So...I'm all caught up on my work for today. (We'll ignore the big home study on my desktop for now...that doesn't count). I've got a snow scene up on my flat screen. I've got a Christmas playlist that would choke a horse on random play. (Which includes many of our favorite local Long Island artists. Just heard Hank Stone two songs ago, and there was some Backseat Devils and Jones Crusher on earlier. Ho, ho, ho!)
So what better time to look back on this, the most strange of years, and give you my picks for the Top 10 Albums of 2020!
As to what constitutes an "album", my rules haven't changed here. It has to be a full-lengther, which has either 7 or more songs, or runs at least 30 minutes. It also has to be all by one artist -- no multi-artist compilations allowed. As has become my practice in a reluctant nod to the times, digital-only releases now not only qualify, they constituted the majority of new music I listened to this year. (Change sucks!) And as I pointed out last year, I really only consider studio albums for this -- no live or best-of comp albums.
Without further ado, here, in reverse order, are this year's picks.
Top 10 Albums of 2020:
10. Ayreon - Transitus
Ayreon is a progressive metal project that includes about a zillion guest musicians. It was created and is headed by Dutch multi-instrumentalist Anthony Lucassen. Like all of the Ayreon LPs, this album is a rock opera, and like most of them, it's a double album. I'll be honest, there are weak spots here, but they're more than compensated for by the high points. While the leads are decent, in a lot of ways, Transitus is stolen by some of the secondary characters, especially Epica lead singer Simone Simons as The Angel of Death, Toehider vocalist Michael Mills as a talking (and singing) statue, and Long Island icon Dee Snider as the male lead's father. (In fact, Long Island is nicely represented here, as guitar god Joe Satriano also plays on the LP.) And while the idea of having a narrator is kind of hokey, it's sweetened a lot by the casting -- The Narrator is played by none other than the longest-serving Doctor Who actor, Tom Baker. Yeah, the story is pretty mediocre. But the music is lush, so who cares?
9. Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension
This pick is a little controversial, as a lot of Sufjan fans were divided over the merits of this LP, especially in comparison to his previous effort, 2015's Carrie and Lowell. I get it, and I agree in a way -- Carrie and Lowell is probably a stronger album artistically. Unfortunately, with its themes of mental illness and child neglect, it's also about as much fun as visiting a sick friend in the hospital. For me, The Ascension, with its mild and tasteful electric stylings, is a far more enjoyable LP, and one I'm more likely to keep coming back to. It takes new age music to another level.
8. Woods - Strange to Explain
Woods is a Brooklyn-based outfit that combines elements of rock, folk and psychedelic music. Depending on who you listen to, Strange to Explain is anywhere from their ninth to their eleventh studio album. Suffice it to say these guys have been playing together for awhile, and it shows. I found it to be the kind of LP where you can just close your eyes for a bit and let the music carry you away, which is a good thing. I'm sorry I was never aware of these guys before this year.
7. The Kenn Morr Band - Open Field
I've been following Kenn and his band since the mid-'90s, when he shared the (very tiny) stage of the Crescent City Cafe in Floral Park, NY with artists like Crystal Rose, Dave Isaacs, Chris Peters, Frank Walker and of course Denise's band The Slant. (He's long since moved to Connecticut, but he'll always be a Long Islander in my heart.) He's put out a lot of great music over the years, but this LP is one of his best. As always, the music is gentle and optimistic, anchored by Kenn's deep, somewhat gruff vocals and the band's elegant musicianship. It's always nice to see old friends do well. In this case, Kenn and the gang have outdone themselves.
6. Psychotic Waltz - The God-Shaped Waltz
I somehow missed this California prog-metal band during their heyday in the early-to-mid '90s. I guess it was because I wasn't listening to much (any) prog metal in those days - I was mostly listening to indie college and then local music. Anyway, they're back now after a 24-year hiatus, with an album that just creates a maelstrom of sound. Now I'm going to have to go back over their back catalog. Thanks, guys.
5. Borg - Woodland
I discovered this solo instrumental Swedish Renaissance/Medieval music project earlier this year when somebody entered this album in a folk music contest I was running on the Sputnik Music website. Jacob Ovgren (aka Borg) actually put out three different albums this year, but this one was far and away my favorite. It evokes images of woodlands (duh!), wedding feasts and king's halls. Good stuff.
4. Nightwish - Human. :II: Nature.
Ok, let's just admit from the outset that this is the stupidest album title of the year, and that the album isn't as good as 2015's Endless Forms Most Beautiful. But given that, this Finnish symphonic metal band still manages to fly to great heights here, with tracks like "Music," "Ad Astra," and especially the flawless and exciting "How's the Heart." If live music ever gets to be a thing again, I'm going to have to find a way to catch these guys. They've become my favorite band of the modern era.
3. Nada Surf - Never Not Together
I haven't listened to this New York-based alternative rock band since their debut album High/Low in 1996, on which they had a minor novelty single called "Popular." I don't know if I've ever even given them a second thought since then. But based on this album, wow, have I been missing out. Every year, there are LPs I check out more or less just for the hell of it that blow me away. This was one of those. It's a little bit of alt rock perfection.
2. Agnes Obel - Myopia
I first learned about this classical folk artist this year, thanks to the Sputnik Music Song of the Day contest. Every month, I hear a lot of artists I'm indifferent to or actively dislike on the SOTD list. But in the pile of rubble, every so often, I also find a gem. Agnes Obel is one of them. She makes me think of a Danish version of Kate Bush for the 2020's. There are some truly beautiful songs on here. And to listen to a lot of her fans, Myopia isn't even necessarily her best work. No matter. It totally works for me.
1. Cut Copy - Freeze, Melt
The first time I became aware of this Australian Synth-pop band was in 2017, when their excellent LP from that year, Haiku From Zero, just missed my Top 10 list. (It was just nudged out by LI's own Neil Cavanagh!) But this year, there was no holding these guys back. This is the kind of album all of you 80's fans out there will love. (Denise certainly does.) Trust me when I tell you there's not a weak track on this album. Which is why this LP is my #1 Album of 2020.
So in spite of the pandemic, musicians still managed to put a lot of good music out there in 2020. Which is as it should be.
I'll be back later this week to start my Top 20 Songs of 2020 list.
