Hi, everyone! I can't believe we've finally reached the end of the craziest year on record, 2020. I am very excited to share my "YEAR IN REVIEW" with you guys, where I'll be sharing my picks for top ten albums, top twenty songs*, and my newly-introduced Bazzreviews Year-End Awards. I couldn't come up with a catchy enough title for them (The "Bazzies," for one, but that sounds sort of cheesy), so if you guys have a possible name or future categories for them, I'm all ears. In any case, I thought that introducing these awards would be a fun way of giving praise to the artists who I thought did a tremendous job musically, despite many environmental factors limiting this year. So, with all that being said, here are my favorite musical moments of the year. Enjoy.
*top-20 songs will not be ranked, but sorted alphabetically.
TOP 10 ALBUMS:
10. Run the Jewels 4- Run the Jewels
To be fair, this is far from Run the Jewels’ best album, but I think it deserves to make this list because it is politically relevant to our nation right now. It was released right after the protests of George Floyd arose in early June, and RTJ4 proves that Killer Mike and EL-P are a testament to the impact music can have on its audience. It can unify people in a time of distress, or effectively translate the message of a population. I also think their ideas are amplified by the whole “Yankee and the Brave” TV show motif across the album. If you read my review in June, you might have remembered I did not necessarily care for it all that much. However, after watching this video by bazzreviews interview alum, Polyphonic, I came to appreciate the extra effort that went into subverting their ideas into the listener’s minds. Hopefully the album will age a little bit better, but it is a vital listen for all those who want to be politically active.
9. How I’m Feeling Now- Charli XCX
Hyperpop was a genre I grew a deep bond to in 2020. Charli XCX has been artist that’s been fun to watch evolve, and her release from earlier in 2020 still goes hard. I thought it was a super clean listen when I first heard it, and I still think that claim holds up now. I think that’s helped by the production from both A.G. Cook and Dylan Brady, which was a brilliant extension of her 2019 self-titled outing. If you’re someone who doesn’t like mainstream pop, but doesn’t want to dive too deep into the craziness of hyperpop, I’d say How I’m Feeling Now can appeal to the best of both worlds.
8. It Is What It Is- Thundercat
I think this record makes my list simply for getting me into more Thundercat. I reviewed this back in April, when I had only heard a few singles from him and nothing full length. I loved so much of what he had to offer here, both productionally and vocally. “Dragonball Durag” is arguably one of the best songs we got in 2020, and one I was constantly spinning. In fact, it actually became my top-five most-streamed song of the year on my Spotify Wrapped. Not only that, but it was Thundercat, too, that always appeared in my top-ten most streamed artists on Spotify stats websites across the year. If you haven’t heard any of his music at this point, don’t be like me and keep waiting.
7. We Will Always Love You- The Avalanches
I honestly thought the Avalanches were not going to drop a record in 2020, but they surprised me this past month with some of their finest songs to date. I heard some people call this project a little boring, but it was the complete opposite to me. I feel like they did a great job shaking up the formula, and presented a new and viable production style that they can work with on records of the future.
6. Sawayama- Rina Sawayama
The Grammy “Best New Artist” award is dumb and stupid. They nominate artists who have been busting their asses for years, and all of the sudden they had a “popular song.” If there’s anyone who should have been nominated, it was Rina Motha-Frikin Sawayama. She was one of the strongest newcomers I heard in 2020, and you won’t regret checking out this record. It’s full of tracks built on nostalgia, and I loved hearing those genres I grew up with completely reinterpreted by a modern figure.
5. Shore- Fleet Foxes
This was a record that took the indie community by surprise, as everyone was sort of in limbo over when it would drop. When it did drop, however, it was awesome. On Shore, Robin Peckinold and company are helping bolster this recent “new wave” of folk music we have been seeing with people like Phoebe Bridgers and Bon Iver. The writing feels very personal, and I love the transcendental vibe the record gave off. This is definitely worth checking out if you’re a big fan of the group, or if you’re just a casual listener.
4. After Hours- The Weeknd
This has gained a significant amount of notoriety recently due to the fact that the RIAA chose to completely snub The Weekend in the Grammy nominations. Was this revenge for Abel choosing to perform at what will likely be an empty Super Bowl audience instead of at the Grammys? If so, not cool, guys. I’m getting sidetracked, but just know I’m not saying the Grammys are the end all, say all. Considering he’s the second most-listened-to artist in the world right now, give him some credit. He sticks to his famous dark production on After Hours, but is always someone who doesn’t completely stick to their guns. He’s willing to change up the formula and take risks, which he did excellently across the album. Hell, the dude even brought on Oneohtrix Point Never to produce some songs for this album… that’s almost as significant as Max Fischer saving Latin in Wes Anderson’s Rushmore for God’s sake. Anyways, still an awesome album, and I hope he drops something new very soon.
3. K.G.- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
I know the praise for this record hasn’t been great by King Gizzard standards, but I felt as if it’s one of their better offerings in recent times. Taking heed from Gizz projects past like Flying Microtonal Banana and Polygondwanaland was super cool, because I have a really strong bond with them. They were the two albums that served as my gateway into their discography, and here, we see that being done at a way higher level. I enjoyed some of the non-microtonal ideas on here, too, and I’m excited to see if they expand on any of those down the road.
2. Punisher- Phoebe Bridgers
I really wasn’t the biggest fan of Bridgers’ recent collaboration, Better Oblivion Community Center with Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst, but I think this record really gave me a change of heart on her. As I touched on at number five, it is Bridgers who I think is doing a great job at bringing a nice breath of fresh air to a genre that hasn’t necessarily seen a big revival in a while. So many incredible songs to speak of, “Kyoto” being my favorite of the bunch. While you’re listening to this album, you might as well check out the companion EP with alternate versions of the album’s songs, Copycat Killer.
1. Circles- Mac Miller
It’s kind of crazy to think a blind listen for me would actually top my end-of-year albums list. If I had never heard Mac Miller’s music before, I would have thought he’d have been doing this neo-soul/singer/songwriter style for years. Almost everything that went into this record is so genuine, the production, the lyrics, the mixing. It feels like co-producer Jon Brion really didn’t want to mess this up. It shows through, and Circles goes down as one of the most emotionally-charged projects of the year. If you could make it through a listen of this album without breaking down into tears, then I’ll give you a dollar.
SONGS OF THE YEAR:
Interstellar Love- The Avalanches feat. Leon Bridges
Naked- Bickle
enemy- Charli XCX
Fox- Dogleg
The Difference- Flume feat. Toro y Moi
Scottie Beam- Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist feat. Rick Ross
Notice Me- Harmless
Automation- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard
Good News- Mac Miller
The Two of Us- Omar Apollo
No Nightmares- Oneohtrix Point Never
Kyoto- Phoebe Bridgers
Invincible- Pop Smoke
XS-Rina Sawayama
yankee and the brave (ep. 4)- Run the Jewels
It Might Be Time- Tame Impala
Dragonball Durag- Thundercat
Dogboy- Yung Lean
Gospel For A New Century- Yves Tumor
END OF YEAR AWARDS:
Best Album of the Year
Circles by Mac Miller
I’ve discussed this album quite a bit on this post already, but yeah. This is my pick for album of the year, no doubt. It’s a bummer that like After Hours, no Grammy nods for this one either. Can’t wait to dive into some of Mac’s older stuff down the road!
Best Song
“Dragonball Durag” by Thundercat
“Durag” wins without very much competition at all. The jazzy piano chords and sax lines and Thundercat’s nerdy lyrics never get old. As I mentioned in my original review of It is What it Is, I had only heard bits of pieces of his whole discography before this. This was the song that got me excited to check out every previous project of his, and sure enough, I’m spinning him rather frequently.
Best Collaboration Album
Alfredo by Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist
The intention of this award is to commend the best showcase of two or more artists working on an album together. Denzel Curry and Kenny Beats were great on Unlocked, but I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Freddie Gibbs has the power to make any oldhead producer relevant again. I think it’s in the realm of possibility that we might get another Freddie/Alchemist collab record soon, but I’m still savoring the tasty beats and flows on Alfredo.
Best Debut Album
Sawayama by Rina Sawayama
I’m sure you guys are tired of seeing Rina’s name on this year-end recap. Not only was her self-titled on my top-10 albums list, but her song “XS” made my top-20 songs chart, too. The fact that she was able to bring back so many old styles of music and make them feel new was awesome. I’m really excited to see where she’ll go with her sophomore outing
Best New Artist
Dogleg
I think Dogleg narrowly beats out Rina for this one. They’ve gotten so much love from various music outlets in 2020, myself included. Melee is arguably one of the best in the punk genre from this year, and I was super fortunate to sit down with the band’s bassist, Chase Mackinski, back in May. Learning more about their creative process was super rewarding, and I think that allowed me to connect more with them.
Comeback Album of the Year
We Will Always Love You by the Avalanches.
This was another really tough decision. 2020 had a lot of big artists returning onto the scene. Artists like Fiona Apple, Tame Impala, Grimes, and The Strokes all dropped long-awaited albums, though none of them compared to the beauty of the Avalanches’ third studio album. I think choosing to dump their entire 7,000-odd collection of records, then started from scratch with all new samples, worked in a completely new style, and meshed well with a fair amount of artists I enjoy. It might not be as great as their older work, but those efforts alone left me very impressed with what they put on display.
Best Album Not From 2020
The Glow, Pt. 2 by the Microphones
As the award implies, this is usually one that comes from the Classics Months, or if I hear something throughout the year that was worthy of winning this award. The Glow, Pt. 2 was an album I rated very highly when I reviewed it earlier this year, and I can’t believe it took me so long to hear it. Phil Elverum never ceases to put me in my feels with every damn record he makes.
Best Song Not From 2020
“Be Nice 2 Me” by Bladee
Once again, one that will probably be taken from any of the “songs of the month” lists from across the year. It just so happens that “Be Nice 2 Me” by Swedish rapper Bladee happened to be my most-streamed song of the year, but I gave it the award for another reason: Like “Dragonball Durag,” “Be Nice 2 Me” it singlehandedly got me into the Drain Gang/Sadboys scene. if I had never heard it, I think my taste right now would be quite different.
So, do you agree with my picks? Was there an album, artist, or song that you thought should or should not have been included on my lists? If so, feel free to reach out to me. There were so many albums I never got to in 2020, and I'm always down to add new albums to my review radar. You can either email me, bazzreviews@gmail.com, or follow me on Instagram, @bazzreviews. If you feel so inclined, you can also join the bazzreviews discord, which I will link down below, too.
Since we're done with 2020 stuff now, here's a quick look ahead at what's to come. As many of you know, the switch to YouTube for bazzreviews is effective TOMORROW, JANUARY 1, 2021. There will be a bazzcast finale, as well as December Month in Review will be coming to you tomorrow as a blog post. You will see the "classics" reviews that I will write in January sometime in early February in video form (I will likely be including a review of Playboi Carti's long-awaited Whole Lotta Red in that video, too...). If you are not subscribed to the bazzreviews Youtube channel, please, do so. That way, you can stay up on everything that is being posted from here on out. I hope you guys enjoy what I am cooking up, because I am very proud of some of the stuff that I have on tap. Thanks again for checking this post out, and I'll now be your sarcastic uncle and say "SEE YA NEXT YEAR!"
BAZZREVIEWS YOUTUBE CHANNEL LINK: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiRrb8yLj6YG36I-bfJZzUw
BAZZREVIEWS COMMUNITY DISCORD LINK: https://discord.gg/jGFdaGR
