Album Of The Year 2020

It’s that time of the year again.

I used to write for a monthly music magazine until it went bankrupt. I used to be a resident dj for a couple of local clubs until I myself went bankrupt and needed to get a real job. I used to work in a record shop for 10 years.

All of those professions demanded that come november/december I’d have to list my favourite 10 albums and songs of the past year. Nowadays I’m not required to do it anymore but I still love doing it. I start making notes in january and collecting an iTunes playlist of my AOTY shortlist.

I filled the Pitchfork reader poll on monday and on top of both my Album and Song lists was the same artist, Phoebe Bridgers. For me Punisher can’t be topped in 2020. It’s in a class of it’s own. Probably the album I’ve listened to most in 2020. I’ll never get tired of it.

What’s your choice for Album Of The Year 2020? What about Song Of The Year? You can also list your top tens if you feel like it. It can be techno, folk, classical, anything. Whatever rocked your boat in 2020.

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For me, there is only one contender:

(BTW, I had no idea what Aoty meant before clicking)

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Top 3 tracks of the year.

Top 3 albums of the year.

Honourable mention: Autechre, obvs.

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Lawrence English Field Recordings From The Zone for me. Recorded in the aftermath of the Oz bushfires while everyone was suffering lockdown.

A nice touch from a great artist.

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I am listening to so little new music these days…or maybe I’m just not cataloguing every single thing I listened to this year so it seems like little…or I’ve just become super particular in my middle years…I’m not sure.

Anywaaaaayyyy. Stand outs were…

Sam Prekop (of Sea and Cake) is, imo, one of the premiere modular artists

Brin’s debut LP was a huge step forward for him

yuk. doesn’t stop

Ripatti is still showing us somewhere

Cindy Lee…always…

And…becoming this years grower album…the Lips can’t help but look forwards even while looking backwards

This years personal discovery: gqom

as a result of https://www.residentadvisor.net/news/74020

Edited:

Forgot to mention Jay’s magnificence

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For me, it was Caroline Rose’s new album Superstar.

It’s synthy pop with dark energy and undertones. I love the whole album, which is pretty rare for me. The last song (“I Took A Ride”) might be my favourite - great synth sounds too.

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image Tenci - My Heart Is an Open Field

image MIKE - Weight of the World

image DJ Python - Mas Amable

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It should be in Capital letters.

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I typed it in ALL CAPS but the system edited it for me. Edited it now to be more comprehensible.

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Probably Rival Consoles’s Articulation:

But a close second to Minor Science:

And honourable mention to Christian Löffler’s Lys (beautiful):

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2 splendid choices there!

Luke Abbott’s Translate will definitely be high up in an hypothetical end of year list for me. Maybe a little early to call exactly where yet, as it only came out a week ago.

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Listened to loads and loads of techno ep’s this year but not really got a favourite. As for albums can only think of one that I listened to multiple times and that was the new Erasure album The Neon which is a bit of a grower after a few listens

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I had not heard this, but listening now. Liking what I hear so far!

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for me, the choise is obvious: Triquetra — Human Control.

there’s not so many live-recorded EDM in general and goa trance in particular these days. this album was recorded mostly live, and it has that vibe — lots of raw power, not overproduced, not overpolished.

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obvious…

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Mainly listening to old stuff.
My favorite album from this year was probably Nathan Fake‘s album

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Excellent shout out.

Will need to have think of favourites from this year but another great synth pop album is Boniface’s self titled effort.

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Havent listened to too many new albums, have more been listening to streams and sets. Recordwise only a couple which come to mind:


and
of which I just found out it’s actually from late 2019…
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