Yeah that's definitely the hardest part of doing rankings per calendar year. Something that I love which came out in Jan 2020 versus something that came out Dec 2020 are really hard to compare
True, BUT it's great to look back at your lists years down the road. Just like what Chorus did this year. It's fun to see what still stacks up. Plus I miss so many albums during the year and discover them through others.
Here’s a big (sorry!) list off the top of my head of albums you may not have heard that are worth checking out. These are all albums I’ve listened to at least more than once and enjoyed/loved each time. Ratboys - Printer’s Devil Emma Kupa - It Will Come Easier Retirement Party - Runaway Dog Melkbelly - Pith OHMME - Fantasize Your Ghost NNAMDI - Brat DEHD - Flower of Devotion Momma - Two of Me Nat Vazer - Is This Offensive and Loud? Beach Bunny - Honeymoon Soccer Mommy - Color Theory Gladie - Safe Sins Katie Malco - Failures The Beths - Jump Rope Gazers Illuminati Hotties - Free IH Skullcrusher - Skullcrusher EP Hamilton Leithauser - The Loves of Your Life Owen - The Avalanche Liza Anne - Bad Vacation Sinai Vessel - Ground Aswim Anna Burch - If You’re Dreaming The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick - Ways of Hearing Lomelda - Hannah Becca Mancari - The Greatest Part Courtney Marie Andrew’s - Old Flowers H.C. McEnrire - Eno Axis Jenny O. - New Truth Madeline Kenney - Suckers Lunch Varsity - Fine Forever Trace Mountains - Lost In The Country 2nd Grade - Hit To Hit Frances Quinlan - Likewise Boyo - Where Have All My Friends Gone? Maita - Best Wishes Dan Deacon - Mystic Familiar Diners - Leisure World Hazel English - Wake UP! Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners Sports Team - Deep Down Happy
Awesome, thanks for taking the time to do that for me. I'll slowly go down the list and see what catches. Thanks again.
Holy shit, Emma Kupa was the lead singer of Standard Fare! I used to really like them like 8 years ago. Thanks buddy.
I actually just discovered her this year and fell in love with her record immediately upon hearing it. Then I went back to her previous bands and they are great too! She’s great!
Mansions - Big Bad Phantom Planet - Devastator San Cisco - Between You and Me the Front Bottoms - In Sickness and In Flames the Neighbourhood - Chip Chrome and the Mono the Menzingers - From Exile There are albums that I liked and enjoyed, but after looking 2020 albums over, those are my favorites.
Looks like you're into more rock-oriented indie and pop artists. On the indie side, I'd recommend checking out the songwriter Westerman's full-length debut Your Hero Is Not Dead. Really tuneful melodies, he's got a crystalline voice and a flair for strange rhythms. If you like a more upbeat song like "Think I'll Stay", keep going through the rest of his catalog -- he's only released about 20 songs over 4 years and they are literally all worth your time. For your tastes that are right down the middle of poppy/catchy rock anthems, I'd call out Silver Torches' Bermuda Dunes, an album that is equally indebted to mid 2000s pop rock bands and Bruce Springsteen. (Check out the song "My Own Road".) This should slot in pretty well with that Phantom Planet album unless they dramatically changed their sound. Along similar lines, I'd also recommend that Ratboys album someone else mentioned. I've yet to find a soul who doesn't like their song "My Hands Grow" on a cold listen. It's pretty well-liked and discussed around these parts, but Spanish Love Songs' Brave Faces Everyone is a wonderfully resonant album that might fall on the more abrasive side of your tastes. I'd certainly slot it in next to the Menzingers, and single "Losers 2" is like the socioeconomic version of something off The Hotelier's Home, Like Noplace Is There. Hope the above helps, let me know if you find anything you like!
My top 10 songs of 2020 1. Dagny - Somebody 2. Taylor Swift - Mirrorball 3. The Midnight - Brooklyn 4. Hania Rani - F Major 5. Elina - Another Round 6. Nightly - The Movies (feat. Charli Adams) 7. Gone West - Slow Down 8. The Chain Gang of 1974 - Do You Mind? 9. The Naked and Famous - Bury Us 10. The Night Game - I Feel Like Dancing
Damn, idk if I could ever do a top 10 list of songs, I can barely begin to make a top 10 albums list. with that said, if I did try and make a top 10 list of my favorite songs this year “Saint Cloud” by Waxahatchee would definitely be included.
Yeah it's really tough; it's rare for me to like albums in or nearly full, so I've always done a ranking of songs instead at the end of the year; have done it now I think for five years. I just go through my 2020/yearly playlist on Spotify and try to pick out the songs I remember the most, that I listened to repeatedly, make a long list, and then slowly whittle those down until I get to like 15 or so. Then pick out the few must-haves, and then listen to the rest of the songs themselves a few times to help make up my mind which I like better, to then put them in order.
Based off your tastes, and my favorites. ManDancing - The Good Sweat will be your jam. Movements - No Good Left to Give. Hot Mulligan - You'll be fine Spanish Love Songs' Brave Faces Everyone - rerecommending this from above. Kind of typical new scene-emo recommendations but they rip pretty hard. I generally have a collection of songs from new-ish bands without doing a full dive but all these albums I can always throw on and rock the whole way through. TFB are my fav band right now and I'm into the Menzingers.
Thanks for the recs. I'll give Hot Mulligan and Man Dancing a try. Already a fan of the other two. Also, I'm surprised more people aren't putting the new Front Bottoms on their list. Damn fine album, probably my top of the year.