That Hamilton Leithauser album is criminally underrated and I was surprised to not see it on more lists.
Holy cow - I'm (obviously) with you. This goes way beyond anything done by The Walkmen. Some seriously good songwriting here!
Also, here are my thoughts on the album: Standout tracks: Isabella Here They Come Wack Jack What it sounds like: Hamilton’s juke-joint delivery has a haunting nostalgia to it. The skilled frontman can howl, croon, and twist his vocals like a tornado tearing through a mid-western town—but there’s still plenty of his signature falsetto to comfort the listener throughout. Lest we forget the bombastic work by his band of musical masters including Jon Batiste (Prince, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder) and Jonathan Gregg (pedal steel aficionado). Why I love it: On his second solo album, The Walkmen leader has realized full potential of his writing abilities–talks of ferries, dancing, old movie theaters, and creaking floorboards help to create a wild, enlivening, dramatic, and fun record. Each of the songs on The Loves of Your Life transport you into a story about a different person from Leithauser’s past, but one could easily mistaken these experiences as tales from their own lives.
Great list, per usual Jason! Bright Eyes really grew on me and made it into my own top ten. Did you happen to listen to the two albums released by Sault in 2020? You may like it (heavy soul, R&B, pop influences - heavy but thought-provoking lyrics). Highly recommended as we head into a super weird first few months of 2021.
Probably my greatest discovery looking through all these lists was Letterboxd from @Jason Tate's list. I signed up to the website and literally lost my entire Sunday playing the equivalent of cinema Tinder with all the movies I've seen / want to see. I had no idea I needed this in my life. It already slots so well in to my behaviour around movies. Being able to view my watchlist, filter by the streaming services I use and then order by movie duration is an absolute dream for when I want to watch a movie, but still want to go to bed at a decent time.
Music I liked in 2020 in no order (subject to updates and edits if necessary): Albums: Less Than Jake - Silver Linings Goldfinger - Never Look Back The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic Sylvan Esso - Free Love Slick Shoes - Rotation And Frequency Lo Tom - II Aquabats - Kooky Spooky...In Stereo Huntingtons - Muerto, Carcel, O Rocanrol! Taylor Swift - Folklore/Evermore Lifelong - Above The Waves Lightworker - Fury By Failure Silent Planet - The Night God Slept Redux August Burns Red - Guardians Blaqk Audio - Beneath The Black Palms Caspian - On Circles Dan Deacon - Mystic Familiar Hayley Williams - Petals For Armor Suicide Machines - Revolution Spring Purity Ring - Womb Spanish Love Songs - Brave Faces Everyone Wajatta - Don’t Let Get You Down Four Year Strong - Brain Pain EPs: American Fail - American Fail PUP - This Place Sucks Earth Groans - Waste Starflyer 59 - Miami ‘68 - Love Is Ain’t Dead Constant Elevation - Freedom Beach It was a very weird year with a ton of great music. Not to mention all the great stuff from last year and tons of classics from the past! Get into it!