We Write About Music's Top 10 Albums of 2020
Review by Austin Sher
It’s officially 2021! You know what that means right? It’s time for We Write About Music’s official 2020 Top 10 Album of the Year list. Like so many other publications that release too early in November or December, we thought it would be quite fitting to wait until the year had actually finished to get our list out. So here it is, get ready!
2020 saw so many wonderful singles, EP’s, and albums released throughout, so now it’s our duty to let you in on our Top Albums of the Year. Some you may have listened to and some not. You’ll see some common choices like Tame Impala, The Strokes, and Pinegrove. You may also see some more unknown artists like Flightless’ Beans, Frances Quinlan, or Andy Shauf. So enjoy our list and get listening!
Bringing up the rear at number 10 is Songs For The General Public by The Lemon Twigs! If you haven’t dug into this 60’s and 70’s era throwback band, what have you been waiting for? Featuring new and inventive melodies, infinite synthesizers, and seemingly unlimited emotion filled in each and every song, this album is an absolute winner from start to finish. Having been fans for a while now, it might actually be our favorite release from the band thus far.
At number 9, we’ve got Out In The World by GUM! If you’re unfamiliar with GUM, this is the incredibly well put together side project by Jay Watson, who also plays in the live band with Tame Impala. Seeing that this is his fifth studio album release under the moniker of GUM, he truly just keeps getting better at a musician. Fans of synthesizers, melodies galore, and lovely glimmers of perfection will adore it. While we think Delorean Highway and Glamorous Damage might be his best, this is not far behind! Our favorite track hands down would be “Don’t Let It Go Out”.
At number 8, Woods’ Strange to Explain was easily one of our favorite repeat listens of the year. Featuring a string of flutes, extremely high highs, and a near perfect track list from start to finish, this is definitively Woods’ best album. Being fans of most of their work, this was a pleasant surprise to see the band back and so strong this year on this release. Our Top Tracks of the year list is sure to be on the way, but “Where Do You Go When You Dream” easily is towards the Top 5. Enjoy this album in nature!
Oh how we adore this album more than anything. Considering we saw the album performed nearly in full on March 12th of this year, also known as the day before everything locked down, this album means so much to us. As huge fans of Hop Along, Frances’ true abilities shine incredibly bright throughout the listen from start to finish. Songs like “Your Reply” and “Rare Thing” have been staples in our playlist this year and remind us of better time. Frances truly outdid herself on this release and we’re so looking forward to more coming in the hopefully near future.
At number 6 is none other than Tame Impala’s fourth studio album, The Slow Rush. To no surprise in the slightest, Kevin Parker really outdid himself on this record. Not knowing that the release of this album would time with a global pandemic, the opener “One More Year” hits a little harder than it normally should while listening time after time this year. While we think Currents edges it out in terms of replayability, this was the obvious evolution in sound for Tame Impala and we’ll be listening to this for the rest of our lives. A pro tip for this album, listen on the best headphones or sound system you own!
The Strokes are back baby! In a year with surprises that never truly stopped, The New Abnormal hit in all different lights when comparing Julian Casablanca’s unique lyricism to the world’s problems. At 9 songs, each one if pure perfection and could potentially be The Strokes’ best album in 10+ years. We feel that no one expected this album to be as good as it was, which is why it’s a Top 5 album for us. All songs have their own memorable moments, things are unique for sure, but it still has that classic undeniably lovable Strokes touch on it. Love it!
At number 4, and this was a tough pick, is Andy Shauf’s The Neon Skyline, which we definitively think is Andy’s best output ever. With so much free time and down time, especially relaxed times, this was the best possible album to spin on vinyl in the morning. It’s cute, tells wonderful stories from the artist’s life, and is instrumentally profound. It’s got Andy’s classic vocal delivery that makes him so special, but also he tried so many new and memorable things as well. This was 100% our morning album of the year and deserves its spot in the Top 5 with flying colors. The Party was great, but this was better.
Pinegrove, we love you. Marigold was easily our most listened to record of the year with most likely the best overall tracks featured. “The Alarmist” is absolutely a contender for Song of the Year and this whole album is just perfection. As longtime fans of Pinegrove, it’s so beautiful to see the evolution of the band in terms of sound, while keeping their signature sound that makes them so easily identifiable. As much as we wish Amperland, NY was closer to its release, we’ll just be spinning Marigold over and over again like we have been. It’s hard to even put into words how lovely this record is. It’s also a great morning record, but time and setting barely make a difference to its greatness.
Psychedelic rock at its absolute best! If you haven’t heard of Post Animal and this is your introduction, just take our word for it and go directly to listening. If you’re a fan of psychedelic music with heavier tones, yet perfectly constructed everything, look no further because this one’s for you. This year specifically this one has acted as a driving and workout album. It’s beyond versatile in its sound and has continued to blow our minds listen after listen. Interviewing the band earlier in the year also gave insight to how it was crafted. This was a serious contender for #1 and honestly it might as well be a tie.
You made it to number 1! All Together Now by Beans was absolutely our favorite discovery of the year, hands down. Being fans of everything Flightless Records played a role in its availability to us, but honestly, the album just speaks for itself. At 9 songs and 33 minutes, the record is jam packed with so much amazingness that it’s been a near daily listen since its release. Having interviewed Matt Blatch (lead singer) of Beans earlier this year, he gave us so much insight into its creation, origins of the band, and all the lovely info you’d expect from a classic interview. We’ve been listening to this album all over the place, but it’s insanely upbeat, so keep that in mind for your listens. It’s diversely instrumental, psychedelic at its finest, and just makes you feel so so good. Enjoy!
That’s it! We hope you enjoyed and learned something new about acts that you’ve either listened to extensively or have new ones on your radar. Look out for our Top Songs of the Year list, it’s coming soon!
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