The year is only halfway over even though it’s felt like it’s been ending for at least the whole thing. I don’t need to be the one to tell you that 2020 has been the most intense, turbulent and upsetting year of most of our lives. If it hasn’t been that for you… I’m suspicious. I do send my condolences to you if you did lose anyone in your life to COVID or hell, police brutality this year. In any case, the music kept coming – some really good stuff at that. Thinking back to this time last year, I didn’t have a clear frontrunner for top favorite, or even a super-steady Top 10. This year I feel like I’ve got a really solid core Top 10, plus some other spirited top favorites. I feel like I’ve had to latch onto records and use them as security blankets. Makes sense.
In a sea of impenetrable darkness, eternal deceit coming from places of power and idiocy from places close to us; the steady flow of creativity, inspiration and generosity of musicians and artists has been a beacon. Below you’ll find my Top 25 favorite records of the year so far (listed in order! wow!), Top Five favorite EPs from 2020, 40 favorite songs (in alphabetical order), and a list of every 2020 record I’ve listened to this year. Thank you to all the artists mentioned below. I’ve linked all the album art to the artists’ Bandcamp pages, or places you could potentially buy their music. I hope you enjoy + find something that can bring you comfort.
25 GR8 ALBUMS OF 2020 SO FAR:
1. CINDY LEE – What’s Tonight To Eternity (W.25th St/Superior Viaduct)
Mimicking the pirouettes and plies from an old black and white VHS recording of ballet in a decrepit, empty apartment building.
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There is no other album from 2020 that transports me to a world like this one does. Cindy Lee is the project of Pat Flegel, known in the 10s as the singer for the band Women, and over half a decade deep into releasing music as their drag persona Cindy Lee, an act that acts as a marriage between retro pop of the 50s and 60s with harsh noise and murder movie marathon synth worship. The pairing hasn’t sounded better than on What’s Tonight To Eternity, which is harrowing and comforting in the same breath.
Songs like “Speaking From Above” and “I Want You To Suffer” bring the most brutal noise found on the record, but also some of the most gorgeous, touching melodies and vocal performances. The title track and “Lucifer Stand” layer on ghoulish synth stabs and build a narrative almost solely through instrumentals. Then “The Limit” and “Heavy Metal” are just blissful, blown out ballads. This record stretches across a spectrum, but always feels like you’re consistently in one totally unique, Silent Hill-esque world. It reminds me a lot of The Caretaker at points, using a familiar, recognizable blueprint of retro pop melodies and rhythms but obscures them with blankets of feedback and clatter, replicating that of a clouded memory failing to recall past glories. It’s not an easy listen, but I cannot recommend visiting this world for yourself enough.
2. TOPS – I Feel Alive (Musique TOPS)
Rollerblading through a hometown mall with your friends and encountering glamorous drama between rival schools in your town.
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I have been a die-hard TOPS fan since their debut in 2012. I’ve seen them live five times and even booked them a show at my university. I want you to know how happy I am that I love this album so much. I liked Sugar At the Gate quite a bit, Picture You Staring basically soundtracked my final year of college, and their debut Tender Opposites has some all-time best songs in their discography, but no full album has hit me like I Feel Alive has. The upbeat songs are punchier, the slower ballads have the satisfying hooks that keep me engaged and the full band performances are on point. Jane Penny is sounding the best ever, her voice full of steady emotion matching the beefed up instrumentals.
The ONLY bad thing about this record… is that I can’t hear these songs live until who knows when!! TOPS are one of the best live bands since their setlists are just full of their satisfying pop tunes and ballads. I can already see so many of the album cuts here fitting right in with classics. Let’s please have a moment of silence for the world not being able to see the smiles of the bandmates after they play the last dog bark sound effect on “Drowning In Paradise” live until who knows when.
3. CHARLI XCX – how i’m feeling now (Atlantic / Asylum)
Vision blurring after endlessly scrolling through your phone until 5am every night.
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Charli XCX set the bar high in 2020 (in May no less) by releasing an entire record of new material she wrote, recorded and produced (with some outside help) solely during quarantine, most of which all relates to emotions and feelings stemming from being cooped up due to a worldwide pandemic. How does one synthesize this stressful time into entertaining pop songs? By harnessing and pressing that anxious energy that would normally be spent performing for thousands of fans or dancing with friends in clubs into equally anxious and violent bangers (see, “pink diamond”, “anthems”, “visions”). Charli also confronts the self doubt, the wicked voices in her head about her relationship and the goodness of spending time with her partner on other tracks. The whole thing isn’t SUPER watertight, but the highs have warranted an insane amount of replays with me. As someone who went to damn near 200 concerts last year “anthems” is truly the song that speaks to me the most. We all just wanna see our friends.
4. SAULT – UNTITLED (Black Is) (Forever Living Originals)
An unending, unyielding, unbreakable, unstoppable, inspirational, beautiful, foundational force that pushes gloriously forward against madness and injustice.
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“The Revolution Has Come”. Almost uncannily timed for this particular moment in time, but at the same time, this unrest, injustice and widespread cruelty has been rampant and a major theme in this country and the world for centuries. It just feels especially relevant right now, but it could have come out summer 2014, in November of 2016… pick any time in the last half decade and it’ll be relevant. SAULT are a semi-shadowy collective from the UK making inflammatory soul and R&B with a smooth kick, easy to listen to alongside the potent messages. SAULT put out two of the best albums of 2019 and few people (except the cool ones) picked up on it. Hopefully this record gets them a higher profile, because they deserve it. This music isn’t about raising their profile, but it’d be nice. UNTITLED is a beautiful, touching, powerful record that uses tenderness as a weapon.
5. YVES TUMOR – Heaven To A Tortured Mind (Warp)
Alien glam rock entity from the same universe as Interstella 5555 reckons with their former self as their memories are returned to them.
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Once I stopped caring that Yves Tumor stopped being as wildly experimental and obtuse like they were on previous records and recognize that they instead made a wildly catchy and adventurous… almost glam rock record, I was happy. Yves Tumor nails the aesthetics of their recent press photo style with the music on this record, melting and rapidly kaleidoscoping in and out of focus, bathed in bright colors and face paint, adorned in big glasses, cowboy hats and glamorous hair. There are a few inconsistent moments on the album as a whole, but for the amount of ridiculous highs this album has the lows are barely a footnote. Also shout out to all the guest singers on this one, they really bring a whole new flavor to break up the album quite a bit in terms of timbre.
Warm Visions 