Music took on a deeper meaning for me as a major source of inspiration, insight and happiness throughout this tiresome year.
At first I was just a little emotionally destroyed that all of my concert plans vanished into thin air due to the pandemic, but I think the extra time helped me connect with some of my new favorite albums on a soul level. For that, I am grateful.
In true countdown fashion (with my #1 pick listed at the bottom of this blog post – oh, the suspense!), here are my top 10 albums of 2020!
10. Mordechai – Khruangbin
In an effort to expand my taste and take a dip in the vast psychedelic music swimming pool, I stumbled across Khruangbin in the late days of spring…and oh, was I pleasantly surprised! I was captivated by the rich, far-off musical influences that defined the worldly sound of the group’s first two fully instrumental albums.
Then Mordechai came along in June, adding vocals to the music and a shiny dose of pop that was almost too commercial for my liking, but was saved by the awesome grooviness that came along for the ride.
The catchy, trance-like lead single “Time (You and I)” was made for the summer evening parties of old — for those moments when you’d look around at all your close friends dancing together and watch the pink-orange sunset in the sky, and feel nothing but an overwhelming sense of love. Each track on this album is like floating away into a super chilled out other dimension.
Favorites: Time (You and I), Pelota, So We Won’t Forget
9. Color Theory – Soccer Mommy
You know when all you want to do is flop on your bed, listen to sad music on repeat, and wallow in the sadness? Yeah, this album was made for those moments. What makes Color Theory stand out in 2020 is the soft grunge, perfectly ’90s spin that Sophie Allison (aka Soccer Mommy) puts on the sadness. It adds so much flavor to the themes of loss and melancholy she sings about. This makes for a super emo listening experience, so prepare yourselves. She sounds much wiser and more cynical than one might think her 20 years of age would allow.
Upon first listen many of the songs can seem boring or easy to zone out to, but go back and pay attention. Beneath the muted, distorted instrumentals and seemingly Plain Jane vocals are lyrics so expressive and raw that they feel like a sucker punch to the gut.
Anyone who has ever struggled with depression, the pain of growing up, or the slow loss of a loved one to illness (case in point: the beautiful centerpiece of the album, “yellow is the color of her eyes”) will find this album easy to sink into. I am excited to see Soccer Mommy’s star continue to rise!
Favorites: Circle the Drain, Night Swimming, Yellow is the Color of Her Eyes
8. Notes on a Conditional Form – The 1975
As a superfan, I am disappointed that this new album from The 1975 isn’t higher on my top 10 list. The 1980s anti-pop sound that skyrocketed them to fame a few years ago is still present on this album, but just barely. Notes on a Conditional Form is the band’s most experimental foray yet, with 22 tracks that dabble in piano, dubstep, dark electronic house, and even country music.
While I appreciate the desire to play with different genres, the album is too long and disjointed for my liking. The signature ironic wit and energy lyrics are still there, but I wish NOACF was more of a statement piece where the song choices felt thoughtful and fleshed out. Although there are some standout tracks I don’t know how well this would play live, or if I’ll listen to it all the way through on repeat like I’ve done with previous albums.
Favorites: Me & You Together Song, If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know), Guys
7. Chromatica – Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is one of the few artists who remind me that no matter how hard I try to hide it, I will always have a sweet spot for “bubblegum” pop music. Albums like this completely justify my obsession. I turned to Chromatica many times this year for a dopamine boost so powerful it usually brings me to tears while I’m on my daily walk. It is the embodiment of joy and freedom!
Gaga’s vocals are as smooth and flawless as ever as she preaches the importance of radical self-empowerment. This is a manifesto for picking yourself up when your own mind, traumatic experiences with other people, or tough life circumstances knock you down. If you need an electric jolt of positivity (as I’m sure we all do), I urge you to listen to Chromatica immediately. You’re welcome.
Favorites: Rain On Me (with Ariana Grande), Free Woman, 911, Sine From Above (with Elton John)
6. Shore – Fleet Foxes
As a long time “indie kid,” I’ve listened to Fleet Foxes here and there throughout the years, but never fully got into them. However, Shore came out of left field in September and woke me up, earning a permanent place in my collection of go-to indie folk albums!
Released on the same day as the autumn equinox, this is an album made for our current age of staying indoors and returning to simplicity. I’m a sucker for music that makes me feel both rooted at home and on a far-off journey, something Fleet Foxes has always excelled in.
Songs like “Jara” and A Long Way Past the Past” sweep you into an exciting world full of color and adventure, a land where we are all comforted and accepted by Mother Nature. The warm and exuberant tone that defines Shore (vocals, instrumentals, lyrics, and all) is a breath of fresh air that carried me through the last few months of the year.
Favorites: Sunblind, Can I Believe You, I’m Not My Season, Quiet Air/Gioia
5. Women In Music, Pt. III – HAIM
Everyone’s favorite girl band delivered yet again in 2020, blessing us with a new album that is a prime example of genre bending done right. For instance, I was hooked by the horns at the beginning of opening track “Los Angeles,” taken aback (in the best way) by the ’90s reggae groove of “3 AM,” and emphatically roused by the Haim sisters’ callout of sexist music interviewers on the Joni Mitchell-esque “Man from the Magazine.”
Three albums in now, HAIM knows who they are. They stick to their harmonious sound in such an endearing way that it allows them to push their own boundaries with a mish-mash of instruments, rhythms, and personal lyrics.
Women in Music Pt. III has more than enough variety for everyone (but never too much), while keeping the eternally youthful sound of the band intact. Here’s hoping it takes home a well-earned Grammy or two!
Favorites: Los Angeles, I Know Alone, 3 AM, Leaning on You, Summer Girl
4. Dreamland – Glass Animals
It’s not very often that one of your favorite bands drops their new album on your birthday, and for that reason Dreamland will always be extra special to me. Glass Animals bring the psychedelia and nostalgia big time on this third record, which frontman Dave Bayley wrote as a deep dive into his most defining memories from childhood to now.
If you’re a millennial, chances are you’ll squeal with recognition and delight at the many ’80s and ’90s references that appear throughout the album. Mr. Miyagi, Pokemon, the Doom computer game series, Dunkaroos, and more – they all tie in perfectly with the aesthetic and musical vibe of the Dreamland universe Bayley has created.
The cohesiveness works almost to a fault. Some tracks float together too much for me, but they are punctuated by heavy songs like “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” (based on Bayley’s experience with a friend who brought a gun to school) and the heart-wrenching “Domestic Bliss.” Dreamland is a balance of the light and dark in life, the weird and mundane, the filtered and real. I think Glass Animals outdid themselves with this one!
Favorites: Space Ghost Coast to Coast, It’s All So Incredibly Loud, Tokyo Drifting (with Denzel Curry), Heat Waves
3. evermore – Taylor Swift
I only ranked this album as third for the sake of list-making. I will probably spend the foreseeable future changing my mind about which of Taylor Swift’s TWO amazing indie albums (?!) from this year I like best. If you told anyone who’s known me since college that I would one day declare myself a Swiftie, they would have laughed in your face. But this year I have finally seen the light!
In my opinion, this is the kind of music Taylor Swift was made to make, and the kind I’ve been dying to hear from her. Evermore and its sister album folklore are both crafted by mature storytelling and restrained yet thoughtful instrumentals that bring new characters to life.
Evermore speaks to the quiet and cutting pain of adulthood, whether it’s a failed proposal, love that is merely tolerated, or learning of your partner’s affair and desperately wanting revenge. Songs like “willow” and “ivy” balance out the reality with beautiful, Renaissance Faire lands of make believe. Her collaborations with The National, Bon Iver, HAIM, and (in a sneaky background vocal addition) Marcus Mumford are the icing on this perfectly frosted cake.
Favorites: ivy, willow, happiness, marjorie, champagne problems
2. folklore – Taylor Swift
The spring/summer sister to evermore‘s fall/winter vibe, folklore is the album that turned the world on its head with its surprise release back in July. Folklore is proof that even after all these years and through a freaking pandemic, T. Swift can still do the damn thing and reinvent herself as an artist.
I think this album is stronger than evermore in terms of the poetic finesse and imagery in the lyrics. I also like that it has more instances of Swift’s typical autobiographical approach without going overboard. Songs like “seven” and “invisible string” are a natural evolution of topics like love and girlhood from her previous albums.
Her songwriting here is so vivid that even the fictional characters (Betty, James, and an unnamed girl whom Swift thinks of as Augustine) who are caught in a teenage love triangle feel like they’re leaping off the page!
Folklore is a slow, sunny masterpiece that peels back the layers of Swift’s imagination and lets her voice shine in its most natural state, thanks to strong production from Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. It’s as if she were sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch, intimately whispering these stories in your ear. I will be shocked if folklore doesn’t win Album of the Year or sweep all the awards – it’s the stuff of legends.
P.S. “August” is my favorite Taylor Swift song of all time, hands down, FOREVER!
Favorites: august, betty, peace, invisible string, the lakes (bonus track)
1. The Slow Rush – Tame Impala
“Do you remember? We were standing here a year ago
Our minds were racing and time went slow
If there was trouble in the world, we didn’t know
If we had a care, it didn’t show”
Although the record was released back in February, these lyrics that start “One More Year,” the opening track on Tame Impala’s The Slow Rush, are so prophetic now that it seems uncanny…and kind of spooky, right?!
I could sing this album’s praises forever, but put simply, I love it so much because it is the quintessential soundtrack of 2020.
There’s no way that Kevin Parker could have known he predicted a year where life would become a “slow rush” of sorts — one of daily strife, loss, and depressing world events, with many of us having more time to ourselves than we’ve ever known. But that’s exactly why it works.
The Slow Rush of Time
This is an album about the conceptual passage of time, released in a year where time seemed to stand still (and reveal horrifying truths about our society). A year where sometimes we couldn’t bear to look anymore, and yet all we could turn to for solace were visions of the past and future. When we needed to escape present day and reframe our perspective of time, The Slow Rush was there.
Some perfect examples are “On Track,” “Lost In Yesterday,” and “One More Hour.” The first song is a reminder that one slow year does not mean your time is wasted, and that you have your whole life to stay on track towards your dreams. The next is a bitter pill to swallow on the dangers of looking at the past through rose-colored glasses, because it wasn’t really that great.
Finally, “One More Hour” closes the album with reflections on past actions that have led to the present and what one has to look forward to in life. I like to think of it as the final hour of “One More Year,” right before the start of a new chapter. Perfect for a much-anticipated New Year’s Eve.
Combine these uplifting, retrospective lyrics with Parker’s reverb-heavy, psychedelic magic, and what do you get? A masterfully mixed, Grammy-nominated “happy accident” with a tracklist of glittery songs that will have you reflecting, dancing, and living from start to finish. No skips allowed!
Whether its success remains in 2020 or expands to 2021 and beyond, I believe The Slow Rush will stand the test of time. This album is exactly how I want to remember this year.
Favorites: Borderline, Posthumous Forgiveness, On Track, Is It True, Glimmer
Top 10 countdown complete! Cheers to the incredible albums that helped us all make it through 2020.
My hope for 2021 (ha ha ha…fingers crossed, knock on wood, etc.) is that we can see our favorite artists perform live again. I’m also excited to discover more fantastic music that hasn’t even been created yet. What a wonderful thought! Happy New Year, everyone!
Honorable Mentions (release date order)
- Saturn Return – The Secret Sisters
- Heartbreak Weather – Niall Horan
- After Hours – The Weeknd
- CALM – 5 Seconds of Summer
- Saint Cloud – Waxahatchee
- Future Past Life – STRFKR
- SAWAYAMA – Rina Sawayama
- Punisher – Phoebe Bridgers
- Superbloom – Ashton Irwin
- Plastic Hearts – Miley Cyrus
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