The 2020 end of year music lists thread

Yeah, that Time tracks list is ridiculously eclectic (even by ILM standards). These past few linked write-ups keepmentioning “the pandemic” too much, though (IMO). How about we forget about it for a few minutes while we enjoy music? I get that covid provided a certain context for these writers, but I can’t relate to that.

Maybe I’m an anomaly, but I don’t reflect on any the music I loved this year and think, “Ah yes – this was perfectly suited for these times of isolation,” blah blah.

HAIM seemed that way to me tbh

The Charli XCX album is the one true quarantine album.

yeah that one too

Allow me to rectify: not that many surprises - for me - as I had heard every song in that top 10. I actually love how eclectic it is for a top 10 hence I’d love if we got a top 50 following that same spirit.

Anyhow... another one:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/2020-in-review/the-best-music-of-2020

Oops shared above already sorry

Just voted in the Pitchfork Readers’ Poll, where I can be assured to see few of my picks show up in the final accounting (if last year’s performance is any indication of future results).

I soured on the Imperial Triumphant after repeated listens

Yeah same here

UNCUT's AOTY has anticipated the ILM poll winner for the past 2 years! This will not continue:/

Ha! I loved R&RW way more than I expected but no way is it coming anywhere near my ballot

Yeah, that Time tracks list is ridiculously eclectic (even by ILM standards)

Ehh I feel like this list only works tbrr if you need TIME magazine to clue you in on "Yo Perreo Sola" or "#WAP" in 2020. Is "Uwrongo" a p cool Afrobeats track? Because Yo Perreo Sola basically sucks

Reggaeton is getting super dreamy lately but you'd never guess from what's crossing over into the Anglosphere

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRl7siIfcPc

Obviously not “WAP,” but most of the others.

I'm giving it the twice over; it def covers a lot of bases, its true

"uwrongo" is cool and not really afrobeats as that generally means west african stuff. south african house like "uwrongo" is a totally different scene that hasn't had anywhere near the same level of attention from the western music press (so, basically none) so it's very cool to see it show up there

Yeah I was giving it a couple listens, its great!

uwrongo is great and it got extensive love on the afro thread, didn't it?

nope, sun-el. #onethread

rolling stone's top 2 is probably bob dylan and taylor swift

sitting in a tree

quietus list is out, once again ruined by not having me as a contributing voter

oh this year's quietus list is a bunch of stuff i've mostly never heard of instead of a bunch of stuff i'm totally baffled that they like. it's always one of the two so i'm glad this year's is the more interesting one

for me it is a mixture of those two things but with an emphasis on the latter

well not baffled - it's clear by now they love a dirge

My favorite list! I'm so excited to spend some time with it today.

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/best-albums-of-2020/

https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/best-albums/best-albums-of-2020/

That’s strange. Link doesn’t seem to work, but on the homepage it does...

The backslash on the end isn't part of the url code in your post and should be

Also think that's the first list I've seen with both Sault albums in. Seemed to be one or the other so far elsewhere

I've got over 20 on that Quietus list, which is a new record for me I think. Had no idea Young Knives had an album out this year!

Lots of great records by mates on that Quietus list but I've got to admit I was secretly hoping we'd sneak in the lower levels ;_;

your album would be one of the better things on there, absolutely

Some good stuff in the Quietus list, as usual, yet very few real favourites of mine, as usual, except for the Autechre, Sarah Davachi, Oranssi Pazuzu and Alison Cotton (rightly ahead of this year’s Richard Skelton LP imo).

I did that oh-so-shallow flash sampling thing where I listen to a few seconds of each entry I’m unfamiliar with and the Pa Salieu sounds like it’s worth investigating further, as do the Antonina Nowacka, Mary Lattimore and Squarepusher, of all things (never been a huge fan). Top 6 mostly just drew a ‘life’s too short’ reaction from me tho.

It did remind me to order that new Pharaoh Overlord record though.

God, listening to a minute of that made me want to die.

I haven't had a chance to look at it yet, anticipating some disappointment as well as some shared faves.

Haha, I haven't listened to any of it yet, prefer to go into my Circle and offshoot bands blind. Every single album Jussi has ever released has at least one amazing moment, even when you have to sit through some misfires to get there.

Emily what’s the album you released this year, I haven’t heard it!

Pretty much only know three bands from that Quietus list.

Damn, I was sure all of ilx had had enough of my shameless self-promotion, but it is at least asked for this time. Moka: https://slumoflegs.bandcamp.com/album/slum-of-legs

We got a nice write-up from the Quietus when it came out and I know JD has liked our stuff so I did have my fingers crossed a little for us. Ah well. I've got to say it does look like my EoY list might be more Quietus-y than usual, there's usually a reasonable overlap but I've clocked a bunch of things that are in my 'definite' column for ilx ballotry.

i'm glad the quietus made space for that glorious duval timothy album

I knew about 15 or so, and had meant to get to another 20 or so.

Glad that Nazar, Duma, Allison Cotton, Memnon Sa, and our own beloved DD made it on, along with some others. Also was happy to see some old friends (Special Interest) get a shout out— their bassist and I used to have a joke about how whenever he'd move out of a punk house in Oakland, I was inevitably the one to move in next, which was kind of true for a few years, before he moved down to New Orleans.

My gripe with the Quietus lists is very personal and small, and that is that for whatever reason, I find the style of rapping associated with a lot of grime and drill music to be irritating in the extreme— I love the beats, and love rap and hip-hop from the US and non-English speaking countries, but something about the accent and plosives or intonation or something just makes me want to press the skip button. That basically winnowed the list down to 90, and throw in the unlistenable experimental grindcore crap that I got over in 10th grade, and I'm at about 80 records that could hold interest.

Some notable records to which they gave good reviews are missing, imho:
Rian Treanor- File Under UK Metaplasm
Ustad Saami- Pakistan is for the Peaceful
Nicholas Bougaïeff- The Upward Spiral
Ambrose Akinmusire- On the Tender Spot...
Nihiloxica- Kaloli
Klara Lewis- Ingrid
Lunch Money Life- Immersion Chamber
fra fra- Funeral Songs

To be honest, kind of disappointed that so little jazz was mentioned— I know that the genre has its own robust journalism culture, but I'm just a lot more interested in jazz than some of the other stuff to which they gave space.

Most excited by seeking out the Dead Meat, Antonina Nowacka, and the Katie Gately.

yeah that Ustad Saami was so great, better than the first one for sure

My gripe with the Quietus lists is very personal and small, and that is that for whatever reason, I find the style of rapping associated with a lot of grime and drill music to be irritating in the extreme— I love the beats, and love rap and hip-hop from the US and non-English speaking countries, but something about the accent and plosives or intonation or something just makes me want to press the skip button. That basically winnowed the list down to 90, and throw in the unlistenable experimental grindcore crap that I got over in 10th grade, and I'm at about 80 records that could hold interest.

you should definitely still check out that pa salieu album which made their top ten and is likely to make my personal one

Oh I didn’t know Ustad Saami had a new one out this year. Nice.

Listening to the Bougaïeff right now, it's really one of the best techno full-lengths of the year, and could certainly hold enough interest for those not normally interested in the genre. And it got a great review!

Will check out the pa salieu record, vc.

Aside from #1, the Paste list was not what I was expecting from them - e.g., would have expected Dylan, Haim, and Bridgers higher.

Also think that's the first list I've seen with both Sault albums in. Seemed to be one or the other so far elsewhere

I know at least one other that did:

The fifty-three months the year of 2020 have been... yeah. But musicians have carried us through.

From the 300 LPs and EPs from 2020 I bought this year, here are my very favorites. I'll link to every album's @Bandcamp page in the thread below.

What were your favorites? pic.twitter.com/7YXjbacQTG

— Musicophilia (@musicophiliamix) November 26, 2020

I figure they'll end up vote-split in publications that poll participants...

Re: Slum of Legs, I was not at all aware, emil.y! Just listened to the first track now, and it’s great – I love the folk song undertones.

xxpost to Indexed, scroll through the bylines of that list and you can probably figure out why that is

(i'm not saying it's a bad thing.)