The new music that was released in 2020 was by far the best part of this tragic year. Here are the SoundHammock picks for the best of the best that music had to offer this year. Scroll to the bottom for a "Top 20 of 2020" playlist!
20. Power Up- AC/DC
We’re starting off this count down with an album that definitely does not match the sound of 2020- but maybe that’s why it’s so enjoyable. Power Up shows us a refreshed and revitalized AC/DC, who proves they’re the OG hard rockers, even at 65 years old. This album will jolt you back to 1976 when you desperately need an escape from 2020.
19. Shore- Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes’ folk-rock sound presents itself as especially crisp, crafted and consistent on this lovely fourth album of theirs. Shore feels like a breath of fresh air. It is emotional, yet satisfied; natural, yet perfected- especially in it’s technical production . The harmonies loom over your head for a comfortable while, in the best and warmest way.
18. After Hours- The Weekend
Abel Tesfaye is the villain in this album, but we love him regardless. He layers new wave and R&B to present a comfortable blanket for his narrative to travel upon. I appreciate the careful construction of After Hours as a whole art piece, but at the end of the day recognize most that I can really jam to the hits over and over.
17. Industry Games- Chika
It’s not the size of the boat, it’s the motion of the ocean. In seven songs and 20 minutes, Chika’s debut album did about as much for me as any 25-track-long hip-hop album ever has. The beats are simple, the lyrics are complex, and the production is groovy. Look out, world, Chika has arrived.
16. Fiona Apple- Fetch The Bold Cutters
A wild symphony of noise, Fetch The Bold Cutters is an album of raw everyday life. Literally. Apple includes sounds of her stomping on the floor and banging on the walls of her Venice Beach house. She even credits her dogs on the album- BY NAME. This is not your average top-20 album, but that’s what makes it stand out. This album is surely strange, but incredibly amusing. Extra points for honesty and mature creativity.
15. Black Pumas- Black Pumas
Let the rhythms roll and take it all in, because no one makes albums like this anymore. Black Pumas would have been a gem in 1970; today, it’s a rarity. This is singer-songwriter Eric Burton and guitarist-producer Adrian Quesada’s debut album, and it has been nominated for three Grammy awards. If you trust the system, that should say something. And if you don’t, well, just trust me. This album slaps.
14. McCartney III- Paul McCartney
78-year-old Macca’s still got it! McCartney III is a perfect triplet to McCartney and McCartney II. It’s full of jams, it’s rustic, witty, and like the other two albums, McCartney plays every instrument on the album himself. The album was written and produced by him in quarantine, on his daughters farm, grandchildren-in-lap. The only thing that would make that picture more perfect is if the grandkids were named Vera, Chuck and Dave- but we can’t have it all.
13. Ungodly Hour- Chloe x Halle
This album covers the life of these 20-something Bailey sisters dealing with their 20-something’s issues through graceful R&B. Ungodly Hour is pretty and clean, written, played and produced by Chloe x Halle, and has Beyonce's stamp of approval.
12. Positions- Ariana Grande
To put it quite plainly, this is an album about grief and sex. An odd combo for most, but not for Grande. She explores both her relationship and her past trauma, nonchalantly showing off her big voice on top of overly simple synths. A classic Ari move.
11. Chromatica- Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga put her pop-diva hat back on for this one, giving us a full album of dance-pop tracks that don’t make you want to blow your brains out (not that hers ever did). Gaga’s dance-pop is not club noise, it’s art. Chromatica is a concept album placing our pop queen on planet Chromatica, where she can be as bizarre and theatrical and Madonna-esk as she’d like.
10. Saint Cloud- Waxahatchee
Saint Cloud is a transformative album, perhaps inspired by Katie Crutchfield getting sober in 2018. This album is packed with vivid observations from a new pair of eyes, translated into American Roots beauty. This album will have you hooked on the first listen. I made the mistake of first listening in the shower, reaching my wet hand out to grab my phone and save each song by its first chorus.
9. The New Abnormal- The Strokes
This album is classic Strokes, and although we love to see our favorite artists grow, why fix what’s not broken? The New Abnormal is familiar with a hint of indie-rock. The guitars are slick and the constant sound of the hi-hat will give you the most comfortable head bang of your life.
8. The Slow Rush- Tame Impala
Tame Impala gives us the richest psychedelic sound of the year (at least) with his release of The Slow Rush. It’s easy to get lost in the groove, so you’ll need another listens to also absorb the lyrics; but believe me, you won’t stop there. The Slow Rush challenges the concept of time, and fittingly, how Kevin Parker fits so much sound in one 57-minute-long album.
7. Lianne La Havas- Lianne La Havas
It’s evident in her latest album that Lianne La Havas has bloomed as a neo-soul artist. After journeying through genre with poise, La Havas has landed on her feet and presented us with a self-titled album that is vulnerable and all-together impressive. Credit must be given to that sexy six-string of hers, pairing so beautifully with her warm voice and inviting us to immerse ourselves fully into the experience of this break-up album right from the first song. This is Lianne’s truest form of artistic greatness to date.
6. Petals for Armor- Hayley Williams
With the help of citrus, spices, flowers, and her golden-doodle Alf, Hayley Williams expresses her journey and battle with depression through her debut solo album, Petals for Armor. Petals for Armor is much more unpredictable than any Paramore album, although Hayley’s Paramore pals were alongside her both physically and mentally during her Petals journey. But don’t get it twisted- this is a total Hayley project. Her ability, individuality, and independent thoughts are never questioned, no matter how many times you listen. It is easy to get lost in the experimental pop production of the album, but once you hand over your focus to the lyrics, it’s game over.
5. Future Nostalgia- Dua Lipa
While her self-titled album from 2017 made Dua Lipa a household name, it lacked the consistency and personality that she poured into her new album, Future Nostalgia, upping her capabilities as a songwriter and proving to everyone that Dua energy is the 2020 energy we’ve been looking for. Dua brings in a new level of decade-jumping and genre-bending to pop, sprinkling disco and funk influences throughout the album. Future Nostalgia is welcoming and euphoric, with a sting of strong female power that is nearly impossible to ignore.
4. Circles- Mac Miller
A companion piece to Swimming, Circles offers clarity and resolution giving Mac Miller fans a bit of closure after his untimely death in 2018. Circles opens up the rapper’s ability as a singer/songwriter- and one who’s lyrics will not be taken lightly. This is the yin to Swimming’s yang. The chill aesthetic of the album could have been passed off as yielding, but the fuzzing electronica, experimental jazz, and most of all the tone of real, live instruments in the studio gives this album honest, mature and infinite depth.
3. Women in Music pt III- HAIM
A stylish and wide-ranging rock album, Women in Music Pt. III puts these three sisters on the top of the world- but they couldn’t care less. They’re too busy jamming. Cool and full of momentum, Danielle, Alana and Este Haim breath in experiences and breath out jams. This album shows that these three music prodigies are self-aware and artistically consistent. They know how they feel, they know how to write, and they know how to rock.
2. Fine Line- Harry Styles
Fine Line is a mystic, magical and sensitive kind of retro-rock album. Styles looked back past the One Direction days, farther than Britain's Got Talent, and took inspiration from some of his favorite 70s artists, including Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Van Morrison, Paul Simon, and Paul McCartney. This Laurel Canyon folk-tinged rock album may not have swept the pop charts, which many Styles fans were confused about, but that’s beside the point. This album pushes the appeal of an older, more psychedelic sound to young girls who would otherwise still be idolizing “What Makes You Beautiful.” The tracks on Fine Line have stadium-bumping potential, but never lose the special moments of intimacy.
1. Plastic Hearts- Miley Cyrus
I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again- women are reviving rock this decade, and the movement is being led by the one and only Miley Cyrus. Her first radio hit “See You Again” was rereleased 13 years ago, and since then we’ve been waiting for the return of new-wave-Miley. Now, it feels like she’s released the album that was waiting patiently to be made while Miley was growing, swinging on wrecking balls, and finding her voice. On Plastic Hearts, Miley pays homage to icons of the OG glam-rock era, and even gives us Joan Jett and Billie Idol collaborations to make it feel more authentic. The lyrics on this album are raw and personal, from heartbreak to her need of independence. Luckily, these are not drowned out by the heavy baselines and rasp of her voice, but instead made to feel more liable, relatable, and even more fun to sing in the shower.
Playlist here for our Top 20 of 2020.