The Top 50 Albums Of 2020

Well, this year sure did suck!

When I posted my Best Of 2019 list almost one year ago today I lamented what an awful year it had been. In hindsight, it looks like maybe it wasn’t so bad after all! Can I take that one back? 2020 was monumentally more horrible in so many different ways. In the past twelve months (realistically maybe nine months?) anxiety and stress have quite literally shaved years off my life. I can’t believe I used to think scrolling through Twitter on a Sunday night was as bad is it gets. Try refreshing just the Los Angeles Department Of Health’s Twitter account every day countless times between 1pm and 5pm to find out how many new people around me are sick with a newly-discovered deadly disease. And that’s just one thing I do in the “normal” course of each day this year that is far more depressing and stressful than…you know…stopping to say “Trump said what?!” during an episode of Watchmen.

From January first through March 17th, I was going to work every day and listening to a ton of music. In a regular 8 hour day I probably listened to 5 hours of music and 3 hours of podcasts? But that came to a screeching halt the day I informed my bosses I was no longer comfortable coming into the office. Two days later the entire city of Los Angeles went into a lockdown, and now here we are in December with no end in sight.

While working from home I decided that I was going to listen to every single album in my record collection. The idea came to me because, well…now I’m home 24 hours a day. And I own a couple thousand albums. Now is as good a time as any to enjoy them.

My not being at work every day and listening to records I already own has severely limited my exposure to new music this year. Artists I’m already familiar with are easy enough to keep up with on Instagram. I can chat with my buddies Ian and Mike but honestly neither of them listened to much new music this year either. This makes finding 100 new albums — as it my annual goal — nearly impossible. I could lie and just start including artists I’m familiar with who released albums I haven’t listened to, but I want to remain as honest and genuine as possible. So this year I’m cutting the list in half. Everything else in 2020 was a huge disappointment so why should this list be any different!

As always, I’m going to try to write a brief blurb about each album on the list. These take time, since I can’t remember specific details off the top of my head. If I use too-similar adjectives for multiple albums or repeat words/phrases over and over again, I apologize. I generally write this post over the course of days or even weeks. I’ll skim it once it’s complete to make sure there isn’t anything too egregious. Beyond that, you’ll just have to forgive me and my tiny vocabulary.

Enjoy the list. As always, let me know what you think in the comments. What did I get right, what did I get wrong, what did I forget, and what did you dig the most in 2020. Oh, and because this past year has been so difficult for artists around the globe, please considering buying these albums from the artists…maybe on one of the days when Bandcamp eliminates fees, so the artists get all the proceeds. Thanks!

The Top 50 Albums Of 2020

50. Mrs. Piss – Self Surgery (Sargent House) – The collaboration between singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe and drummer Jess Gowrie is a grunge-y, sludge-y affair, and a welcome change from the vibe of the last couple Wolfe solo records, Birth of Violence and Hiss Spun, which were a little too polished for my tastes. [Buy On Bandcamp]

49. Sun Araw – Rock Sutra (Sun Ark) – It feels like it’s been a half decade since Cameron Stallones has graced one of my Year-End lists. Less space rock and more funk/afrobeat, it’s like The Inner Tree decided to focus more on fun and less on mind-bending psychedelics. In a year that has been anything but fun, this is a welcome change. [Buy on Bandcamp]

48. Necks – Three (Northern Spy) – After 21 albums, the Australian instrumentalists are still churning out glorious slabs of ambient free-jazz wonderment. Album opener “Bloom” manages to be both motorik and pensive, maybe like what Neu! would sound like if they collaborated with Fabio Orsi. “Lovelock” is pure drone, and “Further” sounds like a well-oiled post-rock machine, or maybe a passage on one of the first two 1 Mile North records. [Buy On Bandcamp]

47. Cabaret Voltaire – Shadow Of Fear (Mute) – Talk about a blast from the past. Cab Volt’s first record since the early/mid ’90s is not exactly a return to glory but it’s damn close. Stephen Mallinder’s electro-punk vocals were crucial to those early albums, but the heavily-affected samples are — in their own way — on the same wavelength. It’s dubby and dance-y, while flashing enough punk energy to make it an exciting and enjoyable listen. [Listen to “Be Free”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

46. Evan Caminiti – Varispeed Hydra (Dust Editions) – For fans of Tim Hecker or Vladislav Delay. I feel like if I lived in NYC in March this would be the perfect soundtrack for that time and place. Fuzzy ambient dub mashed up with natural elements like insect or bird sounds creates an atmosphere of late night empty streets in a sad, slumbering city. [Buy On Bandcamp]

45. Windy And Carl – Allegiance And Conviction (Kranky) – Is it just me or is Windy louder on this album than in the past? I like it! It’s got their usual ambient drone-y shoegaze vibe, but you can actually hear what she’s singing now. [Buy On Bandcamp]

44. Car Seat Headrest – Making A Door Less Open (Matador) – I’m not usually one to empathize with the whole, “Ugh. Fame! Am I right?!” tortured artist thing, so at first I was skeptical of an album recorded by an “alter ego” that sounds identical to the artist who conceived it in every way except the music is a little more dance-y and a little less rock. But the same elements that make Will Toledo’s previous records as enrapturing as they are — namely his natural abilities as a wordsmith and creator of melodies — are as well-honed as ever. If his craft is still in top form, who am I to roll my eyes at the alter ego stuff? [Buy On Bandcamp]

42. Inter Arma – Garbers Day Revisited (Relapse) It’s a covers album, so I can’t get too excited about it. The cover of Neil Young’s “Southern Man” is an instant classic, and the Venom cover (“In League With Satan”) is also good. I wouldn’t say this is a good entry point for those of you who are unfamiliar with Inter Arma, but if you already know you like them you’ll like this. [Buy On Bandcamp]

41. Mr. Bungle – The Raging Wrath of The Easter Bunny Demo (Ipecac) – Technically this one is a re-recording of the band’s 1986 demo, but it was a fun listen and offered a great stroll down memory lane. If only I’d gotten to see them when they played the Fonda in February. [Buy On Bandcamp]

40. Vatican Shadow – Persian Pillars Of The Gasoline Era (20 Buck Spin) – There’s a sterile, creepy ambiance to this record that makes me feel like I’m trapped in an asylum waiting for my daily meds…it reminds me of The Haxan Cloak but fully-fleshed out and less reliant on space to ratchet up the horror. [Buy On Bandcamp]

39. Microphones – Microphones In 2020 (P.W. Elverum & Sun) – It makes me feel incredibly old that “The Glow” Pt. 2 and Mount Eerie were included in my Top Albums lists when I was writing for my college newspaper. I still have my retrospective from 2003 on this computer, when I described the latter as…wait, never mind. This is 2020 I can’t in good faith post language as crude and insensitive anymore. This is just one 45-minute song, and if the past 17 years old have found me being this honest about my writing then versus now, imagine how Phil must feel? Luckily we can tell just how he feels by listening to Microphones In 2020. [Buy On Bandcamp]

38. Autechre – SIGN (Warp) – I wouldn’t say it’s a toe-tapper, but it’s certainly more listenable than anything this electronic duo have released in…I don’t know, the past decade? If my buddy Matt and I were still in high school, awake in the wee hours of the morning playing Quake…I’d be listening to this record while hunting him down with a rocket launcher. [Listen to “F7”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

37. Spirit Adrift – Enlightened In Eternity (20 Buck Spin) – The best track on this album is also the least Spirit Adrift-y on the album, “Reunited In The Void.” It’s the least Sabbath/Maiden/Priest sounding cut on the record, but there’s something singular about it that I would like to hear more of in the future. I think it incorporates more of Nathan Garrett’s influences across a wider musical palette than any other song on the album, and thus it’s a more engaging listen than the rest of these songs. And sometimes one song is enough to catapult a record onto a Best Of list. [Listen to “Reunited In The Void”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

36. Oneohtrix Point Never – Magic Oneohtrix Point Never (Warp) – I have to say, I think is is my favorite Daniel Lopatin record since R Plus Seven. I wasn’t a fan of the Uncut Gems score, and am long past praying each new album is going to sound more like Replica or Returnal, but this one is special. If “Long Road Home” and “Tales From The Trash Stratum” are polar opposites in terms of the breadth of this album’s songs, they also rank among the best compositions of his entire career, as far as my personal tastes go. That Lopatin can traverse so many sonic tropes so seamlessly over the course of 45 minuets is a testament to his immense artistic talent. [Buy On Bandcamp]

35. Bill Callahan – Gold Record (Drag City) – If for some reason you continue to read this website year after year and have not fallen in love with the music of Bill Callahan…I don’t know what else I can tell you. He is one of the greatest singer-songwriters of his generation, and there will always be a spot on my Year-End list for him. [Buy On Bandcamp]

34. Mary Lattimore – Silver Ladders (Ghostly International) – You probably have several records in your collection featuring the contributions of harpist Mary Lattimore. Off the top of my head I know she’s recorded with Kurt Vile, Sharon Van Etten, Marissa Nadler, Fursaxa, and Jefre Cantu-Ledesma…probably many others I’m forgetting. For me, this is a perfect sitting around the new house, deep in my cups, philosophizing to myself record. I contemplate the melodies. I contemplate my drink. I contemplate my place in the world. It has a positive, calming effect on me. [Listen to “Silver Ladders”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

33. Elder – Omens (Armageddon Shop) – As much as I fell in love with Reflections of A Floating World and The Gold & Silver Sessions, I have to admit Omens might be my favorite Elder record yet. The production is fantastic. I love the addition of the synths and how they shine with the onslaught of guitar/bass/drums being dialed back slightly. It’d be prosaic to say the lush, ARP-y prog vibes make the songs “trippier,” but it’s also true! In fact I’m now debating — literally as I write this — buying a pass to the Psycho Pool Party before Psycho Las Vegas in 2021 just to see these guys live. [Buy On Bandcamp]

32. Angel Olsen – Whole New Mess (Jagjaguwar) – So I guess in 2019 Angel Olsen recorded these songs with just her and a guitar, then re-recorded more fleshed out versions and released them as All Mirrors. That album is phenomenal for a variety of reasons, but the immediacy of her voice and guitar here are equally striking. [Listen to “Whole New Mess”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

31. Ulver – Flowers of Evil (House Of Mythology) – You either love or hate Ulver for defying expectations with each successive album. I feel like people who loved Bergtatt have long since moved on (probably since…ATGCLVLSSCAP?). And now that Ulver is basically a modern darkwave with some sultry vocals, well…you probably have to be into that sort of thing to appreciate it. I, for one, love it. If you like Depeche Mode or The The there is no reason you shouldn’t enjoy this. [Buy On Bandcamp]

30. Cult Of Fire – Moksha / Nirvana (Beyond Eyes Productions) – I might not have been able to talk to Ian daily this year about what new metal records he was enjoying, but I certainly woke up to a Google Hangout message recommending the new Cult Of Fire. The Czech metal collective unleashed a double-disc dose of scorching black metal that ranks among the best metal records I heard in 2020. [Buy On Bandcamp / Buy On Bandcamp]

29. Aksak Maboul – Figures (Crammed Discs) – It’s been a loooong time since I’ve written about Aksak Maboul. Their 1980 album Un Peu De L’Âme Des Bandits is a masterpiece. That album featured members of Univers Zero and Art Bears. 40 years later, Figures finds founding member Marc Hollander collaborating with his wife Veronique Vincent (of The Honeymoon Killers) on a fantastic collection of songs. The hallmarks are there, the found sounds and the weird jazzy avant-garde nuances…but the lyrics and vocals stand-out as the highlight of these songs. [Buy On Bandcamp]

28. Library Tapes – The Quiet City (1631 Recordings) – David Wenngren returned this year with two new records, a set of vignettes for solo piano called Summer Songs, and a record with accompanying strings (and synthesizer) called The Quiet City, which is as haunting and beautiful as anything he’s released…well, ever. It’s “cold” in Los Angeles right now, but sitting outside on my patio overlooking the San Gabriel Mountains feels just right when juxtaposed to these songs. [Listen to “Brighter Lights”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

27. Future – High Off Life (Epic) – …And now for something completely different. For all the decadence and pomp and indulgence you hear about in Future songs…man, there’s this undercurrent of sadness and depression that really hooks me. Just listen to “Life Is Good” to get an idea about the contrast between luxury apartments, fancy wristwatches, and Louboutins…and then the laconic, mournful melodies. I dig it. It’s good drinking music.

26. Bruce Springsteen – Letter To You (Columbia) – That I am now 37 years old and have included new albums by Bruce Springsteen on two recent “Top Albums Of The Year” list surely means I’M GETTING OLD. Also, it’s Bruce Springsteen, he probably doesn’t need you to buy this album, but I’m sure you can find it somewhere and listen to it, and you’ll probably come back to me and say, “You were right Evan. It’s pretty fucking good.”

25. Deradoorian – Find The Sun (Anti-) – The first time I saw Angel Deradoorian perform live I think she was playing songs off her record Mind Raft. In particular, “Moon” struck me as being absolutely brilliant. I kind of glossed over her work with Dirty Projectors, instead longing for more solo albums. This made the release of Find The Sun this year an welcome surprise. I purchased it in the hopes of one moment to cling to as warped and trippy as “Moon.” Instead I was gifted with several such moments. “Monks Robes,” “Waterlily,” and “Sun” are rife with killer psychedelic weirdness. [Listen to “Monks Robes”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

24. Sumac – May You Be Held (Thrill Jockey) – How lucky are we Aaron Turner stans to have received a new Sumac album and two new Old Man Gloom albums this year? Ever since their collaboration with Keiji Haino Sumac has been incorporating way more atmosphere into their work, and May You Be Held is no exception. Hell, there isn’t a single riff on the first track. So when the drums hit on the title track, you’ve been waiting seven or eight minutes for that moment of cathartic release. The whole album follows suit. It’s challenging, and to my ears that always makes for the an enjoyable listen. [Buy On Bandcamp]

23. Hilary Woods – Birthmarks – (Sacred Bones) – I’m past the halfway point of this list and this is the first Sacred Bones release I’ve included this year. That’s how I know 2020 was fucked. Usually I’m all over Sacred Bones new releases, and this year I think this might be the only new release I purchased from them. I liked Colt a lot (#31 on the Top 100 of 2018), but seeing Hilary perform live here in LA made me appreciate her so much more, so I think I’ve been enjoying Birthmarks so much more as a result. “Tongues Of A Wild Boar” sets the tone for the dark, noisy affair that is to follow. I haven’t been that intrigued by an opening track since “Mer” from the Chelsea Wolfe album Apokalypsis. [Buy On Bandcamp]

22. William Basinski – Lamentations (Temporary Residence) – I have to say, this is as invigorating as any Basinski release since The Disintegration Loops. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Sparkle Division album, but Lamentations is right up my alley. That tape loops can stir this much emotion is as fascinating to me as it is stunning. [Buy On Bandcamp]

21. Sólstafir – Endless Twilight Of Co-Dependent Love (Season Of Mist) – In a year in which all of us likely dealt with mental health issues, either our own or those of friends and family, suggesting an album that uses mental health as its central theme is a touchy prospect. Thankfully, most of the singing here is in Icelandic. So you can totally ignore that if you want! But, should you enjoy the group’s post-metal style enough to dig deeper, you’ll find a world of misery that makes each song hit that much harder. [Buy On Bandcamp]

20. Jason Molina – Eight Gates (Secretly Canadian) – I was torn about including these songs on this list because… honestly… I don’t agree with the act of releasing an artist’s unfinished work posthumously. On the other hand, I miss Jason Molina so much. I welled up with tears listening to “Whisper Away” for the first time. There are no words to describe how important his music has been to my life, so the ability to unpack these “new” songs — however incomplete they may be — does help to fill the void left when he passed away. [Listen to “Whisper Away”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

19. Vladislav Delay – Rakka (Cosmo Rhythmatic) – It’s been six years since Finnish musician Sasu Ripatti (aka Vladislav Delay) last appeared on one of these lists. His last proper album, Visa, ranked #51 in 2014. Then Ripatti reportedly sold all of his recording equipment and abandoned his career.  it Inspired by the time he spent in the wilderness above arctic circle, Rakka might actually be my favorite album of his since Entain. appeared on my radar almost twenty years ago. [Buy On Bandcamp]

18. 1 Mile North – Tombs & Cocoons (Wortcunner) – There was very little fanfare when this digital-only album was released back in February, but to my ears “Shadows On Mile Hill” is one of the best 1MN compositions since Minor Shadows came out in 2003. Also, because there wasn’t even a press release or anything touting Tombs & Cocoons I have no idea if “Deja Vu With Pajo” is simply a reference to Pajo, or if he actually plays on the track. Oh well! Either way it’s great. [Buy On Bandcamp]

17. Couch Slut – Take A Chance On Rock ‘n’ Roll (Gilead Media) – I guess technically this was an Ian recommendation, only he introduced this band to me a few years ago, and I didn’t know they released an album in 2020 until I saw someone on social media freaking out about how good it was (note: that guy was right!). If at any point this year you’ve felt like you just want to break something…put this album on. It’s all the noisy, furious catharsis you could possibly ask for. [Listen to “The Mouthwash Years”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

16. Oranssi Pazuzu – Mestarin kynsi (Nuclear Blast) – How fucking cool is this record? It sounds at times like black metal Goblin, and if that description doesn’t intrigue you, well…I certainly can’t help you open your mind to new music. [Buy On Bandcamp]

15. Boris – NO (Blood Sucker Records) – Is this the best Boris record since Smile? Maybe even since Pink? It might just be. Even though I try to see them whenever they’re in town, I really haven’t been this excited about an album of theirs in a long time (even though several have appeared on these lists in the years since Smile and Pink). It incorporates all the elements that first grabbed my attention, beginning with the one-two punch of doom-y “Genesis” and frantic punk-y “Anti-Gone” to its ambient closing track “Interlude”. NO offers a joyous trip down memory lane for anyone who gave up on Boris when they released New Album. [Buy On Bandcamp]

14. Caspian – On Circles (Triple Crown) – In the entirety of Caspian’s discography, there might not be a better three song run than the closing tracks of On Circles: “Collapser,” “Ishmael,” and “Circles On Circles.”A lot of post-metal/post-rock bands start tread water after a while (see: Explosions In The Sky). The last two Caspian records — released ten and fifteen years after their debut EP, respectively — have been fantastic. [Listen to “Collapser”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

13. Pallbearer – Forgotten Days (Nuclear Blast) – Is it possible to grow while returning to form? Seems like an odd concept, but after taking a little detour with Heartless, Pallbearer are back to sounding like they did on Foundations Of Burden, only…a little more melancholy and a little more…self-assured? Does that make sense? It starts with the middle section of the title track — a pensive, sad moment bookended by passages of heavy doom. These little moments are sprinkled deftly throughout the album, which makes for an engrossing listening experience. [Buy On Bandcamp]

12. Zelienople – Hold You Up (Miasmah) – Matt Christensen has been steadily releasing new music in recent years, but there hasn’t been a proper Zelienople record since 2015’s Show Us The Fire (#2 on my list that year). I think every album the Chicago trio has released since Jefre Cantu-Ledesma first hipped me to them has landed near the top of these Year-End lists. Stone Academy ranked #6 in 2006, His/Hers was #20 in 2007, Give It Up was #2 in 2009, and The World Is A House On Fire was #2 in 2012. I think at this point I can safely say they are not only an all-time favorite band of mine, but they are one of the most consistently excellent, innovative, and expressive bands of the past 15 years. [Buy On Bandcamp]

11. Secret Machines – Awake In The Brain Chamber (TSM Recordings) – These guys were one of my favorite bands of the ’00s. Living in the shadow of NYC meant they’d play around often, either on their own or opening for bands like Blonde Redhead and Interpol and, if memory serves, Spiritualized one time. After a lengthy hiatus, there is new album. This New York Times article is worth a read. A new record was never going to sound like a rehashed September 000 or Now Here Is Nowhere, but it stands on its own as a fantastic album. A little more dreamy, a little less immediacy than the two aforementioned albums, but it’s still Secret Machines and I love it. [Listen to “Talos’ Corpse”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

10. Old Man Gloom – Seminar VIII: Light Of Meaning (Profound Lore) – Fans of OMG were treated to not one but two new albums this year. Both have lots to love, are (mostly) similar in tone and style… [Buy On Bandcamp]

09. Old Man Gloom – Seminar IX: Darkness Of Being (Profound Lore) – But I prefer the atmospherics on Seminar IX just a hair bit more. Also, “Love Is Bravery” is probably my favorite track on either album, so that gives this one the edge. [Listen to “Love Is Bravery”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

08. Deftones – Ohms (Warner) – It feels…weird to include a Deftones album on this list. I was, admittedly, not a fan of this band — and the genre that used to be called nu-metal as a whole — when I was younger. It took a lot of persuasion from Ian to even give White Pony a chance, several years after it came out. Funny how time — and maturity — allows us to open our minds to those bands we thought sucked when we were in high school. Now I love White Pony, and I was actually excited by the prospect of hearing a new Deftones album in 2020. Ohms did not disappoint. It’s hard to see the band making any sweeping changes to their sound at this point, but there are enough tiny moments (a synth drone here and there) to keep you on your toes.

07. Anna von Hausswolff – All Thoughts Fly – (Southern Lord) – I never thought I’d dig an AvH album of solo pipe organ, because Anna’s voice is so integral to her music…but All Thoughts Fly totally proved me wrong. The result is the best ambient album I heard all year. As haunting as it is beautiful, this one demands your attention. [Buy On Bandcamp]

06. Emma Ruth Rundle / Thou – May Our Chambers Be Full (Sacred Bones) – So, to be fair, I pre-ordered the deluxe edition of this album from the label, which includes some bonus songs that I think were released separately as a standalone EP to normal folk. That EP (called The Helm Of Sorrow) includes a cover of “Hollywood” by the Cranberries that might be the best cover song I’ve heard in years. Definitely check that out. Emma and Thou sound like they belong together. She’s never sounded as confident, or as heavy, and her voice set against Bryan Funck’s screech is a perfect pairing. I didn’t get my copy of this album until relatively recently (and refused to listen to it until I had it in hand) but I have been spinning it almost daily since its arrival on my doorstep. Fan-fucking-tastic. [Listen to “Magickal Cost”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

05. Agnes Obel – Myopia (Blue Note / Deutsche Grammophon) – One of the biggest music-related tragedies of 2020 was the cancellation of a Dead Can Dance / Agnes Obel concert at the Greek Theater in May. This was one of the last new releases I dug into before the pandemic hit. I was able to sit with it at work, in my car, and at home for a few weeks before everything changed. Hearing it now as I write this it almost hurts to think how much has changed since my first listen. “Broken Sleep” and the title track are especially spectacular. In perfect 2020 fashion, my perception of these songs will forever be colored by what has become of this year. If that Dead Can Dance show happens in 2021 (it’s been rescheduled for May — we’ll see…) seeing these songs live will most assuredly be an emotional experience.

04. Freddie Gibbs / Alchemist – Alfredo (ESGN / ALC / Empire) – And now for something completely different! My favorite hip-hop album of the year. I was actually chatting with my buddy Mike a few minutes ago and he apologized for not recommending more music this year. He suggested the Mac Miller album Circles and The Koreatown Oddity’s Little Dominiques Nosebleed but I haven’t had enough time to sit with either one so they are not included on this list. Alfredo, on the other hand, sounded like a masterpiece the first time I heard it, and has remained pretty much one of the only hip-hop albums that has stuck with me through the latter half of 2020.

03. Envy – The Fallen Crimson (Temporary Residence) – The new Envy album (their first in five years) was so fucking good, it actually inspired me to pull all my Envy albums off my shelves and listen to them in chronological order. Twice. “Giddying” isn’t a word I would use often to describe my reaction to a new record, but there is no better word to use to describe my first impression of The Fallen Crimson. In a year in which everything seemingly felt scary and unfamiliar, the ability to grab onto something tangible — like the familiar sounds of a favorite band — can feel life affirming. That’s probably why I’ve kept returning to this record (and the rest of Envy’s discography) throughout the year. [Buy On Bandcamp]

02. Hum – Inlet (Earth Analog) – When this shit dropped, I could not stop listening to it. Aside from the fact that the tracks flow so easily you can enjoy it for hours without cessation, on some psychological level you could probably say that it harkened back to simpler times in a summer that was anything but normal. As someone who has probably listened to You’d Prefer An Astronaut hundreds of times since high school (or thousands? is that even possible?), the surprise release of Inlet was jaw-dropping news. It was the ultimate Hum thing to do — just drop a new album 23 years after your last one with no fanfare whatsoever. Let the music speak for itself. And boy, does it ever speak for itself. Brilliant, majestic, and captivating. [Listen to “Shapeshifter”] [Buy On Bandcamp]

01. Bohren & Der Club Of Gore – Patchouli Blue (Ipecac) – I feel like Ian and I have been talking about how much we want a new Bohren & Der Club Of Gore album for ages. As the bands catalog was reissued over the past several years, the hunger for new Bohren grew stronger. I even naively thought Bohren For Beginners in 2016 was going to be a new album, when it turned out to just be a compilation. So when Patchouli Blue was released in January it felt like a literal weight was lifted off my chest. Hearing their familiar, Twin Peaks-y doom jazz again was like slipping into the warm embrace of an opiate haze. If I was going to spend 2020 hiding from the world under a mountain of blankets with a magically refillable glass of bourbon in one hand, this would be playing in the background on repeat. And The Man From Another Place would be haunting me in the red room with his creepy dance. “Let’s Rock!” [Listen to “Patchouli Blue”]