2020 sucked. But the music was sublime~
If 2020 was an album, designed by yours truly with photos from Mitski’s “Geyser”
Okay so I know its February of 2021 and we all want to be done with the dumpster fire of a year that was 2020, but I want to talk about the music from last year. One because we’re still in lockdown and there’s not much else to do with it snowing outside this past week and two, it was such a fantastic year for music last year. And although there are so many music publications who do album picks, I still wanted to share how these albums were reflective of my emotions last year. Some of my picks were on other publications top picks and some weren’t. I still have things to say about each of them. I feel like each year I grow a little closer to the music I listen to, whether it is from artists I already like or artists who I’ve listened to for decades. It’s like a growing relationship. But anyways, move over Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, I’ve got a few things to say (but also you guys are great too).
*This isn’t in a particular order.
The Picks
Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers
“Motion Sickness” was the song that sold me on Phoebe. Her dark lyrics and echoing electric guitar felt very raw, a little early 90s alternative, and compelling. Her emotional quality in her voice was also unique and something I like to ascribe as being due to her jazz vocal training. I also enjoyed her work with the band boygenius. “Salt in the Wound” still cuts deep when I listen to it. She’s also a Leo like yours truly, which makes her pretty cool in my eyes. Punisher did not disappoint. “Savior Complex” will be a well loved ballad, “Garden Song” is a great sad art girl anthem for manifesting one’s dreams, and “Chinese Satellite” is an interesting introspection on faith and the great unknown. “ICU” is a cinematic tapestry of heartbreak. The track I listened to the most this year was “Kyoto.” Firstly, because I enjoy hearing Phoebe use her beautiful voice on more fast paced songs. I think her unique voice would lend well to some faster alternative rock. Secondly, the imposter syndrome hit me especially hard in 2020. It felt strange that I was working while so many folks I knew were struggling to find work. The words “I I'm gonna kill you, If you don't beat me to it” just struck a chord along the lines of that sentiment.
My Standout Tracks: “Kyoto”, “Chinese Satellite”, “Savior Complex”, “Garden Song”
The New Abnormal - The Strokes
I remember getting excited to see “Bad Decisions” pop up on my release radar back in February. I was missing a retrofuturist take on rock and roll and The Strokes were the perfect antidote at just the right time. Before this year I had been hesitant to dive deep into their catalog beyond their hits from their first few albums. The band felt untouchable and cool in a way that I wasn’t sure I was totally comfortable with. Is This It and Room on Fire are their most beloved albums (for good reason) but I always felt more drawn to the music of First Impressions of Earth and Angles. These records felt experimental and an interesting departure from the heavily Lou Reed and garage rock revival inspired first two records. 2013’s Comedown Machine was a contract fulfillment record and with only 2016’s Future Present Past to satiate fans in between what could be expected of The New Abnormal? Well, “The Adults are Talking” opens with a drum machine and an almost digital sounding guitar. The album feels like a classic Strokes record until you get to tracks like “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus” (which I chuckled at when I first saw the track title because of the clever wordplay) or “Eternal Summer”, which go a more clear 80s synth route. One of my favorite moments on the album is in “At the Door”, which ends with the narrator falling into a pit of despair with Julian echoing “I’ll be waiting on the other side”, likely referencing the song “On the Other Side” from First Impressions of Earth. The lyrics are comforting: “Use me like an oar/get yourself to shore”, especially to all of us isolated in our homes these days. The ending matches the tone of Casablancas’ lyrics with a whirring warm synth that feels like the embrace of a loved one after a long arduous journey within ourselves. Out of every album on this list, I listened to this album the most. It brought me comfort while I worked through seemingly endless days in quarantine and I even bought it on vinyl. I’m so glad this was the year I gave The Strokes a chance. It was abnormal and new in the best of ways.
My Standout Tracks: “Selfless”, “Eternal Summer”, “At the Door”, “Not the Same Anymore”
Ungodly Hour - Chloe X Halle
If angels could sing, I imagine they sound like Chloe x Halle. I don’t have a ton to say about this album other than PLEASE GO LISTEN. The vocal harmonies are gorgeous, the mixing is seamless, and the production creates big waves of aural pleasure in my heart. Chloe’s smokey vocals paired with Halle’s angelic bright vocals are a match made in heaven. Slow down one evening and just let the harmonies sink into your veins.
My Standout Tracks: “Ungodly Hour”, “Lonely”
Gigaton - Pearl Jam
If you know me, you know I am a huge Pearl Jam fan. So of course I pre-saved and was giddy for the new album. I was expecting awesome guitar arrangements and political lyrics challenging listeners to stand up. Pearl Jam certainly did not disappoint and they even overdelivered with the overall sound of the album. The album feels epic, grand, if even a bit foreboding with beautiful ballads like “Retrograde”. “Superblood Wolfmoon” feels like Pearl Jam’s version of a punk track (which in my opinion is wonderful). “Who Ever Said” is both a fun stadium anthem and lyrically introspective. Plus I dig the Rolling Stones reference in this lyric “Whoever said it's all been said/Gave up on satisfaction.” It’s also got a great message: your voice still matters even if the sentiment has been said. When the second wave of Black Lives Matter protests kicked in around early summer, this song rang in my head. Pearl Jam started out as a passionate band trying to have their voices in the 1990s with the onset of Seattle becoming a hub for alternative music. Now that they’re older and wiser, they’re encouraging their fans and even younger generations to get out and get their voices heard too. That is a really encouraging thought in this day and age when many of us feel isolated.
My Standout Tracks: “Who Ever Said”, “Superblood Wolfmoon”, “Retrograde”
Everything Else has Gone Wrong - Bombay Bicycle Club
I remember seeing the album name and laughing wryly. If there was an album to describe in one sentence how it felt this year, this was it. “Get Up” and “Is it Real” are bright album openers. The third track “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong” laments about being unable to express oneself in the way one wants to. The song builds to a euphonious bridge with the reconciliatory lyrics “I guess I found my peace again/And yes I found my second wind” and then closes with “And yes I found some hope again.” The next track “I Can Hardly Speak” has some fun drumwork that is reminiscent of the early 2010s indie rock sound. “Good Day” almost sounds like the bargaining stage of grief with the repetition of the sentiment “I just wanna have a good day.” And in the year of our lord 2020, that was an incredibly relatable sentiment. “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)” is probably my favorite song off of the album and was released as a single for good reason. The guitar loops and vocal hooks feel like classic BBC and the nervous passion about a new relationship is both a refreshing take and a familiar feeling. This certainly isn’t my favorite Bombay Bicycle Club album but it was one I was very comforted by this past year.
My Standout Tracks: “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong”, “Eat, Sleep, Wake (Nothing But You)”, “Good Day”
Have We Met - Destroyer
I loved Kaputt. It’s probably an all time favorite album. It was like lounge jazz music but for people who also enjoyed lyrics that made one feel like a literary detective. Although if I am being honest, I have been a bit disenchanted with Destroyer’s efforts since then. But then I heard “Crimson Tide.” In a year that made me feel like a teenager who wasn’t allowed to leave her room, this artpop anthem paired with Dan Bejar’s moody lyrics with fun lines like “Chicken-shit singers, Paying their dues/A circus mongrel sniffing for clues” captured that feeling perfectly. On a personal note, I had been questioning the role my art and art in general plays in movements and discussion about social issues and change. And sometimes I feel like one of those chicken shit singers when I don’t properly re-align my priorities. “The Raven” is a lyrical capsule of trying to be better but giving into baser desires. And who didn’t feel that in 2020? “Cue Synthesizer” feels like the new romantic era 1980s synth pop with fun lyrical elements to match the music. I also enjoyed the guitar work on that track in particular. It feels a little prog rock. To answer Dan Bejar’s question: yes we have met but it is so good to have you around.
My Standout Tracks: “Crimson Tide”, “The Raven”, “Cue Synthesizer”
Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
“Don’t Stop Now” was a fun modern take on disco revival and it was a pleasant surprise to see that the entire album had that soundscape. I’m really at a loss for words other than “GO LISTEN.” I know I used that for my thoughts on Ungodly Hour but in a year that felt so devoid of fun parties and dancing, this was the album I would put on during those moments of quarantine where I did not want to wallow in my and others’ pain, but rather dance the night away and sing into my hairbrush like a teenager.
My Standout Tracks: “Levitating”, “Pretty Please”, “Don’t Start Now”
Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA
I remember one of my friends (hi Winta) sent me this album and I really wasn’t sure what to expect when she sent it to me. Little did I know that I would go on a roller coaster of sounds ranging from electro pop from the 2010s with the deluxe edition track “LUCID” to nu metal with “STFU!” to RnB with “Tokyo Love Hotel” from the early 2000s. Sometimes she will make that switch within a single track like with “Dynasty.” A lot of times I find that I default to different singers when it comes to music that feels more melancholy versus when it feels joyful. What is so great about Rina is that she pulls all of it off with spades. She truly has what the kids (and my best friend) call range. I really can’t wait to see where she goes from here.
My Standout Tracks: “LUCID”, “Tokyo Love Hotel”, “STFU!”, “Dynasty”
Raised in a Doomsday Cult - Good Tiger
I am a sucker for any project that has former Silver Spring resident Elliot Coleman’s voice. So when I heard he was going to be in the supergroup Good Tiger back in 2015 I was really excited. A Head Full of Moonlight was full of experimentation. “Aspirations” has a heartbreaking performance by Coleman. “Where are the Birds” was epic. “Snake Oil” has Elliot showing off a bit of his growl. I couldn’t wait to see where they went from their first effort. Raised in a Doomsday Cult is the band’s third album and is probably the record where they sound the most comfortable in their sound, which is really hard to classify. There’s metal, prog, dreampop, and good old rock and roll influences. “Kimbal”, the album’s opener has a bit of a pop hook and muses on summer. It is really…saccharine and gentle, which surprised me. But as soon as the loud bombastic “Ghost Vomit” begins I think “ahhh okay this is the Good Tiger I am used to.” The whole album is filled with surprises like that. For example, “Redshift” is a serene track followed by “Animal Mother”, which literally starts with Elliot screaming. The band is able to keep listener’s engaged by playing with their expectations in unexpected places throughout the album. If you’re into alternative rock and are willing to listen to something a bit heavier, I highly recommend checking out Good Tiger. Side note: this album was released on my birthday and I think that’s neat as hell!
My Standout Tracks: “Kimbal”, “GoGo Yubari”, “Redshift”, “Young Speak”
After Hours - The Weeknd
My relationship with the Weeknd is…complicated. I appreciate his artistry but his concept albums prior to After Hours always fell a bit flat for me. They were very much anti-hero albums in the same way Breaking Bad and Mad Men were the forefront of the small screen in the mid-2000s. “I’m a person who does awful things, I cannot change, and you will enjoy the glorious fall” is often the sentiment I feel when listening to Abel’s music. I enjoyed the lush Daft Punk production on STARBOY and the beginning of what became Abel’s staple songwriting on Trilogy. After Hours, however, brings some real introspection into Abel’s decisions that I don’t think I’ve seen in his previous albums. The second half of the album is really what put it in this list for me. It’s like Season 6 of Bojack Horseman where the title character is finally held accountable for everything he has done. In “Blinding Lights”, (the pop hit and the meme) the listener finds Abel realizing that not only is he pining for love again but has realized this person is who he wants to place his trust into. He realizes he has made a mistake and looks for her. He continues to describe this openness and her ability to “know just what to say” in “In Your Eyes.” Sadly it seems that the person in question has moved on and “walked past [him] like [she] didn’t care.” In “Until I Bleed Out”, Abel describes that he cannot fall back into hedonism as he did before and feels himself sink deeper into darkness. The album ends on a tragic yet hopeful note that perhaps Abel will change. With this small dose of hope ladened in tragedy that feels so emblematic of this entire year, I cannot wait to see where the Weeknd goes next musically.
My Standout Tracks: “Blinding Lights”, “In Your Eyes”, “Save Your Tears”, “Until I Bleed Out”
Honorable Mentions (and why they’re just that)
These are albums that I have love for but didn’t resonate quite as strongly as the albums I ended up picking.
Folklore/Evermore - Taylor Swift
This was the final cut I made to the list. The more I relisten to Folklore in 2021 I wonder if I did indeed make a mistake. The love triangle woven into the album has a lot of fun easter eggs. “Mirrorball” is up there with “Dancing on My Own” by Robyn or “Supercut” by Lorde as a sad girl dance track. And I do love seeing Taylor Swift writing about people other than herself and really being imaginative with the house that she was trapped in during lockdown. Evermore does have more experimental tracks than the mostly cohesive Folklore but not as engaging of a narrative. “Gold Rush” is up there for me though among my favorite Taylor tracks probably because she worked with Jack Antonoff who she also collaborated with on 1989. “Ivy” is also one of the most heartbreaking songs I’ve ever heard about infidelity told from the perspective of the cheater so hats off to Taylor for making a normally deplorable character into someone compelling.
Fetch the Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple
I feel like if I get flack for any placement on this list, it will be for this album. Fetch the Bolt Cutters was critically acclaimed by almost every major music publication this year. When the Pawn is probably my favorite work of hers to date. I just didn’t feel particularly impressed nor intrigued by the found samples in fetch the bolt cutters. It feels like an alt rock retread of the kind of sampling hip hop has been doing for decades. But maybe I just “don’t get it” as the critics might say.
Tickets to My Downfall - Machine Gun Kelly
I really really hope Machine Gun Kelly keeps going in the direction of the emo/pop punk sound. It suits him so well! My reason for excluding it off of my favorite albums list is simply because I think the lyrics and songwriting could use a bit more fine tuning. I am excited for the direction it goes in next though.
Man on the Moon III: The Chosen - Kid Cudi
This was the one of the last cuts I made and ooooof was it painful. If I could give an award for album art it would definitely go to this one. Kid Cudi has a beautiful way of detailing his struggles with mental health. My only wish is that the first half of the album would be as emotionally resonant as the latter half was.
Ultra Mono - IDLES
IDLES doesn’t like to classify themselves as punk but they certainly carry the DIY aggressive ethos with a badge of honor. This album overall makes me feel like going on an intense run. Any other year and it would have made the cut. I just didn’t feel particularly energized this year.
Nectar - Joji
While there are some absolutely gorgeous tracks, a good chunk of this album does feel a bit like filler and would likely work better as interludes rather than their own songs. I am excited to see where Joji takes his music next though.
Closing Remarks
This list was really hard to compile because there was so much wonderful music that was near and dear to my heart. I didn’t include some of the amazing EPs that came out this year including Semisonic’s You’re Not Alone (is anyone else a Dan Wilson fan?), Foster the People’s In the Darkest of Nights, Let the Birds Sing, and The Academic’s Acting My Age.
Also I hadn’t listened to all of Shores by Fleet Foxes during 2020 so I didn’t feel right including it into the list. I will say after having listened to it, it most definitely deserved a spot on this list (shoutout to my friend Jane for giving me a guide to Fleet Foxes’ discography).