MY FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF 2020

Well holy cow, what a year 2020 was, huh????? SO GOOD!!!! Yes, we all know what happened so let's just skip it. A lot of horrid shit, I'll say that. But - one minor (very minor) silver lining is all the amazing music that came out this year (probably somehow linked to musicians having an ass-ton of free time). I mean seriously, I lost track of how many bands released 2 - 3 albums this year. More than a few! 

And to that end, I can personally say that I managed to crank out a THE SUN THROUGH A TELESCOPE full-length called FADING SUN this past September. Three months later and I've still yet to decide that it's actually a complete piece of crap so I take that as a pretty good sign that it ain't too shabby. 

My band HAMN also released a 5 song EP called SAD at the end of March, our second release to date, and I'm pretty pleased with how that came out as well.

And finally, GREATHUNTER put out the 2-song single MOVE INTO LIGHT / UNDERWATER just a few weeks ago with all the financial proceeds going to the Ottawa Food Bank which proves we are not only talented but extremely generous as well.

Okay! Onto the albums! As always, in no particular order! 

1) LOCAL H - LIFERS "There's a certain bitterness/stoicism that emanates from alt-rock's last band standing. It comes across in full-force on this super-heavy release. This dynamic duo can always be counted on for a solid collection of classic-rock infused grunge but LIFERS sounds to me like they really swung for the fences."

2) GLEEMER - ANYMORE "My cousin recommended this band to me a few years ago. It was a successful tip. I excitedly informed him that they had released a new album in 2020. He described it as reminding him of all of his ex-girlfriends. I countered that I found it to be a force-field against all ex-girlfriends. I think we're both right."

3) SHINER - SHADENFREUDE "One of TWO Midwest 90s-era post-hardcore shoegazey space-rocky bands who broke their almost 20 years of silence with a CRUSHER of an album! It's basically everything about them that was awesome back then set within an updated template written by whatever the hell has happened in guitar rock over the past couple of decades. Makes sense, right?"

4) RUN THE JEWELS - RUN THE JEWELS 4 "I wasn't too hot on RTJ3. For some reason, nothing stuck out for me. Which was a bummer since RTJ2 was wall-to-wall bangers. Well, I'm happy to say that RTJ4 has gone back to the classic format of filling the album up with bangers (which, if you think about it, is the only way to go)."

5) IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT - ALPHAVILLE "I discovered this album via the fact that TREY SPRUANCE of MR. BUNGLE (more on them shortly) produced it. I suppose you could describe this as death metal or blackened death metal. Whatever it is, it sure isn't typical. A very strange metal album indeed. Definitely from the same realm as PORTAL. However, if PORTAL represent CHAOS, then IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT are the purveyors of ORDER (sounds like some Marvel Comics GALACTUS type shit). And not in the ho-hum MESHUGGAH "we're so tight as a band that we're collectively constipated 365 days of the year" variety either."

6) NO JOY - MOTHERHOOD "This band has become one of my favourites over the past few years. This is a different release for them, for sure. Mainly because the "them" in question basically refers to singer/guitarist JASAMINE WHITE-GLUZ. And that is exactly what this album sounds like to me - a JWG solo album. It's also absolutely fantastic and beautiful. I think I prefer their previous "band" material is all. Oh well. It's still great. I think I covered that already."

7) EYE FLYS - TUB OF LARD "Awesome, crushing noise-rock from this relatively new group named after a MELVINS song. Some real grinding (not grindcore) riffs over pounding drums. I think one of the members also plays in FULL OF HELL, so that's cool."

8) TODAY IS THE DAY - NO GOOD TO ANYONE "I've probably said this before but I always get a sense from TITD that every album of theirs that sees the light of day is the result of constantly pushing back against adversity. That's probably a thing I've invented in my mind. Just something about the lo-fi production value, the lyrics, the themes - it all feels like a struggle. There seems to be a slight blues element on this particular release, otherwise it's just more of the same twisted take on metal/noise-rock that we've come to expect from STEVE AUSTIN and his sidekicks."

9) HUM - INLET "This is the other Midwest 90s post-hardcore yadda yadda band that put out an album after several years of not. See above for details."

10) ROBERT RICH - OFFERING TO THE MORNING FOG "At some point in the early 2000s, and I cannot remember how, I came to know the music of ROBERT RICH. Specifically, it was his album ELECTRIC LADDER that really caught my ear as a wonderful mix of ambient synth and organic instruments (sax, guitar, etc). Since then, I've checked in from time to time on newer releases (as well as gone through his extensive back catalogue) but nothing really stood out. But this one is very good."

11) ELDER - OMENS "Sweet psychedelic stoner rock with layers of tasty synths. These guys have been knocking it out of the park the past few years."

12) PYRRHON - ABSCESS TIME "I'm slightly loathe to big this band up only because their singer has been mean to a friend of mine on social media (god, that's a stupid sentence). But, in the spirit of separate-the-art-from-the-artist (within reason, of course), I can't deny that this is one hell of a messed up take on.....metal, I guess? I don't know what sub-genre you'd call it. Math metal, maybe. Either way, it is abrasive in a most satisfying way. I got into it with these 2 dorks on Youtube who gave it a terrible review because I'm an excellent judge of how I should be spending my own time."

13) SQUAREPUSHER - BE UP A HELLO "TOM JENKINSON has yet to disappoint. I feel like HELLO EVERYTHING kind of established a shift in style from his straight-up drum n' bass/hyperspeed jazz bass stuff. This album continues in that vein with tons of funky, vibrant parts hitting you in the face at top speed. The Dn'B is still there as well, which is nice because his take on that stuff is always unique and amazing."

14) BORIS - NO "Why the HELL is this album only available as a digital download on Bandcamp??? Easily one of the best things they've put out in years. So relentlessly heavy. Like a darker, doomier version of PINK. Damn you, BORIS! Is there no end to your awesomeness???"

15) DEFTONES - OHMS "Yet another solid release from this band. I literally can't think of one other band for which the quality of their stuff keeps rising and rising the later they get into their career. So weird. It'd be impossible for me to come up with a favourite album of theirs. It's more like my favourite songs of theirs are spread out over multiple albums. And this one is no different, I'm sure some of the songs on here will make the list. Out of curiosity, I watched the entire 1-hour+ flat-earth video the guitar player was recommending a few months ago. Wowee, what an infinity of shit-thinking."

16) SPIRIT POSSESSION - S/T "A shameless tribute to all things first-wave black metal ie: BATHORY, CELTIC FROST (I think I counted at least 2 TOM G WARRIOR type "UGH!!"s within the first 30 seconds of the first song). Is this a bad thing? Hellll no! It's a really fun take on black metal. Production is lo-fi but warm and full at the same time. It's also not strictly stuck in the past - there's definitely some interesting musical twists and turns throughout."

17) MR. BUNGLE - THE RAGING WRATH OF THE EASTER BUNNY DEMO "Easily the album I was looking forward to the most this year. Of the 4 demo tapes that BUNGLE released before their first full-length, RWOTEB was the one I listened to the most. To have a version recorded in a proper studio with 3 of the 4 original players PLUS DAVE LOMBARDO and SCOTT IAN lending their talents??? Oh man. This came out sounding EXACTLY the way I hoped it would. It is sooooo good and so much fun!!! Easily better than 90 percent of the bands they were aping at the time. Utterly insane. It's no wonder they went on to do what they did with music."

18) THOU / EMMA RUTH RUNDLE - MAY OUR CHAMBERS BE FULL "I'm a huge fan of ERR's music. Actually, the last show I attended (in February of 2020) was her performing solo between INTRONAUT and CULT OF LUNA. The darkness in her music works perfectly within the context of a band like THOU. It's like they were made to collaborate! Well done!"

19) NOTHING - THE GREAT DISMAL "A similar story to the whole RUN THE JEWELS debacle - TIRED OF TOMORROW blew me away in such a profound way. The follow-up DANCE ON THE BLACKTOP was a bit of a letdown which was a bit of a bummer considering the whole TOT situation. This album, while still unable to reach TOT heights, is nonetheless absolutely fantastic. A perfect variety of dreamy shoegaze and grungey fuzzed-out rockers."

20) BENJAMIN FINGER & JAMES PLOTKIN - WE CARRY THE CURSE "Some absolutely gorgeous ambient drone music from MR. PLOTKIN and some guy named BENJAMIN FINGER. DISCOGS tells me that he is a musician/filmmaker from Norway. That's nice."

21) JESU - TERMINUS "When you consider the fact that the last 2 JESU full-lengths have been collaborations with SUN KIL MOON (and were both utter GARBAGE!), it's been a long while since we've had a straight up album from them (him). 2013, to be exact. So, I was very much looking forward to this and it does not disappoint. Heavy, beautiful, and utterly sad. I read an interview with JKB recently where he said something along the lines of nostalgia being intrinsically linked to feelings of depression. Nice to know it's not just me!"

22) PENTAGRIME - MVMNT EP / SOULLESS EP "Another project from JAMES PLOTKIN, this one being a solo effort and in the weirdo electronic variety. MR. PLOTKIN wears many hats and I, for one, am interested in all the variety of hats he has to offer. Be they 10-gallon hats or pirate hats made out of newspaper, I'm in! Anyways, onto the next hat!"

23) TRILBY

24) BOWLER

25) DEERSTALKER oh shit, sorry....

26) METZ - ATLAS VENDING "This album honestly didn't blow me away at first. It just sounded like more of the same great stuff that METZ has to offer with a few noticeable expansions into unfamiliar territory. But the familiar stuff kept sounding better and better and the unfamiliar stuff turned out to be the most engaging. Well done, METZ. You've done it yet again."

27) DEUX TROIS - REJECT "The last time I played a show (maybe ever????), it was alongside this Kingston trio (haha) who are always an absolute pleasure to share a stage with. Their brand of indie-rock mixes dark with light, emotional with fun, dancey with dissonance. Some excellent songwriting on here. Very, very cool."

28) TOBACCO - HOT WET & SASSY "In a lot of ways, there's really not much difference between a BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW album and TOBACCO's solo stuff. Which is good because I love it all. That being said, there is a certain evil-groove/evil-funk thing going on here that you don't really hear on the BMSR stuff. Either way, it's awesome."

29) FUCK THE FACTS - PLEINE NOIRCEUR "I'm so glad FTF are back at it. They can always be counted on for a fresh spin on all things heavy. This album mixes things up quite nicely. Some songs bring in more melodic elements which is fairly virgin territory for FTF. And others are, of course, full-on crushers. Nicely done, my peeps."

30) ACxDC - SATAN IS KING "These guys are pretty reliable when it's time to enjoy something grindy. Or hardcore or powerviolence or whatever the internet says they are. Just awesome, short, fast, dirty, riffy, screamy tunes. Real nice."

31) FILMMAKER - ETERNAL RETURN / DIMENSIONAL / DISCORDIAN DISCO "3 albums from this prolific Colombian electro-dude (which, while impressive by most standards, is actually pathetic by his considering he cranked out 7 albums last year). I think my love for all things SKINNY PUPPY is how I came to find about FILMMAKER. Some serious 80s EDM/Industrial vibes going on here. All instrumental, all dark, all gothy."

32) BIGFOOT CORONERS - URBAN FOSSILS "A very cool release from 2 of my former high school chums (one of whom I had been jamming with as of late until the world ended). A super-tasty take on psychedelic rock. Definitely some jazz feels on here. Well worth checking out!"

33) ORANSSI PAZUZU - MESTARIN KYNSI "This is one of the albums that every single person making one of these 2020 lists is championing. Well, in this case, the hype is REAL! This is some seriously messed-up heavy metal music. I guess it's technically black metal but that's more just a way to give the listener some kind of familiarity to start with. This is just all-over-the-place weirdness. Not unlike ALTAR OF PLAGUES but even stranger. Ambient, post-rock, experimental, industrial, etc etc etc. So, naturally, I'm all about it."

34) BENT ARCANA - S/T "Fantastic jazzy psychedelia going on here! Shades of THE SOFT MACHINE, HAWKWIND, krautrock, even post-SYD/pre-DARK SIDE PINK FLOYD at times. Sweet production value too - sounds like you're in the room with the band. Put this on and get cozy with whatever book you happen to be reading. You'll rip through 10 pages in no time!"

35) HIGHER INTELLIGENCE AGENCY - DISCATRON "Okay, so this incredible ambient-techno dude decided to start releasing stuff again. His first proper release since 2000, I think. And, like almost everything, I didn't catch it the first time around but I've been enjoying the HIA sounds for many years now. As has anyone who I happen to be working with/near (it's good music to put on at work since it's equally conducive to be enjoyed/ignored). This is simply an EP of more of the same sweet IDM-type stuff."

36) CORIKY - S/T "I have to admit I really had no interest in checking out THE EVENS (IAN MACKAYE's first post-FUGAZI project). What little of it that I did hear did not inspire further listening. Maybe the fact that CORIKY (MACKAYE's second post-FUGAZI project) includes another FUGAZI member (JOE LALLY on bass) is why I made the effort. Glad I did cuz this stuff is great - really fun, funky, odd, and very much in the vein of the cleaner/funkier FUGAZI stuff."

37) CELL PRESS - S/T "A fantastic EP of heaviness featuring members of THE GREAT SABATINI, SWARM OF SPHERES, BIIPIIGWAN, and probably more. Some screamy metallic noise-rock to clean the ole ears out. Well done, men!"

38) EXPANDER - NEUROPUNK BOOSTERGANG "I'd checked these guys out in the past (at the behest of my THIS IS A DISASTER podcast partner PETER). I always liked what I heard but this album really got my attention. Awesome blend of thrash and hardcore with a kind of "cyber" thing running through it. Oh, and then I looked them up and realized they are from Austin and dress in costumes and shit. It keeps getting better!"

39) PRIMITIVE MAN - IMMERSION "I can't say this band evolves significantly from album to album but I can say that they can always be relied on to deliver the ultimate heavy take on sludge metal. This stuff is downright scary at times, it's so oppressively heavy. For fans of hanging out in the trash compactor from Star Wars whilst it's running."

HONOURABLE MENTIONS - PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS, VULNERE, AUROCH, HEXVESSEL, BLACK CURSE, UNIFORM, OLD MAN GLOOM, TERMINAL NATION, NARROW HEAD, SUMAC, GUIDED BY VOICES, THE OSCILLATION, JUCIFER, MARK RENNER, BLEEDING OUT

That's it! I know I missed out on some good stuff, I just had to say "when" at a certain point. Like I said, LOTS of great stuff coming out this year! So hard to keep up! Everyone was freaking out about the CODE ORANGE album for some reason. God, they've become lame. Also, I really enjoyed what I heard from the HUNTSMEN album that came out this year but, Jesus Christ, the thing is like 80 minutes long! Rein it in, guys!!! People have things to do! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!