Album Of The Year 2020

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more heat than light
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PostAlbum Of The Year 2020
by more heat than light » Fri Dec 11, 2020 10:01 am

I thought I'd share my albums of the year since I've already written them up. Feel free to add your own!

5: Told Slant - Point the Flashlight and Walk



Lets kick things off with Brooklyn's Told Slant, an alt-folk four piece who moved towards the mainstream with their third album Point the Flashlight and Walk. It's a triumph of quiet revelations, handling deep themes with gentle grace.
The album is most notable for vocalist Felix Walworth's unusual vocal style, which covers an incredible range over the course of the album. This adds real texture to the music, especially on highlight Fog on the Glass, where their voice breaks in and out of tune before delivering a climax of soft twinkling keyboards and guitar.


4: Creeper - Sex, Death and the Infinite Void



OK, hands up. Who had an emo pop-punk opus as one of the must-hear records of the year? Certainly not me, but I guess it really has been one of those years. Of course, this isn't quite as straightforward as that label suggests, as this record incorporates a number of surprising influences to bold and brilliant effect.
It starts simply enough, with My Chemical Romance-y Be My End and the wonderfully sleazy glam rock stomper Anabelle. But soon we're being treated to goth country ('Poisoned Heart'), Elvis crooners ('Thorns Of Love') and a rather affecting piano ballad to close ('All My Friends').
All of this is wrapped up in some OTT Meat Loaf theatrical stylings, replete with spoken word interludes from Patricia Morrison from Sisters Of Mercy. And if that sounds utterly ridiculous, it totally is! It's bloody marvelous, one of the most fun records of recent memory. If ever you wanted to take forty minutes out and forget 2020 ever happened, I can't think of many better ways.


3: Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was



Here's a record that I never expected to see. After the last two Bright Eyes albums (2007's underwhelming Cassadaga and 2011's misfiring The People's Key) Conor Oberst retreated from the group, instead contributing to numerous side projects and his solo career. As good as the music was, they always seemed a little safe in comparison to his band's more expansive works.
So it gives me great pleasure to not only welcome Bright Eyes back, but also to report that this album is a spectacular return to form. Once 'Dance and Sing' explodes to life after a typical spoken word opener, it's clear that we're in good hands. The album is inventive, playful and goes in directions you wouldn't expect.
In truth it's perhaps a little overlong, the album clocking in at 54 minutes, but it's difficult to complain about too much of a good thing. Especially when the album finishes in such an incredible way, the last three tracks being amongst the strongest material they've ever released. Welcome back guys!


2: Owen Pallett - Island



Right, are you ready for this? Island is a sequel to Owen Pallett's 2010 album Heartland, in which a man named Lewis who lives on a farm on another planet called Spectrum in the 14th century battles a merciless god named Owen Pallett. No, seriously! Wait, come back!
Obviously this is a challenging listen, and it's pretty bleak (a cursory glimpse at the tracklist will tell you that things don't end well for our protagonist). But it's an album which rewards repeat listens, and eventually the sprawling narrative has you, and things start to take shape.
When the delicate folk of Polar Vortex transfer into the orchestral spirals of A Bloody Morning, the album reaches heights that very few records these days seem to manage. It's a magnificent, dense record, and manages to transport you to another place entirely. If you can put in the time and effort here, the rewards are endless.


1: Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher



The best record of this year (and easily my most listened to as well) is the second full length album from California's Phoebe Bridgers. This is an extraordinary leap forwards from her debut, itself an accomplished work in its own right. Here she expands her musical palette, creating a more expansive, cinematic sound.
It's a hugely accessible album, immediately welcoming wherever you're approaching from. Pop fan looking for something more edgy than Taylor Swift? Check. Indie kid checking her out after her Conor Oberst collaboration? We got you. Heard the single 'Kyoto' and wanted more? Well, tough, there's nothing here that sounds remotely like that, but there's all this other great stuff instead!
It's the fantastically realised music that grabs you, but it's the lyrical content that drags you in. Phoebe is just 26, but she's clearly seen a lot in that time. It's funny, romantic, heartbreaking and clever, often in the space of a couple of lines. On Garden Song she sings 'The doctor put her hands over my liver. She told me my resentment's getting smaller'. Imagining dealing with fans on the title track she hilariously deadpans 'I swear I'm not angry, that's just my face'.
And then, on the ballad of unrequited love Moon Song; 'You are sick and you're married, and you might be dying'. You can feel the frustration and anger in her voice. 'But you're holding me like water in your hands'.

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Rex Kramer
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Rex Kramer » Fri Dec 11, 2020 10:10 am

I'd never thought I'd be picking a Taylor Swift album but it's definitely Folklore. Notable runners up include the Universal Want by Doves, Untitled (Black Is) by Sault, Working Men's Club by Working Men's Club and Deep Down Happy by Sports Team.

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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by rinks » Fri Dec 11, 2020 10:28 am

Obsidian by Paradise Lost. Third album in a row that proves they’ve still got it.

Runner-up: Quadra by Sepultura.

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OrangeRKN
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by OrangeRKN » Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:00 am

I think the only new album I've listened to this year has been Night Network by The Cribs

Winners by default :datass:

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Jenuall
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Jenuall » Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:04 am

Yeah I don't think I've actually listened to a single new album this year! :fp:

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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Mafro » Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:29 am

RTJ or Deftones.

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Tomous
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Tomous » Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:32 am

Not sure about album but thought I'd share with you the ABSOLUTE BANGER that Spotify says is my most played tune in 2020:




Enjoy! :toot:

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Rocsteady
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Rocsteady » Fri Dec 11, 2020 11:54 am

Folklore or the latest BMTH mini album off the top of my head.

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Yoshimi
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Yoshimi » Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:07 pm

1. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
2. Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners
3. Taylor Swift - Folklore
4. Cavetown - Sleepyhead
5. Glass Animals - Dreamland
6. The Big Moon - Walking Like We Do
7. Summer Camp - Romantic Comedy
8. Serengeti - The Gentle Fall
9. Haim - Women in Music Pt.III
10. Rina Sawayama - Sawayama

Tough to get it down to 10. Also loved albums by Sault, Benee, Declan McKenna, Peach Pit, and Fenne Lily.
And Taylor Swift's just released Evermore today. Only listened to it once, so can't say if it would get in the top 10.

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Tomous
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Tomous » Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:15 pm

Rocsteady wrote:Folklore or the latest BMTH mini album off the top of my head.



Can't remember if I thanked you for the PNAU recommendation but they ended up being one of my most played artists this year :wub:


Been loving the Elton John remix thing they did recently.

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D_C
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by D_C » Fri Dec 11, 2020 12:16 pm

Rocsteady wrote:Folklore or the latest BMTH mini album off the top of my head.


Good shout. It's between BMTH - Post Human, and Polaris - The Death Of Me personally.

Probably going with Polaris; it's been out a lot longer and I'm still playing it weekly.

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Dangerblade
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Dangerblade » Fri Dec 11, 2020 1:11 pm

Svalbard - When I Die, Will I Get Better?



Also song of the year

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Victor Mildew
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Victor Mildew » Fri Dec 11, 2020 1:30 pm

1. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
2. The stone roses - the stone roses
3. John Mayer - Continuum
4. Oasis - What's the story (morning glory)
5. Shine '97 (various artists)

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Tomous
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Tomous » Fri Dec 11, 2020 1:58 pm

Victor Mildew wrote:1. Oasis - Definitely Maybe
2. The stone roses - the stone roses
3. John Mayer - Continuum
4. Oasis - What's the story (morning glory)
5. Shine '97 (various artists)



Best album ever:

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Rocsteady
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Rocsteady » Fri Dec 11, 2020 1:59 pm

Tomous wrote:
Rocsteady wrote:Folklore or the latest BMTH mini album off the top of my head.



Can't remember if I thanked you for the PNAU recommendation but they ended up being one of my most played artists this year :wub:


Been loving the Elton John remix thing they did recently.

They're just really fun eh, glad you like them!

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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Vermilion » Fri Dec 11, 2020 2:17 pm

My Top 5

1. Taylor Swift: Folklore
2. Ava Max: Heaven & Hell
3. Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia
4. Steps: What The Future Holds
5. Lady Gaga: Chromatica

Was going to embed the spotify playlists but i don't know how to get the right link to put between the bb tags.

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Ironhide
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Ironhide » Fri Dec 11, 2020 3:09 pm

The only albums released this year I've heard are

Deftones - Ohms
Pearl Jam - Gigaton
Gorillaz - Song Machine vol.1
Marilyn Manson - We are Chaos

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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by <]:^D » Fri Dec 11, 2020 5:23 pm

Yoshimi wrote:1. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
2. Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners
3. Taylor Swift - Folklore
4. Cavetown - Sleepyhead
5. Glass Animals - Dreamland
6. The Big Moon - Walking Like We Do
7. Summer Camp - Romantic Comedy
8. Serengeti - The Gentle Fall
9. Haim - Women in Music Pt.III
10. Rina Sawayama - Sawayama

Tough to get it down to 10. Also loved albums by Sault, Benee, Declan McKenna, Peach Pit, and Fenne Lily.
And Taylor Swift's just released Evermore today. Only listened to it once, so can't say if it would get in the top 10.

another Rina fan :wub:

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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by <]:^D » Fri Dec 11, 2020 5:35 pm

ps didnt we already have this thread?
id choose (in no order, just 5):


Alchemist is peerless as usual, and i think Freddie is at the top of his game. features are mixed imo but the rest of the album more than makes up for it. i cant stop playing Frank Lucas.


the sheer amount of ideas here is incredible. Kenny Beats is my favourite 'new' wave producer and Denzel is class and funny as usual. favourite DIET_ because Denzel turns into DMX somehow


Conway was always my 2nd favourite of the Griselda 3 after Benny but this brings him up to joint 1st. stand out is Fear of God with an amazing instrumental from Hit-Boy (who also produced some amazing stuff on Benny's album this year which narrowly misses out). features are class on this too.


if people dont like Charli XCX i dont understand them. she can do everything and this album was done at home during lockdown and its better than almost any super-produced pop album you can name. Forever stands out for its lovely youtube video that is hundreds of youtube clips and the amazing distored wave sounding synth thing that is beautiful.


yes this is the 2nd Alchemist produced album in my top 5. no, it is not undeserved. Boldy steps up his game to match Uncle Alc. Scrape the Bowl is nasty and on repeat but Vince Staples makes Surf & Turf amazing as do the other features.

narrowly missed the cut:
Benny the Butcher - Burden of Proof
Polo G - The GOAT
RTJ - RTJ4

Last edited by <]:^D on Fri Dec 11, 2020 5:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Hypes
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PostRe: Album Of The Year 2020
by Hypes » Fri Dec 11, 2020 5:36 pm


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