Antonio Topete
Despite a year of chaos, 2020 saw an enormous amount of great releases. Trying to choose favorites is nearly impossible, with the gaps between albums being very small. Limiting myself to only 10 albums, there are many artists that didn’t quite make it, despite releasing great music. That said, every album on this list was very special to me this year, I hope you enjoyed some of it too.
10. Hannah – Lomelda
Hannah Read, better known as Lomelda, moves through a collection of bedroom pop and indie rock songs, creating a genuine and endearing picture of herself as an artist. On Hannah, every song feels like a little piece of a real person, sometimes telling herself to “give it all you’ve got”, sometimes wondering to herself “are you the happiest you’ve been”, and sometimes evoking her musical idols, who are as big a part of her as her own music. Throughout the album, she speaks to herself, as though asking who Hannah really is. At the end of Hannah, it’s clear that Lomelda knows.
9. Shore – Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes return on this album with a more produced, streamlined sound, but maintain the core elements that make their music so easy to enjoy: great melodies and harmonies, with lush instrumentation that swells into bursting moments of emotion, like fireworks. Shifting between calm, autumnal sounds, and energetic indie folk, Shore meditates on growing older, and death. But these heavy themes don’t weigh it down, instead, it feels more like coming to terms with these ideas allows the album to embrace the happiness of life while it’s here.
8. Healing Is A Miracle – Julianna Barwick
In the very first moments of this album, a cascading wave of voices crashes down and flows like water over you. Like the beautiful shore on the album art, Healing Is a Miracle feels like a communion with nature, like a landscape you have to sit down and watch with nothing else to think of. The many ambient synths and layered vocals on this album work to create this picture of peace, while staying dynamic and interesting throughout. Most of the songs do not have lyrics, and when they do, they’re largely unintelligible, but in no way is this a weakness. If anything, it allows the music to ripple through your mind, undisturbed. And for a moment, the album allows you to have true tranquility.
7. Flower of Devotion – Dehd
On Flower of Devotion, there’s no doubt that Dehd are having fun with their music. With dream pop inspired guitar riffs soaked in reverb, and one especially amusing tongue-clicking chorus, the songs on this album are both cool and laid back, as well as full of the fresh energy of a band coming out for their encore. There’s no shortage of bold delivery, especially from bassist Emily Kempf, who comes off as a real rock star on songs like “Flood” and ”Letter”. The carefree vibe in their music is accompanied by simple emotional truths proclaimed throughout the album: “I am a flood for you”, “I feel myself falling apart”, “I want to make a difference in your life”. These vulnerable statements are repeated over and over, gaining weight each time. Like these lines, Flower of Devotion grows with each listen, like a feeling you can’t let go.
6. Women In Music Pt. 3 – HAIM
Simply put, Women In Music Pt. 3 is a great album. I say that because every song is just good, it’s that easy. Playing through a variety of pop and rock, HAIM come out of the gate strong, and really do not take their foot off the gas for the whole album. The Haim sisters make excellent use of their characteristic harmonies throughout, amplified by a wide collection of catchy hooks and melodies; there is not a song on this album that doesn’t make you want to sing along. Things always stay fresh, shifting stylistically from one song to the next. Moving from a Sheryl Crow-esque country-infused pop song, to a song with a shredding guitar solo and screaming backing vocals reminiscent of death metal, is not an easy task. It is especially difficult to do with such undeniable flair.
5. Have We Met – Destroyer
Dan Bejar, the frontman and songwriter for Destroyer, is at his coolest on Have We Met. It’s hard to say what exactly gives him his commanding presence. Maybe it’s his extremely laid back vocal delivery, maybe it’s his wandering lyrical style, maybe it’s the funky, textured synthesizers that swirl around him. What is certain is that these elements all amount to an incredibly engaging and bold sound, which makes you want to dance? Sing? Stoically swirl a glass of whiskey? I don’t even like whiskey. But I’ve been conditioned to believe whiskey is cool, which Have We Met definitely is. The lyrics on this album are mysterious and vague, making seemingly grand statements like “when you’re looking for nothing and you find nothing is more beautiful than anything you ever knew.” This drunken wisdom is plentiful across the album, and is actually one of the most genuine elements of it. From the shadows of humming synths, Dan Bejar uses this drunken wisdom to provide the absolutely golden phrase, “clickity click click, the music makes a musical sound.” I cannot think of a better line to embody the energy of this album.
4. Punisher – Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers really comes into her own on Punisher. There is a decisive sense of personality that comes through on every song on this album. As soon as things begin, a haunting guitar warbles through “Garden Song”, a song that is instantly mesmerizing, yet with an eerie chorus that uses one of the most uniquely dark vocal harmonies I’ve ever heard. Phoebe expands her sound with the upbeat indie pop of “Kyoto”, where she sings with an endearing authenticity, quipping “you called me from a payphone, they’ve still got payphones, they cost a dollar minute.” There’s a delicate balance in Punisher, transitioning between the lush, whispered sounds Phoebe is best known for, and moments of energetic release. This balance is best represented in the closing two-part song “I Know the End”, which culminates in a true explosion of percussion, horns, and screaming. As the music fades out for the last time, we still hear Phoebe’s tired voice, yelling out desperately. It’s a chilling note to end on, but it comes at the end of a song that explores the vastness of the world, and the truth is sometimes the world is so overwhelming you just want to scream.
3. Saint Cloud – Waxahatchee
Listening to Saint Cloud feels a lot like coming home. The distorted noises of stress, of work, of the traffic jam, are all traded in for acoustic guitars, a warm, country-tinged folk, and the imagery of ponds and creeks. There is such a familiar sound to this album, welcoming you in to take a seat and enjoy a freshly brewed cup of coffee. This, of course, is thanks to the bright riffs and melodies spanning the album, along with Katie Crutchfield’s heartfelt delivery of her vivid lyrics. Lilacs drinking water, a marketplace selling tomatoes, the bright sun shining on West Memphis, these images all inhabit the world of Saint Cloud, and give it life. As soothing and pristine as the album sounds, it speaks heavily to the struggles of substance abuse, how it affects relationships, and staying sober, a change Katie underwent shortly before this album. Taking a closer look at these pretty songs, you’ll begin to see lots of pain, self-doubt, and importantly, growth. Sometimes the reality of coming home is not just the beautiful places you remember, but also confronting some of the realities that were left behind.
2. songs – Adrianne Lenker
By far, songs is the most stripped-down album on this list. Big Thief frontwoman, Adrianne Lenker, has delivered a beautifully simple collection of plucked guitars, softly sung vocals, and mesmerizing lyrics. Adrianne recorded this album in a cabin in western Massachusetts, and as soon as this album begins, the intimacy and isolation of that space is felt. Accompanying Adrianne’s hypnotizing finger-picked guitar is the sound of rainfall, the distant whistling of birdsong, and the creaking wood of the floor under her. In this way, the cabin, and the album, come to life. But there’s probably nothing more full of life than Adrianne’s iconic lyrical style. Each song is filled with richly detailed stories, full of characters and places, and full of unrestrained emotion. Centering around a recent break-up, songs glows with heartbreak; it’s full of a warm nostalgia, exploring memories of togetherness, dreams of touching an ex-partner’s hair, and the feeling of endless connection. But these experiences are memories, and Adrianne captures the empty space where they once lived as well as the memories themselves. The cover art of songs is a perfect visual for the album; a collection of flowers, soothing to stare at, but as you look at the soft watercolor, there’s something quite sad about it. Sadness is seldom converted into such beautiful art.
1. Fetch The Bolt Cutters – Fiona Apple
This album is fundamentally different from everything else on this list. It’s raw, it’s angry, it’s essential. Musically, Fetch The Bolt Cutters is a wild ride of rhythm and percussion, of constantly evolving melodies, of explosive energy that radiates from Fiona’s piano and voice. This album was recorded in Fiona’s home, and in every track, I can hear her on the other side, belting into the mic, stomping the floor, slamming piano keys. In the title track, I can almost hear her turning to look at her barking dogs. The raw and vulnerable sound of these recordings is the lightning rod to the heavy and personal meditations of Fiona’s lyrics. Every song on this album is a detailed vignette of Fiona’s life, extensively exploring her experience as a woman, her relationships to both men and women, and the pain and conflict that comes with it. But these concepts are made simple by her amazing abilities as a songwriter. Without having experienced just about anything that happens in this album, I feel the anger, the hurt in her voice, and I’m rooting for her. Long after the end of the last track, I still find myself thinking about what Fiona says in this masterpiece, and thinking about why everyone needs to hear it.
Listening Now 
❤
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FLEET FOXES ARE BACK!! Yes, love this album with its fireworks and autumn vibes. Gonna check out these other suggestions; looking forward to reading more!
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