Year In Review

Hello, and happy almost New Year! I haven’t been able to keep up with reviews since my son was born in April, and I also relocated my family to western Massachusetts, where we are now with more family, living a much better life.

Those two pieces of personal good news aside, looking back on the dumpster fire that was 2020, not much else was good besides the music. Having missed reporting on most of the year’s releases, I was determined to put together a massive Year In Review. So here it is! My 100-ish favorite releases of the year, organized into categories to make exploration easy for you.

I’ve also embedded YouTube playlists, and included links to the Spotify and Apple Music playlists to make checking this music out much easier for you. (I primarily use Apple Music. Follow me if you do too and I’ll follow you. I really like the social aspect of seeing what your friends are listening to.)

But before the lists, I’m going to shine a spotlight on two artists that went above and beyond in 2020.

*ARTIST OF THE YEAR*
NNAMDÏ

Nnamdï Ogbonnaya put out my #1 album of the year. BRAT is brilliant, genre-fluid journey that fuses hip-hop, R&B, math rock, and electronic elements. The music and mood seamlessly flow from eccentric, funny, and wild, to serious, topical, and powerfully emotional. Some of his lyrics really hit the core of what I was feeling this year. That alone would have been plenty. But in 2020, NNAMDÏ also released:

– “Impatient” and “Stressed Out”, two R&B-flavored singles with affecting and pertinent lyrics, released for a limited time on Bandcamp, with proceeds going to organizations fighting the good fight in his hometown of Chicago. These songs appear to be unavailable now, so I’m embedding “Impatient” here because I really love this song.

NNAMDÏ – “Impatient”

– Black Plight, a short EP of urgent math rock, with a great balance of raw energy, complex vocal harmonies, and forthright lyrics in reaction to the Black Lives Matter movement of Summer 2020.

– Krazy Karl, a mostly instrumental, highly complex, Zappa-esque, orchestral math rock EP, in which Nnamdï plays at least 5 instruments. I’m starting to think he may have improvised the drums first, then added most of the other instruments on top, then brought in a few guests to play instruments he couldn’t play. (I have used this exact method!)

*MVP OF THE YEAR*
Terrace Martin

Terrace Martin wears many hats. I discovered him a few years ago as a producer/saxophonist who had worked on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly, played with other big names in the Hip-Hop/R&B world, and had just released a fantastic new solo album (Velvet Portraits, 2016), fusing jazz, hip-hop, r&b, and soul. Since then, Martin has joined Herbie Hancock’s live band (which I’ve been fortunate enough to see twice), is producing Hancock’s new album, and has become even more prolific. In 2020, Terrace Martin’s name appeared on no less than 8 releases, mostly EPs, mostly on his own record label, Sounds of Crenshaw (check out his impressive production credits). These recordings (listed below) cover the wide span of sounds that Martin is known for, with each release leaning in a slightly different direction, and with many featured guests.

Sinthesize (Electro Jazz Funk, mostly instrumental) READ MY REVIEW
Dinner Party (Jazz, Hip-Hop, R&B, Soul – with Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, & 9th Wonder)
Dinner Party: Dessert (Same music, new vocal additions)
Impedance (Hip-Hop, R&B, Jazz)
Conscious Conversations (all of the above)
Soul Juice (Jazz, Hip-Hop, R&B, instrumental) READ MY REVIEW
Gray Area Live at the JammJam (Jazz, instrumental, smokin!)
Village Days (Hip-Hop, Jazz, R&B)
They Call Me Disco (Hip-Hop – with Ric Wilson)

** Terrace Martin 2020 Playlists **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

OVERALL TOP 10

With about 100 releases that I felt deserved attention in this Year in Review, I thought it would be good to make a Top 10 Best of the Best of All Genres.

These 10 are all hyperlinked to open the album (mostly) on Bandcamp, in a new window. Support the artists you listen to! Participate in Bandcamp Fridays!

  1. NNAMDÏ – BRAT
  2. Azusa – Loop of Yesterdays — READ MY REVIEW
  3. Netherlands – Zombie Techno
  4. Fleet Foxes – Shore
  5. Purr – Like New — READ MY REVIEW
  6. Tigran Hamasyan – The Call Within
  7. Kassa Overall – I Think I’m Good — READ MY REVIEW
  8. Childish Gambino – 3.15.20 — READ MY REVIEW
  9. Clap! Clap! – Liquid Portraits
  10. Liturgy – Origin of the Alimonies

Favorite Songs of 2020

As you might imagine, I am more of an album person than a single songs person, but I recognize that some people are the other way. I don’t usually make a Favorite Songs of 2020 playlist, but I was inspired to this year.

** Favorite Songs of 2020 Playlists **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

And now for the extended lists, organized into genres. I gave all the metal releases a short description because…I felt like it.

Metal

    1. Azusa – Loop of Yesterdays
      A band whose music, members, and history (Extol) are close to my heart. READ MY REVIEW
    2. Netherlands – Zombie Techno
      Unlike anything I’ve ever heard. Sludge synth indie math metal?
    3. Liturgy – Origin of the Alimonies
      One of the most powerfully personal and unique “black metal” albums ever made.
    4. Enslaved – Utgard
      A highlight among many fantastic albums in their catalog.
    5. Sepultura – Quadra
      Amazingly, album #15 is the strongest of their entire career. READ MY REVIEW
    6. Imperial Triumphant – Alphaville
      The forefront of avant-garde jazz and extreme metal.
    7. Gargoyl – Gargoyl
      If Alice In Chains and Voivod started a psychedelic thrash rock band.
    8. Krallice – Mass Cathexis
      Continuing their reliably trailblazing path.
    9. Pyrrhon – Abcess Time
      Nasty and brutal, forward-thinking ideas, executed with primitive force.
    10. Exist – Egoiista
      Among the best of Cynic/Death/Atheist worship
    11. Alarum – Circle’s End
      Ditto this one, from Australia. READ MY REVIEW
    12. Defeated Sanity – The Sanguinary Impetus
      The best yet from the most elastic of all brutal and technical death metal bands.
    13. Lychgate – Thus Sprach Futura – EP
      Wild and eccentric, avant-garde black metal. READ MY REVIEW
    14. Old Man Gloom – Seminar IX: Darkness of Being
      Reliably crushing and passionate slabs of sludge, noise, hardcore and metal. A fitting tribute from this monumental supergroup to their fallen brother. READ MY REVIEW
    15. Kirk Windstein – Dream in Motion
      Crowbar frontman’s melodic solo debut delivers with vigor. READ MY REVIEW
    16. Cryptic Shift – Visitations from Enceladus
      Ambitious, progressive thrash death.
    17. Serpent Column – Kathodos
      A much more melodic direction than previous harsh dissonance, but still chaotic, and better to my ears.
    18. Shadow in the Darkness – Erstwhile Befell
      Like an angrier, somehow more extreme successor to The Faceless – ‘Planetary Duality’, but not a sci-fi thriller.
    19. Sutrah – Alethia – EP
      Tech-death that breaths! Sophisticated, epic & brutal. READ MY REVIEW
    20. Behold the Arctopus – Hapeleptic Overtrove
      The cutting edge of experimental and extreme music.
    21. Fawn Limbs – Sleeper Vessels
      Breaths fresh energy and ideas into the familiar “chaotic math metal” genre. Amazing feel, thunderous whiplash rhythms, and relentless intensity.
    22. Barishi – Old Smoke
      FFO: Inter Arma
    23. Mantric – False Negative
      Part of the Extol extended family. Similar harmonic approach but more modern prog rock than thrash tempos and rhythms.
    24. Rïcïnn – Nereïd
      Bulgaria Female Choir + Bjork + a curiously small amount of modern metal.

** Best Metal 2020 Playlists **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

Jazz

The sound of jazz has evolved in incredible ways this century, as young musicians have been blurring the lines between jazz, hip-hop, R&B, soul, rock, and electronic music. Most of the below releases are instrumental, and fall into that broad, melting pot category, with varying balances of flavors. A few notes are added to the albums that don’t really land in that pot, or have some other extra thing to mention.

    1. Tigran Hamasyan – The Call Within
      Piano trio tech metal fusion!
    2. Kassa Overall – I Think I’m Good
      Autobiographical spoken word enhances rich tapestry of sounds. READ MY REVIEW
    3. Kamaal Williams – Wu Hen
    4. Derrick Hodge – COLOR OF NOIZE
    5. Moses Boyd – Dark Matter
      Fresh and hot flavor combos! READ MY REVIEW
    6. Gil Scott-Heron & Makaya McCraven – We’re New Again: A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven
      Legendary poet/musician’s final album, an autobiography, dedicated to the women in his life. Same spoken word and singing, new music from McCraven. READ MY REVIEW
    7. Jeff Parker – Suite for Max Brown
      Tortoise guitarist READ MY REVIEW
    8. Terrace Martin – Synthesize
      MVP of the Year! READ MY REVIEW
    9. Nubya Garcia – SOURCE
    10. Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad with Various Guests – Jazz Is Dead EP series
    11. Katalyst – Nine Lives
    12. Okvsho – Kamala’s Danz
    13. Andrew Renfroe – Dark Grey – EP
    14. Takuya Kuroda – Fly Moon Die Soon
    15. Sam Gendel – Satin Doll
      The most abstract album on this list. Standards contorted in disorienting ways. READ MY REVIEW
    16. Lunch Money Life – Immersion Chamber
    17. Lionel Loueke – HH
      Solo renditions of Herbie Hancock tunes, from the legend’s current live guitarist.
    18. Braxton Cook – Fire Sign
      Vocalist & saxophonist. Heavier on the vocals on this one.
    19. Zara McFarlane – Songs of an Unknown Tongue
      Vocal focus
    20. Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 3 
      More like electronic pop on this volume, but ultra-complex and jazz musicians love him.

** Best Jazz 2020 Playlists **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop

    1. Childish Gambino – 3.15.20
      Abstract, catchy, poignant, brilliant. READ MY REVIEW
    2. Oscar Jerome – Breathe Deep
      Soulful, socially conscious, feel-good grooves
    3. Lianne La Havas – Lianne La Havas
      Killer pipes
    4. Andrew Ashong & Kaidi Tatham – Sankofa Season
      Beautiful African flavors
    5. Sault – Untitled (Rise) & Untitled (Black Is)
      Powerful and Uplifting
    6. 53 Thieves – after hours – EP
      Chill booty-shakin‘
    7. Chiiild – Synthetic Soul
      Old-school meets new-school
    8. Charlotte Dos Santos – Harvest Time – EP
      Orchestral arrangements, world percussion, beats, and beautiful singing. READ MY REVIEW
    9. Terrace Martin – Conscious Conversations – EP
    10. Thundercat – It Is What It Is
    11. Yellow Days – A Day in a Yellow Boat
    12. Native Dancer – Tides
      Getting some Hiatus Kaiyote vibes
    13. Alfa Mist & Emmavie – Epoch
    14. Logic – No Pressure
      One of the very few rappers I keep up with
    15. Her Songs – Toronto – EP
    16. Ángela Muñoz & Adrian Younge – Introspection
    17. Radiant Children – There’s Only Being Yourself
    18. Busty and the Bass – Eddie
      Feel-good grooves. Catchy hooks.
    19. Black Pumas – Black Pumas
      Very convincingly retro
    20. Raveena – Moonstone – EP
      Breezy, chilled out RnB/Soul. READ MY REVIEW

** Best R&B/Soul/Hip-Hop 2020 Playlists **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

Indie/Rock/Folk/Experimental/etc

This section is a bit all over the place. It’s kind of where everything that didn’t quite fit elsewhere went.

    1. NNAMDÏ – BRAT
      Album of the Year!
    2. Fleet Foxes – Shore
      A gorgeous cross between the immediacy of their 1st LP and the stretching out of their 2nd. Warm and comforting.
    3. Purr – Like New
      90’s-ish stripped-down, psych-pop. I don’t usually gravitate to this style, but something about the songwriting really strikes me. A little bit of Fleetwood Mac. Old soul honesty from a young duo. READ MY REVIEW
    4. Agnes Obel – Myopia
      Haunting vocalist… READ MY REVIEW
    5. Altopalo – Farawayfromeveryoneyouknow
      The most “NOW” sounding band on this list.
    6. Dirty Projectors – 5 EPs
      Long-time fan. Great idea splitting things up like this.
    7. Field Music – Making a New World
      British art rock
    8. Post Animal – Forward Motion Godyssey
      Impressive genre hopping… READ MY REVIEW
    9. Greg Fox – Contact
      Former drummer of Liturgy. Experimental solo musician extraordinaire.
    10. Jonathan Hultén – Chants from Another Place
      Like Graham Nash, but with a deeper voice, and from Sweden, so it’s Pagan folk. READ MY REVIEW
    11. Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter
      Carrying the torch from Joni Mitchell READ MY REVIEW
    12. Ásgeir – Bury the Moon
      Iceland folk / electronic READ MY REVIEW
    13. Myrkur – Folkesange
      Sometimes metal musician’s best album is traditional folk music READ MY REVIEW

** Best Indie / Rock / Folk / Experimental / etc 2020 Playlist **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

Electronic

    1. Clap! Clap! – Liquid Portraits
      Infectious, throbbing grooves with sequenced and live percussion from around the world.
    2. Colossal Squid – Swungert
      One man with a drum set and lots of electronics. READ MY REVIEW
    3. Fire-Toolz – Rainbow Bridge
      Insane mix of black metal, cybergrind, and vaporwave
    4. Lyra Pramuk – Fountain
      Otherworldly vocal explorations READ MY REVIEW
    5. Oneohtrix Point Never – Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
      Ever-shifting, getting more direct and melodic
    6. Somni – Home
      Chill, intricate, jazzy, glitchy
    7. Photay – Waking Hours
      Fun. Changes a lot. Just listen.
    8. Wildkatz – Half Dressed
      Live drums sampled and chopped up, jazzy keys, chill grooves
    9. The Breathing Effect – Photosynthesis
      Live band electronic music
    10. Kruder & Dorkmeister – 1995
      Trip-hop noir

** Best Electronic 2020 Playlists **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

Chill

Late night headphones, early morning vibes, living room hang

    1. Khruangbin – Mordechai
    2. Khruangbin & Leon Bridges – Texas Sun – EP
    3. Somni – Beats, Vol 1
    4. Holy Hive – Float Back to You
    5. Cape Francis – Plateaus
    6. Spencer Zahn – Sunday Painter
    7. Lucy Gooch – Rushing – EP READ MY REVIEW
    8. Dukes of Chutney – Hazel
    9. The Sorcerers – In Search of the Lost City of the Monkey God READ MY REVIEW
    10. Mary Lattimore – Silver Ladders
    11. Bill Frisell – Valentine
    12. Fools – Fools’ Harp, Vol. 1
    13. William Tyler – New Vanitas

** Best Chill 2020 Playlist **
Apple Music / YouTube / Spotify

Thank you for reading. Happy listening! May we all have a much better 2021.