I typically start every one of these going, “It was a great year for music!” and then listing all the concerts I went to. Hahahahahahahahahaha. So I went to all of one concert this year, it was Mod Sun, and honestly, good show. Had a blast. Got high for the first time, so that was a treat. Let’s focus on the positives, okay?
When it comes to band discoveries there was Passcode, Makhlvk, I, Valiance, Anaal Nathrakh, Kardashev, Slaughter to Prevail, Halsey, Illenium, Tash Sultana, and Vintersea. Oh, and Zmey Gorynich. Y’all gotta check that stuff out. Holy crap! Someone mixed folk metal with deathcore, and it’s brilliant.
Honestly, 2020 wasn’t a bad job for music. I branched out a bit more than normal and had a lot of fun in the process. Thus, I’m approaching this top-10 with a smile and a hefty nod to the new. I’m also writing it backwards because I still haven’t quite figured out 10 through 6. There’s some hefty competition going on.
10 Five Finger Death Punch – F8
Genre: Metal
Spot number ten was a hard one to figure out, because there are a lot of really good albums that could go here. I’ve chosen FFDP for a few reasons. One: They got me into heavy metal and despite whatever dumb nonsense seems to follow the band, I adore their sound. It’s great. Two: They’ve put out one of their best albums in almost a full decade. F8 sounds both old-school yet fresh, and Ivan’s got the lyrics and delivery to sell it. It’s heavy and catchy and groovy, and that’s really all I want out of metal music. Give me beautiful noise, please.
Standout tracks are “A Little Bit Off” and “Full Circle”
9 Blackpink – The Album
Genre: K-pop
I’ll be honest, I don’t have that much to say about Blackpink’s first album other than it’s stupid and I love it. If you’ve heard their two EPs, this is more of that with more heart. It’s fun, it has attitude, and it makes me want to learn Korean so I can sing along. Like there’s an entire song about ice cream that’s almost entirely sexual innuendo, but it lays into ice cream so much that it also might just be about ice cream. How is that not amazing?
Standout tracks are “Lovesick Girls” and “Ice Cream”
8 Manic – Halsey
Genre: Pop
I feel like there’s this stereotype with pop music that it has to sound like X and talk about Y and do Z, and then people roll their eyes at the genre because of this box. And yeah, the radio doesn’t help most of the time, but then someone like Halsey comes around and it’s like, “Oh god. Pop music owns. It’s so good. This is so good!” Halsey hits with some dense, introspective songs that are a pleasure to hear and decipher because, on top of being a great singer, she’s a great lyricist. Give this one a go please.
Standout tracks are “Graveyard” and “I HATE EVERYBODY”
7 Miley Cyrus – Plastic Hearts
Genre: Rock
Here’s a 2020 surprise: Miley Cyrus put out one of rockiest rock albums. How cool is that? Skipping the pop-star-turned-rocker angle, Plastic Hearts is just a fantastic record with a great sound. Miley’s got an amazing voice, and it’s perfect over some awesome drums, a great guitar tone, and down-right funky bass. Please give this one a listen just for the bass lines. So fun. Beware though, this album is addictive. Once you start, it’s hard to put down.
Standout tracks are “WTF Do I know?” and “Night Crawling”
6 Makhlvk – Napurusek
Genre: Deathcore
I have a strained relationship with deathcore, because there are elements I like and elements I just hate. Like, most deathcore songs all kind of sound the same because there’s no melody and it’s just noise. Fun in theory, boring in execution. And then Makhlvk showed up and said, “NAY!” This is deathcore with bounce! I love that there’s actual melody here, and not just melody but really great riffs, catchy choruses, and a thousand-and-one animal noises. I cannot believe how fun and unique this set of songs is, but it’s absolutely worth a look.
Standout tracks are “Ov Waltz & Damnation” and “I The King Shall Return”
5 K/DA – All Out
Genre: K-Pop
Life is strange. Every year, thousands of albums release, and my top-five spot is a K-Pop EP written, produced, and executed by a video game company. I don’t even play League of Legends! I do, however, love this EP. It’s so fun and stupid and perfect and it makes me want to dance. I love the attitude and the characters, and I love that whenever I hit the end, I’m in a better mood.
Standout tracks are “MORE” and “DRUM GO DUM”
4 Run The Jewels – RTJ4
Genre: Hip Hop
Anger is the theme of 2020, and Run the Jewels put out one of the angriest albums I’ve ever heard. It’s just boiling with cold, seething fury at the injustice that is American in the death throes of late-stage capitalism. Like yeah, the production, beats, and melodies are all great. It’s Run the Jewels. Of course they are. But the message hits hard this go around, and every time I listen to this, I want to go and … I dunno, do something. Like we can fix this, right? Right?
Standout tracks are “Ju$t” and “A Few Words for the Firing Squad”
3 Taylor Swift – Folklore
Genre: Indie?
At this point, it’s not surprising that I super love Taylor Swift. What is surprising, however, is that she dropped two folky indie albums in one year and both of them are rock solid. Folklore takes the cake for me, with its catchy, introspective storytelling that suits Taylor’s voice in ways I could imagine but never thought she’d reach. It’s not like some of these songs are totally outside her wheelhouse, but to do an entire album? And then another! Goddamn! I know this is just dumb fanboy gushing, but I don’t know how to talk about music without that, so hey. Go listen to this one if you haven’t. It’s great.
Standout tracks are “betty” and “the last great american dynasty”
2 Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkenment
Genre: Melodic … Grindcore?
Anaal Nathrakh are the biggest surprise of 2020, releasing what is one of the most bonkers set of tunes I’ve heard in some time. It’s got the greasy, almost-unlistenable charm of grindcore and then splits into these massive power-metal choruses at the drop of a hat. It’s awesome. Like, the most awesome. The production is through the roof, but what really sells it is the lyric writing. This album is ANGRY and a very fitting companion to the political nonsense that is 2020. If you want some catharsis, toss this on and crank the volume.
Standout tracks are “Endarkenment” and “Create Art, Though the World May Perish”
1 Nightwish – Human :II: Nature
Genre: Symphonic Metal
Nightwish are one of my favorite bands. I love them. I love every facet of them. Thomaus is brilliant, and I’m always just the happiest person when they put out a new album. ❤ u Floor! Human :II: Nature is no exception. It’s dense, it’s emotional, has some of the best vocal performances I’ve ever heard, has wild song writing, and somehow manages to hit everything I want from the band and more. Like good god they close on a half-hour instrumental that makes me cry. Just, how? How do you do that? By being amazing, that’s how.
Standout tracks are “How’s the Heart” and “Procession”
Nonsense 