r d e R e c o s P r e s S i d e n t B - s : Best of the Year 2020

Jimmy 2020 Pandemic and Cancer - thank God for music Liv’s List

XOXO by The Jayhawks Beach Bunny - Honeymoon

Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple - Punisher

Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers Crack Cloud - Pain Olympics

Women in Music, Pt. III by HAIM Disq - Collector

Song For Our Daughter by Fontaines D.C. - A Hero’s Death

Homegrown by Ghostpoet - I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep

Shore by Fleet Foxes Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo

Beyond the Pale by Jarv Is... Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas

My Echo by Laura Veirs Jyoti - Mama, You Can Bet!

Good Souls Better Angels by Mary Lattimore - Silver Ladders

Even in Exile by James Dean Bradfield Liv.E - Couldn’t Wait To Tell You…

Midnight Manor by The Nude Party Agnes Obel - Myopia

Sun Racket by Okay Kaya - Watch This Liquid Pour Itself

England Is a Garden by Cornershop Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess

On Sunset by The Orielles - Disco Volador

Reunions by and the 400 Unit Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today

Alphabetland by X Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways To New Italy

Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was by Bright Eyes - RTJ4

Let It All In by Arboretum Slow Pulp - Moveys

Sideways to New Italy by Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Shannon sez Squirrel Flower - I Was Born Swimming

Collector by Disq

Moses Sumney - græ

Never Not Together by Nada Surf Bladee - 333 Tobin Sprout - Empty Horses

The Unraveling by Drive-By Truckers Slow Pulp - Moveys TORRES - Silver Tongue

The Universal Want by Doves Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind

Mordechai by Khruangbin Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake Neil Young - Homegrown What's New, Tomboy? by The Garden - Kiss My Super Bowl Ring Made Of Rain by The Psychedelic Furs

The Main Thing by Real Estate

Serpentine Prison by Matt Berninger

Muzz by Muzz

MTV Unplugged [Live at Hull City Hall] by Liam Gallagher These Most Artful Disqs Have Graced My Senses

Migration Stories by M. Ward This 2020 by Dave

Thin Mind by

I Am Not a Dog on a Chain by Morrissey Disq - Collector That’s me, wholeheartedly

Moveys by Slow Pulp Dungen - Live Swashbuckling Swedes shred the night fantastically

HAZY by Squarewave Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl - Artlessly Falling

The Waterfall II by Virtuosic guitarist & poet leaves the singing to notable voices…

Live by Dungen - The Man Downstairs

G is for Go-Betweens Vol 2 by The Go-Betweens What’s he building down there?

Texas Sun by Khruangbin and Leon Bridges Khruangbin - Mordechai

Citizens of Boomtown by Boomtown Rats Dub-infused etc. power trio shenanigans

Mission Bells by Proper Ornaments Stephen J. Malkmus - Traditional Techniques

Live at the Royal Albert Hall, 1974 by Bryan Ferry The Scrabble master scrambles on w/ non-Jick collaborators

Dias Raros by Melenas Laura Marling - Song for Our Daughter

Richard by Joe Pernice Mekons - Exquisite X-quisitely perfect for a dampenic or any

Teenage Wildlife: 25 Years of Ash by Ash other time and arguably their weirdest yet, fittingly

Surrender Your Poppy Field by Pat Metheny - From This Place Another epic masterpiece from

Tuscaloosa by Neil Young the guitarist/composer well suited to these times &, wait for it, b-yond

Ruiner by Wilsen Bob Mould - Blue Hearts “Anger can be power”

A Small Death by Slow Pulp - Moveys Gorgeous pop, plus - and w/ Madison roots

Printer's Devil by Ratboys Squarewave - HAZY More beauticity from the Badger State, etc.

Foothills by The Bats So looking forward to the live versions!

Most spins: Jayhawks, Wilsen, Bright Eyes, Pernice, Throwing Muses - Kristin, Bernard & Dave crank it up

Jurado, X, Weller, Squarewave, Ferry X - Alphabetland The Original! Just in time for these times - exquisite... Steve’s 20 Most Loved of 2020 + Instrumental

(alphabetical order)

A Girl Called Eddy - Been Around Jeff Parker & The New Breed - Suite for Max Brown

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher Gil Scott-Heron / Makaya McCraven - We’re New Again

Samantha Crain - A Small Death Pat Metheny - From This Place

Disq - Collector Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You?

Kathleen Edwards - Total Freedom Wolfgang Muthspiel - Angular

Madeline Kenney - Sucker’s Lunch Helen Money - Atomic

Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter Sir Richard Bishop - Oneiric Formulary

Melenas - Dias Raros Tony Allen / Hugh Masekela - Rejoice

Okay Kaya - Watch This Liquid Pour Itself Bill Frisell - Valentine

Chuck Prophet - The Land That Time Forgot Roger Eno + Brian Eno - Mixing Colours

Ratboys - Printer’s Devil Redman/Mehldau/McBride/Blade - RoundAgain

Nadia Reid - Out of My Province Syneva - Star Taker

Slow Pulp - Moveys Jim White + Marisa Anderson - The Quickening

Soccer Mommy - Color Theory Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids - Shaman!

Squarewave - HAZY Gunn-Truscinski Duo - Soundkeeper

The Third Mind - s/t Goldmund - The Time it Takes

This Is the Kit - Off Off On Mary Lattimore - Silver Ladders

Jeff Tweedy - Love Is the King Ron Miles - Rainbow Sign

Wilsen - Ruiner Kahil El’Zabar - America the Beautiful

Winter - Endless Space (Between You & I) Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl - Artlessly Falling

Loads More to Love From 2020 Ben Wendel - High Heart

The Nels Cline Singers - Share the Wealth

(chronological order, sort of) Rob Mazurek Exploding Star Orchestra - Dimensional Stardust Alexandra Savior - The Archer

Wilder Deitz - Y’All

Bonny Light Horseman - s/t Not Enough Shows

Recreation Station - Fish In Heat (chronological order)

Andy Shauf - The Neon Skyline Slow Pulp / Disq / Interlay @High Noon Saloon

The Deer - Do No Harm Syneva / Rairie @Communication

Destroyer - Have We Met Jon Langford + Sally Timms + John Szymanski @Kiki’s HoRM

Drive-By Truckers - The Unraveling Woke Up Crying / Seafoam In My Swimsuit / Dash Hounds (solo)

Agnes Obel - Myopia @Communication

Isobel Campbell - There Is No Other… Nester @The Venue on Winnebago

Deserta - Black Aura My Sun / Kacy & Clayton @Sylvee

Post Animal - Forward Motion Godyssey Lower Lakes Trio @Garver Feed Mill

En Attendant Ana - Juillet

Frazey Ford - U Kin B the Sun

Postcards - The Good Soldier

Wire - Mind Hive B-Side Frances Quinlan - Likewise

Eyelids - The Accidental Falls

Khruangbin + Leon Bridges - Texas Sun (EP) Best of the Year Dan Deacon - Mystic Familiar

Tan Cologne - Cave Vaults On the Moon in New Mexico

Nada Surf - Never Not Together

Jim Noir - A.M Jazz 2020

Honey Cutt - Coasting

Califone - Echo Mine Sorry - 925

Norris Court - Imposter Syndrome Mekons - Exquisite and the Parkington Sisters - s/t

Lanterns on the Lake - Spook the Herd Joe Pernice - Richard Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds,...

Dropkick - The Scenic Route Muzz - s/t Bully - Sugaregg

Stephen J. Malkmus - Traditional Techniques Khruangbin - Mordechai Damien Jurado - What’s New, Tomboy?

The Proper Ornaments - Mission Bells Deerhoof - Future Teenage Cave Artists Young Fresh Fellows - Toxic Youth

Close Lobsters - Post Neo Anti Holy Wave - Interloper Rose City Band - Summerlong

Jonathan Wilson - Dixie Blur Malojian - Humm Bill Callahan - Gold Record

Dungen - Live Kelley Stoltz - Hard Feelings Molly Tuttle - ...But I’d Rather Be With You

Bill Fay - Countless Branches Pretenders - Hate For Sale Throwing Muses - Sun Racket

Cornershop - England Is a Garden The Homesick - The Big Exercise Widowspeak - Plum

Gena Rose Bruce - Can’t Make You Love Me The Jayhawks - XOXO Cults - Host

Porridge Radio - Every Bad The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers Fenne Lily - Breach

Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels Rolling Blackouts C.F. - Sideways to New Italy Bob Mould - Blue Hearts

Wax Machine - Earthsong of Silence Shabazz Palaces - The Don of Diamond Dreams Naked Giants - The Shadow

Shmu - Pure Bliss Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - All the Good Times Sylvie Simmons - Blue on Blue

The Strokes - The New Abnormal Girl Friday - Androgynous Mary Supercrush - SODO Pop

Margaret Glaspy - Devotion X - Alphabetland Mint Field - Sentimiento Mundial Julian Cope - Self Civil War Coricky - s/t Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison

David Dondero - The Filter Bubble Blues Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers Helena Deland - Someone New

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud Becca Mancari - The Greatest Part Hannah Georgas - All That Emotion

Supermoon - Half Country Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Chris Smither - More From the Levee

Cowboy Junkies - Ghosts Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain -

James Elkington - Ever-Roving Eye Fontaines D.C. - A Hero’s Death Loma - Don’t Shy Away

Johanna Warren - Chaotic Good Land of Talk - [Indistinct Conversations] - Hey Clockface

Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners Lianne La Havas - s/t Eels - Earth to Dora

Anna Burch - If You’re Dreaming Soft Palms - s/t Marika Hackman - Covers

Squirrel Flower - I Was Born Swimming Ohmme - Fantasize Your Ghost Jennifer Castle - Monarch Season

Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways Jenny O. - New Truth Laura Veirs - My Echo

Hinds - The Prettiest Curse Dean & Britta - Quarantine Tapes Lambchop - Trip

Ghostpoet - I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep Mike Polizze - Solace Find The Bats - Foothills

The Orielles - Disco Volador Thompson Springs - Undertones The Flat Five - Another World

Jess Williamson - Sorceress Jeff Kelly - When the World Was Younger Leo Kottke / Mike Gordon - Noon

ALEX BEST 2020 Ralph’s Favorites

The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers (Top ten; random order)

Courtney Barnett - MTV Unplugged Nadia Reid - Out of My Province Bill Callahan - Gold Record

Disq - Collector - Folklore Ratboys - Printer’s Devil

Isobel Campbell - There Is No Other R. Boyd - High Country Skyway Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels

Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud - Eight Gates Roger Eno + Brian Eno - Mixed Colours

M. Ward - Migration Stories - Gaslighter Soccer Mommy - Color Theory

Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter X - Alphabetland Coricky - s/t

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Throwing Muses - Sun Racket PJ Harvey - To Bring You My Love Demos

Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess The Pretenders - Hate For Sale

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher Laura Veirs - My Echo Cornershop - England Is a Garden

Soccer Mommy - Color Theory Bob Mould - Blue Hearts Stephen J. Malkmus - Traditional Techniques

Frances Quinlan - Likewise Jeff Tweedy - Love is the King Honorable Mentions:

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - All the Good Times Adrianne Lenker - Songs and Instrumentals Wire - Mind Hive

Margo Price - That’s How Rumors Get Started Hum - Inlet The Dream Syndicate - The Universe Inside

Roedelius - Selbstportrait Wahre Liebe

James Williamson + Denis Tek - Two to One

Throwing Muses - Sun Racket

Toots & the Maytails - Got to be Tough

Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Steve Earle - Ghost of West Virginia

Squarewave - HAZY

The Third Mind - s/t

DJ's various 2020 The Jayhawks - XOXO

Jon Hassell - Seeing the Sound

Everybody Had A Hard Year by Pete (This List Is Dedicated To Travis): 1.Terje Rypdal - Conspiracy Noveller - Arrow

2. Michael Rother - Dreaming Bob Mould - Blue Hearts

Margo Price - That’s How Rumors Get Started 3. Jahari Massamba Unit - M. Ward - Migration Stories

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher Pardon My French Kelly Lee Owens - Innersong

Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1: 4. Wire - Mind Hive Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain

The Butcher Shoppe Sessions 5. Puss N Boots - Sister Disq - Collector

Steve Earle and The Dukes - Ghosts of West Virginia Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunion Neil Young - Homegrown

Drive-By Truckers - The Unravelling Eliza Gilkyson - 2020

Drive-By Truckers - The New OK (Digital: hard copy in 2021) Joe Ely - Love in the Midst of Mayhem

The Chicks - Gaslighter Jim Lauderdale - From Another World

Matt Caflisch - Runaway Lilly Hiatt - Walking Proof

Run The Jewels - RTJ4 Nick Lowe - Lay it on Me (EP)

Jason Molina - Eight Gates The Only Ones - Live in 1979

AC/DC - Power Up (Sunday Morning Nightmare Series)

Okkervil River - A Dream In The Dark:

Two Decades Of Okkervil River Live Jazz

Pat Metheny - From This Place

Songs Makaya McCraven/Gil Scott-Heron - We’re New Again

Murder Most Foul - Bob Dylan Jeremy Pelt - The Art of Intimacy Vol. 1

Gaslighter - The Chicks Chicago Underground Quartet - Good Days

Prisoner Of The Highway - Margo Price Redman/Mehldau/McBride/Blade - RoundAgain

I Ran Away From Home - Matt Caflisch Sun Ra Arkestra - Swirling

Heaven Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere - Steve Earle Bill Laswell - Against Empire

Grievance Merchants - Drive-By Truckers John Scofield - Swallow Tales

Kyoto - Phoebe Bridgers Marcin Wasilweski Trio w/Joe Lovano - Arctic Riff

Life Ain’t Fair and The World Is Mean - Sturgill Simpson Jimmy Heath - Love Letter

Dreamsicle - Jason Isbell Ambrose Akinmusire - On the Tender Spot of

Just - Run The Jewels (ft. Pharell Williams + Zach de la Rocha) Every Calloused Moment

Alan Braufman - The Fire Still Burns

Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown

Shows - I Only Saw Three But Luckily They Were All Good Shabaka and the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here by History

Otto's Chemical Lounge w/ Dumpster Juice, The Carnegies, The Psychedelic Sounds Of:, Gerald Clayton - Happening Live at Village Vanguard

Joe Lyon: Magician of The Living Dead @Turf Club, St. Paul Dayna Stephens - Right Now!

Tyshawn Sorey / Marilyn Crispell - The Adornment of Time Venison, Drunk Drivers, Touch Is Automatic, Riggs Calvero @Mortimer’s, Minneapolis

Decadent Cabaret 41 @Labor Temple, Eau Claire - Tons of great sets including my first and last gig of the year re-uniting with Giants Of Midgard to do a Blondie set.

Then everything shut down one week later. Claire’s favorites

Gil Scott-Heron & Makaya McCraven - We're New Again

R.I.P. - We Lost Some Good Ones This Year Moses Sumney - græ

John Prine Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind

Bill Withers Jyoti - Mama, You Can Bet!

Adam Schlesinger Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Little Richard Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown

Charlie Daniels Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Peter Green Open Mike Eagle - Anime, Trauma and Divorce Eddie Van Halen

Jerry Jeff Walker

Toots Hibbert

Spencer Davis

Helen Reddy

Justin Townes Earle (The one that hurt!)

My Good Friend Travis Nelson (The one that really hurt!) B-Side Best of the Year 2020 Good things did happen in 2020. Brendan’s Best

Lesley's list of 15 of them B-Side Best of the Year 2020

The Cool Greenhouse - s/t

Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Crack Cloud - Pain Olympics

Neil Young - Homegrown Fontaines D.C. - A Hero’s Death

Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Transmissions: Adrianne Lenker - Songs

The Music of Beverly Glenn-Copeland Loma - Don’t Shy Away

Beverly Glenn-Copeland - Live at Le Guess Who? Mint Field - Sentimiento Mundial

Bill Callahan - Gold Record Mourn - Self Worth

Lonnie Holley - National Freedom The Orielles - Disco Volador

Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher Osees - Protean Threat

No Age - Goons Be Gone Porridge Radio - Every Bad

The Flaming Lips - American Head Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today

Julianna Barwick - Healing Is a Miracle Ratboys - Printer’s Devil

Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess Shopping - All Or Nothing

Blake Mills - Mutable Set Slow Pulp - Moveys

Lomelda - Hannah Sneaks - Happy Birthday

Adrianne Lenker - Songs Supercrush - SODO Pop - Idiot Prayer

Eric’s Dispatch From

Techno/Electronic/EDM/IDM/Deep House

Top Ten:

Shinichi Atobe - Yes

Boof - Rebirth of Gerberdaisy

Cinthie - Skylines City Lights

Beatrice Dillon - Workaround

Jon Hassell - Seeing Through Sound (Pentimento Volume Two)

Robert Hood - Mirror Man

Josey Rebelle - Josey In Space

Rhythm Plate - It's Not An It's a Doublepack E.P.

Session Victim - Needledrop

Soela - Genuine Silk

Second Fourteen:

Actress - Karma and Desire

Autechre - Sign

Daniel Avery - Love + Light

Coastlines - Coastlines

Nathan Fake - Blizzards

Fluxion - Perspectives

Eric Hilton - Eternal Everywhere

Hodge - Shadows In Blue

HVL - Alignment

Ital Tek - Outland

Maribou State - Fabric Presents

Pinch - Reality Tunnels

DJ Python - Mas Amable

Recondite - Dwell

TwoGuitarsBassDrumsMoreOrLess

The Bats - Foothills

Chicos De Nazca - Love Triumph

Cornershop - England is a Garden

Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Lambchop - Trip

Pearl Jam - Gigaton

Proper Ornaments - Mission Bells

Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You

Virginia Trance - Vincent's Playlist

Wire - Mind Hive