Best Albums of 2020
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As always, I’m a bit ambivalent about publishing “best of” lists at the end of the year because there’s just so much music that I haven’t listened to (or literature or movies or tv shows or whatever). But I have listened to a lot of new music this year, as detailed in the Music Notes posts. Moreover, thanks to the pandemic I guess, I was home more often than normal and so more of those albums were from 2020. So I feel I have a solid list of good albums from this year. Here’s my top 10, with 10 more really good ones after.
- Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
As soon as this was released, it almost became an automatic #1, at least for me. First of all, it was so timely and so surprising at the same time. The album of the COVID era, Apple also delivered another simply superb collection of songs, one that reflected her own already existing self-isolation in her home with her dogs. None of that would matter if the songs weren’t so sharp, the piano so great, the clangs and bangs of the backing instruments, including whatever people were beating on for percussion on a given song so amazing. A perfect album and the best of the year.
2. Run the Jewels, Run the Jewels 4
Killer Mike and El-P are merely one of the greatest duo acts in hip hop history. Each album seems to be better than the last, two big grandiose voices combining the hip hop swagger with deeply political lyrics that go straight to the gut.
3. Roscoe Mitchell, Splatter
I actually find the jazz legend’s discography pretty inconsistent, but Splatter was an astounding release that is one of the best of his career. Three pieces, all classical-oriented, each transformative to the listener, each extremely different, simply a great piece of art.
4. Chouk Bwa & The Angstromers, Vodou Alé
This collaboration between the Haitian vodou musician Chouk Bwa and the dub band The Angstromers is what global collaborations should look like, each side expanding the sounds of the other without compromise or attempting to fill the niche of background music for a faculty dinner party. This is in your face music that remains memorable long after hearing it.
5. Deerhoof and Wadada Leo Smith, To Be Surrounded by Beautiful, Curious, Breathing, Laughing Flesh is Enough
Speaking of great collaborations, Deerhoof’s live performance that brings out the legendary trumpeter for the second half is one of the best mixtures between rock and free jazz that I’ve ever heard. For someone whose solo work can often be on the difficult side of creative jazz, Smith can really rock out when feels like it. This is just fantastic. There’s still no video of this on YouTube, so here’s Wadada on his glorious own.
6. Elizabeth Cook, Aftermath
A national treasure who should be better known than she is, Cook hit a home run on her latest work. She moves heavily into rock without leaving her country roots behind. Songs such as “Perfect Girls of Pop” and “Thick Georgia Woman” are all time classics. She should be on country radio instead of the garbage that actually gets played.
7. Tough Age, Which Way Am I?
This kick-ass release from a Toronto band is a post-punk masterpiece that channels the Australian and New Zealand punk scenes of the past, filled with self-aware and smart lyrics, intense guitars and catchy hooks. Just a very fine album.
8. Torres, Silver Tongue
It looked like MacKenzie Scott might call it quits after the somewhat difficult Three Futures didn’t sell well. It’s a very interesting album, but people don’t like difficult, unfortunately. Instead, she came back with a much warmer album that moved in a heavily electronic direction, one that is open about her sexuality and also showing confidence in figuring out this messed up world. Let’s hope there’s a 5th album in her.
9. Whitney Rose, We Still Go to Rodeos
Probably my favorite new country release this year, Rose, a Canadian who has been releasing albums for a decade or so, hits new highs. “Home with You” is unquestionably my favorite song of 2020, a great pick-up song, the excitement of a new relationship (however short or long) at that first moment with all the anticipation that means. An all-star band led by the great guitarist Gurf Morlix certainly doesn’t hurt.
10. Jerry Joseph, The Beautiful Madness
I remain astounded by “Sugar Smacks” and “Dead Confederate,” two of the most intense songs about the disastrous state of the world we find ourselves in. I doubt there will be two songs that mean more to me from this year than these.
Ten more good ones:
11. Laura Veirs, My Echo
12. Drive By Truckers, The Unraveling
13. Empress Of, I’m Still Your Empress Of
14. U.S. Girls, Heavy Light
15. Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud
16. Margo Price, That’s How Rumors Get Started
17. Bill Callahan, Gold Record
18. Fontaines D.C., A Hero’s Death
19. No Thank You, Embroidered Foliage
20. Adrianne Lenker, Songs