2020 end of year lists

Pitchfork top 50: pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/best-albums-2020/

30. Bartees Strange - Live Forever
29. Taylor Swift - folklore
28. Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour
27. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
26. Soccer Mommy - color theory
25. Nubya Garcia - Source
24. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene
23. Porridge Radio - Every Bad
22. KeiyaA - Forever, Ya Girl
21. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
20. Fleet Foxes - Shore
19. Amaarae - The Angel You Don't Know
18. Destroyer - Have We Met
17. Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine
16. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
15. U.S. Girls - Heavy Light
14. Jay Electronica - Act II: Patents of Nobility
13. The Microphones - Microphones in 2020
12. Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake
11. Adrianne Lenker - instrumentals / songs
10. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG
9. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
8. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III
7. Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind
6. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
5. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
4. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
3. Moses Sumney - græ
2. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
1. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Less than a week to go guys! Hope you've all got your lists ready for the big day.

Will be revealing my list at 5 past midnight on the 15th. Unless I forget.

Speaking of lists we've all been waiting for, the NME top 50: www.nme.com/features/nme-best-albums-of-the-year-2020-2835612

20. Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake
19. The Killers - Imploding the Mirage
18. Porridge Radio - Every Bad
17. Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor
16. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
15. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
14. Lady Gaga - Chromatica
13. Deftones - Ohms
12. Megan Thee Stallion - Good News
11. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
10. J Hus - Big Conspiracy
9. Beabadoobee - Fake It Flowers
8. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III
7. Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA
6. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
5. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
4. The Strokes - The New Abnormal
3. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
2. Taylor Swift - folklore
1. Run the Jewels - RTJ4

Paid Salvation by A.Swayze & The Ghosts I'd probably have included on my list had I found about it before, fun rock record anyway.

Think it's the first time I make a Best Shows of The Year, but you know, it was an easy one:

5 Gorillaz - yesterday that livestream thing. They put a lot of effort into it and it would have been a blast being there but, you know, I didn't felt like I was in a gig. I can see artists doing more things like these even when touring is allowed back, but there's so much thrill you can take from it. Still Damon is a wonder, the array of people he managed to atract and organize is no easy fit and the backing band sounded great too.

4 Melenas - sunny october morning by the sea, first show in 7 months. Even the wind and the chairs couldn't diminish the feeling of live music again. They were fine, keyboard a bit down in the mix though.

3 Mujeres - headliners with same setting as above, so not the best one I've seen them (out of 5-6 times) but a needed comunal sing along that felt pretty good nonetheless.

2 Nada Surf - more in the power side of power pop than usual, it was a greatest hits set back in early March, with lots of fun and felt chat from the Spanish fella.

1 Fat White Family - wasn't a fan but knew about their live reputation. Even then I got more than promised: Saul is a fantastic frontman, the band is tighter than expected and the songs from their recent record sounded like psychedelic disco in hell. An experience I wish I could repeat soon with them or any of their kind.

Also honourable mention to the Tallest Man On Earth who spent many Fridays playing covers and shit from his NY room at the worst stages of the pandemic, didn't saw them live but went to his youtube channel on weekend mornings and it was a nice companion.

Get a grip, Barny. You can't list livestreams in your top gigs of the year!

Ok but check the previous page mate

In advance of the proper lists being announced here, this is the albumoftheyear.org aggregate end of year list as it stands:

1. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
3. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
4. Taylor Swift - folklore
5. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
6. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
7. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
8. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
9. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is)
10. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III
11. Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind
12. Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA
13. Fleet Foxes - Shore
14. Moses Sumney - græ
15. SAULT - Untitled (Rise)
16. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
17. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
18. The Weeknd - After Hours
19. Adrianne Lenker - songs
20. Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now
21. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG
22. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
23. Thundercat - It Is What It Is
24. Chloe x Halle - Ungodly Hour
25. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene

WTF BARNY IT ISN'T THE 15TH YET

Do you want to join Maddix on the AIDS-list???

That sault are definitely industry plants, probably Illuminati members. Spoiler alert, only 1 record of that 25 will make my list.

I have 6 from that list, probably the year critics and me have agreed the most. Though the Phoebe Bridgers one is quite dull with 2 amazing tracks

This is a correct take. My show of the year list is:

1. The Sadies


That's it. That's the list.

Stop ruining the big day guys

Come on

oh I forgot the date... it's tomorrow guys! so exciting!

Here we go, folks. Working from home for the last 9 months has meant I've smashed my last.fm listening record for a single year so a nice long list ahead, right?
Nope. Here's my top 10:

1) Grimes - Miss Anthropecene
2) Soccer Mommy - Color Theory
3) L.A. Witch - Play With Fire
4) James Dean Bradfield - Even in Exile
5) Momma - Two of Me
6) Doves - The Universal Want
7) Green Day - Father of All....
8) Run The Jewels - RTJ4
9) Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
10) I Break Horses - Warnings

Been a bit of an off-year for me with 2020 albums. I keep a track of new records I listen to in an Excel file, have been doing so since 2015. Year on year, I normally listen to 90-100 new albums from that particular year. This year I haven't even cracked 60. I've enjoyed enough records to a Top 25 so that's probably what I'll do. Not sure I'll be doing any sort of write-ups because the recent of this month is going to be mayhem.