Top 100 Music Albums of 2020 by 
babyBlueSedan 
Another year, another year chart. Are year charts a way to track the best music of a given year? Or are they a signpost of another year that has passed, a substitute for more traditional anniversaries brought on by our incessant need to rate and rank? As time passes, we will grow weaker. Leaders will rise and fall, fads will begin and end. Entire civilizations may be destroyed. But year charts will remain, every year, appearing like clockwork. When did they start? What is their purpose? There is only one thing we can be sure of: they will never end.
(everything i've heard is here, high scores are better than low ones, my comments suck, blah blah blah)
(This has been a really weird year for me musically. For the past few years I've listened to ~100 new albums and typically between 25-30 of those end up crossing the 70 plateau. This year I've already got nearly 20 of those and the year isn't even half over. But despite that, only two albums have crossed the 80 threshold. So I guess this year has had a lot of consistent quality but no real standout releases. It's possible a lot of the current 70s and 75s starts to inch up as I listen to them more, so I guess we'll see what happens as the year goes on.)
(I'm still short on albums I love but the year seems to have evened out as the quality has dipped as the year's gone on. Either that or I've finally hit the age where I don't like new music.)
- Chart updated: 03/17/2021 22:45
- (Created: 01/29/2020 02:29).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
There are 4 comments for this chart from BestEverAlbums.com members and Top 100 Music Albums of 2020 has an average rating of 90 out of 100 (from 8 votes). Please log in or register to leave a comment or assign a rating.
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80/100
Drone folk retrospective
Rash to put this up at #1 after a single listen? Perhaps, but this is everything I could have wanted from a return to Phil's original moniker and more. Really insightful writing, similar to his recent blunt writing and maybe even more insightful. This is nostalgia in musical form but not necessarily a positive kind of nostalgia. Please please watch the YouTube video along with this, it really elevates it even more.
Also, please someone release a better album than this so Phil doesn't have my #1 album two out of three years straight. [First added to this chart: 08/15/2020]
Drone folk retrospective
Rash to put this up at #1 after a single listen? Perhaps, but this is everything I could have wanted from a return to Phil's original moniker and more. Really insightful writing, similar to his recent blunt writing and maybe even more insightful. This is nostalgia in musical form but not necessarily a positive kind of nostalgia. Please please watch the YouTube video along with this, it really elevates it even more.
Also, please someone release a better album than this so Phil doesn't have my #1 album two out of three years straight. [First added to this chart: 08/15/2020]
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
722
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
9
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80/100
Present Excitement
Man, this is a lot of fun. I'm sure there are pop albums that are this much fun every year, but since the genre isn't really on my radar I probably miss them. A lot of people are comparing this to EMOTION but the closest similarity is that they're pop albums that indie fans are getting excited about. Or that they both have songs about hallucinating.
I'm not sure it has the front to back song quality that EMOTION has, but it's sure close. Don't Start Now and Physical are of course fantastic. Pretty Please is a little more restrained but has a great chorus. I love that recurring synth that sounds like a violin or something on Love Again. Overall I think the album has a few too many backing strings, but the point where they're at their cheesiest - the closer - really works. I like the closer a lot overall, and I think it ends the album on a real high point. (I will say that the "If you're offended by this song" part is a bit awkward. Partially because being "offended" has lost all meaning, and partially because addressing the audience during the song seems to be really straining to make your song a "big" "meaningful" statement.) [First added to this chart: 04/22/2020]
Present Excitement
Man, this is a lot of fun. I'm sure there are pop albums that are this much fun every year, but since the genre isn't really on my radar I probably miss them. A lot of people are comparing this to EMOTION but the closest similarity is that they're pop albums that indie fans are getting excited about. Or that they both have songs about hallucinating.
I'm not sure it has the front to back song quality that EMOTION has, but it's sure close. Don't Start Now and Physical are of course fantastic. Pretty Please is a little more restrained but has a great chorus. I love that recurring synth that sounds like a violin or something on Love Again. Overall I think the album has a few too many backing strings, but the point where they're at their cheesiest - the closer - really works. I like the closer a lot overall, and I think it ends the album on a real high point. (I will say that the "If you're offended by this song" part is a bit awkward. Partially because being "offended" has lost all meaning, and partially because addressing the audience during the song seems to be really straining to make your song a "big" "meaningful" statement.) [First added to this chart: 04/22/2020]
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,101
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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80/100
Playful introspective hip hop
It's very unlike me to throw an album at the top of my year chart after just a single listen. It's also unlike me to give an album I like more than a 70 on first listen; in fact, for a while I observed the "curse of the 75" where anything I gave a 75 on first listen would sound much worse on relisten and would get lowered by 10 or 15 points. But this new album from fka Milo is fantastic and deserves the top spot here. There were 4 albums I was really excited for that came out on March 6th and the first three I listened to ranged from complete flops to disappointing. This was the last one I listened to and it made up for all the others. Kenny Segal's production is as great as always, Ferreira is in top form here as a rapper both technically and lyrically. I haven't always been a fan of his, even skipping his last Milo project because the one before it wasn't great, but this returns to the sound of So The Flies Don't Come and it really hits the spot. There are also a few moments that just seem tailor made to impress me, like Adventure Time references and the interpolation of Pharaoh Sanders's "The Creator Has a Masterplan" on the closing track. He also writes these lines which are the best rap lyrics I've heard in a while and also made me laugh out loud at the end:
"One time I was doo-dooin' at a gas station and I
Read on the stall, you know, on the wall
'What's the purpose of life?'
And someone had actually wrote back, it said:
'To be the eyes, the ears, and consciousness of the creator of the universe. You fool!'"
Update: this is even better than I thought on first listen. Might bump the score up more in the future. I listened to this on a walk an hour before sunset and it was perfect, the live instrumentation and off-kilter beats and flows make it feel so alive. There are so many great moments that I unfortunately can't remember right now, but the one that sticks out is a moment on "Noncipher" that encompasses so much of what I like about this. There's this freestyling horn as Ferreira switches up his flow and eventually starts singing instead. A mix of jazz, slam poetry, and rap that is just fantastic. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2020]
Playful introspective hip hop
It's very unlike me to throw an album at the top of my year chart after just a single listen. It's also unlike me to give an album I like more than a 70 on first listen; in fact, for a while I observed the "curse of the 75" where anything I gave a 75 on first listen would sound much worse on relisten and would get lowered by 10 or 15 points. But this new album from fka Milo is fantastic and deserves the top spot here. There were 4 albums I was really excited for that came out on March 6th and the first three I listened to ranged from complete flops to disappointing. This was the last one I listened to and it made up for all the others. Kenny Segal's production is as great as always, Ferreira is in top form here as a rapper both technically and lyrically. I haven't always been a fan of his, even skipping his last Milo project because the one before it wasn't great, but this returns to the sound of So The Flies Don't Come and it really hits the spot. There are also a few moments that just seem tailor made to impress me, like Adventure Time references and the interpolation of Pharaoh Sanders's "The Creator Has a Masterplan" on the closing track. He also writes these lines which are the best rap lyrics I've heard in a while and also made me laugh out loud at the end:
"One time I was doo-dooin' at a gas station and I
Read on the stall, you know, on the wall
'What's the purpose of life?'
And someone had actually wrote back, it said:
'To be the eyes, the ears, and consciousness of the creator of the universe. You fool!'"
Update: this is even better than I thought on first listen. Might bump the score up more in the future. I listened to this on a walk an hour before sunset and it was perfect, the live instrumentation and off-kilter beats and flows make it feel so alive. There are so many great moments that I unfortunately can't remember right now, but the one that sticks out is a moment on "Noncipher" that encompasses so much of what I like about this. There's this freestyling horn as Ferreira switches up his flow and eventually starts singing instead. A mix of jazz, slam poetry, and rap that is just fantastic. [First added to this chart: 03/14/2020]
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
412
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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80/100
Afro-jazz
This is fantastic, and loads of fun. All star cast of South African musicians including Tony Allen and Yugen Blakrok along with Shabaka Hutchings and probably other excellent musicians whose names I don't recognize. If you liked the last Sons of Kemet album you should like this too. [First added to this chart: 09/12/2020]
Afro-jazz
This is fantastic, and loads of fun. All star cast of South African musicians including Tony Allen and Yugen Blakrok along with Shabaka Hutchings and probably other excellent musicians whose names I don't recognize. If you liked the last Sons of Kemet album you should like this too. [First added to this chart: 09/12/2020]
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75/100
Indie country
I've never been a big fan of Waxahatchee, although I've never rated anything by her either. I could have sworn I'd listened to a couple of her albums, which likely means I was so unmoved that I didn't bother to rate them after listening. I liked this quite a bit after a couple listens, but it's been rainy here the last couple days and this is definitely driving down a dirt road with the windows down on a sunny day music, so I'm going to refrain from listening again and finalizing the rating until the sun is out (and quarantine is over...).
Update: I lied, I couldn't wait to listen to this again. Listened on a walk in the warmth and sun and it really clicked. It's mostly because I'm a sucker for this kind of slightly country stuff that Jason Molina and Bill Callahan often dabbled in, but Waxahatchee's voice is fantastic here was well (it reminds me a lot of Frances Quinlan, which is obviously a huge compliment). My only knock is that, like that Soccer Mommy album, a lot of the songs seem based around the same vocal melody such that I expect her to start singing a the same chorus on a few of the songs. And there are no standouts. But it's such an enticing album, one of those that doesn't do too much that's new but feels like an old friend and is super comforting. [First added to this chart: 04/03/2020]
Indie country
I've never been a big fan of Waxahatchee, although I've never rated anything by her either. I could have sworn I'd listened to a couple of her albums, which likely means I was so unmoved that I didn't bother to rate them after listening. I liked this quite a bit after a couple listens, but it's been rainy here the last couple days and this is definitely driving down a dirt road with the windows down on a sunny day music, so I'm going to refrain from listening again and finalizing the rating until the sun is out (and quarantine is over...).
Update: I lied, I couldn't wait to listen to this again. Listened on a walk in the warmth and sun and it really clicked. It's mostly because I'm a sucker for this kind of slightly country stuff that Jason Molina and Bill Callahan often dabbled in, but Waxahatchee's voice is fantastic here was well (it reminds me a lot of Frances Quinlan, which is obviously a huge compliment). My only knock is that, like that Soccer Mommy album, a lot of the songs seem based around the same vocal melody such that I expect her to start singing a the same chorus on a few of the songs. And there are no standouts. But it's such an enticing album, one of those that doesn't do too much that's new but feels like an old friend and is super comforting. [First added to this chart: 04/03/2020]
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
956
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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75/100
Late 10's indie folk rock
Hutson released "Northsiders" last year and it was easily one of my three favorite songs of the year. Effortlessly beautiful and incredibly nostalgic, it had be really excited for this. I'm not disappointed, but "Northsiders" is clearly the standout. "Lose This Number" and "Keep You Down" are other highights, and while there are no weak moments it could have used a few tracks that sounded a bit different. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2020]
Late 10's indie folk rock
Hutson released "Northsiders" last year and it was easily one of my three favorite songs of the year. Effortlessly beautiful and incredibly nostalgic, it had be really excited for this. I'm not disappointed, but "Northsiders" is clearly the standout. "Lose This Number" and "Keep You Down" are other highights, and while there are no weak moments it could have used a few tracks that sounded a bit different. [First added to this chart: 06/07/2020]
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75/100
Indietronica rock
I liked a lot of things about the last couple Torres albums but neither of them fully came together for me. This one is the total package. Sometimes stark, but mostly detailed with guitars that have cool tunings and electronic stuff going on in the background. "Good Grief" is the highlight, but the opener is also very good.
Update: I just relistened to Sprinter for the first time in a long time and enjoyed it a lot more this time around. It might even be better than this... [First added to this chart: 02/05/2020]
Indietronica rock
I liked a lot of things about the last couple Torres albums but neither of them fully came together for me. This one is the total package. Sometimes stark, but mostly detailed with guitars that have cool tunings and electronic stuff going on in the background. "Good Grief" is the highlight, but the opener is also very good.
Update: I just relistened to Sprinter for the first time in a long time and enjoyed it a lot more this time around. It might even be better than this... [First added to this chart: 02/05/2020]
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75/100
Gritty house
I listened to A.A.L.'s 2018 compilation/album once back in 2018 and didn't give it a second chance, but before this came out I went back to it. And it's really great, so I'm glad I did. That album is defined by some really engaging house tracks with fun soul samples. For the most part, this one goes into grittier / rougher territory and leaves the uplifting feelings of the last one behind. This isn't completely a bad thing, and this is still really enjoyable on its own. The first four songs are my favorite, especially "Loving You Is Wrong" and "IF YOU CAN'T DO IT GOOD DO IT HARD." But the second side is growing on me too. [First added to this chart: 02/29/2020]
Gritty house
I listened to A.A.L.'s 2018 compilation/album once back in 2018 and didn't give it a second chance, but before this came out I went back to it. And it's really great, so I'm glad I did. That album is defined by some really engaging house tracks with fun soul samples. For the most part, this one goes into grittier / rougher territory and leaves the uplifting feelings of the last one behind. This isn't completely a bad thing, and this is still really enjoyable on its own. The first four songs are my favorite, especially "Loving You Is Wrong" and "IF YOU CAN'T DO IT GOOD DO IT HARD." But the second side is growing on me too. [First added to this chart: 02/29/2020]
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
288
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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75/100
Emo hardcore
There are some genres where I can get a pretty good idea of whether I'll like the album just from the first few seconds. Post-hardcore is one of them, usually due to the production and sound of the guitars. Well, in this case when I heard the first guitar chords I knew this would be at least a very good album, as the guitar tone is exquisite. I'm only one listen in, and want to spend more time at it, but I would highly recommend this album as some energetic, emotive hardcore. [First added to this chart: 03/20/2020]
Emo hardcore
There are some genres where I can get a pretty good idea of whether I'll like the album just from the first few seconds. Post-hardcore is one of them, usually due to the production and sound of the guitars. Well, in this case when I heard the first guitar chords I knew this would be at least a very good album, as the guitar tone is exquisite. I'm only one listen in, and want to spend more time at it, but I would highly recommend this album as some energetic, emotive hardcore. [First added to this chart: 03/20/2020]
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75/100
Post plunderphonics party
I was expecting this to be a major letdown, and a mess. I mean look at that length and guestlist. Getting Vashti Bunyan and Cornelius on an album is part power move and part "let's hook the indie kids" but it can't work can it? Well I listened to this today and it felt about half its length. I was actually surprised when it ended so soon. It starts a bit slow but once it gets going it's so much fun. The guests are just anonymous enough on the tracks that you forget they're there outside of a few tracks where they're the main draw (Kurt Vile and Blood Orange have appearances like that). It also feels a bit like a party album, just one feel good track after the other. At one point Cola Boyy is like "hey, I'm here with Mick Jones" and it feels like you're at a festival listening to an interview but also dancing. Also love the David Berman tribute near the end considering he was on their last album.
People have compared this to Gorillaz but I think this is better than any Gorillaz album, though I also don't really like Gorillaz. I always found their guest appearances incohesive and not super enthralling.
Where does this rank among Avalanches albums? Well I can't say after one listen. But it's definitely it's own thing. Since I Left You is an impressive record that's never fully hooked me. Wildflower mixed some recognizable samples into pop songs in a way that felt like a coming back party. This is a completely new thing. It's not nearly as inventive or unique, but it flows for 70(!) minutes with no real duds that I can point to, of course again after one listen. At this moment, if I had to listen to any of their albums I'd choose this one with no hesitation. [First added to this chart: 02/20/2021]
Post plunderphonics party
I was expecting this to be a major letdown, and a mess. I mean look at that length and guestlist. Getting Vashti Bunyan and Cornelius on an album is part power move and part "let's hook the indie kids" but it can't work can it? Well I listened to this today and it felt about half its length. I was actually surprised when it ended so soon. It starts a bit slow but once it gets going it's so much fun. The guests are just anonymous enough on the tracks that you forget they're there outside of a few tracks where they're the main draw (Kurt Vile and Blood Orange have appearances like that). It also feels a bit like a party album, just one feel good track after the other. At one point Cola Boyy is like "hey, I'm here with Mick Jones" and it feels like you're at a festival listening to an interview but also dancing. Also love the David Berman tribute near the end considering he was on their last album.
People have compared this to Gorillaz but I think this is better than any Gorillaz album, though I also don't really like Gorillaz. I always found their guest appearances incohesive and not super enthralling.
Where does this rank among Avalanches albums? Well I can't say after one listen. But it's definitely it's own thing. Since I Left You is an impressive record that's never fully hooked me. Wildflower mixed some recognizable samples into pop songs in a way that felt like a coming back party. This is a completely new thing. It's not nearly as inventive or unique, but it flows for 70(!) minutes with no real duds that I can point to, of course again after one listen. At this moment, if I had to listen to any of their albums I'd choose this one with no hesitation. [First added to this chart: 02/20/2021]
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
785
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
Total albums: 100. Page 1 of 10
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Top 100 Music Albums of 2020 composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| The Flaming Lips | 1 | 1% | |
| Cindy Lee | 1 | 1% | |
| Waxahatchee | 1 | 1% | |
| Run The Jewels | 1 | 1% | |
| Quelle Chris & Chris Keys | 1 | 1% | |
| Adrianne Lenker | 1 | 1% | |
| Shabaka And The Ancestors | 1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
| Country | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
62 | 62% | |
 |
14 | 14% | |
 |
7 | 7% | |
 |
4 | 4% | |
 |
3 | 3% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
 |
1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of 2020 chart changes
| Biggest climbers |
|---|
 Up 1 from 30th to 29thDaughter by Lydia Loveless |
| Up 1 from 29th to 28th Shrines by Armand Hammer |
| Up 1 from 4th to 3rd Purple Moonlight Pages by R.A.P. Ferreira |
| Biggest fallers |
|---|
| Down 2 from 2nd to 4th Keleketla! by Keleketla! |
| Down 2 from 28th to 30th Miss Anthropocene by Grimes |
| New entries |
|---|
 Græby Moses Sumney |
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Other year charts (from the 2020s) by babyBlueSedan
Top 19 Music Albums of 2023 by babyBlueSedan (2023)Top 97 Music Albums of 2022 by
babyBlueSedan (2022)Top 88 Music Albums of 2021 by
babyBlueSedan (2022)Top 100 Music Albums of 2020 ratings
90/100 (from 8 votes)
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
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N.B. The average rating for this chart will not be reliable as it has been rated very few times.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this chart. | Show all 8 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 100/100  | 01/12/2021 11:16 |  Larcx13 | | 86/100 |
| 90/100 | 12/17/2020 10:39 |  Arthurknight | | 89/100 |
| 85/100 | 11/16/2020 23:17 |  sssvnnn | | 83/100 |
| 100/100 | 11/12/2020 10:41 |  Purplepash | | 88/100 |
| 95/100 | 07/13/2020 16:05 | AledJames | | 98/100 |
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100/100
From Larcx13 01/12/2021 11:16
Larcx13 01/12/2021 11:16
perfect note for the work put in
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
85/100
From sssvnnn 11/16/2020 23:14
sssvnnn 11/16/2020 23:14
Good chart, even better genre comments.
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100/100
From Purplepash 11/12/2020 11:32
Purplepash 11/12/2020 11:32
I'm giving this chart a rating of 100 for the insightful and thoughtful comments (I wish I could work out and verbalise why I do or don't like an album as much as you seem to be able to) even though you diss a lot of my favourite albums of the year :-)
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
90/100
From 
ledaero 05/31/2020 07:24
ledaero 05/31/2020 07:24
Really appreciate your writing on the albums! Don't always agree with your perspectives, but I love the thought and work that you put into your criticism. Look forward to checking out your lists more.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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