2020 end of year lists

Drift's top100


Not sure how I missed the new Fuzz record

№ 1 Fuzz III
№ 2 Mary Lattimore Silver Ladders
№ 3 SAULT Untitled (Black Is)
№ 4 Richard Norris Elements
№ 5 Moses Boyd Dark Matter
№ 6 Green-House Six Songs for Invisible Gardens
№ 7 Gil Scott Heron We’re New Again: A Re-imagining by Makaya McCraven
№ 8 Kelly Lee Owens Inner Song
№ 9 Aoife Nessa Frances Land of No Junction
№ 10 Peel Dream Magazine Agitprop Alterna
№ 11 Working Men’s Club Working Men’s Club
№ 12 Tiña Positive Mental Health Music
№ 13 Yves Tumor Heaven To A Tortured Mind
№ 14 Bill Callahan Gold Record
№ 15 Kevin Morby Sundowner
№ 16 Surprise Chef Daylight Savings
№ 17 Four Tet Sixteen Oceans
№ 18 Sunwatchers Oh Yeah?
№ 19 Modern Nature Annual
№ 20 Stephen Malkmus Traditional Techniques
№ 21 Hania Rani Home
№ 22 Rose City Band Summerlong
№ 23 Ben Lukas Boysen Mirage
№ 24 Fiona Apple Fetch The Bolt Cutters
№ 25 Thundercat It Is What It Is
№ 26 Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Viscerals
№ 27 Mildlife Automatic
№ 28 Machinedrum A View of U
№ 29 Holy Fuck Deleter
№ 30 Protomartyr Ultimate Success Today
№ 31 Waxahatchee Saint Cloud
№ 32 Bing & Ruth Species
№ 33 OSEES Protean Threat
№ 34 Erland Cooper Hether Blether
№ 35 Adrianne Lenker songs and instrumentals
№ 36 Moses Sumney græ
№ 37 Shit and Shine Malibu Liquor Store
№ 38 Bent Arcana Bent Arcana
№ 39 Widowspeak Plum
№ 40 Keeley Forsyth Debris
№ 41 Trees Speak Ohms
№ 42 Crack Cloud Pain Olympics
№ 43 Shabaka & The Ancestors We Were Sent Here By History
№ 44 Kamaal Williams Wu Hen
№ 45 Bibio Sleep On The Wing
№ 46 Fontaines D.C. A Hero's Death
№ 47 Run The Jewels RTJ4
№ 48 Daniel Avery Love + Light
№ 49 The Orielles Disco Volador
№ 50 Sarah Davachi Cantus, Descant
№ 51 Craven Faults Erratics & Unconformities
№ 52 North Americans Roped In
№ 53 Laura Marling Song For Our Daughter
№ 54 Caribou Suddenly
№ 55 Islet Eyelet
№ 56 Porridge Radio Every Bad
№ 57 Delmer Darion Morning Pageants
№ 58 BC Camplight Shortly After Takeoff
№ 59 Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes What Kinda Music
№ 60 Khruangbin Mordechai
№ 61 Phoebe Bridgers Punisher
№ 62 Nubya Garcia Source
№ 63 Angel Olsen Whole New Mess
№ 64 Kate NV Room For The Moon
№ 65 Georgia Seeking Thrills
№ 66 Field Music Making a New World
№ 67 Squirrel Flower I Was Born Swimming
№ 68 Shopping All Or Nothing
№ 69 Douglas Dare Milkteeth
№ 70 Anna von Hausswolff All Thoughts Fly
№ 71 Hailu Mergia Yene Mircha
№ 72 Sorry 925
№ 73 Daniel Avery & Alessandro Cortini Illusion Of Time
№ 74 The Solt Pink Truth Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase?
№ 75 Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Sideways to New Italy
№ 76 Pottery Welcome To Bobby's Motel
№ 77 Jaga Jazzist Pyramid
№ 78 Jason Molina Eight Gates
№ 79 Andy Bell The View From Halfway Down
№ 80 Juniore Un Deux Trois
№ 81 Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela Rejoice
№ 82 Nap Eyes Snapshot of a Beginner
№ 83 Tim Burgess I Love The New Sky
№ 84 La Priest GENE
№ 85 bdrmm Bedroom
№ 86 Nadia Reid Out of My Province
№ 87 Daniel Blumberg On&On
№ 88 U.S. Girls Heavy Light
№ 89 EOB Earth
№ 90 Brigid Dawson & The Mothers Network Ballet Of Apes
№ 91 IDLES Ultra Mono
№ 92 JARV IS... Beyond The Pale
№ 93 Bananagun The True Story of Bananagun
№ 94 Colorama Chaos Wonderland
№ 95 Sink Ya Teeth Two
№ 96 Mark Lanegan Straight Songs of Sorrow
№ 97 Muzz Muzz
№ 98 Wajatta Don’t Let Get You Down
№ 99 Rival Consoles Articulation
№ 100 Melt Yourself Down 100% YES

Good list from Drift.

My top 25 daily drip feed has officially started on insta! I also realised earlier it is world aids day, the perfect day to start revealing my list early.

Of course the soapy will be the first place to find out my number 1 on Dec 15th.

Tucker, ban him. AIDS infested piece of shit!

Stereogum top 50: www.stereogum.com/2108664/best-albums-2020/lists/year-in-review/2020-in-review/

10. Soccer Mommy - color theory
9. SAULT - Untitled (Rise)
8. Touché Amoré - Lament
7. Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
6. Boldy James & Sterling Toles - Manger On McNichols
5. Taylor Swift - folklore
4. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III
3. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
2. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
1. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Consequence of Sound Top 50: consequenceofsound.net/2020/12/top-50-albums-of-2020/full-post/

10. Pearl Jam - Gigaton
9. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo
8. Lady Gaga - Chromatica
7. Deftones - Ohms
6. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
5. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
4. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
3. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
2. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
1. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Gigwise top 51: www.gigwise.com/features/3393272/the-gigwise-51-best-albums-of-2020

20. Poppy - I Disagree
19. The Cribs - Night Network
18. Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind
17. Khruangbin - Mordechai
16. Soccer Mommy - color theory
15. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
14. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
13. Alexandra Savior - The Archer
12. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
11. Creeper - Sex, Death & the Infinite Void
10. Baxter Dury - The Night Chancers
9. Mac Miller - Circles
8. Deftones - Ohms
7. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III
6. Megan Thee Stallion - Good News
5. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
4. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is)
3. Taylor Swift - folklore
2. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
1. Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA

Couple of high placings for Perfume Genius there. I'm surprised he's not on more lists- it's a really good album.

Line of Best Fit: www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/articles/best-albums-2020-ranked

10. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
9. Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour
8. Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind
7. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
6. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
5. Moses Sumney - græ
4. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
3. Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now
2. Samia - The Baby
1. Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA

Louder Than War: louderthanwar.com/louder-than-war-albums-of-the-year-2020-top-50/

10. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
9. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is)
8. Girls In Synthesis - Now Here's An Echo From Your Future
7. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
6. Cornershop - England is a Garden
5. The Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain
4. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
3. Dead Sheeran - A National Disgrace
2. Bob Vylan - We Live Here
1. The Lovely Eggs - I Am Moron

That Cornershop album is excellent.

Not gonna lie, this has not been a vintage year. I totally understand why a lot of artists have held off on releases. Fingers crossed next year is big.

I don't have my list 100% closed but I surely know I'm adding what might be considered a compilation...

It's ok Barny, I'm sure nobody will mock you for its inclusion.

Rolling Stone top 50: www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-2020-1096814/

10. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
9. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
8. Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake
7. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
6. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
5. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
4. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
3. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG
2. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
1. Taylor Swift - folklore

Adding a few records that won't make the top40 list but typed down some words for*:

Peter Bjorn and John - Endless Dream
Everyone seems to downplay these poor guys who always seem to keep a good-to-great level of well-crafted pop ditties. I haven’t followed them that often (think Chrissy is the soapy resident fanboy?) but the truth is I never regret it when I decide to try one of their works.

Disq - Collector
Somewhere between Weezer and Parquet Courts, Disq have appeared with a debut that won’t blow anybody’s mind but it’s nice and varied and it has won the skeptic in me.

The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers
I think I got into the debut by The Beths after 2018 ended so it wasn’t on my list for that year. There was nothing really mind blowing about it but it felt fresh and nice. So I was probably a bit harsh with this one when it failed to match the expectations I had created. Yes, it’s more of the same and yes, there are more generic slow songs but the first two tracks are sweet power pop hits (specially Dying to Believe) and the rest is decent enough to fulfill some indie rock itch.

Woods - Strange to Explain
I’m quite tired of Woods, it’s always the same: first listens are alright and sound slightly different but not too much, then it grows on me, then I realize it’s more of the same but quite good, then forget it for months, come back to it and decide I overrated it, then forget it for months, come back to it and decide it’s alright. Which is unfair, because this is another lovely psych folk offering.

Bananagun - The True Story of Bananagun
Talk about unmet promises… I found about them in the end of the year list from some website. They were described as an Australian cross between tropicalia and The Monks, and they’re called Bananagun ffs! But in the end it's all a bit Goat lite, the jammy psych I’ve already seen a few times, can’t say I find it that great or different. Why do all these fusion weirdos end up sounding the same? I guess some soapboxers will find more enjoyment here as I made it sound worse than it really is.

Destroyer - Have We Met
He tries to look aloof and slippery but sometimes it seems like he could pull a straight synth-pop record at any point. This one has big highs (singles mainly) and too many lows/regurgitation but it didn’t deflate too much for an apparently basic record.

Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
The textured production, the voice and the feelings are undeniably great, the singles being the best examples of these elements congealing in different styles. Unfortunately I tend to switch off during some of the more samey ambient pop tracks, but I’d say it’s more my fault than Mike’s. It’s beautiful music and there’s a lot of care put on every detail.

*This will probably won't be deserving of AIDS but I can see myself getting COVID for it (spoiler: I already have it)

Blatant sympathy post ^^

P.s. Hope you're ok Barns

Chrissie is going to be furious.

Barny, be safe.

IT’S FUCKING ROD THAT WANKS OVER FUCKING PETER BJORN AND JOHN FOR FUCKS SAKE