Albums We Loved This Year
Another banner year for music. I have grown to dislike ranking albums, as if art was mere sports. Ugh! I’ll get right the point. Please buy these albums and support the artists! It’s more essential than ever to pay the folks who are likely sustaining you culturally this year.
I won’t tell you which I liked most but I will tell you which new releases I listened to most, in alphabetical order. With one exception, it’s Homegrown. Not sure if a record recorded in 1974 can qualify as the official album of the year in 2020 but it’s certainly the one I listened to the most.
I also made a quick list of 60 of my favorite songs from 2020 if you’re interested. Sure went from “I’m not writing a year end list” to “Fine, I’ll write a bunch!” real quick.
Anyway, my top 36, if you will..
- Neil Young – Homegrown
- Adeline Hotel – Solid Love
- Barry Walker Jr. – Shoulda Zenith
- Bill Callahan – Gold Record
- Brigid Mae Power – Head Above the Water
- Bonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman
- Tre Burt – Caught it from the Rye
- Sam Burton – I Can Go With You
- Circles Around the Sun – Circles Around the Sun
- Damien Jurado – What’s New, Tomboy?
- Gunn-Truscinski Duo – Soundkeeper
- Garcia Peoples – Nightcap at Wits’ End
- The Hanging Stars – A New Kind of Sky
- Jeffrey Silverstein – You Become the Mountain
- John Lee Shannon – In & Of
- Josh Kimbrough – Slither, Soar & Disappear
- Kacey Johansing – No Better Time
- Kenny Roby – The Reservoir
- Lee Gallagher and the Hallelujah – L.A. Yesterday
- Leslie Mendelson – If You Can’t Say Anything Nice…
- Mapache – From Liberty Street
- Mdou Moctar – Ibitlan
- Modern Nature – Annual
- Moses Sumney – græ
- Oceanator – Things I Never Said
- Pacific Range – High Upon the Mountain
- Prana Crafter – Morphomystic
- Rose City Band – Summerlong
- Steve Earle – Ghosts of West Virginia
- Steven Palmer – Useful Histories
- Tan Cologne – Cave Vaults on the Moon in New Mexico
- Thanya Iyer – KIND
- Trevor Beld Jimenez – I Like It Here
- Trummors – Dropout City
- William Tyler – New Vanitas
- Zephaniah OHora – Listening to the Music
