In 2019, I considered my mission to be complete. I wrote a book which is available for you to read for free (although donations are desperately accepted). And that was it! The self-imposed shackles of musical superiority had fallen away, and I was free to delegate my energy down other avenues. Because, spoiler alert, those countless months spent writing yearly articles weren't exactly worth their weight in hits.
Annoyingly, old habits die hard. 2020 started with glee until I found myself treating music the same as it ever was. I was taking notes. I was rating releases out of 10. I was keeping them safe in a spreadsheet. But why?? And as the year went on, specific albums gurgled louder than others, and I mused to myself, "Well, that would be in the top 10, wouldn't it?".
December rolled through the door, and I'd listened to just over 400 records. 404 to be exact which is a funny number cos it means that the page was not found lol. Regardless, I knew 2020 music quite well, and that presented me with two clear options. I could selfishly keep this information to myself, which was the original plan. Or I could put it out there to my billions of appreciative fans. You know what happened next.
Please note, however, that there is a significant difference this round. I cared less. I did not spend an hour per each release, poetically ordering adjectives and comparing them to abstract concepts. Instead, the reviews below are my genuine feelings on the albums without overthinking anything whatsoever. I spat out several descriptive sentences in tune with my instincts then let them dry in place. Annoyingly, many of them turned out better for it. They're a faster read anyway.
I will say this though: despite everything else, 2020 was an excellent year for music. Tons of decent stuff, yummy yummy tasty goodness. Some of the records I left out agonise my jawline to cracking point, but again, this isn't about them or you or even me. This article is about what felt right. So I'm sorry if your favourite record didn't make the cut, but it's just music so fucking get over it.
Here are my top 50 albums of 2020.
50. Andy Shauf - The Neon Skyline
Indie Chamber Pop24 January
Spotify
Telling the tale of a group of friends with a complicated history yet very little drama between them, we listen as they experience an average night out. Such a subtle storyline makes one feel as if they are spying on stranger's lives, getting to know them personally, then feeling that pang of sadness when interactions remind you of your own miserable life. Nothing special happens, and it's not musically extraordinary either, but as a narrative, its a rare prize in our unnecessarily extravagant world of music.
49. Neil Cicierega - Mouth Dreams
Musical Comedy Pop Mashup30 September
Soundcloud
Neil Cicierega is many things, and the best mashup artist on the planet is one of them. His trick is to exclusively use recognisable songs mixed in a humorous manner which may hit funniest on first listen, true, but is always a fantastic party playlist to delight your guests with. It may not be entirely on par with his previous Mouth Moods, but it’s close!
48. Oklou - Galore
Alternative Ambient R&B Art Pop24 September
Spotify
Within seconds this rich production daintily tip-toes into my brain and sets up a tent. And I’m like what but it’s too charming to evict, so it’s still there now. I realise this review doesn't describe anything whatsoever so just come inside and check it out for yourself.
47. Lido Pimienta - Miss Colombia
Latin Electronic Art Pop17 April
Spotify
Taking a traditional dish and generously spicing it with contemporary flavours, there's a lot on this plate especially when Lido stands on top of it, squashing the meal beneath her feet, singing her voice upward until the roof blows off.
46. Katie Dey - Mydata
Indietronica Chamber Art Pop24 July
Spotify
With a light aura that trails long after the album closes, there’s faint magic to this poppy effort that leaves nothing but a positive memory floating beneath your bed.
45. Imperial Triumphant - Alphaville
Technical Avant-Garde Black Death Metal31 July
Spotify
Imperial Triumphant are lunatics. Their psychotic horn section alone is fucking terrifying. Check google images for some small idea of what you’re dealing with.
44. Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony
Conscious Abstract Hip Hop13 March
Spotify
Thirteen years in the making and you basically have a new Jay-Z album here. Take that as you will, but the old school beats hold together a spiritual faith with a celebration of blackness. The tracklist may be top-heavy, but it’s fucking top-HEAVY, you know what I mean?
43. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today
Post Art Punk17 July
Spotify
Post punk's domination may be waning, but some centrepieces protect the fort with Protomartyr as perhaps the most remarkably unsung band on the planet. Their sound is so potent that they've never written a bad song, handing out the same consistency from the very beginning until right here right now.
42. Sprain - As Lost Through Collision
Post-Slowcore4 September
Spotify
The gravitational pull of effortless monotony has grown more appealing in my old age. Drag that shit as far apart as it can go. But what's this? Post-slowcore? So it's hardcore? But slow? What, like a weird Slint? Or a perpetual humming noise? Whatever, I like it.
41. Amaarae - THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW
Alternative Afrobeats R&B12 November
Spotify
Picking a tired genre then squeezing an adorable juice from it, The Angel You Don’t Know is uplifting without stupidity and commercial without being cheap. It sounds like it was written for her friends. I want to be her friend.
40. Hum - Inlet
Alternative Shoegaze Metal23 June
Spotify
How long does it take to release a record that drowns you in fuzz, sinking you so far down into stoner tones that you are only introduced to the vocals right at the back? 22 years.
39. Mamaleek - Come & See
Experimental Avant-Garde Metal Noise Rock26 March
Spotify
This stuff is immediately fucked but calculated in its fuckedness. It destroys everything in just the right way by never sacrificing talent. If it offers you a box full of noise while stirring a jazz tangle in the middle, be very careful.
38. Code Orange - Underneath
Alternative Industrial Metal13 March
Spotify
Hooky metal that's serious about being aggressive can come across disingenuine, but Code Orange escape the phoniness with horroresque elements to darken the atmosphere while glitchy tricks keep the listener guessing. They improve per record too so it could be an exciting decade for these dudes.
37. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated Side B
Dance-Synthpop21 May
Spotify
It's sickening that Carly's b-sides are superior to most pop artist's lead singles. She's found her delicious groove and clings to it, flooding the world with hooks of joy that instantly stick on first listen then sink deeper with each preceding spin. She's pop royalty, and any opposing arguments are wrong.
36. Baauer - Planet's Mad
EDM Jungle Terror Trap19 June
Spotify
Shove your working day with the eclectic electricity of jungle bangers sprinkled with African spices, your right-hand typing double as fast while your left-hand fist pumps at the air. I've had a lot of fun with this record, all alone.
35. The Microphones - Microphones in 2020
Indie Avant-Folk7 August
YouTube
Imagine an album. And it's one song. And it's 44 minutes and 44 seconds long. And it only features two chords repeated forever. And the lyrics are all about making the record itself. If what you're imagining is a slog of monotony, you wouldn't be wrong, but even on paper, you've surely never heard of a project as ballsy as this. I'm just pleased that Phil Elverum sounds far more mended since the most recent Mount Eerie songs.
34. Kylie - Disco
Dance-Pop Disco6 November
Spotify
A cemented legend crawls from her career slump wearing disco heels, spinning out one of her best albums from a 30-year career. Damnit, Kylie, how you do dat?
33. Natalia Lafourcade - Un canto por México Vol. 1
Ranchera Mexican Folk Music8 May
Spotify
My adoration for Natalia exploded then died with her 2015 project Hasta la raíz. That record smashed high on my charts, but it seemed our star was not satisfied and spent the next half-decade exploring traditional sounds from her Mexican heritage which didn’t stick to me in the same way. Understandably, my hopes for Un canto por México Vol. 1 were lowered, which stretched an opening for this record to dive directly inside. According to my ears, she’s finally found the midpoint between what she’s good at, what people want, and what she wants to do, taking a whimsical step outside of what you’d usually find in popular music and reigniting my love once more.
32. Sault - Untitled (Black Is)
Neo-Soul19 June
Spotify
When Sault released two albums mere months apart, the debate over which reigned superior was turbulent and unresolved. Many preferred the more celebratory Untitled (Rise), but for me, it’s the black power protest atmosphere of Untitled (Black Is) that edges slightly higher. In the end, however, these two records are a singular piece, driving their messages with one-liners and a sharp focus on instrumentation, no dips in quality, a feat even the greatest could not achieve.
31. Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide
Abstract East Coast Hip Hop13 November
Spotify
Listen to this album as many times as you want, you’ll never grasp every word of Aesop’s vibrantly colourful deliveries that zip by with so many quick witticisms that only he truly gets the jokes. Plus the man produces the beats too! Ten points to an album that sits in his top three out of nine.
30. Crack Cloud - Pain Olympics
Art Post-Punk17 July
Spotify
Crack Cloud wrote this album for me. Crank that quirky knob and reverberate the subtle madness into every corner of the room. Half an hour later, gone, thank you, come again. Don’t mind if I do!
29. Wake - Devouring Ruin
Black Metal27 March
Spotify
Take the black metal blueprint then tick each box so furiously that you tear through the page. Now eat the paper. When we listen to black metal, we want black metal, and that's what Wake gives you. It's not trying to be smart; it's merely a relentless attack of darkness, which unlike most of its contemporaries, doesn't overstay its welcome.
28. Sorry - 925
Indie Post-Punk Rock27 March
Spotify
The coolest kids never even register how cool they are, smoothly evading missteps as if they didn't even see them. Shamefully, my obsession with this band led me to stalk singer Asha Lorenz on Facebook and request her friendship. She is yet to accept.
27. Sa-Roc - The Sharecropper's Daughter
Conscious East Coast Hip Hop2 October
Spotify
Comparisons are lazy, but when you hear whispers of "the female Kendrick Lamar", you've gotta follow that scent. How delightful that it delivers, a bulletproof flow over straight-up old-fashioned beats, no cringy stabs at modernised commercial radio shit, just a verbal assault stacking up a high hip hop player in a year that's desperate for them.
26. Ichiko Aoba - Windswept Adan
Chamber Folk2 December
Spotify
The artwork tells you everything you need to know. This album is made of water. Weightless, naked, peaceful, soft, I stopped breathing. Her voice is above water, though. Like, way above.
25. Eartheater - Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin
Experimental Avant Chamber-Folk2 October
Spotify
Never in history has there existed a more misleading artwork. No, this record is not some smutty clickbait trap rap trap nor is it a glam rock enticement of sexism. Instead, here is a unique chamber-folk voice backed by little jittery effects and occasional moments of anxiety-inducing drumming, placed in leagues you've never heard before. Except maybe Björk? Yeah, Björk would make an album like this. And, honestly, can you offer a more generous compliment?
24. Phoxjaw - Royal Swan
Post-Hardcore Alternative Rock3 July
Spotify
Bursting through the starting line with enthusiasm then only escalating until the closer, this coarse beast charges without frills except for a smear of humour glinting from their horns before they impale you, dead. Do not be a fool and overlook this 2020 post-hardcore park ride of swagger.
23. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
Ambient Art Pop15 May
Spotify
Each Perfume Genius album expands on the impressiveness of the one that came before. And while Set My Heart on Fire Immediately is less stylistically coherent than his backlog contributions, this peculiarity somehow works in its favour. Every song boasts an individual appeal, delivered intricately without blocking your easy access to tumble right inside, trapped. Perfume? Sure, whatever. But genius? One of the best we got.
22. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
Dance-Pop Nu-Disco27 March
Spotify
One sample-heavy hook to the face knocked me twirling backwards into the disco, and everyone thought I was dancing. When considering the globe was fearfully shivering round about this date, we can all be thankful for Dua's toffee centre of relief.
21. Wailin Storms - Rattle
Punk Deathrock Garage Blues15 May
Spotify
If I ever require the confidence to smash a chair over someone's head, the gritty attitude of this album would be my secret weapon. It's not even trying to be violent, which makes it all the more dangerous.
20. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene
Electronic Art Pop21 February
Spotify
My suggestion is to examine Grimes' last three albums as one collection, and then you'll understand she's sneakily inking herself into musical history. These consecutive releases reveal a finger pushing the digital pulse of our culture's current bloodstream, and while few will consider Miss Anthropocene as her highest quality of work, many will confess it as her most terrifying.
19. 070 Shake - Modus Vivendi
Alternative R&B Pop Rap17 January
Spotify
How scarce it is when someone slaps the tired commercial scene sideways, knocking some brains into the zombified radio nonsense. Modus Vivendi's sound is so modern that it's already old but stretched like gum until it's new again. Now shove it into your mouth and fucking chew. Fresh, no?
18. Sewerslvt - Draining Love Story
Atmospheric Drum and Bass25 January
Spotify
Nothing like having a fun little dance as you try your best to ignore the darkness spreading dirt across your every move with ghastly samples that nobody invited to this party. Do not let them sink in! Focus on the bangers. Because they bang, brah!
17. Dreamcrusher - Panopticon!
Power Electronics Noise1 May 2020
YouTube
Use knitting needles to pierce your eardrums so that they flap better with the distortion. Talk about noise. This shit does some actual damage like someone learned how to turn dying into music. I’m not even sure what it is.
16. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
Contemporary R&B Dance-Pop Disco House26 June
Spotify
Do you want to make a timeless record? Then go back in time! Just ask Jessie Ware who reinvented her game on her fourth album, not for the better, but for the best! None of her previous work drips with such sensationalism, and it lingers like a classic already.
15. R.A.P. Ferreira - Purple Moonlight Pages
Abstract Jazz Hip Hop2 October
Spotify
Why Milo changed his name here is frustrating, but the jazzy backtrack does differentiate this work from his previous, a free-form flowy flow which flows perfectly with Milo's flowy flows like silk that turns to liquid in your hands. But all the jazz in the world can't outshine the man's articulate intelligence that rises above the hip hop game without any flexes, only half-smiles and optimistic humour. It's a catalogue highlight.
14. Against All Logic - 2017 - 2019
Post-Industrial Tech House7 February
Spotify
Electronic artists are scrambling to take over the world while Jaar lives on another planet. His first AAL project covered five years of unreleased material; this follow-up covers only two. Yet, it stands as tall, casting a shadow over the scene moments before he released another two self-named records within this same year. Jaar is setting up his pieces to conquer yet another decade, but don't look, or you'll go blind.
13. Katie Pruitt - Expectations
Contemporary Country21 February
Spotify
Growing up as a gay female in a conservative area provided just the right insides to blast a light from Katie's throat, her voice saturating the sky then diving down my throat into my insides now. It's one of the best country records I've heard and the first genuine threat to Kacey's throne since she sat on it.
12. Yelle - L'Ère du Verseau
French Electro Synthpop4 September
Spotify
Nothing like a six-year wait to lose confidence in an artist only to have those fears squelched by the finest album of Yelle’s career. More mature energies in one hand and extra dark influences in the other, she leapt forward, slamming her flag into the already well-pasteurised lands of 2020 dance-pop. And her material flies high.
11. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
Hardcore Political Conscious Hip Hop3 June
Spotify
Even when Run the Jewels pause for a summary record, they still sound like an unstoppable forward motion. Furthermore, the eerily prophetic BLM content proves they are several strides ahead of everyone, encouraging a fight all the louder. Four perfect albums in a row. Are they aiming for the record? You fucking know they are. Their solo careers are dead to me; I have zero interest in hearing them apart again.
10. clipping. - Visions of Bodies Being Burned
Industrial Experimental Hip Hop Horrorcore23 October
Spotify
Akin to an aggressive chess game, the speaker-shredding beats of abrasive minimalism battle the tongue-tricking rap flows of horror yet neither manages to outmanoeuvre the other, playing on different fields but the same team, seeking only to murder you. Albums like this are not easy, they demand dedicated energy, but if you survive it, something inside of you will still be dead forever.
09. Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine
Nu-Disco2 October
Spotify
Róisín's peculiar habit of tripping over the weird line finally culminated in raising the bar of her craft then drop-kicking that same bar off the planet. The superbly named Róisín Machine is a perpetual onward movement, one extravagant DJ set featuring songs that have surely been written before because each one sounds like a classic. It's some of the best disco I have ever heard.
08. Sevdaliza - Shabrang
Art Pop28 August
Spotify
Fall to your knees, the second coming has arrived! Alanis Morissette upgraded and modernised for the new age! I'm the only one who thinks that but I worship this record anyway for doing something different without exerting any effort during the process. An album like this comes once a decade, and it's only 2020. Such a blessing.
(side note: Alanis did release a decent record this year too)
07. The Weeknd - After Hours
Alternative R&B Synthpop20 March
Spotify
After taking over the world, The Weeknd absorbed all of the dangerous electricity he could muster from immoral sex and filthy parties until his sins exploded outward and left behind (possibly) his best album yet. Did you expect this? I didn’t expect this. It’s really something.
06. Fleet Foxes - Shore
Indie Folk Chamber Pop20 March
Spotify
Indie folk has gone stale just kidding here's Fleet Foxes, dwelling in melancholic chambers but keeping the heavenly moods snug with knitted sweaters. And I can't fault a damn thing about it.
05. Deftones - Ohms
Alternative Metal25 September
Spotify
By embracing their strengths then cranking up the guitarwork, Deftones made a Deftones record. They comfortably conjured one of their most solid albums by working within the safety of their atmospherics; a space only they have access to. So I guess Deftones did it again? How many times have we said that now?
04. Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin kynsi
Psychedelic Avant-Garde Black Rock Metal17 April
Spotify
If I’ve ever heard a better metal album than this, then Mestarin kynsi sucked the marrow from my memory, leaving me crumpled on the floor, delirious but shivering from delight. I didn’t know albums were capable of sounding this good. I'll kill myself to this record, I don't care.
03. Charli XCX - How I'm Feeling Now
Bubblegum Electropop Bass15 May
Spotify
Note Charli as the first creative to be inspired by pandemic isolation and translate the craving of human interaction into a harsh set of bangers to help everyone else to deal. It's been less than a year since her previous record and her discography as a whole glows with consistency, but this album shatters the ceiling without leaving the house.
02. Taylor Swift - Folklore
Indie Folk Pop24 July
Spotify
Folklore dumped the rest of Swift's discography into an acid bath and dissolved them to irrelevance. Everything she made before this album is pocket change for a kid at a candy store. Look at me; I'm gutted like a fish, flapping on the floor for a very long time, except I don't mind because every song belongs here. The thought of heartbroken teenaged girls crying while listening to Taylor's old records used to amuse me. Now I have become that crying teenage girl. Yes, I have cried to this record. Frequently.
01. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Progressive Art Pop17 April
Spotify
Fetch the Bolt Cutters is so raw and intimate that it shrinks me into a child, sitting on Fiona's carpet, watching her playing piano songs as I struggle to understand my feelings. Is this Fiona Apple's best album? Which album is Fiona Apple's best album? It's an impossible question which only reaffirms the perfection of an impenetrable discography stacked tall exclusively with classics. But mark my words and mark them fucking well: come 2029 as we are arguing over the highest album of the decade, the suggestion of this masterpiece will be forceful.
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