Best Recordings of 2020
Here's my take with the obvious caveats.
As always, this list could change on another day or week, but this is where it currently sits. I've put some records in the comments that I'm wanting to spend some more time with.
Enjoy!
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Johannes Pramsohler, Gulrim Choi & Philippe Grisvard
Hellendaal: “Cambridge” Sonatas
10/10
Clipping: Visions of Bodies Being Burned
9/10: The rap trio delivers their unique brand of horror-core hip hop. Incredible rapping and storytelling, concepts, and insane production.
Vikingur Olafsson: Debussy * Rameau
9/10: The Icelandic pianist pairs Debussy and Rameau, showing that they are what he considers “soulmates.” This record taught me more about programming in classical music.
JACK Quartet: John Luther Adams, Lines Made by Walking
9/10: Contemporary Soundscapes for String Quartet. Nearly moved me to tears several times. Recommended listening while on a long walk.
Richard Nance and the Pacific Lutheran Choir of the West: There will Come Soft Rains
Choral Works by Eriks Esenvalds
9/10: Impeccable!
Blu and Exile: Miles
9/10: This. Is. Hip Hop. This record floored me and still does. If you aren’t into hip-hop in general, at least give this record a try. Great storytelling, flawless rapping, with smart, lush, gorgeous production.
Andreas Hammerschmidt: Ach Jesus stirbt
9/10: A lush, fun, gorgeous presentation of vocal music from the 17th century German composer.
The Koreatown Oddity: Little Dominiques Nosebleed
9/10 An honest, narrative-driven rap album that had exciting and creative production, thoughtful bars, and a meaningful concept.
Fleet Foxes: Shore
9/10: The boys keep pushing and I keep listening. Robin Pecknold is a treasure.
Natalia Lafourcade: Un Canto por Mexico, Vol. 1
9/10: A brilliant Mexicana record. Natalia’s voice is soulful, versatile, and powerful over some incredible production, musicianship, and harmonies.
Bonny Light Horseman
9/10: A cover-record of hundreds-years-old folk tunes that is nearly flawless.
Kitgut Quartet: Tis too Late to be Wise
9/10: A look into the origins of the string quartet. What a recording.
Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher
9:10: What can I say? I think this record is pretty amazing and heartbreaking.
Ichiko Aoba: Windswept Adam
9/10: Gorgeous Japanese singer/songwriter record.
Leo Takami: Felis Cactus and Silence
9/10: A meditative and beautiful avant-garde Jazz record with Japanese guitar work.
Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde
Dame Sarah Connolly, Robert Dean Smith
Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra / Vladimir Jurowski
9/10: Austion composer Gustav Mahler, written between 1908 and 1909. Six songs for two singers and orchestra. Bernstein said this was Mahler’s greatest symphony.
Lianne La Havas: Self Titled
9/10 - A near flawless record!
Laura Marling: Song for our Daughter
9/10: A potent, heartbreaking record from Laura.
Gorillaz: Song Machine, Season 1
8/10: Gorillaz at their best with a ton of fun guests. Nearly every tune is a hit.
Sufjan Stevens: The Ascension
8/10:
The Strokes: The New Abnormal
8/10: What a great modern rock record. The boys keep up their swagger with introspection and a batch of great songs.
Aaron Parks: Little Big II: Dreams of a Mechanical Man
8/10: Some Trance Jazz from a Brooklyn jazz pianist and his boys.
Darling West: We’ll Never Know Unless We Try
8/10 Nordic Americana that’s made for a beach-side drive. Nice melodies, nice production, nice guitar lines, verging on too nice.
Adrianne Lenker: songs
8/10: Intimate, vulnerable and bordering on frightening singer-songwriter record. The songwriting is so well done and the vocal performances unsettling and beautiful.
Floral: Self Titled
8/10: This one ran me right over. Some quirky and heavy hitting math rock.
Run the Jewels: RTJ4
8/10: Another hard hitting rap album from two of the modern greats.
Mac Miller: Circles
8/10: This posthumous record is Mac Miller’s best. The simple and lovely production matched with his intimate vocals make this album make this record hit in a very sad way since his passing.
Gillian Welch: Boots. No. 2: The Lost Songs, Vol 1
8/10: Welch/Rawlings harmonies and simple songs continue to give me a taste of heaven.
Haim: Women in Music Pt. III
8/10: The ladies gives us a simply fantastic pop album.
Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways
8/10 Hearing a fresh set of new tunes from Dylan was a treat. “I’ve made up my mind to give myself to you” was a big highlight for me.
The Corner Room: Remember and Proclaim
8/10: Wonderful collection of Scripture songs for kids and parents.
The Flaming Lips: American Head
8/10: An excellent, beautiful, trippy meditation on family and drug use.
Christian Lee Hutson: Beginners
8/10
Horse Lords: The Common Task
8/10: Angular, surprising instrumental rock.
Brian Eno and Roger Eno: Mixing Colours
8/10
Contours: Balafon Sketches
8/10 Percussion and Traditional Instruments Meet Synthesizers and Software
Code Orange: Underneath
8/10: An excellent metal record with hints at the nu-metal of the early 2000s that hit that nostalgic nerve.
Slauson Malone: Vergangenheitsbewältigung (Crater Speak)
7/10 - Esoteric, empty, spacious, slightly paranoid, calming at the same time
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
7/10 - I have long admired Fiona’s sheer bravery on her records, and this one is no exception. Some of these tunes need more thought and fine-tuning, which would have made this record a near masterpiece.
Chris Stapleton: Starting Over
7/10: Chris comes through with some simple, honest, punchy tunes here. And the man can wail and sing with the best out there.
Clifton Hicks: Banjo Heritage
7/10: Music for Archaic Handmade Banjos that made my heart glad.
Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia
7/10: A ton of pop perfection all over this one. Really fun.
Stormzy: Heavy is the Head
7/10: What a great hip hop record. It goes HARD, but is also quite thoughtful, raw, vulnerable, and melodic. The last tune leaves a bad impression, though, and drops the record down a notch or two.
Rina Sawayama: Sawayama
7/10: Hear me, there are moments of pop genius and bliss all over this record. But, a few duds in the trackless brought this album down a bit for me. Forward-thinking producer Clarence Clarity is the one to thank for the sounds on this one that blow my mind.
Dan Deacon: Mystic Familiar
7/10: Deacon is his best when he gets out of the way. There are some real moments of transcendence on this record that I love, where time slows down.
The Gilberts: One
7/10 Three siblings sit on the floor and record, in one take, with one mic, a quaint and beautiful folk record.
Lee Han: Piwa Pi
7/10: Easy to get lost in this Korean organ improvisational record.
Roomful of Teeth & Wally Gunn: The Ascendant
7/10: Odd, haunting contemporary choral music that put me in a trance.
Sam Amidon: Self Titled
7/10: Quant singer-songwriter record that reminds me of "Little Wings."
Bek Phoenix: Park Variations
7/10: Guitar improvisations recorded on a simple mic in Geneva’s parks during the pandemic.
Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud
7/10: Good folk record. My only minor complaint is that occasionally the vocals hit a jarring register and the songs can get formulaic. The guitars sound amazing on this one and the production is excellent.
Moor Jewelry: True Opera
7/10: An absolute barn burner of a noise-rock album.
Jeff Parker: Suite for Max Brown
7/10: A jazz guitarist plays almost all of the instruments and delivers an interesting self-collaborative project.
William Tyler: Soundtrack to First Cow
7/10: Cute and quaint.
Taylor Swift: Folklore & Evermore
7/10: Taylor hit a stride here, in my opinion. If a few of tracks had been removed from each album, they would have been that much better (I’m looking at you, “No body, no crime”). Her best batch of tracks to date.
