2020 In Review, Part Four
Reaching For The Di-Vinyl And Beyond…
Now that I have finally attained the brass ring of existence wherein I can check the “36-45” box on my job application forms, I’ve come to realise that time as a universal invariant is a bit of a shitter.
Any random moment can feel interminably endless at its specific point only for you to suddenly look up and realize it has been at least a month since you had last texted your friends or visited a member of your family, you can’t remember what your office desk looks like anymore and finally despite all of this Tiger King actually only came out earlier this year…
If you replaced the stopwatches in Salvador Dali’s The Persistence Of Memory with a widescreen TVs featuring a BBC News presenter weeping over a BREAKING NEWS banner along the bottom in a desolate landscape of unfinished new-build tower blocks whilst Canary Wharf blinks its beacon from across the river like a festive Eye of Mordor… that’s where my mind is most days.
Another notable side-effect on my psyche is that my nostalgia pangs have been hitting me harder than ever lately, and whilst I still enjoy consuming new media where possible, sometimes I just want to listen to the Derry Girls soundtrack playlist on Spotify and tearfully remember the optimism of my childhood.
Even the excellently curated music of one of the funniest shows on TV couldn’t sate my appetite though, so, like any decent pop music fan wrestling with adulthood and impending middle-age, a vinyl record collection began in earnest, funded by my newfound reluctance for going out at the weekends because germs.
As coping mechanisms go, it’s certainly one of the more harmless I’ve indulged in over the years, and will prompt a series of deep-dives further down the line on this site once 2021 gets going, though like everything, it’s important to keep a balance.
Whilst revisiting the past is a coping mechanism that can yield some emotional succour and help offer different perspectives and context for present-day trends and happenings, it is also important to be open to the here and now without regressing too much into past modes of deduction, otherwise it will impede progress and the cycle will repeat with nothing learned.
Which can really be said about so many things these days… but at least the fishing issue has been resolved!
Anyway, with that in mind, here is the rest of my genre-based rundown of my favourite albums of 2020…
Top 5 Electronic Music Albums Of 2020
Conference Of Trees – Pantha Du Prince
Inspired by whatever he finds around him, the German wunderkind of dark ambient ventures into the forestland for album number six, creating beatific soundscapes using samples of bespoke woodwind and percussive instruments.
Karma & Desire – Actress
British producer Darren Cunningham’s second album of 2020 consists of some of his most polished and seductive music yet, all sweetly pulsing deep house and neo-classical piano pieces, some of which featuring the wonderful Sampha.
KiCk i – Arca
Having spent the past decade breaking down the barriers between high art and club music, Alejandra Ghersi takes a strident step out into the world to unleash her decadent pop persona with deranged flair for her fourth solo album.
Opaquer – KMRU
With an impressive command of atmospherics that neatly dovetails drone, field recordings and ambience, it is really no surprise how mood-maestro Joseph Kamaru found favour with fans of experimental electronica this year.
The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises In Group Form – Matmos
Though member Drew Daniel kept his solo-work schedule busy as The Soft Pink Truth with two new albums this year, this epic set with partner MC Schmidt deserves mention for its sheer bulk of bemusing sounds and collaborations.
Top 5 Dance Music Albums Of 2020
Inner Song – Kelly Lee Owens
Gaining many fans for her mix of lo-fi electronica and dream-pop song structures, Kelly Lee Owens builds on the promise from her debut album with a follow-up that is a little more club-appropriate but no less beguiling for it.
Love And Dancing – Horse Meat Disco
Not content with establishing one of the best club nights in London, the founding DJ quartet deliver some immense feelgood vibes in spades on their lush debut album reminiscent of disco’s glorious heyday.
Róisín Machine – Roisin Murphy
With her idiosyncratic voice and flamboyant style, Róisín Murphy is the epitome of a DIY pop star, her fifth solo album being yet another triumph of both facets, thrillingly raving to her own noise with creativity to burn and nothing to lose.
Sixteen Oceans – Four Tet
Despite being one of the busiest figures in the dance music world, Kieran Hebden still found time to release his tenth solo album this year, and true-to-form it is bursting with more fine examples of his pristine take on house music and electronica.
2017-2019 – A.A.L (Against All Logic)
His first of three albums to be released this year, Nicolas Jaar’s dance-oriented solo side-project’s second collection is a vibrant blast of ballast and deconstruction, bringing intelligence and impishness to the dancefloor in equal quantities.
Top 5 Hip Hop/Rap Albums Of 2020
Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath Of God – Busta Rhymes
Dropping the day before Halloween AND the weekend before the US election, Trevor Smith Jr’s first album in eight years finds him on particularly flammable form, his lyrics deathly sharp as he doles out savage diatribes in his inimitable motor-mouth style.
Modus Vivendi – 070 Shake
Danielle Balbuena eschewed a debut album full of flashy guest stars and multiple producers to deliver something far more cohesive and exciting, solidifying her futurist approach to trap-hop as something to keep a watchful eye (and ear) on.
RTJ4 – Run The Jewels
Killer Mike and El-P return with a few famous friends to deliver their most blistering set yet, every track being pure classic fire filled with enough bilious rage and pointed commentary to start a revolution (…and it did, well done guys!)
Startisha – Naeem
For album three Naeem Juwan dropped his Spank Rock stage-name to deliver something a little more personal and contemplative whilst still retaining his playfully leftfield attitude toward alternative hip hop and electro-pop.
Visions Of Bodies Being Burned – clipping.
The alternative horrorcore hip hop trio fronted by star-on-the-rise Daveed Diggs continues to forge ahead with the second part of their double-album dystopian opus, the results being blisteringly disturbing but arrestingly so.
Top 5 R&B/Soul Albums Of 2020
Donald Glover Presents 3.15.20 – Childish Gambino
Dropped without warning just before everything went full pandemic in the western world, Donald Glover’s fourth album serves as a welcome victory lap for the multi-talented star before he officially retired his Childish Gambino persona.
Lianne La Havas – Lianne La Havas
In truth, La Havas’ third album makes it on to this roster just for making one of Radiohead’s finest songs her own so thrillingly; the fact that the rest of the album matches its rich beauty is a bonus and testament to her skills.
Shabrang – Sevdaliza
Singer/songwriter/producer Sevda Alizadeh continues to be a best-kept-secret with her brand of futuristic trip-hop R&B and quite frankly it isn’t fair, especially as her second album builds on her gorgeous body of work so assuredly.
THE ANGEL YOU DON’T KNOW – Amaarae
Ama Serwah Genfi’s debut album is an invitingly kaleidoscopic fusion of nu-soul R&B, bubblegum pop and Afro-futurism, the kind of sweet calling-card that leaves you wanting more of its star’s uniquely mercurial charm.
There Is No Year – Algiers
I’m remiss to assign a particular genre to a band as uncategorizable as Algiers, but for heralding the amount of arresting gospel-infused fury over each track on their third album that they do, there’s no questioning the amount of soul on display.
Top 5 Pop Music Albums Of 2020
After Hours – The Weeknd
If we have to say goodbye to the 80s revisionist bent in mainstream pop, Abel Tesfaye’s fourth album is an epic sign-off, as one of the finest singers of his generation graduates to truly iconic status with his best work since his mixtape trilogy.
S16 – Woodkid
Filmmaker Yoann Lemoine’s classical-pop-music side-project evolves with dark maturity on his second album, charting a stirring course through a miasma of human toxicity with his doleful voice backed by customarily epic orchestrations.
Warnings – I Break Horses
Finding a dreamy space between alt-rock and shoegaze that is still undeniably pop, the Swedish duo are on never-better form on their third long-form release, armed with the kind of swoonage reserved for the likes of Goldfrapp and M83.
What’s Your Pleasure – Jessie Ware
If the 2010s belonged to Robyn as far as tear-stained disco bops are concerned, Jessie Ware’s fourth album makes an early and convincing stab for this new decade, dusting off banger after sultry banger with an almost-cosmic likeability.
Working Men’s Club – Working Men’s Club
The latest next-big-thing from the UK indie-pop scene who might actually turn out to be a justifiably huge deal, if their prodigiously entertaining debut set of sterling synthpop is anything to go by.
2020 Hero Tribute #4
No blurb necessary here, really…
NHS Front Line & Key Workers
Right, on to the final stretch now… that’s right, in true 2020 fashion, I’m dragging all of this out way beyond breaking point!
See you there and keep safe… xxxo
N.B. If that Derry Girls playlist left you wanting, try this gorgeous rabbit-hole of 90s-ness… you’re welcome!
