For a year that seemed downright miserable, there were a lot of great albums released in 2020, including a few that made me unbelievable happy every time I played them. I'm not much on ranking records, but I suppose my top 10 are in some kind of order. Those 10 match my selections in the 2020 Music Critics Poll over on Uproxx. So at least this year, I put some thought into it.
Kenixfan's Top 20 Albums of 2020
20. Rotting Teeth in the Horse's Mouth by SAVAK
A good reminder of the kind of force post-punk once had, Rotting Teeth in the Horse's Mouth by SAVAK, reviewed here, delivered the goods over and over and over again.
19. All Things Being Equal by Sonic Boom
I never imagined the return of Pete Kember could still bring such pleasure. The new one from Sonic Boom, All Things Being Equal, reviewed by me here, wasn't a record I expected to like, though I counted myself a Spaceman 3 and Spectrum fan back in the day, but the album really surprised me.
18. Flower of Devotion by Dehd
The newest from Dehd, Flower of Devotion, reviewed here, was just a delight. Smart, inventive, funny, and damn catchy, nearly every cut here charmed a whole lot.
17. A Strange Dream by Smokescreens
L.A.'s Smokescreens were already making the kind of thing I love, and they were on Slumberland Records. But then, in 2020, they went and recorded an album with David Kilgour (The Clean). What's not to love about A Strange Dream, their newest?
16. The Universal Want by Doves
I was always sort of a casual fan of Doves, loving a few of their singles a whole lot mostly, so their return after years away, with 2020's The Universal Want was something that didn't move me until I actually played the album. As I stressed when I reviewed it, the record was one that was a delight to listen to, full of expansive stuff.
15. Exquisite by The Mekons
Released to not nearly enough fanfare, the Bandcamp-centric new one from these post-punk pioneers was a ramshackle affair, recorded in bits and pieces. Wildly inventive, Exquisite was one of this grim year's smartest albums, and one which I wish I had reviewed when it snuck up on me last summer.
14. Sun Racket by Throwing Muses
Kristin Hersh, Bernard Georges, and David Narcizo worked up a familiar racket in 2020. And in an awful year like this, the odd comfort of the Muses noise was a balm. Sun Racket, reviewed by me here, combined Hersh's vocal dexterity with heavy rhythmic underpinnings to great effect, making this one of the band's best and most concise records in ages.
13. Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols by Close Lobsters
The first full-length from this band in more than 30 years, Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols was the kind of record that felt like a major event in 2020. It was, and as my review raved, it seemed appropriate given how long Close Lobsters had been away.
12. Brilliant Failures by The Black Watch
John Andrew Frederick was on fire in 2020, releasing two albums and an EP. And while I could pick nearly any one of them for a list like this, Brilliant Failures seemed to me the one to go here. Each cut on this album was like a single, and the whole record, reviewed by me here, felt like a greatest hits of an imagined indie-rock band from the Nineties.
11. Needs Help by The Very Most
Jeremy Jensen revealed himself as one of the best songwriters in indie-pop with 2020's Needs Help. The album, reviewed here, charmed thoroughly, with a sweetness and smarts that was a very rare combination.
10. Our Life in the Desert by My Bus
Way back in January, Joe Cassidy (Butterfly Child) and Gary McKendry (Papa Sprain) teamed up for a record as My Bus. Our Life in the Desert, reviewed here, was blissful in spots, percussive in others. Amid washes of keyboards, the duo crafted something that thoroughly charmed.
9. Weirdo by Carla J. Easton
One of 2020's boldest records and one of its most pleasant surprises, the latest from Carla J. Easton, formerly of TeenCanteen, knocked me out of my socks. Weirdo, reviewed here, imagined a kind of pop with the appeal of a Kylie record and the electronic textures of a Depeche Mode one. Delightful!
8. Jump Rope Gazers by The Beths
New Zealand's The Beths have become one of the newer bands I am most excited about. The group's material is sharp, catchy, and great power-pop. Jump Rope Gazers is one I raved about, and given how bright the material is here, it shouldn't be a surprise why.
7. Songs for the General Public by The Lemon Twigs
By the time I reviewed this, it had been out a month or two. I regret that as that's two months lost not listening to Songs for the General Public by The Lemon Twigs over and over again. Damn what a listenable record this is!
6. It Will Come Easier by Emma Kupa
I've been a fan of Emma Kupa's since she was in Standard Fare a decade ago. Even if I hadn't been already, It Will Come Easier, her newest solo record, reviewed here, was a warm and wonderful record, and one produced by another fave of this site (Darren Hayman of Hefner).
5. Agitprop Alterna by Peel Dream Magazine
This Slumberland Records band crafted something special in Agitprop Alterna. While reviewers, including me here, stressed the band's ability to mimic peak Stereolab, there was really a lot going on in the rich grooves here.
4. Please Advise by Beauty Pill
Even though this is an EP, there are more ideas in Please Advise than full-length records far longer than this. And while Chad Clark and company were guaranteed a spot on My Top 20 Tracks of 2020 for their surprise single, "Instant Night", their earlier Please Advise, reviewed by me here, was one of my favorite things this year too.
3. Hyacinth by Spinning Coin
If I had to tell someone exactly how I like my indie, I'd be well-served just playing nearly anything from Scotland's Spinning Coin. Hyacinth, reviewed here, was rough in spots, wildly tuneful in others, and damn near life-affirming throughout.
2. La Vita Nuova by Maria McKee
The latest from Maria McKee was something worth raving about. which I did here. It was also a bold record, one with both sweep and intimacy. La Vita Nuova seemed a culmination of something that had started on 1996's Life is Sweet, and it succeeded tremendously.
1. The Prettiest Curse by Hinds
Hinds don't get enough credit. The Prettiest Curse, reviewed by me here, was the sort of thing that I could play over and over and still love.
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Stan Cierlitsky's Top 10 Albums of 2020 (In No Particular Order)
10. Random Desire by Greg Dulli
9. Man on the Moon III: The Chosen by Kid Cudi
8. The Great Dismal by Nothing
7. The New Abnormal by The Strokes
6. The Universal Want by Doves
5. Miss Anthropocene by Grimes
4. Suddenly by Caribou
3. Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols by Close Lobsters
2. The Slow Rush by Tame Impala
1. Muzz by Muzz
Jay Mukherjee's Top 10 Albums of 2020 (In No Particular Order)
10. Foothills by The Bats
9. The Odd Shower by The Bitter Springs
8. Brilliant Failures by The Black Watch
7. Sideways to New Italy by Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever
6. The Long Now by The Luxembourg Signal
5. A Gateway to a Life of Disappointment by David Newton and Thee Mighty Angels
Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols by Close Lobsters
2. A Strange Dream by Smokescreens
1. England is a Garden by Cornershop
[Photo of The Lemon Twigs: Michael Hili]