Well I’d be loathe to call 2020 a great year, because it was genuinely horrible, but at least it was enlivened by some fantastic music. The tragedy is that, in a year that afforded artists the freedom to write and record at their leisure, the very industry upon which their art relies (concerts, tours, festivals and dance floors) ground to a halt. Legendary venues, bars and nightclubs have closed across the globe and a host of promising musicians, have had to return to their day jobs (presuming that they still exist).
So while it is worth celebrating the outpouring of creativity that the Covid-19 pandemic unleashed, the incredible cost in lives and mental well being should not be forgotten – and nor should the cost to the music industry at large. 2020 might end up being a great year for Spotify and Apple Music, but a terrible one for the flesh and blood musicians behind the algorithms.
December 27th, 2020
If you head over to our new Substack newsletter, you can read much more about these records, see a longer list, and keep in touch with DiS by subscribing - as from January I m sending out weekly album recommendations.
There was no poll involved in creating this list. It s just my personal favourite, the ones that cut the deepest.
As the lone voice of the site nowadays, these were the records that were stuck on repeat on our ghost-ship. and I hope you find a new favourite from these (as that s the only point of listing season, right?!)