PSF's 2020 Writers' Poll
Our favorite things
(February 2021)
left to right: Jessie Ware, Jim Basnight, Marc Sloan, Helado Negro, Kathleen Grace
As we say goodbye to the horrible mess that was 2020, there were some actual musical bright spots. Maybe artists had more time to get down with their muse and get less distracted otherwise? Whatever the reason, our PSF staff found plenty of good music for last year. See if you agree or disagree. Maybe you'll find out about some music you haven't heard about before. Even the editors here admit that they learned something from the lists that the writers shared below.
Joe Banks
- Attraktors Attraktors
Krautrock meets post-punk meets ambient on this Nottingham band's impressive debut- Black Sabbath Paranoid
Deluxe reissue of one of metal's foundational albums includes two live shows- Drift. Symbiosis
Debut album from Nathalie Bruno will delight fans of Broadcast and Jane Weaver, but has its own voice- Garcia Peoples Nightcap At Wits' End
Pastoral psychedelic explorers throw prog into the mix on their best album yet- Groundhogs Thank Christ For The Bomb
Landmark prog blues album reissued with excitingly raw radio session tracks- Kairon; IRSE! Polysomn
Finnish psych/spacegaze crew deliver an immersive, kaleidoscopic trip- Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets- Live At The Roundhouse
Surprisingly vital and enjoyable reboot of Pink Floyd's early years- Slift Ummon
Cosmic heaviosity from French trio, the best space rock album in years- The Budos Band Long In The Tooth
Ever-reliable purveyors of the Afro funk/doom rock cross-over hit the jackpot again- Various Artists Living On The Hill
Wonderful survey of Denmark's underground rock scene 1967-74
Also see Banks' Days of the Underground website
Daniel Barbiero
- Gianni Lenoci & Gianni Mimmo Reciprocal Uncles: The Whole Thing
- Fonema Consort: Vistas Furtivas The Music of Juan Campoverde
- Wendy Richman vox/viola
- Giancarlo Schiaffini/Giuseppe Giuliano What's That Noise?
- Gianni Mimmo and Alison Blunt Busy Butterflies
- John Aylward Angelus Novus
- Martino Traversa Hommage
- patrick brennan, Maria do Mar, Ernesto Rodrigues, Miguel Mira, Hernani Faustino & Abdul Moimeme The Sudden Bird of Waiting
- Marco Colonna Roma Live Solo Performances
- Conny Bauer, Matthias Bauer & Dag Magnus Narvesen The Gift
- Vincent Chancey Trio The Spell
- Sam Rivers Trio Ricochet
- Goncalvo Gato NowState
- Polyorchard ink
- J. Pavone String Ensemble Lost and Found
- Jordan Nobles Chiaroscuro
- counter)induction Against Method
- Bocci/Arrighi/Lepore Anagrammi
- Dana Jessen Winter Chapel
- Roger Reynolds/JACK Quartet Flight & Not Forgotten
Kyle Barnett
- Yazz Ahmed Polyhymnia
- Cornershop England is a Garden
- Dua Lipa Future Nostalgia
- Mary Lattimore Silver Ladders
- Various Kankyo Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990
- Satoshi Ashikawa Still Way: Wave Notation 2
- Hiroshi Yoshimura Music for Nine Post Cards: Wave Notation 1
- Soccer Mommy Color Theory
- Pete Wiggs How We Used to Live
- Lightships Electric Cables
- Helado Negro This is How You Smile
- Billie Tam The Love Game
- Lily Chao Chinese Folk Songs
- Various: Lamp Records: It Glowed Like the Sun: The Story of Naptown's Motown, 1969-1972
- The Zombies Odessey and Oracle
- Jamila Woods Legacy! Legacy!
- Raphael Saadiq Jimmy Lee
- Weyes Blood Titanic Rising
- Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn Wu Fei & Abigail Washburn
- A Girl Called Eddy Been Around
Cat Celebrezze
- Ill Considered Ill Considered VIII
Bad-ass psych-jazz from the UK's Idris Rahman
- Budos Band Long in the Tooth
Still making incomparable aural funkscapes even in their second decade
- Jehnny Beth To Love Is To Live
Beth's Solo arrival well worth the wait
- Spaza Spaza
Johannesburg SA's Mushroom Half Hour label keeping us on the experimental upswing
- Sleaford Mods Eton Alive
Doing their bizarre outta-sight hat-trick to the Nth degree
- Orville Peck Show Pony
Best songwriting yet from our masked man Orville
- X Alphabetville
A revelation of an album from people who haven't played together for decades
- Tropical Fuck Storm "Legal Ghost / Heaven" (Single)
Tropical Fuck Storm has resonants with anyone in a state of urgent, imperative disbelief
- Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Her songwriting originality keeps shining on
- Melvins I Fuck Around
They never disappoint on their perfectly executed parodic pop songs
- The Cool Greenhouse "Alexa" (Single)
An anthem for how our spiraling dystopia is adorably packaged
- Craven Faults Erratics & Unconformities
Repeating deep synths of ambient sounds
Brian Cousins
- Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters
- Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
- Keith Jarrett The Budapest Concert
- Run the Jewels RTJ4
- Prince Sign of the Times (45 Vault tracks) Super Deluxe Reissue
- Sault Untitled (Black is)
- Thelonious Monk Palo Alto
- JARV IS Beyond the Pale
- Bill Callaghan Gold Record
- Jeff Parker Suite for Max Brown
- The Necks Three
- Protomartyr Ultimate Success Story
- Fontaines D.C. A Hero's Death
- X ALPHABETLAND
- Jessie Ware What's your Pleasure?
- HAIM Women in Music Pt. 111
- Destroyer Have We Met
- A. Swayze & the Ghosts Paid Salvation
- Dallas Acid Dallas Acid's Bubble Club, Volume 1
- The Soft Pink Truth Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase?
Peter Crigler
Best songs: Hum "Desert Rambler," Mr. Bungle "Sudden Death," Pearl Jam "Dance of the Clairvoyants," Tame Impala "Lost in Yesterday," Killer Be Killed "Deconstructing Self-Destruction," Psychedelic Furs "Don't Believe," Suicide Machines "Anarchy Always," Beach Bunny "Dream Boy," Lamb of God "Checkmate," H.E.R. "Damage," Michael Kiwanuka "Rolling," Bastille "What You Gonna Do?" Grouplove "Deleter," Hayley Williams "Simmer," The Weeknd "Blinding Lights," Taylor Swift "The Last Great American Dynasty," Avatar "Colossus," (Crosses) "The Beginning of the End," Goldfinger "Nothing to Me," 10 Years "Deja Vu"
- Mr. Bungle The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo
- Hum Inlet
- Psychedelic Furs Made of Rain
- Pearl Jam Gigaton
- Beach Bunny Honeymoon
- Suicide Machines Revolution Spring
- Lamb of God Lamb of God
- Flaming Lips American Head
- X Alphabetland
- eels Earth to Dora
John Dougan
- Half Japanese Crazy Hearts
- Robbie Basho Songs of the Great Mystery
- Various The Harry Smith B-Sides
- Pere Ubu By Order of Mayor Pawlicki
- Elvis Presley From Elvis in Nashville
- Keith Jarrett Budapest Concert
- Bruce Springsteen Letter to You
- War on Women Wonderful Hell
- Don Bryant You Make Me Feel
- Songhoy Blues Optimisme
- Divine Horsemen Live 1985-1987
- Grateful Dead Workingman's Dead and American Beauty 50th Anniversary Deluxe Editions
- Thelonious Monk Palo Alto
- Gwenifer Raymond Strange Lights Over Garth Mountain
- Night Demon Vysteria (EP)
- Amyl and the Sniffers Live at the Croxton (EP)
- Sun Ra Arkestra Swirling
- AC/DC Power Up
- SAULT Untitled (Rise)
- Nick Cave Idiot Prayer (Alone at Alexandra Palace)
Robin Storey Dunn
left to right: Public Enemy, Marquis Hill, Puscifer, J. Pavone, Lamb of God
- Heroes Are Gang Leaders Artificial Happiness Button
- Sault Untitled (Black Is)
- Sarah Mary Chadwick Please Daddy
- Porridge Radio Every Bad
- Lucinda Williams Good Souls Better Angels
- The Rance Allen Group The Rance Allen Group
- Le Butcherettes Don't Bleed
- Bessie Jones & The Georgia Sea Island Singers Get in Union
- Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood Live
- Death Valley Girls Under the Spell of Joy
Jason Gross
ALSO LOVED... Collocutor Continuation, The Bombpops Death in Venice Beach, Marcus King King, Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Bully Sugaregg, Cable Ties Far Enough, Mars Williams An Ayler Xmas Vol.. 4: Chicago Vs. New York, Teenage Halloween Teenage Halloween, Oumou Sangare Acoustic, Lydia Loveless Daughter
- Run the Jewels RTJ4
- Childish Gambino 3.15.20
- Margo Price That's How Rumors Get Started
- Drunken Kong Where We Start
- Dua Lipa & the Black Madonna Club Future Nostalgia (DJ Remix)
- Tami Neilson CHICKABOOM!
- Idles Ultra Mono
- Alma Have U Seen Her?
- Yves Tumor Heaven To A Tortured Mind
- International Teachers of Pop Pop Gossip
- Sault Untitled (Rise)
- Dueling Experts Dueling Experts
- Aesop Rock Spirit World Field Guide
- X Alphabetland
- Diabla Diezco Memento Mori
- Marquis Hill Soul Sign
- Ratboys Printer's Devil
- Moodymann TAKEN AWAY | KDJ-49
- Esme Patterson There Will Come Soft Rains
- Kyle Nix Lightning on the Mountain & Other Short Stories
You can see my full obsessive list (with reissues, movies, books) here
Kortney Jmaeff
Man another great year for music despite one of the craziest years in recent history. Out of nowhere, a couple of good lost albums unearthed by Mr. Bungle and Neil Young.
- Idles Ultra Mono
- Osees Protean Threat
- The Dears Lovers Rock
- Deftones Ohms
- BC Camplight Shortly after Takeoff
- Fontaines DC A Hero's Death
- Poppy I Disagree
- Puscifer Existential Reckoning
- Melkbelly PITH
- Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Viscerals
- Neil Young Homegrown
- HMLTD West of Eden
- Protomartyr Ultimate Success Today
- Mastodon Medium Rarities
- King Gizzard KG
- Marilyn Manson We are Chaos
- Mr. Bungle The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny demo
- The Flaming Lips American Head
- Hum Inlet
- AC/DC Power Up
I had a good 40 albums to winnow away, some honorable mentions include Songhoy Blues Optimisme, Coriky Coriky, Eels Earth To Dora, Working Men's Club Working Men's Club, Thurston Moore By the Fire, Dan Deacon Mystic Familiar, I could go on forever but I can't.
Robert Pally
- New England The New England Archive Box: Vol 1 (Reissue)
- Peter Straker This One's On Me (Reissue)
- Brian Protheroe The Album 1974-1976 (Reissue)
- Andrew Gold Something New: Unreleased Gold (Reissue)
- Jim Basnight Jokers, Idols & Misfits
- QUIET ISLAND Solid EP
- Simon Felton The Cost Of Living
- Datura 4 West Coast Highway Cosmic
- Curt Boettcher & Friends Looking For The Sun (Reissue)
- Bad Tones Is It Good Enough
Marc Phillips
- Rasmus Kjaer Turist
- Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters
- Julian Gerstin Littoral Zone
- Thurston Moore By the Fire
- Ikue Mora, Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura Prickly Pear Cactus
- Troy Roberts Stuff I Heard
- PureAudioProject Music Odyssey—China
- Trees Speak Ohms
- Hamilton Leithauser The Loves of Your Life
- Kathleen Grace with Larry Goldings Tie Me to You
- Fleet Foxes Shore
- Fred Hersch Songs From Home
- John Daversa Quintet Cuarantena
- Samuel Leipold Viscosity
- What Happens in a Year ceremonie/musique
Bart Plantenga
- Cynthia Bio Designer
Cynthia & Mitchell O'Sullivan take on the Silver Apples- Palo Alto Difference et Repetition: A Musical Evocation of Gilles Deleuze
- Various Reel to Real vol. 1: Lascaux Easton
Because it's good & I witnessed its birth- Charlie Morrow American Lament
- Donato Dozzy 12H
- R.Hz Dub Wind
- Up Bustle & Out 24 Track Almanac: Echo Beach
- Sly & Robbie Meet Dubmatix Overdubbed: Echo Beach
- DJ Click & Click Here Delhi to Sevilla
- Ltj X-Perience "Back Roads" & "Empty Streets"
2 songs with enchanting whistling from different LPs
- Hang Youth Boel Aan De hand & Alles Moet Beter [A Lot Going On / Everything Got To Be Better]
Dutch hardcore, activist, political-humor punk
- Suzanne Kraft Talk from Home especially the sublime "Flatiron"
- Kim Gordon No Home Record
- Anna Caragnano & Donato Dozzy Sintetizzatrice
- Run the Jewels RTJ4, especially "JU$T"
- Matthew Shipp Trio The Unidentifiable
- Yagya Rigning
- Heavenchord Discovering Infinity
- Mr. Cloudy & Gradient Hypnotic Dub Season
Kurt Wildermuth
This is the only new song that spoke to me in 2020, but it spoke to me, as to so many others, very deeply. Thanks once again Bob, for being you.
- Bob Dylan "Murder Most Foul"
Joe Yanosik
- Various Artists Hanging Tree Guitars
- No Age Goons Be Gone
- Bob Dylan Rough and Rowdy Ways
- Wussy Ghosts
- Peter Stampfel and the Bottle Caps Demo '84
- Yonic South Twix and Dive EP
- Thelonious Monk Palo Alto
- X Alphabetland
- Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters
- Public Enemy What You Gonna Do When the Grid Goes Down?
- Bktherula Nirvana
left to right: Angel Bat Dawid, Songhoy Blues, X, Drift, Bob Dylan
MAIN PAGE | ARTICLES | STAFF/FAVORITE MUSIC | LINKS |