What a year was 2020. Suffice it to say, it sucked. Between environmental disasters, political and civil unrest, celebrity deaths….and oh yes, a global pandemic that has kept us fearful for our health in quarantined lockdown and caused a massive economic downturn….there was a lot to handle. Things did not go the way I envisioned them to at the start, and I join most everyone across the world in celebrating its end.

At the same time, 2020 was an A+ year for new music. Musicians are people too, and as they reacted to the same issues that we all faced, they responded as only artists can – by making art. Music seemed more vital this year than in the past several; I think that we needed it more. Isolated from our loved ones, stressed, and fearful, we turned to media for entertainment and consolation. It both took our mind off of the darkness and gave us an outlet to consider and vent our frustrations. Through lyrics and sounds, music performed its most ancient and sacred magic to bring us together and help us transcend this year of disappointments. For that, I’m ever grateful.

    So, without further ado, I’ve compiled my top 25 albums of 2020. I am only counting official new long players, so no EPs, live albums, archival releases, or reissues. Also, it proved extremely difficult to truly rank them, so I’m presenting them chronologically by release date – fitting for a year in which sometimes the days blurred together and we watched the months slip by. At the end I’ve included a list of honorable mentions that I recommend checking out as well, categorized by genre for easy browsing. I’ve also included a playlist of select songs from each release for sampling.

    One note: Taylor Swift wasn’t the only artist to put out more than one release this year. Like her combo, many of the dual-releases were partners of a sort, either explicitly or thematically. In a couple cases, I’ve included those releases together in one slot. You’ll see what I mean.

    Here at the beginning of January 2021, we look forward to a new year. Plenty of challenges remain, but hopefully we continue to rise and work to make the world a better place. I’m sure that we’ll have loads of new music to celebrate this time next year, but in the meantime if you find yourself itching for some life-affirming tunes, I recommend revisiting some of these. Good music is, after all, eternal.

Marigold

Pinegrove (January 17)

Ahhh January 2020, when the world seemed full of hope. I had never heard of this New Jersey four-piece until I saw a review of this, their fourth album, on Allmusic. It was positive, so I checked them out. They are fantastic. Pinegrove is a sort-of indie emo/alt-country band, and Marigold is a fusion of angsty yearning and rustic lushness. Their prior efforts are solid as well, but Marigold is the obvious gem, a full realization of their fusion of pop-punk and Americana. They were buried deep in the Bonnaroo undercard and I was super excited to see them. But alas, Covid had other plans.  

Petals For Armor

Hayley Wiliams (February 6)

I like Paramore. They were a stable of my high school life, and I have fond memories tied to various Paramore songs. Hayley Williams is an engaging and likeable frontperson, and has a strong voice. Yet for some reason I slept on Petals For Armor. I wasn’t sure what she would do that she couldn’t do with the rest of band, especially because their past couple projects have been increasingly eclectic and varied from straight-ahead pop-punk anyway. I figured that it would be a stripped down singer-songwriter acoustic record, with Williams waxing poetic about heartbreak. So I didn’t listen until it had already been out for months. Boy was I wrong. Well, actually, she does wax poetic about many things – relationships, personal issues, but also explores coming of age and being happy and turned on. It’s all couched in some really cool funky, swaying pop. It’s bass heavy and kind of serious tonally, but at the same time the beats grab you as synth and guitar blend around smooth melodies. It’s cool to hear Hayley Williams actually do something different, more mature – an intelligent solo artist.

The Slow Rush

Tame Impala (February 14)

I’ve already written a gushing review of Tame Impala earlier in this blog, so I’m just going to say it: The Slow Rush is my #1 album of the year. I liked all of the records on this list, but this the release that most hit for me. It would have sounded just as good in December as it did in February.

Miss Anthropocene

Grimes (February 21)

I also wrote about Miss Anthropocene when it came out. It’s still too bad that her celebrity-meme public image didn’t obscure her talents so much, because she makes really good, weird, unique songs.

Suddenly

Caribou (February 28)

Caribou, who also releases music under the monikers Manitoba and Daphni, is one of my favorite electronic musicians. He’s so song based, yet gets into really cool grooves that can stretch out into adventurous excursions. The samples and loops that he uses gives the music a slightly more organic feeling that many DJs, and his music is very uplifting. Perfect for when we started to sense some clouds on the horizon of our year.

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Sixteen Oceans and Parallel

Four Tet (March 13 and December 25)

Four Tet’s two 2020 releases are like mirrors of each other, before and after quarantine. Sixteen Oceans is textured and danceable, but its icy rhythms also somehow sound warm when presented with such depth and care. It’s flowing music, like the water in its title. Parallel is much more drawn out and abstract. It opens with the almost 27 minute long “Parallel 1” and unfurls from there into deep grooves and chiming electronic flourishes. It’s great writing music. Four Tet showed what happens when a talented artist has lots of time on his hands, and how two rather different approaches can exist within the same overall sound.

After Hours

The Weeknd (March 20)

The Weeknd’s “Bright Lights” is the best song of the year. “Bright Lights” was almost inescapable, but I never tired of hearing it. The hook is undeniable and just keeps gliding  along. The synths are smooth classic cool. It’s just a great song – the song of the summer. The Weeknd has flirted with pop ever since he signed to a major label, and he’s had some massive hits. But After Hours adds an 80s sheen that highlights what is already there. At the same time, the album’s neon is kept in check by the singer’s penchant for darkness and self-loathing, bringing a depth to this hip R&B.

Sigma Oasis

Phish (April 2)

Most albums released in April were already in the pipeline before the virus hit, but Phish released their fifteenth studio album early in an attempt to comfort fans stuck in lockdown. The gift was appreciated. Recorded in their private studio, Sigma Oasis is confident and comfortable. Guitarist Trey Anastasio sings on every song except one, and leads the band through steady jams. It’s clear that they’ve mellowed a bit since their younger days, but the sense of fun is still there. The songs themselves gain strength through repeated listens, as I pick out new twists and nuances every time. It’s cool to think what the band would do with them live.

The New Abnormal

The Strokes (April 10)

Yes, I know, I have an entire essay on this blog about how The Strokes suck. It is high praise then, that I include The New Abnormal on this list, but I have to give credit where it’s due. The band writes tight songs with engaging riffs, and Julian Casablancas’ lyrics are the most relatable that they’ve been in a while. The sound of the album really jumps out and grabs you, and even though my fundamental critiques of the band still exist, it’s definitely my favorite Strokes record. 

Songs For Our Daughter

Laura Marling (April 10)

Laura Marling has been putting out extremely worthwhile folk music for several years now, and it seems that she’s finally broken through to a broader recognition. Marling’s voice sounds eerily similar to Joni Mitchell’s, but to say that this is a knockoff would be unfair and false. Marling writes her own brilliant songs, with absorbing lyrics, strong guitar, and engaging production. While Songs For Our Daughter is a bit stripped down from some of her misty, baroque earlier releases, this serves as a great introduction to those looking for great music for those quiet moments.

Earth

EOB (April 17)

EOB is the solo moniker for Ed O’Brien, one of the two guitarists in Radiohead. O’Brien usually seems to get less attention than his partner Johnny Greenwood. Greenwood is usually looked at as the “lead guitarist” and, as he also plays synth and keys, is often credited with leading the band’s more experimental excursions. However both O’Brien and Greenwood trade off guitar duties pretty evenly, and in any case all songwriting credits have always been shared equally between the 5 members. On his long labored over solo debut, EOB shows that he may in fact be Radiohead’s secret weapon by turning in a record of dark, pulsing art-electro filled with moody ballads. It honestly could serve as the next Radiohead release, as it’s the most similar sounding of his bandmates’ solo projects. His voice sounds similar to Thom Yorke’s – which figures, as O’Brien has always sung pretty prominent backup vocals since day one. We are more familiar with his voice than we think, and I hope we hear more of it in the future.

Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Fiona Apple (April 17)

I’ve known of Fiona Apple for a long time as a respected, successful singer-songwriter. I also had never listened to a single song. My mind conceived her stuff as piano-driven adult-contemporary, just because I was not experienced. Well I got experienced this spring. The hype around Fetch the Bolt Cutters was unreal, to the point where I felt almost chagrined to give it a chance at all. Yet at some point you have to wonder – what’s the deal? So you strike out to see yourself. The music grabbed hold of me immediately. It was dissonant and strange, yet driving somehow building to a purpose. Apple’s voice is powerful and jazzy and full of wit and attitude, and her lyrics piercing. It’s a total fusion of the avant-garde with piano rock. Fetch the Bolt Cutters spurred me pour through Fiona Apple’s back catalogue and discover 4 other albums. Each is distinct unto itself yet united by Apple’s endlessly alluring vocals. It’s adult music in the best way. Furthermore, this album inspired me to be more exploratory and venture out of my music comfort zones. I have a tendency to get super into what I like and stick with it, and often miss out on lots of good stuff in different genres, and Fetch the Bolt Cutters genuinely impacted me to shake more out of this generic rut. I want to keep up on more current music and appreciate those perspectives in my music and life.

Omens

Elder (April 24)

Elder’s music makes me feel the same way Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild makes me feel – standing at the edge of a massive adventure, with the world to explore. They  had been on my radar for a bit as a band to check out, as they were gaining some buzz in the metal world. But I didn’t truly dive in until they put out their much anticipated sixth studio album. They are rooted in doom metal but over the course of their career have incorporated a vast expanse of musical ground. From blues to prog to stoner-psych, they’ve done a bit of it all. Omens is their longest album yet and also their farthest ranging. You could be pressed to even consider this heavy progressive rock instead of true metal, but Elder always maintain their collective attitude. The playing is stretched out yet the energy and engaging ideas never cease, making for the best metal album of 2020.

Making a Door Less Open

Car Seat Headrest (May 1)

Back in 2016, Car Seat Headrest put out the best album of the year in Teens of Denial. Now, they put out one of the best of 2020 with their next original release Making a Door Less Open. Production is raw, even for this notoriously lo-fi indie band. It harkens back to the earliest stuff that Will Toledo recorded in his car (hence the name of the band). Keyboards are more prominent, and the music is overall more spare, putting Toledo’s vocals front and center. He sings and screams his way across 11 tracks of his trademark neurosis, and the band does a great job of punctuating his emotion. Apparently Toledo doesn’t much care for fame, but I hope he endures the limelight for a while longer if we continue to get music this good.

RTJ4

Run the Jewels (June 3)

Run the Jewels also had their fourth long player ready to go at a later date, but bumped it up at the outbreak of the Black Lives Matter centered protests after the death of George Floyd. The release sounded like both an expression of and a response to the national outrage over the situation and its tangled web of issues. In RTJ4 itself, rappers El-P and Killer Mike did what they’ve been doing for pretty much their entire collaboration: bring raps full of energy and wordplay over huge aggressive beats. Its socially conscious anger led the album to become the unofficial soundtrack to the summer, even as Killer Mike became a respected voice for and to the community at local, and even national, levels. 

Punisher

Phoebe Bridgers (June 18)

Phoebe Bridgers writes sad songs. But often those songs sound happy, or ironically detached, or confused, or any manner of states in between, all sung by a beautiful aching voice. She seemed like she came out of nowhere (unless you were familiar with her solid debut), but it’s richly deserved. In Bridgers, we have a unique personality with an interesting perspective on things. I think she’ll be around for a while. Listen to Phoebe Bridgers.

Women In Music Pt. III

Haim (June 26)

The sister trio Haim has been one of my favorite current bands since their debut Days Are Gone hit in 2013. It’s chock full of banger after banger of melodic pop/rock wrapped in tasteful instrumentation. Their sophomore release was a tad weaker but still sounded good. Now with Women In Music Pt. III they are back on track with what should have been the soundtrack to the summer (if we had had a normal summer). There is a perpetual golden hour feel throughout the record that brings to mind warm, lazy afternoons and the Los Angeles of myth. The songs are slightly darker subject-wise compared to past efforts, but once again they are all of the highest quality. As the final track fades away on waves of saxophone, I can’t help but want to just press play again.

The Waterfall II

My Morning Jacket (July 10)

I have mixed feelings about My Morning Jacket. Their best stuff is as good as any rock released in the new millennium, but their records tend to run long and blur together into a haze of guitar and falsetto. They’ve been on hiatus since 2015’s The Waterfall, during which time frontman Jim James has been more interested in his solo career. James’ output is respectable in its own right, but the band came back this year with The Waterfall II. It’s really just outtakes from the first one, but it’s far superior to the original release. The songs are tighter and the band plays with more drive, as the production is more muscular than the washed-out hues of the first one. The Waterfall II was one of the biggest surprises of the year, and I hope that the positive reception spurs My Morning Jacket to make a full comeback and pursue this direction.

Re-Animator

Everything Everything (September 11)

Everything Everything was one of those groups that got lost in the crowd of new indie groups that pop up every year. I finally decided to see what they were about with their fifth album, and now I know. Horrible cover art aside, they sound like a mix between the erudite restlessness of alt-j and the hyperactive electro-psych of MGMT. In the same way that Radiohead did in the early 2000s, Everything Everything expresses a fresh modern take on the conventions of rock, and in so doing shows a relevant way forward for the genre. 

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Protean Threat and Metamorphosed

Osees (September 18 and October 16)

The Osees, formerly known (and still often referred to) as Thee Oh Sees, are absolutely insane. Led by John Dwyer, the garage rock outfit has reliably put out an album every year since 2003, and oftentimes more than one a year. As every release is an explosion of sheer rock fun, they continue to affirm the fact that they know how to get it done. The extremely prolific Osees upped the ante in 2020 by putting out three different albums. The third and final wasn’t that great, but the first two stand up to be as strong as anything they’ve put out. Protean Threat is more focused and song based, but the songs don’t really matter when the real draws are the gnarly riffs and chaotic drums. Metamorphosed has only 5 songs, but one is 15 minutes and the other is a whopping 22. This gives the band room to stretch out and explore every nook and cranny of their crazy id. It doesn’t disappoint. Both albums demonstrate the two main facets of the Osees, and show why they are as good a rock band as any today.

Stay Alive

Laura Jane Grace (October 1)

As time has gone one, Laura Jane Grace has become one of my favorite songwriters. In her main band Against Me! she has built a career out of penning punk anthems to living, loving, fighting, and figuring things out the hard way. Her experience coming out as a trans woman in the past decade has added another element of depth and humanity to what she has to say. She put out a fantastic record with her solo backing band The Devouring Mothers in 2018, but gifted us something different this time around. Stay Alive was written and recorded entirely in lockdown, and is just the singer and her acoustic guitar. It’s a short record but every song packs a punch, perfectly encapsulating the anxiety and resilience of the year’s experience. Very life affirming.

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Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1 (The Butcher Shoppe Sessions) and Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 2 (The Cowboy Arms Sessions)

Sturgill Simpson (October 16 and December 11)

Sturgill Simpson has built up his own bubble outside of the establishment country music industry. Besides releasing a groundbreaking string of his own albums, he’s fostered a modern outlaw scene by producing such other artists as Margo Price and Tyler Childers, while earning music industry buzz outside of Nashville. On the two volume Cuttin’ Grass he pairs down his sound and rerecords songs from his back catalogue with a cadre of bluegrass musicians. The stripped down format emphasizes the lyrics more than ever, and the songs all shine. Simpson is witty, philosophical, and weary like the best country singers, and the accompaniment is bright and clear. You can tell it was a hoot to be part of the sessions.

Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

Gorillaz (October 23)

Like many artists did in 2020, Damon Albarn of the Gorillaz decided to write and record an album under quarantine, and Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez came out at the exact right time. Things were strange indeed after half a year of a pandemic in the run up to an extremely contentious presidential election. Song Machine hit like the perfect balm in the midst of the turmoil. Gorillaz have always been adept at mixing hip-hop with alternative, and this album is no different. They have more guest features than the prior couple releases, but the extra artists integrate well into the overall sound while bringing distinct personality to each song. The record is in turns funky, dark, weird, and always danceable. I’m not sure if or when Season Two is coming, but I’m ready for it.

III

Fuzz (October 23)

Sometimes you find gold in the least expected places. Fuzz is a power trio most notable for featuring garage rock wunderkid/collaborator extraordinaire Ty Segell on drums. Their first two records were great, and III continues in much the same vein. Maybe because of the state of the broader music world, or my mindset at the time, but this one came to me like mana from hard rock heaven. Let’s just say Fuzz lives up to their name, serving up 8 tracks of steaming riffage. It’s like a combination of Black Sabbath and the Stooges, and if that doesn’t sell you then I guess you just don’t like to rock.

Man On the Moon III: The Chosen

Kid Cudi (December 11)

I recently wrote a very positive review for Kid Cudi’s latest entry in his Man On the Moon series. I want to take a moment to say that I know that I’m not as well-versed in rap as others, so I probably missed a good deal of stuff to come out of that world. I try to keep my ears open and check something out if it seems up my alley, although admittedly I’m usually a little late to the party. Oh well, I like what I like, and in the grand scheme of things The Chosen was a dreamy and fulfilling end to my musical 2020.

That’s it! Here’s the playlist, sequenced for maximum listening pleasure. I threw in a handful of songs from my favorite reissues of the year, becasue it’s cool how even old music can still feel timely. I’ve also included standout tracks from my Most Disappointing Albums list, which I’ll publish next; as we found bright spots in this dud of a year, there’s still good songs on less-than-stellar albums. Below the playlist are the Honorable Mentions, which are basically everything that I listened to this year that didn’t leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Honorable Mentions

Rock

Alphabetland – X

Color Theory – Soccer Mommy

Cyr – Smashing Pumpkins

Dear Life – Brendan Benson

December – Trey Anastasio & Page McConnell

The Common Task – Horse Lords

Fake It Flowers – Beabadoobee

Fantastic Life – Helvetica

Free Love – Sylvan Esso

Full Motion Godyssey – Post Animal

Gigaton – Pearl Jam

A Hero’s Death – Fontaines D.C.

Hey Clockface – Elvis Costello

Homegrown – Neil Young

Imploding the Mirage – The Killers

Interloper – Holy Wave

Jude Vol. II – The Bright Light Social Hour

Letter to You – Bruce Springsteen

Lonely Trip – Trey Anastasio

Midnight Manor – The Nude Party

Moredecai – Khruangbin

Music For Walks – Silver Scrolls

Mystic Familiar – Dan Deacon

Nightcap At Wits’ End – Garcia Peoples

No Dream – Jeff Rosenstock

An Ode to Escapism – Ghost Funk Orchestra

Optimisme – Songhoy Blues

Plays the Songs of Daniel Johnston – Built to Spill

Rough and Rowdy Ways – Bob Dylan

This Devastating Map – Helvetica

This Is Not, We Are – Moe.

Tim Melina Theo Bobby – Joan of Arc

Traditional Techniques – Stephen Malkmus

Whatever It Is – Hello Forever

Which Way Am I? – Tough Age

Pop

Chromatica – Lady Gaga

Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa

How I’m Feeling Now – Charli XCX

Plastic Hearts – Miley Cyrus

Ungodly Hour – Chloe x Halle

Electronic

Abolition of the Royal Familia – The Orb

Energy – Disclosure

Existential Reckoning – Puscifer

Free Swim – Lotus

Ghosts V: Together – Nine Inch Nails

Ghosts VI: Locusts – Nine Inch Nails

Kick I – Arca

Magic – Oneohtrix Point Never

Traens – Prins Thomas

A View of U – Machinedrum

We Will Always Love You – The Avalanches

III – Lindstrom & Prins Thomas

Jazz

It Is What It Is – Thundercat

Oh Yeah? – Sunwatchers

Share the Wealth – Nels Cline Singers

Telemetric Sounds – The Heliocentrics

Hard Rock/Metal

The All Is One – Motorpsycho

Enlightened In Eternity – Spirit Adrift

Forgotten Days – Pallbearer

K.G. – King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

No – Boris

Ohms – Deftones

Ordinary Man – Ozzy Osbourne

Power Up – AC/DC

Splid – Kvelertak

Whoosh! – Deep Purple

2R0I2P0 – Boris with Merzbow

Country

Evermore – Taylor Swift

Folklore – Taylor Swift

The Freelancer’s Blues – Dougie Poole

Holy Smokes Future Jokes – Blitzen Trapper

Long Violent History – Tyler Childers

The New OK – Drive-By Truckers

Reunions – Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit

Starting Over – Chris Stapleton

That’s How Rumors Get Started – Margo Price

Twelfth – Old 97’s

The Unraveling – Drive-By Truckers

Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Songs – Colter Wall

We Still Go to Rodeos – Whitney Rose

The World Only Ends When You Die – Skyway Man

XOXO – The Jayhawks

Hip-Hop

Alfredo – Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist

A Beautiful Revolution (Pt. 1) – Common

Eternal Atake – Lil Uzi Vert

Music To Be Murdered By – Eminem

Spirit World Field Guide – Aesop Rock

Folk

Altar of Harmony – Luke Schneider

The Ascension – Sufjan Stevens

Darkness Brings the Wonders Home – Smoke Fairies

Getting Into Knives – The Mountain Goats

Local Honey – Brian Fallon

Love Is King – Jeff Tweedy

Migration Stories – M. Ward

Noon – Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon

Petrichor – Heather Trost

Saint Cloud – Waxahatchee

Shore – Fleet Foxes

Songs for Pierre Chuvin – The Mountain Goats

Think of Spring – M. Ward

Reissues

After the Gold Rush – Neil Young

American Beauty – Grateful Dead

Brothers – The Black Keys

Goats Head Soup – The Rolling Stones

Summerteeth – Wilco

Wildflowers & All the Rest – Tom Petty

Workingman’s Dead – Grateful Dead