What a year! Has it been a year? What even is a year anymore?
With those philosophical queries out of the way, let’s dig in… There has been a lot of music this year, and a lot of time to listen to it, at least for me. I’m sure I’ve missed albums, as usual, and I’ll get to them in a year or more (isn’t it always the case). But these are the 20 albums that I’ve enjoyed the most this year, in vague order of preference.
1. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Return to form is an expression that cannot be used anymore. This album exceeded all expectations by not quite meeting them: more prickly than The Idler Wheel or Extraordinary Machine, but also more focused and idiosyncratic than Apple’s earlier output, Fetch the Bolt Cutters is the work of an artist completely in control of her creations. An album for the ages.
2. Run the Jewels – RTJ4
Probably my second favorite RTJ album (it goes 2, 4, 1, 3, if you must know). While not the year’s best record, it probably is one of the timeliest accounts of how chaotic 2020 has been, which is a testament to how visionary El P and Killer Mike are. More than anything, this is an album that knows to be as angry as much as it needs to be joyful.
3. Yves Tumor – Heaven to a Tortured Mind
My year’s heavy rotation album. There are so many things going on at once here: a hint of glam rock sheen, a heavy dose of psych ambient sonics, an economy of sounds reminiscent of Return to Cookie Mountain, and a whole kaleidoscope of ideas in just under 40 minutes. The world needs more Yves Tumors.
4. Moses Sumney – grae
I was introduced to Moses Sumney through the Westworld soundtrack, as many things go these days. In a way not dissimilar to Yves Tumor, Moses Sumney offers a world both lush and sensuous, while looking at the past with feet firmly anchored in the future. And like Tumor, it is an important album for how we can, and should, redefine masculinity and gender representation.
5. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
If last year we had Weyes Blood or Angel Olsen’s indie pop masterpieces, this year is Phoebe Bridgers’ to take. A beautifully crafted album from start to finish, with a production that demands repeated listens. I’m looking forward to Bridgers’ future.
6. Ital Tek – Outland
Much of my electronic/ambient albums this year were older than 2020, as it often happens when you just can’t listen to everything at once. But among the crop of electronic artists I managed to focus on, Ital Tek’s album is the one I’ve enjoyed the most. Also, a companion to many jogging routes.
7. Thundercat – It Is What It Is
Let’s be clear from the start: this album is not as good as Drunk. But that’s like saying that DAMN is not as good as TPAB, and it’s Thundercat we’re talking about anyway. Contextually though, the album was released a month into the first quarantine period, and it came as a promise of spring and light-hearted fun (whenever that happens is another question, but hey).
8. Moses Boyd – Dark Matter
One of the few new UK Jazz entries this year. As much as I’ve almost entirely stopped listening to UK-based rock/indie, England seems to be the source of an unextinguishable new spring of Jazz-centric talents these days, and I couldn’t be happier about this. There is much to celebrate in these albums. Thanks, Aaron!
9. Holy Fuck – Deleter
This album came out early in the year. Early enough that I had bought tickets to go see them play in April! So even if it isn’t the best or most remarkable album in this list, it keeps a special place in my heart for this reason. I miss going to gigs, I miss having mindless fun to fun songs, and Deleter delivers in this department.
10. Heliocentrics – Infinity of Now
Another reason why I look forward to my friends’ list is to fill the musical gaps of the year. Infinity of Now is one of those albums I would have completely missed were it not for my friend Charan. This record reminds me of Portishead’s eponymous album mixed with Melody Nelson-era Gainsbourg, with a shade of XTRMNTR underneath. A worthy contender for most nocturnal album of the year.
11. Jeff Parker – Suite For Max Brown
I truly admire guitarists who explore the limits of their instruments, and Jeff Parker is remarkable here. This album is both classic and forward looking. It could have been released 20 years ago, or years from now, and this is the mark of a timeless masterpiece.
12. Sault – (untitled) Rise
A late discovery, but like RTJ4, this is the timely sound of a well-overdue consciousness shift. I chose Rise over Black Is for its slightly more upbeat tone, but both albums are proof that if you can’t dance to a revolution, it’s not a revolution worth having.
13. Aesop Rock – Spirit World Field Guide
As my friend Jason puts it, I like Aesop Rock because I feel seen as an older 40-something nerd. Much has been said about Aesop Rock’s breadth of topics and vocabulary, and his wit is on display throughout this (long!) album, but it’s the production that constantly floors me. But don’t let this nostalgic nod fool you: this album is so much more than a throwback to obscure late 90s sound references.
14. Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – Soul OST
How does Trent Reznor do it? And who would ever have imagined that the composer of The Downward Spiral would one day land a job scoring a Pixar cartoon? So many questions, but the answer is always the same: Reznor is living his best life. And I am here for it.
Of course, this is only one half of the soundtrack’s success. The other half lies on the nimble fingers of Jon Batiste and his disarming generosity. What a time to be alive!
15. Nubya Garcia – Source
The third UK jazz entry in this list. While I really like the more jazz-centric pieces, I find that Nubya Garcia (and her band) truly shine in the more afro-caribbean numbers here. What a tone, too! England has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to young saxophonists.
16. Haim – Women in Music pt. III
My guilty pleasure of 2020, and I’m absolutely not ashamed of it. This album was on heavy rotation during our summer drives to nowhere (read: safely-distanced campsites and sparsely-populated lake destinations), and as reminder to more carefree days, it is perfect. Also, Haim are friends with Thundercat, so there.
17. Roger and Brian Eno – Mixing Colours
In the year of staying in and living introspectively, this album could not have been better timed. It was released a week into the pandemic, as we were all learning to adjust to a new way of things, and it provided a comforting, if slightly underwhelming backdrop. It isn’t necessarily a great album, but it is one that I will forever associate to how March 2020 felt.
18. Mac Miller – Circles
I have Luca to thank for this one. I discovered Mac Miller this year really, and I am sad I missed out on his releases as they came out. What an incredible output for someone so young and clearly struggling with unshakeable demons. Jon Brion delivered an elegant and respectful posthumous homage to one of the most talented songwriters of this generation.
19. Adrianne Lenker – Songs (and Instrumentals)
Another incredibly prolific artist. After last year’s 1-2 knockout masterpieces with Big Thief, Lenker made the definitive pandemic album. I’ve included both here (I know, I’m cheating a little bit) because Instrumentals is phenomenal in its own rights.
20. Sufjan Stevens – The Ascension
I’m not entirely won over by the album as a whole, and I think that Stevens could have cut a couple of songs, but America is a miniature masterpiece, similar to his take on You are the Blood in the Dark Was the Night compilation. But as reminder of how 2020 sounded like, it is a rather fitting goodbye to this year in music.
eolian sounds 