If I'm being honest, listening to new music wasn’t exactly easy for me this year. Amidst the neverending whirlwind of 2020, it was tempting to crawl into a cocoon of nostalgic favorites and never come out. That said tho, I'll have to admit this issue lasted only for the few months quarantine took place, else I would not have been able to bless my ears with all the great music that came out this year, the music that essentially makes this list, although before diving into it I have some honorable mentions, UNLOCKED by Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats most notably, Dedicated by Carly Rae Jepsen of course, Whole Lotta Red by Playboi Carti is worth mentioning as well, and of course, Fetch the bolt cutter by Fionna Apple although it is yet to fully grow on me and I'm worried I'll need need to remake this list very soon.
10. No Pressure - Logic
Considering how bad Logic's last two musical projects were, i wasn't really excited about this album when he first announced it. so you can only imagine my shock when the same individual that made Supermarket was the one to make this consistent and very enjoyable record. From front to back on No Pressure, you are given some strong jazz rap beats and the heavily MF DOOM and kanye west influnced production, alongside some great samples. The album starts off on a solid opening track with some nice psychedelic production and serves itself as kind of the liner notes for what's coming next, giving off some ;stro vibes from Madvilliany. the next few tracks are awesome as they are some of my favourite Logic songs, Celebration features chipmunk soul samples and bright lo fi drums and synth, Open Mic\\Aquarius III , where Logic raps about reorganizing his priorities now that he is a father, which is really what this whole album is about: here is why i'm retiring music, also i can't wait for my son to be born! There are some dips however in quality around the middle to end. I don’t really see myself coming back to A2Z which is a cool concept, but just a bit too corny for me, i do like how he diffrenent he sounds on amen though. all things considered, i do think this Logic best album yet, i doubt this is his last, but if it is this will be a hood place to hang the mic up.
Favorite 3 tracks: Celebration, Soul Food II, Man i is
9. Punisher - Phoebe Bridgers
I'd say this was my sad white girl summer anthem. the sonic atmosphere is haunting, yet beautiful and comforting. The instrumentals are very minimal, but they bring out Phoebe's hushed vocal delivery, and the the lyrics are just incredible that despite how dark they can get, I believe are coming from a heartfelt place. Phoebe has this very specific brand of lyricism where she refers to incredibly specific moments in her life or situations she has been in, and yet manages to make them feel endlessly relatable through the emotion behind the words.
Thanks Phoebe for making being a comfort to me in this year, thank you for making me cry.
Favorite 3 tracks: Kyoto, Punisher, Savior Complex,
8. Shabrang - Sevdaliza
Existing somewhere between seductive and wounded, Sevdaliza takes flight over an emotionally charged and gorgeously constructed hour of an artful mixture between art pop, R&B, and trip-hop. taking advantage of this unique collision of sounds, using strings, synths, and piano notes as main instruments to create this atmosphere that feels like a starry cold night in a desert. Lyrically, there isn’t really a big difference as this breezy cool darkness is present every second on this album, as she gives us a peek of her world, going through themes of love, pain, loss, self-understanding, cultural conflict, and so much more.
Favorite 3 tracks: Take_it_Back_v2, DIET_ ,
7. Alfredo - Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist
At this point, Freddie have already established himself as the best in the business when it come to gangsta rap, and if you disagree I'm pretty sure his modern classics Pinata and Bandana would prove otherwise. Now compared to these two, Alfredo is a slower project. It’s also a shorter one, and it allows for Freddie’s bars to be center stage. And these bars are delivered with pinpoint accuracy. These verses are razor sharp and never run out of steam, and just when you think they are, Freddie calls upon one of their three excellent guest verses from Benny the Butcher, Tyler, The Creator and Conway the Machine. As I said, this album feels much slower and brooding than Freddie Gibbs’ previous output and that is thanks in part to The Alchemist’s production. These sultry smooth grooves are wonderful, the live bass is always a welcome addition, the inclusion of great melodic counterpoint in the guitar on “1985” and “Babies & Fools” make for great standouts on an album that is full of them. I think that Alfredo might turn out to be Freddie Gibbs’ most accessible project to date. It is not as immediately noteworthy as Piñata was, but the consistency is still here to go along with some great guest additions and smooth production. Order this one on special.
Favorite 3 tracks: 1985, Look At Me, Something to Rap About
6. What's Your Pleasure - Jessie Ware
the disco & 80’s dance-pop revival has been going for a while now, with Dua Lipa and Carly Rae Jepsen taking the main spots, but it felt always like something was lacking something. In simpler terms, If done perfectly, an 80’s pop revival album can be transcendent, and that’s exactly what Jessie Ware’s What’s Your Pleasure? is. So yes, despite my exhaustion with the 80’s revival trope, it’s practically impossible for me to deny that this album whips vast amounts of ass. It’s such a fun, sexy, fire on the dancefloor album that sees Jessie Ware truly let loose for the first time. Songs like Spotlight, Soul Control, & Save A Kiss are all top-notch bops, and are all serious contenders for best pop song of the year. And album closer Remember Where You Are is a stunning wallop, the kind of song that was created for the sole purpose to be a curtain call due to its extreme levels of catharsis. Ultimately, Jessie Ware is able to pay homage to the sounds of the past she’s conjuring up, yet never losing sight of her own musical vision, which is what helps her step out of the shadow of derivativeness. Most important of all though, is that she stays authentic to the sounds she’s emulating, rather than over-modernizing them & modifying them to the point where most of the songs feel toothless. Overall, What’s Your Pleasure? is one of the best pop albums I’ve heard in years, as well as a benchmark in 80’s pop revival music. As much as I’ve found comfort & catharsis in other album releases this year that effectively highlight the dark times we’re living in, I must say that the year of 2020 needed an album like this. Just something that’s fun as hell & super well made. An album that can transport listeners into another, more carefree world so they can forget about the one they’re actually living in.
Favorite 3 tracks: Spotlight, What's Your Pleasure, Soul Control
5. After Hours - The Weeknd
And how can i not include this album, an album whose songs at least everyone on the planet heard once this year, and for good reasons obviously. An album, the Weeknd follows a very simple yet effective formula, in fact very simple that it kind of surprises me now that no one has done this before, a catchy modern 80s disco album... I guess sometimes genius hides within simplicity. Of course the peaks of this albums are very high, and the lows are not that low either. There is the lead single, Blinding Lights that had everyone bopping their heads and oooing their mouths for a year and a half at this point and it doesn't seem to stop, then the cleanest and most satisfying bass sound you'll ever hear on a Save Your Tears, there is the emotional dread After Hours engulfs you on, and a whole bunch of other amazing songs, In Your Eyes, Hearltless...etc
Favorite 3 tracks: Blinding Lights, Save Your Tears, After Hours
4. The Archer - Alexandra Savior
The first time I heard about Alexandra Savior it was thanks to Alex Turner, since he was the one to help produce at least a couple songs from her debut album along with some writing credits, and when you learn from the best in the business, of course your next album is going to be a success! Here, Savior draws inspiration from the 1960s, her music blends dreamy instrumentation with singer/songwriter beauty, creating a psychedelic yet radio-friendly sound reminiscent of the 60s and 70s. The album feels like a dream, and her voice is just ugh, the best way to describe its elegance is to mention how it makes my heart feel easy and soft, especially on the title track. Even though this masterpiece was overlooked in the music press, the album, at just thirty-one minutes, achieves perfection in its clever instrumentation and Alexandra's angelic voice, making it a concise and enjoyable experience.
Favorite 3 tracks: Soft currents, Can't Help Myself, The Archer
3. Kinky Om - Brad Stank
I have a feeling that I’m going to be fanboying over Brad’s music a lot but fuck it it’s well deserved. On this album, Brad delivers this half-spiritual half-sexy vibe, and he does it so well throughout steamy and sleazy tracks that would play well in a meditation session as well as it would in a bedroom while you getting all romantic and nasty with your lover. The opener kinky visitation is a relaxing psychedelic track that features woozy strings, gentle beats, and buttery smooth vocals. I love the bossa nova implementation on the track Sat on the Moon, and the gorgeous piano over the top just makes this song ten times better. Moving onto the next track Breathing Like a baby, which carries elements of hip hop, which feels a little out of place when compared to the other cuts, but the mellow croons and the upbeat bluesy chords just make it fit so well. But for me, the defining moments on this album are the cuts She was a tease, Stanky Om and Ah hum that pays homage to classic slow jazz jams, carrying out some half-meditative half-metronomic guitar strings alongside some sexy soulful mellow saxophone, and oh my God I’m so In love with that. Overall, Kinky Om isn’t just a 30 minutes of bedroom pop, it’s a strange yet beautiful experience.
Favorite 3 tracks: Kinky Visitation, She Was a Tease, Stanky Om
2. The New Abnormal - The Strokes
The year is 2020, the quarantine just started a couple weeks ago, then the strokes release their first record in seven years, an album I will instantly fall in love with, I remember being anxious about this project since their last three records were sort of… well they were bad, but as soon as the first riff on The adults are talking plays, you know the strokes are back. I love the Excellent use of different guitar textures across the track, and I adore the way Albert and Nick play off each other at the 1:47 mark. It’s also quite catchy despite not having a moment that you can identify as a hook. Moving onto eternal summer which is the first song here that I’m not too crazy about, not sure if it’s the way the song just sort of meanders along with no real strong groove or emotion, or if it’s how it sounds like the Strokes imitating lesser indie rock groups, or if it's just the length being way too damn long. whatever the reason is certainly not an album highlight, thankfully it is an outlier in a for the most part solid tracklist. Thankfully the vibe picks up on the track at the door, which the more I listen to the more I realize it’s actually one of my favorite strokes songs ever, I love how dry and somehow dramatic the intro is, and I love how the synthesizers are sort of in your face, and I love Julian’s voice on this track. I love how the guitars pop in after the line struck me like a chord all of a sudden, and once they do, it’s like I’m floating but simultaneously feeling those lines about sinking like a stone. And finally, we have the closer Ode to the Meds, with the iconic line Drums please, Fab. With a synth oddly reminiscent of an organ, this track sounds like it could be a dirge being played at The Strokes' funeral. The lyrics are nostalgic, heartfelt, and on par with the previous track. There are light-hearted moments here too that show that The Strokes still love making music. So, all in all, despite moments of missed potential here and there, this is a glorious comeback album for the Strokes, an album that was the title of my quarantine.
Favorite 3 tracks: The Adults Are Talking, Brooklyn Bridge To Chorus, Ode To The Mets
1. Man Alive! - King Krule
I'm not gonna lie this was a hard sell to me at first, maybe it's Archy's vocals or the somewhat distorted instruments that don't really follow a particular pattern and can be somewhat difficult to grasp initially, but I'm glad I kept revisiting it despite not being very fond of it at first, now that it has won me over with its sour, foggy and melancholic sounds that in a way feels like I'm in the middle of some urban decay in London at night, although I've never been there. Still, one thing that I find really impressive, is that although King Krule crafts this album using pure gloom and despair, you can't describe the album as being just sad, but rather finds beauty in a relaxed laid-back, drizzling, and melancholic sound that is Man Alive! this might not make sense but I'm pretty sure you'll get it when listening to this album in different mindsets, or moods more accurately, a sad and depressed mood, and a relaxed mood looking to swim in the space of sound this album creates, and you'll be surprised how this album goes perfectly with both moods.
Favorite 3 tracks: Stoned Again, Underclass, Energy Fleets
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