Best Music of 2020

[Woob_woob]

Favorite albums of the year so far (alphabetical order, updates in bold):

A.A.L. - 2017-2019
Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman
Moses Boyd - Dark Matter
Caribou- Suddenly
Chris Crack - White People Love Algorithms
Conway - Lulu
Dan Deacon- Mystic Familiar
DJ Python- Mas Amable
Four Tet - Sixteen Oceans
Boldy James - The Price of Tea in China
Kamaiyah - Got It Made
Makayah McCravin and Gil Scott Heron- Were New Again
The Mountain Goats- Songs For Pierre Chuvin
Jeff Parker - Suite For Max Brown
Peel Dream Magazine- Agitprop Alterna
R.A.P. Ferreira- Purple Moonlight Papers
Sada Baby -Skuba Sada 2
Serengeti- Ajai
Shabaka and the Ancestors- We Are Sent Here By History
The Sorcerers - In Search of The Lost City of the Monkey God
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
Westside Gunn- Pray For Paris
Yaeji- What We Drew
Yves Tumor-Heaven to a Tortured Mind

Favorite albums of the year so far (alphabetical order, updates in bold):

A.A.L. - 2017-2019
Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Armand Hammer - Shrines
Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman
Moses Boyd - Dark Matter
Caribou- Suddenly
Chris Crack - White People Love Algorithms
Conway - Lulu
Conway -Noone Mourns The Wicked
Damu the Fudgemunk - Ocean Bridges
Dan Deacon- Mystic Familiar
DJ Python- Mas Amable
Four Tet - Sixteen Oceans
Freddie Gibbs - Alfredo
Boldy James - The Price of Tea in China
Ka - Descendants of Cain
Kamaiyah - Got It Made
Kota the Friend - Everything
Makayah McCravin and Gil Scott Heron- Were New Again
Medhane- Cold Water
The Mountain Goats- Songs For Pierre Chuvin
Jeff Parker - Suite For Max Brown
Peel Dream Magazine- Agitprop Alterna
Perfume Genius -Set My Heart on Fire
Preservation- Eastern Medicine, Western Illness
R.A.P. Ferreira- Purple Moonlight Papers
RTJ- RTJ4
Sada Baby -Skuba Sada 2
Serengeti- Ajai
Shabaka and the Ancestors- We Are Sent Here By History
Sylvan Esso - WITH
Sonic Boom -All Things Being Equal
The Sorcerers - In Search of The Lost City of the Monkey God
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
Westside Gunn- Pray For Paris
Yaeji- What We Drew
Yves Tumor-Heaven to a Tortured Mind

 

[Woob_woob]

The 50 Best Albums Of 2020 So Far

Maybe when we do this again in six months, the world will look a little less dark.

www.stereogum.com

 

[Enaz Fox]

The 50 Best Albums Of 2020 So Far

Maybe when we do this again in six months, the world will look a little less dark.

www.stereogum.com

There's maybe three albums on there that would make my list and they were all hip-hop. (not saying anything here was bad, just not much that floated my boat) got some ones to check out though.

 

[supahypeag]

There's maybe three albums on there that would make my list and they were all hip-hop. (not saying anything here was bad, just not much that floated my boat) got some ones to check out though.

I’ve listened to about 20 of those, and I think 5 made my top 10 (Freddie Gibbs, Waxahatchee, Fiona, RTJ, and Jason Isbell)

 

[dhodo]

There's maybe three albums on there that would make my list and they were all hip-hop. (not saying anything here was bad, just not much that floated my boat) got some ones to check out though.

I'm assuming they haven't listened to Shrines yet, even though it came out the same day as RTJ, because that is a big snub otherwise!

 

[Woob_woob]

I'm assuming they haven't listened to Shrines yet, even though it came out the same day as RTJ, because that is a snub otherwise!

They have

Stream Armand Hammer’s New Album Shrines

Run The Jewels aren’t the only all-star dystopian rap duo with a great new album out this week. Armand Hammer, the team of New York underground veterans Elucid and billy woods, are back, too. Two years ago, Armand Hammer released Paraffin, a disorienting avant-garde masterwork that was one of...

www.stereogum.com

It's been a massive year for the genre so far this year so it doesnt surprise me that Shrines isnt on here. I'm just glad to see that Ka album in the top 10. My biggest complaint is Car Seat Headrest ahead The Price of Tea

 

[BjorgenFjorgen]

Interesting that Dylan's on there already. With that, Neil Young, and Phoebe Bridgers, next week is my most anticipated New Music Friday in a long time.

 

[Enaz Fox]

They have

Stream Armand Hammer’s New Album Shrines

Run The Jewels aren’t the only all-star dystopian rap duo with a great new album out this week. Armand Hammer, the team of New York underground veterans Elucid and billy woods, are back, too. Two years ago, Armand Hammer released Paraffin, a disorienting avant-garde masterwork that was one of...

www.stereogum.com

It's been a massive year for the genre so far this year so it doesnt surprise me that Shrines isnt on here. I'm just glad to see that Ka album in the top 10. My biggest complaint is Car Seat Headrest ahead The Price of Tea

I love Ka's lyrics/flows but I need my damn drums.

 

[Hollywood]

Paste (First Half)
The 25 Best Albums of 2020 (So Far)

 

[dhodo]

They have

Stream Armand Hammer’s New Album Shrines

Run The Jewels aren’t the only all-star dystopian rap duo with a great new album out this week. Armand Hammer, the team of New York underground veterans Elucid and billy woods, are back, too. Two years ago, Armand Hammer released Paraffin, a disorienting avant-garde masterwork that was one of...

www.stereogum.com

It's been a massive year for the genre so far this year so it doesnt surprise me that Shrines isnt on here. I'm just glad to see that Ka album in the top 10. My biggest complaint is Car Seat Headrest ahead The Price of Tea

I mean, it surprises me as I think it is way better than most of the albums on there, but it doesn't surprise me that they didn't put it on there I guess, especially with what they wrote in their 6 sentence review.

I don't think CSH should be on there. Glad Ka is getting recognition, but I'm not sure how they could bump Shrines below 50 for being "difficult" and put Ka in the top 10.

 

[wokeupnew]

The 50 Best Albums Of 2020 So Far

Maybe when we do this again in six months, the world will look a little less dark.

www.stereogum.com

I could have guessed what they were going to have as their top 3 from a mile away

 

[wokeupnew]

I also just discovered this album from Steregum commenters and it rips

Melee, by Dogleg

10 track album

dogleg.bandcamp.com

 

[Hollywood]

I'm looking forward to Phoebe, Alanis, HAIM and Kelly Lee Owens' new albums this summer
The 25 Most Anticipated Albums of Summer 2020: Haim, Drake, Bright Eyes, and More

 

[dhodo]

I mean, it surprises me as I think it is way better than most of the albums on there, but it doesn't surprise me that they didn't put it on there I guess, especially with what they wrote in their 6 sentence review.

I don't think CSH should be on there. Glad Ka is getting recognition, but I'm not sure how they could bump Shrines below 50 for being "difficult" and put Ka in the top 10.

Funny, saw this thread right after writing that, which I think is related. Both Armand Hammer and Ka seem to always get glowing reviews over at pitchfork, but they also put the same score on them every time and don't give them BNM, just a weird phenomenon at least.



My number one problem with pitchfork:





He's biased but he's not lying. If the editors don't want to give a score that reflects the review, they shouldn't publish the review.

Sorry, not trying to bog down this thread. But Ka and Armand Hammer definitely put out some of the best music of 2020!

 

[Woob_woob]

I mean, it surprises me as I think it is way better than most of the albums on there, but it doesn't surprise me that they didn't put it on there I guess, especially with what they wrote in their 6 sentence review.

I don't think CSH should be on there. Glad Ka is getting recognition, but I'm not sure how they could bump Shrines below 50 for being "difficult" and put Ka in the top 10.

I also think part of it is Shrines just came out and I dont think Backwoodz does advanced copies, where I would assume Stereogum had an advanced copy of RTJ4 for a while now. I wouldnt be surprised if Shrines still has a chance to make the year end, and I expect it on their year end best in hip hop list.

 

[dhodo]

They have

Stream Armand Hammer’s New Album Shrines

Run The Jewels aren’t the only all-star dystopian rap duo with a great new album out this week. Armand Hammer, the team of New York underground veterans Elucid and billy woods, are back, too. Two years ago, Armand Hammer released Paraffin, a disorienting avant-garde masterwork that was one of...

www.stereogum.com

It's been a massive year for the genre so far this year so it doesnt surprise me that Shrines isnt on here. I'm just glad to see that Ka album in the top 10. My biggest complaint is Car Seat Headrest ahead The Price of Tea

They put out a real review right after we talked about it .

Armand Hammer Build a Utopia

Ming died last February. He was 19. At the time of his death, Ming, a Bengal tiger, was living at an animal sanctuary in Ohio. Before that, Ming lived in a five-bedroom apartment in a Harlem housing project. One of his roommates was an alligator named Al. Another was Antoine Yates, the part-time...

www.stereogum.com

 

[Skeletonframes]

There's maybe three albums on there that would make my list and they were all hip-hop. (not saying anything here was bad, just not much that floated my boat) got some ones to check out though.

I feel like they put a lot of albums in the right places. But, their top 3 is suspect.

That said, they didn’t even include my 2nd favorite Hip-Hop album of the year, so the list is bunk. Haha.

It’s Kota the Friend - Everything btw.

 

[Joe Mac]

Albums I’ve loved this year so far

Moses Sumney - Grae
Laura Marling - Songs For Our Daughter
Bonny Light Horseman
Thundercat - It Is What It Is
Monophonics - It’s Only Us

Looking forward to a slew of new stuff that is landing in the next couple of months!

 

[Hollywood]

Albums I’ve loved this year so far

Moses Sumney - Grae
Laura Marling - Songs For Our Daughter
Bonny Light Horseman
Thundercat - It Is What It Is

Looking forward to a slew of new stuff that is landing in the next couple of months!

That's it? Thats a short list

 

[Joe Mac]

That's it? Thats a short list

Yeah, a lot of the stuff I’m most excited for is just about to come out. Some of the stuff I’ve heard this year that’s not on is still marinading, time will tell for me. I don’t like to throw superlatives around willy nilly so it’s short, the top two are exceptional by any measure and I’ve really enjoyed the other two.