Best Albums of 2020 Isolation was unavoidable this year: Some albums embraced it, some raged against it, some tried to imagine a world without … Copyright © HI-FI Trends 2018 All right reserved. Frequent shouting by frontman Joe Talbot isn’t repetitive, but an insistent necessity, not forced, but furiously fervent. I got together with Black men that felt the same way and created a work of truth. – LR, Ploy crafted industrial, percussion-fuelled techno for “grubby dance floors” on debut album Unlit Signals. It goes on forever…” – GH, Beatrice Dillon one-upped her excellent EPs with a first long player, Workaround. This desire to find novel in familiar sounds permeates the entire album. It was a storm of grinding fury, noise and ear-piercing drone, oscillated between demon summoning and apocalyptic destruction in equal measure, one that never gets tiresome with repeated listens. Our Take On The Best Albums Of 2020! The album was one of several noteworthy records from Omar this year, including a second LP Simply (Fuck Resident Advisor) plus two 12”s Still Fucking RA (noticing a theme here), and Booted. Described as spiritual keyboard improvisations and recorded in an empty church in Brooklyn, the LP channels the celestial sphere its named after to create an interstellar voyage. – James Hammond, Bringing together 16 contemporary UK jazz, soul and r’n’b artists to re-imagine its storied back catalogue, Blue Note Re:imagined both pays homage to those who have come before, and showcases the forward-thinking sounds of the new generation. Perhaps, one of the reasons the albums were able to affect as many people as they did is thanks to their inclusive approach to the writing, as well as the fact that the only artist credited is Inflo, who produced the album. Best-sounding albums to own on vinyl See all photos +18 More. Now almost a century later, Muharam takes on this legacy, merging traditional kidumbak percussion with Taraab layering, and similarly employing Swahili lyricism. Whereas previous records felt like IDLES were still finding their own sound, Ultra Mono sees them relish in it. Unlike past instalments, the LP featured vocals on nearly all of its 10-tracks – departing from their largely instrumental records of yore. Equal parts apocalyptic and ethereal, she never loses her spirit of playfulness nor her form while dallying with both elements. December 10, 2020 It’s perhaps cold comfort in this year of no gigs, no clubs, and no raves, with musical careers hanging by a thread, but there’s still no question that there’s been a renewed sense of urgency in electronic music. – Gabriela Helfet, Formerly known as Bubblerap, and a member of jazz-rap group Hawk House, 2020 saw Demae stepping out on her ones, in debut solo album Life Works Out... As well as using some of the same scales as her great grandmother, Muharam has also clearly inherited Siti Binti Saad’s dazzling degree of emotional tonality, her voice rising and swelling amidst as the album unfolds. As Dark Entries themselves put it: “the Queen of Hell is back and her powers are stronger than ever.” – LR, Having spent the past twenty years expanding the cello’s sound palette through extended technique, improvisation, and extensive collaboration in the avant-garde, Okkyung Lee’s Yeo-Neun is a first full length outing for her chamber music ensemble of the same name. The 10 best jazz albums of 2020. The best music of 2020. Listening to Boyd’s Dark Matter, he has clear incorporated that ethos into its sounds from the start. It is especially apt then, in this year of years, that it came from an artist who has forever been a champion of the feeling. That’s the sound of the gun going bang-bang…” It’s crystal clear from the razor sharp, opening cries on ‘War’, the first track on IDLES’ Utra Mono, that shots will be ringing out across the album. Elsewhere, ‘Popo’ moves through the sensibilities of trap, bouncing alongside waves of traditional Egyptian instrumentals, whilst ‘Capacidades’ invokes feelings of joy and nostalgia, all of which feeds into the final fanfare of ‘Emotions’. By returning to her own source, in 2020 Eartheater was reborn. Usually on Touching Bass. HI-FI Trends Product Of The Year Awards 2020: Best Amplifiers, Music Streamers. Exemplifying this capability is ‘Don’t Start Now’, turning what could be another mind numbing ‘get over them already’ track into a groove-driven antidote to lockdown yearnings. Because your deck deserves a treat. Soon, the fugue giving way to waves of piano, to rainfall, to the ebb and flow of sound as it exists in his imagination. “I will never stop singing this song. From pop-hued club euphoria, to face–melting death metal, and everything in between – our homes became dance floor and gig venue alike. – GH, Exploring “a post-human, non-binary understanding of life” Lyra Pramuk’s Fountain was composed entirely using only her own vocals. – GH, Omar S returned with a collection of sturdy, soulful house tunes on You Want. Gibbs’ previous outing, the Madlib collaboration Bandana, was barely a year old when Alfredo dropped, but Los Angeles-based Gangsta Gibbs went and snatched back-to-back Championship titles anyway. Through this rawness, the multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and vocalist transforms her music into precisely those cinematic realms she reached for, but didn’t quite manage to attain, on previous albums. We didn't even set ourselves the task of picking the absolute, definitive best 50 albums for audiophiles – and in reality this is just a selection of records from a collection of hundreds or thousands – but still it felt close to deciding which of your limbs you'd least mind being torn off by a bear. Check this music out in High-Resolution Audio! As the Coronavirus pandemic ripped through the planet, isolating us to levels not seen in generations, music brought us together. Contained within are slow-bubbling tune to get lost in, honing on the sparkle of a piano loop or synth ascension to incantatory effect – they’re the kinds of tracks that inspire dreaming of better days, a feeling that was hugely needed in 2020. VF Magazine’s end of year coverage highlights our favourite records from the past twelve months – music the editorial team returned to over and over again in 2020. Nor was systemic racism dismantled within the music industry, either. Veteran bands like Deftones and Lamb of God returned with stellar albums in 2020 while rising acts like Code Orange and Pallbearer continued to … That this depth of work was present across all of KMRU’s releases this year makes Peel all the more impressive still, with ten EPs and digital compositions, in addition to three full length albums, released in the past twelve months alone. – JB, Beyond the album, 2020 also saw Curry collaborating with Kamasi Washington, G Perico, and Daylyt, to create a sonic portrait of the horrors of police brutality against Black people, recorded in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. Dr Dre: ‘2001’: Dr Dre: ‘2001’: The work of one of modern music’s greatest producers at the top of his game. While the compilation could have turned into a schmaltzy covers album, the talent and innovations of all of the artists involved instead takes it into unique and decidedly new realms. True to form, the electronic enigmatic returned, with another album of stellar, slow burning techno, handed to DDS in a CDRs worth of files, marked solely with its title and track names. This proved to be a special juxtaposition to Curry’s sharp but disruptive style of delivery, turning tempo on its head, injecting his guttural growl into the verses. Ever the musical globe trotters, this time around the trio drew on inspirations from Pakistan, Korea, and West Africa, alongside Indian chanting boxes, and Congolese syncopated guitar, to create their symbiosis. One lays bare the harrows of Black oppression, the other offers a vision of Black hope – presented by the same group within months of each other. Notably, Future Nostalgia was released just as many countries first entered Coronavirus lockdowns, which raises the question: did Dua Lipa release Future Nostalgia to save us from lockdown-induced ennui, or did she think it was too powerful for the club? In just twenty-nine minutes, Nídia sustains, and effortlessly nods at, a wide range of sounds, creating a sensational album along the way. – GH, Actress’ Karma & Desire is self-described as, “a romantic tragedy set between the heavens and the underworld… the same sort of things that I like to talk about – love, death, technology, the questioning of one’s being.” As grandiose as the themes he wrestles with are, Karma & Desire is rooted in human shapes and formations, especially on the tracks that Sampha cameos on. Artists conjured audio solace through soundscapes, weirdly wonderful realms that played out in our imaginations, and tracks that spoke to our frustrations, and our joys. “I always look at this process as patchwork quilting,” Parker continues. We feel this list is not only made up of good music but music that’s also good “sonically”. Features Best Live Albums: 25 Classics That Make You Feel Like You Were There. – GH. It encompasses a record label, pressing plant and online magazine, and collaborates with artists and musicians to create stunning audio-visual shows. Drawing on youthful memories of Korean pop music as well as Lee’s classical music training, cello, bass, piano, and harp are carefully interwoven in a game of counterpoint and subtle dissonance. It’s best heard on a track like ‘These Pipedreams’, for example. Call it synchronicity, or just life as normal for the global Black population. These see IDLES taking aim at social-political issues including racism, homophobia, mental health, and toxic masculinity. So, when a label like Lobster Theremin swoops in to give an album that we’ve loved its physical outing, this is cause for rejoicing. Set My Heart on Fire Immediately, the fifth studio album by Perfume Genius, boasts the best album title of 2020. As is to be expectd, Kenny Beats’ production is of a high standard, listeners know what to expect from him these days. Kevin Parker’s unlikely journey from psych rock weirdbeard to 21st century pop visionary reached its final destination on Tame Impala’s fourth album. In the context of the themes traversed throughout this stereo-modernist sound, the album explores the concept of arrhythmia, the dissonance between two rhythms – in this case, Black people and the violent states in which we reside across the world. – LR, Siti of Unguja (Romance Revolution On Zanzibar) by Siti Muharam, Siti Muharam’s great grandmother, Siti Binti Saad, was a pioneer of the Taarab scene; traditionally sung by men in Arabic, Siti Binti Saad performed in Swahili, dissecting everything from everyday life to class oppression and the systemic abuse of women. Production is like magic - the people who are really good at it will never tell you their secrets. Something big was on the way, but few could have predicted the power of the two albums they would release in 2020 – UNTITLED (Black Is), followed by UNTITLED (Rise). Genius Loves Company – Ray Charles. The Journal of Affordable High-End Audio – Budget Hi Fi Magazine, Audiophile News, Budget Audiophile, Home Stereo System, Best Headphones. Thematically centred around the Angolan civil war, each track documented his personal experiences of the war, and its aftermath. This shift was also mirrored in his lyricism, which delves into sociopolitical issues, systemic racism, as well as his experiences in prison. PIG FEET.”, As visceralling affecting as any album in 2020, Nazar made his debut on Hyperdub with Guerilla. Who cares how it’s classified, really. – GH, Yaeji’s WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던 mixtape saw her continuing the combination of ethereal vocals and dreamy lo-fi house she established in previous releases such as EP2 and Yaeji, while also expanding her sonic palette. In the process, they created a reckoning through sound, palimpsests of these months that will live forever in our collective sonic memories. Musicians also re-invented their past personas into new iterations, ones that seemed more deeply human than ever, abandoning hyper-production in favour of rawness and the real. This is the beauty of what Bradock does so well – challenging preconceptions, luring you in with one idea before unveiling something different instead. Cambridge Audio Gives Their Music Streamers A Boost With Tidal Connect. This is best seen on ‘volcano’ and also woven through moments across several other tracks . – LR, Lead by beguiling piano as its driving-force, multi-disciplinary artist Duval Timothy’s Help wrapped comfort, yearning, heartbreak and struggle into every key. Outstanding! Building on the cavernous feeling of Unlit Signals – the album’s cover is certainly fitting – Ploy layered a thick fog of murky, electronic dread over each of its eight tracks. This is largely thanks OTM’s low-slung, acid that comes wrapped in the woozy embrace of South African musician Kamohelo Khoaripe’s vocals, along with halcyon-hued, synthesizer hooks. The Beatles -- Abbey Road (1969) The Beatles' music still endures 50 years after the band broke up, and every vinyl fan probably owns at least one of ... Amy Winehouse -- Back to Black (2006) The Clash -- London Calling (1979) Father John Misty -- … Likewise, past records have seen Yves Tumor Heaven labeled as experimental, something to be re-examined in the context of his journey as an artist. If the tune, and the LP for that matter, are anything to go by, this is, excitingly, only the beginning for the young artist as well. If you were still hoping for a dose of her former grandiose, Drewchin made sure to include this too – Phoenix: Flames Are Dew Upon My Skin’s cover adorned with a photo of her winged and amidst flames, sparks flying from her posterior. Across the album, she explored Afro-Portuguese dance music and percussions, as well as showcasing the growing maturity of her production style and influences. An apt merger of the tonal and atonal elements that underpin her intriguing body of work. – GH, London rapper J Hus had a lot to live up to creating the follow-up to his much loved Common Sense. Much of the album’s overall tone felt like a homage of sorts to the grime-y NY rap of the ’90s with a forward twist. Back Home – Eric Clapton. To properly understand the context to this performance, what Bat Dawid wrote on the release’s Bandcamp page is an essential read – detailing a background of ongoing racism, insensitivity and microaggressions that the group experienced leading up to, and during, this show at 2019’s JazzFest Berlin. ), Breaking through its own clouds, Peel’s opener, ‘Why Are You Here’ envelops in a delicately lapping synthesizer across 15-sweeping minutes. ), but listen to the second half of his previous album, Safe In The Hands of Love, and you’ll hear hazy indie rock above all else. Although defining it to just these four seems totally reductive when you listen to it. I told them hurt, fearless, angry, aware and fully ready to protect me, my family & my people at all cost. appears as a soundtrack for mysterious night time excursions. .Usually on Touching Bass. HHY & The Kampala Unit’s debut album Lithium Blast follows similar suit in encapsulating these elements, both in terms of its quality as well as its uniqueness. 31st December, 2020. The Best (Sounding) Albums Of 2020. When I Look in Your Eyes – … (The label also released cktrl’s Robyn – one of our favourite EPs from the past twelve months. Yes, he employs experimentalism (what great artist doesn’t? The LP is a fresh bloom in the scene, lead by Bea’s tender vocals and hazy riffs. Released on Planet Mu, DeForrest Brown Jr’s Black Nationalist Sonic Weaponry is a full-bodied auditory experience, exploring the systematic displacement of Black communities with a linear consideration to rhythmic music. – JB, Sounding derivative or throwback is a frequent pitfall of rock records that wear its heroes on their sleeve. Not satisfied with just one hit album, Lipa also released a remix LP featuring Yaeji, Jayda G, Mr Fingers, Moodymann, and more. Such is very much the situation with Elsa Hewitt’s Citrus Paradisi, an album returned to many times over since its debut, thanks to her sublime vocals and productions that incorporate experimental electronica, folk, and psychedelia into its visions. As this is not The mp3. Like Sol, the album’s producer Inflo has also gone from strength to strength in 2020 with their Sault projects, but A Rose In The Dark, also displayed a level of depth to his production beyond what he previously explored working with musicians like Michael Kiwanuka and Little Simz. At War with the Mystics – The Flaming Lips. Elsewhere, ‘Cosmic.m4a’ displayed some of Curry’s best bars on the short project. – GH, Following a spiritual dream of performing in Lahore, Tenderlonious (aka Ed Cawthorn) travelled to Pakistan to collaborate with local quartet Jaubi. Filled with me ‘When I’m In Your Arms,” could arguably be r’n’b song of the year, with its bass guitar that reverberates through the soul – a feeling that echoes everywhere on the record. When much of the excessive flourishes are gone from the tracks, what’s left is Alexandra Drewchin stripping herself down to her immense, three-octave voice, in all its beautiful glory. Top 25 Albums of 2020 (So Far) These are the records we've leaned on during the last six tumultuous months As such, Pramuk understands the voice as something to be manipulated, reimagined, and rearranged. In 2020, we have two albums of the year, inextricably linked to each other, and to this time. Some of the turntables offer upgrade options such as an acrylic plinth, which not only looks smarter but may offer a sound … Sticking to 150b pm, and gating the reverb and echo that dominate so much electronica, Workaround’s strikingly crisp production goes against the grain, and sounds all the better for it. – GH, The Dancing Devils of Djibouti by Groupe RTD, Astoundingly, Groupe RTD’s album marked the first international album released from The Republic of Djibouti. Abstract being the key word here, because there is nary a repetitive drum pattern in sight. Stream it at Spotify here. As a musical response, it’s blistering and mighty. “I hope the absurdity that permeates everything joyfully rushes out, and floods the room like water from the ceiling, undermining all of our delicate stabilities, admitting that each moment is a new collapsing building.” Across its 44:44 minutes, the performance – or album, or song, however you choose to define it – embodies a sonic ode to memories, to lives lost over the past twelve months, whether temporary or permanent. Almost every track opens with the same short snippet, “well you know you, and you know me, were brothers. – GH, “I think I can solve it, I can be your all, ain’t no problem, baby,” Yves Tumor croons on Heaven To A Tortured Mind opener ‘Gospel For A New Century’. Cambridge Audio Melomania Touch Review: These True Wireless Earbuds Are The Real Deal! ‘Pace’ is a jaunt of an opener, offering a bright and joyful jolt to the system, while the title track beautifully marries jazz with dub — reflecting the album’s overall uncompromising approach. The reality is, however, also like magic; the only secret is hard work. Familiar purveyors of sonic sunshine Khruangbin continued to cultivate this feeling in Mordechai, as well creating one of the year’s best videos along the way. However, that supposed reckoning for white supremacy tragically never came. Further addressing themes of equality, and female genital mutilation, the group incorporates elements of highlife, garage rock, Congolese rumba, Beninese sato, and psychedelia seamlessly into their sound. Though it marked Duma’s debut, Martin Khanja (aka Lord Spike Heart, which is also our favourite artist name this year) and Sam Karugu are no stranger to Nairobi’s metal scene. With Songs as a work of lyrical immediacy, and Instrumentals as its long form sibling, both are drawn from a fabric of solitude and loss that has resonated deeply in 2020. – LR, Weathering the first weeks of the pandemic in a Western Massachusetts wooden cabin, Songs/ Instrumentals sprung to life when Adrianne Lenker asked friend and producer Phillip Weinrobe if he’d like to “make a record that sounds like the inside of an acoustic guitar?” The wooden instrument in question here is not only the one that Lenker plays so beautifully, but by extension her adopted home within which she was residing. From this viewpoint, Alterity, whilst keeping stasis and fatigue at bay, is not a work of keenly interlocking beats and frequencies, but a work that compels on its left turns and wealth of ideas. Formerly known as Bubblerap, and a member of jazz-rap group Hawk House, 2020 saw Demae stepping out on her ones, in debut solo album Life Works Out . The debut album under his Brigitte Barbu alias is no exception. – JB, With alterity being defined as ‘a state of otherness’, this Houndstooth collection set out to celebrate the abundant diversity of 2020’s electronica. Here are 25 albums from 2020's first six months that are worth holding onto for the next six, and beyond. Best Buys: 5 Marvelous MQA (Master Quality Authenticated) DACs…$99 to $799! Layering her own, softly radiating vocals, Barwick is able to transcend from ambient moments to evocative highs. Ethereal is more apt, that is if you’re considering his words in a conventional way, of course. This field currently holds the Best Immersive Audio Album award as its sole category. Despite these stylistic moves away from his previous releases, Big Conspiracy proved to be no less engaging. Recreated, seemingly perfectly, during recent live, recorded performances, it is likewise a marvel to behold. The result is equal parts raucous, melodic, bewitching, and wholly singular. UNTITLED (Black Is) offers a full-bodied, transformative listening experience, while UNTITLED (Rise) gives us the language and freedom to imagine what our futures could be. You want the best…”, and Omar S certainly delivers on these words. Labels and artists wrestled with delays exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic, which became more troublesome than ever before. Likewise, in a year such as 2020 when time is truly amorphous, and causes for celebration are decidedly minimal, specifications regarding what classifies as ‘new’ can be thrown out the window – on a case-by-case basis of course. – JB, “Waaaaa-ching! (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Enter your email address and subscribe to our newsletter. Factory, the remit of what can be covered sadly excludes many gems that actually deserve much shine here. The best albums of 2020 so far Clockwise from bottom left: BC Camplight, Fiona Apple, Jay Electronica, Carla Bley, KeiyaA. Overall, Unlit Signals is a strong debut, and a pointed reminder of the world-building, atmospheric power of techno. Watch and try to prevent your mouth from dropping, a sentiment that likewise prevails throughout the album. The timing of UNTITLED (Black Is) was bittersweet poetry, as the death of George Floyd lit a powder keg around the world – one that has exploded many times before, and did so once again this summer. one of our favourite EPs from the past twelve months, Muzak pour ascenseurs en panne by Brigitte Barbu, Listen to our playlist featuring almost 1000 records from VF Live sets, Spending on vinyl is expected to surpass CDs for the first time since 1987. While his classic house sounds shine brightest on ‘Oops’ and ‘The Sound of Neptune’, You Want also features a surprisingm murky techno tune in the form of ‘1993’, while Ian Finkelstein’s piano compliments Omar S’ production on ‘That’s Lil Boy’, and standout tune ‘Second Life’ (featuring John F.M.) My thirst for great sound has led me on a delightful music quest that continues today. Sometimes the feeling is overwhelming, summoning the kinds of emotions that make you suddenly inhale sharply, catching yourself before it all comes tumbling out. The record itself, The Dancing Devils of Djibouti involves the effusive, nine-member collective merging funk-fuelled rhythms with traditional instrumentals, lead by the incantatory vocals of singer Asma Omar. (The label also released cktrl’s Robyn – one of our favourite EPs from the past twelve months.) ‘War’ also boasted what is arguably the best drum solo this year. Particularly when songs like ‘Kerosene!’ echo this emotion: “I can be anything (oh, I can be), tell me what you need.”, Amidst gleefully considered sleeze and his beguiling guitar, Yves Tumor’s Heaven To A Tortured Mind celebrates himself – a queer, Black artist, two things that in 2020 are still severely lacking in rock music.
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