the best 23 musical projects i listened to in this cursed year of 2020.
by i. french
cw // mild language
It’s the end of year, which means it’s time for every obnoxious person with opinions on music to put out a “best music of 2020” list. As an outspoken obnoxious person with opinions on music, I shall also participate in this cultural phenomenon.
RULES: I must have either gotten into them in 2020, or they released something in 2020. I feel like having the music only being released in 2020 is restrictive to all the cool music that I’ve discovered in the last year. Only one album per band, though similarities in lineup between different bands are fine.
Due to ranking music that is so different from each other feeling wrong, I’ve ordered it chronologically, that is to say, when I discovered it, and not when it was released.
Buckle up, gang, because this is a long one.
It’s the end of year, which means it’s time for every obnoxious person with opinions on music to put out a “best music of 2020” list. As an outspoken obnoxious person with opinions on music, I shall also participate in this cultural phenomenon.
RULES: I must have either gotten into them in 2020, or they released something in 2020. I feel like having the music only being released in 2020 is restrictive to all the cool music that I’ve discovered in the last year. Only one album per band, though similarities in lineup between different bands are fine.
Due to ranking music that is so different from each other feeling wrong, I’ve ordered it chronologically, that is to say, when I discovered it, and not when it was released.
Buckle up, gang, because this is a long one.
MODERN JOHNNY SINGS: SONGS IN THE AGE OF VIBE (Theo Katzman 2020)
Genre: woke folk rock
Best song: 100 Years from Now
Genre: woke folk rock
Best song: 100 Years from Now
I got into Theo Katzman through Vulfpeck, and was really into his 2017 album Heartbreak Album, so I was amongst the anticipating audience, and oh boy does this hit hard. It’s groovy, it’s funky, it’s low volume. The subtle strings throughout the album really sells everything. The subject matter is super interesting and extremely political, which might scare some (cowardly) people away. Either way, I think the subject matters are treated fairly well.
One of my friends linked their bandcamp to me, and I remembered that bandcamp existed, and I got really excited and tried to find the weirdest shit I could. That’s when I stumbled across Trashdog’s Dipshitticus. It is extremely hard to get through, somewhat like Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew, but with more of the incomprehensible nonsense coming from the unhinged lyrics. It does slap though.
YOU AND YOUR FRIENDS (Peach Pit 2020)
Genre: indie rock, ideal for dancing in your room
Best song: Psychics in LA
Genre: indie rock, ideal for dancing in your room
Best song: Psychics in LA
Kings of that specific teenage state between angst and melancholy, Peach Pit’s new release is another relaxing indie bop. It’s kind of generic, but the generic indie sound is often still great, and shows a good amount of talent, unlike generic rock or pop. Very heavy on the aesthetic Instagram guitar, but thankfully that’s my guilty pleasure.
THE WAVE THAT GOT AWAY (Ben Levin 2020)
Genre: alternative soft folk to sail the seas to in a cozy wooden boat while contemplating life
Best song: Why Not - No Spark
Genre: alternative soft folk to sail the seas to in a cozy wooden boat while contemplating life
Best song: Why Not - No Spark
I’ve loved Ben Levin ever since I saw the Apartment Sessions cover of his song “Grown Up” (one of the best songs ever). This album has the same charm of Grown Up, but it feels like it’s on the opposite side of aesthetics. It’s warm and cozy all around sonically, which is a nice contrast to the lyrics, which are some of Levin’s most vulnerable. Also the chord change in the No Spark section of the second piece just hits so hard.
LIVE IN AMSTERDAM (Metropole Orkest & Cory Wong 2020)
Genre: funk-pop-jazz with an orchestra backing them up
Best song: Underground (feat. Cody Fry)
Genre: funk-pop-jazz with an orchestra backing them up
Best song: Underground (feat. Cody Fry)
Cory Wong is another Vulfpeck member, with an extensive list of music under his solo project, and this album feels like a culmination of his years releasing music to a relatively small audience. This is honestly one of the best live albums I’ve ever heard. Cory Wong is one of the most fascinating people in live music, because both his sound and presence merges with everything almost perfectly. His studio albums are amazing, but the funk trio of Cory Wong on guitar, Martijn Vink on drums and Seth Tackaberry on bass with the amazing Metropole Orkest behind can legitimately bring me to tears at times. It just fits so well together…
SPIRIT PHONE (Lemon Demon 2016)
Genre: it’s like DEVO, but everyone is a just one strange man on the internet
Best song: Eighth Wonder
Genre: it’s like DEVO, but everyone is a just one strange man on the internet
Best song: Eighth Wonder
I have been a fan of Niel Cicerega’s work for a long time, even before I knew who he was. He did Harry Potter Puppet Pals and does the famous quadrology of the “Mouth” mashup albums, but this year I finally took the time to look at his more serious music under the project title Lemon Demon. Spirit Phone is all about the occult and strange happenings, some of which are based on real things, while some are entirely made up. My favourite song (Eighth Wonder) is about a talking poltergeist mongoose called Gef, who was just a trickster, and I will always appreciate a Gef reference.
DESDEMONA, VIRGIL & CELEBRITY (Just Nick 2020)
Genre: quintessential folk punk melancholic vibes
Best song: Celebrity
Genre: quintessential folk punk melancholic vibes
Best song: Celebrity
I love folk punk. Spotify said it was my top genre of the year, and that’s fair. My favourite folk punk artist ever since I discovered it is Just Nick, who has songs like Bedpunk and So It Goes kept me through the end of 2019. His chord choice is more nuanced than his other folk punk contemporaries, which, while I don’t mind and understand the simplicity of folk punk, the change is appreciated. His style is slower than the usual folk punk, and turns it from angry revolutionaries to a more in-depth character study stylistically.
YEEZUS (Kanye West 2013)
Genre: industrial hip hop, the sort of stuff that goes BWAH KSSHHH
Best song: New Slaves
Genre: industrial hip hop, the sort of stuff that goes BWAH KSSHHH
Best song: New Slaves
A surprising addition to the list, but it all started when I was at my friend’s house and we were talking about beat production, when my friend’s older brother chucked on New Slaves, opening my ears to the world of Kanye. Production-wise, this album hits hard. The bass synth in New Slaves just wrecks me. Not only is it amazing through its production and the almost unknown team behind it, but the lyrics are harsh and raw on some really heavy topics, particularly race and religion. It almost excuses the horrible and blatant sexism on display, but it’s good to mention. Kanye is a complicated figure, who’s done some really respectable things and some down right horrid things.
SILO (The Altogether 2020)
Genre: like an art student tried to make a mainstream folk song, but couldn’t get the weird art stuff out of the sound
Best song: Brown of Gold
Genre: like an art student tried to make a mainstream folk song, but couldn’t get the weird art stuff out of the sound
Best song: Brown of Gold
I found The Altogether through our lord Brian David Gilbert (who will be referred to as BDG for the rest of the synopsis), which he contributes vocals and composition skills to some songs. I loved the album Look Up about 2 years ago, although their second album I was more divisive for me, due to the lack of BDG. This album balances the vocalists of BDG and Sierra Scott with a more significant feature of Jonah Scott, who’s the musical force behind it all. Either way, Silo is amazing. It feels like a hug, as most acoustic folk songs do, but it feels so beautiful and tender, while simultaneously beefy robust.
DARK MATTER (Randy Newman 2017)
Genre: it’s the dude who wrote you got a friend in me, and he hasn’t changed, and he’s still gonna make you cry
Best song: She Chose Me
Genre: it’s the dude who wrote you got a friend in me, and he hasn’t changed, and he’s still gonna make you cry
Best song: She Chose Me
You might recognise Randy Newman’s name from those Pixar movies that make you cry, and let me tell you, Dark Matter is still able to spin your emotions like a puppeteer with your heartstrings. The song Putin is hilarious, It’s a Jungle Out There is straight out of the Incredibles with the 50s jazz feel, and then She Chose Me and you cry. Fuck you Randy Newman, you beautiful beast.
TEENS OF DENIAL (Car Seat Headrest 2016)
Genre: that iconic grunge 90s sound, but 20 years later
Best song(s): Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales & Destroyed By Hippie Powers
Genre: that iconic grunge 90s sound, but 20 years later
Best song(s): Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales & Destroyed By Hippie Powers
I heard of Car Seat Headrest ages ago, but I never really delved into it until my friend wore the iconic Twin Fantasy shirt and it reminded me of them. I youtube’d them and saw the video linked above, and my mind was blown. This slaps in every way conceivable. The opening is soulful, and it slowly evolves into something more complex until the lead singer is just screaming for 3 minutes. It’s beautiful. The album itself is great, full of bangers, but that video… oh man it’s 14 minutes and it’s all worth it.
LIVE 2019 (Louis Cole 2020)
Genre: you will groove, it is mandatory
Best song: Bank Account/Doing the Things
Genre: you will groove, it is mandatory
Best song: Bank Account/Doing the Things
I love Louis Cole so much, you guys. Live Sesh and Xtra Songs was my favourite album last year, and this is definitely a contender for it’s solid bangers this year. What is it with this year and some great live albums? Out of all the years? Either way, the music all the way through is great, although there are definitely some better songs that stand amongst the rest. Also I am very happy with Failing In a Cool Way getting a release. This’ll trick you into liking jazz.
I knew Garret Williamson mainly from his youtube videos, so when I realised he’s a really good musician was just kind of the cherry on top. The album that I found first was Beat Demon, which I thought was super cool when I first listened, but now listen to with a more critical ear. Middle of Somewhere, sometimes referred to as Project 1997, feels like a more mature evolution of Beat Demon, with better production quality all around and a strong structure. The album does feel like an album from 1997, as it has small interlude tracks between all of the tracks on the album that deepen the lore of the album. Also there’s a song about the Nintendo Switch on there. I felt like I should mention it somewhere.
Clown Core is one of those bands that if you find them, you know you’re in too deep and your opinion on music no longer matters. It’s a Voltron style mashup, with the rage and incomprehensibility of Death Grips mixed with the strange and gross humour found on Adult Swim, with a hint of the soulful beauty of Kenny G. There’s a fairly strong theory that the drummer from Clown Core is Louis Cole (mentioned previously), so obviously I love that as well.
THE SHADOW (Naked Giants 2020)
Genre: car seat headrest in disguise, but with a bit more levity
Best song: The Shadow
Genre: car seat headrest in disguise, but with a bit more levity
Best song: The Shadow
I found Naked Giants through Car Seat Headrest, as the live band for Car Seat Headrest is essentially just Naked Giants anyway. And holy shit they rock. It’s very stoner rock, which I don’t know what that says about me, but it just slaps. The Shadow is their first actual album, with a couple EPs under their belt, and god damn are they tight, and watching them gig on youtube (KEXP is always a good place to find filmed live performances) it looks like they are all having fun, which I think is the most important part of music.
THE ESSENTIAL WEIRD AL YANKOVIC (“Weird Al” Yankovic 2009)
Genre:...it’s weird al. it's parody. wh-how don't you know this?
Best song: It’s All About the Pentiums
Genre:...it’s weird al. it's parody. wh-how don't you know this?
Best song: It’s All About the Pentiums
There was a phase around the middle of the year when I got REALLY into Weird Al. I feel like a lot of people write him off as a joke, because I did up until this year, when I realised “Oh shit he’s actually a really good musician”. They are just all so different from each other, and still I’m shocked how good everything is. It was extremely hard to choose a best song, because it changes all the time for me. It’s All About the Pentiums is a slap and a half, but Your Horoscope for Today is a ska jam about way too specific horoscopes, You Don’t Love Me Anymore is a ballad between a psychopath and a masochist, Dare to Be Stupid is the best non-DEVO song I’ve encountered, and Amish Paradise is an instant classic. Essentially, Weird Al is amazing, and deserves way more credit than the overwhelming credit he already has.
Dorian Electra was one person I got into around the same time as I got into Kanye, and I appreciate their music in the same way, except that Dorian is also an amazing person with very little flaws. Their music is often exploratory of gender, sexual liberation and strange internet culture. My Agenda is an album that is a character study into a fedora wielding nice guy struggling with his sexual expression, and the whole album sounds like it was dipped in a frosty Mountain Dew. Gentleman and M’lady are amazing tracks, but my two favourites are the title track with a feature from the Village People, and Edgelord, with a feature of Rebecca Black, formerly known as “that girl who did the Friday song”. She’s great in the song, by the way. It all slaps.
1000 GECS (100 gecs 2019)
Genre: and you thought Dorian Electra was hard to listen to
Best song: 800db cloud
Genre: and you thought Dorian Electra was hard to listen to
Best song: 800db cloud
100 gecs have kind of brought the harsh electro pop genre, gently called “Cellophane” by Spotify to the cult masses. This is music for cryptids. It hurts sometimes, and that’s okay. Someone once said that postmodern art is to elicit an emotion, but you can’t really articulate why. In that case, 1000 Gecs is a postmodern masterpiece. Money Machine is the one most people know, and is the one I show my friends to make them distrust my taste in music. I would’ve also put the remix album on this list, but I think 1 gec album is enough, although the Ringtone remix featuring Charli XCX, Kero Kero Bonito and Rico Nasty slaps and the Fall Out Boy feature just goes hard. Oh and they’re good friends with Dorian Electra too, so that’s cool.
SUPPLY & DEMAND (The Washing Line Economy 2020)
Genre: that good perth indie rock
Best song: People Change
Genre: that good perth indie rock
Best song: People Change
I must confess, I know these guys, and I went to school with the vocalist and drummer, and was in a band with the guitarist, so I am a bit biased, but this album slaps. Very chill, lowkey and just generally a vibe. It’s almost as if Stella Donnelly became infatuated with a phaser. Also it’s worthwhile to point out that there is not a single bad song on the album. I’m very proud of the boys in the Washing Line Economy, and can see them getting a large cult following soon.
THE JOY OF MUSIC, THE JOB OF REAL ESTATE (Vulfpeck 2020)
Genre: low volume funk: the compilation album
Best song: LAX (feat. Joey Dosik)
Genre: low volume funk: the compilation album
Best song: LAX (feat. Joey Dosik)
Obviously the Vulf had to make it onto the list. I’ve been anticipating this album ever since they took Santa Baby off streaming services, but this is essentially the songs that didn’t make the cut. All the songs come from different eras of Vulfpeck, from 3 on E being around the Beautiful Game, LAX from about Mr Finish Line, and it all just slaps. This is a compilation album, and songs are more better than others, mainly due to most songs being done with different stages of the bands mixing and composing skills. Also the contentious track 10, which was sold to Earthquake Lights via eBay bid, is extremely good, and y’all are just mean.
GREATEST HITS, VOL. 2 (Jacob Mann Big Band 2018)
Genre: funky big band that is just magnifique
Best song: Don’t Fly Spirit
Genre: funky big band that is just magnifique
Best song: Don’t Fly Spirit
I’ve been aware of Jacob Mann due to his participation in other musical projects like KNOWER, Louis Cole, and Shrek is Love, but I discovered his big band this year, and oh god does this slap. This star studded big band with the saxophonist from Moonchild, Sam Wilkes on bass and Louis Cole on the drums, the Jacob Mann Big Band is exquisite, which is something I can say with confidence, being in a big band myself. Something interesting is that all the music is straight and not swung, which is unusual, but definitely suits the emerging Los Angeles jazz music scene that’s emerging right now.
JACK STAUBER’S OPAL (ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK) (Adult Swim Smalls 2020)
Genre: musical theatre but with the aesthetic of VHS recording
Best song: Mirror Man
Genre: musical theatre but with the aesthetic of VHS recording
Best song: Mirror Man
Jack Stauber is a well known cult musician/animator known for his strange music and stranger accompanying music videos, known for Peppermint, Buttercup and the Ballad of Hamantha. Last year, with Adult Swim, he released Shop: A Pop Opera, that inspired me to transcribe the entire thing. This year, on hallowe’en, Jack Stauber released a more dark pop opera called Opal. It’s an unnerving 12 minutes of strange animation and a chilling story, but the songs are quick lovely songs (aside from Virtuous Cycle, which gives me the chills). Mirror Man is the best song on the album, but Easy to Breathe also slaps. It’s worth your time, trust me.
I WISH EVERY DAY WAS TODAY (Mom Rock 2020)
Genre: new york glam indie rock that makes you jive
Best song: Xylophone
Genre: new york glam indie rock that makes you jive
Best song: Xylophone
I’ve been a fan of Mom Rock for about 2 years now, and this is their first collection of songs, with their previous releases being only singles. Like Naked Giants, these guys have fun playing music, and you can hear it. It’s music to be happy to. There isn’t really much to say, as they are very typical indie rock musicians, but god are they fun to listen to. Also the best song on the album (xylophone) is about the homeless and under the video are a bunch of links about how to help with the situation in America, although I urge you to look into the homeless situation in your home country as well.
BIRDIE (Slaughter Beach, Dog 2017)
Genre: sentimental indie folk to cry to/rock to sadly dance to by yourself
Best song: Phoenix
Genre: sentimental indie folk to cry to/rock to sadly dance to by yourself
Best song: Phoenix
Modern Baseball was a folk-rock band with a big cult following that unfortunately disbanded a while ago now. While some of the band has gone to other projects, a couple went to form the band Slaughter Beach, Dog, and I only recently discovered them. Phoenix is definitely my favourite song because I’m a sucker for soft and cozy folk music, but the album goes through more typical rock music through a couple tracks. Phoenix feels like a hug, and is easily the best song for me, to a point that I don’t really listen to the rest of the album, although I do enjoy it all.
This is the only single on the list, but damn is it good. I discovered Drive45 via tiktok creating some of the best tiktoks, but their music is amazing as well. It’s a bop, it sounds like music from one of those beat-em-up arcades, but tackles thoughts of self-worth and depression, which hits hard for me. They have a couple other singles, namely Everything I Own and Longer Than I Anticipated, but this is the best one for me.
ENCORE. OR, AN INCOMPLEE AND CONTRADICTORY HISTORY OF JAYLEN HOTDOGFINGERS, HER TRIALS AND TRIBULATIONS (The Garages 2020)
Genre: compilation of different genres about fantasy fantasy baseball
Best song: get normal
Genre: compilation of different genres about fantasy fantasy baseball
Best song: get normal
This is easily the most biased choice on the list. If I could, I would put all of the garages’ albums on here. For those who don’t know, I am a part of this whackadoo group, with three of my tracks being featured on percolate. It’s hard to explain exactly what blaseball is, and I won’t attempt to, but this album tries to tell the story of Jaylen Hotdogfingers, formerly dead Seattle Garages star pitcher, her resurrection and the many reactions from every part of blaseball, from Jaylen’s teammates to the peanut god. I love this album. It’s arguably my favourite Garages album, with DEICIDE and the mike townsend quintology coming in a close joint second. It feels like a big ol’ hug, and the fact that I am a part of this amazing group of fantastic people makes it feel more like a comfy hug of support. Love y’all.
2020 has been a year out of whack, and one thing I am so grateful for is the music that has surrounded me throughout the year; the guiding light gleaming in my eyes. To anyone reading this (congrats on getting this far), no matter if you’re a stranger or a close friend, thank you.
-izzy f.
-izzy f.
image credits:
theo katzman - nicol biesek (insta: nicolbiesekphoto)
trashdog - adrian gandara (insta: adrian_gand)
peach pit - lester loyns-hookham (insta: lesterlh)
ben levin - liz maney (insta: lizsmalls)
cory wong - brandon weil (insta: brandonweilphoto)
lemon demon - himself
just nick - diego diaz-lundquist (insta: not_the_chap)
kanye west - ronin 47 / splash news
the altogether - uncredited
randy newman - jordan strauss (insta: jordanbstrauss)
car seat headrest - tim mosenfelder
garrett williamson - uncredited
clown core- themselves
naked giants - uncredited
weird al - michael tullberg (insta: michaeltullberg)
dorian electra - kevin ulibarri (insta: kulibarri)
100 gecs - jairo cruz
vulfpeck - erika goldring (insta: blondeambitiontour)
jack stauber - himself
mom rock - logan alexander wilder (insta: im.wilder)
slaugher beach, dog - jess flynn (insta: jflynnphoto)
drive45 - themself
the garages - uncredited
theo katzman - nicol biesek (insta: nicolbiesekphoto)
trashdog - adrian gandara (insta: adrian_gand)
peach pit - lester loyns-hookham (insta: lesterlh)
ben levin - liz maney (insta: lizsmalls)
cory wong - brandon weil (insta: brandonweilphoto)
lemon demon - himself
just nick - diego diaz-lundquist (insta: not_the_chap)
kanye west - ronin 47 / splash news
the altogether - uncredited
randy newman - jordan strauss (insta: jordanbstrauss)
car seat headrest - tim mosenfelder
garrett williamson - uncredited
clown core- themselves
naked giants - uncredited
weird al - michael tullberg (insta: michaeltullberg)
dorian electra - kevin ulibarri (insta: kulibarri)
100 gecs - jairo cruz
vulfpeck - erika goldring (insta: blondeambitiontour)
jack stauber - himself
mom rock - logan alexander wilder (insta: im.wilder)
slaugher beach, dog - jess flynn (insta: jflynnphoto)
drive45 - themself
the garages - uncredited