Best Music of 2020

Phoebe Bridgers, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, HAIM, Gordi, Khruangbin and Run the Jewels are all in the top 10 for me so far, and all are out in the same couple of weeks. Feeling kinda busy listening right now.
That Gordi album is pretty good. I was listening to it the other day.
 
Nobody mentioned Royce Da 5’9’s the Allegory eh? There’s a few cringe worthy anti-vax lyrics (he blames his kid’s autism on some shots he got as a baby) that a couple outlets allowed to tank their reviews...

But a lot of the hip-hop junkie’s in my life have been on me to listen to it, and I gotta say... shit slaps and is fairly ambitious in a way that reminds me of something Lupe Fiasco would try and pull off (flaws and all).
 
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Nobody mentioned Royce Da 5’9’s the Allegory eh? There’s a few cringe worthy anti-vax lyrics (he blames his kid’s autism on some shots he got as a baby) that a couple outlets allowed to tank their reviews...

But a lot of the hip-hop junkie’s in my life have been on me to listen to it, and I gotta say... shit slaps and is fairly ambitious in a way that reminds me of something Lupe Fiasco would try and pull off (flaws and all).

it's a very hooky album, in terms of hip-hop releases thus far this year it'd be in my top 5:

rtj
thundercat
the alchemist and freddie gibbs
megan thee stallion
royce da 5'9"

but the anti-vaxxer stuff is CLUNKY as all hell
 
I'm late to the party as usual, but Dark Matter by Moses Boyd is straight 🔥🔥🔥 and the perfect soundtrack for the times. Jazz 🎶 Infused with electronic beats, grime and trip-hop, every song on the record fills the range of emotions I'm feeling right now. 👌
 
I like this tier business y’all came up with. Here’s mine at the halfway point. I haven’t listened to everything that’s on your lists yet, but I think I got a pretty good sample. The stuff within the tiers aren’t in any order, except Sawayama is my Album of the Year, so far.

Tier 1 (Masterpiece)(Must-Buy)
Rina Sawayama: SAWAYAMA
Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Run the Jewels: RTJ4
Freddie Gibbs: Alfredo

Tier 2 (Excellent)(I’m buying these too, if I can)
Beatrice Dillon: Workaround
Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud
Jason Isbell: Reunions
Bonny Light Horsemen: s/t
US Girls: Heavy Light
Nicole Atkins: Italian Ice
HAIM: Women in Music III
Myrkur - Folkesange

Tier 3 (Really Good)(I like these but probably won’t buy)
Royce Da 5’9: The Allegory (might move)
Charli XCX: how I’m feeling now
Soccer Mommy: Color Theory
Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher
Eminem: Music to be Murdered By
Four Tet: Sixteen Oceans
Caroline Rose: Superstar
Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia
Hayley Williams: Petals for Armor
Selena Gomez: Rare
Country Westerns: s/t (might move)
Hum: Inlet (might move)
Lil Uzi Vert: Eternal Atake (might move)

Tier 4 (Not bad, I respect it more than like it):
Tame Impala: The Slow Rush
The Weeknd: After Hours
Thundercat: it is what it is
Childish Gambino: 3.15.20
Leya: Flood Dream
 
My favorite albums of 2020 (so far):

Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately
Run The Jewels - RTJ4
Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
I Break Horses - Warnings
Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind
Caribou - Suddenly
Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
Myrkur - Folkensange
Owen Pallett - Island
Moses Boyd - Dark Matter
Porridge Radio - Every Bad
U.S. Girls - Heavy Light
Grimes - Miss Anthropocene
Yaeji - What We Drew
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
Gordi - Our Two Skins
Soccer Mommy - Color Theory
TOPS - I Feel Alive
Nation of Language - Introduction, Presence
Caroline Rose - Superstar
 
So the last few weeks have been spectacular! My list is a bit longer now...

1. Moses Sumney - Grae
2. Haim - Women In Music Part III
3. Laura Marling - Songs For Our Daughter
4. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
5. Bob Dylan - Rough And Rowdy Ways
6. Neil Young - Homegrown
7. Bonny Light Horseman
8. Thundercat - It Is What It Is
9. Monophonics - It’s Only Us

When I think of how many preorders I’ve still got to arrive too!
 
So the last few weeks have been spectacular! My list is a bit longer now...

1. Moses Sumney - Grae
2. Haim - Women In Music Part III
3. Laura Marling - Songs For Our Daughter
4. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
5. Bob Dylan - Rough And Rowdy Ways
6. Neil Young - Homegrown
7. Bonny Light Horseman
8. Thundercat - It Is What It Is
9. Monophonics - It’s Only Us

When I think of how many preorders I’ve still got to arrive too!
Moses Sumney, Laura Marling & Phoebe Bridges especially are all 🔥🔥🔥 and VMP did exclusives for all those albums too! 🙌

I need to check out that HAIM again, I digged it for the most part but didn’t give it their album a dedicated listen! Gasoline and 3am were two such great songs back to back! 💯
 
My top 5 for the year so far

1. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
2. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
3. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure
4. Rina Sawayama - SAWAYAMA
5. U.S. Girls - Heavy Light

still quite a few albums i need to check out or give deeper listens to (perfume genius, rtj, haim etc) but my top 4 is so tight idk if they will top into that
 
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