Man 2020 was a great year….for music. This is the first time I've ever written one of these and the process is incredible, rewarding, stressful, and painful all at the same time. I can’t tell you how many albums I’ve listened to throughout the year - some good but mostly bad. It’s hard to create a great album. Sometimes I love an album right off the bat and some albums take me months to get into. Other times I think I love an album only to go back to it and realize it’s very meh. This process has made me really think about why I like certain types of music and what makes a good album for me. Below are my top 16 albums of 2020 - which will inevitably change. There was too much good music this year to just have 16 albums. That’s why I’ve created a Spotify list that contains my top song/albums of 2020 - check it out.
My top 16 albums for 2020
16. Mayer Hawthorne - Rare Changes
DAMN! This album is funking as fuck. I was obsessed with Awaken, My Love! by Childish Gambino. This album reminds me of that Childish album combined with Thunder Cat. If I had heard this album prior to late December, it would have been in my top 10. Everyone needs some funk in their life. When I listen to Rare Changes I feel like I’m walking down a street with an overly exaggerated strut, pointing finger guns at everyone I walk by.
Top Songs
The Great Divide
Over
Rare Changes
I’ve loved Matthew Logan Vasquez’s solo work a lot more than Delta Spirit - check out Solicitor Returns. I knew they had it in them but they never put it together. This album was different. Once I heard "How Bout It" - which has a 3-minute guitar solo - I knew this was going to be a solid album. Great harmonies. Great singles. Just a well-produced album overall. I wish I had listened to this album more. There was just too much good music this year.
Top Songs
How Bout it
Can You Ever Forgive Me?
Making Sense
This album would be higher on my list had it not come out so early in the year. I saw Nap Eyes live with my wife and I was hooked - my wife, however, almost murdered me after hearing the opening band which was just a woman yelling into a microphone with electronic beats in the background. Another unique voice with killer guitar solos and drums. It’s a solid album by a great band. They’ve consistently put out excellent albums for the past couple of years. My favorite single of 2020 came off this album - "Real Thoughts".
Top Songs
Real Thoughts
Fool Thinking Ways
So Tired
Can’t believe this is so low on my list. Great find by Ironfish. I absolutely love this album. It’s incredibly sad but I leave this album feeling happy? Not sure what that says about me. Anyway, it’s super digestible - 30 minutes for 10 songs - and has some great musicianship throughout. This was my hardest album to describe because my description sounds more like a funeral than a party. Give it a whirl either way.
Top Songs
Lost in the Country
Benji
Absurdity
Does falling in love truly ruin your ability to create a great album? Maybe. I still enjoyed this album. It sounds more like We’re All Gonna Die - which makes me happy. It’s an overall upbeat record. I will say I left this album wanting more. Just something else. Oh, that’s it - more guitar solos. The band is still filled with an incredible cast which gives me hope for the future. It would be a copout to say, “I liked this album because it was better than Passwords.” I wish they would just create Good Luck with Whatever and add in the guitar solos from Nothing Is Wrong. Then I’ll be happy. Maybe next time.
Top Songs
Good Luck with Whatever
St. Augustine At Night
Between the Zero and The One
This album won’t be for everyone. It’s slow. Pretty depressing. She has a very unique voice but it works. Some songs I really like and others confuse me. That’s what I enjoy about this album. The sum of its parts are greater than the whole. Sometimes they just jam out with no lyrics. Other times they belt out songs complemented well with acoustic guitars, drums, and pianos. I just like this album knowing very well most people won’t. That’s what makes it special. Have you ever just liked an album and not really known why?
Top Songs
Hannah Sun
Reach
Hannah Happiest
An amazing album introduced to me by Ironfish. I listened to the first song and bailed on it - HAHA. It didn’t get me right off the bat - shocker. Bad decision on my part. Without some prodding from the Fish, I would have missed one of my favorite albums of the year. Some good old fashion Rock & Roll. I’m easy to please. Give me an album filled with short songs and guitar solos. This is everything I wanted. For me, I spent more time admiring the drums and guitars vs. the lyrics of this album. Great work overall.
Top Songs
She Was Dead
Days of Heaven
Upstream Boogie
Pretty Money
It took me a while to listen to this album but once I did, I was not disappointed. I love Wilco but I’ve never really gotten into Tweedy by himself. This album is different. It might end up being my top album of 2020. Great songwriting - "Even I Can See" is an amazing love ballad to his wife. A unique voice. Country twang - check out "Opaline" which I often sing loudly to my daughter O-PENNY. Plus it’s littered with jarring guitar solos. I dare you to listen to "Gwendolyn" and not break out dancing - the bass line in this song is INCREDIBLE. It’s just a beautifully crafted, well-done album. Bravo Mr. Tweedy.
Top Songs:
Gwendolyn
Opaline
Love Is The King
Bad Day Lately
I’m usually not a fan of Power Pop. Sometimes the music all blends together. Not in this case. Supercrush changed that for me. If you like great harmonies and guitar solos, you’ll enjoy this album. After an incredible album in 2019, I was excited and nervous for SODO Pop. However, it seems like a more polished version of Never Let You Drift Away - which is exactly what I wanted. "Grace" is a prime example of the leap they took. SODO Pop incorporates more harmonies, piano, slower-paced songs, and changing guitar tones. Do yourself a favor and listen to this album.
Top Songs:
Get It Right
Grace
Fair-Weather Fool
Have You Called Him By My Name?
Another great album. Alfie can write a hook - "Less Than Love" is a prime example - and continues to make consistent albums. I’m never disappointed. I just enjoyed listening to this album. Love the female vocalists and harmonies. The guitar tone changes and yet fits with every song. Every song is different and the same. It’s incredible. "Wisdom of The World" is the best ending song to an album - that guitar solo into a slow change-up finish?! I loved every second of this album. Great work.
Top Songs:
Wisdom of The World
Trick To Happy
Not Cool Anymore
Country, Americana, Folk, Pop, Rock? Whatever genre this album is, it cuts like butter. It’s a smooth, double album that flows perfectly. Several friends have told me I would love Cut Worms. I’ve tried some songs but nothing stuck with me until Nobody Lives Here Anymore. Certain songs remind me of Buddy Holly's "Castle in the Clouds" and "Walk With Me" while others have me imagining myself sitting in an old western bar playing poker - "God Bless The Day". It makes this album so enjoyable. It’s so diverse and clean.
Top Songs:
Every Once In A While
The Heat Is On
Last Words To A Refugee
Veteran’s Day
This album hit me hard. Phoebe just gets me. Like the majority of my top albums, it took me a long time to truly appreciate it. I dabble with a lot of music - most of which is not great. Phoebe is an incredible songwriter and singer which helped me to continue coming back. She writes about bad relationships, traveling too far, blacking out, hating people, barely sleeping, depression, and John Lennon. This might be my most listened to album of 2020. It seems to fit the year so well - “It’s amazing to me how much you can say when you don’t know what you’re talking about.” This could very well be my Julia Jacklin of 2020. If I'm the only person that enjoys this album, I’m fine with it.
Top Songs:
Garden Song
Moon Song
I Know The End
It takes me a long time to get into some artists. Ironfish has been trying to get me into Blitzen Trapper for years. This album did it for me. Their best, most complete piece of work in my opinion. Just a super solid album. It feels like one long song that flows so well together. That saxophone solo in "Don’t Let Me Run" gets me every time. They’ve always been clearly talented but I felt like the stars aligned on this album.
Top Songs:
Don’t Let Me Run
Requiem
Holy Smokes Future Jokes
Dead Billie Jean
3. Willie J Healey - Twin Heavy
I extensively search and listen to music. Sometimes, I stumble on great work. I’m so glad I found this album. Willie’s eccentric and quirky. He’s a great songwriter. The album starts out with the song "Fashun" where he's talking about fame to a friend and casually asks, “How's your father been? Is his heart still pumping?” This is a fun album with a ton of guitar solos. One the most complete albums of the year in my opinion. Listen through top to bottom. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Top Songs:
True Stereo
Big Nothing
Thousand Reasons
Songs For Joanna
2. Country Westerns - Country Westerns
Just pure, raw, rock and roll. Lead singer - Joey Plunkett - describes their music perfectly, “depressing songs with fun drums.” I love the album and if it weren’t for Neil, this would have been my top album of 2020. It has all the elements of a great album for me - it’s raw, short, has a ton of incredible guitar solos, and you can hear the passion behind the lyrics. Can’t wait to hear other records these guys come out with.
Top Songs:
It’s Not Easy
Times to Tunnels
It’s on Me
Mexico
Separate Ways
White Line
