Remember when 2018 seemed like a long, hard year? How about 2019? For at least four years now, I have been starting my annual Top 10 lists with a little note about how long and hard the year was. And then came 2020.
Long sigh.
This year, I'm just going to write about albums I like. And, in a year where in-person concerts were nearly nonexistent, albums seemed to matter in a way they haven't before -- or at least, like they haven't for a long time.
Streaming services prioritize singles, or to be more specific, individual songs that can fit into a playlist. But early this spring, as the world changed, so did our listening habits. Many of us had more time to listen. And, whether by accident or design, some artists gave us music that rewarded deep listening. Sure, the pop fans can have their viral video for "WAP," but I believe the really rewarding stuff was operating at a different pace. I don't care that much about Taylor Swift's "Folklore" or Fiona Apple's "Fetch the Bolt Cutters," but I am glad to see these artists take the idea of albums seriously, and I'm glad to see that their fans do, too.
Bob Dylan, "Rough and Rowdy Ways"
Bob Dylan set the tone, as he has done so many times in the past. In March, just as SXSW was being cancelled and the stay-at-home orders were coming down, he released the single "Murder Most Foul," which is almost 17 minutes long. It's brilliant. In June, he released "Rough and Rowdy Ways," his first album of all-new material in eight years, and it's brilliant too. It's good to have him with us.
The Dream Syndicate, "The Universe Inside"
In April, as many of us were adapting to working from home while our kids were adapting to school at home, the Dream Syndicate released "The Universe Inside," their third album since the 2012 reunion of the Paisley Underground band. It opens with "The Regulator," an irresistibly chugging bit of krautrock/psychedelia that's more than 20 minutes long. There's a video that plays with the whole album. Why not sit and listen and watch? What, do you have somewhere else you need to be?
Phoebe Bridgers, "The Punisher"
Phoebe Bridgers doesn't write songs that long, but for me, they only really take hold after repeated listening. When I first heard her, I thought her quiet, doubled vocals were a shameless ripoff of Elliott Smith, and to be honest all the media hype about her put me off -- but sometimes I will hear one of her songs for the fourth or fifth time and a line will just jump out and floor me. "Moon Song" got some media attention this year for the way it offhandedly mocks Eric Clapton, but the chorus really struck me: "You couldn't have stuck your tongue down the throat of someone who loves you more." Yikes. The production on "The Punisher" is full of muffled, burbling sounds that seem perfectly suited to spending too much time by yourself.
Gum Country, "Somewhere"
I read a review of this album by LA band Gum Country that basically dismissed it as comfort food for fans of the Breeders and Stereolab. I thought, "That's exactly what I want right now," and promptly bought a pre-order of the vinyl. It got me through the summer. No, it's not reinventing the wheel, but it makes me feel good every time I listen to it. There's nothing wrong with that.
Peel Dream Magazine, "Agitprop Alterna"
Speaking of not reinventing the wheel, Peel Dream Magazine's second album sounds like early Stereolab and My Bloody Valentine circa "Isn't Anything." I'm not sure it brings anything new to the party, but I happen to love early Stereolab and MBV, so I'm not going to complain. Maybe in another year, it would bother me how much it sounds like its influences. This year, I'm just happy to put the album on the turntable and bliss out.
Dummy, "EP1" and "EP2"
Oh, and if you like Gum Country and Peel Dream Magazine, check out these EPs from LA's Dummy. The first has a peppy quality reminiscent of Stereolab, while the second is darker, spacier and more abstract, reminiscent of some of the great German space rock bands of the 1970s.
Joe Pernice, "Richard"
Sample Track: "If We Were Better Friends"
So, in addition to sitting at home listening to music, a lot of us were sitting at home making music. Some musicians made a habit of posting videos of themselves performing music. The ones I liked best weren't the ones that tried to simulate a concert experience -- those just made me miss going out to shows -- but rather the ones that felt unusual and intimate. Joe Pernice did a whole series of videos of himself singing in his house, accompanying himself on a nylon string guitar. Somehow this turned into a series where he performed covers of songs by Barry Manilow, of all people. The idea didn't appeal to me very much, but with Pernice's voice and the stark accompaniment, even those songs I used to think were so cheesy sounded pretty good. Pernice even released a whole album of them. It was the second album he released this year. The first was "Richard," which has a couple guests but is mostly just him and his nylon-string guitar performing original works. Maybe in any other year I wouldn't have given it the time it requires. This year, it seems just right.
Latitude, "Mystic Hotline"
This Bay Area band has been described as 21st century power pop, and that's as good a description as any. The songs here on their second album are melodic, mostly uptempo, and nicely arranged with guitar, bass, drums and keyboards, all in support of the strong vocals of Amy Fowler.
Sweeping Promises, "Hunger for a Way Out"
There was a fair amount of hype this year for Dehd and Ganser, two post-punk-inspired bands with women vocalists. I like them, but I think I like Sweeping Promises even more. The Boston band works in a similar vein, but there's a simplicity in this album that really works. It's not quite minimalism, but it's stark and lo-fi, like a band playing in a concrete warehouse.
Ed Ackerson, "Capricorn One"
Sample track: "See You In Your Dreams"
Ed Ackerson is remembered for his work in BNLX, Polara, the 27 Various and several other Twin Cities bands he played with in a music career that spanned more than 30 years. He was also a producer and the owner of Flowers Studio in Minneapolis, where he recorded everyone from the Replacements to Lizzo. He was working on this album almost up until his death in 2019, from pancreatic cancer. I didn't know him very well, but he was a close friend of some of my friends, and of many people in the music scene of the Twin Cities and around the world. The last show I went to before everything shut down this spring was a memorial concert at First Avenue that featured bands he had worked and played with over the years. It was lovely. It also served as the release party for this album, and it is one of the best space rock records I have ever heard. See also: "Closer to Heaven: A Tribute to Ed Ackerson."
Honorable Mentions:
Kelley Stoltz, "Hard Feelings" and "Ah! (etc)"
The Beths, "Jump Rope Gazers"
Will Stenberg, "Little River Sessions"
Conan Neutron and the Secret Friends, "Dark Passengers"
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