And it’s here. 2020 has been a beating, but nonetheless, the top 20 albums of the year + the 5 runner ups. As always, December 2019 - November 2020, and a end of the year playlist on spotify here or at the bottom. Enjoy!
25. American Aquarium – Lamentations
RIYL: Drive-By Truckers, Jason Isbell, Ryan Bingham
Standout Track(s): “Me + Mine”, “Brightleaf + Burley”
Bo and the boys have been around the block a few times, but this is one of their most honest and forthright albums to date. They kept with their Americana appeal while, at times, stepping into a newer, more western realm. All in all, a solid listen i’ve revisited a handful of times throughout this year. (Label: New West)
24. Bruno Major – To Let A Good Thing Die
RIYL: Kevin Garrett, Randy Newman, 1940s
Standout Track(s): “Old Soul”, “Regent’s Park”
Who knew a young soul year old could draw on such a timeless, beautiful sound? Bruno did it again with his second album, To Let A Good Thing Die. It’s retro, but not in the way that Leon Bridges brought that soulful retro sound back. This, arguably, throws it back even further, where Leon hits the soul style of early Motown, i’d argue Bruno hits the songwriter, 1940s style at times. I cannot help but listen to this album and think of the movie Midnight in Paris. The help of Billie Eilish’s brother Finneas doesn’t hurt the curb appeal either. (Label: Independent)
23. Dominic Fike – What Could Possibly Go Wrong
RIYL: Omar Apollo, Still Woozy, Kevin Abstract
Standout Track(s): “Vampire”, “Good Game”
“3 Nights”, off his previous demo release, is the song most notable with Fike’s catalog.. and one that I thought, prior to this album dropping, would be the only song I care about with a lack of palate for bedroom pop-skewing-soundcloud-bender. However, this is the type of stuff the TikTok Gen Z generation is eating up, and who am I to discredit their taste? This album hits the bedroom pop blended with hip-hop elements that is trendy these day. Impressive from the twenty-something Florida artist who nailed down his Columbia deal fresh off a prison stay. (Label: Columbia)
22. Joy Oladokun – in defense of my own happiness, vol 1
RIYL: Allen Stone, Tracy Chapman, Birdy
Standout Track(s): “sunday”, “smoke”
I caught onto the rising star of Joy a bit late, admittedly. While the album dropped in July and “Sunday” started to make its rounds just before, it wasn’t until probably like August or early September that I sat down with this album. A perfect compliment for a fall season spent indoors with little-to-no human interaction outside of my wife and a few friends. It bends genres with the best of ‘em, hitting heavy notes of folk but blending it with elements of R&B, soul, and even rap. Dealing with everything from George Floyd to her own happiness in her skin as a, “Black queer woman in America” as she puts it. It’s an album for the lost and the found, and everyone stuck somewhere in between. (Label: White Boy)
21. RMR – Drug Dealing is a Lost Art
RIYL: Future, Don Toliver, Lil Baby
Standout Track(s): “Dealer”, “Rascal”
I thought long and hard about where this album fit on my list. “Rascal” blew me away the first time I heard it in April. The song, a short, low key country trap song to the tune of “Bless the Broken Road”, caught the attention of the labels and NPR declared it a top 50 song of the year for them. But it was “Dealer” (remix) that did it for me. Now before you crane your neck at me weirdly for promoting country trap, this is not your little brothers Lil Nas X. It leans much more on the hip-hop side of things with backing by the likes of Lil Baby, Future and Young Thug. This EP, clocking in at 7 songs with two remixes, gave us a deep dive into how to introduce yourself with something new, fresh, and quite honest weird as hell. (Label: Warner)
20. Darlingside – Fish Pond Fish
RIYL: Birdtalker, Sufjan Stevens, Novo Amor
Standout Track(s): “Ocean Bed”, “Crystal Caving”, “Green + Evergreen”
To say I smiled widely a bit when I first heard “Crystal Caving” at the realization that Sufjan was a major influence on the sound was not lost on me. But it’s more than just that. Working with producer Peter Katis (Interpol, The National), the layers of depth to this one are evident. I want nothing more than to be in a sleepy Colorado town as the sun breaks over a mountain with a cup of coffee and this album in the air. You hipster PNW’er wannabes, you’ll love this! (Label: Thirty Tigers)
19. Surfaces – Horizons
RIYL: Peach Tree Rascals, Conan Gray, Breezy Pop
Standout Track(s): “Lazy”, “All Around”, “Take It Easy”
Something about Surfaces just puts a smile on the face. It’s uplifting, cheery, bouncy, fresh and with a twist of beach-soaked vibes. The College Station duos 2019 album, Where the Light Is, catapulted them to stardom with hits like “Sunday Best” and the follow up single “Learn to Fly” (which also got a featured spot by one Sir Elton John), and they continued the breezy, good vibes on Horizons. It’s a good mood booster to hit play on with the windows in the car rolled down as you roll into your parents boomer-riddled middle class neighborhood. (Label: Caroline / TenThousand Projects)
18. Pearl Jam – Gigaton
RIYL: Pearl Jam
Standout Track(s): “Comes Then Goes”, “Superblood Wolfmoon”, “Retrograde”
Pearl Jam will do what Pearl Jam does, and there is always something comforting about that… especially in the year 2020. The bands last album, 2013’s Lightning Bolt, was one that I thoroughly enjoyed. So with a seven year hiatus, I had really no idea what to expect. “Dance of The Clairvoyants” kind of freaked me out at first. I didn’t get it. But with the release of the full album and a continual visits back to it, “Dance” has become a track I like more and more with each listen. “Superblood Wolfmoon” is vintage PJ, and “Comes Then Goes” blends Eddie’s solo work nicely with Pearl Jam. Sadly, it’s one of the few last rattles of rock music we have… so cherish. (Label: Republic)
17. Delta Spirit – What is There
RIYL: Dawes, Deer Tick, Rayland Baxter
Standout Track(s): “How Bout It”, “Just the Same”, “It Aint Easy”
Austin’s own Delta Spirit released What is There after a five year album hiatus that saw lead Matthew Logan Vasquez do everything from three solo albums to teaming up with Noah Gunderson and friends for their project Glorietta (who produced a top 20 album on my ‘18 list). All the while, questions remained what would come of Delta Spirit, and gladly this is the fruits of the wait. “How Bout It” was easily a top 5 song for me on the year, and “It Ain’t Easy” has found a nice place in the rotation on NPR-like AAA stations and alt stations alike. It’s a folk rock awakening, and hallelujah… praise be to have the Texas folk rock icons back. (Label: New West)
16. Spillage Village – Spilligion
RIYL: EARTHGANG, Saba, J. Cole
Standout Track(s): “Judas”, “Baptize”, “Oshun”
Absolute biggest surprise of the year. My knowledge of the parts that make the whole of Spillage Village was somewhat minimal. But this… this album is awesome. The heart of the album is a tossup to their southern/ATL roots, and an album best noted as a split in my eyes. The first half pulling strong elements of gospel and religious themes with a nice tint of weed haze. Sounds bizarre, but at times I thought I was listening to Chance the Rapper or Lecrae. The second, more of a love letter to southern roots hip-hop. With help on the album from the likes of Chance, Ari Lennox, 6LACK and with the backing of J. Cole’s label Dreamville, Spilligion brings about pandemic themes at a time we need it most, and puts some soul, love, faith, and a bit of chron into this wonderful offering. (Label: Dreamville)
15. Brent Cobb – Keep ‘Em on They Toes
RIYL: Charley Crockett, Lukas Nelson, Margo Price
Standout Track(s): “The World is Ending”, “This Side of the River”, “Soapbox”
Grammy-nominated wordsmith Brent Cobb is like fine wine - he keeps getting better with time and age. The Georgia troubadour’s Keep ‘Em on They Toes is a roots-driven album packed with Americana goodness that fits nicely in-between a smokey, small town bar and the bright lights of Billy Bob’s. It’s not too in-your-face, both from a lyrical and sound standpoint (which is appreciated). Long and short, it’s just a really solidly made album that recalls simpler times of ole Willie while blending in the more modern, indigo folk sounds. Plus, “Sometimes I’m a Clown” is brilliantly a story of my life. (Label: Thirty Tigers)
14. Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony
RIYL: Talib Kweli, Nas, Isaiah Rashad
Standout Track(s): “Shiny Suit Theory”, “A.P.I.D.T.A.”, “The Neverending Story”
It’s been a long, long, long, loooooong time coming. With the hype of ‘07s Act I mixtape and ‘09s “Exhibit C” (sidenote: still one of my favorite songs ever), Electronica found himself the subject of a label bidding war to start the 2010s, ultimately won by Jay-Z and Roc Nation. Muddling around for the next decade with collabs and one-off tracks here and there, hope within the scene was almost lost that we’d ever get his debut album. Electronica came through at the start of quarentine (literally 2 days after the Thunder/Jazz game postponed and Tom Hanks broke his COVID news) with his debut, and boy was it needed to get through a strange year and an even stranger period of shutdown.
Electronica, simply put, is brilliant. The album shines with the lyrical bend that made him such a hot commodity a decade ago, flowing with his unusual-yet-brilliant style, and drawing a lot of influence from Islam and minimalistic stylings. With Jay-Z all over this album, both as a writer and with uncredited vocals, and other known talent like The-Dream, Travis Scott, James Blake, and Khruangbin all featured and/or producing, it’s well worth the wait. Just know this, when you listen to “A.P.I.D.T.A.”, try not to get emotional knowing him and Hova recorded and finished the song the night Kobe passed. All in all - brilliantly done, and here’s to hoping for more within the next decade. Last tidbit for the trivia fools out there: the album art is a photo taken by Beyonce of her pool. And yes, this deserved the length of a no1 album.. lots to unpack here. (Label: Roc Nation)
13. The 1975 – Notes On a Conditional Form
RIYL: The Neighbourhood, Sir Sly, Bleachers
Standout Track(s): “Nothing Revealed / Everything Denied”, “If You’re Too Shy”, “Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America”
I am an honest and open fanboy of The 1975, and will be the first to claim a love towards white girl indie rock/pop. With that, there is no one doing it better and consistently than The 1975. I Like It When You Sleep and A Brief Inquiry were both paramount albums for me the years the respectively came out, and knowing we were getting 20+ songs on Notes, the bar was very high. Don’t get me wrong, the album is good and probably their most diverse from start to finish. However, compared to the rest of their discography, this is my least favorite as a whole. There are moments, like “Nothing Revealed”, where I hear elements that made prior work like “If I Believe You” so magical. Then there is “People” where I feel like they’re trying to channel some sort of an edge to prove they are more than their “sound”, but it just doesn’t do it for me and it hides the beauty and pureness of Matt’s vocals. Nonetheless, the worst of The 1975 is still better than a lot that is out there, and that should account for something. (Label: Dirty Hit / Polydor)
12. Blossoms – Foolish Loving Spaces
RIYL: Bombay Bicycle Club, Sam Fender, Sundara Karma
Standout Track(s): “Your Girlfriend”, “My Vacant Days”, “The Keeper”
I’m not entirely sure if Indie Party Rock is a true genre, but if it is… move to vote on having Blossoms wear the crown. Foolish is a blend of classic britpop, 60s-inspired British Invasion, and indie pop rock. It’s bubbly, breezy, and an all around good time from start to finish. Compared to prior releases, it’s less indie rock but more layered flower power. I personally find the vocals much stronger this go around, which adds a nice surprise. If you want something a bit retro sounding yet with that impressive britpop lean, start here. (Label: Virgin / EMI)
11. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo
RIYL: Benny the Butcher, Ab-Soul, Big K.R.I.T.
Standout Track(s): “1985”, “Babies & Fools”, “Something To Rap About”
Freddie made my top 20 list last year, sort of, with my 22nd favorite album of ‘19. Packed with producer extraordinaire The Alchemist this time around, Gibbs parlayed that into one of the most well received albums of the year hitting many EOTY lists. It’s not often i’ll quote Pitchfork, but they laid it out well on what works with Alfredo.
“The gruff-voiced rapper and dusty-groove producer are a perfect match as they connect for a seamless ride to the heart of the gangster. From its Mario Puzo-esque cover art to the various gangster-movie samples throughout its 35-minute runtime, it celebrates the mafioso aesthetic while simultaneously acknowledging its ugliness.”
This album is nothing short of rich in every sense of the word. A hue of vintage, sleek pianos, the Don of the rap game, Da Boss, Rick Ross, jazz guitars, and much more. It’s equal parts cinematic and sinister… and it’s brilliant. For my money, the best rap album of the year from start to finish. (Label: ESGN / ALC / EMPIRE)
10. Hayward Williams – Every Color Blue
RIYL: Jeffrey Foucault, Tyler Childers, 60s songwriters
Standout Track(s): “If Not For Love”, “Coffee & Bourbon”, “Fades Away”
Listening to the album opener, “Coffee & Bourbon”, you would think this was a lost album from Jim Croce, Orleans, or The Band. I mean, just look at the album cover. Looks like something i’d find in the used section of Dave’s Records that was found in someone attic, weathered and aged by nothing more than time and dust. Williams, of the album, stated, “Friends in the hospital, a pandemic, an eight month pregnant doctor-wife working in the ER on the front-lines, political upheaval, the deaths of several dear loved ones and the birth of a son all within a few months... I needed to work toward something positive with my idle mind”. And something positive is what we get. Williams blends in pristine organ, western-style piano, and soul revival with that classic feel, delivering us something retro-yet-new, songwriter-yet-wholly-americana, John-Prine-yet-uniquely-Hayward. Start with the album opener, proceed, replay “If Not For Love” 2-3x, and finish up with some dancing to “Paradise Springs”. (Label: Green Canoe)
09. Ruston Kelly – Shape & Destroy
RIYL: Ryan Adams, Jason Isbell, The Lone Bellow
Standout Track(s): “Brave”, “Alive”, “In The Blue”
The sound of heartbreak is a lonesome feeling and an even lonelier sound. On the heels of the divorce between tabloid darling Kacey Musgraves and her former beau Ruston, Shape & Destroy is earnest, fearless, heavy, and heartbreaking all rolled into one. It’s songs like “Brave” that encapsulate the feelings all in one, and it’s moments like this that i’m thankful we have wordsmiths who can convey that feeling we have all felt to varying degrees. “Brighter Days Still to Come”, as he sings in “Under the Sun”, is a lyrical sentiment we can all get behind after this year, obviously for varying reasons. (Label: Rounder Records)
08. LÉON – Apart
RIYL: Zella Day, Broods, XYLØ
Standout Track(s): “In a Stranger’s Arms”, “Falling Apart”, “Head and Heart on Fire”
Swedish songwriter LÉON came on hot over the last two years with beat-driven pop soaked in influence from past pop icons like Katy Perry, Sade, and others. Last year’s self-titled release, which spawned the upbeat hit “You and I” and got the remix treatment from r3hab, was packed full of bubblegum goodness, but left something more to be desired. Apart does what self-titled couldn’t, and that’s spark a different kind of feeling and emotion with minimal additives. Apart is a stripped, minimalistic take hellbent on showcasing the talent of the voice, the artist. Imagine last years magical Norman Fucking Rockwell! by Lana Del Rey, but with less production, less fanfare, and a lot less dark. For the fan of mellow pop or some good fall/winter tunes, this is a must. (Label: Independent)
07. Avi Kaplan – I’ll Get By
RIYL: Penny and Sparrow, Johnnyswim, The Oh Hellos
Standout Track(s): “It Knows Me”, “I’ll Get By”, “Change on the Rise”
I had no idea until about a month and a half ago that Kaplan, this gravely-voiced songwriter I stumbled upon earlier this year with his I’ll Get By release, is a former Pentatonix member. This is important because a cappella groups/stylings are one of the furthest things from my cup of tea. Long/short, the story behind his journey to I’ll Get By is pretty awesome. Kaplan got tired of the rat race and the crazy schedule the band maintained. So… he quit the band at their height of popularity. He and his family left LA, moved to a cabin deep in the forest near the Tennessee run of the ancient Natchez Trace trail and he started writing the music he grew up loving. I’ll Get By is gritty, earthy, natural, and folky. Fans of stomp & holler, Mumford and Lumineers type of bands, don’t let the association with Pentatonix turn you away. I promise you will enjoy what Avi is doing and will turn around and share it with your best friends. (Label: Sequoia Summit)
06. Mt. Joy – Rearrange Us
RIYL: Lord Huron, Houndmouth, The Head and the Heart
Standout Track(s): “Bug Eyes”, “Strangers”, “Rearrange Us”
The thing I love about Mt. Joy is their natural and subtle evolution. The evolution of the vibe, if you will. The outfits growth is evident without ever feeling like they strayed too far from what makes them uniquely them. “Rearrange Us” has a sick grove and “Bug Eyes” is an absolute perfect album opener. Not to be slept on is their newest, pre-election non-album single, “New President”, which brings a solid flow to their patented groove-worthy folk rock, winding down highs and lows, emotional yet solemn. AKA that a lot of people have felt the last handful of years. (Label: Dualtone)
05. Declan McKenna – Zeros
RIYL: Rex Orange County, Wallows, The Struts
Standout Track(s): “Daniel, You’re Still a Child”, “Sagittarius A*”, “You Better Believe!!!”
Ahh… the kid I knew only as the poster child for the 2014 FIFA World Cup when his song “Brazil” absolutely took off and became an unofficial cup anthem when McKenna was the ripe age of 16. Now of legal US drinking age, McKenna returned with his sophomore glam-inspired album chalked full of uniqueness. Opener “You Better Believe!!!” is a straight forward piano pop jam that could be straight from the catalog of Ben Folds or Jukebox the Ghost. “Be An Astronaut” gives me some serious Queen and Elton John vibes. However, it’s “Daniel, You’re Still a Child” that brought me into the fold and hooked me. The young squire has a bright career ahead of him, and Zeros is a wonderful second effort. Album three could be the album that breaks this young fella stateside when/if it happens. (Label: Sony Music UK)
04. Vistas – Everything Changes in the End
RIYL: Catfish and the Bottlemen, The Wombats, Bad Suns
Standout Track(s): “Tigerblood”, “15 Years”, “November”
2019’s Hello EP was a warm welcome to the world after three years of singles here/there for the Scottish trio. The bands debut full length, which dropped in May, is packed full of alt rock goodness. “Tigerblood”, one of two carryovers from the EP, is a rip roarer that fans of Bad Suns or The Wombats will eat up. “15 Years” is a peppy little head tapper, and a song that fits perfectly on alt-rock stations across the world and firmly on the Triple J broadcast. To be frank, i’m hard pressed to ID a song that I would skip regularly after multiple listens, and that, to me, is the sign of something awesome. (Label: Retrospect Records)
03. Tyson Motsenbocker – Someday I’ll Make it All Up to You
RIYL: Noah Gunderson, Jon Foreman, Gregory Alan Isakov
Standout Track(s): “The Last Summer”, “Fentanyl”, “High Line”
Tyson… my man! I’ve had connections to Tyson for almost seven years now, and the growth he’s shown since his debut EP Rivers & Roads is remarkable. Someday is a brilliant listen, a songwriters nova that starts with the brilliant “High Line” and fadingly wraps into the emotional “I Miss The Old Days Too”. And every damn thing in-between is special and to be adored. This is a no-skip album, and one that embraces the complexities of life with a tilt towards nostalgia and reckoning. Last tidbit is that this album was recorded almost entirely live with the help of members of Dawes, Sufjan-super-collaborator James McAlister, Madison Cunningham, and more. Run to this one, then take a nice walk in the fall foliage while blaring through your beanie covered airpods! (Label: Tooth & Nail Records)
02. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
RIYL: Conor Oberst, Lucy Dacus, Sharon Van Etten
Standout Track(s): “Garden Song”, “Punisher”, “Koyoto”
Stop me if you’ve seen this one before. On every list of 2020, Bridgers busted through with her critically acclaimed Punisher and hasn’t looked back. Rightfully so, at that. Punisher gives us something that a lot of artist and albums neglect: the micro. What I love most about it is the imagination and emotion Bridgers instills into the listener. The little details. From talking about chem trails to the feeling and emotion of that drug-induced haze that led to a convo with a hero of hers: late songwriter Elliott Smith to her nautical themed birthday dream. It’s a dark, wretched listen with a few, and we mean few, moments of pep. I wrote back in late June that the album is “a wild ride punched full of anti-serotonin tracks that will fuck you up and somehow make you feel more alive all at the same time”. Take a seat at the table, listen, maybe have a good cry, lose yourself in the visuals her lyrics provide, and walk away feeling like a born-again, more chilled emo. (Label: Dead Oceans)
01. Another Sky – I Slept On the Floor
RIYL: Foals, Florence + the Machine, Paper Route
Standout Track(s): “Brave Face”, “All Ends”, “Riverbed”
For the third year in a row, the top slot goes to a female and/or female fronted artist. I was NOT expecting this album to be this album. I discovered Another Sky when “The Water Below” was christened in 2019 by Spotify as one of ‘the most beautiful songs in the world’ and ever since, have kept an open eye on their progress. To be frank, vocalist Catrin Vincent has one of the most distinct and breathtaking voices i’ve ever heard, and the band does a great job of putting her talents in the forefront knowing what a good thing they have. If I had to put a label on it, i’d take Florence Welch’s voice and rub it with a bit of gravelly atmospheric wonder to get what we hear from Vincent.
I Slept is the London four-pieces official debut album, and it is a stunning work of post-rock avant-garde. The inviting “Fell in Love With the City” is an anthem for anyone who has lived in a major cityscape, a love letter to the chaos, hustle, and the love/hate relationship one develops. “Brave Face” is a less-than-humble-but-much-needed modern war cry for women far and wide. Both songs are capable of being hits and catapulting Another Sky into the limelight with the right push outside of their native England. Yet - it’s the songs that one wouldn’t pick as a single that appeal here to me. “Riverbed” is purely on some magical Foals x10 level, and “All Ends” showcases that beautiful voice with a tender piano backing. The touch of post-rock that this album gives from song to song is sonically special, maintaining an allure to both casual rock/alt fans and the more seasoned, less afraid of a daring space-art sub-genre insignia. 2020 didn’t give us much, but thank god that it gave us this album. (Label: Fiction / Universal Records)