{"id":94,"date":"2020-12-11T17:24:43","date_gmt":"2020-12-11T17:24:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/?p=94"},"modified":"2020-12-11T21:40:48","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T21:40:48","slug":"top-5-albums-of-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/?p=94","title":{"rendered":"Top 5 Albums of 2020"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>As an old who can&#8217;t be bothered to differentiate <em>WAP<\/em> from <em>Wham!<\/em>, literally nobody cares about the following list. Still, &#8217;tis December and lists do as lists must. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore: What did one aging X-er, who doesn&#8217;t believe in generations (media constructs created for ad sales, sheeple!) like to listen to in pandemic year-1? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Well, first the ground rules:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>I need to remember that I listened to it.<\/li><li>It needs to be an actual album. <\/li><li>It had to have been released in 2020. <\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery columns-1 is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\"><ul class=\"blocks-gallery-grid\"><li class=\"blocks-gallery-item\"><figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/f4.bcbits.com\/img\/a2969325216_16.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-id=\"\"\/><figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-item__caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/terryallen.bandcamp.com\/album\/just-like-moby-dick\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/terryallen.bandcamp.com\/album\/just-like-moby-dick\">https:\/\/terryallen.bandcamp.com\/album\/just-like-moby-dick<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/li><\/ul><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Number 6: I had to add a #6 to my top 5 to show some love to <strong>Terry Allen and the Panhandle Mystery Band, <em>Just Like Moby Dick<\/em><\/strong><em>. <\/em>Album opener &#8220;Houdini Didn&#8217;t Like the Spiritualists&#8221; is the best new song of the year. Spotify, if you believe it, tells me that few other people were listening to this song this year. And yet, a song about what you<em> wish-were-true-but-know-is-not-true<\/em> is exactly the Comment on Society we need right now. There&#8217;s nothing worse than someone who preys upon other people&#8217;s hopes and fears for their own gain. (Any recent examples of that?) <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/livesessions.npr.org\/videos\/terry-allen-houdini-didn-t-like-the-spiritualists\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/livesessions.npr.org\/videos\/terry-allen-houdini-didn-t-like-the-spiritualists\" target=\"_blank\">Also, what a beautiful song!<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/0\/00\/Fiona_Apple_-_Fetch_the_Bolt_Cutters.png\" alt=\"Fetch the Bolt Cutters - Wikipedia\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Number 5: <strong>Fiona Apple, <em>Fetch the Bolt Cutters<\/em>.<\/strong> This was the perfect early-pandemic emotional roller-coaster. It has all the feels. Could be #1, but, like Apple, I&#8217;m not a linear-thinker. Nothing is straight-ahead but it&#8217;s all interesting. Of the albums here, it&#8217;s the most album-y. If I listen to the first song, I&#8217;m going to listen to the whole thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.smehost.net\/bobdylancom-uscolumbiaprod\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/falseprophet-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Number 4: Bob Dylan, <em>Rough and Rowdy Ways.<\/em> There&#8217;s no reason to expect something this good or interesting from Dylan (or to feature Fiona Apple playing piano) but here it is. &#8220;I Contain Multitudes&#8221; is up there with any other Dylan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/images.squarespace-cdn.com\/content\/v1\/5694c2397086d7392002f79f\/1602495371180-GAH3O4EIW9XC0VUPESN9\/ke17ZwdGBToddI8pDm48kGDpvalPb1SqHoCn1hwN0Y57gQa3H78H3Y0txjaiv_0fDoOvxcdMmMKkDsyUqMSsMWxHk725yiiHCCLfrh8O1z5QHyNOqBUUEtDDsRWrJLTmQPoRzxSr1hzN-vPBHt7YyLLXgctAyUJRqJUUGWVDK_ZzIgvsybGcZEPqUYiXY8im\/cover_BBI0411_HermanDune_NotesFromVinegarHill.jpg?format=1000w\" alt=\"Herman Dune Vinyl CD Notes From Vinegar Hill\"\/><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/bbislandmusic.com\/shop\/herman-dune-notes-from-vinegar-hill-colored-vinyl-cd\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/bbislandmusic.com\/shop\/herman-dune-notes-from-vinegar-hill-colored-vinyl-cd\">https:\/\/bbislandmusic.com\/shop\/herman-dune-notes-from-vinegar-hill-colored-vinyl-cd<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Number 3: <strong>Herman D\u00fcne, <em>Notes from Vinegar Hill.<\/em><\/strong><em> <\/em>I&#8217;m a sucker for accented speak-singing, especially from Swedish-French accented David Ivar. He comes across like a happier David Berman. Props for being a &#8220;quarantine album&#8221; that&#8217;s also fun and well-produced. Double-props for covering John Prine&#8217;s &#8220;Long Monday&#8221; as an album closer. What is quarantine but one long Monday? Made longer by the loss of Prine in March. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Bettye LaVette - I Hold No Grudge (Audio)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Fn0syI6v8Xg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption>Love this take on Nina Simone!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Number 2:<strong> Bettye LaVette, <em>Blackbirds<\/em><\/strong><em>.<\/em> Bettye is a force of nature. You can&#8217;t not listen. If you believe her, which I guess you should, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/08\/24\/arts\/music\/bettye-lavette-blackbirds.html\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2020\/08\/24\/arts\/music\/bettye-lavette-blackbirds.html\">Bettye hadn&#8217;t heard the Beatles&#8217; song &#8220;Blackbird&#8221; until 2010<\/a>. The song inspired her to sing songs popularized by black-female vocalists. She continues to find the emotional core of any song &#8212; on other albums I have found the production around her a bit muddy\/fussy (see <em>Interpretations<\/em>) but here there&#8217;s a nice jazz-blues vibe that doesn&#8217;t get in the way of the songs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/thankfolkforthat.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/monovision.jpeg?resize=640%2C640&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/xYErW9NwUgQ\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/xYErW9NwUgQ\">Listen to the first song here.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Number 1: I guess I need more numbers because no way is this the best music released in 2020. It&#8217;s great,  don&#8217;t get me wrong, but not as sonically interesting as the other selections here. So here is #1: <strong>Ray LaMontagne, Monovision.<\/strong> I honestly forgot that I listened to this album so much until Spotify reminded me in my Wrapped report. Is it possible to be among the top 1% of Ray LaMontagne fans and not know it? I love this album. It&#8217;s deceptive. You forget you listened to it. Then when you remember, you feel all warm and good inside. This is a precious feeling these days. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets.bigcartel.com\/product_images\/278031938\/86A36840-3A42-4B10-A609-5D68B7301F0C.jpeg?auto=format&amp;fit=max&amp;h=1000&amp;w=1000\" alt=\"Image of Kris Drever - Where The World Is Thin (CD Album)\"\/><figcaption>Buy it here: <a href=\"https:\/\/krisdrever.bigcartel.com\/product\/kris-drever-where-the-world-is-thin-cd-album\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/krisdrever.bigcartel.com\/product\/kris-drever-where-the-world-is-thin-cd-album\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/krisdrever.bigcartel.com\/product\/kris-drever-where-the-world-is-thin-cd-album<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Number 0: <strong>Kris Drever, <em>Where the World is Thin<\/em><\/strong><em>. <\/em>Kris Drever is a singer songwriter in the alt-folk alt-tradition from Orkney. I saw him play in Shetland back when we could travel to places like Shetland. So it reminds me of that, as I sit here in my basement bunker losing my mind, and it helps me lose my mind a little less. If music is going to get me through the winter, it&#8217;ll be this music. (I did a deeper dive on Drever&#8217;s lyrics <a href=\"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/2020\/10\/17\/where-the-world-is-thin-by-kris-drever-2020\/\" data-type=\"URL\" data-id=\"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/2020\/10\/17\/where-the-world-is-thin-by-kris-drever-2020\/\">here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also: Jayhwaks <em>XOXO, <\/em>Phoebe Bridgers <em>Punisher, <\/em>Shelby Lynne, <em>Shelby Lynne<\/em>, Hamilton Leithauser, <em>The Loves of Your Life. <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As an old who can&#8217;t be bothered to differentiate WAP from Wham!, literally nobody cares about the following list. Still, &#8217;tis December and lists do as lists must. Therefore: What did one aging X-er, who doesn&#8217;t believe in generations (media constructs created for ad sales, sheeple!) like to listen to in pandemic year-1? Well, first [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,30],"tags":[61,59,58,60,57,49,62,56],"class_list":["post-94","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-film-and-other-media","tag-bettye-lavette","tag-bob-dylan","tag-fiona-apple","tag-herman-dune","tag-houdini","tag-kris-drever","tag-ray-lamontagne","tag-terry-allen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=94"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":105,"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94\/revisions\/105"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/98"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=94"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=94"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jgourlay.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=94"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}