the top albums/songs of the midyear - 2020
Does it even make sense to make this list in 2020?
Because I think everyone grasps on a fundamental level how manic 2020 has felt, especially if you’ve been listening to a lot of music - and as someone who has covered over 175 albums in 2020, it’s been a lot! But I’d argue it goes further, as it seems like artists have been throwing whatever they can at the wall to see what holds and captures a cultural zeitgeist that is rightfully occupied with other things. I mentioned this on Twitter a month ago, but in 2020, when I can rattle off that Eminem, Selena Gomez, Tame Impala, Meghan Trainor, Green Day, Grimes, Childish Gambino, Jay Electronica, 5 Seconds Of Summer, and Lil Yachty all put out albums and it doesn’t seem like anyone cares, somebody should be hitting the alarm bells - hell, depending on the day I’d throw The 1975 in that category too.
And here’s what funny: I still found a ton of great music this year! I’ve already talked about country having a deceptively strong year, but underground hip-hop managed to ramp things up nicely in the past two months. But what has surprised me is how good pop has been, both in its own lane and in crossover with other genres like rock, punk, and country - hell, even if I didn’t love some of the releases in their entirety, there are absolutely big pop singles that I will praise to high heavens, some even successful in the mainstream. What I personally found funny is that there are explicit echoes to my 2017 midyear list in some of these releases, especially from a trio of acts who have consistently been amazing and were in 2020 as well. But I guarantee there’ll be surprises here among the fifteen albums, so let’s get started with…
15. This one has always been a slow burn… but if there was a year to really sit with albums that are layered and contemplative, all about setting the vibe, it’s this one and (spoiliers) that’s reflected more on this list ahead. But I’ve also always had the suspicion this would hit a little better when it got warmer and we were able to lean into the vibe - and oh, it did.
I said in my review that the first Innocent Country was an entry in Quelle Chris’ discography I didn’t quite love in comparison with the projects around it. Well, it seemed like was looking to correct that impression in a big way, tying off the loose thematic ends of the first project with a pretty inspired framing device before opening his scope much larger off the organic jazziness of Chris Keys’ production. No, it’s not as kooky or immediate as Guns, but a Quelle Chris more secure in himself can find and elevate black excellence while deepening his introspection at every turn, where a voice that might initially might itself out of place can look outside himself and elevate a movement. And even beyond what it can lend the movement, its languid pace and excellent guest verses lead to an excellent project that’s worth surveying.
14. I haven’t made it a secret that I’ve had some frustrations with the black metal I’ve been hearing in 2020 - actually, let’s just say metal as a whole, it’s been a rough year. But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t able to find a howling, massively propulsive gem - and here it is.
This is the case of a project that finally got the formula right - the melodies were textured and striking, the grooves were rich, the vocal contrast between screams and clean singing was remarkably well-balanced the content was rooted in the visceral primal beauty of nature with a Native American bent that gave them real uniqueness. It was just a matter of getting the drums right… and on Thunder In The Mountains, they finally did on their best album to date. It’s the sort of project that feels like a long-overdue culmination of ideas, and even then it’s a little surprising how easy it goes down - a bit deceptive on how well this’ll stick in your brain. But thus far it’s been my favourite folk-tinged black metal in 2020, and I’m thrilled they managed to get the formula working.
13. This is a project I’ve been praising since the very beginning of the year, and even then I feel like it’s been ignored because their major label has no idea how to market them effectively, somehow choosing the worst possible singles. But even still, I’m comfortable putting this among their best.
A lot of people compare Little Big Town to Fleetwood Mac, mostly because it’s a mixed gender band with great vocal harmonies, but to me the most stark comparison comes in the remarkable maturity of the content, and how they don’t shy away from relationship complexities. Another expansive project, but backloaded with some of their best songs this decade, there’s a warm contemplative feel to this project that’ll get under your skin in some really well-constructed stories, building off a lot of the foundation they’ve been haltingly building the past decade. Again, this is a group where a lot of their 2000s run is pretty entrenched among the best mainstream country that decade, but in 2020 they delivered a work that can compete with all of it, and has been ignored by too many - in a year that thus far has had a ton of strong country, you don’t want to sleep on this.
But before we move on, I normally include a bunch of songs from albums that missed this list but still deserve attention all the same, and as I’m covering more albums this year, I’m going to split these segments up a bit more, so…
From The Mistakes I’ve Made, ‘Right Side Of Goodbye’ by Greg Williams
From High Road and featuring Sturgill Simpson, ‘Resentment’ by Kesha
From RIP, ‘Killer B-Side Music’ by We Are The City
From Miss Anthropocene, ‘Delete_Forever’ by Grimes
From Sorry For The Late Reply, ‘Telepathetic’ by Sløtface
And from California, ‘Kiss Me’ by Rebecca Connelly (not available on YouTube, unfortunately)
And back to the list…
12. I can predict there’ll be two controversial choices for this list, and this is the first big one… more because of how the artist has been branded rather than the quality of her music, which I’ve been a staunch advocate for years in that there’s a lot more going on than she’s been given credit. So in case you missed it the first time, here’s my case.
I’ve said this before, but right now modern R&B basically owes a lot of its sound to Jhene Aiko, but more than just the sensual vocals and sprawling organic production and purposeful guest features and the ability to sound sexy with an ease so many of her peers can’t match, what I always like to highlight is the writing. There’s an emotive subtlety and complexity to the arc of Jhene’s albums that on the surface highlight your usual relationship messiness, so you’d think an album this lovestruck might feel out of place… except read between the lines and you realize how much of this builds off the trust she had to rebuild on Souled Out, and the very real grief at the loss of family she was self-medicating to escape on Trip. Even here, on an album where she has to know herself better than anyone, there’s a tired, wistful sadness at a collapse she might see coming that makes its meditative second half really resonate. And in a year where I needed to immerse myself in inward contemplation, Jhene delivered the best possible example at precisely the right time.
11. Yeah, I was late to the party with this debut - but queer dream country that can stick the landing this well this early deserves so much attention.
What I find so striking about Katie Pruitt’s debut is how assured she is with the sound - there’s rough edges in her delivery that’ll be tempered with time, but here she uses it in the adolescent struggles with sexuality that show a wisdom and weight beyond her years, but also a textural fit for the stories she’s telling. She’s cited Brandi Carlile as an influence - which is obvious in the album’s pacing and organic warmth and great eye for detail - but the very Catholic framing in the arranged elements and the homespun pop touches are hers alone, and I love that the album doesn’t just center the conflict and scars, but also delivers the heartfelt ballads that can tell the next step of the story. Whatever is the case, Pruitt made her name in a big way with this, blowing right past any expectations I might have - can’t wait to hear more!
10. I’m a little shocked this project stuck with me as long as it did - many have described it as a lateral move at best for this pop country artist, where she’s embracing cliches of indie pop that have already been overexposed… so why does she make it work so damn well regardless?
I’m a little convinced that Caitlyn Smith is dragging Supernova to quality on sheer performance alone - a huge dynamic voice that could really use some of the old lush production or more robust storytelling of Starfire but will go bigger to compensate regardless… helped along by some of her best ever songs that had enough hooks to stick with me despite the odds stacked against it. It’s a project with less dimensionality in everything but performance… but when the hooks stack up and you get cuts like ‘Damn You For Breaking My Heart’, ‘Midnight In New York City’, and especially ‘Lonely Together’ which might be ‘Cheap Date Pt. 2’ but might also be better… and you get precisely the right moments to smolder with real intensity, Smith ensures that this supernova isn’t going to burn out too quickly. This is another pop-leaning country project I’d argue has been overlooked - you should fix that.
But before we move on, a few songs worth mentioning…
From You Or Someone You Know, ‘End Of The World’ by Worriers
From After Hours, ‘Blinding Lights’ by The Weeknd
From Lady Like, ‘The Stranger’ by Ingrid Andress
From Future Nostalgia, ‘Love Again’ by Dua Lipa
From Wake Up, Sunshine, ‘Melancholy Kaleidoscope’ by All Time Low
And from It Is What It Is, ‘Dragonball Durag’ by Thundercat
Alright, so let’s keep moving with…
9. I already know there are some folks following this who are starting to get exasperated with all the country choices, even though I’ve been saying this has been an exceedingly strong year for it - and we have albums by Lori McKenna and Ruston Kelly coming later this year, my god - but this was an act I’m actually late to discussing. I mean, come on, it’s their best project since burn. flicker. die., how am I not going to praise it?
This is one of two political indie country releases on this list, and yet what it can lack in some nuance and slightly inconsistent production it makes up for in hitting the precise balance between confessional storytelling and anthemic power. And you need that balance, considering BJ Barham’s difficult reputation is now preceding him and him taking more accountability is a huge step in the right direction, and when matched with hard conversations about sobriety, relationships he ruined, and a dogged desire to fight for better, both for himself and the South at large. Now again, it’s very easy to compare this to American Aquarium’s best, and I wouldn’t quite put it there - but this is a project that has only deepened its appeal with every passing month, and I’d argue ‘A Better South’ might be among the best songs of 2020. So yeah, if you’ve fallen off with American Aquarium at some point this decade - it wouldn’t be hard to do so, I get it - you should check this out and get back onboard.
8. And speaking of albums that have a lot of unfortunate comparison points… yes, it’s only grown on me this year, and while I won’t give it the effusive praise that nearly every critic has provided, Fiona Apple’s intensity can rarely be denied.
At this point, you don’t need me to add more to any conversation about Fetch The Bolt Cutters - the discourse that week was wild, the album has proven staying power thus far, and while her 90s work will always stick with me the most, Fiona Apple’s emotive storm constantly on the cusp of exploding in its fiercely detailed and feminist storytelling is something to behold. Yeah, it’s shaggy and weirdly sequenced in spots and I don’t think it’s got a great ending, but there’s an idiosyncratic charm and potency where the outward questions of refinement disguise just how clever and devasting this album is. And while I could make comparisons to Neko Case’s similar wild album from two years ago where there are way more parallels than I think many gave credit, Fetch The Bolt Cutters still nails its tension off frenetic percussion and a master’s command of instability. Great, complex album, absolutely worth hearing.
7. So remember when I said there were two controversial entries on this list? What I didn’t mention was how by its position alone I can imagine some folks getting really agitated, especially when I could just leave it off and nobody would be the wiser - but is that fun?
I remember back in 2017 I got onboard the train for Niall Horan - he wasn’t the flashy powerhouse his former bandmate Harry Styles was, but he was a sharp songwriter with good instincts and that made Flicker a really good underrated album. Well, Heartbreak Weather is an improvement across the board, with hooks for days, writing that consistently punches above its weight class, and compositions where the parallels to existing acts might be obvious… until you realize that for as much Horan can imitate The 1975 or Ed Sheeran, he’s going to make those pastiches even better! I can argue Niall made better 1975 songs than The 1975 made this year, and he also did it with an old-fashioned pop star swagger with writing that fits the modern era. And what I admire is how much of a streamlined, layperson technician he is on a compositional level, similar to someone like Carly Rae Jepsen - Ive said so many times before it’s harder to write a lasting pop song than many will give credit, and Niall Horan has leaned into that to make what might be the most underrated pop album of 2020. He’s going to be around for a while, folks, I’d keep an eye out.
Okay, over halfway through, so let’s rattle through a few more songs with…
From The Way It Feels, ‘Drunk Or Lonely’ by Maddie & Tae
From Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible, ‘satellites* *’ by Enter Shikari
From SAWAYAMA, ‘Chosen Family’ by Rina Sawayama
From The K Is Silent, ‘Then It Rained’ by Hot Country Knights
From It Was Good Until It Wasn’t and featuring Jhene Aiko, ‘Change Your Life’ by Kehlani
And from Dedicated Side B and featuring Bleachers, ‘Comeback’ by Carly Rae Jepsen
Now back to the list…
6. You know, damn near every time I cover this artist, when I get around to making my lists I always find myself a bit surprised he’s here and I wonder if maybe I’m giving him way too much credit. So I do the right thing, I put the album on… and then I get it all over again.
Yeah, Dan Bejar somehow did again: a more accessible album then ken while building off the chilly textures and haunted obliqueness that gave that album its subtle power, where the haunted foreknowledge of what was coming has now moved up to the present and feels horrifying prescient in its political subtext, especially in dismantling all that distance he’s been manufacturing. That’s the creeping power of Have We Met: on the surface it seems as moody and distant as ever, but the more its analog synths, thicker grooves, and Bejar second-guessing his own words as they tumble forth with greater urgency, the easier it is to be drawn into that strange connection. This is music made for the artists who can’t hide anymore, building that mystique in order to break it, and in 2020… this had a stunning amount of staying power for me. Tricky album to love and it won’t be for everyone… but it should be for more.
5. Of all the projects on this list, this is the one I’m most on the fence about my opinion, mostly because this is a guy who has cranked out some of the best singer-songwriter projects in the past decade and when placed in context, a lot of that same quality is there but it feels more fragile than ever. It’s still goddamn amazing, but we’re going to need to talk about it.
So no, it’s not better than The Nashville Sound nor Something More Than Free, and if Jason Isbell was looking to conceal how troubled this production was, he didn’t pull it off, especially as this is a project that seems all the more tense and precarious with every listen. Not just in its politics that challenge the very ethical roots of conservatism - this is the second political country project on this list, albeit a little so than it’s been advertised - but also in a family structure straining in hard times at the face of a man who still can’t shake his demons - it gets easier, but it never gets easy. That combined with Dave Cobb’s production that is naturally colder and compositions owing more to progressive rock makes Reunions an album that’s considerably harder to like… but Isbell is such a great poet in leaning into the fear and tension and facing those insecurities head on that you wind up gripped regardless. And for as rocky as it is… it’s still potent as all hell, and really does deserve that attention.
4. Oh, you thought we were done being political? In 2020? And when it bangs this hard?
No, it’s not Run The Jewels’ best and I’m still worried this is going to fade a little when the energy of, well, right now starts to ebb away - but at the same time, it’s terrifying how prescient an apocalyptic project like this feels… until you realize it’s speaking on systemic issues that aren’t going away and it didn’t require much foresight. It’s Killer Mike and El-P at their darkest as they stare into the immense reality that gangsta bravado and bars upon bars can only challenge for so long… but you can’t be the kamikaze pilot to take it down in one fell swoop; you have to keep living in it, and that’s where I get the feeling this’ll wind up holding up… and I’m not sure whether that’s unfortunate or not. And this point, you know what Run The Jewels brings - all the guests deliver, you can unearth more wit and punchlines with every listen, and right now I challenge you to find better rap music in 2020. I’ll wait.
But before our top three, just a few more songs from albums that missed the list but are worth hearing all the same…
From Alfredo and featuring Tyler, The Creator, ‘Something To Rap About’ by Freddie Gibbs and Alchemist
From Golden Hour and featuring Zac Brown, ‘Someday’ by Kygo
From How Much Works, ‘Patterns Of Nature’ by Sweet Whirl
From God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It and featuring Ada Rook, ‘Black Magic’ by Backxwash
From DRUG DEALING IS A LOST ART, ‘RASCAL’ by RMR
And finally from Love, Death & Dancing, ‘Better’ by Jack Garratt
Alright, down to the end here…
3. I’ll freely admit I’m a bit surprised this album is as high as it is on this list, because after the first couple of listens, I’m not sure I could say this matches his album from 2017… but the trick I’ve realized with Perfume Genius is that my lasting fondness is inextricably linked to how often I go back to it - and by far this is the one I’ll touch the most.
What I think caught me offguard about this album is how it seemed like it didn’t have the same emotional intensity as Too Bright and No Shape - but then I realized not only was that not quite true, but more because Mike Hadreas was translating it into his most ecletic and diverse set of baroque pop songs he’s ever had, maintaining that thrumming, slightly unstable groove beneath gorgeous arrangements and some of his most joyous and lovestruck writing to date. Yeah, it pivots to darker notes at a few points, but there’s a comfort found in companionship that feels like a real progression for Hadreas, and as someone who has been listening for years now, to hear that growth and happiness realized - and like with Katie Pruitt, recognizing what that can mean in queer relationships - is a thrill I didn’t know I needed. It’s watching a friend beat back a long-standing illness and fall in love, and even if there are cracks, they’re going to make it work. More than ever, it opens so many doors for him going forward, and I just know the best is yet to come.
2. You know, throughout the past few months of quarantine the message I’ve heard is that a lot of folks are not hunting for new music - they’re going to the familiar, what goes down easy, what makes them happy right out of the gate. And at the end of the day, I can recognize some of that impulse in myself, to the point where even though I don’t have a ton to say, I know exactly why this album is as high as it is on my list.
Yes, I’m late to the Gabe Lee party - but I’m thrilled I’m here, because this is the sort of sunny, colourful, brilliantly sharp country music that’s easy to love. There’s so much warmth and charm in the textures and Lee’s nasal but expressive delivery that you almost don’t recognize how damn sharp the hooks are, or how much cleverness he packs into songs overflowing with swagger but also a lot of emotional intelligence and wisdom. I’m reminded a lot of Kyle Craft in his eye for detail and some parallels in timbre, but Lee is way more country and less concerned with showy artifice, which helps the emotive punch when he strips everything back for something more humble like the stunning ‘30 Seconds At A Time’. And again, with so much natural charisma to back it all up, Gabe Lee takes the formula he laid down on farmland two years ago and expands it considerably. And I’ll admit this was a project for which I didn’t give a full review - but when it’s this straightforward and direct in its raw appeal, it cuts past the need. Too many of y’all have slept on this, you’re going to want to hear it.
1. Now on the flip side, you can default to the easy-going stuff, but sometimes the best way to find catharsis is to rip your heart out and dig into its core with aplomb. And in 2020… there’s a part of me that didn’t want this to keep feeling as relevant as it does - but sometimes you need it, even from the most unlikely of places.
It should be no surprise this is topping my list - what surprises me is that how many others have gotten onboard with Spanish Love Songs, including fellow critics in the know! I honestly thought I was going out on a ledge when I gave this album a perfect score… but then to hear not just that opinion echoed but for the album to only pick up more visceral emotive punch with every passing month is awe-inspiring. I’ve not heard an emo project this consistently strong across the board in years, mostly because this album takes all the grown subtext of the midwestern scene and drills into the desperate reality in which too many people live… and then gives you a weathered hand to keep going. And I already know there are folks who’ll hear the total lack of irony and deflection and dismiss it, but the band has already heard that deflection and it wants to grab at the humanity buried beneath it. Coupled with fantastic and consistent production, pummelling and groove-rich hooks that just will not stop, and an attention to visceral detail that leaves every song quotable and frighteningly real… yeah, this is likely going to be my album of 2020 and even though there are real challengers coming, it’s a colossus to beat. Brave faces, everyone - after the first half of this year and what could be coming, we’re going to need them.