TOP ALBUMS OF 2020

This past year was not the one that any of us expected or wanted. And I think that it's safe to say that everyone experienced such a wide range of thought, feels, and emotions as we all moved through it. This was certainly the case for me. Fortunately with each passing month, there were new albums that provided me with outlets to escape...with any hope to my happy place. 

At different times, I reach for each one of these albums again and again. Here are my top albums of 2020!

10. Airbag, A Day At The Beach

I got excited when I first learned that Airbag was back in the studio recording a new album. Since 2009, the band, hailing from Oslo, Norway, had only released four albums. Each one has become favorites of mine. I was ready for more. Almost a year later, A Day At The Beach arrived back in June and I got my Airbag fix.   

One would never say that Airbag has a totally original sound. Influences of bands like Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree have always been present. On A Day At The Beach, the band does move in a bit of a new directly with the addition of electronic elements which they say were inspired by the resurgence of ‘80’s electronica and new wave. In this regard, they have tapped into a bit of The Cure circa Disintegration.

With six songs clocking in at almost fifty minutes, there is plenty of music to consume here. I cannot recommend A Day At The Beach enough. This is a fantastic album. 

9. Creeper, Sex, Death & The Infinite Void

WOW. WOA?! WOW! That was my reaction listing to Creeper's amazingly original, inventive, and over-the-top sophomore  album. Since then, I have been trying to figure out just how to describe this one. Then I read Kerrang!'s perfect review; 'If the coquettish camp of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is your idea of a good time, or you’ve enjoyed the morbid-idiosyncrasies of a John Waters movie, the lovingly-crafted universe evoked by Sex, Death & The Infinite Void might just feel like home. Imbued with endless passion, colour and a carnival of glorious sound, it’s a musical marvel.' A marvel indeed.

8. Glass Animals, Dreamland

Four years after the release of their Mercury Nominated album, How To Be A Human Being, Glass Animals are back and better than ever. A much more personal album, ‘Dreamland is the awakening moment from a turbulent time’ for the band and the ‘nostalgic personal journey of front man and producer Dave Bayley.’ (OMH) 

In the hands of other bands, exploring difficult childhood memories, relationships, and the topic of recovery might weight down an album, but not with Glass Animals. Dreamland’s heavy topics are disguised with psych-pop upbeat tones and by ‘referencing people and/or characters as food.’ Using these tactics, the band creates a dream-like state that allows the reality of Bayley’s past to ‘seem a little less intense’ (MFN). 

7. The Haar, The Haar

The story goes that Irish folk and traditional percussionist Cormac Byrne and fiddler Adam Summerhayes were on holiday in Inis Oírr when they walked into a pub and were silenced along with everyone else as Molly Donnery began to sing unaccompanied. Fast forward some time and the three meet up in a studio along with accordionist Murray Grainer to record some Irish traditional songs. The four made no plans in advance of entering the studio. As they explained, they just let the music create itself. 

What resulted was the creation of a truly stunning collection of songs captured on their first and only takes. As Folk Radio wrote about The Haar, it's 'a very evocative record, bringing senses of the pain and futility of war and the salt of the ocean, as well as the beauty of the land and the strength of human relationships through its works and music. We need more music like this; spontaneous, alive and affecting, The Haar will take you on a journey and have you appreciating the purest of life's pleasures. Wonderful stuff.' I so agree.

6. Eric Hutchinson, Class of 98

In the press release for Class of 98, Eric Hutchinson explains that sometime last year, he came to a strange realization: he kept daydreaming about high school. It had been over 20 years since the singer-songwriter had graduated, yet the adolescent dreams, hopes, fears, anxieties and emotions he faced as a kid began flooding back. Suddenly, he felt transported back into his teenage self and those years filled with the kind of alienation and private angst that is recognizable to most anyone who’s ever been 16. 

Now, years later, he has chronicled those adolescence years. Wrapping them in ’90s inspired alt-rock-pop music from bands like Fountains Of Wayne and Weezer, Hutchinson has crafted a memorable set of songs and album.

5. Dua Lipa, Future Nostalgia

Having no idea who Dua Lipa was when I first listened to Future Nostalgia, I got all excited that I had made some great musical discovery that I would share with my kids. The album fits squarely in their musical lane. Turns out that I'm about the only one who doesn't know about Britain's biggest female musical artist. 

I will just say that I love Future Nostalgia. As Variety wrote, "It's an impeccably crafted, gleefully executed half-hour plus of pop perfection that does meet the moment, maybe, in just reminding you how good it feels to be human, And to be in love. And to be in Studio 54." This is modern pop at its best. 

 

4. Siv Jakobsen, A Temporary Smooth 

Gentle and calming, Oslo-based singer-songwriter Siv Jakobsen’s ambient, folky tunes belong in an independent coming of age film, or at very least, a heartbreaking scene in Normal People. Poised with an unhinged rawness, Jakobsen’s sophomore album ‘A Temporary Soothing’ does just as the title says, acting a security blanket to offer shelter during those blue Sunday evenings or summer thunderstorms. Clash Magazine 

I was immediately drawn to this album and have come back to it many times. It's captivating and hard to escape.

3. Lime Cordiale, 14 Steps To A Better You 

What a FUN album! Australian brothers, Oliver and Louis Leimbach, along with their bandmates are back with another gem of an album. With their sound that blends 'summery vibes and harmonies and bouncing melodies' (Billboard), Lime Cordiale's catchy sing-along-songs are second to none. 

Listening to this album will put a smile on your face and bounce in all 14 of your steps...to a better you. This is one of those albums that we all could use a bit more of this year. 

2. Katie Melua, Album No. 8

Katie Melua is one of the UK's best selling artists of all time. Yet, here in the states she is not widely known. It's really ashamed. Melua is that rare artist who's music radiates and captivates while remaining quiet and gentle. These are two qualities that we don't see too much of anymore. Being loud, shocking, and controversial seems to sell more albums these days. 

Now in her mid-thirties and recently divorced, Melua's lyrics go deeper and get more personal than on past albums. Wrapped in a beautiful cinematic melancholy soundscape, Melua reflects on  thoughts and feelings of loss, of heartbreak, and of appreciation for what has been and what is to be. While Album No 8 is Melua's story, passages throughout are recognizable and relatable. It all makes Album No. 8, Melua's most special album to date.   

1. Motorpsycho, The All Is One

I was not familiar with Motorpsycho when I first sat down to listen to The All Is One. I also had no idea of it's running time. Turns out that the album, the last in a trilogy by the Norwegian trio, clocks in at one hour and twenty four minutes. It’s a good thing that I did not know or I probably would have never started listening. But honestly, when I go to the end….I was truly disappointed that it was over. I just wanted more. And I wanted to learn everything that I could about this band that has produced 24 albums over the past 30 years.

 

As Everything Is Noise wrote about The All Is One, ‘Truly, this is an album you give yourself up to. It can be a demanding task to surrender your whole attention and time to just listening to music, no matter how good it is – albums like The All Is One not only make it simple, but incentivize you for doing so. The reward is the experience itself: a swaddling of progressive, psychedelic (called ‘psychodelic‘ by the band) rock that’s equal parts calming and transcendent. It’s a portal to another world or dimension, one with technicolor skies, drinkable air, and tingling currents that prick your corporeal form to remind you that you’re the most alive you’ve ever been, all while floating on a magic carpet.'

Listening to The All Is One, I could not help but reflect on the truly epic albums that I listened to as a kid and absolutely devoured as they transported me someplace that I had never been. It is exactly what I needed this year...or any year. 

Picks Of The Week

The Brummies, Automatic World

Suzzy Roche, Lucy Wainwright Roche, I Can Still Hear You

I Don't Know How But They Found Me, Razzmatazz

In a year that has weighted us all down, I have been thankful for the a the number of fun, upbeat, pop and rock albums that have been released to lift us up. We can all use some shimmer, shine, and dance beats! And for me, aging myself just a bit, dance beats with a 1980's aesthetic. And just when I thought that I heard the last of them, along comes Razzmatazz. 

On their debut album, I Don't Know How But They Found Me, iDKHOW for short, Dallon Weekes and Ryan Seaman provided the perfect counter balance to the world outside my window. These two are musicians 'who see the world of rock as a playground of joy and endless creative colour, determined to mould fresh sonic shapes out of the tried and tested raw materials of drums, guitars, and synthesisers.' (Kerrang). On Razzmatazz, they do so with a confidence and freedom that elevates their craft to a very special place. 

Lime Cordiale, 14 Steps To A Better

What a FUN album! Australian brothers, Oliver and Louis Leimbach, along with their bandmates are back with another gem of an album. With their sound that blends 'summery vibes and harmonies and bouncing melodies' (Billboard), Lime Cordiale's catchy sing-along-songs are second to none. Listening to this album will put a smile on your face and bounce in all 14 of your steps...to a better you. This is one of those albums that we all could use a bit more of this year. 

The Haar, The Haar: Irish Traditional Songs

The story goes that Irish folk and traditional percussionist Cormac Byrne and fiddler Adam Summerhayes were on holiday in Inis Oírr when they walked into a pub and were silenced along with everyone else as Molly Donnery began to sing unaccompanied. Fast forward some time and the three meet up in a studio along with accordionist Murray Grainer to record some Irish traditional songs. The four made no plans in advance of entering the studio. As they explained, they just let the music create itself. 

What resulted was the creation of a truly stunning collection of songs captured on their first and only takes. As Folk Radio wrote about The Haar, it's 'a very evocative record, bringing senses of the pain and futility of war and the salt of the ocean, as well as the beauty of the land and the strength of human relationships through its works and music. We need more music like this; spontaneous, alive and affecting, The Haar will take you on a journey and have you appreciating the purest of life's pleasures. Wonderful stuff.' Wonderful indeed!

DEFTONES, OHMS

As Sputnik Music Wrote about Ohms, it's a wrecking ball from the moment it arrives. It's 'abrasive, destructive, and alluringly beautify - but most of all, there's a profound purpose and longing behind every punch thrown.'  Frankly, I cannot think of another album that not only throws a punch as well as Ohms, but lands it so perfectly placed.  With its 'snarled atmospheric layers and soaring choruses', the Deftones have deliver one of their best albums in nearly twenty years. It is astonishingly good and one of the strongest contenders for album of the year. 

Picks Of The Week

The Flaming Lips, American Head

The Doves, The Universal Want

Widowspeak, Plum

Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl, the duo behind Widowspeak, have crafted an album that their record label best described as feeling comfortable and lived-in: humble in structure, heavy on mood. This all gives Plum a restless yet breezy feel that I just love.

At its core, Plum was a way for Hamilton to summarize ideas that were helpful for her in coming to terms with things that she could not have control over, the ‘existential angst that she was sitting with a lot’.  “From songs such as the title track, which illustrates the passing of time through the metaphor of bruised fruit, it’s clear that Hamilton spent a lot of time thinking about that very existential angst. The tracks “Money” and “Breadwinner” discuss earning a living even when we might not want to.” (Under The Radar)

Hamilton says that the songs on Plum reference life cycles of plants and fruit decay—these really simple symbols that are everywhere, that everybody understands. She said that she has been drawn to simpler things in the last couple of years..."Maybe it’s because everything feels really chaotic.”

Everything may feel chaotic for Hamilton, but it is the way that she and Earl have managed to tame and reframe them within this set of songs that makes Plum so good.

Foot, The Balance of Nature Shifted

Channeling that hard-rocking early nineties Seattle sound and vibe of bands like Alice In Chains, Foot drives the nine songs on The Balance of Nature Shifting with the petal to the floor. This Melbourne, Australian band are loud, heavy, angular, melodic, and thrilling. It's an unyielding album that must be cranked up and heard.

Ulver, Flowers Of Evil

I was unfamiliar with Ulver during their early, dark metal years. I first discovered them with their 2017 release, The Assassination of Julius Caesar. It was one of my favorite albums of that year and continues to be a regular listen for me. Now on their 25^th anniversary, they have released Flowers Of Evil. 

With influences of Depeche Mode and New Order, the band has officially moved as far away from their earlier music and sound as possible. Yet, they have managed to maintain the dark and doom undercurrent that has always defined their sound and storytelling.

As Allmusic exclaimed, 'The music on Flowers of Evil traverses with jarring effectiveness both past and future. Its songs explore grief, hysteria, madness, vulnerability, and romance as inseparable and indelible aspects of the human spirt, resulting in a masterwork of the familiar and the disorienting.

It all makes for thrilling listen.

Creeper, Sex, Death & The Infinite Void

WOW. WOA?! WOW! That was my reaction listing to Creeper's amazingly original, inventive, and over-the-top sophomore  album Sex, Death & The Infinite Void. Since then, I have been trying to figure out just how to describe this one. Then I read Kerrang!'s perfect review; "If the coquettish camp of The Rocky Horror Picture Show is your idea of a good time, or you’ve enjoyed the morbid-idiosyncrasies of a John Waters movie, the lovingly-crafted universe evoked by Sex, Death & The Infinite Void might just feel like home. Imbued with endless passion, colour and a carnival of glorious sound, it’s a musical marvel." A marvel indeed.

Picks Of The Week

Circa Wave, Sad Happy

Evening Hymns, Heavy Nights

Oddisee, Odd Cure

Oddisee, aka Amir Mohamed, arrived home from touring in Thailand as the Covid-19 pandemic was hitting the US in March. While in self-isolating, he began writing and recording new music. Like many of us, he also spent time checking in with his family. Unlike most of us, he recorded a number of those conversations. Four months later, he has dropped a surprise EP that weaves six new hip-hop, jazz-soul tinged songs that came out of that period of time with some of those recorded conversations. 

Oddisee has always explored socials issues and judgements that cause inequalities in our society in his music. In this this time of Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter, Oddisee's music has never been more relevant. On Odd Cure, the interwoven family conversations bring a new dimension and relevancy to his art. It also brings a level humanity that I have not heard on another album so far this year. While I have been a big fan of everything that Oddisee has done to date, Odd Cure is something special.

Eric Hutchinson, Class of 98

In the press lease for Class of 98, Eric Hutchinson explains that sometime last year, he came to a strange realization: he kept daydreaming about high school. It had been over 20 years since the singer-songwriter had graduated, yet the adolescent dreams, hopes, fears, anxieties and emotions he faced as a kid began flooding back. Suddenly, he felt transported back into his teenage self and those years filled with the kind of alienation and private angst that is recognizable to most anyone who’s ever been 16. Now, years later, he has chronicled those adolescence years. Wrapping them in ’90s inspired alt-rock-pop music from bands like Fountains Of Wayne and Weezer, Hutchinson has crafted or one of the most memorable albums of the year.

A.A. Williams, Forever Blue

The first time I listened to A.A. Williams' Forever Blue, it happened to be on a cloudy, rain soaked filled day. It provided the perfect backdrop for listening to this dark and striking album. Williams, who is a classically trained cellist and pianist, started playing the guitar after becoming hooked on alt-metal. It was the beginning of her exploration into fusing elements of classical, post-rock, and metal into something uniquely her own. On Forever Blue, that fusion with its moments of quiet and explosiveness, creates the perfect mood for Williams' 'rumination on feels of isolation, autonomy, and the anxieties surrounding love and lost.' (The Line of Best Fit). It all makes for a spine-tingling album that grabs you, draws you in, and won't let you go. 

Roos Jonker & Dean Tippet

These are not my words, but they encapsulate how I felt listening to Roos Jonker and Dean Tippet's new album. "While the world as we know it is changing rapidly, some things remain happily the same. This untitled, brand new album by the Amsterdam-based singer-songwriter Roos Jonker, featuring her good friend singer-songwriter Dean Tippet, is a good example of old-fashioned crafts that will survive whatever happens. Jonker sounds as if she was touched by an angel, sounding as if she is right there in your room, sitting and singing right next to you, while you daydream away or read a book – you can almost touch her breath and see her soul."  Sonar Kollektiv

The Dead Tongues, Transmigration Blues

In a recent interview, Ryan Gustafson aka The Dead Tongues was asked which elements of nature he spends the most time with and how it impacts his work. Gustafson said that living in a

cabin pretty deep into the Blue Ridge Mountains he’s immersed in nature. 

He said, “It’s stunning and dynamic with big sunsets, old growth trees and wild storms, bears and coyote packs, but the more time I spend out here, the more apparent the subtle changes in environment become. It’s always in transition and conversation. I feel like my music and writing is entirely affected by the environment I’m in and trying to understand my experience within it. Sometimes that comes out in story, imagery or just a sound. Without a doubt there’s a magic and spirit out here I’m reaching out to.” And this is the essence Transmigration Blues. Simply one of the best albums of the year.

Airbag, A Day At The Beach

Last August I got excited when I learned that Airbag was back in the studio recording a new album. Since 2009, the band, hailing from Oslo, Norway, had only released four albums. Each one, along with the band itself, have become favorites of mine. I was ready for more. Now almost a year later, A Day At The Beach is here and I’m loving every minute of it.  

One would never say that Airbag has a totally original sound. Influences of bands like Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree have always been present. On A Day At The Beach, the band does move in a bit of a new directly with the addition of electronic elements which they say were inspired by the resurgence of ‘80’s electronica and new wave. In this regard, they have tapped into a bit of The Cure circa Disintegration.

With six songs clocking in at almost fifty minutes, there is plenty of music to consume here. I cannot recommend A Day At The Beach enough. This is a fantastic album and one of my favorites of the year.

Alex Benjamin, These Two Windows

I first heard Alex Benjamin last year when I stumbled upon his debut album, Narrated For You, which was released in 2018. It quickly became a favorite listen for my family. Usually, I'm drawn to an artists music before I hone in on their lyrics. It was and is the opposite with Benjamin. He is a great storyteller and I love the imagery he weaves with his words. On his sophomore album, These Two Windows, Benjamin does not break any new ground, musically speaking, but he does not need to do so. This is another strong collection of songs.

A Girl Called Eddy, Been Around

Sixteen years after her debut album, Erin Moran, a.k.a. A Girl Called Eddy is back with her very long overdue follow up Been Around. It's a captivating and as Pop Matters wrote, instantly charming album. 'One that is a 'classic-in-the-making that most musicians could only dream of delivering in a lifetime'. I found myself getting lost in this album, drawn in by Moran's velvety voice, poignant lyrics, and luscious and inviting musical arrangements. If you feel the need to get lost, in time and space for fifty minutes, Been Around will transport you off to where you didn't know you need to be.

Inner Odyssey, The Void

I have kept coming back to Inner Odyssey's The Void since its release at the beginning of March. It’s such an intriguing and epic album. There's a lot to unpack and consume here. It’s just not possible to do in one or two listens. 

The band's self-described modern progressive music is both complex at the instrumental level and accessible at the vocal level without denying its ‘70s progressive rock classics roots. While Inner Odyssey certainly has technical prowess and offers up some 'modern guitar fireworks....and musical meat.....they are prone more to offering luscious space and colorful accents (The Progmind).' It's here where the band really shines. 

With each listen, I have picked up on more and have better understood the intentionality behind the band's musical decisions, especially as it relates to the concept of the album where the protagonist looks to escape the realities of a life including failures and loss by diving into and getting lost in a digital/gaming world. It all makes for a cinematic-like musical journey.

The first single from The Void, The Reckoning, offers up the full array of what this band is all about where ‘Sweepingly epic harmonies are pitched against the crunch and hefty riffs, melting into songs that combine heaviness, technical prowess and breath-taking melodies (Metal-Archives). 

The Void is definitely an early contender for my favorite album of the year.