Favorite Albums of 2020

Not a good year for anyone. Music clubs shuttered, recording studios empty, low quality streaming continues to be the main way people consume music - and yet excellent new releases continued to appear like lights in the darkness to provide comfort, diversion and hope for better times to come. Do your best to support these artists during quarantine as they/we await the return of live music and an avalanche of new releases in 2021!

1. Cloud Nothings - "The Black Hole Understands"

Recorded entirely in quarantine, Dylan Baldi (guitar, bass, vocals) and Jayson Gerycz (drums, mixing) produce a marvel of melodic, hook-laden modern pop/rock gems, each one impossibly outshining the next. The ultimate comfort food in a year when we needed it most!

2. The Wild Giraffes - "Live and Later"

The first seven songs are the sound of the roof being blown off Cleveland's famed Agora Ballroom in 1981 (a mix of covers and stunning originals by guitarist Edgar Reynolds) followed by nine unreleased tracks giving us a view into what might have been. Legendary indeed!

3. The Beths - "Jump Rope Gazers"

Indie pop/rock from New Zealand has a rich history and these Auklanders proudly carry the torch. No evidence of the dreaded sophomore jinx here as Elizabeth Stokes (she of the sublime vocals) writes twelve more instant favorites. A rich album that gets better with each listen.

4. Nick Piunti & the Complicated Men - "Downtime"

With five fantastic albums over the last six years Nick Piunti has become the model of Power Pop consistency and excellence. Top notch writing, great vocals and searing guitar make every song a winner. It's nice to see him receiving increased airplay with each release and there is more on the way in 2021!

5. Nada Surf - "Never Not Together"

This band never disappoints. Each release hones their sweet-sounding mellifluous Indie Pop to a fantastically finer edge. Singer Matthew Caws carries each tune with his engaging vocals and continues to write songs of deceptive intricacy. 

6. The Persian Leaps - "Smiling Lessons"

After crafting my favorite album of 2019 ("Electrical Living") Drew Forsberg returns with a terrific eight song EP! Slashing guitar rhythms support compelling melodies and addictive choruses. In a better world this music is heading up the charts and on everyone's playlist!

7. Kestrels - "Dream or Don't Dream"

Halifax, Nova Scotia gifts us Chad Peck setting his swirling shoegaze ablaze with fiery guitar, including a remarkable appearance by J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. My favorite "new" find has been recording since 2009 so I have a catalog to catch up on!

8. Close Lobsters - "Post Neo Anti: Arte Povera in the Forest of Symbols"

Scottish indie rockers return after more than 30 years and they haven't missed a beat, recapturing the jangly pop goodness of their legendary C86 years! They have been a favorite of mine since the "What is There to Smile About" EP in 1988. Welcome back, but what's up with the unwieldy title?

9. The Hanging Stars - "A New Kind of Sky"

Dreamy, psych-tinged, harmony-laden songs dripping with gorgeous pedal steel guitar. These young Londoners echo the best of Americana while putting their own stamp on each tune. RIYL Band of Horses, Byrds

10. AC/DC - "Power Up"

Following a tumultuous five years (Malcom Young's Passing, Brian Johnson's hearing issues, drummer Phil Rudd's plethora of legal problems) the band improbably returns with their strongest album in decades! Twelve succinct Angus/Malcom compositions loaded with explosive rhythms, searing guitar, and throat-ripping vocals! Straight hard rock and nobody does it better!

HONORABLE MENTION:

Bob Mould - Blue Hearts

Caddy - Electric Hero

Muzz - Muzz

Best Coast - Always Tomorrow

Old 97s - Twelfth

The Jayhawks - XOXO

Neil Young - Homegrown