Top 50 Albums of 2020 (40-31)

 Here are more of my favorite albums of 2020:

40. 

Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song

Starting with a wordless cover of Radiohead's "Arpeggi" and moving through house, techno, and synthpop, Welsh electronic producer Kelly Lee Owens' Inner Song was her leap forward into the top echelon of producers.  

39. 

Arca - KICk i

Venezuelan- born, Barcelone-based producer Arca released her most accessible album yet while still maintaining her restless inventiveness and experimentation. KICk i shows that she is one of the most gifted producers out there.

38. 

Deftones - Ohms

What makes Deftones great is this push and pull between heavy metal riffs and more atmospheric guitar lines.  On their 9th album Ohmns, Deftones really hit the sweet spot between those competing styles to create both their loudest album and most nuanced.

37. 

OTTO - Clam Day

This record is so weird (and delightful) it is almost too difficult to describe to someone.  My best approximation is if Animal Collective, Aphex Twin, and Boards of Canada got together and made music for a child's animated series.  It's relentlessly catchy, fun, and goofy.

36. 

Sorry - 925

An irresistibly quirky art-pop record that careens from pop to jazz to post-punk and back again.  

35. 

The Weeknd - After Hours

After Hours is finally the perfect distillation of the promise set out by his mixtape trilogy.  It mixes pop, R&B, and new wave together as a seamless whole.

34. 

Porridge Radio - Every Bad

Porridge Radio's second album is a revelation, a decidedly assured set of songs by a band coming into their own sound.  The lyrics are wry and full of offhand asides that catch you off guard. There is a fury and sense of purpose that reminds me a lot of PJ Harvey.  It's a stunning album.

33. 

Cubicolor - Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night

Listening to Amsterdam trio Cubicolor, one cannot ever say that their electronic songs are cold.  They seem to find the warmth and humanity in computers and relay that so easily to the listener.  Hardly A Day, Hardly A Night conveys so much emotion that it takes your breath away.

32. 

Douglas Greed  - Angst

The tracks on this album have a very formal quality to them, a solemnity that makes them feel slightly off and chilly at first.  But each listen draws an unexpected element that makes the songs come to life, a forlorn trumpet, the odd sample, vocals from Odd Beholder and Joy Wellboy.  By record's end, the stone is cracking and light is pouring through.

31. 

Yppah - Sunset in the Deep End

Long Beach musician Yppah, a.k.a. Joe Corrales, Jr., luxuriates in ambient excursions like Tycho, flying off into gorgeous flights of fancy.  Unlike Tycho, these electronic pieces have a darker edge, pulling from new wave, post-punk, and goth artists.