The Best Albums Of 2020

Let's make this perfectly clear: 2020 was a sucky year for new music. But I'm making the annual list anyways. 25 albums, as usual. Difficult to whip something up this year, but I enjoy making lists. In correlation with how much I disliked this year's music, I wrote a short blurb for each album here. That is, I wrote one of the album's flaws. 

From your favorite music curmudgeon: Enjoy.

The Best Albums Of 2020

25 

Gil Scott-Heron / Makaya McCraven 

We're New Again: A Reimagining By Makaya McCraven

Technically this album was already released 10 years ago. 

24 

Jeff Rosenstock 

NO DREAM

I only enjoy this album when I feel a reckless sense of hopelessness.

23 

Dirty Projectors 

5EPs

This is technically a compilation and shouldn't be here.

22 

HAIM 

Women In Music Pt. III

I know this is pop music, but HAIM have never been my favorite lyricists.

21 

Owen Pallett 

Island

This one's kind of a snoozer.

20 

Moses Sumney 

græ

I don't understand the concept at all. 

19 

The Soft Pink Truth 

Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase?

For such an experimental album, the overall choices might be more safe than they are bold.

18 

Destroyer 

Have We Met

Not a huge fan of the "accessible indie synthpop" approach here. 

17 

Klô Pelgag 

Notre-Dame-Des-Sept-Douleurs

Too much time spent in balladry considering I can't speak a lick of French. 

16

Lido Pimienta 

Miss Columbia

For a pop-influenced album, this is pretty slow.

15 

Chloe x Halle 

Ungodly Hour

I can't tell if this is a bad thing or not, but a lot of this stuff reminds me of mid-2000's radio R&B.

14 

Ka

Descendants Of Cain

Sounds just as predictable as any Ka album.

13 

Laura Marling 

Song For Our Daughter

The middle of this album is like churning butter.

12 

Against All Logic 

2017-2019

By the end of the album, it kinda loses its identity as a Nicolas Jaar project. 

11 

Phoebe Bridgers 

Punisher

I actually disagree with a lot of the artistic/instrumental choices here.

10 

Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist 

Alfredo

This is somewhat of a "small" affair. 

9 

The Microphones 

Microphones In 2020

Hard to take in in one sitting. 

8 

Adrianne Lenker 

songs

Some of these songs sound like they have no beginning or end. 

7 

Sevdaliza 

Shabrang

Too long.

6 

Lianne La Havas 

Lianne La Havas

Definitely nothing too experimental or groundbreaking here. 

5 

Charli XCX 

how i'm feeling now

This can sound REALLY annoying if you're not in the mood. 

4 

Run The Jewels 

RTJ4

This might be their most musically simple album.

3 

Perfume Genius 

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately 

Too much moaning.

2 

Jessie Ware 

What's Your Pleasure?

There is nothing wrong with this.

1 

Fiona Apple 

Fetch The Bolt Cutters 

This isn't even her best album. 

The 30 Best Artists Of My 30-Year Life

Couldn't make it past my 30th birthday without making a random music list. I've been alive from 1990-2020. Here are possibly the best artists from that era.

FOR THE RECORD...

-I recently had a facebook conversation with my sister about the music critic world being ruled by white men. This is definitely a list made by a white male.

-These are probably the best artists of my lifetime, not necessarily my "favorite." My favorites would include more artists that were big when I was in high school during the late 2000's. 

-Wu-Tang Clan is on this list. Namely because of all the amazing solo projects that came from them. In that aspect, they are better than The Beatles. 

-This list wasn't hard to make because I didn't think too hard about it. ONLY 30 artists? With that being said, I have an honorable mentions list of 30 artists. Here it is. 

MIA. Fiona Apple. Guided By Voices. Missy Elliott. Cat Power. The White Stripes. Spoon. Clipse. The Smashing Pumpkins. Stereolab. REM. Broken Social Scene. Oasis. Pulp. Blur. Beach House. TV On The Radio. Joanna Newsom. The Magnetic Fields. Mark Kozelek. Will Oldham. Phil Elverum. Massive Attack. Bill Callahan. Destroyer. Weezer. Beastie Boys. The National. Erykah Badu. D'Angelo.

Now here's the actual list. No blurbs, just cool pictures. 

The 30 Best Artists Of My 30-Year Life

30 Godspeed You! Black Emperor

29 Eminem

28 Vampire Weekend

27 Arcade Fire

26 Belle & Sebastian

25 PJ Harvey

24 LCD Soundsystem

23 Built To Spill

22 Yo La Tengo

21 Modest Mouse

20 A Tribe Called Quest 

19 Wu-Tang Clan

18 Frank Ocean

17 Sufjan Stevens

16 Fugazi

15 Daft Punk

14 Aphex Twin

13 Beck

12 Wilco

11 The Flaming Lips

10 Bjork

9 Elliott Smith

8 Jay-Z

7 Animal Collective

6 Nirvana

5 OutKast

4 Pavement

3 Kendrick Lamar

2 Kanye West

1 Radiohead