Best of 2020: Top Five Albums

This week kicks off my best of 2020. Again, I am not going cliché and claiming nothing good came out of 2020. A lot of good stuff has come out as far as entertainment, but I will say, this may have been the hardest for me because I didn't search out a lot of new stuff. I revisited, and was shown things that came out years ago that I now love.

For example, today I am going to do my top five albums of the year. If I just did what I listened to, this list would be pretty much all Talking Heads. I have fallen deeply, deeply in love with that band. I have also gone back and listened to more Bowie, I have revisited Bob Marley a lot more recently, The Beatles and Rolling Stones have been in heavy rotation as well. I could have done that, but I didn't. I was able to find five records that came out this year that I enjoyed for various reasons. So, while I may want to put "Stop Making Sense" as my personal top album of 2020, that isn't going to happen.

Coming in at number five I have Childish Gambino's new record, "3.15.20". Now, this record is not anywhere near as good as "Awaken. My Love". But not many records are. And when he dropped "This is America", he went to a whole other level. I have said it a lot, and I'll say it again, Donald Glover is immune to criticism. When he does something, it works, and "3.15.20" falls in line. This album is so good because it was unexpected. The rumors were that he was done with music after "Awaken, My Love". And even with "This is America", that could have just been a one off because of how amazing it was. But "3.15.20" came out when a lot of people were looking for something new and different. Here in Saint Louis we locked down on March 16th, and this album came out about a week later. And it is good. It reminds me of "Because the Internet". It is different and has some cool beats and lyrics and Glover does some interesting things on the record. It felt like an experience for him. It is a project, but a good project. It was needed and it helped me, and I assume many others, get through the early part of quarantine. I listened a ton to it when riding my bike early on, and revisited it the other day, and it holds up. It didn't get the press it deserved, but it is definitely worth a listen.

Number four I have Man Man's "Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In Between". This record feels like it was made for dancing. I have to credit Har Mar, Sean Tillman, for bringing this album to my attention after seeing him tweet about it. I have always liked Man Man, but this album made me fall in love. It is fun, my kids love it, we have dance parties and it is great for a drive, which we do a lot now. The songs all flow really well, the band sounds amazing and this record has been on repeat for a good long time since I first listened in the late summer. I adore this album.

At number three I have Bright Eyes new album, "Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was". I did not know that Bright Eyes had been working on a new album until my buddy told me about it. When we were able to run together, wearing masks of course, he let me know all about it, he is a fan, and I was getting stoked. Then I kind of forgot about it until he texted me the day it came out. I listened immediately and loved it right away. It took me back 15 years ago when I first listened to Bright Eyes, but both myself and the band have grown up. The album is a bit more upbeat. It is still filled with sad lyrics, deals with heartbreak and addiction like their other stuff, but with an eye of optimism. Conor Oberst has grown up, been through some shit, dealt with it and has come to a place where he has accepted it all. That comes through full force on the album. The songs are good, the band is good and it is nice to have this band that I listened to at my personal lowest sound grown up and upbeat, just like I have since I got married and had kids. This record is a breath of fresh air.

At number two I have Heart Bones record "Hot Dish". Heart Bones is a two piece pop band made up of Har Mar Superstar and Sabrina Ellis. But, they are so much more than straight up pop music. They both sound excellent on the record. They sing great songs about interesting topics. They just both happen to have voices that sound poppy. But they are not your typical pop band. When my wife listens with me she deems them to be more alternative rock, and I can definitely hear that in them. I was supposed to see them on tour, but COVID happened. That was a bummer, but at least we all got this record. This is a good dancing record, a la the Man Man album, only better. I really dig this record, I listen to it a lot, and their version of "Hungry Eyes" is one of the raddest things I have ever heard.

Finally, at number one, I think it comes as no surprise that "RTJ4", by Run the Jewels, is the record of the year. This album is the best for so many different reasons. They released it early and for free. It is the soundtrack to the younger generation, and the people sick and tired of being pushed around. It is the soundtrack to the revolution I feel like is brewing. The songs are some of the hardest, yet moving tracks I have ever heard. Killer Mike and El-P are at the absolute top of their game, and the whole music game for that matter. This record is on constant repeat. I listen to it when I run almost all the time. I have let my kids listen because I feel they need to hear it. I have broken down lyrics from songs for my dad to think about because this record is this important. I have sung the praises on the podcast and the website. This album is a no brainer for album of the year. They capped it off by doing the "Holy Calamavote" concert on Adult Swim. That was one of the coolest, and much needed, things I have watched and listened to all year. Run the Jewels is the best. They have gotten better with each album and "RTJ4" is an absolute, 500 foot homerun. This album rules and it is, far and away, the best album of the year.

Okay, those are my personal top five albums of 2020. Come back tomorrow for my top five movies.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Listens to "Down in the Weeds, Where the World Once Was"

It has been nine years, but Bright Eyes put out a new album a week or so ago. I had read news awhile back that they were working on some new material, but I had kind of forgotten about it. Then they released a music video which I watched and enjoyed. But again, that was in early summer. I had forgotten that they were working on music.

Then one afternoon when I was out, or doing homeschooling, I don't really know anymore, the days all blend, my buddy Kirk texted to ask if I had listened to the new record yet. I hadn't, so I remedied that right that moment. I didn't know what to expect. I am a fan. I first listened to Bright Eyes when I heard the record "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning". At the time I liked slower acoustic stuff, and when they went heavy and angry, I liked it. I then devoured pretty much all of their stuff. The live record, "Motion Sickness" is a great live album. I wasn't so much into "Digital Ash in a Digital Urn". And I really, truly liked "Cassadaga" and "The People's Key". I then went back and listened to really early Bright Eyes. "Letting Off the Happiness", and mainly "Fevers and Mirrors" were revelatory for me. Then I dug into Conor Oberst' solo stuff and his work with other bands. I was, at least considered myself, a full fledged fan. I dig his writing. Yes it can be depressing, but so can so many other bands and singers and songwriters I listen to. Hell, I love the blues, and that is as sad as it gets. But as he has grown up, Oberst, he seems to have gotten a little less sad, a little less depressing. I could hear a tinge of it in "Cassadaga", I believe he wrote that record when he got clean. Then it was even more forward in "The People's Key". But coming into the new record, since it had been so long, I was intrigued. Would he go back to the anger and depression, focusing more on acoustic music? Or would he continue with his growth?

Well, "Down In the Weeds, Where the World Once Was", definitely reminds me of the more grown up Oberst. It has been nearly a decade, Oberst is now 40 years old, he has gone through a divorce, he has lost a brother, he has been accused of sexual assault, which was retracted by the accuser fairly quick after the accusation, he has been through a lot, and he has come out the other side. That is what I get from "DITWWTWOW". This is a grown up making good, accessible grown up music. It still has his touch, and that voice is so uniquely him. But still, this album has happier music, and not nearly as depressing lyrics. It can go there from time to time. "One and Done" is kind of on that track, but it still sounds happy when you get to the chorus. It is also a great closure song. It feels like he is getting all the bad stuff from past relationships off his chest. Then to follow that up with "Pan and Broom", which sounds like an 80's tune, but with Oberst's happier lyrics, I love it. I like the way the record starts too. "Dance and Sing" really gets it going. There is some nice guitar in the song. It brought me right back to 2010 when I listened to him the most. "Just Once in the World" has that acoustic sound, but it builds and builds to a great crescendo. So far "Mariana Trench" is my favorite track. It has my favorite music in it, and the chorus is catchy as hell, which shocked me coming from Oberst. I find myself humming this song a lot. I really dig "Persona Non Grata". It starts out with just Oberst and a piano, but when the drums kick in it has that classic sound. I find it comforting to hear this music and be taken back to where I was nearly 10 years ago. It also has some cool strings and horns attached, which is always a plus for me. "Tilt-A-Whirl" seems like an ode to his brother that he lost. He opens by saying that a "phantom brother came to me". The song is also sad, but sweet at the same time. It's a good one. "Forced Convalescence" is upbeat and fun, musically. Again, the lyrics can be a downer a bit, but the music works so well, and I find myself bobbing my head along when it plays.

This record is good all around. It is a cozy blanket. It is a reminder of why I started, and continued to listen to his music. Oberst is a great writer, and I think age has only made him better. He has been through and seen so much, I believe that helps him as a writer. I highly recommend this album. It is some great work. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.