For the next week I guess I will post my completely meaningless and unimportant top 100 music releases of 2020 in this thread. Some genres I vowed to be better about are criminally underrepresented (metal, classical), some are deservedly underrepresented (“indie”). Anyway, here:

100. Ecostrike - A Truth We Still Believe (sincere straight-edge hardcore)

99. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways (sounds like Bob Dylan)

98. Neil Young - Homegrown (more countryish Neil, glad this finally has official release(

97. The Koreatown Oddity - Little Dominiques Nosebleed (probably the best Stones Throw rap record in like a decade)

96. Raw Poetic & Damu The Fudgemunk - Moment of Change (this feels very out of time. Imagine we are back in 2002 and listening to J5 and Blackalicious again)

95. Moodymann - Taken Away (half of this record is aoty, half is just really good soulful house and soul)

94. Bonny Light Horsemen - S/T (do you like folk music bb boy? Anais Mitchell and friends create real beautiful renditions of real old songs)

93. Haim - Women In Music Pt. III (I like every Haim record AND I consider the Wilson Phillips album one of the best pop records of the 90s)

92. Nubya Garcia - Source (hard to deny the most buzzed about jazz record of the year. It’s a lot, and most is really good)

91. Benny The Butcher - Burden Of Proof (probably the best production of any Griselda record, but not quite classic, though it does sound like classic NY rap)

90. George Clanton & Nick Hexum - S/T (the vaporwave guy and the 311 guy get high and make the beach record for the year of not going to the beach)

89. Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band - Just Like Moby Dick (old Americana legend puts out a progressive, thematic country record in his 70s and its heavy handed and great)

88. Bent Arcana - S/T (Jon Dwyer fucks around and makes a bizarre krautrock record)

87. The Third Mind - S/T (what if we took classic Americana but then also peyote? Dave Alvin surprised with this jammy piece)

86. Yukika - Soul Lady (probably the best interpretation of the City Pop revival I’ve heard)

Continuing on today!

85. Slasher Dave - Cannibal Death Gods II (for whatever reason the slight exotica leanings of this fake soundtrack REALLY got me)

84. Xibalba - Años en infierno (I can’t describe metal ever but like this is death metal that has some doom blah blah)

83. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions (I strongly dislike the first track and then love the rest so heyyy)

82. Eartheater - Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin (deeply twisted acoustic electro goth folk pop idk it’s pretty)

81. Shootergang Kony - Red Paint Reverend (at this point, Kony is probably my favorite/the best young Bay Area rapper)

80. Apollo Brown & Che Noir - As God Intended (excellent boom bap jazz rap and woman fronted)

79. VA - Still In My Arms (house/idm/ambient collection from one of the coolest new labels. Very 2000s)

78. Eris Drew - Fluids of Emotion (maybe my favorite pure House record of the year)

77. Denzel Curry x Kenny Beats - UNLOCKED (generally find Denzel incredibly overrated but this comic book collab is super good)

76. Arca - KiCK i (you might be shocked to find out that Arca created a total headfuck record)

75. VA - Louis Wayne Moody High (I love just about every Numero release but this one about teen garage bands is just absolutely tremendous)

74. The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You (shame this didn’t come out in the summer, but it’s still super smooth)

73. Leo Takami - Felis Cactus & Silence (this for sure would’ve been on Windham Hill 30 years ago. Very gentle, but plucked new age)

72. The Steeldrivers - Bad For You (what if I told this bluegrass outfit were a better band without Chris Stapleton?)

71. The Mavericks - En español (somehow over 30+ years, The Mavericks never made an all Spanish album. Now they have and it’s incredible. Trad, country, rockers, folk, it’s all there)

Let’s continue for absolutely no one. Albums 70-56 today.

70. ボリス/Boris - No (Boris goes fake crust punk and makes their best record in a decade)

69. Black Josh - Mannyfornia (uk rap that sounds like grime and drill never existed)

68. Jeremy Cunningham - The Weather Up There (sort of abstract, but relevant and groovy/heavy jazz record)

67. Aaron Diehl - The Vagabond (piano, bass and drums jazz bliss)

66. Various - NuLeaf (numero makes a slick 80s smooth jazz comp)

65. Gabe Lee - Honky Tonk Hell (one of the most exciting voices in country expands to a full band sound. Fully retro in feel)

64. Conway the Machine - From King to A GOD (the best Griselda rapper overcomes a handful of subpar beats and gets killer guests appearances)

63. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher (a lot of modern alternative singer songwriter stuff leaves me cold, but this is fantastic, despite my wife overplaying it)

62. Repeat Offender - Demo ‘20 (lol idk where I found this since I don’t know anything about hardcore but I spent the last week of February only listening to this)

61. Grand Nationxl - Live From Airship Laboratories (the latest addition to the list, but it’s my new favorite collective in the studio just fuckin around rapping and singing and jamming. So refreshing)

60. Kylie Minogue - Disco (divisive and maybe slightly hollow but still a delightful dancey pop record from the Queen)

59. Starlito - Paternity Leave (the most underrated and consistently great rapper in the world gets sweet)

58. Boldy James & The Alchemist - The Price of Tea in China (Boldy is the artist of the year. 4 albums that are all excellent. Alchemist is great here as usual)

57. Crystal Quartez - Causal Loop (local artist makes a legit great synthy new wave record)

56. Rat Cage - Screams From The Cage (one of the best album covers of the year and perhaps the best straight up kick ass rock n roll record too)

Albums of 2020 numbers 55-41 here we are

55. Squirrel Flower - I Was Born Swimming (I feel like there are 80 female fronted indie rock records like this every year but this one I like)

54. Pole - Fading (more minimal, dub-heavy techno)

53. Ross Hammond - Our Place on the Wheel (what if you made spaced out, wild jazz but added steel guitar?)

52. Roisin Murphy - Roisin Machine (half of the tracks here are the album of the year)

51. No Joy - Motherhood (they just go full on 90s dream pop worship here, it rules)

50. Beatrice Dillon - Workaround (minimal and maximal at the same time? Heavy bass lines and weird percussion and sort of footwork and sort of house and sort of experimental)

49. Aubrey Qwana - Imvula Mlomo (the house, pop and amapiano music coming out of South Africa is the most exciting music in the world right now)

48. Blu & Exile - Miles (this album is way too long but it’s the most inspired Blu album in like a decade)

47. Raina Rose - Vesta (an old friend of mine gets a little proggy but really just makes the best folk record of her career)

46. The Killers - Imploding The Mirage (2020 was the year I just gave into this stupid bad and their absurd music. It’s super fun and bombastic and they made it more so by going full War on Drugs)

45. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated Side B (the absolute heir of queen of pop.)

44. Kiko Dinucci - Rastilho (I don’t listen to much modern Brazilian music, but if you told me this was cut in 1975, I would absolutely believe you.)

43. R.A.P. Ferreira - Purple Moonlight Pages (this record is just barely on the right side of too nerdy for jazz rap. A true backpack record, pretty far out in places, but a great headphone record)

42. Gallery S. - S/T (one of the heaviest deep house/breakbeat/dance records I enjoyed this year. Moma Ready/AceMoMa/AceMo had a helluva year)

41. William Basinski - Lamentations (this record came out only a few days after I suffered death in the family and was a great grieving tool)

Ok 40-26, hooray

40. Gwenifer Raymond - Strange Lights over Garth Mountain (Welsh instrumental guitar picking)

39. Nothing - The Great Dismal (great, loud headphone record indebted to heavier side of SHOEGAZE)

38. Kabza de Small / DJ Maphorisa - Scorpion Kings Live (Amapiano is my new favorite genre. It’s minimal, repetitive, pleasant dance music from South Africa. This is maybe the apex of what I heard this year)

37. Shabaka and the Ancestors - We are Sent Here By History (powerful Afro-jazz)

36. Fay Hield - Wrackline (just beautiful traditional British folk)

35. Deftones - Ohms (imagine not loving these dudes. Slightly nostalgic but some of the strongest songs of their career)

34. The Rheingans Sisters - Receiver (sister folk duo who explore a big chunk of Europe)

33. Sturgill Simpson - Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 (Sturgill is best to me when he sounds more traditional)

32. Sa-Roc - The Sharecropper’s Daughter (with this record, Sa-Roc quickly enters into best rapper alive territory)

31. Matt Lajoie - Clear Channel (this dude put out a handful of sick records this year but this two-track jam is my fave)

30. Boldy James & Sterling Toles - Manger on McNichols (More abstract beats on this one, same Boldy rapping)

29. Beach Bunny - Honeymoon (oh I feel so much joy listening to this moody record)

28. Sunwatchers - Oh Yeah? (Just crazy heavy psych jams)

27. Android - Chapter 001 (insane, weird noise/hardcore from Florida)

26. Dan Deacon - Mystic Familiar (dunno why but I finally loved a Dan Deacon record!)

25-11 here, what up

25. Ana Roxanne - Because of a Flower (just hauntingly beautiful soundscapes and vocals)

24. Against All Logic - 2017-2019 (Nicolas Jarr makes bizarre industrial influenced beat tape)

23. Grand Nationxl - Twice on Sunday (Season 1) (the best, smoothest, most exciting rap record you ignored this year)

22. American Aquarium - Lamentations (alt country stalwarts get political)

21. Ulla - Tumbling Towards A Wall (electronic bubbles n ambient beauty)

20. Sparkle Division - To Feel Embraced (William Basinski and his producer make a lounge influenced, nu-jazz wearing beat tape)

19. Annie - Dark Hearts (Annie went disappeared into the black lodge and came out all Lynchian)

18. The Wilder Blue - Hill Country (buncha dudes make a 90’s country record)

17. Pacific Range - High Upon the Mountain (jammy GD-influenced stuff that actually is so pleasant and great)

16. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo (it’s scary how good Gibbs is right now)

15. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter (starting to think Laura is the best modern songwriter)

14. Lido Pimienta - Miss Colombia (this could easily be number 1)

13. D Smoke - Black Habits (feel like this dude gets ignored cuz he came from netflix, but this is an absolute achievement of an album)

12. Squarepusher - Be Up A Hello (a record I keep trying to forget about but it keeps pulling me back in and is insane because it’s squarepusher)

11. Aesop Rock - Spirit World Field Guide (I haven’t cared about Aesop Rock in like 15 years but this record is maybe his best. It’s weird of course but not too nuts, just insane rapping)

Fuck it, let’s finish this. Top 10 albums of 2020 for me:

10. Natalia Lafourcade - Un canto por Mexico Vol. 1 (my single favorite voice in the world focuses on San Jarocho here and puts out an absolute statement of Mexican history)

9. Rob Mazurek / Exploding Star Orchestra - Dimensional Stardust (the name is a great descriptor for this beast of a jam. Just mind bending avant-jazz)

8. Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters (every bit of praise this has received, it deserves, plus more. I am probably underselling it.)

7. Mree - Bloom (just 15 minutes of pure dreamy Enya-ish balm. When the world came crashing down a hundred times this year, this was a way to calm)

6. Seed of Pain - Flesh, Steel, Victory (the most I have ever connected with a modern hardcore record. This should have had crossover appeal and hype)

5. The Microphones - Microphones in 2020 (Phil going back to the Microphones name and putting out a repetitive 45 minute story song that completely takes me with it every time. Perfect for the year)

4. Charles Lloyd - 8: Kindred Spirits (Live jazz that just soars. Just shockingly fierce/chill/inventive)

3. María José Llergo - Sanación (another evolution of the inclusion of classic flamenco into pop and r&b but far out and helplessly cool)

2. Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure? (the most absolute “that’s the classic” pop record I’ve heard in years. Easily my most played album of the year)

1. Gregg August - Dialogues on Race: Volume One (hard hitting, topical jazz record that isn’t too far out to get into, but still challenges the listener. Headphone, uninterrupted listening reveals a perfect record. A masterpiece.

Thanks for letting me bore ya!