#used the word exhausted like 5 timez

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This one got a title

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The Definitive Top Ten Albums of 2020: #5 - #1

5. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush

At this point Tame Impala are a tale of two bands, the upstart Australian indie band that hewed closely to a blueprint of updated 60s psych rock on their first two LPs, and then the far more pop oriented outfit they morphed into on 2015′s Currents. The seismic shift to more synthetic production paradoxically won them a much larger audience, while at the same time alienating many previous fans. While it seemed that some wanted sole songwriter Kevin Parker to keep making the same album over and over, the new direction highlighted his gift for earworm hooks and shimmering and detailed production. On The Slow Rush, Parker moves even further into the pop realm and adds disco flourishes like hand drums and mainstays of electronic production like squelchy acid basslines. Had 2020 panned out like a normal year, I have no doubt that their first headlining arena tour of the US would have proven fertile ground to expand on these songs and translated to a new level of appreciation after seeing them performed live. Even without that boost, The Slow Rush cements Parkers’ status as one of the top songwriters and producers of his generation.

4. Mac Miller - Circles 

It’s tragic when any young artist dies, but especially so when they just seemed to be fully living up to their full artistic potential with new breakthroughs right around the corner. Such is the case with Mac Miller, who started out as a goofy teen pop rapper, transitioned to more jazzy underground rhymes and finally began to emerge as a neo-soul singer songwriter. On the posthumously released Circles, rapping only surfaces a couple times, instead Miller’s gravelly and wary beyond his years singing takes the center stage. To be fair, it was clear he had been moving in this direction on his last couple albums, but on Circles he displays a whole new level of maturity and willingness to completely embrace a move beyond hip hop to something more original and emotionally honest. The production by Jon Brion is both nuanced and inviting with a warmth and relaxed feeling that compliments Miller’s confessional lyrics. When Miller sings of his exhaustion with the pressures of fame and its trappings it can be a tough listen, and it’s more than a little sad to ponder just where he was headed next with his music. But even in its most depleted moments Circles remains appreciative, so here’s to enjoying the music Miller gave us while he was here.  

3. Run the Jewels - RTJ4

By now the formula for Run the Jewels is well established; banging production from El-P, relentless verbal assaults from Killer Mike, some lesser but passable verses from El-P and a few well placed guests. But here’s the rub, it’s a sure thing every time, with each of their four albums putting on a clinic in state of the art 21st Century hip hop. But RTJ4 does beef things up a bit in the lyrics department, with a little more pointed sociopolitical commentary than before, like on the epic album closing “A Few Words for the Firing Squad”, where the duo meditate on crime, racism and income disparity. Elsewhere Greg Nice and DJ Premier come aboard for the old school boom bap of “Ooh LA LA” which was a standout teaser track and instant classic. RTJ4 is essentially an extended musical case of “it it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” and given their track record I see no reason that El-P and Killer Mike can’t keep kicking down these gems into their golden years. 

2. Gorillaz - Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez

In yet another head scratcher, Damon Albarn’s Gorillaz released their best album since 2010′s Plastic Beach and the world basically shrugged, with this collection of songs not registering on most year-end lists. But make no mistake, if you are a fan of the Gorillaz star studded brand of kaleidoscopic pop madness, the first installment of the Song Machine series is a must listen, with the usual dizzying and colorful array of styles and motifs. While on 2017′s extremely disappointing Humanz the features overwhelmed the tracks to the point where it seemed like Albarn was guesting on his own album, here the collaborations do a great job of showcasing the featured artists while still allowing Albarn’s contributions to shine through. There’s also a nice balance between newer artists like slowthai and Octavian with usual suspects like Robert Smith and Beck. In terms of the songs themselves, there’s several outstanding tracks to be found, like the sunlit Desole, which cruises along on a propulsive beat and Fatoumata Diwara’s exuberant Malian vocals. Robert Smith yelps his way through the clattering title cut and Peter Hook of New Order brings the classic 80s vibe to “Aries” in a deeply grooving cut that’s both nostalgic and fun. If as the name suggest this is an ongoing series, we could be in store for a Gorillaz renaissance that only adds to their already considerable legacy. 

1. The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You 

Let’s be clear, The Avalanches will never make another album quite like 2000′s masterpiece Since I Left You. That album was a high water mark, a truly head spinning pastiche of thousands of samples that felt like one continuous stew of musical ideas. The album equivalent of an all night rave with one track flowing into the next, taking the idea of an album as one piece of music to its logical extreme. In today’s world an album that densely packed with samples isn’t even feasible, unless the group wanted to forgo album sales and simply give it away for free online. Instead of trying to recreate that lightning in a bottle, The Avalanches have created something far more subtle with We Will Always Love You, switching out turntablist stunts for an album that is still thematic, but in a far more restrained fashion. It still packs in a lot of material, but instead of switching the channel every couple minutes, or seconds, like their debut, it’s content to let things develop a bit more patiently. A lot of the songs here employ just a couple of musical ideas and let things unfold as a natural progression. It’s still quite a thematic journey with the motifs of space and mortality a common thread winding through the album’s 25 tracks, which also flow together with well executed transitions. Continuing the trend of their sophomore release Wildflower, the proceedings include tons of guests, but they blend into the tracks so seamlessly, with the exception of Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo, that they sound more like samples than features. While before The Avalanches music was bursting with youthful energy, here they present something more mature, and at times even regretful or bittersweet. It does seem a bit hasty to declare an album of this depth as album of the year a mere two weeks after its release, but I have no doubt that this album is a grower that will continue to reveal additional facets upon further listens. I’ve been around the musical block enough times to know that We Will Always Love You is the type of work that’s status will only increase with the time, truly visionary art nearly always does.