I already posted my top albums of 2020, but here are my 20 favorite new songs of the year (as per my usual, it’s a 1 per artist rule): Skylab’s favorite songs of 2020: Steven Wilson - 12 Things I Forgot Neal Morse - Seemingly Sincere Richie Kotzen - Warrior H.E.A.T - Victory Unleash the Archers - Through Stars Nightwish - Noise The Pineapple Thief - Our Mire Sons of Apollo - Desolate July Ryders Creed - Memories Those Damn Crows - Set In Stone Massive Wagons - Bangin’ In Your Stereo Louise Patricia Crane - Deity AC/DC - Demon Fire Nick D'Virgilio - Where’s the Passion Beyond the Black - Golden Pariahs Delain - Burning Bridges Ozzy Osborne - Under the Graveyard Jack J Hutchinson - Rattlesnake Woman Leaves’ Eyes - Black Butterfly Gorilla Riot - Riders
Well I'm ready to say my new album listening for this year is now complete. There were a number of releases from October - December that I didn't get to hear until the last few days to be honest. Leaving this very late but with a feeling it was worth waiting. My top ten new albums in 2020 (genre as indicated) 1 Un Canto por México, Vol. 1 - Natalia Lafourcade (World) 2 Luxumbra - South for winter (Americana) 3 Paradise Lost - Anna Prohaska, Julius Drake(Classical) 4 Volutes - Snowdrops (Ambient) 5 songs - Adrianne Lenker (Folk) 6 Gold Record - Bill Callahan (Folk) 7 Fetch the bolt cutters - Fiona Apple (Pop) 8 Sun Racket - Throwing Muses (Rock) 9 Baudelaire & Piano - Susanne (Folk) 10 Some kind of peace - Ólafur Arnalds (Ambient)
Top ten tracks / songs: Hasta La Raiz - Natalia Lafourcade Eulogy for Dead French Composers - Gwenifer Raymond Loom - Ólafur Arnalds ingydar - Adrienne Lenker Stravinsky: Pastorale - Anna Prohaska The Mackenzies - Bill Callahan Black Widow (in white lace) - South for Winter Trapezian Fields - Snowdrops Music for quiet moments 31: Strong quiet II - Robert Fripp Final Bow - H.C. McEntire
I like it, too--not sure if it quite makes my top 10 this year, but probably would make an expanded list for me. I need to give it some more listens, though.
Looking at your list, you would find much to enjoy on Bob N's Mawkish Twaddle program on our local radio station KXSF. Spotify – Mawkish Twaddle | Podcast on Spotify KXSF 102.5 FM | San Francisco Community Radio
Yea, I didn't see it on any of the popular year end lists either, but it did get some very nice reviews, and Favorite Albums of 2020 – Raven Sings The Blues (a popular psych site) has it on their list ... they also have the excellent Mary Lattimore album listed, something you and @john hp both may like, and that has shown up on many lists, though not a vocal album, it is very stirring .. I'd say that Alison Cotton got a lot more notice with her solo record, which is very good too. They are a prolific couple
1 The Left Outsides - Are You Sure I Was There? 2 The Hanging Stars - A New Kind of Sky 3 Smoke Fairies - Darkness Brings the Wonders Home 4 The Dream Syndicate - The Universe Inside 5 Chuck Prophet - The Land That Time Forgot 6 Alison Cotton - Only Darkness Now 7 Levellers - Peace 8 The Asteroid No 4 - Northern Songs 9 Green Seagull - Cloud Cover 10 Andy Bell - The View From Halfway Down
1. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters • love how it builds and matures as you listen. 2. Matthew Halsall: Salute to the Sun • my one completely blissful album of 2020 (my review) (youtube) 3. Perfume Genius: Set My Heart On Fire Immediately • stellar , yearning, joy, honest (youtube) 4. All Them Witches: Nothing as the Ideal • "See you next fall" became my unoffical song for covid-times. 5. Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown • loving, mixed media jazz (my review) 6. Loma: Don't Shy Away • beautiful and strange, organic pulse. (youtube) 7. Juana Molina: ANRMAL • punk electronica, tense and exuberant, fantastic live album. wish I could speak spanish. (youtube) 8. Stephen Malkmus: Traditional Techniques • I don't know... hippy slapdash weirdness for the new millenia? (youtube) 9. Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud • maybe over praised, but pretty much flawless anyway (youtube) 10. Laura Marling: Song for our Daughter • I could listen to her all day, folk around corners (youtube) 11. Bill Callahan: Gold Records • life lived laid out in honest melody (youtube)
[QUOTE="Davey, post: 25773472, member: 2324 I'd say that Alison Cotton got a lot more notice with her solo record, which is very good too. They are a prolific couple [/QUOTE] Keep an eye out for the second Trimdon Grange Explosion album too (Alison and Mark's other band). Last time I spoke to them it was well on the way to being finished.
Not necessarily in any order: Fleet Foxes - Shore. It's not my favorite Fleet Foxes album ever, but the quality songwriting, dense-yet-restrained production, and surprisingly uplifting tone make it a worthwhile addition to their discography. Kaatayra - Só Quem Viu o Relâmpago à Sua Direita Sabe and Toda História pela Frente. Technically this is two albums but I'm lumping them together because they're so close in terms of quality. Both could be described as folk-inflected atmospheric black metal, with the first taking a nearly all acoustic approach and the second presenting a more conventionally heavy sound. Blu & Exile - Miles. This is one of the best hip-hop albums I've heard in a while. It's a sprawling 95-minute jazz-rap masterpiece that makes a grand musical and lyrical statement tying together a variety of subjects. Gorillaz - Song Machine. I think this album is on par with Gorillaz' best work. The single-oriented approach they took here resulted in one of their most varied memorable sets of songs with some of their best production to date. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas. This album is a powerhouse blend of neo-soul, singer/songwriter, and even art pop. The songwriting is uniformly fantastic, the production is lush and organic, and La Havas's vocals are incredible. Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter. Stylistically this album sits pretty comfortably within the well-established boundaries of 70's-style folk rock and singer/songwriter, but if it lacks anything in terms of originality, it more than makes up for it in terms of personality and sheer song quality. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters. This is the first Fiona Apple album I've heard and I can already see why she is so highly respected. The clattering, percussive production and raw-yet-enigmatic lyrics make this album a truly unique listen. The Microphones - The Microphones in 2020. The Microphones are another very new discovery for me. I only heard The Glow part 2 about a month ago and I'm already in love with both that classic and the latest album. I love the way the album's linear structure allows The Microphones to weave indie folk, drone, and long-form storytelling in one of their most compelling ways yet. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher. I'm not usually a huge fan of the sort of sad indie rock sound Phoebe Bridgers works in, but this album really won me over with its varied songwriting and colorful touches of instrumentation. Klô Pelgag - Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs. This album is a must for fans of baroque pop or really any kind of pop. It contains some of the most infectious songs I've heard all year and features wonderfully lush arrangements to back it up. The lyrics are in French, but I can't imagine the language barrier would be an issue with songs like these.
Honorable mentions: Adrianne Lenker - Songs and Instrumentals. I really wanted to include this pair of albums in my top ten but it just barely got edged out. It might have made it if I'd made my list on any other day. The Koreatown Oddity - Little Dominique's Nosebleed. This probably would have landed somewhere on my list if not for the fact that I only heard it a couple of days ago. I'm still not familiar enough with it to definitively put it on my list. Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi. This is a pretty wild experimental black metal album. There are some things I really love about it but overall it feels sort of imperfect. It has been growing on me a lot though, so my opinion of it is likely to improve over time. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - K.G. King Gizzard is one of my favorite currently active rock bands, but I don't think this is one of their best albums. There are a few really good songs on it, and even though it's solid overall, the fact that they are repeating themselves here makes it a bit less interesting for me. Liturgy - Origin of the Alimonies. I've been very interested in Liturgy ever since I was blown away by their 2019 album H.A.Q.Q. They've always been a pretty weird band, but they really outdid themselves in that regard with this total left turn of an album. While this album's operatic approach doesn't appeal to me quite as much as the thrilling avant-garde black metal of their last project, it's still very interesting and I'm sure I'll be listening to it for a while. The Strokes - The New Abnormal. I love the Strokes' early work, but I wasn't expecting this new album to be as good as it is. I'm impressed with the way they were able to broaden their horizons in terms of writing and production, and was pleasantly surprised to hear Julian Casablancas really show off his vocal ability. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately. Perfume Genius's brand of art pop is something that should be very much within my wheelhouse, but for whatever reason he has been sort of an acquired taste for me. This album didn't impress me all that much at first but it's been slowly growing on me with each listen. I could see it becoming a favorite at some point but for now it's still getting there. Horse Lords - The Common Task. This is a very good Krautrock-inspired experimental math rock type album. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in that sort of thing. Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith - The Mosaic of Transformation. This album is a very interesting blend of ambient, new age, minimalism, electronica and a handful of other styles. The sound play is very creative and layered and the compositions are all very good. Lido Pimienta - Miss Colombia. This is another fantastic art pop album that I haven't really given due attention so far but could see becoming a favorite at some point.
Songs: Gorillaz - Pac Man The Weeknd - Blinding Lights Thundercat - Dragonball Durag The Strokes - At the Door Lianne La Havas - Bittersweet Phoebe Bridgers - I Know the End Liturgy - Siheymn's Lament Blu & Exile - Music Is My Everything King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Intrasport Kelly Lee Owens - L.I.NE.
1. Wendy James - Queen High Straight. A masterpiece. This came as a bolt from the blue, as she was barely on my radar. But damn, she knocked this way out of the park. 2. X -Alphabetland. A surprise, brilliant record from a favorite band after 35 was a rare bright moment this year. 3. The Allergies - Say the Word. Massively fun, joyful gumbo of funk, soul, psych, latin, sunshine pop and a bunch of other stuff. Catchy as hell and a perfect tonic for these times. 4. Kerri Pastine & The Crime Scene - City of Love. Throw the Blasters, the Pretenders and the Raveonettes in a blender and you get this. Killer. And they are lovely people, too. 5 Fantastic Negrito - Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? Exceedingly cool record from a musician with a great backstory. From Wikipedia: He began selling drugs as a teenager in Oakland, telling the Guardian, "We were all selling drugs, man. We all carried pistols." He became inspired to teach himself how to play music after listening to Prince's album Dirty Mind and hearing that Prince was a self-taught musician. He learned to play music by sneaking into music classrooms at the University of California Berkeley despite not being a student there.
I totally forgot about the Wendy James opus- a fantastic record that came straight out of nowhere. I also forgot to add probably the most affecting album for me this year, although it was an EP officially: Midnight Oil’s The Makarrata Project.
Great list john hp! I can't wait to get All The Good Times once Acony reissue the vinyl! Looking forward to getting the Boots Volume 2 too! Somewhat surprised to see so much love for the Bill Fay this year. He's been away for so many decades, but those two early 70s Lps were mighty fine. Likewise, so great to see and hear 80+ year old Shirley Collins making great Folk music this many decades since her first recordings in 1959!
Thanks to one and all for contributing to this thread this year. I'll try to get at least one more list together as we wind down the last hours of the Big Suck (Sick) that was 2020. Top 11 to 20? Honorable mentions, Odds and Sods Thanks again! Cheers!
This thread should live a healthy life into 2021 with revisions or those withholding judgement until they're highly certain that they've canvassed the vast, staggering, ocean of music produced this year. I'm getting there, but recent and completely unforeseen introductions in other threads have convinced me that I'll need at least a few more weeks before tendering a preliminary top 10. What a time to be alive for new music!
OK, finalizing? and rounding out my Top Ten of 2020, here are #s 6-10, after much jostling and hymning and hawing...and reflecting my Folk Rock Roots: 6. Bob Dylan ~ Rough and Rowdy Ways. A sleeper of a record the rewarded a return visit after a few months away. I now think it is a Debonair Dylan Classic, certainly his best THIS Century! 7. James Elkington ~ Ever-Roving Eye. British Folk Rock is alive and well and living in the Great Lakes of America. For fans of Ryley Walker, John Martyn and Bert Jansch. 8. Sam Lee ~ Old Wow ~ British Folk Rock is alive and well and living in Albion. This Lp, from early 2020, is gentle and pastoral and perfect. My Album cover of the year too! 9. Bonny Light Horseman ~ S/T sweetling debut from the guy from The Fruitbats (whom I love) and Anais Mitchell, who's Folk Opera Hadestown is worth checking out. 10. Fiona Apple ~ Fetch Me The Bolt Cutters, I've been in here too long. Fiona's record perplexed me like no other this year. But I kept coming back for more. Sadomasochism... Hopefully, 'honorable mention' of the 'bubbling under' #11-20 is next.
My Top # 11 though 20 records of 2020: 11. Jennifer Castle ~ Monarch Season (Paradise of Bachelors) 12. Sarah Jarosz ~ World On The Ground (Rounder) 13. Ondara ~ Folk N' Roll Vol 1: Tales of Isolation (Verve Forecast) 14. Emma Swift ~ Blonde On The Tracks (Tiny Ghost) 15. Steve Earle & The Dukes ~ Ghosts of West Virginia (New West) 16. The Avett Brothers ~ The Gleam III (Loma Vista) 17. The Secret Sisters ~ Saturn Return (New West) 18. Norah Jones ~ Pick Me Up Off The Floor (Blue Note) 19. The Pretenders ~ Hate For Sale (BMG) 20. Gwenifer Raymond ~ Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain (Tompkins Square) Cheers!
Great list. Your top 5 is spot-on. I'm not really a big Deftones fan, and #7-10, I'm not too familiar with (obviously, I've heard singles from Khruangbin - "So We Won't Forget," in particular, has been inescapable; but I haven't investigated the album). But based on the company they keep, I'd be inclined to check them out. The ones I might substitute would be: .clipping - Visions of Bodies Being Burned, beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers, Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You, Jason Isbell - Reunions, and Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters. Despite the pandemic, it still ended up being a great year for music.
