Loud And Quiet
From hi-NRG bangers to Dr Seuss-themed beats
We all know 2020’s been shit and weird. So that’s that out of the way. But it’s also been, if nothing else, pretty interesting, and full of great music, at least some of which wouldn’t have been made, or made in the same way, were it not for the (mainly horrible) events we’ve endured this year. This, then, is a reflection on all of that: the strange and excellent music that’s made 2020 somewhat bearable, and what the relationship is between that music and our melting brains.
It’s almost like he knew it was coming. Last Valentine s Day, as couples around the world were celebrating many forms of romantic bliss, others gathered around their speakers or donned headphones in anticipation. After five years, Tame Impala had finally released
The Slow Rush, the follow-up to their decade-defining 2015 album Currents. People listened to it on their morning jog, at their desks at work, with their significant others, and a select few honored the decades-old ritual of removing a record from its sleeve and placing it on a turntable.
No matter the format, the opening wash of “One More Year” swept up everyone. Every listener heard the same song from the same man, Kevin Parker.
The 20 best albums of 2020
Clockwise from top left: Rina Sawayama (Photo: Greg Lin Jiajie), Moses Sumney (Photo: Alexander Black), Run The Jewels (Photo: Timothy Saccenti), Jeff Rosenstock (Photo: Christine Mackie), Soccer Mommy (Photo: Brian Ziff)
Graphic: Natalie Peeples
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Yes, it’s been a hard year, and yes, we’re also tired of confronting that fact. But the bizarrely repetitive and numbing hermetic existence most of us have endured this past year has made for a strange experience, one thankfully made more tolerable by all the art and pop culture streamed, downloaded, mailed, and delivered into our homes. A lot of the music that ended up on our list of the 20 best albums of the year already made an appearance at 2020’s halfway point, showing up on the list of our favorite music thus far. Most of those records were made before lockdown began, but there’s more than a couple here Charli XCX, Taylor Swift that drew inspiration from the same wellspring of hardship that crea
It goes without saying 2020 was a rough year for many. However, as the 2020 Hip Hop Awards will show, there was a plethora of great albums, memorable songs and Hip Hop producers. The best rappers displayed top tier lyricism, artists joined forces for significant collabs and while everyone was in the house, fans were entertained with new music videos, TV shows and movies to create continued discussion not to mention a load of impeccable R&B music to provide some much needed stress relief.
Every year, HipHopDX staff joins in our Hip Hop Awards discussions, debates and sometimes heated arguments to come up with a list for our Year End Awards. Be sure to check back on
By: Andy Gensler
2020 will forever have a huge, indelible asterisk beside it. It will serve as a stark reminder that the most challenging year our industry has ever endured was an anomaly, an aberration, a pox on our businesses, one that deviated widely from all norms and can’t end fast enough.
Congratulations to Sir Elton John, whose phenomenal “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” crowned
Pollstar’s Year-End Top 100 Worldwide Tours with $87.1 million grossed from Nov. 30 to March 7. His multi-year trek, which was No. 2 on 2019’s tally with a $212 million gross, is shaping up into something special and will further burnish Sir Elton’s incredible legacy as it continues into 2023. And kudos, too, to the rest of the chart’s Top 10, rounded out by Celine Dion, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, U2, Queen + Adam Lambert, Post Malone, Eagles, Jonas Brothers, Dead & Company and Andrea Bocelli – but for one thing: 2020 .