LOMA VISTA
Recording in Hollywood with Sturgill Simpson in the producer’s chair, the Midwest farmer’s daughter tried her hand at a West Coast pop album for her third LP. Rather than country confessionals, then, here were 10 songs taking in Heartbreakers-esque new wave, gospel and prime Fleetwood Mac. Complete with a more oblique, lyrical voice from Price, the result was another step forward for a musician who respects tradition but has never been shackled by it.
49 GWENIFER RAYMOND
TOMPKINS SQUARE
A fearsome live performer, foregoing chat for instrumental acoustic guitar intensity, Gwenifer Raymond in 2020 made the album that gave recorded shape to her uncompromising approach. Grown in ambition, if not noticeably in length from her 2018 debut, Garth Mountain drew both on the rabbit skulls and damp moss of British folk horror, and also a compositional wisdom that broadened the horizon of her American Primitive twang.
2020: The Year for Music with a Message – Reflections from Nabil Ayers, Head of 4AD KEXP
In 2020, music reemerged as a basic need that was less about tuning out and more about engaging. I spent less time streaming music on subway commutes, and more time enjoying the arcs of full album sides at home; less casual listening to distract myself during flight takeoffs and more to soundtrack my long walks.
No artist commanded my attention in the same way as SAULT, who released two excellent albums this year. I don’t know who or what SAULT is there is no band photo, no info tab on their website, their album covers are stark, black images of hands and hash marks. Throughout the 35 songs they released this year, SAULT embodied 2020 s wide range of emotions, from the stoic, persevering beat of Hard Life to the jubilant harmonies of Free. The anthemic, two-word shout to action in “Stop Dem” felt especially relevant in a year when music with a message stood at the
The Quietus
, December 14th, 2020 11:58
These are our favourite tracks of the last 12 months as voted for by Jennifer Lucy Allan, Bobby Barry, Aaron Bishop, Patrick Clarke, John Doran, Christian Eede, Noel Gardner, Ella Kemp, Fergal Kinney, Sean Kitching, Anthea Leyland, Peter Margasak, David McKenna, JR Moores, Luke Turner, Kez Whelan and Daryl Worthington. Illustration by Lisa Cradduck
There s not much more I can add to what has already been said about our relationship to music in this pandemic-hit year by my colleagues Luke Turner and Patrick Clarke in their respective introductions to our lists of the year s best albums and best reissues, compilations, mixes etc.
The Loud And Quiet best albums of 2020 - Loud And Quiet loudandquiet.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from loudandquiet.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.