Check This Out! : Fav 40 Albums of 2020

2020 was a rough one for everyone but also a goldmine for new music releases

One of the great traditions for music fans is the best “however many albums” of the year articles. This year is even more special because although the music industry has been affected like most everything else, we’ve still had an embarrassment of riches for new releases.

I was originally going to do a “Top 20 for 20” because it has a nice ring to it, but as I reviewed my list, there were too many great projects not to include. Since new releases don’t typically start again until February, you’ll have plenty of time to dig through this.

For the remainder of December, I’ll be sending ten albums weekly. While you’re looking through them, you might wonder where stuff like Fiona Apple, The Weekend, or HAIM are at. While I loved all of those albums, there are so many other artists right now that can’t tour or play the Super Bowl halftime for a quick stack.

The albums are mostly not ranked in any particular order (my astrological sign says I’m bad at decisions, and I can’t argue with that). I hope some of these provide great small moments for you as they have for me over the last 12 months. If you have a smaller favorite artist, please support them on Bandcamp if possible, as they receive the most money that way. Today also happens to be the last Bandcamp Friday for 2020 in which all fees are waived, and the artist receives 100% of your purchase, pretty cool!

If the e-zine is going to our promotions or spam, PLEASE reply to the email or move it to your primary folder so it is hitting your inbox from now on! Let me know in the comments what your favorite album of the year is, and if you enjoy the article, please share it!

#40 Deserta - Black Aura My Sun

Shoegaze was alive and well in 2020 with Deserta’s debut Black Aura My Sun. This album is full of fuzzy guitar bliss that updates the genre’s sound by combining it with synthpop melodies like a killer twin billing of Slowdive and Beach House.

Band leader Matthew Doty cranks the reverb and buries the vocals with the instruments, making it easy to be swept away in the dreamy atmosphere.

Black Aura My Sun is available via Felte Records.

#39 Frances Quinlan - Likewise

Frances Quinlan has been performing as the frontwoman for the Philly indie band Hop Along since 2009, but Likewise is her debut solo offering. Produced by fellow Hop Along bandmate Joe Reinhart, Quinlan decides to strip her sound back to mostly acoustic guitars and piano, allowing her wonderfully unique vocals to take center stage.

Be sure also to check out the track “Rare Thing,” which features fellow Philly harpist Mary Lattimore, and the brilliant closer, a reimagining of the Built to Spill classic “Carry the Zero.”

Likewise is available via Saddle Creek.

#38 Theophilus London - Bebey

“You and me, though?/ We could groove again/ Like Tay and Stella/ get our groove again”

Like many people, one of my favorite memories from 2020 happened all the way back in January. Wanting to take a break from the winter, I found myself driving around the Valley in a rented Dodge Charger. It turns out some dry heat and the hip-hop/reggae/calypso grooves of Theophilus London were just the cure.

This was my first experience with London, but the album includes collaborations with familiar faces like Kevin Parker of Tame Impala, Lil’ Yachty, and Ariel Pink. The songs can vary in quality as they were written and recorded over a period of many years, but the standouts are some of the best party tracks of the year.

Bebey is self-released and available via My Bebey Records.

#37 Poolside - Low Season

Low Season holds a special place in my year as the last show I attended before 2020 took a dark turn was Tycho with Poolside opening. Over the course of their career, Poolside has consisted of Jeffrey Paradise and a changing cast of characters. Low Season is their first to be helmed by him, leading to a record fully committed to their self-described “day disco” sound.

Poolside is great at combining their electronic roots with acoustic instruments and percussion - saxophones and hand drums are all over this thing. Low Season is a happy hour kinda record, and they may be the most aptly named band… ever?

Also released this year, don’t miss their cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Shakedown Street” with a video featuring some great 90s lot footage.

Low Season is self-released and available via Pacific Standard Records.

#36 Bonny Light Horseman - Bonnie Light Horseman

Bonny Light Horseman’s “debut” is a gem of a traditional folk album. It’s hard to call it a debut when the group is made up of vets Anaïs Mitchell (“Best Original Score” Tony award-winner for Hadestown), Eric D. Johnson (leader of the criminally underrated Fruit Bats, as well as sometimes member of The Shins), and Josh Kaufman (a multi-instrumentalist who has played with The National, Bob Weir, and Craig Finn).

The album consists of re-imaginings of traditional British folk songs but never has the feeling of a stuffy museum. Working with Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) and Aaron Dessner (The National), the trio makes great use of modern instruments and melodies to keep things fresh.

Bonny Light Horseman is available via 37d3d.

#35 The Strokes - The New Abnormal

Ever hear of this lil’ band called The Strokes? These fellas are legends, and The New Abnormal is arguably their strongest work in 17 years (New Impressions of Earth fans where you at?). It’s been a while since their last record, and everyone has been working on other projects, most notably Julian Casablancas’ great band, The Voidz. The time away gives the band a real freshness, and this is a tight set of songs.

The closing track “Ode to the Mets” was written by Casablancas while waiting for the 7 train after a “Mutts” loss, something I have experienced many a time.

The New Abnormal is available via RCA.

#34 Juiceboxxx - It’s Easy to Feel Like a Nobody in the City

Juiceboxxx has had an interesting career, to say the least. Chuck D of Public Enemy once called him the “Buddy Holly of Hip Hop.” He was also a meme sensation a few years because of his awful performance while hawking an energy drink on a local Milwaukee news station. But let’s face it, a guy who’s playing small, dirty basement shows will never translate in an empty tv studio.

It’s Easy to Feel Like a Nobody in the City finds Juiceboxxx continuing to lean more into the 00s pop punk he’s explored on his last few albums. Now backed by a two-person band, he’s able to write some great hooks while continuing to sing about his career of struggling while living on the road. At his best, Juice reminds me of early Beastie Boys if they were rapping about mental health instead of girls.

It’s Easy to Feel Like a Nobody in the City is available via Dangerbird Records.

#33 Eric Hilton - Infinite Everywhere

I love it when someone gives me a great recommendation like Infinite Everywhere. Downtempo is one of my favorite genres, and Eric Hilton is half of the electronic duo Thievery Corporation, long time vets in the scene. Hilton’s solo debut wasn’t on my radar, but this recommendation has become one of my year's defining albums.

While keeping Thievery Corporation’s eastern influences, on Infinite Everywhere, Hilton leaves behind his past writing for a live act. He instead focuses on bringing in studio musicians for an intimate feel. The album drifts through a seamless meditation of jazz, trip hop, and dub basslines, providing a much needed quiet from the world.

The fact that this album seems to be a favorite for all the new parents in my life is the true testament to its chillness.

Infinite Everywhere is available via Montserrat House.

#32 Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud

Waxahatchee, aka Katie Crutchfield, has released some of my favorite albums from the last seven years, and Saint Cloud is her best yet. Leaving Philly and 90s indie behind, Crutchfield has entered the Nashville Skyline chapter of her career by embracing her upbringing in Alabama.

Throughout Saint Cloud, self-acceptance and a theme of home are explored through a crisp Americana lens, brilliantly recorded by the ever-present producer and multi-instrumentalist Brad Cook (The War on Drugs, Hiss Golden Messenger, Bruce Hornsby).

Crutchfield and her partner Kevin Morby have also provided much-needed comfort through their many live streams from their living room in Kansas City, giving the songs from this quarantine record an even more intimate feel.

Saint Cloud is available via Merge Records.

#31 The Nude Party - Midnight Manor

The Nude Party’s 2018 self-titled album was one of my most shared records of that year. Their sound is everything you’d expect from their name: a sweaty hodgepodge of Lou Reed, Exile on Main Street Stones, T.Rex, and The Kinks, a combo no one can resist.

Midnight Manor picks up where that record left off while adding a little more twang through Rickenbackers and a piano that sounds like it is about to fall apart. These Catskill communal living garage rockers bring something for everyone, so quit the moping and crank this thing up to 11!

Midnight Manor is available via New West Records.

Which record hits right for you? Leave a comment, and see you next week with another installment of the Fav 40.