Like virtually every other industry, the music business was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Recording studios were forced to close, many artists had to abandon their plans for releasing albums, and live shows were nonexistent.
While it’s far from the most urgent issue that’s resulted from the virus, not being able to attend concerts or enjoy the steady stream of new releases that I’m accustomed to this year was a depressing and eye-opening experience. Whenever the music industry is able to come back in full force and we’re blessed with the opportunity to dance together in packed spaces again, I know I won’t take it for granted.
With all that being said, 2020 still delivered some great records that offered comfort and inspiration when I needed it most during this difficult year. Though there weren’t as many noteworthy releases as a typical year, some of my favorite artists came through with new albums that rank among their best work to date.
10. Squarepusher — Be Up a Hello
Squarepusher ranks up there with Aphex Twin as a master of frenetic drum-n-bass electronic music. He peaked in the late 90s and early 2000s with his seminal releases Hard Normal Daddy and Go Plastic. Though he’s continued to release new projects since then, Be Up a Hello feels like a return to form for the IDM legend.
The album consistently delivers hard-hitting beats and inventive, unpredictable arrangements that manage to counteract the intensity of the rhythms with warm, sweeping melodies. Tracks such as “Oberlove,” “Hitsonu,” “Vortrack,” and “Terminal Slam” rank among the artist’s best songs to date. Be Up a Hello may not break any new ground in the electronic genre, but it does a great job of making old tricks feel new again.
9. Plum – StreetView
Chaz Bear, best known as Toro Y Moi, is one of the most talented musicians and producers of recent years. Over the last decade, he’s amassed a stunning discography that includes multiple classics covering a variety of different genres and styles. On this new project released under the moniker of Plum, he applies his impeccable skills to ambient music and the results are beyond impressive.
StreetView is a perfect album for winding down late at night, interesting and unique enough to keep your ears engaged while also being mellow and introspective enough to help your brain relax. If you want a sample of the record’s style, check out highlight tracks “Dream,” “Request,” and “Whole Wheat.” Here’s hoping that Chaz doesn’t abandon the Plum alias and will release more gorgeous ambient work in the future.
8. Oneohtrix Point Never – Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
Of all the albums on my list, this was probably the most difficult one to rank. It’s still growing on me and may end up rising to a higher position eventually, but I decided to put it here for now. Oneohtrix Point Never is one of the most inventive musicians in the world of electronic music, having released some of my favorite albums of the last 10 years. His latest work takes us on a trip through his personal, imagined radio station (hence the title).
The tracklist is divided into 4 segments that are linked by snippets of radio broadcasts, static, and other sounds that are designed to recreate the experience of listening to AM/FM radio. But of course, since this is an OPN record, it’s the strangest radio station you’ve ever stumbled across. Bright pop melodies sung with heavily processed vocals are mixed alongside ambient symphonies and plunderphonics, resulting in a listening experience that’s often jarring and never predictable.
The album has plenty of stunning moments – in particular, “Long Road Home,” “Bow Ecco,” “Tales From The Trash Stratum,” “Imago,” “Lost But Never Alone,” and “Wave Idea” are outstanding tracks.
My only complaint is that the album is so all over the place that it doesn’t always flow as smoothly or feel as cohesive as it should, preventing me from loving it on quite the same level as his top-tier work. Having said that, there’s plenty to love here and there’s never a moment where the album fails to at least be interesting and unique.
7. Knxwledge – 1988
Knxwledge is the true successor to J Dilla and Madlib, pumping out experimental hip-hop beats at an astonishing rate on his Bandcamp page. Though every Knxwledge release offers something worthwhile, this is his first official album since 2015’s excellent Hud Dreems. Considering the long wait, I had high expectations for 1988 and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
The record grabs your attention immediately, from the moment the first track starts, and never slows down from there. This intricate collage of beats and samples flows smoothly from top to bottom, whipping through a variety of styles including rap, soul, R&B, jazz, and gospel. While it’s hard to pick a definitive favorite out of Knxwledge’s massive discography, 1988 earns pride of place among the cream of the crop.
6. Thundercat – It Is What It Is
Is there any other title that could serve as a better summary of 2020? Thundercat released his newest record during the early stages of the pandemic, when we were all just starting to come to terms with how awful it would be. The album is a tribute to his close friend Mac Miller, the beloved rapper who passed away in 2018.
As a result, It Is What It Is has a much darker and more somber tone than Thundercat’s past work, offering a revealing look at his thought process as he struggled with loss, depression, alcoholism, and more.
That’s not to say the album isn’t still fun. The virtuoso bassist uses his impeccable chops and smooth falsetto vocals to full effect on bangers like “Black Qualls” and “Funny Thing,” as well as slower tracks like “Dragonball Durag” and “Unrequited Love.” He’s also helped by some strong guest appearances including Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, Childish Gambino, Ty Dolla $ign, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, and BADBADNOTGOOD.
There’s not a weak track in the bunch, as the fast pace and smooth transitions ensure you’ll never get bored. It all builds up to a stunner of a climax, in which Thundercat finds peace and acceptance in the darkness of his current reality – hopefully we can all do the same.
5. Shabazz Palaces – The Don of Diamond Dreams
Over the last decade, visionary rapper/producer Ish Butler has reinvented himself under the name of Shabazz Palaces. With each new record, he’s continued to expand the possibilities of hip-hop and take the genre into more experimental, psychedelic territory than ever before. His latest work, The Don of Diamond Dreams, isn’t the most adventurous or ambitious Shabazz Palaces album, but it’s yet another excellent release that solidifies his title as the most exciting rap artist working today.
Tracks like “Wet,” “Bad Bitch Walking,” “Money Yoga,” and “Reg Walks By the Looking Glass” are mind-blowing sonic experiments that seem to reveal new layers and details with every listen. Ish is in top form throughout, seemingly never running out of intricate rhymes and clever turns of phrase.
The tracklist also flows well from top to bottom with some fluid transitions between songs. As usual with Shabazz Palaces, I really don’t have any significant critiques of this record – there were just a couple other albums this year that left even more of an impression on me.
4. Arca – Kick i
Arca has never failed to make interesting music, but she took a huge step forward in 2020 with Kick i – easily her most consistent and exciting album to date. The record opens with “Nonbinary,” a banger of a track that finds the experimental electronic producer playfully and confidently rapping about her sexual identity (Arca is trans and this is her first album since coming out as female).
The vibe quickly shifts to serene pop music with heavily processed vocals on the gorgeous “Time,” then shifts again to glitchy reggaeton-inspired rhythms with frantic chanting in Spanish on the one-two punch of “Mequetrefe” and “Riquiqui.” The next two tracks take yet another drastic turn into operatic ballads with the gorgeous “Calor” and “Afterwards,” the latter of which features transcendent guest vocals from Björk.
The second half of the record follows this same pattern of alternating bangers and ballads, culminating in the somber and majestic “No Queda Nada.” Spanish pop singer ROSALÍA and British rapper Shygirl leave their marks on the explosive “KLK” and “Watch,” respectively, while fellow trans producer SOPHIE joins Arca for the thrillingly unhinged “La Chiqui.”
If you’ve noticed that I’ve mentioned nearly every track on the album, it’s because this record really is that consistent and well-paced, with not a moment wasted. My only minor gripe is that there’s no real connection between the tracks. It feels more like a collection of singles than a cohesive experience, but it’s hard to complain when every track is this outstanding. After this creative breakthrough, I can’t wait to see what Arca does next.
3. The Flaming Lips – American Head
Without a doubt, this album was the biggest surprise of 2020 for me. While new music from The Flaming Lips is always worth checking out and last year’s King’s Mouth was their best release in a while, the band hasn’t put out a truly classic record in over a decade. That changed this year, as American Head is not only their best album since 2002’s Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots, but one of the best things they’ve ever done in their 35-plus years as a band.
Opening track “Will You Return/When You Come Down” sets the tone immediately, preparing you for a nostalgic and emotional trip down memory lane that will remind you of more innocent days, while also dealing with the bitter realities of aging and being an adult. It’s shocking in its emotional impact and the feelings never let up from there.
Every track is a powerful experience – “Dinosaurs on the Mountain” explores the loss of childhood innocence, “Flowers of Neptune 6” reminisces about mind-blowing acid trips while the narrator wonders if he and all his old friends have grown into burnouts, and “You n Me Sellin’ Weed” captures the incomparably pure, naive romanticism of youth about as successfully as any music that I’ve heard.
Those tracks are far from the only highlights – in fact, there’s not a weak song anywhere to be found here. From start to finish, American Head delivers infectious melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, and immersive production that will remind you of how good this band can be. With this album, The Flaming Lips have definitively proven that they have plenty left in the tank and aren’t just going to coast into being an oldies act.
2. Julianna Barwick – Healing Is a Miracle
Singer/composer/producer Julianna Barwick is one of those rare artists who has the ability to completely transport you out of time and place, immersing you so deeply in her layers of angelic vocals that listening to her music becomes a spiritual experience. As its perfectly-apt title implies, Healing Is a Miracle is no exception, taking the listener on a sonic journey infused with awe and wonder, gradually building up layers of tension that always resolve in a space of meditative tranquility.
While this album isn’t a massive departure from what’s come before, it’s undoubtedly her most dynamic record, with tracks such as “Light” and “Flowers” featuring epic swells of sound and booming low-end frequencies that are far louder and more propulsive than anything on her previous records.
However, it’s still the calmer moments that make the album for me. “Safe”, in particular, is as beautiful as music gets with its layers upon layers of transcendent wordless vocals building upon one another until you can clearly hear the repeating phrase “Safe, now” – and that’s exactly how you’ll feel listening to this record, safe in the warm sonic embrace of a singular talent who continues to tweak her sound in exciting new ways. With Healing Is a Miracle, Barwick has delivered her best album since 2013’s Nepenthe and the most emotionally moving record of the year.
1. TOBACCO – Hot Wet & Sassy
As the first TOBACCO record since 2016’s Sweatbox Dynasty, Hot Wet & Sassy was easily my most anticipated record of 2020 and it didn’t disappoint in the slightest. No matter how high my expectations are going into a new TOBACCO or Black Moth Super Rainbow release, he somehow manages to deliver every single time.
TOBACCO may have actually topped himself with this newest work, which plays like a summary of everything I love about the artist’s otherworldly and inimitable style. The warm analog synths, the crackling percussion, the blown-out bass, the psychedelic tape distortion, and of course, the signature vocoder that makes it sound like a demonic sentient insect is singing lullabies to her babies…all of these elements combine to create a sonic universe that I never grow tired of.
Discussing any favorite tracks on this album is a moot point – it’s literally flawless from start to finish and I don’t say that lightly. No matter which track you press play on, you can expect to be immediately absorbed in a musical experience that you won’t easily forget.
From gorgeous, pop-influenced ballads like “ASS-TO-TRUTH” and “Perfect Shadow” to face-melting bangers like “Stabbed By a Knight” and the Trent Reznor collaboration “Babysitter,” Hot Wet & Sassy showcases every weapon in TOBACCO’s unique musical arsenal. The result is a landmark album that easily tops my list for 2020 and may even be his best work yet.