Best Albums of 2020
This album outdid every other album in 2020. It's different from all the garbage "music" playing nowadays with all the trap, poor tunes, and dirty lyrics. It was created out of her dreams, yet quarantine from COVID-19 got her into making this album.
It's themed to indie (folk) pop, hence the name Folklore. The music is perhaps the calmest she's ever done and the closest we've ever come to having the old Taylor come back. Her songs are played in a variety. Some are upbeat, others are slow, and one of them (like "Mad Woman") has two ranges overlapped. It became the first album by any artist in history to debut at #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and 200 in the same week.
Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa, Dedicated by Carly Rae Jepsen, and Chromatica by Lady Gaga are all great, but Folklore stepped up the game over every other album this year in all matters. She's still the real deal of original and creative artists making history in music with undeniable talent. Thank her wildest dreams for making this.
Phoebe Bridgers is one of the most talented singer-songwriters of her generation. Her talent shines throughout this album. One of the year's shiniest gems.
A totally unique album. It's a masterpiece full of inspiration and thought. It's diverse but connected at the same time. There are so many amazing chord sequences and rhythms that it's hard to take it all in even after a few hundred listens. They're not frightened to bring together different musical flavors and wrap them into one.
Whatever the ethos is behind this album, I don't know. The lyrics don't easily give anything away, yet they are profound in their imagery. If it is a concept album, I have no idea what the concept is. The production of this album is equally good, a fantastic blend of sound and space that combines every element of this album harmoniously.
Listen with your eyes closed and your mind open.
Lots of pleasure listening to this record. Just when I thought Jessie Ware was losing her charm, she comes back with this banger of an album that pays tribute to disco and hi-NRG without sounding caricatural. Pure bliss from start to finish and probably her best record yet.
Fun fact: I run an album review blog, and this was the first 10/10 that I had ever reviewed.
Now, this is a proper posthumous album. Unlike XXX's album, this album is properly finished and published in a way that doesn't exploit the artist. It's also filled with finished and organized songs.
Rest in peace, man. You really left with a bang. So did you, Juice, but I can't fit Legends Never Die in my voting list.
Insightful, introspective, and amazingly well put together for a posthumous album.
This band is like the Tom Brady of British heavy metal: reaching new levels of greatness when they should be well past their prime. The riffs and hooks are catchy, the atmosphere is ominous, and the soloing is fantastic. Plus, doom metal has become all the more listenable during this turd of a year that 2020 has been.
Now this is what you call growth. She really gave her all with this era from disco, funk, synth, and dance. I did like a few of the songs from her first album, but at the same time, it sounded like every other average pop song at the time. This doesn't mean they were bad, it just didn't set her apart as an artist.
This time around, she's completely revamped everything to the point where she stands out from the rest. You can really tell she worked so hard on this era, and it paid off.
Levitating, Hallucinate, and Physical are my favorite songs from this album.
Not a perfect album by any means. You could really tell by some of the lyrics that this project was rushed. But Charli produced some of the biggest bangers of the year. I love that she teamed up with Dylan Brady from 100 gecs to add that bubblegum bass flavor. The album turned out pretty damn fine, especially given the circumstances.
The whole album is entirely clean!
The Newcomers
This is her best album! I'm so sad it doesn't get a lot of attention. Give this a listen if you love pop punk or a little rock elements.
One of the best pop albums of this decade so far. I feel like it doesn't get enough attention. The interludes were unnecessary, but the rest of the album is full of pop and dance bangers!
Such an immersive experience, it truly puts you in a particular state of mind and explores themes such as obsessive thoughts, lack of self-worth, and regret.
The first act is a great introduction to the general ideas and sound. The second one probably has the saddest songs on the album (ironically, they are the most upbeat ones). The third one has slower songs (besides "Babylon") that show us the brighter side of things. Through fate (religious or just fate in our abilities), trust, and humility, we can defeat our obsessive thoughts and insecurities.
It's an amazing work of art. For those complaining that it's nothing truly new or experimental, why weren't you praising "ARTPOP" during its era? "Chromatica" is a solid album that brings back old sounds and reinvents them.
Very unique album. I love how he stays in his own lane. Normally, an artist will follow a current trend and not bring anything new to the table. Production-wise, this album is very high quality with a variety of genres to enjoy. Give this album a listen.
In a way, it actually surprises me that I have never heard The Weeknd accused of being a sellout, considering how he started off making really dark alternative R&B and went on to make catchy synth-pop jams. It makes sense, though, when you look into the lyrics.
You tend to find that the subject matter of his more recent material is as dark as ever. Most importantly, he's also extremely good at making this style, so who cares if it's not the same as his first mixtapes?
This album is quite simply superb. Melodic progressive rock at its very best. The guitar work is sublime, the interplay with the keyboards a delight, and the bass and drums are solid and expressive. Lyrically and vocally outstanding.
I can't think of a progressive rock album of this quality since IQ's Road of Bones.
Wonderful album from a consistently great band. Diverse range of tracks across this album. Starfish and the Moon is my standout track. Amazing artwork too.
Such an emotional and beautiful album. The guitar work is out of this world. One of the best albums ever recorded.
Love the album, but I despise the packaging for its record. I don't know what Satanic reincarnation designed the packaging for the LP, but it is god-awful.
Still a good album.
Absolutely beautiful record, highly underrated on this list.