Two years ago, when this blog was at it’s peak output-wise, I put together a list of my favourite albums of 2018. Now, I’ve always had some unruly fascination with end-of-year lists and rankings in general, and have written before about my love of award shows and such, so it’s no surprise that this post is one of my personal favourites, or at the very least one of the one’s I’ve thought about the most since publishing. It amazes me how opinions change compared to something you were so certain of at the time, or even just how standings shift as you discover new pieces from that year – “where would this one go?!”
Overall though, despite my many revisits, I’m mostly happy with that list and would stand by most of the placements – go me. The point I’m labouring towards is that I’m doing the same now for the year of our lord (debatable) 2020, but I’m going to try to take it less seriously than my eager-to-impress 21 year old self, so future Dan doesn’t spend quite as much of his energy calling current Dan an idiot. Although I’m sure many of you readers will probably think I am from the following choices…
Honourable Mentions
As has been widely, WIDELY reported – 2020 has been a year like no other. All the working from home, being furloughed at home and generally trying to not go insane whilst locked down at home has provided more time than ever before to have a pair of headphones on, so please bare with me as I provide a list of albums that didn’t quite make the cut:
Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death
Haim – Women In Music Pt. III
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud
Soccer Mommy – color theory
Dream Wife – So When You Gonna….
Gengahr – Sanctuary
To generalise massively, as I’m already conscious of how much I’ve written before getting to the actual list, these are all very very good albums, but did take me a second to remember that they were released this year. The following ten are the standouts, and what I will remember 2020 for, a somewhat unconventional but extremely important criteria for me – here we go!
10. Idles – Ultra Mono
The band that sat atop the 2018 list make another appearance here with their follow up effort. The thing with Idles is that it’s almost impossible not to have an opinion on them, their songs are so political and are written with such passion it’s like seeing an argument on Twitter – the tribalism takes over. Throw in some catchy hooks and the type of bellowing choruses that wouldn’t sound out of place at a football match, it all just comes together and works for me. If I’m in need of a driving soundtrack for my day to push me forwards, I’m turning to Ultra Mono.
Listen to: Kill Them With Kindness
9. The Magic Gang – Death of the Party
On the complete other end of the spectrum, The Magic Gang’s music is observational and reflective on an entirely personal level, tackling love and self-confidence disguised in bouncy, etherial melodies. As far as blueprints for second albums go, I think this is pretty exemplary. Every track here is layered and has a purpose that is the perfect step above the band’s debut, I really do think it’s a matter of time before these guys get the attention they deserve – as they said themselves, “It’s really impressive that we’ve managed to maintain that sort of ‘up and coming indie band’ status for like seven years”.
Listen to: Make a Sound
8. Raleigh Ritchie – Andy
And now for something completely different! The world of RnB is one I rarely venture into, but I really got lost in this album for a good month in 2020, and have revisited it many times since too. As you’ve probably noticed at this point, I’m a total sucker for an emotionally vulnerable album, and Andy (named after Jacob’s late grandfather and original stage name) is as honest as they come. Switching from wordy, impressive rap to reflective crooning across the length of the LP, Ritchie creates moments throughout that set your guard down before delivering a killer gut-punch. From repeatedly reminding himself to breathe all the way to closing with a letter to his younger self, Andy is simply delightful in the most heartbreaking way.
Listen to: STFU
7. Sports Team – Deep Down Happy
Surprisingly to me, when my Apple Music (yes I know) report of 2020 came in, this was my second most listened to album of the year, by some distance. However, when I decided to give it another run through as I put this list together, it sunk its hooks back into me from that bombastic first note. The simplest way I can describe Deep Down Happy is that it sounds like the raw materials for the next wave of popular indie rock music – it’s catchy, has a charm to its lead vocals and charges along at a breakneck pace for the most part – which I haven’t felt since Catfish and the Bottlemen’s debut. Whilst I certainly hope Sports Team go down a different route to their Welsh counterparts, I think I’ll always hold this keen-to-impress debut in high esteem, just as I do with Catfish.
Listen to: Camel Crew
6. Porridge Radio – Every Bad
“I’m bored to death, let’s argue.” I’m struggling to remember an album that sets the tone better or more effectively from the word go than Every Bad. From here, the themes and hooks and layers snowball towards a crashing crescendo, before settling into a more wistful conclusion. This structure, more comparable to a movie than rock album, is extremely gripping, and it’s hard to not become invested in Dana Margolin’s lyrics as if she were a main character. Couple this with some equally dramatic songwriting and the end result is borderline mesmeric. Roaring guitars? Check. Impactful drums? Check. Fantastic album? Check.
Listen to: Pop Song
5. The Strokes – The New Abnormal
I can remember listening to a radio discussion after The Strokes released Bad Decisions from this album as their comeback single, with the panel saying how they weren’t blown away and that the chances of it working within the context of a full album – let alone that album being anything better than just decent – were slim. Admittedly, I agreed at the time and feared the band were all but finished in creating worthwhile new music. Goes to show that you should never trust my opinion. Wait…
I bring up this anecdote because I really do believe it touches on the essence of The New Abnormal. There’s a difficulty to recommending a single song from it, but when played in full it has such a unique voice and really does live up to that title. Full of signature Casablancas-isms and new territory for the band, it’s a hell of an experience to get lost in.
Listen to: Come on, like I said, listen to the whole thing man. But fine, if I have to pick one – Why are Sundays so Depressing
4. TOPS – I Feel Alive
Canadians are pretty great aren’t they? Despite this being their fourth release, TOPS are a new discovery for me this year, but boy does that experience shine through on this record. Clean, assured and delivered with flair, I Feel Alive is a joy to behold. Full of flutes, dog barks and doo-wops, these synth-pop tunes are all but guaranteed to put a smile on your face and pep in your step. This is an album that really shows up my shortcomings as a music reviewer, as the closest I can get to a coherent evaluation is a series of mixed metaphors about how this record I like makes me feel, instead of highlighting any of its many technical achievements. But, perhaps that’s what I adore about this record more than anything, it’s the musical equivalent of receiving a big warm hug, which I think we all need this year – I implore you to give this one a go.
Listen to: I Feel Alive
3. Khruangbin – Mordechai
Another fourth album new find for me this year, Khruangbin were recommended to me by a colleague and frankly, I’m annoyed it took him this long. Driven by tight drumming and progressive bass lines, Mordechai is effortlessly cool and drips with style. There’s a certain timelessness with this album, equally suited to being background noise or something completely immersive to focus on – which is attributable to the many international influences it draws from. All this means there’s never a bad time for one of these tracks to play, they can slip into most playlists and take it up another level, a perfect soundtrack for generally living life and getting a little vibey, dude.
If you want a review of the rest of Kruangbin’s work, just copy the above and swap the titles out, it’s all impeccable stuff – go check it out, and their Tiny Desk Concert whilst you’re at it.
Listen to: Time (You and I)
2. The 1975 – Notes on a Conditional Form
Unlike most people, I wasn’t completely taken by The 1975’s mercury-nominated A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. Whilst I fell in love with the singles before the full album was released, the connecting instrumentals just didn’t click with me and as a result the listening experience felt very stop-start and disjointed. So, when it was reported that Notes came in at a whopping 22 songs and 81 minute run time, I was worried that history was doomed to repeat itself.
I should’ve learned from The Strokes. Once again, my expectations were completely surpassed, as Notes addressed every problem and concern I had tenfold. This record has such a texture to it, pulling together elements from every previous outing to simultaneously feel like the culmination of the band’s progress, yet genuinely real and reflective. The instrumentals possess more of a purpose and aid in delivering a coherent vision for me, and I do say “for me” because I completely understand the mixed reaction to this LP. But personally, everything clicked into place in such a satisfying way – and when these boys are on form, it takes something pretty special to top them…
Listen to: If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)
1. The Orielles – Disco Volador
2020 delivered just that.
This album makes me happy. It oozes personality and creativity, containing such infectious joy that shifts forms and styles so effortlessly throughout the runtime – there’s two songs in here written from the perspective of cats for goodness sake try telling me this isn’t amazing. Disco Volador is such a step on from the already incredible Silver Dollar Moment; a tighter, developed concept that provides a platform for these immensely talented musicians to flex their skills. The lyrics are whip-sharp and delivered with northern charm, the basslines groovy and memorable, accompanied by impeccable swinging drum beats and lofty, elevating guitar – all coming together in a totally refreshing way, this album rolls over you time and time again.
Essentially, you can just tell that this is 44 minutes of three artists doing what they love – expressing themselves exactly how they want to and hey, guess what? You get to join in! That, for me, is what music is all about, and feeling a part of that as I boogied around my room totally immersed in this retro-space world spoke to me so much that it actually moved me to action – inspiring me to properly pick up and spend time with my bass to learn tracks from almost every album I’ve mentioned in this post (every album APART FROM THIS ONE. Seriously, like nothing exists online. Please reply to my Instagram DM Orielles, I beg you.)
Listen to: Bobbi’s Second World
So, there you have it. Did I take it too seriously again? Almost definitely. Apple Music claims I listened to over 500 hours of music this year, which is more than a little nuts and probably how I’ve managed to ramble on for so long, so apologies for taking up so much of your time and I’ll wrap things up a little more abruptly than usual. Thank you if you made it this far, it really does mean a lot.
Stay safe out there,
Dan x
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