Top 50 Albums of 2020 (30-21)

 Continuing my countdown of top albums of 2020:

30. 

Half Waif - The Caretaker

Noni Rose, a.k.a. Half Waif, creates miniature worlds in her synthpop tracks.  The Caretaker has her looking more inwards at people who need outside help but lack the self-awareness to accept it.  Her almost operatic voice ties all these songs together with haunting melodies.

29. 

Hayley Williams - Petals For Armor

Made during a time of emotional upheaval (depression, the divorce from her partner of 10 years), Petals for Armor is a raw record that isn't afraid to analyze the depths of despair.  While this sounds really heavy, it is a testament to Williams' songwriting that it never feels heavy.

28. 

Kllo - Maybe We Could

Melbourne duo Kllo returned this year with a new set of, as I call it, introverted club music.  They take dance music but dial it down to a downtempo level, with hushed, muted vocals.  Music for people that go to the club and stay in the background, watching yet not being involved.

27.

Jessy Lanza - All The Time

While most solo women looked back to the past with disco and disco-inspired records, singer Jessy Lanza looked forward to dark synthpop, footwork, deep house, and future R&B.  Working again with Junior Boys' Jeremy Greenspan, they have put together a sparkling set of songs that move the head and the heart.

26.

DRAMA - Dance Without Me

Chicago duo DRAMA mine the ups and downs of love on their sophomore album.  The music is austere and regal, with Via Rosa's smokey vocals floating effortlessly on top.  

25.

Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia

Dua Lipa storms into the upper ranks of pop stars on Future Nostalgia, probably the most fun pop album this year, in a year where fun was direly needed. Mixing house, pop, and disco into a frenzied rush of dancefloor bangers, Dua Lipa lets her best instincts take over.

24.

Run the Jewels - RTJ4

If Dua Lipa gave us the fun record we desperately needed, Run the Jewels brought us the political record we wanted.  Never letting down, RTJ spit trenchant raps over a Bomb Squad-esque fury of beats and samples.

23.

Fiona Apple - Fetch The Boltcutters

Fiona Apple returned with one of her most striking records.  Using an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach to songwriting, the album breathes with ecstatic life.  Her voice is gruff, soaring, intimate, and never boring.  She viscerally hits her piano keys and percussion with animalistic fervor, creating a masterful fever dream.

22.

The Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain

With their first album in 29 years, The Psychedelic Furs roar back with an album that doesn't sound like a rehash of their old records, but a natural progression.  Richard Butler's voice is still perfection in its nicotine rasp and the music is still deep, dark, and lush.

21. 

Jhenny Beth - TO LIVE IS TO LOVE

The Savages' frontwoman borrows from industrial and experimental music on her debut solo album.  It is furious in its approach with Beth's vocals always in control of the musical narrative.