Rosy Overdrive

My 100 Favorite Albums from 2020 (Part 4 of 4)

Remember Part 1?

Part 2?

Part 3?

Let’s go!

Tobin Sprout – Empty Horses

Release date: September 18^th

Record label: Fire Records

Genre: Folk, alt-country

Pull track: Every Sweet Soul

Synopsis: Well, this is certainly a left turn from the former Guided by Voices contributor. Instead of the fuzzy psych-garage-pop of that band and his last solo release, Sprout has presented us with a acoustic guitar-heavy classic folk concept record about the Civil War. Tobin slips into these new shoes with ease, with many of the straight acoustic cuts (“The Return”, “Antietam”, the pull track) functioning as excellent showcases for his twin talents: an ageless, graceful voice and an incredible knack for melodies. (Bandcamp link)

STAR – Violence Against Star

Release date: October 23^rd

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Noise pop, shoegaze

Pull track: Angel School Anthem

Synopsis: Unfortunately for my ears, my predilection for sweet vocal hooks married to headache-inducing blown-out production hasn’t waned by now. While vocalist Shannon Roberts isn’t too far removed from the Donnellys and Deals who briefly threatened to make dream pop a force in the 90s, a more accurate sonic comparison would be Psychocandy or, hell, Times New Viking and other assorted shitgaze fiends. Not sure if this is the last of STAR (Theodore Beck, 1/3 of the trio, tragically passed away around the time of release) but an appropriate supernova if so. (Bandcamp link)

Stay Inside – Viewing

Release date: April 10^th

Record label: No Sleep Records

Genre: Post-hardcore, emo

Pull track: Revisionist

Synopsis: This theatrical, icily beautiful post-hardcore album sounds a lot like mewithoutYou. As someone who doesn’t like most post-hardcore bands that aren’t named mewithoutYou, this is a good thing. One upgrade here is the male-female vocal thing going on, which allows for some moments of reprieve in this tornado of a record. Fun fact: apparently, fellow list-appearer Bartees Strange was in this band at one point. Thanks Wikipedia! (Bandcamp link)

Superchunk – Clambakes Vol. 10: Only in My Dreams – Live in Tokyo 2009

Release date: May 8^th

Record label: Merge Records

Genre: Punk rock, pop punk

Pull track: Precision Auto

Synopsis: Without releasing a proper studio album, Superchunk have still managed to be a bright spot in 2020. They released an excellent Halloween single, made the first nine volumes of their Clambakes live album bootleg series widely available digitally, and unveiled a brand new volume as well. This 2009 recording from a Japan tour sounds excellent and contains selections from across their illustrious career—including two songs from the then-unreleased Majesty Shredding. The spirited cover of Telekinesis’s “Tokyo” is just icing. (Bandcamp link)

Teenage Halloween – Teenage Halloween

Release date: September 18^th

Record label: Don Giovanni Records

Genre: Pop punk, power pop

Pull track: Holes

Synopsis: Everyone knows I’m a sucker for big, bombastic, sincere, ambitious hooky punk rock collectives. Bad Moves, Martha, PUP—Teenage Halloween has arrived and already vaulted themselves into some esteemed company. The album is full of victories, but the nonstop pogoing of the pull track is the one that consistently wows me. Fun fact: Jordan Hudkins of Rozwell Kid made the album art for this one. Thanks Bandcamp! (Bandcamp link)

Them Airs – Union Suit XL

Release date: January 17^th

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Experimental rock, post-punk, skronk

Pull track: Reception Desk

Synopsis: As the band’s album title (as well as their immaculately-curated Spotify playlists) suggests, this band worships at the alter of Thinking Fellers Union Local 282, something more people ought to do in 2020. It’s quality egg punk, with heavy emphasis on the “egg”. They’ve already amassed an impressive discography for their time alive (including a quarantine album not making an appearance here), and if this don’t end up amounting to much more than the detritus of classic New England weirdos, then it can be our enjoyable secret. (Bandcamp link)

Throwing Muses – Sun Racket

Release date: September 4^th

Record label: Fire Records

Genre: Alternative rock, college rock, post punk

Pull track: Dark Blue

Synopsis: Where would we bewithout Kristin Hersh? It’s hard to imagine the kind of spunky, barebones “DIY” indie rock that’s in vogue today without herself and her band’s groundwork. Although (what I remember from) her more recent releases have shown a bit of wanderlust, Sun Racket is classic Muses—plenty of simmering, coiling stuff but bringing the fire and brimstone as well. (Bandcamp link)

Told Slant – Point the Flashlight and Walk

Release date: November 13^th

Record label: Double Double Whammy

Genre: Indie folk, bedroom pop, chamber pop

Pull track: Run Around the School

Synopsis: Don’t let the occasional fingerpicking and campfire motifs fool you into thinking this is some kind of bedroom folk project—this is Felix Walworth’s big shiny pop album. I wish the other such widescreen-aiming albums lived up to such billing. I’d really like to see Told Slant again and watch Felix sing and drum to these songs like they did last time I saw them. Meditation. Catharsis. Meditation. Foot stomping. Etc. (Bandcamp link)

Trace Mountains – Lost in the Country

Release date: April 10^th

Record label: Lame-O Records

Genre: Indie folk, “”heartland”” rock

Pull track: Me & May

Synopsis: I can’t tell you how many precious lo-fi-minded bands have made a move towards a big, populist, “heartland” production and totally erased any sort of uniqueness or personality they possessed. Okay, I can tell you how many: it’s one, and I’m still mad about it. But that’s not what happened here. Primarily because, despite all the Big Country grand ambitions of this record, it’s still a Dave Benton album through and through. All the friendly, catchy songs about dreams and dogs are still here, and Dave’s voice is still front and center, it’s just now we are (in a nice bit of synergy with the previous album on this list) going on a walk in the woods with him. The pull track is where the album succeeds best—some bells and whistles, but without getting lost in the….well, you know. (Bandcamp link)

Mo Troper – Natural Beauty

Release date: February 14^th

Record label: Tender Loving Empire

Genre: Power pop, jangle pop

Pull track: Lucky Devils

Synopsis: Mo Troper is, as far as I’m concerned, a national treasure at this point. Following up 2017’s end-of-decade shortlister Exposure & Response was going to be difficult, but the only real complaint to be had is that I wish there was more of it. Stuff like “Come and Get Me” and “Your Boy” is just absolutely timeless, I-could-do-this-in-my-sleep pop rock, but I’ve always found Troper at his best when he reaches a bit difficult, like on 2016’s bass-and-vocals “Somebody Special”. Here, we get the blistering Portland beatdown of the pull track (gifting us “the Charlie Chaplin of empty gestures” like it’s nothing), and the six-minute, vocal-straining, acoustic-based closing track that is, unfortunately, not about the celebrity pay-per-video website (as far as I can tell at least). (Bandcamp link)

John Vanderslice – Dollar Hits

Release date: March 20^th

Record label: Tiny Telephone

Genre: Ambient pop, glitch

Pull track: Weirdo: The Beginning

Synopsis: This is certainly a strange and wonderful second act from the veteran indie rocker and producer. A far cry from the (excellent) choirboy chamber pop polishings of his late 00s and early 10s work as well as the more rock-band oriented time with MK Ultra and early solo releases, Dollar Hits is a twisted and deconstructed DAW trainwreck, like someone trying to drown everything resembling 1995 from Kid A. While my favorite parts of it are where the sun peaks through (the pull track and “Show Me Love”), I’ve also found myself getting sucked into the likes of “Cracked Pass Words” as well. If all this sounds a bit intimidating, you might want to start with 2019’s more song-based The Cedars, one of the best albums of last year. (Bandcamp link)

Various Artists: Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987

Release date: November 13^th

Record label: Captured Tracks

Genre: Jangle pop, college rock

Pull track: Late As Usual

Synopsis: I debated whether or not I should count this, as several of these tracks originally appeared on other albums during the run specified in the comp’s title, but I decided for inclusion because 1) a lot of these songs never did actually appear on a long-player and 2) a lot of the albums that actually did feature these songs are long out-of-print. And also, it’s awesome. 90 minutes of underground, jangly 80s indie rock? From mostly bands I’d never heard of? Sign me up. I already knew that the Primitons and the Windbreakers were hidden gems, but “Promise” by One Plus Two? “I’m in Heaven” by the Cyclones? The pull track? Any of these would be good enough to start a movement. (Bandcamp link)

Vintage Crop – Serve to Serve Again

Release date: August 7^th

Record label: Upset the Rhythm

Genre: Post-punk, garage rock, punk rock

Pull track: The North

Synopsis: Australia seems to churn out a lot of these droll garage rock bands as of late (from what I understand it’s a bit nasty down there), but Vintage Crop stand near the top of the trash heap. Serve to Serve Again threads the right amount of bile, surrealness, and on-the-nose into their lyrics, and what they lack in Nobel Prize-winning writing they make up for in the delivery. The backwards glam of the pull track is their best look. (Bandcamp link)

Vundabar – Either Light

Release date: March 13^th

Record label: Gawk Records

Genre: Post-punk revival, indie pop

Pull track: Montage Music

Synopsis: Vundabar might be trending towards “taken for granted” territory. Consistently releasing good indie pop rock music without fuss will do that to you. And Either Light is quite good—and also, like, weirdly backloaded? Not to badmouth the first three songs, but “Petty Crime” is the one that really grabbed me (turning that title into that level of earworm ought to be against the law), and the thing didn’t let up after. (Bandcamp link)

Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud

Release date: March 27^th

Record label: Merge Records

Genre: Alt-country, Roots rock, folk rock

Pull track: Hell

Synopsis: Katie Crutchfield was one of the best songwriters to emerge over the last decade. She’s dressed up her albums in various sheens and succeeded every time—snotty pop punk, bedroom home recordings, shiny radio rock—I’m not at all surprised that her pivot to Americana and country ranks among her best. I won’t even get into her lyrical skillset, because it gets remarked upon every album cycle as if we hadn’t already, ya know, noticed. What she may not get enough credit for is her incredible sense of melody and her arguably singular influence on the current state of DIY indie rock. Saint Cloud indicates that Katie will be making worthwhile music long after her imitators have faded. (Bandcamp link)

Western State Hurricanes – Through with Love

Release date: February 14^th

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Seattle indie rock

Pull track: Through with Love

Synopsis: Through with Love was recorded in the late 1990s, sat in a vault for twenty years as WSH lead singer John Roderick re-recorded most of these songs with his next band, The Long Winters, and in 2020 was finally rescued from poor taping by advanced technology and got a crowdfunded release. Roderick’s been mostly inactive since the last Long Winters album came out in 2006, so I’d forgotten exactly the damage his songs can do. The lone previously-unreleased song here, the title and pull track, is an absolute monster. When John and Stephanie Wicker start singing separate parts in the second first it’s my favorite music moment of either 1998 or 2020, take your pick. The Hurricanes were, perhaps unsurprisingly, grungier than the Long Winters ended up being, while still being recognizably similar beasts—all the proto-LW songs here are weird and different and make for a fascinating alternate history. Still waiting on that next Long Winters album, though. (Bandcamp link)

Whelpwisher – New Brilliant Polygons/Okay Sick

Release date: February 18^th and July 31^st

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Power pop, lo-fi indie rock

Pull track: Deaf to False Metal

Synopsis: Psychic Flowers rules apply here, too. Ben Grigg had a productive 2020—the “proper album” Okay Sick is the better of the two releases listed here, but the write-and-record-a-song-a-day project of New Brilliant Polygons is also worth a mention in its ramshackle glory. On the slower, more crowd-pleasing numbers like “Line at the Cool Bar” and the pull track he comes off as a kindred spirit to fellow Power Pop list-appearers Mo Troper and Brian Mietz, but he’s also got a fuzzy garage rock side, and bass-driven headspinners like “Kneel Young” suggest another path entirely. (Bandcamp link)

Wire – 10:20

Release date: June 19^th

Record label: Pinkflag

Genre: Post-punk, art punk

Pull track: The Art of Persistence

Synopsis: Wire’s second album of 2020 is a collection of outtakes and alternate versions (recorded in 2010 and this year, hence the title). They pull heavily from their underappreciated 1980s releases on this one, so if you’d like to hear songs from that era without the admittedly of-the-time production flourishes, then this one is for you. Even if you do like those albums (like myself) it’s a treat to hear “Boiling Boy” and “Small Black Reptile” seamlessly integrated with newer fare. This is what, the fourth version of “Over Theirs” to show up on a release? And I’m still not tired of it! (Pinkflag link)

Wire – Mind Hive

Release date: January 24^th

Record label: Pinkflag

Genre: Art punk, post-punk

Pull track: Cactused

Synopsis: It’s a good sign when a band releases an album of new stuff and an album of old stuff in the same year and the new stuff record’s the better of the two. Really, it’s hard to believe that this band started making music in the 1970s. I think part of the reason some people struggle to get into Wire is that they’ve been ripped off so many times (punk stole the Pink Flag blueprint, indie rock took Chairs Missing, and new wave got 154) they lose a bit of their edge. Which is why I recommend just diving into their later catalog—it’s just as good without the baggage. You can trace the line from their beginning to Mind Hive if you want (start with Outdoor Miner to Off the Beach) but you can also pretend this is a hip new post-punk band associated with Speedy Wunderground and it works just as well. (Pinkflag link)

Wolf Parade – Thin Mind

Release date: January 24^th

Record label: Sub Pop Records

Genre: Indie rock, post-punk

Pull track: Forest Green

Synopsis: Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner continue to be two of the most substantial artists to emerge from the blog churn of the 00s. They’d qualify as such even if they hadn’t made a solid Wolf Parade album at the beginning of the year thanks to Operators and Moonface, but that Spencer can just step back into these old shoes and bust out “Julia Take Your Man Home” is just gravy. (Bandcamp link)

Worriers – You or Someone You Know

Release date: April 3^rd

Record label: 6131 Records

Genre: Pop punk, punk rock

Pull track: Chicago Style Pizza Is Terrible

Synopsis: Worriers are back! Lauren Denitzio’s band’s last album was 2017’s Survival Pop, and I couldn’t describe SideOneDummy refugees’ sound any better than that. If you’re looking for big, hooky queer modern punk anthems, this record’s got them. But my favorite song (whose title doubles as advice to Midwestern tourists) is the kind of reflective mid-tempo stroke that stops one in one’s tracks. (Bandcamp link)

X – Alphabetland

Release date: May 1^st

Record label: Fat Possum Records

Genre: Punk rock

Pull track: Cyrano deBerger’s Back

Synopsis: X’s first original-lineup album in 35 years does everything you could possibly want an original-lineup X album to do in 2020—namely, rock. I actually like the first post-Billy Zoom album, but the re-recorded version of the pull track is a pretty clear improvement. If you aren’t having fun, you’re doing it wrong. (Bandcamp link)

Xetas – The Cypher

Release date: January 24^th

Record label: 12XU

Genre: Post-punk, punk rock

Pull track: The Hierophant

Synopsis: Nearly 40 minutes of noisy, shouty punk rock. Catnip for anyone who counts Our Band Could Be Your Life among their favorite books. 12XU is a virtual quality-assurance stamp when it comes to this kind of thing. Not much else to say here other than it’s good stuff. (Bandcamp link)

Neil Young – Homegrown

Release date: June 19^th

Record label: Silver Bow Productions

Genre: Folk rock, Country rock

Pull track: Separate Ways

Synopsis: Another archival release from Neil Young, this shelved 1970s album doesn’t quite reach the heights of his best work from that decade but is still a key piece of one of the greatest ten-year periods for any songwriter, period. In terms of cohesion it’s more American Stars and Bars than On the Beach, with signature Neil left turns like “Florida” sharing space with the tossed off excellence of “Mexico” and “Kansas”, and the first two songs could hold their own on basically any Neil album.

Yves Tumor – Heaven to a Tortured Mind

Release date: April 3^rd

Record label: Warp Records

Genre: Experimental rock, industrial soul

Pull track: Gospel for a New Century

Synopsis: While it’s certainly a populist move compared to Safe in the Hands of Love, no one’s going to mistake this for anything other than a Yves Tumor album. They haven’t given up the hoopla, just, you know, shaped it a little differently. What we end up with is stuff like “Kerosene!” (a substance with an above-average track record as a song subject) and the little-banger-as-a-treat pull track (Bandcamp link).

Thanks to everyone who made it all the way through this list, it means a lot that you took the time to read this. I have some vague plans as to what I’m going to do with this blog in 2021–hopefully it involves talking about both new and old music that I like.

If you’re reading this because you were involved in making or releasing any of these albums–thanks so much for salvaging something from this rough year. I look forward to hearing and writing about your future endeavors.

You can follow Spotify playlists of either the 100 albums on this list, or one of a pull track from each of them.

My 100 Favorite Albums from 2020 (Part 3 of 4)

Link to Part 1 Here

Link to Part 2 Here

And we barrel forward. Exciting, right?

Brian Mietz – Panzarotti

Release date: March 2^nd

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Pop rock, power pop

Pull track: Hollyweed

Synopsis: I don’t really know much about Brian Mietz, except for the fact that he’s a poster artist and he’s put me in the position of having to say one of the best pop songs of the year is called “Hollyweed”. The rest of the album’s not too far behind, either—it’s all chock-full of effortlessly smart and hooky songwriting. I’m not sure why this seems to be a zero-stakes release—bands and labels have gambled their careers on lesser collections of songs and come out on top. Fans of classic downer guitar pop like Grandaddy and the slower Fountains of Wayne songs (as well as fellow list-maker Mo Troper) should hear this. And everyone else should, too. (Bandcamp link)

Mint Mile – Ambertron

Release date: March 20^th

Record label: Comedy Minus One

Genre: Alt-country, Americana, alt-rock

Pull track: Fallen Rock

Synopsis: Tim Midyett becomes the final living member of 90s indie heroes Silkworm to pilot an album on his own, and Ambertron is well worth the wait. The gorgeous glimpses and potential of the three EPs Mint Mile sprinkled throughout the back half of the 2010s is fully realized here on this double LP. While the insistent “Giving Love” and anthemic “Shy”, the picture-perfect “Riding On and Off Peak” and the lumbering Crazy Horse antics of “The Great Combine” reveal themselves through time. While I still hold out hope for a reunion of Midyett and Andrew Cohen a la the likely-deceased Bottomless Pit, Ambertron (as well as the excellent non-album single “Interpretive Overlook”) is a triumph all its own. (Bandcamp link)

Jason Molina – Eight Gates

Release date: August 7^th

Record label: Secretly Canadian

Genre: Ambient alt-country, folk, slowcore

Pull track: Shadow Answers the Wall

Synopsis: Although recorded towards the end of his career and, sadly, his life, Eight Gates has more in common with the stark late-period Songs: Ohia albums than the full-band Magnolia Electric Co. affairs that are closer to its timeline. Although it feels a bit slight at 25 minutes with most songs hovering below the three minute mark, Molina was an absolute master at shining in these sparse landscapes, and the likes of “Thistle Blue” and “Whisper Away” would be career touchstones for many perfectly respectable songwriters, instead of “merely” comparatively solid album anchors for a comparatively solid posthumous Jason Molina album. (Bandcamp link)

Thurston Moore – By the Fire

Release date: September 25^th

Record label: Daydream Library

Genre: Noise rock, experimental rock, Sonic Youth

Pull track: Cantaloupe

Synopsis: Now this is what I like to hear! While I do occasionally enjoy some of the more out-there antics of Sonic Youth and its former brain trust (see the Lee Ranaldo entry coming up in a bit), whenever one of them deigns to dip back into the accessible noise pop that defined the best of 90s and 00s SY, I will always be the first in line. Don’t worry, the guitar jams are still there (average song length: 9.11 minutes, buoyed by the 16-minute “Locomotives”) but songs like “Breath” find room for both the freakouts and the toe-tapping rock and roll. (Bandcamp link)

Bob Mould – Blue Hearts

Release date: September 25^th

Record label: Merge Records

Genre: Alternative rock, punk rock

Pull track: Everything to You

Synopsis: Mr. Mould flirts with giving these Protest Songs ™ on this Anti-Trump album ™ too short of a shelf life but stops just shy, and besides, the thesis of the album’s lead single is that Bob’s seen all this shit before and he’ll see it again, and, regrettably, war, climate change and poverty are, uh, nonperishables. (Bandcamp link)

The Mountain Goats – Songs for Pierre Chuvin

Release date: April 17^th

Record label: Merge Records

Genre: Lo-fi indie, Panasonic RX-FT500

Pull track: Exegetic Chains

Synopsis: Oh, of course your favorite Mountain Goats album of 2020 is the one that was recorded just by John Darnielle into a boombox, you lo-fi purist (hey, I liked the other one too, I just had to draw the line somewhere). Yes, sure, sonically it is somewhat reminiscent of the 90s Mountain Goats albums that changed my outlook on music and life in general as a malleable high school kid, but Darnielle doesn’t renege on his songwriting evolution for nostalgia’s sake. It’s hard to imagine something as thornily comforting as the pull track or intentionally withdrawn as “Their Gods Do Not Have Surgeons” on Nothing for Juice, for example. But the lack of saxophone undeniably helps as well. (Bandcamp link)

Nana Grizol – South Somewhere Else

Release date: June 26^th

Record label: Arrowhawk Records/Don Giovanni Records

Genre: Indie folk, lo-fi, folk punk

Pull track: South Somewhere Else

Synopsis: This is the southern reckoning album that the Elephant Six bands were never queer or punk enough to make. After a not-so-steady stream of good but slightly underachieving-feeling albums strewn throughout the 21^st century, Theo Zumm seems to be submitting his bid for indie rock elder statesman, and if “Jangle Manifesto” is on the app then it’ll probably go through. Younger DIY bands, take notice. Grizol—you’re hot. Keep at it. (Bandcamp link)

No Thank You – Embroidered Foliage

Release date: October 23^rd

Record label: Lame-O Records

Genre: Philly emo indie rock

Pull track: Saturn Return

Synopsis: No Thank You continues to be a perpetually underrated modern emo-rock band, to the point where I apparently missed their sophomore album entirely despite enjoying thoroughly both this album and their debut. There’s really no excuse for a stunner like the pull track to languish in DIY purgatory while—well, not to name names, but some of the schlubs currently riding 90’s alt-rock revival to indie superstardom aren’t fit to polish No Thank You’s twinkly feet. (Bandcamp link)

Oceanator – Things I Never Said

Release date: August 28^th

Record label: Plastic Miracles

Genre: Singer-songwriter emo indie DIY rock

Pull track: A Crack in the World

Synopsis: Yet another Tiny Engines refugee—don’t let my mess of a genre description scare you off, it’s really quite good. I was aware of an “Oceanator” but I didn’t give Elise Okusami’s band a shot until David Bazan and Pedro the Lion started boosting her pretty frequently. There is a Bazanesque blend of anthemic and confessional songwriting going on where, with similarly just enough attention given to the rock band backdrop to accent it. Here is where I have to rue the pandemic for robbing me of the opportunity of seeing Okusami rip through these songs in some basement show somewhere—by the time we can all leave our bunkers I imagine she’ll have surpassed that scene. Polyvinyl’s already scooped her up, I can only imagine while saying “Seriously? Nobody’s inked this stuff yet?” (Bandcamp link)

Of Montreal – UR FUN

Release date: January 17^th

Record label: Polyvinyl Record Co.

Genre: Synthpop, indie pop

Pull track: You’ve Had Me Everywhere

Synopsis: I’ve seen this album dismissed in a couple places as straightforward, cheesy synthpop that’s beneath Kevin Barnes. It’s no Hissing Fauna, I’ll give you that—but this is good cheesy synthpop! I thought we all liked pop music now! Do I need to hear Kevin working out his feelings on polyamory on-record? No, but he can sing about whatever the hell he wants when the songs are this well-dressed. And besides, any Of Montreal fan knows that part of the deal is accepting some of Kevin’s lyrics to get to the good stuff—we are all quarry in someone’s sex safari, indeed, Mr. Barnes. (Bandcamp link)

OOIOO – Njimusi

Release date: January 17^th

Record label: Thrill Jockey Records

Genre: Experimental rock, psychedelic rock, noise rock

Pull track: Kawasemi Ah

Synopsis: The latest from Boredoms drummer Yoshimi P-We is the best of what I like about Thrill Jockey. Like the Horse Lords album mentioned earlier, I enjoy how it’s grounded in traditional rock band setup and instruments and then goes off the rails from there. Even the more recognizable moments, such as the psych-rock “Bulun”, are cased in an 8-minute chant. It’s worth it. (Bandcamp link)

Options – Wind’s Gonna Blow

Release date: May 21^st

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Emoindierock, slowcore vibes

Pull track: Better Past

Synopsis: I really dithered over which of Seth Engel’s two 2020 releases would occupy this spot. The spacier, deconstructed ambient of Window’s Open was in pole position for awhile, but when it comes down to it, Wind’s Gonna Blow is the one with all the hits. Engel has no qualms about presenting the listener with an album full of similarly-toned, similarly-simply-titled short songs that bleed into each other and letting one sift through what’s there, and here we’re left with a remarkable ratio of diamonds in the rough (or, perhaps, roughs within the diamonds). (Bandcamp link)

Parlor Walls – Heavy Tongue

Release date: February 21^st

Record label: Famous Swords

Genre: Noise rock, post-punk, no wave, experimental rock

Pull track: Pinafore > Ignite

Synopsis: Heavy Tongue should be the blueprint for what an exciting rock record in 2020 sounds like. A good deal of the album feels murky, and you aren’t sure when the tension is going to break, or even how it could. The primal pull track is the best cathartic release here, but the stomping “Spinning Gold” gives it a run for its money, and there’s even a bizzaro world pop song here in “Violets”. (Bandcamp link)

Pelvis Wrestley – Vortexas Vorever

Release date: September 18^th

Record label: ATHRecords

Genre: Synthpop, glam country

Pull track: Dance Alone

Synopsis: Sometimes I lie awake at night and wonder what is wrong with me. Surely there is some reason why the giant pop stars of today and yesterday are the most popular forms of music. Sincerely—why does 99% of it do nothing for me, emotionally? I don’t view myself as some sort of superior elite hipster for genuinely thinking that some guy from Texas who calls himself Pelvis Wrestley made a better pop album in 2020 than folks who have been paid seven figures to do so. I just want to know why I am like this and other people aren’t. Why is it that every note of “Try Your Hardest” is perfect, every instrumental flourish in exactly the right place for me? Why is it that the shift at 3:42 in the pull track, where the rhythm section stops building and starts galloping and the fiddle does its thing, better than any other sort of drop or breakdown I’ve heard from music that lives and dies on such moves? Perhaps Pelvis Wrestley will become a household name in 2021, and everything will click into place for me. (Bandcamp link)

Pere Ubu – By Order of Mayor Pawlicki (Live in Jarocin)

Release date: June 26^th

Record label: Cherry Red Records

Genre: Art punk, post-punk

Pull track: Heart of Darkness

Synopsis: While part of me wishes for a new live record that would shine light on some of Pere Ubu’s underappreciated middle years (such as the Fontana albums or mid-to-late 90s “road” albums), Pere Ubu tears through their canonized early material here with such gusto that it’s hard to be disappointed too much. The band’s absolute reckless treatments of songs like “Navvy” and “The Fabulous Sequel” do more than live up to their album versions, they give them an (unneeded but not unwelcome) new edge. Despite the somewhat esoteric (even for Ubu) nature of most of their recent releases, the band remains the tight rock machine it’s always been despite many a personnel and style shift—something David Thomas and crew have always prided themselves on, and with good reason. (Website link)

Personality Cult – New Arrows

Release date: February 14^th

Record label: Dirtnap Records

Genre: Garage punk, garage rock

Pull track: Telephone

Synopsis: This is (mostly) no-frills, plenty-of-thrills garage punk rock and roll, with not a wasted moment throughout its 24-minute runtime. Reminds me a bit of new Cloud Nothings instrumentation, mid-period Cloud Nothings vocals, and early Cloud Nothings knack for a hook. The last track is practically an opus at nearly 5 minutes. (Bandcamp link)

Psychic Flowers – Gloves to Grand Air / Freedom of Failure

Release date: March 13^th/October 8^th

Record label: Living Lost Records

Genre: Lo-fi indie rock, garage power pop

Pull track: Turn Around

Synopsis: These two mini-albums together add up to about a 45-minute LP, so hopefully the sole member of Psychic Flowers, Mr. David Settle, doesn’t mind me combining them for listicle purposes. Altogether you have 20 songs’ worth of blown-out, full one-man-band sounding fuzz-pop with tastefully Pollardesque psychedelic flowery titles and motifs such as “Towards the Trees” and “123 Eyes”. At least check out the downer strummer acoustic version of the pull track if distortion scares you. (Bandcamp link)

Frances Quinlan – Likewise

Release date: January 31^st

Record label: Saddle Creek

Genre: Indie rock/pop/folk, chamber pop

Pull track: Your Reply

Synopsis: An excellent and every-bit-worthy solo effort from the lead singer of one of the best rock bands of the 2010s. Likewise is most similar on the surface to Hop Along’s 2018 effort Bark Your Head Off, Dog, moving away from a traditional four-piece rock band setup and towards whatever suits the song. Acoustic instruments, keyboards, and harps allow Quinlan’s entertainingly verbose and not-quite-opaque lyrics to steal the show again. The pull track feels like it’s entirely composed of asides, footnotes, and the referenced margin scribbles, and Quinlan continues to mine gold with their ability to find humor and humanity in academia and literature. Of course, none of this would hit as hard as it does without their Bejar-esque ability to turn phrases that would’ve yielded zero Google results a year ago into memorable refrains. (Bandcamp link)

Radical Dads – Paved Mountain

Release date: June 23^rd

Record label: Uninhabitable Mansions

Genre: Indie rock, college rock

Pull track: Don’t Wanna Go

Synopsis: Neither here nor there, but, it’s perhaps the album title of the year. Radical Dads have been kicking around for most of the 21^st century at this point, and one of them was in just-Google-it-if-you-need-to phenomenon Clap Your Hands Say Yeah at point. None of this information is necessary to enjoy this confident and comforting exercise in classic indie rock 101. (Bandcamp link)

Lee Ranaldo and Raül Refree – Names of North End Women

Release date: February 21^st

Record label: Mute Artists Ltd.

Genre: Ambient, experimental rock, electronic

Pull track: Light Years Out

Synopsis: The antithesis of Thurston’s previously-mentioned Sonic Youth revival album, this collaboration finds Lee speaking more often than singing over the sound collage-scapes that Refree’s made for him. The opener sounds like Ranaldo reciting a poem over sparse instrumentation, and while Lee does sing in “The Art of Losing”, a good deal of the song is his healthily auto-tuned vocals over droning and minimal beats by Refree. Find a street to walk down around 5 p.m. and take the journey. (Bandcamp link)

Ratboys – Printer’s Devil

Release date: February 28^th

Record label: Topshelf Records

Genre: Indie rock, indie folk, alt-country

Pull track: Anj

Synopsis: Although Ratboys have always embraced the alt-country label, it’s really best thought of as one ingredient in their alternatingly anthemic and contemplative blend of basement indie rock. Soldiering on into their second decade of existence, they’re practically DIY veterans at this point, and after nearly three years since their last LP, Printer’s Devil doesn’t disappoint. There’s go-ahead power pop such as the opening track and the pull track, with “My Hands Grow” being the prime, well, grower. (Bandcamp link)

Jeff Rosenstock – NO DREAM

Release date: May 20^th

Record label: Polyvinyl Record Co.

Genre: Pop punk, power pop, punk rock

Pull track: Ohio Tpke

Synopsis: With Worry. being the undeniably punk rock opera that forced Serious Music People to take the sometimes-ska always-punk seriously, and POST- being the doomed-to-be-underrated, slow burn of a follow-up, Jeff Rosenstock has dealt with 2020 by making an album that grabs you by the shoulders and demands your attention. Sort of like We Cool? but without the “well, it’s just me now” self-consciousness—perhaps the best comparison for NO DREAM is the chaotic good sugarpunk of Rosenstock’s last band. The album is really just highlight after highlight—“Scram!” is the kind of fuck-you anthem that few other than Jeff can pull off so easily, “The Beauty of Breathing” mutates a girl-group-worthy melody into something much more harrowing, and “State Line” and the pull track show that not only has Rosenstock earned his late-career (late for a punk guy at least) resurgence, he’s still growing as an artist and writer and he’s got much more in the tank. (Bandcamp link)

Ben Seretan – Youth Pastoral

Release date: February 28^th

Record label: Whatever’s Clever

Genre: Indie folk, Indie-emoish-rock

Pull track: Am I Doing Right by You?

Synopsis: A shortcut to getting me interested in your album is garnering David Bazan comparisons. As the album title hints at, these are some songs about the Big Man and the cult around him, by a dude young enough to still have real capital F-feelings about all this but old enough to really frame and look at them. (Bandcamp link)

Six Organs of Admittance – Companion Rises

Release date: February 21^st

Record label: Drag City Inc.

Genre: Experimental folk, psychedelic folk

Pull track: Companion Rises

Synopsis: Good old fashioned fucked-up Drag City freak folk music, just like momma used to make. Ben Chasny is perfectly able to turn down the distortion and head-spinning a bit when he wants/needs to (the title and pull track is an excellent acoustic ballad), but like the vintage albums from fellow travelers The Microphones, the inferno must be taken as part of the worthwhile overall vision. (Bandcamp link)

Slum of Legs – Slum of Legs

Release date: March 13^th

Record label: Spurge Recordings

Genre: Post-punk, noise pop, art punk

Pull track: I Dream of Valves Exploding

Synopsis: These British “queer, feminist noise pop” agitpunks are one of 2020’s “should’ve been launched into the stratosphere” bands. Sounding like a young, pissed-off Mekons or The Ex at their most accessible, Slum of Legs accent their classic punk shout-vocals with screeching violin and just enough synths, enough to turn the pull track into a genuine hit (in my book). Look, I like IDLES well enough, but….let’s be a bit more selective with these imports, yes? (Bandcamp link)

Move on to Part 4!

You can follow Spotify playlists of either the 100 albums on this list, or one of a pull track from each of them.

My 100 Favorite Albums from 2020 (Part 2 of 4)

View Part 1 here.

Frankie Valet – Waterfowl

Release date: February 7^th

Record label: It Takes Time Records

Genre: Bedroom/garage punk/rock/pop

Pull track: Engulfed

Synopsis: This is one of those exciting albums by young bands where they’re throwing a bunch of stuff at the wall and you’re just along for the ride. There’s the dream pop opener, the snotty punk house feel of “Our Apartment”, and the full-on sprint of the pull track. Their bio calls them “Yo La Tengo with unmedicated ADHD”. Close enough. (Bandcamp link)

Fuzz – III

Release date: October 23^rd

Record label: In the Red Records

Genre: Garage rock, psychedelic rock

Pull track: Spit

Synopsis: My first foray into Ty Segall’s most beloved non-solo work. Apparently both a good and bad place to start with Fuzz—it sound more like a fuzzier Ty solo album than what the trio had been up to before now. This is, if you’re aware of my feeling towards Mr. Segall, not a problem at all, especially since we didn’t get a full-length under his own name this year. If you take your hooks with heaviness, or vice versa, this is for you. (Bandcamp link)

Game Theory – Across the Barrier of Sound: Postscript

Release date: March 20^th

Record label: Omnivore Recordings

Genre: Psychedelic pop, power pop, Paisley underground

Pull track: My Free Ride

Synopsis: The songs from this compilation date between the last Game Theory album (1988’s Two Steps from the Middle Ages) and the first Loud Family album (1993’s Plants and Birds and Rocks and Things) and capture the transformation of the former band into the latter. For anyone who is aware (or about to become aware) of the talents of the late Scott Miller, it’s an embarrassment of riches—live versions and demos of songs that would later wind up on PABARAT, several excellent covers, alternate versions, and the fully-realized pull-track. I would recommend a proper Game Theory or Loud Family album (such as, say, The Big Shot Chronicles) as a first step for those unfamiliar with Scott Miller’s work, but this album has appeal beyond the diehards as well.

Gaytheist – How Long Have I Been on Fire?

Release date: April 10^th

Record label: Hex Records

Genre: Hard rock, metallic hardcore, punk rock

Pull track: The Dark Deep

Synopsis: I went into a fugue state sometime in May (pandemic, etc, you know) and awoke with this album in my frequent rotation. A Portland glam-hardcore-punk band named Gaytheist? Well, I never. There’s only one way something like this could have ever possibly ended up on this square’s list—that’s right, it’s really fucking catchy. The only thing more cathartic than their contempt for conservatives on “It’s Reigning Men” (Gaytheist? How could you?) is the escalating music itself. (Bandcamp link)

The Goodbye Party – Beautiful Motors

Release date: October 9^th

Record label: Double Double Whammy

Genre: Power pop, lo-fi pop

Pull track: December Boys

Synopsis: The Goodbye Party is one of the greatest triumphs of today’s indie/DIY circuit to come out in 2020—so of course, it hasn’t garnered much attention beyond it. Recorded with Swearin’s Kyle Gilbride (who got the same credit on the Empty Country album earlier on this list), Beautiful Motors lives up to its name, featuring sparkling melodies and vocal performances from Michael Cantor and a kind of propulsion owed to a more band-heavy sound than Cantor’s previous releases. (Bandcamp link)

Guided by Voices – Mirrored Aztec

Release date: August 21^st

Record label: Guided by Voices, Inc.

Genre: Indie rock, power pop

Pull track: Bunco Men

Synopsis: The clean-sounding and “creamy” Mirrored Aztec seems destined to be the “fan favorite” of the three Guided by Voices albums to come out this year. While the best addition to the GBV canon are presented early on (the gorgeous midtempo “To Keep an Area” and the post-punk ducking and dodging “Please Don’t Be Honest”), the most thrilling part of the LP is when the band begins gleefully burning through ideas in the second half. Robert Pollard is in his fifth decade of this now—he knows just exactly how much he needs to squeeze out of “Screaming the Night Away” and “I Touch Down” for maximum effect. (Bandcamp link)

Guided by Voices – Surrender Your Poppy Field

Release date: February 20^th

Record label: Guided by Voices, Inc.

Genre: Psychedelic pop, power pop, indie rock

Pull track: Year of the Hard Hitter

Synopsis: Not only the best Pollard-related album of 2020 but one of the best outright, the mid-fi Surrender Your Poppy Field has a bit of everything that Guided by Voices does well. The opening track is one of their classic prog-pop suites, containing enough melodies for an album in and of itself, “Always Gone” does 90’s basement-recorded GBV even better than anything off the album that openly aspired to do so (Warp and Woof), “Queen Parking Lot” is the straightforward hooky number that Pollard can (and should) write in his sleep, and there are left-turns galore (the psychedelic drone of “Cat Beats a Drum”, the Cocteau Twins(?!)-nodding “Andre the Hawk”, the Tommy-reminiscent orchestral closer “Next Sea Level”. Best GBV album in almost three years, and that’s saying something. (Bandcamp link)

Half Stack – Wings of Love

Release date: September 25^th

Record label: Forged Artifacts

Genre: Alt-country, country rock

Pull track: Laguna Seca

Synopsis: Some good old-fashioned West Coast country rocking from a band with the songs to back it up. They’re young folks so of course they claim a big David Berman influence as well (there he is again!), but it balances out overall to more 1970s than 90s, and I can imagine flipping through radio stations three states away from where I’m supposed to be, hearing the pull track, and just vibing out in Indiana or wherever for a few miles. (Bandcamp link)

Andy Hampel – Nightshift

Release date: May 30^th

Record label: Self-released

Genre: lo-fi power pop

Pull track: Ivory Towers

Synopsis: Solo effort from a member of Columbus indie rock stalwarts Connections. Hampel uses the break from the band (in name, if nothing else) to stretch out a bit, saxophones and pianos and whatnot, but you can still pogo to “Sharks”. (Bandcamp link)

Handle – In Threes

Release date: March 6^th

Record label: Upset the Rhythm

Genre: Post-punk, no wave, experimental rock

Pull track: Punctured Time

Synopsis: Ah, “knocking over a bunch of dishes in the kitchen” post-punk! My favorite kind! This 25-minute album certainly veers towards the deconstructed at times, but stays grounded due to some of the most enjoyable rhythm playing I’ve heard this year and an excellent barking frontperson (note to bands who want to make this kind of music: don’t skimp on this). (Bandcamp link)

Lilly Hiatt – Walking Proof

Release date: March 27^th

Record label: New West Records

Genre: Alt-country, Americana

Pull track: P-Town

Synopsis: Ms. Hiatt makes a move away from the country rock of 2017’s excellent Trinity Lane for a more universal sound. These gambits often end sounding hollow, generic, watered-down, et cetera, but takes the next step in her career with grace, more than keeping up with the Lovelesses and Crutchfields of the world. If she continues making songs as good as “Never Play Guitar” she can record it with a nu metal band and it’d probably still sound good. (Bandcamp link)

Horse Lords – The Common Task

Release date: March 13^th

Record label: Northern Spy

Genre: Krautrock, Experimental, Post-rock

Pull track: Fanfare for Effective Freedom

Synopsis: This isn’t my wheelhouse. I like three minute songs, vocals, melodies, and verses, choruses, and verses. But it works for me. These long, repetitive, droney, Krauty jams are good, actually. Maybe it’s just how normal it is musically that’s my entry point—I could see some of these songs as instrumental bits in something more linear, but just, like, extended on and on and expanded on and on. (Bandcamp link)

Hum – Inlet

Release date: June 24^th

Record label: Earth Analog Records/Polyvinyl Records

Genre: Space rock, shoegaze, alt-metal

Pull track: Step into You

Synopsis: I was into Hum quite a bit in my younger “90s alt-rock” phase, but hadn’t given them much thought in recent years, so I was a bit skeptical that I’d get much out of their comeback album. But Inlet won me over. Matt Talbott and the vortex of sound around him have never sounded better. Whether or not the stretching-out of the songs (average: 6.9 minutes) is something that incubated during their hiatus or just something they felt more liberated to explore, it sets it apart from the shoegaze-adjacent rock music kicking around in 2020. (Bandcamp link)

Kiwi Jr. – Football Money

Release date: January 17^th

Record label: Persona Non Grata

Genre: Post-pop-punk, Pavement

Pull track: Wicked Witches

Synopsis: Rising Canadians Kiwi Jr. might be easy to dismiss as “unoriginal” (either in comparison to certain 90s indie rock bands or certain 2010s indie rock bands aping certain 90s indie rock bands) but I can’t remember Malkmus ever sounding like he’s on a sugar rush like these guys here. And they certainly don’t sound, nor do they really attempt to sound, above it all or really above any of it. And believe it or not, Pavement never wrote a song that’s sort of about Brian Jones but also sort of not. Anyway, check them out before they—oh, wait, never mind, Sub Pop signed them. (Bandcamp link)

Knot – Knot

Release date: August 28^th

Record label: Exploding in Sound Records

Genre: Post-punk, math rock

Pull track: Justice

Synopsis: This is another one that rewards repeated listening. Did Krill (the cult-legend former band for most of Knot’s members) ever need to slow it down a (k)notch and get, like, really real, y’all? Well, no, not really—I would’ve been happy with an infinite number of new Krill albums. But, for whatever reason, the members of Krill were not, they dug deep, and they found stuff like “Justice” and “Horse Trotting, the Feet Not Touching the Ground”. Oh, and they also beat their old band at their own game with “Orange”. (Bandcamp link)

Lambchop – TRIP

Release date: November 13^th

Record label: Merge Records

Genre: Chamber pop, Americanatra

Pull track: Where Grass Won’t Grow

Synopsis: Some of my favorite Lambchop songs are covers (see “King of Nothing Never” from What Another Man Spills), so unsurprisingly, they are fully in their element here with this full-length of other people’s songs. This six-song LP (which accomplishes this mainly due to an extension on the already extended ambient outro of Wilco’s “Reservations”) actually hearkens back towards their indie-cultural early-2000s peak more so than their most recent (but still good) vocoder-led affairs. Motown, classic country, Nuggets, and an unreleased James McNew song comprise the rest of the album. (Bandcamp link)

Lawn – Johnny

Release date: September 4^th

Record label: Muscle Beach Records

Genre: Jangle pop, post-punk

Pull track: Nighttime Creatures

Synopsis: I’m not entirely sure if the reason this album so confidently ping-pongs between bright, shiny guitar pop and shouty, motorik, bass-driven post-punk (sometimes within the same song) is because Lawn boasts two primary songwriters, but this is a feature rather than a bug. After all, it’s not as if this band’s likely heroes in The Clean (and, to go even further back, Velvets) shied away from placing the pretty next to the, uh, well, I certainly wouldn’t call “Honest to God/Paper” ugly… (Bandcamp link)

Brennen Leigh – Prairie Love Letter

Release date: September 18^th

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Bluegrass, country, folk

Pull track: Don’t You Know I’m from Here

Synopsis: In some ways the most traditional album on this list (there’s a song on here about a tractor, for Christ’s sake) it’s also very firmly grounded in 2020—yes, this is a concept album about the North Dakota cowboy (!?!), and if you think it’s going to let the DAPL off the hook, well you’d be wrong. Featuring a troubling amount of songs that have made me cry. God bless producer Robbie Fulks for his hand in this, and God bless Brennen for the songs. (Bandcamp link)

Long Neck – World’s Strongest Dog

Release date: April 10^th

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Pop punk, Emoindierockpunk

Pull track: They Shoot Horses

Synopsis: Not the only album on there falling under the banner of “would’ve been released by Tiny Engines if that label hadn’t shat the bed so thoroughly and blew the remarkable amount of goodwill it had accrued for an operation of its size”. This is Lily Mastrodimos doing a big ole personal growth as a songwriter on this sophomore step, and getting a big ole boost from the Long Neck players to get there. Though there are still some solo acoustic numbers towards the back of the album, the biting pull track and other full-band efforts is where this one really shines. (Bandcamp link)

Lydia Loveless – Daughter

Release date: September 25^th

Record label: Honey, You’re Gonna Be Late

Genre: Americana, alt-country

Pull track: Never

Synopsis: After a hard-charging, country-rock early 2010s, Loveless disappeared for a while—to borrow from one of this album’s songs, she went through the wringer a bit since 2016’s Real. Now over a decade removed from the creation of her debut album (recorded when she was 15 years old), a corresponding shift in sound isn’t too surprising. The slick production feels both at times an attempt to sculpt a more “mature” sound and an attempt to get the music out of the way of Loveless’s as always brutal songwriting. Whether or not I would’ve enjoyed this album more personally if they’d dressed it up like personal favorite Somewhere Else, if this is what it took to get songs like “Never” and “September” out of her, than I approve wholeheartedly. (Bandcamp link)

J. Marinelli – Laughing All the Way to the Fretex

Release date: January 15^th

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Lo-fi indie punk rock

Pull track: What We Talk About When We Talk Shit

Synopsis: J. Marinelli’s uniquely Appalachian brand of rockabilly lo-fi indie pop punk gets perhaps is strongest showcase yet in this 21-minute ripper of an album. Inspired equally by Hasil Adkins’ one-man band fearlessness (and poultry fixation) and Robert Pollard’s twisted, hooky Americana static, every song here is hummable the likes of “Teenage DNA” and “Mistake by the Lake” have no right to make their titular phrases stick in my brain like this. (Bandcamp link)

Jon McKiel – Bobby Joe Hope

Release date: April 24^th

Record label: You’ve Changed Records

Genre: Psychedelic pop, indie folk

Pull track: Mourning Dove

Synopsis: A record of wonderful snake-curled-in-the-grass-by-the-campfire Canadian psychedelic indie folk a la Chad VanGaalen, labelmate Daniel Romano, or American kindred spirit John Vanderslice circa late-2000s. I don’t always go for the likes of this but McKiel’s plain and friendly, affectless voice is the perfect companion for this eternal evening of an album. (Bandcamp link)

Mekons – Exquisite

Release date: June 19^th

Record label: Self-released

Genre: Alt-country, post-punk, folk punk

Pull track: What Happened to Delilah?

Synopsis: Well, at least we got a classic quarantine-recorded 2020 Mekons album out of all of **hand wave** this. Unlike some of the genre explorations that have characterized the past decade or so of the band, this one’s got a bit of it all—country, dub reggae, folk, rock, post-punk, collage…I do hope that this one gets a wider release eventually; the one-two punch of Deserted and this one in consecutive years suggests a band entering its sixth (!!) decade firing on all cylinders in a way that really only Wire comes close to matching. (Bandcamp link)

Melkbelly – PITH

Release date: April 3^rd

Record label: Wax Nine/Carpark Records

Genre: Noise pop, fuzz rock, 90’s alt

Pull track: THC

Synopsis: Melkbelly cleans up the noise punk of 2017’s Nothing Valley, frontperson Miranda Winters does her best Kim Deal impression, and together the Chicago group has put together one of the most enjoyable alt-rock pastiches of the year. Anyone familiar with Winters’ solo output is aware of her capacity for a great vocal hook, but here is the first time her main band lets her run wild with it, and it’s all the better for it, especially the sugar-bludgeoning of the album’s first three songs. (Bandcamp link)

The Men – Mercy

Release date: February 14^th

Record label: Sacred Bones Records

Genre: Country heartland Americana noise rock folk

Pull track: Breeze

Synopsis: The pull track and lead single hit me immediately, but it took a few listens for me to really appreciate this “cinematic journey” (per their Bandcamp) of an album by The Men. This Travis Harrison-recorded record feels like the band blowing through a showcase of their talents, like a tighter version of 2018’s Drift. The ten-minute choogling “Wading in Dirty Water”, the cheesy 80s “Children All Over the World”, and the sparse closing track all aren’t afraid of sharing close company with each other—much more ambitious bands could learn a thing or two from the way this album still comes off as unpretentious. (Bandcamp link)

You can follow Spotify playlists of either the 100 albums on this list, or one of a pull track from each of them.

My 100 Favorite Albums from 2020 (Part 1 of 4)

Congrats on randomly stumbling onto this list. All of these albums are worth a listen, but I’ve done you the courtesy of giving you a CliffsNotes version of all of them if you wanna be choosey. I will also note that I got a little better at doing this as I made it further along, so apologies if the first couple of entries are rough. Or maybe you oughta skip to part 2. Alphabetical order.

Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters

Release date: April 17^th
Record label: Epic Records
Genre: It got a 10.0 on Pitchfork
Pull track: Cosmonauts
Synopsis: Oh dear. Doing this alphabetical by artist name means coincidentally that I have to start with the most beloved and talked-about album on this list. I could do a spiel about how music journalism and Serious Album Listener People culture seem to love worshipping scarcity, threading everything through The Narrative, and turning releases into Big Events over just celebrating good music made for good music’s sake with little fanfare (spoken like a true Guided by Voices fan). But it’s not like Ms. Apple is responsible for this mess we’re in, nor would it be cool and edgy of my to deprive myself of another good Fiona Apple album for this reason.

Arbor Labor Union – New Petal Instants

Release Date: February 7^th
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Psychedelic pop rock, cowpunk
Pull track: Flowerhead
Synopsis: This is some Georgian southern-fried, psychedelic jangle/noodle pop that appears to at the very least be aware of punk rock. Comparisons to Elephant Six and Meat Puppets invite themselves. Put on your paisley shirt and feel good about something for a few minutes. (Bandcamp link)

Bacchae – Pleasure Vision

Release date: March 6^th
Record label: Get Better Records
Genre: Post-punk, pop punk
Pull track: Hammer
Synopsis: As the name implies they can do pure pop, but also frequently wade into moodier territory (of both the righteous fury and plodding and seething variety), like a J. Robbins not having to come up in the Credibility War of 1994. My crystal ball says they’re a “band to watch”. (Bandcamp link)

Bad History Month – Old Blues

Release date: April 24^th
Record label: Exploding in Sound Records
Genre: Folky slowcore, post-rock
Pull track: A Survey of Cosmic Repulsion
Synopsis: This is one that one have to just carve out 45 minute of one’s time and just take in, much like that new Microphones album. Although for whatever reason Sean Sprecher’s musings just resonated with me more. Must be an East Coast versus West Coast thing. (Bandcamp link)

Bad Moves – Untenable

Release date: June 26^th
Record label: Don Giovanni Records
Genre: Power pop, pop punk
Pull track: Toward Crescent Park
Synopsis: Their first LP being such an effortless party record, BM have moved onto making a Serious Statement. Oh no! But wait, line after line of this is making me nod my head in solidarity? The energy and hooks are still there, just more sharply focused? We have some Good Moves here. It would be their Wide Awake! if it was a little more popular and less satisfying. (Bandcamp link)

Bartees Strange – Live Forever

Release date: October 2^nd
Record label: Memory Music
Genre: 2000s indie, alt-R&B, rap and rock but like not rap-rock
Pull track: Boomer
Synopsis: This one fascinates me because of all the entrances and exit points here. “Mustang” is no-strings-attached alt-rock, “Fallen for You” is an acoustic solo success, “Kelly Rowland” is what I’d like [insert big-name acclaimed male pop star here] to sound like, and “Boomer”….well, I would love a whole album of Boomers, and I’m sure Mr. Strange could. (Bandcamp link)

The Bats – Foothills

Release date: November 13^th
Record label: Flying Nun Records
Genre: Jangle pop, Dunedin sound
Pull track: Smaller Pieces
Synopsis: I will not commit the music reviewer cardinal sin of prematurely (less than a week after release) declaring this not quite as good as late career highlight The Deep Set, but it does seem a little harder to get a handle on first blush. Perhaps not coincidentally it has been constant rotation for me since last Friday. (Bandcamp link)

The Beths – Jump Rope Gazers

Release date: July 10^th
Record label: Carpark Records
Genre: Power pop, indie pop
Pull track: I’m Not Getting Excited
Synopsis: Maybe at first glance this one would be a “moody and difficult” sophomore effort, but the New Zealand band can point to an entire country’s worth of examples as to why getting a bit melancholy and contemplative doesn’t diminish the immediacy of the songs. And there’s still upbeat songs for the rubes too. (Bandcamp link)

R Boyd and Dusk – High Country Skyway

Release date: July 31^st
Record label: JAC World
Genre: Alt-country, roots rock
Pull track: Mechanical Things
Synopsis: Not sure who this R. Boyd is, or what the R even stands for, but if he’s good enough for Country Dusk than he’s good enough for me. It’s got twang but the album it’s quite as country-laced as Dusk’s albums on their own—Mr. Boyd is a pop songwriter that can slip into several modes. Rhett Miller, Elvis Costello, The Jayhawks, William Matheny all come to mind. (Bandcamp link)

Cartalk – Pass Like Pollen

Release date: October 2^nd
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Emoindiefolkrock
Pull track: Sleep
Synopsis: There is so much mediocre music out there that bears a superficial resemblance to Cartalk’s Pass Like Pollen. Some of this such music stumbles onto a label that knows how to get it noticed without actually seeming like it’s doing anything, and it gets lauded as “bold” and “innovative” (and then the creator of said music gets to do this again when they pivot to synthpop on the follow up). Wait, what were we talking about? About how I wish I could write a damn song like Cartalker Chuck Moore? Let alone sell it, you know, like that? How nobody has packed this much emotion into the name of the Union’s 35^th state since Hop Along’s Francis Quinlan? (Bandcamp link)

Close Lobsters – Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols

Release date: February 21^st
Record label: Shelflife
Genre: Jangle pop, C86
Pull track: All Compasses Go Wild
Synopsis: Close Lobsters made an album this year! And it’s very good! In fact, it might be their best one! There is a surprising heft to the back end of this, and the front rivals their version of their greatest hits. (Bandcamp link)

Cloud Nothings – The Black Hole Understands

Release date: July 3^rd
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Pop punk, power pop
Pull track: Right on the Edge
Synopsis: In early 2017, Dylan Baldi made a bold leap forward. Life without Sound is my go-to pick for “underrated album of the past ten years”, a move towards mature and measured songwriting that kept his edge that was nonetheless greeted by universal shrugs and grumbling about how it was “generic” by a culture that demands instant gratification and blah blah et cetera. What I’m trying to get at here is this is one a wide-eyed pop triumph, snuck under the table as a self-released quarantine release in advance of the Real Cloud Nothings-Brand Angry Post Hardcore Pop Album coming next year recorded by poker and Scrabble world champion Steve Albini. Is this having the cake, or eating it too? (Bandcamp link)

Coriky – Coriky

Release date: June 12^th
Record label: Dischord Records
Genre: Post-punk
Pull track: Clean Kill
Synopsis: While I have certainly always respected the career of Ian MacKaye, and I’ve liked a Fugazi tunegazi here and there, this would be the first band of his I wouldn’t hesitate to call myself a fan of. Mid-tempo, minimalism, and female vocals suit his music, I should finally get around to checking out The Evens. I’m not sure if they meant to make several of these songs sound like Silkworm, but that’s certainly never a bad thing. Either Joe or Ian (both?) sounds like Tim Midyett here but I’m blowing through there right now and don’t feel like taking the time to figure out which one. (Bandcamp link)

Cornershop – England Is a Garden

Release date: March 6^th
Record label: Ample Play Records
Genre: Glam pop rock, Britpop?
Pull track: I’m a Wooden Soldier
Synopsis: Dear nineties bands that I’ve heard of but never heard: please stay together and keep putting out music, for my personal benefit. I’ll get to it, I promise. Never having actively listened to this band before, somehow I heard one of these songs and then, well, here we are. But then again, I’m probably not giving Cornershop enough credit here—your average faded-from-the-limelight act isn’t drawing from anywhere near the unique well that they are, allowing them to make arguably their best work in 2020 (yes, I went to their back catalog to make sure this is only a half-empty claim). (Bandcamp link)

Elvis Costello – Hey Clockface

Release date: October 30^th
Record label: Concord Records
Genre: Chamber pop, art rock
Pull track: No Flag
Synopsis: I admit ignorance when it comes to most of Elvis’s 21^st century output, but I did hear Look Now!, and I don’t think it was entirely unreasonable of me to come out of that with the impression that Elvis was settling into a soft rock late act. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to enjoying the kitchen-sink stylings of this album more. Not every second of this one lands and, full disclosure, this was one of the final albums to make the cut, but hearing something like “Hetty O’Hara Confidential” in 2020 is just undeniable.

Country Westerns – Country Westerns

Release date: June 26^th
Record label: Fat Possum Records
Genre: Country punk rock, “”””heartland”””” rock
Pull track: It’s Not Easy
Synopsis: CW seems to be the roots lifer band that’s been allowed to have some positive music press attention this year, and we’re all better for it. Like the 2018 version, State Champion, there appears to be some sort of David Berman connection (God bless that man), but they seem more like fellow travellers and less like acolytes (and that’s not just because of the Magnetic Fields cover, although it was very funny that Pitchfork apparently thought they wrote Two Characters in Search of a Country Song). (Bandcamp link)

Dearest Hearts – Dear William

Release date: April 24^th
Record label: Dollhouse Lightning
Genre: Indie folk, folk punk
Pull track: Breaking Up the Band
Synopsis: New England meta folk rock band—this scratches the classic Okkervil River itch I’ve been needing to get scratched since 2010 or so. As you may’ve gathered, this band doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously, but it absolutely could and get away with it. The sincerity, straightforwardness of the title track and the outright joke of the song before it both shade the album, but it’s when they settle on “clever” (such as the pull track) that points the way forward for them. Jump on this one while you still can, movers, shakers and quakers. (Bandcamp link)

Dehd – Flowers of Devotion

Release date: July 17^th
Record label: Fire Talk
Genre: Post-punk, spaghetti western dreampop dancepunk
Pull track: No Time
Synopsis: The rubber band guitar of Chicago’s late NE-HI lives! Not only that, but it thrives! Like most albums that shoot for the moon, it doesn’t always land (the line “a cigarette between the lips / like sharing a secret kiss” makes me shudder for all the wrong reasons) but all is forgiven for this album that does not have to go as hard as it does, indeed, go. (Bandcamp link)

Destroyer – Have We Met

Release date: January 31^st
Record label: Merge Records
Genre: Synthpop, post-yacht rock
Pull track: It Just Doesn’t Happen
Synopsis: Would I be here with you today, listening to the slap bass in “Cue Synthesizer” and enjoying every second of it, if it was anyone other than Dan Bejar leading me and everyone else who just wants to hear him on another New Pornographers album down this path? I don’t know, but it sure is nice here. And expensive-looking. Sorry, I mean expansive. No, I don’t believe we have met, Mr. Bejar. (Bandcamp link)

Wendy Eisenberg – Auto

Release date: October 16^th
Record label: Ba Da Bing!
Genre: Experimental rock, indie folk, free jazzy guitar stuff
Pull track: Futures
Synopsis: Here’s some unpredictable music for you! Wait, wait, come back, it’s very good! Nobody’s going to mistake this for Coldplay or anything, but it’s surprisingly accessible for something of its ilk (conservatory-incubated)—it’s all grounded by Eisenberg’s sense of melody both in voice and in guitar playing. Feels like it should’ve come out in Chicago, Drag City or Thrill Jockey, circa 1998. (Bandcamp link)

Elder – Omens

Release date: April 24^th
Record label: Armageddon Label
Genre: Psychedelic rock, progressive rock, stoner rock
Pull track: In Procession
Synopsis: Judged aesthetically and by who they’re frequently lumped in with, Elder are “heavier” than what I normally go for musically. I gathered they’ve moved away from the more metal moves in recent years, but really, this isn’t too different from some of the rock music I consume regularly, just, you know, a little longer (~10 minute song lengths) and louder. For the indie kids, just consider it psych-shoegaze post-rock, and dive in. (Bandcamp link)

Empty Country – Empty Country

Release date: March 20^th
Record label: Get Better Records
Genre: 90’s indie rock revival, Philly heartland rock stuff
Pull track: Becca
Synopsis: Cymbals Eat Guitars released their Built to Spill-meets-Springsteen rock opus in 2016, and then apparently decided they couldn’t top it and dipped. Thankfully, frontman Joseph D’Agostino still has songs to play and record. The Empty Country project is a bit less bombastic, but a combination of the likes of the go-for-it 6 minute opener and Wrens-assisted “Ultrasound” with the forward-looking back half of the LP points towards life beyond Pretty Years. (Bandcamp link)

Eyelids – The Accidental Falls

Release date: February 14^th
Record label: Jealous Butcher Records
Genres: Power pop, jangle pop, did I mention power pop and jangle pop
Pull track: The Accidental Falls
Synopsis: Portland lifers John Moen and Chris Slusarenko put together their strongest full-length to date as Eyelids. They’ve flashed brilliance before (see “Maybe More” and “Slow It Goes” from previous releases), but this virtually filler-less, Peter Buck-produced outing is a cornucopia of guitar pop, from the Posies-nodding “1, 2, 3” to the done-in-under-two “The Minutes” that one would expect from collaborators of Elliott Smith and Robert Pollard. (Bandcamp link)

Flat Worms – Antarctica

Release date: April 10^th
Record label: Drag City
Genre: Post-punk, garage rock
Pull track: Antarctica
Synopsis: You could file these guys on the shelf of the current strain of Fall-influenced post-punk revival-revival (your Fontaines DCs, your Prototypical Martyrs), but they also have garage punk cred (produced by Ty Segall, shares members with Thee Oh Sees) and have the all-important Steve Albini engineering credit for noise rock aficionados. If this weighs on the minds of the Worms they don’t show it, confidently moving forward with their More Songs About buildings, geography, and catastrophe both awesome and mundane. (Bandcamp link)

FOX Japan – What We’re Not

Release date: March 10^th
Record label: Self-released
Genre: Jangle pop, post-punk revival, power pop
Pull track: Luau
Synopsis: You skimming through this list? Stop on this one. While this list isn’t ranked, this would be the one I’d like for most people to take away from it. While it would be impossible for me to top the lone description of the album offered on the band’s Bandcamp page (“Catchy, guitar-driven songs about ambition, humiliation and death”), it merits a shot. Imagine the futile yet defiant character studies of Richard Dawson’s Peasant translated to suburban ennui by a Fountains of Wayne on a huge Flying Nun and The Chills bender. No album this year has contained refrains more memorable and triumphant, and no lyrics more worthy of the fine-toothed comb. You will be humming the first two songs for weeks before full getting a handle of the horror-movie plots of them both (and a few more before appreciating the differentiation between them). Even a song that shouts its message at you (Let Your Ambition Go!) has several twisting alleyways to go down itself. (Bandcamp link)

“Oh, it’s fine if the world is confused by me,

And if all of my intentions are delicate

And if all is one day lost to history,

Then to strive for perfection seems desperate.”

You can follow Spotify playlists of either the 100 albums on this list, or one of a pull track from each of them.