The 20 Best Albums of 2020
Every year that I've released a Top 10 Albums post, I've included the caveat that there is so, so much good music out there that it's almost unfair to ask me to try and listen to all of them. With that in mind, I hope you know this is not a definitive list of the best music of the year, but rather the top 2020 albums of those I actually listened to. I was more proactive this year than I have been in some years past, but personal biases tend to win the day. So, as always, it's a strange mixture of artists/bands I already liked with some critically acclaimed albums I proactively sought out after reading about them. If you see an album you loved excluded from this list, it's more likely that I just didn't get around to them than it is that I didn't enjoy it.
This was a strange year, fittingly, for the quality of music, in my opinion. There were more good albums than many years past, and than I expected in a pandemic-riddled and quarantine-heavy year. But there was a shortage of really great albums, and thus only the top several on my list this year really floored me. Then again, I seem to make this 'only a few great albums' gripe annually, only to change my mind about that the more I listened to them. Case in point: I thought the same thing last year, only to recently wax nostalgic with a friend about "the incredibly deep list of great albums from 2019." So watch this space for a change of mind, is I guess what I'm saying.
Enough rambling; to the list! First, a rundown of the 10 albums that may have made my 20 in '20, but just narrowly missed out on the Top 10 (in alphabetical order, not ranked):
3.15.20 // Childish Gambino
After Hours // The Weeknd
The Ascension // Sufjan Stevens
Fetch The Bolt Cutters // Fiona Apple
Gaslighter // The Chicks
The New Abnormal // The Strokes
Rough And Rowdy Ways // Bob Dylan
Starting Over // Chris Stapleton
Ungodly Hour // Chloe x Halle
A Written Testimony // Jay Electronica
10. Reunions // Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
I've been told by a number of people for a number of years to listen to Jason Isbell, and 2020 was the year I finally heeded The People's advice. I'm better for it; Reunions is a soulful rumination on moral shortcomings, and is a terrific example of just how good Country music and lyricism can be, when it's helmed by a true artist.
Three must-listens: "Only Children", "What've I Done To Help", "Dreamsicle"
9. RTJ4 // Run The Jewels
Not that anyone asked me-- and understandably so-- but in my opinion, the year was sadly short on high-quality rap releases. But Run The Jewels' RTJ4 comfortably made that shortlist. Run The Jewels is another artist I have been only vaguely aware of for a while that I finally too a deeper dive into this year, and as was the case Jason Isbell, I realized what I had been missing out on. RTJ4 plays like a perfect encapsulation of the turbulence, anger, uncertainty and defiance that were on full display in 2020.
Three must-listens: "goonies vs. E.T.", "a few words for the firing squad (radiation)", "JU$T"
8. Imploding The Mirage // The Killers
The Killers played such a pivotal part of my middle and high school days that I will always love them and give them the benefit of the doubt. That said, after two okay-but-not-great albums and the departure of guitarist Dave Keuning, my expectations were a little low for this release. I was elated, then, to have Imploding The Mirage surpass my expectations. The album sees Brandon Flowers and co. lean more heavily into the 'new Springsteen' direction they had been trending towards, but perfecting the art of injecting their own sound into the 80s homages. There are a couple lyrical clunkers, but most of the tracklist has a timeless feel.
Three must-listens: "My Own Soul's Warning", "Caution", "My God"
7. The Slow Rush // Tame Impala
It was Tame Impala's performance of "Borderline" on Saturday Night Live back in March 2019 that introduced me to their music and set off a full year-plus of binging much of their discography. So it seemed only fitting that the first new release in my era of Tame Impala fandom was The Slow Rush, which leads off with "Borderline," nearly a year after I first heard it. Slow Rush lacks the individual highs of past albums such as Currents, but is Tame Impala's most cohesive album as a whole to date.
Three must-listens: "Borderline", "Breathe Deeper", "Is It True"
6. folklore // Taylor Swift
2020 was the year of the unbelievable, but trust me when I say one of the things that stunned me the most was that I not only willingly listened to a Taylor Swift album, I actually enjoyed it. I'll spare you the whole self-flagellation and soul-searching that I already performed, and instead focus on why I like folklore so much. It features genuinely terrific songwriting and imagery to an extent that I had always heard Swift was capable of, but never witnessed for myself. And true to its name, folklore plays like a quiet, introspective record you'd put on while sipping on hot tea in a log cabin in Maine, a soothing-- albeit heartbreaking -- balm in a turbulent year,
Three must-listens: "cardigan", "seven", "mirrorball"
5. Streams Of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able // Black Thought
I owe my friend Josh big-time for pointing me to this release, as my appreciation of Black Thought had previously been confined to a couple Roots songs and a lot of Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon videos. But in Streams Of Thought, Tariq Trotter displays the outrageously brilliant lyricism he is famously capable of, and combines it effortlessly with a variety of musical themes. If there are any complaints I have about Trotter's album, they'd be that I'd almost rather him hog the airtime rather than cede some precious minutes on the album to guest artists.
Three must-listens: "State Prisoner", "We Could Be Good", "Fuel"
4. evermore // Taylor Swift
2020 was the year of the unbelievable, but trust me when I say one of the things that stunned me the most was that I not only willingly listened to a Taylor Swift album, I listened to and liked two of them! Mere months after she finally won me over with folklore, Swift announced and released its sequel, evermore. The latter was received well, but perceived by most fans and critics alike to be the weaker half, a de facto 'folklore B-sides.' Not I; though evermore admittedly lacks the consistently sharp writing of its predecessor, it also avoids the former's mistake of overstaying its welcome, and is more musically exploratory.
Three must-listens: "willow", "no body, no crime", "'tis the damn season"
3. Women in Music Pt. III // HAIM
Continuing the theme of "artists I really should have listened to before 2020," Women In Music was my full-length introduction to HAIM, and what a way to get acquainted. The Grammy-nominated album puts the sister trio's musical versatility and deftness on full display. Rock, Funk, and Folk and more all make appearances on Women In Music, and HAIM pass off each genre flawlessly.
Three must-listens: "Hallelujah", "3AM", "The Steps"
2. Shore // Fleet Foxes
2020 was short on album releases that have truly excited me, and also short on records that I considered better than just 'pretty good.' Thus it was nothing more than an extremely pleasant surprise to hear in late September that my favorite folk-rockers Fleet Foxes were on the verge of releasing a new album, their first in over 3 years, and just their second in a decade. Considering the few albums I had been really excited to listen to this year turned out to be just okay, and the few albums I found great from this year weren't ones I had a whole lot of anticipation for, it was an even more pleasant surprise that this album exceeded my expectations. Shore sees Fleet Foxes simultaneously returning to the brilliant harmonies and musicality that made them so great in the first place, and expanding in depth of both sound and lyrics, with themes of both pained wistfulness and inspired hope rolling throughout the album.
Three must-listens: "Can I Believe You", "Featherweight", "Sunblind"
1. Future Nostalgia // Dua Lipa
Future Nostalgia was the first new album I listened to in 2020, after spending the first several months of the year simply recycling my favorite tracks from the year before. It stayed at #1 for the entire rest of the year, despite there being north of 20 opportunities for another album to top it. It's that good.
I'm not a full-on snark or hipster, but I do tend to be a little wary of the ever-growing 'poptimism' in recent years. So trust me when I say Future Nostalgia doesn't claim my #1 spot as some ploy to appeal to the masses, or keep me relevant with the youths. No, it's just genuinely awesome music. Dua Lipa's album lives up to its name, as track after track plays like something that will, 10+ years from now, come on the radio and make you go "Oooo yeah, remember this song? I loved this one!" No matter your general disposition or how difficult a year you had, you'll be hard-pressed not to dance from start to finish on this record that combines elements of early Lady Gaga and Robyn's Body Talk with Dua Lipa's rich, addictive vocals. The young Brit isn't just the future of pop; she's a star already.
Three must-listens: "Levitating", "Love Again", "Break My Heart"
If you're interested, please see my Best of 2020 playlist linked here! It features tracks from nearly every album referenced in this article, and includes 2 from the best of the best.
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