens touches, so this is much more a passionate fan pic than any other album on my list. Although I have identified my ”best of” list to offer “sounds for the release of souls”, this album dwells lyrically in a dungeon of doom and gloom. Through its eighteen tracks, Stevens declares life to be meaningless, confesses anger and depression, and even elaborates on shitting his pants. Yet, all of this critique of contemporary life is blanketed within a cloud of exhilarating electronica (that sets my soul at ease). The most engaging moments on The Ascension happen at the backend of songs like “Tell Me You Love Me” and “Lamentations,” that elevate from the relative downtempo groove to a sonic release of sound and energy. “Video Game” is my standout tune for me here, as Steven’s lyrics perfectly reflect my inclination for escape. The album’s tracklist spans a rather lengthy eighty-odd minutes, but the engaging tightness in song craft leaves me craving for more.
7. Bright Eyes – Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
2020 doesn’t deserve this album – the compositions produce both a palette cleansing and a breath of fresh air for sucky time to be alive. Bright Eyes is such a prolific band, it’s hard to believe they haven’t released an album for nearly 10 years, so it’s about time that Connor Oberst and his band mates produced something epic. The tunes on Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was vary in tone and intensity to produce an impressive diversity of sound. The album starts with a bit of a rough patch though with the rather long talkie-talkie intro occurring in “Pageturners Rag,” but eventually transitions to the real stuff with “Dance and Sing.” This tune sets the scene for the breezy folk-based indie rock that is to come through the body of the album. For my ears, it took several listens to peel back the layers and identify the compositions’ complexity. For example, the driving rhythm underlying the chorus in “Just Once in the World” just grooves. And oooh, “Calais to Dover” is just a driving, smooth anthem, knocking me out upon every listen. Favorites are “Mariana Trench,” “Calais to Dover,” and “Just Once in the World.” Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was is an incredible recording for an incredibly shitty year.
6. 070 Shake – Modus Vivendi
This album simply vibes. Rapper + Soul artist 070 Shake (Danielle Balbuena) has offered up a series of super chill tunes on her debut album that seem spot on for the newer generation of female rappers/singers who employ deep soul and layered instrumentation (live bands) into their repertoires. This early 2020 album is vibey and spacey at times, but also delivers on some super sweet melodies packed with sing-along hooks. This album has literally fucking everything – alternative hip hop (“Nice to Have”), 80s synth pop (“Guilty Conscience”), funky R&B (“Morrow”), and even some creepy Horrorcore (“The Pines”). In short, Balbuena’s incredibly progressive debut possibly represents a harbinger for the future of genreless Afro/Latinx artists. In spite of her relationship with Kanye’s G.O.O.D collective (not my fave, cause Kanye’s a dick), Modus Vivendi had assuredly reached my top ten for 2020 when it was released in January. The standout tunes here (among several) are the lovesick “Morrow,” the closer “Flight319,” “Terminal B,” and the soul-soothing “Rocketship.”
5. The Huntsman – Mandala of Fear
Is this a metal album, post-metal, noise rock, old school progressive rock, or what? No matter how one might label this project, Mandala of Fear is first and foremost a progression – it’s definitely a musical, if not a thematic (see the accompanying graphic novel), concept album, with its parts tightly connected to the whole. However, the album simultaneously offers some astounding sonic diversity through presenting the junctions in which various genres of hard rock and metal collide. From the outset, The Huntsman introduces a Yes-inspired progressive rock jam in “Ride Out,” with “Colossus” representing a slightly harder rock punch to the track list, and then slips into the hard rock jam found in “Atomic Storms.” It is not until the album reaches the end of its first quarter in “God Will Stop Trying” that the band unleashes the first traces of a genuine metal guitar riff. Once Mandala of Fear hits its heavy metal-esque stride, a new progression begins showcasing an abundance of influences; from the Iron Maiden flashback in “Pirates of the Waste” exemplifying something like Steve Harris’ galloping bass in albums like Powerslave, to the slower tempo doom metal in cuts such as “The Swallow,” to a more shoegazey sound in “Awake at Times End” that I associate with bands like Alcest. All of this awesome collision of heavy sounds and genres is accentuated by the excellent vocals and new band member Aimee Bueno’s occasional accompaniment. I suppose attempting any genre categorization of Mandala of Fear is simply a fool’s errand (but a fun exercise to undertake nonetheless). My favorites on this disc are “Ride Out,” “Pirates of Waste,” and “God Will Stop Trying.”
4. Jealous of the Birds – Peninsula
Led by the Helen Ready- (or maybe even Anne Murray) esque vocal stylings of Belfast singer Naomi Hamilton, Peninsula simply pops (like a seagull on Alka-Seltzer) with an array of genres and sounds. The musical compositions here are robust, compelling, and layered with sound (particularly in the first half of the record). The album starts with the banger/single worthy anthemic “Young Neanderthal,” but runs into a much breezier, seaside vibe of “Something Holy.” This is definitely a guitar and strings-driven recording but ventures into playful territory throughout its track list. As an illustration, the aggressive leap into synth pop found on my favorite cut, “Hadron Collider,” drives some grungy techno bleeps and a pleasing, underlying synth. The lyrics in Peninsula consistently maintain a lofty airiness, frequently referencing flowers, sea sides, and skyscapes (I guess stuff birds are into, and hence all of the jealousy). In the midst of the album’s sonic euphoria, Jealous of the Birds aren’t afraid to turn it down a notch with some low tempo, acoustic tunes scattered throughout, including “Haze of the Hill,” “Always Going,” and the album closer “Epistle” (offering a satisfying, melodic coda to the collection). My favorite tunes here are “Young Neanderthal,” “Hardon Collider,” and “Pendulum.”
3. Westerman – Your Hero is Not Dead
Watch out Air Supply and Asia, a new force for adult soft rock has emerged. This Westerman disc is simply sublime. The album’s arrangements are minimalist but offers an intriguing complexity. The genius of Your Hero is Not Dead is what Westerman manages with such sparse instrumentation. Creating attentiveness to craft in the midst of an extremely airy sonic palette is quite an achievement. Westerman accomplishes this feat by employing resonant, emotional touches with his guitar and synths at just the right moments of stillness. The tunes call back to the crooning soft rock of Brian Ferry’s solo albums or Roxy Music’s Avalon. There is also a whisper of Destroyer’s amazing Kaputt album from 2011. Your Hero is Not Dead goes down smooth like a tall glass of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Stand out tunes are all of them, but I especially love the single “Confirmation (SSBD),” “The Line,” “Easy Money,” and the gloriously moody “Blue Comanche.”
2. Woods – Strange to Explain
Perhaps it’s my yearning for the nostalgic past in this, the worst year of my life, but the 1970s, classic rock vibe has high appeal for me in 2020. Strange to Explain definitely scratches that itch (with a rake) and epitomizes many of the albums I have selected as top 50 worthy. Woods is a band with which I occasionally flirt upon releases of new albums, but I have never grown obsessed with their music. So, given my relatively low level of engagement with these NYC folk rockers, this album absolutely floored me. The members of Woods have been together for a while and are skilled veterans at their craft of music writing and production. Yet, the songs on Strange to Explain express an energized sound, backed with a vibey mellotron and some wondrous work from a strong measure of Jethro Tull-esque flute (most notably in the jam at the end of “Where Do You Go When You Dream?”). Featured songs are the tuneful soft rockers “Can’t Get Out” and “Fell So Hard” plus the sublime slow burn on the album closer, “Weekend Wind.”
1. Blu & Exile – Miles: From an Interlude Called Life
Many of the tunes on Miles are celebrations of all things Black music, leadership, pop culture, and left wing politics (see especially “Roots of Blue”). This mosaic of an album feels largely “old school” (in a satisfyingly perfect way for those who grew up in the 70s & 80s) with sonic homages to decades old jazz artists communicated by both vocal references and layered and complex loops, beats, and samples. This project is jam packed with reflective positive vibes, albeit packaged within clear social and political messaging, offering a therapeutic deep breath in our current era of Trump-inspired hate culture. Miles also offers a ton of fascinating references, providing a veritable Black history lesson, name dropping everyone from stone age hunter gatherers to Nelson Mandela and a ton of pop culture shout outs, making Miles a veritable Easter egg patch. Favorites from this rather lengthy double album are “Miles Davis,” “True & Livin’,” “The Feeling,” and the crazy positive vibes of “The American Pie.” Fuck Kanye – Blu and Exile for president!
Although they strongly dislike the bulk of the music I impose upon them whenever we travel around the Mountain West states in the various Kias and Jeeps I’ve owned and rented over the years, I write this with love to Desi and Zoe. The greatest memories and moments of my life have been “escapes” with them.