2020 in Review - The Album Edition

AnthonyI

AnthonyI

Well-Known Member
Hey all, 2020 has been crazy, but musically I think it's been fantastic. Coming from someone who doesn't buy a lot of "New" releases that's saying something. So a quick and simple "vinyl" highlights in review.

Most played of 2020 - Taylor Swift ‎– Folklore
This one really surprised me, I'm not the biggest TS fan but appreciate a lot of her music, didn't own a single album on vinyl, yet when Folklore came out it really struck a cord and it's found it's way on to the turntable a lot. I really think she's hit her stride with this folky release and has done some of her best writing in my opinion,

Favorite new discovery of 2020 - 15-60-75 ‎– Jimmy Bell's Still In Town
Kudos to the N&G membership and their diverse tastes in music, offered up by @Yer Ol' Uncle D , this was a fantastic discovery of a long hard working band that shouldn't be overlooked.

Favorite RSD release for 2020 - Milla ‎– The Divine Comedy
RSD was "interesting" this year and as always I'm thankful for the "Road Warriors" around here on RSD helping out those of us who don't stand a chance, lol. I've always liked this album, it has a Kate Bush kind of flair, Mila's voice is surprisingly great and it was cool to see it pressed to vinyl.

Favorite find/grail of 2020 - Billie Eilish ‎– Live At Third Man Records
This is another one that surprised me in terms of how much I ended up liking her music, this album/pressing was a "never gonna happen" entry, but then a member jumped in and made it happen. Still can't thank them enough..........you know who you are :)

Anyway, 4 simple categories, looking forward to seeing the responses and comments............Happy Holidays :)
 
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AnthonyI said:
Hey all, 2020 has been crazy, but musically I think it's been fantastic. Coming from someone who doesn't by a lot of "New" releases that's saying something. So a quick and simple "vinyl" highlights in review.

Most played of 2020 - Taylor Swift ‎– Folklore
This one really surprised me, I'm not the biggest TS fan but appreciate a lot of her music, didn't own a single album on vinyl, yet when Folklore came out it really struck a cord and it's found it's way on to the turntable a lot. I really think she's hit her stride with this folky release and has done some of her best writing in my opinion,

Favorite new discovery of 2020 - 15-60-75 ‎– Jimmy Bell's Still In Town
Kudos to the N&G membership and their diverse tastes in music, offered up by @Yer Ol' Uncle D , this was a fantastic discovery of a long hard working band that shouldn't be overlooked.

Favorite RSD release for 2020 - Milla ‎– The Divine Comedy
RSD was "interesting" this year and as always I'm thankful for the "Road Warriors" around here on RSD helping out those of us who don't stand a chance, lol. I've always liked this album, it has a Kate Bush kind of flair, Mila's voice is surprisingly great and it was cool to see it pressed to vinyl.

Favorite find/grail of 2020 - Billie Eilish ‎– Live At Third Man Records
This is another one that surprised me in terms of how much I ended up liking her music, this album/pressing was a "never gonna happen" entry, but then a member jumped in and made it happen. Still can't thank them enough..........you know who you are :)

Anyway, 4 simple categories, looking forward to seeing the responses and comments............Happy Holidays :)
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I hope I did this right! This was fun

MOST PLAYED
This is hard to gauge tbh. My first thought was that it was probably Sawayama, but the more I thought about it I think the honor goes to
Gorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
... when you consider that I listened to all the episodes about a billion times when they came out individually prior to the album as well. And also I've given the album as a whole (the standard edition at least) several spins, rivaling most of my other favorite albums this year, which is especially impressive considering the album came rather late into the year. If there's one thing they nailed with Song Machine it's the replayability factor. All of the songs are really addictive and lend themselves well to revisits and I don't think there's a bad track in the bunch. An amazing release from a group that really did a lot to help pull me through this year 💙

FAVORITE DISCOVERY
Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
I was completely in the dark about Dua Lipa when 2020 began, so when I first heard the single "Don't Start New" near the beginning of the year, I was blown away. It immediately stuck me as pop brilliance and, unless you've been living under a rock, you don't need me to tell you the rest of the album followed suit 😉 it's definitely one of the best albums of the year and it came from an artist completely off my radar, which always makes for a fun surprise!

FAVORITE RSD RELEASE
Gorillaz - G-Sides/D-Sides
Probably not surprising to anyone who knows me. I waited *years* for these to come to vinyl, honestly unsure if they ever actually would. But lo and behold, the vinyl gods must have been paying attention, because not only did we finally get BOTH of them, but the pressings themselves are incredibly well done (maybe the best Gorillaz pressings I own, tbh). It was a huge deal for me to finally have these on vinyl and it also reminded me how awesome this forum is that people were willing to help me get my hands on copies (thanks again @Ethos99 😘).

FAVORITE GRAIL
Danny Brown - Atrocity Exhibition
I actually crossed a few "grails" off the list this year but I think this one takes the cake. One of my favorite albums of all time, this was one that I hadn't added to the collection for one reason: I wanted the pink variant. I saw that it existed way back when I was still more of a novice and pined for it, but prices were always more than I felt like paying. I finally decided to make 2020 the year I stopped yearning for a copy, and when one popped up on Discogs for a decent price, I finally bit the bullet, and I am so glad that I did. It feels nice to have closure on an acquisition that eluded me for so long and the pressing is marvelous. One of my favorite albums pressed on one of my favorite colors, what is there not to love? 🤗
 
Most played 2020: would have to be the welcome return of X with "Alphabetland" and Bob Mould's "Blue Hearts" with Boris' "No" right behind them.

Favorite new discoveries of 2020: would have to be a tie between Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou's previous works, K Frimpong with Vis a Vis and Eternal Champion's "Ravening Iron".

Favorite RSD releases of 2020: both remastered John Prine boxsets, Bob Mould's "Circle of Friends" and the 'Studio First From the Vaults v2', Studio One 'Rockers', and 'The Ska (from Jamaica)' and 'Afrikan Blood' releases.

Favorite find/grail of 2020: probably the outtakes and alternates on Prince's "Sign O' The Times" boxset and the MOV orange vinyl version of The Pioneers' "Longshot".
 
Most played of 2020 - Jessie Ware "What's Your Pleasure?"
Played this one a ton, both on vinyl at home but also in the car while driving around. It helped that my daughter really liked the album too and kept asking for it when I was driving her to practice.

Favorite new discovery of 2020 - Tie: W.H. Lung "Incidental Music" and The Brooks "Any Day Now"
My first favorite discovery is a N&G ROTM as well. I love it when somebody points me to an album that is totally my speed but that I never heard of before. I know a lot of music, but you guys constantly manage to make me realize that there is so much more awesome music out there... But my wallet hates all of you. My second pick is a Montreal band I heard of through the Wax Buyer's Club. A great modern funk collective that gives me flashes of Parliament/Funkadelic but with a modern twist.

Favorite RSD release for 2020 - Robyn - Robyn
Dug for that one for two days during the first RSD2020 drop. Finally broke down and bought a copy from Europe for more than I wanted to, but I have no regrets. Great album.

Favorite find/grail of 2020 - The Doors "LA Woman" (45rpm, Analogue Productions)
I knew this album well, but nothing prepared me for the revelation that was this particular pressing of it. It was like hearing it again for the first time.
 
Most played 2020:
I'd say my most played records this year are:
Nathaniel Rateliff - And it's Still Alright
Bonnie Light Horseman - S/T
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings - The Harrow and the Harvest (this also ranks very high among my best sounding records)
My most played artist is either Nathaniel Rateliff, Rusty Bryant or Donald Byrd

Favorite new discoveries of 2020:
Bonnie Light Horseman is probably my favorite new discovery

Favorite RSD releases of 2020:
I'll go with Chris Smither - More from the Levee
He has almost nothing on vinyl so I was really happy to get this, hoping someday Live as I'll Ever Be gets a press but I doubt it will.

Favorite find/grail of 2020:
Masters of Reality - Sunrise on the Sufferbus - so happy to have this one on vinyl!
Runner up is Elvis Costello with Burt Bacharach - Painted from Memory - MOFI
 
Oooooh fun, me next, me next!

Most played of 2020 - Glass Animals - Dreamland
IDK, I get it, Glass Animals are a little hard for some people to get on the bandwagon for. But while I personally had no issues with their nonsensical lyrics in the earlier albums, they've gotten quite a bit better about that, and this album really was super enjoyable. I wouldn't say I expected it to be my most played of 2020, but it's perfect for putting on in the car or while doing chores around the house, and those casual plays really start to add up after a while.

Honorable Mentions: U.S. Girls - Heavy Light; Sylvan Esso - Free Love

Favorite new discovery of 2020 - Tré Burt - Caught It from the Rye
Willie Nelson's Luck Reunion was the first Covid livestream concert I watched, and seeing Tré was the highlight of the whole night (which is really saying something, considering all the amazing performers Willie put together). I don't have a lot to say about him other than I'd recommend giving him a listen if you haven't yet...especially if you're part of Magnolia's target audience.

Honorable Mention: Arlo Parks bustin into the Glass Animals livestream show to do a guest verse for "Tangerine" and knock me off my feet.

Favorite RSD release for 2020 - Philip Glass - Koyaanisqatsi
Not sure if this is supposed to refer to a new release, but it's no secret to anyone who followed any of the RSD threads that this was my #1 must have. Not much to say other than Philip Glass is a genius, and Koyaanisqatsi was my first time hearing anything of his. And I am SO happy to have this full score remastered on vinyl.

Favorite find/grail of 2020 - Error 404: Not Found
I'll have to punt on this, because I actually don't think I got any grails in 2020 (other than maybe the Koyaanisqatsi mentioned above). 2020 was a year for me to wrangle in my vinyl purchases, so I cancelled most of my subs, and really didn't make any purchases of higher-demand or harder-to-find stuff.
 
Most played: Moses Sumney - Grae

Would have never thought that this wouldn’t be my album of the year. It’s phenomenal and a bit of a step forward for him, I feel it’s more accessible while remaining sharp and leading edge.

Favorite new discovery: Love - Forever Changes

Exactly what I wanted from reading the 33 1/3 books. An album I was not familiar with that wears like an old hat.

Favorite RSD release: Al Green - Green is Blues

I love Al. This was really a new album to me and is as different from his prime time era as his prime time era is from his post gospel period is. It’s fun to rediscover your old faves... which leads into...

Favorite grail: Prince - Sign O’ the Times

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I’m not really a whale hunter at this point I believe everything will come back into print at some point. So while this is boring.... 1. It was a big expenditure between the peach variant of the standard reissue and the cd deluxe. And 2. It was a revelation, the new master brightens the whole sludge that kept this from being the upper echelon release it was for everyone else.
 
Lee Newman said:
And 2. It was a revelation, the new master brightens the whole sludge that kept this from being the upper echelon release it was for everyone else.
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This 100%. I liked SOT, but I didn't go back to it much because the reissue I had was a muddy wall of sound. This new remaster brings so much more space into the music and elevates the whole thing.
 
Turbo said:
This 100%. I liked SOT, but I didn't go back to it much because the reissue I had was a muddy wall of sound. This new remaster brings so much more space into the music and elevates the whole thing.
Click to expand...
It was always muddy, FYI. Prince was aware, he didn’t care. I forget what bird they used but he was excited about getting it, had it installed. Starting making music on it and was like “well that’s disappointing. “. I wonder if he would have spent more time cleaning it up if he had been allowed to release the longer version. My guess is not and he would have gotten into the later releasing a bit too much much sooner.

The remaster is great.
 
Most Played 2020: Country Westerns - S/T

My favorite record of 2020. Loud. Organic. Emotional. Beautiful.



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New Discovery 2020: Amanaz - Africa

A gift from my friend @bshikari. Had never heard of this record. It's fantastic.



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RSD 2020: Galaxie 500 - Copenhagen

Nice to have this on vinyl. Each song begins as two sticks being rubbed together and erupts into flames by the time all's said and done..



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Grail Of 2020: Jay Bennett & Edward Burch - The Palace At 4AM (Part 1)

An absolute beauty from Jay Bennett. When Jay left Wilco, they lost a little piece of their heart, their soul.



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This looks fun, so I'll give it a try!

Most played of 2020
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Mort Garson - Mother Earth's Plantasia​

This is on literally all the time in our house, alongside Aphex Twin's ambient works. It's just such amazing music to be surrounded by, that it's just too easy to pull it out and play.


Favorite new discovery of 2020

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Various - The Story Of Zamrock!​

This boxset is definitely one of the favourite things I own. I had no idea Zamrock even existed before VMP put this boxset out, and the whole experience of discovering this music, the genre, and listening to the podcasts with the protagonists of it all. So good!


Favorite RSD release for 2020

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Kuumba-Toudie Heath* - Kawaida​

I discovered this record because I was looking through the RSD listings and it looked interesting, so I went to give it a listen. African Jazz with Herbie Hancock on the keys. Need I say more? It's available for cheap still, so do yourself a favour and grab a copy of this!


Favorite find/grail of 2020

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BROCKHAMPTON - Ginger​

An amazing record by one of my favourite bands and my actual name comes in every copy! That's a grail right there if I've ever seen one!
 
Best gift record: Gene Clark - No Other

@D Jilla was my secret Santa and he gifted me this record which I have absolutely fallen in love with. It pretty much is exactly How I want music to be and if I had gotten a month earlier, it would probably have ended up being my ROTM pick for February. This is an album I didn’t know and that does not get enough love here or anywhere.
 
Most played in 2020: Paul McCartney & Wings - Band on the Run

My son requested it as his bedtime music for months and months, which caused this to be my most-played record of the year.

Favorite discovery of 2020: Jenny Scheinman & Allison Miller - Parlour Game

I’m very picky about contemporary jazz but this album really hits the spot for me. My first-ever Bandcamp purchase!

Favorite RSD release of 2020: David Bowie - I’m Only Dancing (Soul Tour ‘74)

Tbh I’m generally an RSD hater and I only attended the first of this year’s 4 RSDs. This album is fun but more importantly it motivated me to seek other live Bowie sets.

Favorite find/grail of 2020: Ladytron - Live at London Astoria

Despite the pandemic I actually had several decent finds this year, including first or otherwise early pressings of a few classic jazz records in tolerable shape. Also, the PJ Harvey reissue campaign has been just about the best thing about 2020. But as far as below-market-value finds, nothing beats my scoring this out-of-print live Ladytron set on eBay for under $20.
 
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