Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s by JamesMowbray 
- Chart updated: 12/20/2021 20:45
- (Created: 12/20/2021 20:21).
- Chart size: 100 albums.
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This is how you use percussion. Across every track here there's something brilliant going on with the drums, hand claps or dog barks. Tracks like 'Newspaper' probably make this most obvious, where the drums dictate the pace and tone across the whole song. There 's this really harsh and overbearing drumbeat all through the first portion of the track, giving things a massive feeling of weight, even though the drums and the vocals are the only things here. As things progress the drums get faster with each vocal change but it's done so smoothly that you barely notice. This builds tension throughout the track until, right at the end, they start to fade completely, so that only a faint guitar is left. It's such an eerie effect.
You get such a different effect in something like the opening track. It starts off with a very regular set of handclaps and light drumming for a few seconds, but it's when this simple arrangement stops that you see its effect. It brings such as tightness to the first few seconds, that when it gives way it lets the piano that takes over completely soar. No more percussion appears until late in the track but at this point it doesn't dampen the freer feel of this track. Instead, the drum rolls, along with the strings, give a massive sense of presence by reinforcing Fiona's voice. The drums feel like a natural reaction to the vocals, not a steady rhythm that pens them in. Finally, when things go haywire right at the end, the drums and vocals fall apart together letting the piano take control. What an opener.
The most ambitious effects take place on 'For Her'. When the lyrics first hit, there's no percussion at all which, along with the sweeter sounding vocals, gives off a misleading, lighter mood. On the surface this gives off the same free feel that 'I Want You To Love Me' had. Of course, the lyrics are giving off a completely different vibe. The clashing of these two moods give off a really disturbing effect. This builds when the drum do kick in. It brings us back to these harsher rhythms that seem to actively compete with the vocal harmonies. Soon after, the drums pick up a more playful and sped up style, only adding to the confusion. There's incredible skill in not making this sound like an absolute mess. Things really take a turn the moment you hear the lyric "Good morning, good morning". The drums slow and reach their heaviest, just as you hear the line "You raped me in the same bed your daughter was born in". It's one of the most disturbing and succinct lines about evil you'll ever hear but it's not just the lyric itself that carries this weight, the track has been building from the start to make this line hit as hard as possible.
You can hear these incredible techniques across every track of 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters'. With this level of lyricism, songwriting and album structure it might seem crazy to only talk a bit about the percussion, but for an album this dense, you can only get across how good this album is by talking about each part in detail. There is already plenty to read on all those aspects and there'll be plenty more to come. It's just so refreshing to see a record use percussion this successfully, when it is so often used in such basic ways, even on great albums. It also says a lot about the quality of Fiona Apple's discography, that I kind say for sure this is her best album.
You get such a different effect in something like the opening track. It starts off with a very regular set of handclaps and light drumming for a few seconds, but it's when this simple arrangement stops that you see its effect. It brings such as tightness to the first few seconds, that when it gives way it lets the piano that takes over completely soar. No more percussion appears until late in the track but at this point it doesn't dampen the freer feel of this track. Instead, the drum rolls, along with the strings, give a massive sense of presence by reinforcing Fiona's voice. The drums feel like a natural reaction to the vocals, not a steady rhythm that pens them in. Finally, when things go haywire right at the end, the drums and vocals fall apart together letting the piano take control. What an opener.
The most ambitious effects take place on 'For Her'. When the lyrics first hit, there's no percussion at all which, along with the sweeter sounding vocals, gives off a misleading, lighter mood. On the surface this gives off the same free feel that 'I Want You To Love Me' had. Of course, the lyrics are giving off a completely different vibe. The clashing of these two moods give off a really disturbing effect. This builds when the drum do kick in. It brings us back to these harsher rhythms that seem to actively compete with the vocal harmonies. Soon after, the drums pick up a more playful and sped up style, only adding to the confusion. There's incredible skill in not making this sound like an absolute mess. Things really take a turn the moment you hear the lyric "Good morning, good morning". The drums slow and reach their heaviest, just as you hear the line "You raped me in the same bed your daughter was born in". It's one of the most disturbing and succinct lines about evil you'll ever hear but it's not just the lyric itself that carries this weight, the track has been building from the start to make this line hit as hard as possible.
You can hear these incredible techniques across every track of 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters'. With this level of lyricism, songwriting and album structure it might seem crazy to only talk a bit about the percussion, but for an album this dense, you can only get across how good this album is by talking about each part in detail. There is already plenty to read on all those aspects and there'll be plenty more to come. It's just so refreshing to see a record use percussion this successfully, when it is so often used in such basic ways, even on great albums. It also says a lot about the quality of Fiona Apple's discography, that I kind say for sure this is her best album.
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
3,230
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
566. 
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An incredible clash of genres and the most forward thinking and out there metal album I've heard for a long time. I can't claim to understand the theological ideas behind the record particularly well, definitely not well enough to sum them up here, but I find that the music really speaks for itself. The ebb and flow of the instrumentals that appear early in the album give a pay off every time and feel kind of cinematic, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the visual accompaniment to this. Amongst these instrumentals are the two singles off the album, which feel like the most significant tracks. 'Lonely OLOLON' feels like a track that pushes the music of H.A.Q.Q. a few steps further, more restlessly changing pace and style. 'SIHEYMN's Lament' goes even further. It's intro draws on jazz, classical and trap and the way it works is too hard for me to describe, you really just have to listen to it. You can think you've got the measure of the track when the guitars do come in but things really just get more chaotic from that point with all kind of elements being brought in and tossed out. The long instrumental track that follows still has a great sound but struggles to keep up with the highs of the earlier parts of the record. I get that this more settled track is probably integral to the underlying narrative of the album but it almost feels like the breaks have been hit. It still leads into a brilliant closer which sticks with the album's tradition of being amazingly forward thinking.
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After enjoying Historian I was still surprised by how much I got on with follow up Home Video. I've struggled with a lot of Lucy Dacus' contemporaries like Phoebe Bridgers, Snail Mail and Julien Baker and have had to accept that while I don't hate their music I don't really get it either. I think what works so well for me on Home Video is just how well it's constructed as an album with each track having it's own clear narrative but also having each of these tracks make up an important part of the record as a whole. I really appreciate how regret is approached constructively with a track like 'VBS' not just looking back and telling a story but bringing a greater understanding to the past events it describes to inform Dacus' present. It gets across the idea that even if we're formed by our pasts we can still influence how our past shapes us to try and be better for it. The varying sounds between the tracks also help individual songs to stand out and match the varying tones and emotions across the tracks. 'Triple Dog Dare' is a perfect closer, creating a queer, childlike fantasy to escape the problems of an unjust world. It has such a bittersweet feel by creating a beautiful solution that the listener knows is impossible.
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
359
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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When I first heard Sinner Get Ready I was a bit disappointed in the shift away from the extreme vocals that had dominated her previous releases. Uboa would probably be the only artist I've heard who could match Kristen's performances for sheer intensity. However, as time's gone on I've come to appreciate the shift in style. Sinner Get Ready can still manage to build oppressive atmospheres in tracks like 'I Who Bend the Tall Grasses' but the gentlest tracks here consistently stand out, building a narrative of at least partially healing from traumatic past experiences. It's not an upbeat record by any means but the change in tone not only makes it stand out in Kristen's discography but also sees it continue and develop on her previous work. I also think that the religious elements work better on this album than on any other Lingua Ignota project, going beyond a sense of divine vengeance. Two tracks where this works particularly well are 'Many Hands' and 'The Solitary Brethren of Ephrata'. The former creates an image of a judgemental God which is complicated by a sense of remorse over judgement that needs to be carried out with the line "I wish things could be different he wept". The closer creates a sense of almost total peace that had been building through the record, it's a peace I hope Kristen finds after all she's been through.
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
890
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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There's something so familiar about Microphones in 2020 even though so much of it diverges from previous Microphones releases. The lyrics are far more direct than any previous work. 2003's Mount Eerie was a concept album featuring the universe and death as characters, this follow up (sort of) is an autobiographical discussion of the origins behind the group and Phil's changes along the way. The choruses of voices you'd hear on previous Microphones albums are also left out here. However, this is still unmistakably a Microphones album with its largely acoustic sounds being interrupted by waves of distortion and drums. The record opens with the same repeated guitar chords for a good few minutes and somehow holds your attention through all of them, it's sort of reminiscent of their earlier track 'The Pull' which was also happy to take its time over a fairly straightforward set of chords. This very basic backbone of the track allows so many of the different instrumental elements of the track to take centre stage and really helps to weave together the narrative and the instruments. The lyrics are the key draw to Microphones in 2020 though. Phil puts together a long, autobiographical narrative that goes way beyond just some listing of events by using really vivid imagery and having a meaningful, emotional conclusion. The progression of the narrative really stood out to me, especially after I'd listened to Bob Dylan's 'Murder Most Foul' which I think struggled to really build to a similar pay off. It's well worth watching the accompanying video on youtube for the full experience of the album. It's a wonderfully put together slideshow of images to accompany the music.
Year of Release:
2020
Appears in:
Rank Score:
771
Rank in 2020:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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When I heard Injury Reserve's self titled from a couple of years back I appreciated the really inventive approach that put them on the most experimental side of experimental hip hop, but I didn't find myself coming back to it very often and a few tracks didn't really click for me first time. By the Time I Get to Phoenix is a different story. While there's still a couple of tracks I can't really get my head around, the majority of what's here is some of the best experimental hip hop I've heard. 'Knees' and 'Superman That' are in a league of their own. The former expertly samples black midi's 'Sweater' to create a mournful atmosphere that matches some of the best lyrics on the record. The latter sounds like the best Kanye West song that he didn't make himself. I think what really brings the project together for me are the depressive lyrical themes that run through the record and I think they really stand out in 'Top Picks For You' which includes the technical themes that had left me a bit cold on previous releases, but repurposes them to describe the eerie way that Groggs lives on in recommendation algorithms. The overall sound here really adds to the unsettling feel but doesn't take away from the emotional core of the track. It doesn't seem clear where Injury Reserve will go from here but 'Bye Storm' would be a fantastic closer if this is it. The track samples 'Here Come the Warm Jets' to add a hopeful undertone to lyrics that really pull together the themes of the album.
Year of Release:
2021
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,122
Rank in 2021:
Rank in 2020s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
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I've seen a few people call this Carti's Yeezus and even though I don't really agree with this, both projects do start as a shout and end as a whimper. The opening tracks off of Whole Lotta Red are unlike much I've heard in trap. They're the toughest going songs here but I find them really exhilarating, the vocals go just as off the chain as the baby voice that appeared in the many leaks leading up to the project. I wonder if a lot of hate for this record comes from the abrasiveness of these early tracks because the later tracks should be uncontroversially brilliant to anyone who's got an interest in this genre. The beats here are cohesive enough to flow from track to track but each one has enough to stand out. Carti's tracks with Pierre have always been great but I really like that there are a few different producers creating this effect. The sometimes introspective lyrics here are a real surprise that do a lot to build a sort of dejected atmosphere, especially on tracks like 'Punk Monk'. This tone gives a very different edge to the more run of the mill trap lyrics across the later tracks, they feel more like an escape from reality than the regular brag rap. There's no tracks here that hit as instantly as anything like 'Location' or 'Lean for Real' but this feels like his best album, I find that even though I play Die Lit a fair bit I don't normally listen to it all the way through. Bring on the deluxe edition!
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Total albums: 47. Page 1 of 5
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s composition
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
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| Arca | 4 | 4% | |
| Sewerslvt | 3 | 3% | |
| Dltzk | 2 | 2% | |
| DJ Sabrina The Teenage DJ | 2 | 2% | |
| Black Dresses | 2 | 2% | |
| Fiona Apple | 1 | 1% | |
| Jane Weaver | 1 | 1% | |
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| Country | Albums | % | |
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47 | 47% | |
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24 | 24% | |
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10 | 10% | |
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6 | 6% | |
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5 | 5% | |
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4 | 4% | |
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1 | 1% | |
| Show all | |||
Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s similar charts
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| Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s | JamesMowbray | 2020s decade chart | 2021 | |
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Top 100 Music Albums of the 2020s ratings
87/100 (from 1 vote)
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| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
95/100  | 09/06/2024 01:26 | thepurplemartin | | 82/100 |
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95/100
From thepurplemartin 09/06/2024 01:28
Wow, such a detailed list and very insightful thoughts. Totally agree about Whole Lotta Red, I think people call it Carti’s Yeezus because that’s the closest comparison to draw from. WLR immediately dictated the new prevailing tone of trap music and Yeezus was the album that did that in the early-mid 2010s.
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