Chorus.fm’s Top 30 Albums of 2020 • Page 6

That Hamilton Leithauser album is criminally underrated and I was surprised to not see it on more lists.

 

Holy cow - I'm (obviously) with you. This goes way beyond anything done by The Walkmen. Some seriously good songwriting here!

 

Also, here are my thoughts on the album:

Standout tracks:

• Isabella
• Here They Come
• Wack Jack

What it sounds like: Hamilton’s juke-joint delivery has a haunting nostalgia to it. The skilled frontman can howl, croon, and twist his vocals like a tornado tearing through a mid-western town—but there’s still plenty of his signature falsetto to comfort the listener throughout. Lest we forget the bombastic work by his band of musical masters including Jon Batiste (Prince, Willie Nelson, Stevie Wonder) and Jonathan Gregg (pedal steel aficionado).

Why I love it: On his second solo album, The Walkmen leader has realized full potential of his writing abilities–talks of ferries, dancing, old movie theaters, and creaking floorboards help to create a wild, enlivening, dramatic, and fun record. Each of the songs on The Loves of Your Life transport you into a story about a different person from Leithauser’s past, but one could easily mistaken these experiences as tales from their own lives.

 

Great list, per usual Jason! Bright Eyes really grew on me and made it into my own top ten. Did you happen to listen to the two albums released by Sault in 2020? You may like it (heavy soul, R&B, pop influences - heavy but thought-provoking lyrics). Highly recommended as we head into a super weird first few months of 2021.

 

Probably my greatest discovery looking through all these lists was Letterboxd from @Jason Tate's list. I signed up to the website and literally lost my entire Sunday playing the equivalent of cinema Tinder with all the movies I've seen / want to see.

I had no idea I needed this in my life. It already slots so well in to my behaviour around movies. Being able to view my watchlist, filter by the streaming services I use and then order by movie duration is an absolute dream for when I want to watch a movie, but still want to go to bed at a decent time.

 

Enjoy. Definitely one of my favorite apps.

 

Thanks

 

Music I liked in 2020 in no order (subject to updates and edits if necessary):

Albums:
Less Than Jake - Silver Linings
Goldfinger - Never Look Back
The Ocean - Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic
Sylvan Esso - Free Love
Slick Shoes - Rotation And Frequency
Lo Tom - II
Aquabats - Kooky Spooky...In Stereo
Huntingtons - Muerto, Carcel, O Rocanrol!
Taylor Swift - Folklore/Evermore
Lifelong - Above The Waves
Lightworker - Fury By Failure
Silent Planet - The Night God Slept Redux
August Burns Red - Guardians
Blaqk Audio - Beneath The Black Palms
Caspian - On Circles
Dan Deacon - Mystic Familiar
Hayley Williams - Petals For Armor
Suicide Machines - Revolution Spring
Purity Ring - Womb
Spanish Love Songs - Brave Faces Everyone
Wajatta - Don’t Let Get You Down
Four Year Strong - Brain Pain

EPs:
American Fail - American Fail
PUP - This Place Sucks
Earth Groans - Waste
Starflyer 59 - Miami
‘68 - Love Is Ain’t Dead
Constant Elevation - Freedom Beach

It was a very weird year with a ton of great music. Not to mention all the great stuff from last year and tons of classics from the past!
Get into it!