Best Music of 2020

The problem with ranking long lists is how do you say one album is at 38 and another is at 39. I find it almost impossible to order anything outside my top 5 and anything outside my top 10 I find I'm just guessing.
I agree with this. I look at an album and compare it to another, "do I like this more than this one which is ranked lower?" Ranked 20 or ranked 30 are not that different. Unless it's something much further down at or near the bottom. I spend much more time thinking of my top 10.
 
Not in order, not my final submission, but I shot from the hip last night and wrote down 50 albums I love and made a playlist with one song from each of those albums - no Herman Dune and no Joanna Newsom on Spotify version because they're not on it:


 
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Once again another excellent album from Woodkid that will probably be overlooked by the majority of music critics. Shame.
 
Not in order, not my final submission, but I shot from the hip last night and wrote down 50 albums I love and made a playlist with one song from each of those albums - no Herman Dune and no Joanna Newsom on Spotify version because they're not on it:


Great list! Wrong thread, though?

I see at least four here that will probably make my list, and a handful more that might be just outside. Graceland, He Has Left Us Alone, Have One on Me, On the Beach, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Slow Riot...
 
The problem with ranking long lists is how do you say one album is at 38 and another is at 39. I find it almost impossible to order anything outside my top 5 and anything outside my top 10 I find I'm just guessing.

Thats why I use tiers. The idea being— this is a loose ranking and albums within tiers tend to be subject to mood or what have you. But if it’s in tier II than it’s a clearly better (to these ears) album than an album in tier III.

And then in regards to points for N&G, I tend to cut it off after tier II or III (depending on the year) and give the same amount of points per tier.
 
Great list! Wrong thread, though?

I see at least four here that will probably make my list, and a handful more that might be just outside. Graceland, He Has Left Us Alone, Have One on Me, On the Beach, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Slow Riot...
Haha yes, yes it is.
 
so...it probably had an automatic spot in my top 20 anyway, but I really like the new Matt Berniger..."One More Second" and "Loved So Little" the stand-out cuts so far for me
"All For Nothing" is my favorite track thus far but "One More Second" is a close second.
 
This beabadoobee album is decent but the name is terrible. I honestly thought it was another album similar to 100 gecs but it's far from it. I guess don't judge an album by it's cover?
 
This new CASTLEBEAT album is a nice surprise



Their first two records were much more jangly and upbeat. Best way to describe it would be Day Wave mixed with The Radio Dept. This album takes a beat and is much more chillwave inspired. Still bedroom pop but more relaxing.
 
um. why in the world was everyone hiding this from me? might be one of the best pop albums this year. and this has been out since JANUARY?!?!


One of my favorite albums of the year! I don’t think anything has lasted as long in my top five in a long time! I really feel like Covid screwed her up this year, I think she would’ve been lighting it up at festivals.
 
One of my favorite albums of the year! I don’t think anything has lasted as long in my top five in a long time! I really feel like Covid screwed her up this year, I think she would’ve been lighting it up at festivals.
yeah, I can see these songs killing live. I was shocked it had gone under my radar, it's right up my alley! it gives me Hot Chip and CRJ thrown in a blender vibes haha

hopefully featuring on that Gorillaz song will help give her a boost in popularity, listening to this album definitely gave me more context for how she added to the sound of that track. i was kind of curious before what her contributions were but i definitely hear her influence now
 
Updated again with some shifting around places... The new Fontaines D.C. and Protomartyr albums are REALLY doing it for me right now.

new additions in bold
  1. Yumi Zouma - Truth or Consequences*
  2. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
  3. Owen Pallett - Island
  4. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today*
  5. Tops - I Feel Alive*
  6. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher*
  7. Caroline Rose - Superstar
  8. Andy Shauf - The Neon Skyline
  9. Fleet Foxes - Shore
  10. Pinegrove - Marigold
  11. Nap Eyes - Snapshot of a Beginner
  12. Hazel English - Wake Up!*
  13. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers*
  14. Julianna Barwick - Healing is a Miracle*
  15. Anna Burch - If You're Dreaming*
  16. Nadia Reid - Out of My Province*
  17. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately*
  18. Ratboys - Printer's Devil
  19. Pausal - Melatonia*
  20. Soccer Mommy - Color Theory*
  21. The Mountain Goats - Songs for Pierre Chuvin*
  22. Bully - Suggaregg*
  23. Tennis - Swimmer
  24. Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension
  25. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter
  26. Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence
  27. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud*
  28. Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess
  29. Caribou - Suddenly
  30. I Break Horses - Warnings
  31. Land of Talk - Indistinct Conversations*
  32. Låpsley - Through Water
  33. Hum - Inlet
  34. M. Ward - Migration Stories
  35. Sylvan Esso - Free Love
  36. Beach Bunny - Honeymoon
  37. Dream Wife - So When You Gonna...
  38. Snarls - Burst
  39. Jonsi - Shiver
  40. Half Waif - The Caretaker
  41. Real Estate - The Main Thing*
  42. Bob Mould - Blue Hearts
  43. Torres - Silver Tongue
  44. The Flaming Lips - American Head
  45. Peach Pit - You and Your Friends
  46. Moses Sumney - græ
  47. Cloud Nothings - The Black Hole Understands
  48. The Killers - Imploding The Mirage
  49. Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
  50. U.S. Girls - Heavy Light
  51. Idles - Utra Mono
  52. Roger Eno and Brian Eno - Mixing Colours
Bad
  • Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
  • Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open
  • The Strokes - The New Abnormal
*= own on vinyl (mostly for my own records)
Updated

new additions in bold
  1. Yumi Zouma - Truth or Consequences*
  2. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
  3. Touché Amoré - Lament*
  4. Owen Pallett - Island
  5. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today*
  6. Tops - I Feel Alive*
  7. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher*
  8. Caroline Rose - Superstar
  9. Andy Shauf - The Neon Skyline
  10. Fleet Foxes - Shore
  11. Pinegrove - Marigold
  12. Nap Eyes - Snapshot of a Beginner
  13. Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison*
  14. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers*
  15. Hazel English - Wake Up!*
  16. Julianna Barwick - Healing is a Miracle*
  17. Adrianne Lenker - Songs and Instrumentals
  18. Anna Burch - If You're Dreaming*
  19. Nadia Reid - Out of My Province*
  20. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately*
  21. Ratboys - Printer's Devil
  22. Pausal - Melatonia*
  23. Soccer Mommy - Color Theory*
  24. The Mountain Goats - Songs for Pierre Chuvin*
  25. Bully - Suggaregg*
  26. Tennis - Swimmer
  27. Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension
  28. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter
  29. Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence
  30. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud*
  31. Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess*
  32. Caribou - Suddenly
  33. I Break Horses - Warnings
  34. Land of Talk - Indistinct Conversations*
  35. Låpsley - Through Water
  36. Hum - Inlet
  37. M. Ward - Migration Stories
  38. Sylvan Esso - Free Love
  39. Beach Bunny - Honeymoon
  40. Dream Wife - So When You Gonna...
  41. Snarls - Burst
  42. Jonsi - Shiver
  43. Half Waif - The Caretaker
  44. Real Estate - The Main Thing*
  45. Bob Mould - Blue Hearts
  46. Torres - Silver Tongue
  47. The Flaming Lips - American Head
  48. Peach Pit - You and Your Friends
  49. Kelly
  50. Moses Sumney - græ
  51. Cloud Nothings - The Black Hole Understands
  52. The Killers - Imploding The Mirage
  53. Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
  54. U.S. Girls - Heavy Light
  55. Idles - Utra Mono
  56. Roger Eno and Brian Eno - Mixing Colours
Bad
  • Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
  • Car Seat Headrest - Making a Door Less Open
  • The Strokes - The New Abnormal
 
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