What Are YOUR: Top Ten Albums of 2020? A list is great, comments on the records even better, 45s? sure, got a youtube link, 'sounds like' suggestions, etc, etc... All Y'All know the drill. And only 10! I'm gonna get to work on mind list right now!
Mine would be, as of Friday, November 13th: Laura Marling ~ Songs For Our Daughter Jonathan Wilson ~ Dixie Blur Bob Dylan ~ Rough and Rowdy Ways Ray Lamontgne ~ Monovision James Elkington ~ The Ever-Roving Eye The Jayhawks ~ XOXO Fiona Apple ~ Fetch The Bolt Cutters Sarah Jarosz ~ World On The Ground Emma Swift ~ Blonde On The Tracks and Shirley Collins ~ Heart's Ease Might not be my final Top Ten, but, least ways, these Lps are getting the most spins on my turntable.
Bob Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways Bill Fay – Countless Branches Neil Young – Homegrown Emma Swift – Blonde on the Tracks Poppy – I Disagree Lydia Loveless – Daughter James Dean Bradfield – Even In Exile The Strokes – The New Abnormal Willie Nile – New York at Night Joey Molland – Be True to Yourself
OHhh Ohh!!!! I didn't know Willie Nile had a new one out; I'll have to check that one out! (The Strokes too! They really impressed me on SNL last weekend.) And I LOVE Homegrown too.
Nice Thread, OP! 2020 new music releases have been terrific. You asked for descriptions, reviews, youtube links, comments, etc, but only did a list, yourself. I'll do so, b/c if I can help get the word out on artists, I'm happy to do so. I frequently wish others would, too, but if a name or album cover piques my curiosity, then I'll seek it out & investigate further; it would just sometimes save steps if members would give some sort of idea of what it is. *Lilly Hiatt - Walking Proof - Alternative Country r. Teddy Thompson - Heartbreaker Please - Think of a cross between Chris Isaak & The Everly Brothers. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud - americana. This will appear on year-end "best of" lists. Basia Bulat - Are You In Love - A more lilting Natalie Merchant-type vocal sound. Basia's a talented writer & multi-instrumentalist: autoharp, guitar, piano, charango, hammered dulcimer, ukelele. Roachford - Twice In A Lifetime - R&B/Soul-Pop Whitney Rose - We Still Go To Rodeos - ameripolitan..a term coined to distinguish/separate artists from contemporary country pop. It's a throwback sound, which includes rockabilly & honky tonk. Amy MacDonald - The Human Demands - FFO Dolores O'Riordan (R.I.P.), The Cranberries w/a dose of Springsteen influence on this one. *Lydia Loveless - Daughter Wolf Parade - Thin Mind - Post punk/new wave. EOB - Earth - Ed O'Brien, Radiohead guitarist solo debut. Ed began writing while he & family resided in Brazil; took some years to complete. Quite wide-ranging in sounds, from folk to trip-house (like Primal Scream) to Madchester. It doesn't end up sounding discordant, but rather, an audio journey. Guests include Laura Marling (duets on a couple of tracks) & Adrian Utley, Portishead. ^Review. *If you like either, you may like the other, as well. Have attended live-stream ticketed shows for Lilly Hiatt (2), Waxahatchee (2), Amy MacDonald, & Basia Bulat (non-ticket, on youtube) - all wonderful! & have ticket to Whitney Rose show Sunday, Nov. 15. Roachford participated in a KT Tunstall livestream benefit show on youtube, which I'd viewed. ^EOB – 'Earth' review: Ed O'Brien proves himself to be Radiohead's secret weapon https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1NPCAxPlFE - Teddy, Heartbreaker Please title track https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHuhABPbOaE&list=OLAK5uy_luBYaLK7wsv27t7cosqq5zLJv3_sBfX-g&index=2 - Waxahatchee, Can't Do Much https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ffgY6rd_kkQ&list=OLAK5uy_kMEsCgdT3rOs4tknmGpaAj3ZnlAlPnlnk - Basia, Homesick https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vew7MKDv0cc&list=OLAK5uy_nT4ewDnpJL4zADNYisgOWVi8jvLiG349s&index=4 - Roachford, Give It Up and Let It Go https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtuophz7JMg&list=OLAK5uy_lQEJwyHpAIgRL8VjJhwUSqTLud9136ejs - Whitney, Just Circumstance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEaPCiHJZPc&list=PLvsYXqtYjMYchiyWSO6AHmbyMHpr0zik9&index=5 - Amy, The Hudson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISqrLF7kcUs&list=OLAK5uy_m57rhY2mZe-3hTtUdu27i-2AQs8RtCSXQ&index=2 - Lydia, Love Is Not Enough https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW209OhWGaQ - Wolf Parade, The Static Age https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xefWbfWUbrQ - EOB, Brasil - this track kinda winds along the gamut of what Ed does on the album. P.S. If anyone knows how I change whatever settings in order for youtube uploads (after initial hyperlink) to appear in text, rather than in code language, please post, or PM me. They used to come up that way. I've gone on forum business forum, no assistance there & didn't find anything in youtube help section either. Thank you.
1 - Juliana Barwick - Healing is a Miracle 2 - Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher 3 - The Innocence Mission - See You Tomorrow 4 - Taylor Swift - Folklore 5 - Westerman - Your Hero Is Not Dead 6 - Tim Bowness - Late Night Laments 7 - Michael Rother - Dreaming 8 - Perfume Genius - Set My Heart On Fire Immediately 9 - Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Days 10 - Jayhawks - XOXO
Taylor Swift's Folklore is the album of the year for me. One of the best albums I've heard. Also, because I'm mostly a jazz listener, the following mostly jazz albums: Matthew Shipp, The Piano Equation Thumbscrew, The Anthony Braxton Project Dave Douglas, Dizzy Atmosphere Tyshawn Sorey, Unfiltered Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways Kahil El'Zabar, America the Beautiful Okuden Quartet - Every Dog Has Its Day But It Doesn't Matter Because the Fat Cat Is Getting Fatter Fred Hersh/Esperanza Spaulding - Live at the Village Vanguard (really a charity EP more than an album, but awesome) But there are lots of other new albums I liked, and still more that were released in recent weeks that I still haven't gotten to yet. With the COVID-19 pandemic, and my work, it's been a very difficult year for me to either keep up with music or even get time to listen to it. Looking forward to year end lists to I can find out what I've missed out on.
The Killers - Imploding the Mirage - their best since Hot Fuss for my ears The Smith Street Band - Don't Waste Your Anger. Really good punk rock/Aussie album Deacon Blue - City of Love. Another good album from them. Gerry Cinnamon - The Bonny. Another Glasgow artist. Hailed as the Scottish Dylan. Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You. Good album back with the ESB. Willie Nile - New York at Night. Classic Willie Nile Kenny Chesney - Here and Now. Good, easy listening country album Northcote - Let Me Roar. Nice album. Folk rock Jamie Webster - We Get By. Debut album from the Liverpudlian Gerry Cinnamon. Taylor Swift - Folklore. Good album, nice sound from Taylor Two good albums as well by Drive by Truckers this year. Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Steve Earle, Alanis Morisette and Bon Jovi as well with good legacy artist albums.
1. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers 2. S.G. Goodman - Old Time Feeling 3. Pacific Range - High Upon the Mountain 4. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman 5. Rose City Band - Summerlong 6. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud 7. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways 8. Jason Molina -Eight Gates 9. Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess 10. Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels
Earth to Dora - Eels Nobody Lives Here Anymore - Cutworms Energy - Disclosure ACR Loco - A Certain Ratio The Ascension - Sufjan Stevens What's Your Pleasure- Jessie Ware The Universal Want - Doves An American Head - Flaming Lips Pleasure, Line - Video Age Inner Song - Kelly Lee Owens
As of today... The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers 070 Shake - Modus Vivendi Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Run the Jewels - RTJ4 Taylor Swift - Folklore Cindy Lee - What’s Tonight to Eternity Nada Surf - Never Not Together Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was Gorillaz - Song Machine Season One this will definitely change by the end of the year with so much new music constantly coming out. But that’s where I am today.
Off the top of my head and in no order Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher Wake - Devouring Ruin (Confluence is really good as well!) Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud Lydia Loveless - Daughter Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Wvrm - Colony Collapse Fleet Foxes - Shore Run the Jewels - RTJ4 And in the "pretty good but not quite faves yet" category: Deftones - Ohms Bruce Springsteen - Letter For You
My first instinct was that it is early to post these, but then I thought this is a great time because people will be looking to see what they may have missed through the year. And there isn't much coming out the rest of the year that I think may get into the top list. I'll reevaluate in December and see if anything needs updating. { Top 10 New Releases of 2020 } 01. Love is the King by Jeff Tweedy 02. Folklore by Taylor Swift 03. Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers 04. Song for Our Daughter by Laura Marling 05. An Evening of New York Songs and Stories by Suzanne Vega 06. Total Freedom by Kathleen Edwards 07. Letter to You by Bruce Springsteen 08. The New Abnormal by the Strokes 09. Good Souls Better Angels by Lucinda Williams 10. Gigaton by Pearl Jam { Top Archive Releases of 2020 } 01. The Joni Mitchell Archive Series Vol. 1: The Early Yers 02. Tom Petty: Wildflowers & All the Rest 03. Wilco: Summerteeth Deluxe 04. Fleetwood Mac: 1969-1974 Box 05. Neil Young: Homegrown 06. Rolling Stones: Goats Head Soup Remix/Reissue 07. Robert Plant: Digging Deep
Lots of great jazz this year. 1. Henri Texier - Chance 2. Pat Metheny - From This Place 3. Joe Farnsworth - Time to Swing 4. Eddie Henderson - Shuffle and Deal 5. Rachel Therrien - Vena 6. Sons of Apollo - MMXX 7. Harold Mabern - Mabern Plays Mabern 8. Shabaka and the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History 9. Delain - Apocalypse & Chill 10. Kansas - The Absence of Presrnce
At this moment 1. Haim - Women In Music Pt III 2. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher 3. Bartees Strange - Live Forever 4. The 1975 - Notes On A Conditional Form 5. Run The Jewels - RTJ4 6. Deftones - Ohms 7. Adrianne Lenker - Songs And Instrumentals 8. Khruangbin - Mordechai 9. James Dean Bradfield - Even In Exile 10. Metz - Atlas Vending Obviously this can always change and I'm going to give Folklore, Letter To You and Song Machine Season One a few listens before I do my complete list for the year.
Not in any order. Loving a lot of female artists' albums this year. My Morning Jacket: The Waterfall II Lianne La Havas: Lianne La Havas Nubya Garcia - Source Jessie Ware: What's Your Pleasure? Daniel Romano: Visions of the Higher Dream Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia Fleet Foxes: Shore Bonny Light Horseman: Bonny Light Horseman Sturgill Simpson: Cuttin' Grass
Totally off topic, sorry!!! But before I post: how do you insert photos in post?? I only see ‘post URL’. Again my apology for this off topic stuff...
You've got to upload the photo to a photo hosting site, as the forums don't have server capacity to host photos. I use Imgur, which is free and easy. Here are some steps: 1. Go to imgur.com 2. Click 'new post' in upper left 3. Upload photo from your computer 4. Click three dots at right, click 'Get Share Links', copy the link for BBCode (Forums) 5. Paste the link into your dialog box here on the forums. I always preview my post before posting to make sure it looks okay before posting.
I haven't picked up enough new material this year to feel a list of 10 would be fairly indicative of the diversity and quality of releases this year. So my shortened 'recommended' list would be: Picks: 1. The Slow Readers Club - 91 Days In Isolation (indie). An immersive, cathartic release from a moderately-well-known UK indie rock band. Track two 'Everything I Own' is arguably the standout track I've heard this year. Highly recommended. 2. Tom Morello - Comandante (alternative). An EP from the ex-Rage Against The Machine guitar wizard that sits comfortably within that era of his career. Starts out with his take on Hendrix's Voodoo Child, includes a duet with Slash and a short instrumental tribute to Eddie Van Halen, and ends on a heavy-blues based number. It's largely instrumental and Morello has plenty of opportunity to showcase his abilities. 3. Run The Jewels - RTJ4 (hip hop). Most modern hip-hop leaves me cold, but Run The Jewels are one of the few exceptions. Very slick, hard-hitting effort that is all the better for its brevity, coming in at 11 tracks and under 40mins. Great production values, no filler here. 4. The Pineapple Thief - Versions Of The Truth (prog rock). Another strong release from this longstanding, creative UK prog act. Not as immediately captivating as their 2018 album Dissolution, this is more of a slow burner interspersed with a few excellent tracks. Instrumental chops aplenty in this band. 5. Es - Less of Everything (post punk). Debut album from this UK post-punk band. Very minimalist, nervy recording, with a touch of synth. Kind of a mesh between Savages and Joy Division. Another album where brevity does it credit, at around 25mins. 6. Terje Rypdal - Conspiracy (jazz fusion). A quite beautiful album from Rypdal, meshing his electric guitar work with a haunting, compositional soundscape that brings in layer after layer of textures and depth. 7. Larkin Poe - Self Made Man (blues rock). A duo I rate very highly, two authentic musicians that treat their subject with knowledge and respect. 8. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene (synth pop). A good, early-year release. Archive: Thin Lizzy - Rock Legends. Six-CD bonanza with the majority being unreleased material and alternative takes from across their storied career. The motherlode for Lizzy fans.
Some good albums released this year in random order: The Waterboys - Good Luck, Seeker Yo La Tengo - We Have Ammesia Sometimes Widowspeak - Plum Drive-By Truckers - The New OK Drive-By Truckers - The Unraveling Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension The Heliocentrics - Infinity Of Now Neil Young - Homegrown
The Allman Betts Band - Bless Your Heart Cordovas - Destiny Hotel Cosmic Vibrations - Pathways & Passages Drive-by Truckers - The Unraveling Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways Nybya Garcia - Source Marcus King - El Dorado Redman Mehldau McBride Blade - RoundAgain Bruce Springsteen - Letter To You Colter Wall - Western Swing & Waltzes
I’m pretty much out of loop when it comes to newly recorded music so I can’t make a Top 10 of new stuff for 2020. The music I bought this year (issued for the first time this year) is: Laura Marling Songs For Our Daughter The Innocence Mission See You Tomorrow Bill Nelson The Jewel Neil Young Homegrown The Waterboys Good Luck, Seeker Rory Gallagher Checked Shirt Wizard Joan As Police Woman Cover Two David Bowie ChangesNowBowie David Bowie I’m Only Dancing David Bowie Ouvrez le Chien David Bowie Metrobolist Bryan Ferry Live at the RAH 1974 I’ve a few things coming at Xmas or between now and then so I won’t know my proper top 10 until the end of the year. But most of what I buy these days are archive releases.
Still need to do a lot of catching up, but these are my picks so far: 01. Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters 02. Sault - Untitled (Black Is) 03. Katie Gately - Loom 04. Nicolas Jaar - Cenizas 05. R.A.P. Ferreira - Purple Moonlight Pages 06. Against All Logic - 2017-2019 07. Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi 08. Charli XCX - How I'm Feeling Now 09. Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind 10. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Story
A Girl Called Eddy - Been Around Badly Drawn Boy - Banana Skin Shoes Brian & Roger Eno - Mixing Colours Bruce Springsteen - Letter To You James Taylor - American Standard Kennedy Road - A Little Fight Left Yet Mary Chapin-Carpenter - The Dirt and The Stars Matthews Southern Comfort - The New Mine Neil Young - Homegrown Ralph McTell - Hill of Beans Bonus #11 The Monkees - The Mike & Micky Show (Live) Archival Releases Fleetwood Mac - 1970 - 1974 Frank Zappa - Mothers 1970 Grateful Dead - Workingman's Dead - The Angel's Share (1970 Sessions) Grateful Dead - American Beauty - The Angel's Share (1970 Sessions) Joni Mitchell - Archives Vol 1 (1963 - 1967) Neil Young - Archives Vol 2 Richard & Linda Thompson - Hard Luck Stories (1972 - 1982)