Best of 2020: Staff Picks

Music has meant a lot of things to a lot of people in this unusual year, especially those of us who tend to bury ourselves in that particular art form already. See also: Listener Poll results

Russ Borris

Top 10 Songs
(alphabetical and not from my Top 10 albums list)
1. Car Seat Headrest, "Hollywood"
2. Chromeo, "Clorox Wipe"
3. HAIM, "The Steps"
4. IDLES, "Grounds"
5. Mikey Mike, "Amazon Prime"
6. Perfume Genius, "On the Floor"
7. Sparks, "All That"
8. Sylvan Esso, "Ferris Wheel"
9. Taylor Swift and Bon Iver, "Exile"
10. The Killers, "My Own Soul's Warning"

Top 10 Albums
1. Run The Jewels, RTJ4
2. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
3. The Mountain Goats, Songs For Pierre Chuvin
4. Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You
5. Caroline Rose, Superstar
6. Deep Sea Diver, Impossible Weight
7. Man Man, Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between
8. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Reunions
9. Tame Impala, The Slow Rush
10. Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud

Discovery of the Year
Arlo Parks

Corny O'Connell

Top 10 Songs
(In no particular order)
1. Sports Team, "Lander"
2. Of Monsters and Men, "Visitor"
3. Kathleen Edwards, "Hard on Everyone"
4. Billie Eilish, "My Future"
5. Janelle Monáe, "Turntables"
6. Lianne La Havas, "Bittersweet"
7. Black Pumas, "I'm Ready"
8. Khruangbin, "Time (You and I)"
9. Bakar, "Hell N Back"
10. Ray LaMontagne, "Strong Enough"

Top 10 Albums
(In no particular order)
1. Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom
2. Sports Team, Deep Down Happy
3. Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas
4. Ray LaMontagne, Monovision
5. Matt Berninger, Serpentine Prison
6. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Reunions
7. Lucinda Williams, Good Souls Better Angels
8. Michael Franti & Spearhead, Work Hard and Be Nice
9. Joan Osborne, Trouble and Strife
10. The Pretenders, Hate for Sale

Discovery of the Year
Sports Team

Alisa Ali

Top 10 Songs
(In no particular order)
1. Black Pumas, "I'm Ready"
2. Car Seat Headrest, "Hollywood"
3. Caroline Rose, "Feel The Way I Want"
4. Janelle Monáe, "Turntables"
5. Arlo Parks, "Hurt"
6. Kathleen Edwards, "Options Open"
7. Khruangbin, "Time (You & I)"
8. This Is the Kit, "This is What You Did"
9. Nada Surf, "Something I Should Do"
10. Tame Impala, "It Might Be Time"

Top 10 Albums
(In no particular order)
1. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2. Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom
3. My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall II
4. Nada Surf, Never Not Together
5. Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud
6. Tame Impala, The Slow Rush
7. SAULT, Untitled (Rise) and Untitled (Black Is)
8. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, Sideways to New Italy
9. Thundercat, It Is What It Is
10. Khruangbin and Leon Bridges, Texas Sun

Discovery of the Year
Linda Diaz
Arlo Parks

Dennis Elsas

Top 10 Songs
(In no particular order)
1. Bob Dylan, "False Prophet"
2. Bruce Springsteen, "House of a Thousand Guitars"
3. John Prine, "I Remember Everything"
4. Josh Ritter, "Time is Wasting"
5. Low Cut Connie, "Private Lives"
6. The Nude Party, "Heather"
7. Old 97's, "Turn Off the TV"
8. Ray LaMontagne, "Strong Enough"
9. The Rolling Stones, "Living In a Ghost Town"
10. Taylor Swift and Bon Iver, "Exile"

Top 10 Albums
(In no particular order)
1. Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways
2. Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You
3. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
4. The Jayhawks, XOXO
5. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Reunions
6. Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom
7. Lucinda Williams, Good Souls Better Angels
8. Nathaniel Rateliff, And It's Still Alright
9. The Pretenders, Hate for Sale
10. Tom Petty, Wildflowers and All the Rest

Discovery of the Year
Bandits on the Run

Eric Holland

Top 10 Songs
1. Elvis Costello, "No Flag"
2. Pearl Jam, "Dance of the Clairvoyants"
3. Janelle Monáe, "Turntables"
4. Nicole Atkins, "Domino"
5. The Strokes, "Bad Decisions"
6. Jesse Malin, "Todd Youth"
7. Low Cut Connie, "Private Lives"
8. This Is the Kit, "This Is What You Did"
9. beabadoobee, "Care"
10. Bully, "Every Tradition"

Top 10 Albums
1. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2. Gorillaz, Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez
3. Nada Surf, Never Not Together
4. The Pretenders, Hate for Sale
5. Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways
6. Chicano Batman, Invisible People
7. Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom
8. Lucinda Williams, Good Souls Better Angels
9. X, Alphabetland
10. Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, Temple

Discovery of the Year
beabadoobee

Darren DeVivo

Top 15 Songs (plus one!)
(In alphabetical order)
1. AC/DC, "Shot In The Dark" - From Power Up, their first album in six years. Welcome back!
2. Phoebe Bridgers, "Kyoto" - From Punisher.
3. Jackson Browne, "Downhill From Everywhere" - One of two new songs from Jackson Browne's upcoming album, probably coming in 2021.
4. Del Amitri, "Close Your Eyes And Think Of England" - From Del Amitri's new album, Fatal Mistakes, coming on April 30, 2021. It'll be their first studio album in 19 years.
5. The Dirty Knobs, "Wreckless Abandon" - From the Dirty Knobs' debut album Wreckless Abandon.
6. Drive-By Truckers, "Armageddon's Back In Town" - From The Unraveling, the first of two albums they released this year. (The other is their latest, The New OK.)
7. Fleet Foxes, "Can I Believe You" - From Shore, which is out digitally now, but coming on CD and LP on February 5, 2021.
8. Future Islands, "For Sure" - From As Long As You Are.
9. David Gilmour with Romany Gilmour, "Yes, I Have Ghosts" - Single.
10. Haim, "The Steps" - From their terrific album, Women In Music Pt. III.
11. Nada Surf, "So Much Love" - From Never Not Together.
12. John Prine, "I Remember Everything" - A single and his final song.
13. Semisonic, "Basement Tapes" - From their EP, "You're Not Alone", their first batch of new songs in 19 years.
14. Soccer Mommy, "Circle The Drain" - From Color Theory.
15. Sunflower Bean, "Moment In The Sun" - Single.
...and Ringo Starr, "Here's To The Nights" - A brand new song that will be on Ringo's EP, "Zoom In", coming March 21, 2021.

Top 15 Albums
(In alphabetical order)
1. The Boomtown Rats, Citizens Of Boomtown - The Year of the Rat commenced with the return of Ireland’s Boomtown Rats: Bob Geldof, Garry Roberts, Pete Briquette and Simon Crowe. It was their first album in 36 years.
2. Dion, Blues With Friends - There’s no slowing down the Bronx’s own Dion DiMucci. At 80, he releases another winner, concentrating on the blues with friends Jeff Beck, Rory Block, Joe Bonamassa, Samantha Fish, Billy Gibbons, John Hammond, Sonny Landreth, Joe Menza, Van Morrison, Patti Scialfa, Brian Setzer, Paul Simon, Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Van Zandt, Jimmy and Jerry Vivino and Joe Louis Walker.
3. Bob Dylan, Rough And Rowdy Ways - After three consecutive albums, including a triple, featuring traditional pop standards, Dylan returned with his first album of original material in nearly eight full years. As unbelievable as it may seem so late in his career, Rough And Rowdy Ways, a double album, stands among Dylan’s greats.
4. Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom - If there were one good thing about 2020, it was the return of Kathleen Edwards. She stepped away from music in 2014, but with her first album in eight years, she returned without missing a beat. Welcome back, Kathleen!
5. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, Reunions - Simply put, Isbell is one of the best writers in music today.
6. The Jayhawks, XOXO - The most democratic Jayhawks album to date, with Gary Louris, Marc Perlman, Tim O'Reagan and Karen Grotberg all contibuting to the songwriting and all handling lead vocals. It's another exquisite album from one of this country's best bands.
7. Diana Krall, This Dream Of You - In my book, Diana Krall can do no wrong. The follow up to her 2018 collaboration with Tony Bennett finds Krall covering standards like “Autumn In New York”, Irving Berlin’s “How Deep Is The Ocean?” and “Singing In The Rain”, but she also reaches into the Bob Dylan songbook for the album’s title track.
8. Paul McCartney, McCartney III - Recorded in "rockdown" with McCartney playing all the instruments, it's a continuation of the D.I.Y. approach that gave us McCartney fifty years ago and McCartney II forty years ago.
9. Pat Metheny, From This Place - Virtually everything guitarist and composer Pat Metheny does is magic to my ears, so it should be no surprise that yet another Metheny album qualifies as one of my favorite albums of the year.
10. Joey Molland, Be True To Yourself - Joey Molland is the only member of the classic Badfinger lineup who is still with us, and he teams up with Mark Hudson for a welcome throwback to Badfinger’s beloved power pop sound. His first album in seven years is helped along with contributions from Micky Dolenz, Julian Lennon, Steve Holley and Jason Scheff, formerly of Chicago.
11. Bob Mould, Blue Hearts - Mould is angry, and he’s not holding back. Reminiscent of his work with Hüsker Dü, Mould tears into the subjects of his songs, including himself, with the precision of a buzzsaw.
12. Pearl Jam, Gigaton - On their first studio album in nearly seven years, Pearl Jam delivers another diverse, dynamic album that fortifies their place as one of rock’s premier bands.
13. The Pretenders, Hate For Sale - Simply put, this is the best album that Chrissie Hynde has been involved with in almost 20 years, maybe more. Hate For Sale will conjure up plenty of memories of classic Pretenders.
14. Real Estate, The Main Thing - The fifth album from Real Estate delivers more smartly written jangly, power pop which has become the band’s trademark. The Main Thing benefits from the band’s ability to musically evolve without it affecting the qualities that make Real Estate a special band. Thought-provoking and easy as a warm, breezy summer afternoon.
15. Bruce Springsteen, Letter To You - As is the case with Bob Dylan’s Rough And Rowdy Ways, Springsteen has delivered a late-career masterpiece that easily takes its place alongside his iconic albums of the past. Letter To You was recorded live in the studio by Springsteen and the E Street Band.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:
1. AC/DC, Power Up
2. Two brilliant guitarists who both covered the Beatles: Al DiMeola, Across The Universe (his second album of Beatles covers) and Laurence Juber, The Fab 4th (his fourth album of Beatles covers).
3. Jakko M. Jakszyk, Secrets & Lies - A solo album from the lead singer and guitarist of King Crimson; his first solo album in 11 years.
4. Tame Impala, The Slow Rush
5. Whitney, Candid

Discovery of the Year
Deep Sea Diver — I realize they debuted in 2009, and released their first album in 2012, but they somehow slipped under my radar until now.

John Platt

Top 10 Songs
(In no particular order)
1. Lennie Gallant, "Sequoia"
2. Elvis Costello, "Hey Clockface/How Can You Face Me?"
3. Abbie Gardner, "A Piece of You"
4. Tim Grimm, "Gone"
5. Indigo Girls, "Look Long"
6. The Jayhawks, "This Forgotten Town"
7. The Mammals, "If You Could Hear Me Now"
8. The Nields, "Tyrants Always Fall"
9. Tom Prasada-Rao, "$20 Bill (For George Floyd)"
10. John Prine, "I Remember Everything"

Top 10 Albums
(In alphabetical order)
1. David Bromberg, Big Road
2. Gathering Time, Old Friends
3. Vance Gilbert, Good Good Man
4. Eliza Gilkyson, 2020
5. Reggie Harris & Greg Greenway, Deeper Than the Skin
6. Indigo Girls, Look Long
7. The Mammals, Nonet
8. Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You
9. Various Artists, Willie Nile Uncovered
10. Raye Zaragosa, Woman In Color

More than honorable mentions:
Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways; James Maddock, No Time to Cry; Suzzy Roche and Lucy Wainwright Roche, I Can Still Hear You; Roger Street Friedman, Rise; Martyn Joseph, Days of Decision; Chicks With Dip, Stomping on Eggshells; Kronos Quartet, Long Time Passing: Kronos Quartet and Friends Celebrate Pete Seeger; Joni Mitchell, Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967); The Nields, November; Susan Werner, Flyover Country; Scott Cook, Tangle of Souls

Discovery of the Year
Raye Zaragosa - A New York native now living in L.A. who embraces her multicultural background, she worked with Tucker Martine to create a brilliant album that straddles the folk and indie worlds.

Kara Manning

Top 12 Songs
1. Porridge Radio, "Sweet" - A tumultuous, delicious tempest.
2. Little Simz, "might bang, might not" - Highlight of Little Simz's brilliant quarantine project, the Drop 6 EP.
3. Arlo Parks, "Eugene" - Wit, yearning, dismay, and unrequited love nudge this gentle song along.
4. beabadoobee, "Worth It" - Gen Z Bea eloquently taps into Gen X's so-called lives too.
5. Logic1000, "Perfume" - Skittering beats, dishy groove + clever Avant sample = perfection.
6. Lianne La Havas, "Weird Fishes" - The zenith of Radiohead covers.
7. Black Country, New Road, "Science Fair" - Ecstatic eruption of punk, jazz, Krautrock and cheek.
8. Poppy Ajudha, "Strong Womxn" - A needed anthem in a sour year - and Poppy's 2020 collaborations were also magic.
9. Sleaford Mods feat. Billy Nomates, "Mork n Mindy" - Soulful, profane, and weirdly danceable.
10. The Weather Station, "Robber" - A welcome and eloquent return for Toronto's Tamara Lindeman.
11. Katy J. Pearson, "Take Back the Radio" - Bright voice from Bristol with a knack for crackling hooks.
12. Páula, Povoa & Jerge, "Primavera" - Pure unfiltered sunshine from this French trio.

Top 12 Albums
1. SAULT, Untitled (Rise) - SAULT, a (somewhat) anonymous UK collective (but includes producer Inflo, Cleo Sol and Kid Sister) released two totemic, genius albums in 2020, within a handful of months, that astutely accompanied the protests for justice and peace in the aftermath of the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
2. SAULT, Untitled (Black Is) - See above
3. Moses Boyd, Dark Matter - Drummer/producer Boyd's electrifying gambol between jazz, trip hop, and soul was one of the great listening pleasures of this year.
4. Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas - A spare, gorgeously built album that accentuates La Havas's power as a vocalist and guitarist.
5. Nubya Garcia, Source - One of the leaders of Britain's muscular jazz scene, saxophonist Garcia's debut is a dynamic distillation of her collaborative genius.
6. Laura Marling, Song for Our Daughter - The gift I needed early in the pandemic.
7. Nana Adjoa, Big Dreaming Ants - Richly nuanced debut from this Dutch songwriter with jazz roots, who infuses her songs with Ghanaian pride, and dismay with nationalism.
8. bdrmm, Bedroom - Is it okay to say shoegaze? Blissed-out debut from this Hull band.
9. beabadoobee, Fake It Flowers - Listening to Bea's canny knack for conjuring the '90s makes me miss Doc Martens, floral frocks, and flannel.
10. Four Tet, Sixteen Oceans - Kieran Hebden's very pretty tenth album was an ambient refuge this year.
11. Obongjayer, Which Way is Forward EP - Stephen Umoh's gruff voice and revelatory songs of Black identity land with compelling urgency.
12. Various Artists, Blue Note Re:Imagined - Just a delight. Nearly every young British jazz artist I love landed on this covers album of Blue Note classics, with standouts like Poppy Ajudha's riveting cover of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man (Under the Sun)" and Ishmael Ensemble's gorgeous rendering of McCoy Tyner's "Search for Peace." Bliss.

Discovery of the Year
1. Mysie - Londoner Lizbet Sempa has a sonorous, deep, and expressive voice and an unpredictable way around a ballad.
2. Bananagun - Aussie collective with a fondness for Fela Kuti.
3. Páula, Povoa & Jerge - Three friends with ties to bands like Tampon Tango and Christine and the Queens and a French-Brazilian sensibility.
4. Rosehip Teahouse - Dreamy Cardiff band led by Faye Rogers.
5. Memphis LK - Fast-rising Melbourne/Narrm-based producer and vocalist.
6. Park Hye Jin - South Korean DJ/producer whose whispery "Like This" was a summer-long earworm.
7. La Loye - Dutch songwriter Lieke Heusinkveld; she released an astonishing debut single in early December, "i'm still asleep."

Paul Cavalconte

Top 10 Songs
1. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, "Dreamsicle" - Dream coming-of-age pop.
2. Waxahatchee, "Can't Do Much" - Heartbroken and heartwarming.
3. Nathaniel Rateliff, "And It's Still Alright" - We're gonna make it after all.
4. Khruangbin, "Time (You and I)" - Time grooves when it's not standing still.
5. Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band, "I'll See You In My Dreams" - And the third act continues.
6. Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, "My Power" - Edie cries power too!
7. HAIM, "The Steps" - The girl groups always cry power.
8. Real Estate, "Paper Cup" - A water cooler favorite.
9. Bob Dylan, "My Own Version of You" - The Ungrateful Dead.
10. The Strokes, "A Bad Decision" - A good call.

Top 10 Albums
1. Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways - A brilliant and difficult listen from an old master.
2. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters - A brilliant and difficult listen from a modern master.
3. Gorillaz, Sound Machine, Season One: Strange Timez - An engaging listen from an eclectic master.
4. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Reunions - Songs of heart and mind that belie the guy's smug Twitter presence.
5. Laura Marling, Song For Our Daughter - Songs of real life for a virtual age.
6. Matt Berninger, Serpentine Prison - Matt B & The MGs.
7. Bruce Springsteen, Letter to You - What ain't broke needs no fixing.
8. Elvis Costello, Hey Clockface - Hey storyteller!
9. The Chicks, Gaslighter - And this ain't whistling Dixie.
10. Whitney, Candid - Gentle and ingenious.

Discovery of the Year
Orville Peck

Sarah Wardrop

Top 10 Songs
(alphabetical, and aside from songs on my album picks)
1. Algiers, "Dispossession"
2. Nicole Atkins, "Forever"
3. Big Joanie, "Cranes in the Sky" (Solange cover)
4. Laura Marling, "Strange Girl"
5. MICHELLE, "Sunrise"
6. Janelle Monáe, "Turntables"
7. Soccer Mommy, "Circle the Drain"
8. Michael Stipe & Big Red Machine, "No Time For Love Like Now"
9. Thao & the Get Down Stay Down, "Phenom"
10. Sharon Van Etten, "Beaten Down"

Top 10 Albums
(alphabetical)
1. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2. Deep Sea Diver, Impossible Weight
3. Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom
4. Khruangbin, Mordechai
5. Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas
6. Nada Surf, Never Not Together
7. Nathaniel Rateliff, And It's Still Alright
8. Caroline Rose, Superstar
9. Sylvan Esso, Free Love
10. Waxahatchee, Saint Cloud

Discovery of the Year
Orion Sun

Eric Gottlieb

Top 10 Albums
1. Tame Impala, The Slow Rush
2. Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas
3. Margo Price, That's How Rumors Get Started
4. Margaret Glaspy, Devotion
5. The Pretenders, Hate for Sale
6. Nathaniel Rateliff, And It's Still Allright
7. Devon Gifillian, Black Hole Rainbow
8. HAIM, Women in Music Pt.III
9. Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher
10. Caroline Rose, Superstar

Discovery of the Year
Linda Diaz

Delphine Blue

Top 15 Songs
In no particular order
1. U.S. Girls, "4 American Dollars"
2. Billie Eilish, "My Future"
3. Car Seat Headrest, "Hollywood"
4. Rogers & Butler, "Olde Storefronts"
5. S.G. Goodman, "Old Time Feeling"
6. Kathleen Edwards, "Hard On Me"
7. Hazel English, "Shaking"
8. Four Tet, "School"
9. Porridge Radio, "Sweet"
10. Cage the Elephant, "Broken Boy"
11. Buzzard Buzzard Buzzard, "Double Denim Hop"
12. EOB, "Shangri-La"
13. Caroline Rose, "Someone New"
14. Lucinda Williams, "Pray The Devil Back To Hell"
15. Gorlliaz with Fatoumata Diawara, "Desolé"

Top 11 Albums
(In no particular order)
1. Lucinda Williams, Good Souls Better Angels
2. Four Tet, 16 Oceans
3. Bright Eyes, Down In the Weeds Where the World Once Was
4. Bob Dylan, Rough and Rowdy Ways
5. Various Artists, Angelheaded Hipster
6. Khruangbin, Mordechai
7. Jarv Is, Beyond The Pale
8. Róisín Murphy, Róisín Machine
9. Oumou Sangare, Acoustic
10. Nick Cave, Idiot Prayer
11. Fontaines D.C., A Hero's Death

Discovery of the Year
Sporty's Brass Band
bdrmm

Janet Bardini

Top 10 Songs
1. Elle King, "The Let Go" - What a voice!
2. Heartless Bastards, "Revolution" - Amazing band.
3. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, "Dreamsicle" - Dreamy and sweet.
4. Janelle Monáe, "Turntables" - Anthem of 2020.
5. Laura Marling, "Held Down" - Defines the new generation of UK singer/songwriters.
6. Lucinda Williams, "Pray the Devil" - Not afraid to speak her mind.
7. The Pretenders, "Maybe Love is in NYC" - Chrissie rules!
8. This Is the Kit, "This Is What You Did" - So creative, a fave of mine from UK scene.
9. The Waterboys, "Soul Singer" - Love the horns on this song.
10. The Rolling Stones, "Living in a Ghost Town" - Another anthem of 2020.

Top 10 Albums
1. Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Reunions - Best songs of 2020.
2. Laura Marling, Songs for Our Daughter - An original!
3. Lucinda Williams, Good Souls Better Angels - Lucinda never disappoints.
4. The Pretenders, Hate for Sale - Chrissie rocks!
5. The Jayhawks, XOXO - Every song is a beauty.
6. Nathaniel Rateliff, And It's Still Allright - He shines as a solo artist.
7. Pearl Jam, Gigaton - Grunge lives.
8. Margo Price, That's How Rumors Get Started - Just a great great album.
9. Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas - Another fine example of super good things from England.
10. Devon Gifillian, Black Hole Rainbow - Dynamic performer and songwriter, will be around for a long time.

Discovery of the Year
Adrianne Lenker - Love hearing solo work from her!

George Evans

Top 10 Songs
1. Laura Marling, "Song for Our Daughter"
2. Lianne La Havas, "Can't Fight Away this Love"
3. Rufus Wainwright, "Damsel in Distress"
4. Mt. Joy, "Strangers"
5. Katie Pruitt, "Expectations"
6. Devon Gilfillian, "The Good Life"
7. HAIM, "Don't Wanna"
8. Khruangbin, "Time (You and I)"
9. Blu DeTiger, "Figure It Out"
10. Kathleen Edwards, "Options Open"

Top 10 Albums
1. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2. Laura Marling, Song for Our Daughter
3. HAIM, Women in Music Pt. III
4. My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall II
5. Kathleen Edwards, Total Freedom
6. Caroline Rose, Superstar
7. Sylvan Esso, Free Love
8. Lianne La Havas, Lianne La Havas
9. Mt. Joy, Rearrange Us
10. Tame Impala, The Slow Rush

Discovery of the Year
Arlo Parks - A singer-songwriter from London. Her song "Black Dog" is an amazing, raw song, especially good for 2020
Orion Sun - Tiffany Majette, who was born in New Jersey and is based out a Philly, released a beautiful song, "Ne Me Quitte Pas (Don't Leave Me), and more

Benham Jones

Top 10 Songs
1. Sharon Van Etten, "Beaten Down"
2. L.A. Priest, "Beginning," - from Gene
3. Caroline Rose, "Feel the Way I Want" - from Superstar
4. Princess Nokia, "I Like Him" - from Everything Sucks
5. Roísín Murphy, "Simulation" - from Roísín Machine
6. U.S. Girls, "4 American Dollars" - from Heavy Light
7. Blake Mills, "Vanishing Twin" - from Mutable Set
8. Cardi B. and Megan Thee Stallion, "WAP"
9. No Age, "War Dance" - from Goons Be Gone
10. Perfume Genius, "Without You" - from Set My Heart on Fire Immediately

Top 10 Albums

1. Fiona Apple, Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2. Arca, KiCk i
3. Caribou, Suddenly
4. DJ Python, Mas Amable
5. Brian Eno and Roger Eno, Mixing Colours
6. Four Tet, Sixteen Oceans
7. Adrianne Lenker, Songs
8. Laura Marling, Song for Our Daughter
9. Mac Miller, Circles
10. Phoebe Bridgers, Punisher

Discovery of the Year
Arlo Parks

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Tags: #Best of 2020 #Best of the Year Lists