As strange a year as it was, there was still some really great music released in 2020 even if that meant not being able to see it performed live. There were a handful of great EPs by Wye Oak, Day Wave, Wild Nothing, sir Was and Angel Du$t but also no shortage of really good albums.
10) Lewis Del Mar - AUGUST
It was really difficult to omit some of the albums that made my honorable mention list but I had to make room for sophomore album. I was a big fan of their self-titled debut but enjoyed the follow up AUGUST even more. Great album from beginning to end that feels like a full album instead of a random series of songs.
Listen to Rosalie (CH. II)
9) Bartees Strange - Live Forever
I wasn't familiar with Bartees Strange until I saw an exchange on Twitter between him and The Antlers as there was an homage lyrics from the album Hospice in his phenomenal song 'Mustang' which was probably my favorite song of the year. Live Forever is a great album and bold debut from an exciting young artist.
Listen to Mustang
8) Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Fetch The Bolt Cutters was Fiona Apple's first album since 2012 and it came out mid-April when most everyone was stuck at home. It was instantly lauded as a classic and was given the first Pitchfork's first perfect score in a decade. It's extremely raw but beautifully written.
Listen to I Want You To Love Me
7) Glass Animals - Dreamland
I'm not sure any musician had a more interesting and productive 2020 than Dave Bayley of Glass Animals between his quarantine covers and his made at home music videos. None of that would've mattered if there wasn't good music to back it up and Dreamland is great.
Listen to Heat Waves
6) Washed Out - Purple Noon
The most relaxing and calming album I listened to this year was Washed Out's Purple Noon which was a much needed respite that I indulged in many times during this crazy year. Songs like 'Paralyzed' are reminiscent of Sade without feeling like a carbon copy.
Listen to Paralyzed
5) Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
Phoebe Bridgers is an artist who has the unique gift of writing like a singer-songwriter but possessing an angelic and powerful voice. After working with Conor Oberst for Better Oblivion Community Center then Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus for their project boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers wrote the terrific album Punisher as a follow up to her 2017 debut Stranger in the Alps (which is one of my favorite album titles in recent memory due to the deep cut reference to The Big Lebowski). Punisher is an outstanding sophomore album that hooked from me the moment I heard it.
Listen to Garden Song
4) Future Islands - As Long As You Are
Their album Singles was my favorite album of 2014 and from the sounds of it, I think I even enjoyed their follow-up The Far Field more than the band did. That said, As Long As You Are feels like a return to form and maybe their most mature album to date.
Listen to Waking
3) Fleet Foxes - Shore
Shore was released in September without much notice or promotion but it was a welcomed surprise. I enjoyed Shore the first time that I heard it but it was in subsequent listens that came to really love the album. There are no bad songs on Shore and there are a handful of tremendous ones.
Listen to Can I Believe You
2) Hum - Inlet
This might be a somewhat biased ranking as Hum has long been one of my favorite bands- I almost flew out to Austin in 2011 to see them play Fun Fun Fun Fest and I nearly postponed a trip to Toronto because they were playing Southern California (thankfully I was able to drive to Solana Beach the day before their LA show and still make my 7 AM flight). Inlet is their first album in 22 years since Downward is Heavenward which one of my all-time favorites. They haven't missed a step after taking off nearly two decades and I cannot wait to see Inlet live.
Listen to Cloud City
1) Westerman - Your Hero Is Not Dead
There was never a challenger for my favorite album of 2020 after hearing Your Hero Is Not Dead. It's a rare accomplishment for an album to crack my all-time top 10 in the first year of its release but that's what Westerman's debut masterpiece has done. It has been well reviewed but it feels like I'm somewhat on an island with my adoration from for the album so give it a listen and let me know if you agree that it's a high water mark for the decade to come.
Listen to Blue Comanche
Honorable mention:
The 1975 - Notes On A Conditional Form
Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman
Caroline Rose - Superstar
The Front Bottoms - In Sickness & In Flames
HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III
Jim-E Stack - EPHEMERA
Little Dragon New Me, Same Us
Mac Miller - Circles
My Morning Jacket - The Waterfall II
Run The Jewels - RTJ4
Soccer Mommy - color theory
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
