2020 end-of-the-year retrospectives

I don't usually buy new albums the year they come out (well, at least not anymore). The reason is a combination of having too much stuff to listen to anyway, and of being able to get everything for less than half price if i wait a bit: A few weeks ago, I bought last years' Raconteurs, Lana Del Ray, Fontaines DC, The Who etc. Each cost me between €4.97-6.99. One of a few new albums I bought in 2020 was Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever. I came across their second LP on beautiful blue vinyl for a reasonable price at my neighborhood record shop, and couldn't resist. It features here, lower than I would have expected: No.26 on Uncut's list, No.75 for MOJO. My opinion: If you like 80's indie (The Smiths, Go-Betweens, early REM) rush and get yourself a copy. Regarding the rest of this year's albums, I have some idea from the sample CD's from magazines and -much less- youtube and streaming services, so I'll comment on some of the choices. Unsurprisingly, Bob Dylan tops both lists. During the year, every single verse of his latest album has been analyzed as if it was a literary masterpiece - which is, of course, a valid attitude for the latest offering by a Nobel Prize winner. From a purely musical perspective, the album presents the familiar mix of folk and blues expertly played by his stellar band. Nothing innovative and nothing offensive either, at least for those of us who have gotten used (and even like) his hoarse voice. Other albums that got my attention this year were: Rose City Band (with traces of 60's West Coast psychedelia and 70's Kraut Rock, but timeless really). Also Jarv Is, who got good reviews everywhere: the track included on the Uncut CD ("Sometimes I Am Pharaoh") reminded me of the experimental albums he's been making lately ("hmmm...interesting") but the one on MOJO ("House Music All Night Long") showed all the qualities I loved about Pulp without being a copy of his former self. Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace I'm ambivalent about: I love the man's voice and songs, and I welcome the chance to hear them in different guises, but this solo piano thing? That's for Nina Simone. Bring back the Bad Seeds, please! I first heard Fontaines D.C. on last year's samplers and they won me over. Nevertheless, after listening to their debut from start to finish I'd have to say they're very promising but not quite great yet, an opinion reinforced by the songs in this year's samplers: an Oasis-meets-Pogues ballad ("No") and a typically rollicking post punk rocker ("I Was Not Born") from their second LP. Two world music legends whom we lost to Covid-19 (Toots Hibbert and Tony Allen) are here to show us they were high class to the very end, while we even encounter not one or two, but three groups from Mali: Tamikrest, Afel Bocoum, and Songhoy Blues. The latter keep getting better and better. Could the next saviors of rock come from Africa? Khruangbin mix world music elements with rock and electronica. My friend Anastasia tried to get me into them before, but instrumental music loses my attention after a while. It seems this time around they included more vocal numbers, which did the trick for me. Bananagun are a kindred spirit, mixing world music with folk and psychedelia. They just released their debut LP, and fans of Khruangbin and Devendra Barnhart should check them out. Anything Elvis Costello and Paul Weller do is bound to get the British press' praises, so they made the lists too. Finally, just like the previous year, there is a number of interesting female singer-songwriters (Laura Marling, Phoebe Bridgers, Frazey Ford, Fiona Apple, and more). But how many new Joni Mitchells and Suzanne Vegas do we need? Whatever happened to female rockers? 

 

THE BEST OF 2020, MOJO 75. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways To New Italy 74. U.S. Girls - Heavy Light 73. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions 72. Wire - 10:20 71. Field Music - Making a New World 70. Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess 69. The Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain 68. The Homesick - The Big Exercise 67. Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown 66. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman 65. Beck - Hyperspace 64. The Lemon Twigs - Songs for the General Public 63. Car Seat Headrest - Making A Door Less Open 62. Ren Harvieu - Revel In The Drama 61. Chris Forsyth & Garcia Peoples - Peoples Motel Band 60. Doves - The Universal Want 59. Baxter Dury - The Night Chancers 58. Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club 57. Songhoy Blues - Optimisme 56. The Magnetic Fields - Quickies 55. Tim Burgess - I Love The New Sky 54. The Waterboys - Good Luck, Seeker 53. Nadine Shah - Kitchen Sink 52. SAULT - Untitled (Rise) 51. Don Bryant - You Make Me Feel 50. Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension 49. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas 48. Nadia Reid - Out of My Province 47. Tricky - Fall to Pieces 46. Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets - Live at the Roundhouse 45. Bruce Springsteen - Letter To You 44. Pearl Jam - Gigaton 43. Blake Mills - Mutable Set 42. Bill Fay - Countless Branches 41. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush 40. Thurston Moore - By the Fire 39. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III 38. Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels 37. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia 36. Drive-By Truckers - The Unraveling 35. Rose City Band - Summerlong 34. Maria McKee - La Vita Nuova 33. The Necks - Three 32. Coriky - Coriky 31. Taylor Swift -  folklore 30. Sam Lee - Old Wow 29. Thundercat - It Is What It Is 28. Shirley Collins - Heart's Ease 27. Stephen Malkmus - Traditional Techniques 26. Khruangbin - Mordechai 25. Sparks - A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip 24. Moses Boyd - Dark Matter 23. Shabaka and the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History 22. Leonard Cohen - Thanks for the Dance 21. Mark Lanegan - Straight Songs Of Sorrow 20. Nubya Garcia - Source 19. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is) 18. Toots & The Maytals - Got to Be Tough 17. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter 16. Nick Cave - Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace 15. Frazey Ford - U kin B the Sun 14. Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Rejoice 13. Moses Sumney - græ 12. Idles - Ultra Mono 11. Paul Weller - On Sunset 10. The Flaming Lips - American Head 9. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher 8. Run the Jewels - RTJ4 7. JARV IS... - Beyond the Pale 6. Cornershop - England is a Garden 5. Fleet Foxes - Shore 4. Bill Callahan - Gold Record 3. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death 2. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters 1. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

THE BEST OF 2020, UNCUT 75. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song 74. Jeff Parker - Suite for Max Brown 73. Doves - The Universal Want 72. Tamikrest - Tamotaït 71. Andy Bell - The View From Halfway Down 70. Bill Fay - Countless Branches 69. Honey Harper - Starmaker 68. Steve Earle & The Dukes - Ghosts of West Virginia 67. Matt Berry - Phantom Birds 66. Six Organs of Admittance - Companion Rises 65. Garcia Peoples - Nightcap At Wits' End 64. Nadine Shah - Kitchen Sink 63. H.C. McEntire - Eno Axis 62. Aoife Nessa Frances - Land of No Junction 61. Elvis Costello - Hey Clockface 60. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas 59. Julianna Barwick - Healing Is a Miracle 58. BC Camplight - Shortly After Takeoff 57. Tony Allen & Hugh Masekela - Rejoice 56. The Lemon Twigs - Songs for the General Public 55. Khruangbin - Mordechai 54. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately 53. Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension 52. Hen Ogledd - Free Humans 51. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III 50. Margo Price - That's How Rumors Get Started 49. Gwenifer Raymond - Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain 48. The Necks - Three 47. Working Men's Club - Working Men's Club 46. Roger Eno & Brian Eno - Mixing Colours 45. Bright Eyes - Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was 44. Eddie Chacon - Pleasure, Joy and Happiness 43. Sarah Davachi - Cantus, Descant 42. Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine 41. Keeley Forsyth - Debris 40. Brigid Dawson and The Mothers Network - Ballet of Apes 39. The Psychedelic Furs - Made of Rain 38. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman 37. Sparks - A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip 36. Destroyer - Have We Met 35. Shabaka and the Ancestors - We Are Sent Here By History 34. Rose City Band - Summerlong 33. Bananagun - The True Story of Bananagun 32. The Flaming Lips - American Head 31. Afel Bocoum - Lindé 30. Cornershop - England is a Garden 29. Songhoy Blues - Optimisme 28. Lucinda Williams - Good Souls Better Angels 27. Kevin Morby - Sundowner 26. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways To New Italy 25. Nubya Garcia - Source 24. Moses Sumney - græ 23. Paul Weller - On Sunset 22. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters 21. James Elkington - Ever-Roving Eye 19. Brigid Mae Power - Head Above The Water 18. Frazey Ford - U kin B the Sun 17. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is) 16. Stephen Malkmus - Traditional Techniques 15. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death 14. Courtney Marie Andrews - Old Flowers 13. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush 12. Moses Boyd - Dark Matter 11. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions 10. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter 9. Shirley Collins - Heart's Ease 8. JARV IS... - Beyond the Pale 7. Bill Callahan - Gold Record 6. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud 5. Thundercat - It Is What It Is 4. Drive-By Truckers - The New OK 3. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher 2. Fleet Foxes - Shore 1. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

CLASSIC ROCK, as always, lives in a time of its own - a time when bands like Blue Oyster Cult, Wishbone Ash and Deep Purple are still relevant. AC/DC make No.1 - their newest album actually got great reviews everywhere, so I'm guessing it wasn't included in other lists because its late appearance (mid-November). Is it really that good? Having heard some of it, it sounds like it's just the umpteenth AC/DC record. I think the reviews have less to do with the music itself, and more with the celebration of one band's triumph in the face of adversity: a year ago, their singer was deaf (and temporarily replaced by Ax'l Rose, of all people!), drummer was under house arrest, and guitarist Malcolm Young dead - which he still is, but apparently after leaving behind an abundance of recorded ideas for riffs. Yet Angus & Co. soldier on, how can you not acknowledge that? Unlikely as this return was, another one is plain unbelievable. Granted, no one except Classic Rock noticed it, but Cherie Curry is back, 42 years after leaving The Runaways. Where has she been all this time? Cryogenically preserved, judging by her looks. The appearance of many Southern rock bands in this list is no surprise, but the fact that Jason Isbell and Drive-By Truckers feature highly in the other lists too must be a sign of the genre's regeneration. I was also happy to see Blues Pills and Fantastic Negrito make the Top 50, as it was CR that introduced them to me. Metal dinosaurs like Ozzy and Metallica are, of course, here too - as well as icons like Dylan and Springsteen. Surprises include the high placing of Nick Mason's Live at the Roundhouse and Fish's Weltschmerz. Especially in Mason's case: on the one hand it's nice to hear these early and rarely performed Pink Floyd songs, on the other hand just who is this guy substituting for Syd Barrett and David Gilmour? Gary Kemp from Spandau Ballet? Are you serious? Well, seeing is believing, check the clip below...

THE BEST OF 2020, CLASSIC ROCK MAGAZINE 50 BRITISH LION The Burning 49 GREEN DAY Father Of All Motherfuckers 48 THE LEMON TWIGS Songs For The General Public 47 CATS IN SPACE Atlantis 46 BROTHERS OSBORNE Skeletons 45 BON JOVI 2020 44 THE OUTLAWS Dixie 43 BLUES PILLS Holy Moly 42 COREY TAYLOR CMFT 41 SONGHOY BLUES Optimisme 40 LOW CUT CONNIE Private Lives 39 GINGER WILDHEART Headzapoppin 38 THOSE DAMN CROWS Point Of No Return 37 FIONA APPLE Fetch The Bolt Cutters 36 GREG DULLI Random Desire 35 BLACK STONE CHERRY The Human Condition MASCOT 34 FM Synchronized 33 STEVE EARLE & THE DUKES Ghosts Of West Virginia 32 JAMES DEAN BRADFIELD Even In Exile 31WISHBONE ASH Coat Of Arms 30 CHERIE CURRIE Blvds of Splendor 29 STARBENDERS Love Potions 28 THE ALLMAN BETTS BAND Bless Your Heart 27 DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS The New OK 26 BIFFY CLYRO A Celebration Of Endings 25 STONE TEMPLE PILOTS Perdida R24 THE TEXAS GENTLEMEN Floor It!!! 23 ALL THEM WITCHES Nothing As The Ideal 22 TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN Pressure 21 THE DIRTY KNOBS Wreckless  20 THE CADILLAC THREE Country  19 THE PRETENDERS Hate For  Sale 18 METALLICA S&M2 17 JASON ISBELL & THE 400 UNIT 16 OZZY OSBOURNE Ordinary Man 15 LARKIN POE Self Made 14 MASSIVE WAGONS House Of Noise 13 FANTASTIC NEGRITO Have You Lost Your Mind Yet? 12 BOB DYLAN Rough And Rowdy Ways 11 BOB MOULD Blue Hearts  10 BLUE ÖYSTER CULT The Symbol Remains 9 THE STRUTS Strange Days 8 H.E.A.T H.e.a.t II FRONTIERS 7 PEARL JAM Gigaton 6 NICK MASON’S SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS Live At The Roundhouse 5 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN Letter To You 4 JOE BONAMASSA Royal Tea 3 DEEP PURPLE Whoosh 2 FISH Weltschmerz 1 AC/DC Power Up