I wrote an entire blog and was ready to post on January 31 2020, thus completing my goal of posting once a month in 2020. WordPress erased my hard work and gave me a final disappointment for the year. If the year of irrational fear taught us anything it’s to not give up. So here it is, my final blog for the year, a bit late but it’s here.
I tried something creative for my yearly favorite albums list. I gave the last album on the list two words to describe how I felt, the subsequent one four and so on. My number 1 album I gave fifty words to because I really enjoyed it. Instead of having a top 10 I did a top 20, because streaming changed the way I listen and I have so much access.
20. I Am The Avalanche-Dive: Pretty good. 
19. Fake Names-Fake Names: Punk supergroup classic rock.
18. Run The Jewels-RTJ4: Great rap album (sigh) socialism’s stupid. 
17. Sufjan Stevens-The Ascension: Couple great songs, Sufjan is 3rd rate Radiohead.
16. Baauer-Planet’s Mad: Like drinking several Red Bull and trying to express feelings. 
15. Too Free-Love In Demand: Strangely relaxing, glad Merchandise’s frontman is making music, sounds nothing like Merchandise. 
14. Idles-Ultra Mono: Self righteous punks singing woke songs, despite that still good enough for my list. 
13. Shabazz Palaces- The Don Of Diamond: Maybe the most brilliantly underrated group making music today, another misunderstood and unappreciated piece of art. 
12. Peace’d Out-Feelings Blade: Such a great hardcore album made exclusively for fans of the genre, yet still was creative and unique. 
11. Drakulas- Terminal Amusements: A lot of things I love about the scrappy punk side of rock & roll are found here, especially melodic singalongs.
10. Nothing-The Great Dismal: Like other Nothing albums it takes repeat listens to enjoy, after investing time it paid high dividends: dreamy 90s inspired gloom pop.
9. Cafe Racer-Shadow Talk: Great new discovery for me! When live music returns these guys are a top priority to see. Warm guitar tones make for relaxing songs.
8. Metz-Atlas Vending: Immediacy, chaotic noise and beauty are similarities between 2020 and Atlas Vending. Metz is a phenomenal band, this is probably their least abrasive most accessible record.
7. Deftones- Ohms: These guys don’t put out bad music. Ever. I wouldn’t put this one as their very best (no fault of Ohms) but another unique yet familiar Deftones album.
6. Higher Power-27 Miles Underwater: They capture so much that I love from early-mid 2000s screamo. Very thankful I found this the second week of lockdown, to me it’s an encouraging singalong survival timestamp.
5. Phoebe Bridgers- Punisher: Why did I enjoy this bleak, dreary, counter to my point of view collection so much? It was her smart lyrics and authentic delivery, an emotionally real piece. The last song’s incredible!
4. Protomartyr- Ultimate Success Today: When I was a teen I thought punk had to sound like Rancid. Now Protomartyr define what I think of as punk, sounding more like Nick Cave sped up. Beatnik poetry over tight instrumentation.
3. Doves-The Universal Want: Sweeping cinematic beauty. It’s only 3 guys making such a big sound! In an alternate, more correct universe ‘The Universal Want’ would be a gigantic success with arena tours and Taylor Swift would be waiting tables.
2. Deeper- Auto-Pain: My favorite new band of the year, and the first bit of music to bring light into the lockdown period for me. reminiscent of early New Order (Joy Division) with catchy angular guitar riffs. Makes me feel cool.
1. Touché Amore- Lament: I’m most attracted to passion in art, the opening seconds of ‘Lament’ sold me. Touché’s pinnacle! This is my favorite album of 2020 because it reminds me I am alive. And I’m not going to shut up because I have something to say. This sound is how I feel inside.
Albums with a couple of good (or even great) songs but not solid enough to make my list.
Caribou- Suddenly; Real Estate- The Main Thing; Dan Deacon- Mystic Familiar; Khruangbin- Mordechai; Algiers- There Is No Year; Sparta- Trust The River; Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever- Sideways To New Italy
E.P.’s- streaming made it possible to catch numerous short albums. Here are some great ones!
Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats- UNLOCKED (My favorite rap piece of the year, better than 99% of the trash kids call rap); James Blake- Before EP (So much better than 2019’s album); Trash Talk & Kenny Beats- Squalor (Short, innovative and brutal!); Land Of Color- Rest (Beautiful songwriting and honestly performed)
Another # 1-Sean Feucht- Let Us Worship Washington DC
I cannot express enough how much I appreciate not just this album but the whole movement. This, along with several other releases from Feucht and his team this year are full of life. I think this is one of the best worship recordings ever made. It stands in stark contrast from the lukewarm, pandering churches that won’t exist (THANK GOD) in 5 years. In 2020 I believe Jesus used COVID and government overreach to draw a line. You can support or defend sexual depravity and murdering babies in the name of decency if you want; you can cowardly say nothing (not much better) or you can get right. I am inspired and spurred on to chase after the things of God because of what these guys are doing. The theme song in my home is now ‘HE BREAKS THE HEAVY YOKE!!’ Come Lord Jesus.
thebearplane 
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