Phil's Top 10 Albums of 2020

Waiting to join an online birthday party for a dear friend, looking at a plate with five high-end ryes for my tasting pleasure (spoiler: Templeton's 2018 barrel strength rye is better than it should be), seemed like it was finally time to pull the trigger on my 2020 top ten albums.

What did I miss? (I enjoy the new Thundercat but haven't listened to it that much yet.)

1) “Free Love”, Sylvan Esso

2) “Folklore”, Taylor Swift

3) “Fall to Pieces”, Tricky

4) “Circles”, Mac Miller

5) “some kind of peace”, Olafur Arnalds

6) “Good Souls Better Angels”, Lucinda Williams

7) “The Slow Rush”, Tame Impala

8)- “Serpentine Prison”, Matt Berninger

9) “Womb”, Purity Ring

10) “Punisher”, Phoebe Bridgers

Honorable mentions:

1) “Have We Met”, Destroyer

2) “Golden Ticket”, Brasstracks

3) “Warnings”, I Break Horses

4) “New Me, Same Us”, Little Dragon

5) “Your Hero is Not Dead”, Westerman

Best Eps:

1) “Dear Illusion”, Adaline

2) “Flight Tower”, Dirty Projectors

3) “I Shine, U  Shine”, Rimon

[Editor's note: I spend a surprising amount of time looking for these through my FB archive over the years, so I'm dropping these here mostly for my own ease of use.]

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Massdrop x. Meze 99 Noir

Image
[ MSRP $199 , purchased on sale (which they regularly are on) for $179. These are identical to the Meze 99 Classics , which retail for $309.] [ Tl;dr:  These headphones are really solid for their price range, though they are a little sensitive to DAC/amp fit. I think most audiophiles would rather spend a little more to get headphones that play more nicely with higher-end output devices, but they’re a really good upgrade option for consumer-grade headphones. I’ll definitely keep using them, and I’m curious to explore after-market cable options to see if they address the few shortcomings.] Scores: Cost-agnostic: 7 out of 10 Denalis Cost-sensitive: 8 out of 10 Denalis Intro.  I bought these initially as a gift, only to find out that they were too large (something that has never been a problem for me!). I decided to hold on to them instead of returning them as I’d been eyeing this particular pair of headphones for a couple of years based off of reviews and how much I liked the way...
Read more

Roon Review: A full-house music system that works

Image
($150/year billed annually, $14.99/month billed monthly, $829 lifetime, plus costs of a server, controllers, and endpoints) [ Tl;dr: This system is not without its flaws, and there are certainly cheaper/free options in the market that accomplish at least some of the same functionality, but for someone like me that values the ability to quickly and easily stream music to different rooms (or transfer an active stream from one room to another), the convenience factor is real. I can’t imagine not re-upping this service, and if Roon ever goes out of business I’m going to be really bummed. Particularly, I love the Roon Radio functionality and the recommendations it makes for new tracks and albums, and how seamless it makes moving around my house while listening to music.] Scores: Cost-agnostic: 9 out of 10 Denalis Cost-sensitive: 8 out of 10 Denalis [Caveats/tech details: This is probably the most niche and bougie review I’ve done (or will likely do). Please keep in mind that I’ve been ser...
Read more

Phil's Quickie Hawaiian Adventure Reviews

Image
This is just a place to throw down some thoughts on the places I visit on my month-long stay on the Big Island. Some notes on my scale: 10/10 Denalis: among the best I’ve ever had. I will plan entire days (or entire trips) around going to this place and doing the thing there. [very few things end up in this category.] 8-9/10 Denalis: really, really good, generally no notes, but not truly exceptional. These are places I will go if I’m nearby or traveling through. 6-7 Denalis: solid, but nothing to write home about. Would go back only if it were super convenient, or as an alternative if something better nearby is closed and I don’t have time/inclination to find another option. 4-5/10 Denalis: Just fine, or at least wildly inconsistent. I’d mostly avoid these places unless I’m desperate, or someone else really wants to go. 1-3/10 Denalis: I won’t write about these unless there’s a really compelling reason. Not here to yuck anyone else’s yum, unless there’s something that folks need to kno...
Read more