This is an abridged article from 2020: A year in review, originally published by The Aural Premonition.
Let’s just say, 2020 was different.
I don’t have any cool photos or any fun stories about the lengths I went to see a show—I was at home in my apartment for most of the year. Having hunkered down in my precious and personal 430 square feet for so long, the idea of being surrounded by strangers in a large, dark room with pulsing lights and blaring music—a concept that once gave me such joy, now gives me waves of nauseating anxiety. I don’t know when I’m going to see live music indoors again and I’m in no rush.
I also struggled to write about music in 2020. One reason is a good one: I write for my full-time day job now, about science! It’s fulfilling and uses lots of my creative energy, and I don’t have the need to write on my own time so much. But the bigger reason is I’ve just been so consistently emotionally overwhelmed. Music has been my life raft and the sea itself as wave after wave of life events threatened to knock me under. To write about that music felt like opening up to swallow the water on purpose when it was already barely keeping me afloat.
When I wrote my end-of-year list, I didn’t number or rate my top albums.
I just listed them in random order and wrote about them. I shared whatever came to mind about how an album came into my life, why it meant something to me in 2020, and why you might want to take a listen yourself. While there are plenty of reasons to leave 2020 in the past, I urge you not to leave these artists and albums behind.
Novo Amor – Cannot Be, Whatsoever
Bon Iver, move over. Novo Amor takes the crown of soft-singing, male falsetto vocals over gorgeous instrumentals with the brilliant Cannot Be, Whatsoever. Thank you to a friend for introducing me to them this spring, just in time for another album to drop this fall. Every song on this record is a work of art and together in order, they are a masterpiece that will last long past 2020. A thorough listen is a must, I recommend doing so not sober at least once. If you aren’t immediately hooked by listening to “Opaline,” something might be wrong with you. And if you haven’t cried at some point after getting through “Keep Me,” you might want to get that checked out.
Deep Sea Diver – Impossible Weight
This is hands-down, the best album Deep Sea Diver has ever made and that is saying something. Their first two albums were fantastic, and so to follow them up with another innovative set of songs that push their boundaries—while maintaining their beloved core sound—is no small feat. Fronted by Jessica Dobson, Deep Sea Diver is known for her expressive vocals, but you’ve never heard them like on Impossible Weight.
Her tone is clearer, her pitch spot-on, and her emotion even rawer and moving. Dobson layers more harmonies and echoes of herself this time around. Which really makes the songs sparkle in a way that previous work has left something to be desired. But there’s still the recognizable jangling guitar, like at the start of “Lights Out” and “Impossible Weight,” that will always clue us into who is playing. Overall, this album is Deep Sea Diver on another level, or perhaps a deeper one: This time, Dobson and crew have gone subterranean.
Hannah Georgas – All That Emotion
I’ve been hooked on Hannah Georgas’ work since her 2012 debut. But sadly, wasn’t satisfied by her 2016 album, For Evelyn. With All That Emotion, she’s written the album I want to write: A set of beautiful low-key songs that hit the heart right where it hurts. Each of these 11 songs has more emotion in them than an entire Taylor Swift album.
Jordana – Something to Say to You
Jordana really had something to say and I’m so (so) glad she did. This full-length album is the combination of her 2020 Something To Say EP and ...To You EP, which are quite strong in their own right. I was about to list the Something to Say EP as a top album when I saw it was now a full-length release! This surprised me because she also released a full length this May, Classical Notions of Happiness. She writes bluntly-worded and horribly catchy indie-pop hits like it’s nothing! With tracks like “I’ll Take it Boring” and “Fuck You” telling it exactly like it is, all while making you want to dance. When I grow up, I want to make music just like this very talented, hilarious, and hard-working musician. I’m keeping my eye on her to break out in 2021—you heard it here first!
The Reverb Junkie – Couldn’t Stay
The Reverb Junkie is the project of Michelle Chamuel, composer, sound engineer, producer, singer, and instrumentalist. She was on The Voice and you’ve probably heard her music on a commercial or TV show without knowing it. I have been following her solo work for a few years and have been blown away by this 2020 release. “Enough Love” gives you the best taste of what she’s capable of making with only two words and a lot more imagination.
Tomberlin – Projections
The ethereal Tomberlin returns after 2018’s full-length At Weddings with an EP, Projections (co-produced by Alex G and his bandmate Sam Acchione). Her world has gotten a lot bigger since her first release, having toured and even performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live! before the pandemic hit. Her new work reflects this growth, with a sound encompassing even more space compositionally and emotionally. If you haven’t heard Tomberlin before, start here.
Empress Of – I’m Your Empress Of
Empress Of returns triumphant on her third full-length album, I’m Your Empress Of. This woman has been unstoppable since her debut release Me in 2015, with each song she produces being a powerhouse. Are you in need of new workout tunes? Songs to dance to? Music to motivate you through your workday? Artistry in sound to simply admire with a great pair of headphones? She’s got all of that and more. It’s too bad we won’t see her perform live for a while, she puts on a ridiculously high-energy show.
Mxmtoon – dawn & dusk
Mxmtoon’s dawn & dusk is a tough album for me to write about. On one hand, it’s one of the best released in 2020, no question. Her voice is like being wrapped up in your favorite blanket. Her use of the ukulele is so refreshing, and her songs bloom into some of the most beautiful sounds I’ve heard in ages. At the same time, I found the second half of this album (released separately as dusk) right as I was going through intense grief and was subsequently, heartlessly dumped by someone only days later, all in the middle of a pandemic. So yes, this album makes me cry. This album also reminds me that music will always be there making sure your heart is still beating.
Zola Blood – Two Hearts
One of my favorite genres is alternative (or “dark”) electronic/pop. And one of the best in this area is London’s Zola Blood. Two Hearts is only four songs, but it is so good, it is enough. I listened to this EP more times than I can count this fall, with “Two Hearts” earning my most listened-to song of the year.
So Below – LEFT BEHIND
So Below is the project of New Zealand-based artist Madeline North. This album is the result of many many years of work, and it shows. It’s dark, it’s angry and it’s gorgeous. It’s what I listened to on repeat while driving across Nebraska in early November, days before the election. When I couldn’t handle how angry I was about hundreds of thousands of people needlessly dying and becoming disabled this year. When my ceiling all but fell in (again) due to the crappy plumbing in my building, and when I just haven’t wanted to feel anything at all anymore. LEFT BEHIND is there for you when you need to leave it all behind, whether that’s a place, a person, or a feeling.
