Top Albums of 2020 By Hayden Goodridge Looking over the stacks of records released throughout this (hopefully) once-in-a-lifetime year, it’s surprising to be reminded of the drastic lifestyle changes none of us could seem to avoid. I’ve been compiling year-end album lists for quite a few years, but this year in review carries greater emotional attachment than I’ve experienced years prior. For each album I recall hearing, I’m also given a snapshot of the level of fear, grief, numbness, etc. I felt in reaction to the state of the outside world on first listen. Music—and any form of art for that matter—has been a necessary coping mechanism in this period of tremendous uncertainty. To the artists that made it into this personal list of favorites, I extend gratitude for the comfort, distraction, and jams they provided us at the shaky start of a new decade. Honorable Mentions Ummon – Slift ​ A muscular alien man stands on the barren surface of an unknown planet in space holding a gigantic sword behind him—ready to attack. The cover art of Ummon perfectly captures what Slift is all about. ​ ​ This cosmic psych rock trio buries the listener in huge swells of reverberating riffs which drive their sci-fi level of imagination forward into the final frontier. Favorite Song: “It’s Coming…” Magic Oneohtrix Point Never – Oneohtrix Point Never ​ Tuning into a Oneohtrix Point Never record feels like falling asleep in front of the late-night glow of your television. Familiar musical themes quickly float in and out of consciousness like a meandering dream. Just as you become accustomed to the strange logic of one motif, you’re thrown into an entirely new soundscape to orient yourself with. Daniel Lopatin—the mind behind OPN—arranges, samples, and tampers with sound on his own bizarre terms, leaving us to dissect these sonic collages—which defy any sort of sensical explanation—with wonder. Favorite Song: “Long Road Home” Alfredo – Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist ​ Freddie Gibbs cemented his place in the contemporary hip-hop canon when he teamed up with the legendary producer Madlib for their projects Piñata and Bandana, and while nothing can touch ​ ​ ​ ​ Madlib’s beat making prowess, Freddie’s latest collab with The Alchemist holds its own. Freddie’s customary gangsta rap wit over The Alchemist’s, resonant, grimy production proves to be a two-man equation fully deserving of its Grammy nomination. Favorite Song: “God Is Perfect” Western Swing & Waltzes and Other Punchy Songs – Colter Wall ​ Who would have predicted one of the leading figures reviving the outlaw country tradition would be from Saskatchewan, Canada? Even more surprising is that the gravelly, whiskey-torn voice coming out of Colter Wall is only aged 25 years. The collection of simple guitar-led ballads across Western ​ Swing… bleeds pure cowboy nostalgia—a perfect soundtrack for gallivanting among the tumbleweed. ​ Favorite Song: “Cowpoke” Serpentine Prison – Matt Berninger ​ The National frontman Matt Berninger carries himself with a certain disheveled confidence that seems to suit only himself. The deep timbre of his waltzing voice brings self-assured warmth no matter the experimentation his bandmates channel around him. On his solo debut, the simplified, intimate direction Berninger takes his collection of ballads provides a welcome reprieve from The National’s expansive sound. Alone, Berninger is at his most tender, his most vulnerable. Favorite Song: “Silver Springs” Top 10 Albums 10. Lianne La Havas – Lianne La Havas ​ ​ Natural talent seems to flow endlessly out of Lianne La Havas’ self-titled record. As effortlessly as the London neo-soul musician weaves her way around the grooves laid down on her tracks, music of the caliber she performs at is far from simple. On any given song, you can expect to hear complex fingerpicked guitar melodies, multi-part harmonies, and rolling drum patterns falling into a laid-back pocket. Even so, the focus stays on La Havas’ tender ruminations on the complexities of love. While her smoky vibrato beams pure confidence, her lyrical themes tell a different story—meditating on the trials of romantic relationships. Though she searches throughout the record for answers, one thing is certain: La Havas is a modern treasure to soul music. Favorite Song: “Please Don’t Make Me Cry” 9. Color Theory – Soccer Mommy ​ ​ Sophie Allison’s sophomore release on the heels of her 2018 breakout Clean gracefully avoided any ​ ​ sort of slump. Rather, the young slacker pop heroine stood up straight and fine-tuned her sound on Color Theory to something more polished and expansive. While she’s turned a new page in her sonic ​ approach, Allison’s songwriting remains as crushing as ever. Across Color Theory her lyrics confront ​ ​ depressive episodes on “Circle the Drain,” emotional isolation on “Nightswimming,” and her mother’s terminal illness on “Yellow is the Color of Her Eyes.” Allison has proven herself adept at not only finding ways to cope through music, but making her grief universal. Favorite Song: “Circle the Drain” 8. K.G. – King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard ​ ​ The wildly prolific Aussie psych-rock outfit may have only released one studio record this year—as opposed to 5 in 2017—but it stands out in their enormous catalog as one of their most fully realized concepts. While King Gizzard often looks to push their sonic envelope forward, K.G. instead revisits ​ ​ their exploration into microtonal tuning—first heard in 2017’s acclaimed Flying Microtonal Banana. ​ This time around, the group leans further into eastern influence with hypnotic riffs fit to charm any snake. The seamless collection highlights Gizz’s signature guitar-heavy garage jamming with a couple off-the-wall curveballs mixed in—like the Turkish house-inspired “Intrasport'' and Sabbath-esque shredder “The Hungry Wolf of Fate''—to keep things interesting. With such intrepid exploration there’s a lot that can go wrong, but King Gizzard bends genre with such batshit crazy confidence, it’s hard not to be impressed. Favorite Song: “Minimum Brain Size” 7. The New Abnormal – The Strokes ​ ​ When a band's first album makes history, often they become cursed to never reach that first exciting musical high again in subsequent releases. The simple slacker bliss of Is This It—the 2001 record that ​ ​ put the strokes on the map and brought indie rock into a new millennium—seemed to be unattainable in each Strokes follow-up… That is until two decades later with the release of The New ​ Abnormal. The record is rife with the angular guitar rhythms and cool apathy the group is beloved ​ for. Even the riskier parts of The New Abnormal pay off, like the synth-heavy tracks “Brooklyn Bridge ​ ​ to Chorus” and “Eternal Summer,” which both groove something fierce. The record closes with one of ​ ​ the most earnest tracks they’ve laid to tape, “Ode to the Mets." If you’re looking for one song to show the passion behind a group that’s built a career off revealing none, it's right there in a ballad to New York and the Strokes’ many years as a band. Favorite Song: “Ode to the Mets” 6. Makkuro – Tricot ​ ​ I have to confess I’m not that versed in the genre of Japanese math rock, but the all-female quartet Tricot emits such an impressive combination of talent and endearing charm, I found myself becoming an immediate fan. The Kyoto group’s fourth album is brimming with brutal guitar riffs and strange time signatures that will make your head spin. The rhythmic clockwork they’ve built across the record is so layered and intricately pieced together, it feels there’s something new to discover with each listen. At the same time, lead singer Ikumi Nakajima's gorgeous vocal leads shimmer above the frenetic riffs. The aggression and complexity of Tricot’s instrumentation pieced with the whimsical singing make for a truly singular musical math equation. Favorite Song: “あふれる (Overflowing)” 5. Punisher – Phoebe Bridgers ​ ​ What makes Phoebe Bridgers such an exceptionally beloved songwriter? Is it the way her subdued melodies become ingrained into your head, hummed repeatedly throughout the year? Is it the clever quips peppered through her lyrics, like “I’ve been playing dead my whole life” on “ICU”? Maybe it’s the ​ ​ iconic, Donnie Darko-worshiping skeleton onesie she’s taken to wearing this album cycle. No matter what draws us to Phoebe, the masterfully crafted Punisher has made it clear that her music is far ​ ​ greater than depression-fodder for college goths. Earning her four Grammy nominations, live appearances on all the late shows, and a spot in almost every music publication’s year-end list—Punisher contains something universal. Whatever the magic touch Phoebe brings to ​ ​ contemporary music is, it’s clear her melancholic influence will last decades. Favorite Song: “I Know The End” 4. Shore – Fleet Foxes ​ ​ Autumn is a season I—and many others—habitually tie to Fleet Foxes. As the leaves begin turning and the first chill in the air hits my face, I hit play on the Foxes’ discography and welcome the world’s annual change. Therefore, it only makes sense that frontman Robin Pecknold would choose the autumn equinox on Sept. 22 to release Shore. While our country raged with a rampant virus and a ​ ​ bitter election season, Shore was a welcome vacation into optimistic bliss. Compared to the divisive, ​ ​ avant-garde direction of Fleet Foxes’ last album Crack-Up, this project instead focused on crafting ​ ​ easily enjoyable tunes. Shore dreamily coasts along with songs like “Sunblind” and “Can I Believe You” ​ ​ brimming with multi-part harmonies and smooth, washy textures. Shore didn’t quite match the ​ ​ timeless grandeur of Fleet Foxes’ famous first records, but its straightforward joyousness has remained a welcome resource of escape from an increasingly uncertain world.