Favorite Albums of 2020, Part 3…
67. Kevin Morby, Sundowner
Pulling back on the rock and roll and mostly setting his piano aside, the LA-based singer/songwriter focuses on a heartfelt, acoustic guitar-driven set. Highlights: “Provisions,” “Jamie,” “Don’t Underestimate Midwest American Sun”
68. Kali Uchis, Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)
On her first album in Spanish, the Colombian-American singer and eccentric pop artist re-routes her sound through a variety of Latin influences. Highlights: “Te Pongo Mal (Prendelo),” “De Nadie,” “¡Aquí Yo Mando!”
69. Bob Mould, Blue Hearts
Passionate, political and vital, the punk and post-punk veteran rages as hard, and sounds as vital on his 13th solo album as if Hüsker Dü never ended. Highlights: “American Crisis,” “Baby Needs A Cookie,” “Little Pieces”
70. Ane Brun, How Beauty Holds The Hand Of Sorrow
Norwegian indie folk star Ane Brun’s second album of 2020 is slower and gentler than its predecessor and wraps the listener up in its depth and its warmth. Highlights: “Song For Thrill And Tom,” “Trust,” “Breaking The Surface”
71. Grimes, Miss Anthropocene
Always cinematic, Claire Boucher’s new one is a thought-provoking, narratively elaborate electro-pop / industrial dance concept album. Highlights: “4ÆM,” “Darkseid,” “Delete Forever”
72. Busta Rhymes, Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God
The Brooklyn rap legend’s first proper studio album in 8 years sports apocalyptic themes and a bombastic, high-energy approach. Highlights: “Outta My Mind,” “Freedom?,” “Look Over Your Shoulder”
73. Bill Callahan, Gold Record
With a similar sound to 2019’s Shepherd in a Sheepskin Vest, the indie veteran seems to’ve decided that his sparsely arranged, intimate folk is all the vehicle he needs for his warm, poignant and often wry storytelling, and these songs agree. Highlights: “The MacKenzies,” “Pigeons,” “Ry Cooder”
74. Bright Eyes, Down in the Weeds, Where The World Once Was
Conor Oberst returns to his band and after 9 years and they mostly pick back up where they left off: Elegant, elaborately arranged indie folk-rock with varied and inventive production. Highlights: “Mariana Trench,” “Tilt-A-Whirl,” “To Death’s Heart (In Three Parts)”
75. Caroline Rose, Superstar
The one time folksinger charges further into modern pop, foregoing guitars entirely to surround her new concept album in hooky synths. Highlights: “Feel The Way I Want,” “Freak Like Me,” “Do You Think We’ll Last Forever”
76. Bartees Strange, Live Forever
This DC-based artist blends art-pop, indie rock, alt-R&B and other diverse styles into his ultimately (subtly) hip hop-centered vision that is wholly his own. Highlights: “Far,” “Boomer,” “In A Cab”
77. Les Amazones d’Afrique, Amazones Power
The second outing from a supergroup of ten women activist musicians, founded in Mali, spans a continent of musical influences and beyond. Highlights: “Love,” “Timbuktu,” “Rebels”
78. The James Hunter Six, Nick of Time
The always charming English soul singer and his new backing band (same name) keep retro R&B at the core but incorporate some jazz and Latin touches too. Highlights: “Mission in Action,” “How About Now,” “He’s Your Could’ve Been”
79. Lori McKenna, The Balladeer
A Boston-based songwriter who’s written numerous Nashville hits, McKenna’s own eleventh album is full of poignant, often timeless songs with an organic, authentic feel. Highlights: “The Balladeer,” “Marie,” “The Dream”
80. Melkbelly, PITH
Miranda Winters and her band play a unique, coarse but artful blend of grunge, math rock and noise rock on their sophomore album. The guitars are fantastic and the drumming is superb. Highlights: “LCR,” “Kissing Under Some Bats,” “Stone Your Friends”
81. Bishop Nehru, Nehurvia: My Disregarded Thoughts
One-time teenage east coast rap prodigy Marquelle Scott is 23 now, and this album represents a powerful coming of age. Beats are eccentric and delightfully ethereal. Highlights: “Too Lost,” “3:50 in LA,” “Never Slow”
82. Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters, Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters
The Belly / Breeders / Throwing Muses founding member joins with the violin-kissed folk stylings of the Parkingtons’ family band, for a strikingly cohesive covers album. Highlights: “Automatic,” “Days,” “Devil You Know”
83. Don Bryant, You Make Me Feel
The second album in the 79-year-old classic R&B songwriter’s late-career rennaisance features another strong batch of love songs. Highlights: “Your Love Is To Blame,” “I Die A Little Each Day,” “Walk All Over God’s Heaven”
84. Alexandra Savior, The Archer
This Portland singer/songwriter’s immaculately produced, richly textured sophomore album features many shades of indie pop and a fair share of psychedelia. Highlights: “Saving Grace,” “I Can’t Help Myself,” “The Archer”
85. Nubya Garcia, Source
Here’s the proud full-length debut of a saxophonist and bandleader already well-loved London’s modern jazz scene and the Afro-futurist movement as well. Highlights: “Pace,” “La Cumbia Me Está Llamando,” “Source”
86. Sufjan Stevens, The Ascension
Diving headlong into electronic instrumentation, the indie folk veteran’s characteristic introspection, gentle vocal stylings, and thematic ambitiousness remain strong and compelling. Highlights: “Ursa Major,” “Video Game,” “Goodbye To All That”
87. Juice WRLD, Legends Never Die
A heartbreaking, posthumous album, on which this 21-year-old rapper has vulnerably and vividly documented the addiction to pain medication that killed him. Highlights: “Bad Energy,” “Come & Go,” “Wishing Well”
88. Deradoorian, Find The Sun
Angel Deradoorian’s third full-length solo record infuses l- fi indie rock touched with exotic scales and textures to anchor the direct, inviting mysticism of her lyrics. Highlights: “Saturnine Night,” “Monk’s Robes,” “Sun”
89. Glass Animals, Dreamland
This Oxford outfit walks the line between pop and art-pop, crafting evocative lyrics from lowbrow cultural references set to strange, smooth dance music. Highlights: “Your Love (Déjà Vu),” “Space Ghost Coast To Coast,” “Heat Waves”
90. Sun Ra Arkestra, Swirling
The space jazz pioneer’s band returns to make wild free jazz reveries that are digestible and delicious,infusing playful and meandering compositions with cosmic purpose. Highlights: “Seductive Fantasy,” “Angels and Demons at Play,” “Sea of Darkness / Darkness”
91. The Strokes, The New Abnormal
The Strokes continue to weave new wave and synths into their sound and now, after a 7-year hiatus, display a newfound vulnerability and thoughtfulness. Highlights: “Eternal Summer,” “Brooklyn Bridge to Chorus,” “At The Door”
92. Black Thought, Stream of Thought Vol. 3: Cane & Able
The 3rd in a series but actually his first full-length solo album finds the Roots MC rapping with characteristic precision and elegance and welcoming a fantastic array of guests. Highlights: “Thought vs. Everybody,” “Quiet Trip,” “Steak Um”
93. Tame Impala, The Slow Rush
Kevin Parker funnels his psychedelic tendencies through a variety of pop stylings on this lyrically introspective, spacious 4th album. Highlights: “Breathe Deeper,” “Lost In Yesterday,” “Borderline”
94. Mark Lanegan, Straight Songs of Sorrow
These deep, dark songs, born from memories triggered by the forthcoming book Lanegan just wrote, are mostly synth-driven, with a few guitar-backed numbers as well. Highlights: “This Game of Love,” “Ketamine,” “Skeleton Key”
95. Norah Jones, Pick Me Up Off The Floor
Jones continues to make subtly adventurous and varied music within the comfortable context of her distinct blend of vocal jazz, pop and folk music.. Highlights: “How I Weep,” “Flame Twin,” “To Live”
96. Archie Schepp, Raw Poetic and Damu The Fudgemonk, Ocean Bridges
Improvised in studio, Ocean Bridges is an uplifting jazz collaboration between a veteran saxophonist, his rapper nephew who is also a children’s author, and a DJ / producer. Highlights: “Tulips,” “Aperture,” “Searching Souls”
97. Laura Marling, Song For Our Daughter
On an express exploration of modern femininity, English singer/songwriter Laura Marling returns to a cleaner, gentler folk-focused sound for her seventh album. Highlights: “Strange Girl,” “Only The Strong,” “For You”
98. Monophonics, It’s Only Us
This Bay Area outfit combines classic R&B sounds with a flair for the psychedelic, with a more contemporary, grittier feel than you might expect from retro-soul. Highlights: “Last One Standing,” “Tunnel Vision,” “Run For Your Life”
99. Christian McBride, The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons
The acclaimed Philadelphia bandleader presents reenacted speeches by four Civil Rights leaders, interspered with Gospel-based choral music, over skillful jazz compositions. Highlights: “Sister Rosa — Prologue,” “Rosa Introduces Malcolm,” “Rumble in the Jungle”
100. Thurston Moore, By The Fire
The former Sonic Youth frontman achieves the long-form art rock epic he’s attempted for years, with elegantly structured songs in the first half, followed by lots of spacious weirdness. Highlights: “Hashish,” “Breath,” “They Believe In Love (When They Look At You)”
101. Phish, Sigma Oasis
Bonus, cause I can’t leave this out: It’s crazy that an excellent album by a long-running band that I love doesn’t even quite make the top 100, but musically, 2020 really was that good. So many other great albums didn’t make it on here at allbut such is the nature of year-end lists…
Anyway, the greatest jam band of their generation released their 15th studio album. It‘s good-natured and easy-going and a fine way to de-stress from all the ways in which 2020 was not a great year. It’s long and rambling, just like yours truly, but it’s full of playfulness and joy.
And now, here’s the master list of my top 100 favorites!
1. Waxahatchee — St. Cloud
2. Fiona Apple — Fetch the Bolt Cutters
3. Run The Jewels — RTJ4
4. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard — K.G.
5. Sa-Roc — The Sharecropper’s Daughter
6. Dehd — Flower of Devotion
7. Adrianne Lenker — Songs
8. Pearl Jam — Gigaton
9. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit — Reunions
10. Ray LaMontagne — Monovision
11. Another Sky — I Slept On The Floor
12. Angelica Garcia — Cha Cha Palace
13. Jessica Smucker — Lucid Stories, Tentative Lies
14. IDLES — Ultra Mono
15. Fontaines DC — A Hero’s Death
16. Songhoy Blues — Optimisme
17. Chemtrails — The Peculiar Smell of the Inevitable
18. Keleketla! — Keleketla!
19. Denai Moore — Modern Dread
20. Phoebe Bridgers — Punisher
21. The Beths — Jump Rope Gazers
22. Fleet Foxes — Shore
23. Perfume Genius — Set My Heart On Fire Immediately
24. Childish Gambino — 3.15.20
25. Sylvan Esso — Free Love
26. Car Seat Headrest — Making a Door Less Open
27. Lido Pimienta — Miss Colombia
28. Osees — Protean Threat
29. Bruce Springsteen — Letter To You
30. Bob Dylan — Rough and Rowdy Ways
31. Midnight Oil — The Makarrata Project (EP)
32. Jyoti — Mama, You Can Bet!
33. Afel Bocoum — Lindé
34. Homeboy Sandman — Don’t Feed The Monster
35. Nadine Shah — Kitchen Sink
36. Moses Sumney — Grae
37. Rufus Wainwright — Unfollow The Rules
38. Aesop Rock — Spirit World Field Guide
39. Grouplove — Healer
40. Frances Quinlan — Likewise
41. DakhaBrakha — Alambari
42. Bombay Bicycle Club — Everything Else Has Gone Wrong
43. En Attendant Ana — Juillet
44. Everything Everything — Re-Animator
45. Thundercat — It Is What It Is
46. Indigo Girls — Look Long
47. Moon Hooch — Life On Other Planets
48. Daniel Romano’s Outfit — How Ill Thy World Is Ordered
49. Coriky — Coriky
50. Hamilton Leithauser — The Loves of My Life
51. Hinds — The Prettiest Curse
52. Ohmme — Fantasize Your Ghost
53. Fantastic Negrito — Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?
54. Darlingside — Fish Pond Fish
55. Arbouretum — Let It All In
56. Sault — Untilted (Black Is)
57. Gord Downie — Away Is Mine
58. Open Mike Eagle — Trauma, Anime and Divorce
59. Wire — Mind Hive
60. Melt Yourself Down — 100% Yes
61. Sault — Untilted (Rise)
62. HAIM — Women In Music Pt. III
63. Sevdaliza — Shabrang
64. Isobel Campbell — There Is No Other…
65. Seamus Fogarty — A Bag of Eyes
66. Throwing Muses — Sun Racket
67. Kevin Morby — Sundowner
68. Kali Uchis — Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)
69. Bob Mould — Blue Hearts
70. Ane Brun — How Beauty Holds the Hand of Sorrow
71. Grimes — Miss Anthropocene
72. Busta Rhymes — Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God
73. Bill Callahan — Gold Record
74. Bright Eyes — Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was
75. Caroline Rose — Superstar
77. Bartees Strange — Live Forever
77. Les AmazonStues d’Afrique — Amazones Power
78. The James Hunter Six — Nick of Time
79. Lori McKenna — The Balladeer
80. Melkbelly — PITH
81. Bishop Nehru — Nehruvia: My Disregarded Thoughts
82. Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters — Tanya Donelly and the Parkington Sisters
83. Don Bryant — You Make Me Feel
84. Alexandria Saviour — The Archer
85. Nubya Garcia — Source
86. Sufjan Stevens — The Ascension
87. Juice WRLD — Legends Never Die
88. Deradoorian — Find The Sun
89. Glass Animals — Dreamland
90. Sun Ra Arkestra — Swirling
91. The Strokes — The New Abnormal
92. Black Thought: Streams of thought, Vol. 3: Cane & Able
93. Tame Impala — The Slow Rush
94. Mark Lanegan — Straight Songs of Sorrow
95. Norah Jones — Pick Me Up Off the Floor
96. Archie Schepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk — Ocean Bridges
97. Laura Marling — Song For Our Daughter
98. Monophonics — It’s Only Us
99. Christian McBride, The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons
100. Thurston Moore — By The Fire