So far, the 2020s have given us some of the most engaging, most inventive albums I've ever heard. If you've retreated into the infinite repeat of your favorite bands or songs, then I encourage you to branch out! Any of the entries presented below will do. At this point in the decade, they are the 20 albums I've enjoyed the most. I tend to be a formalist, so my picks are often informed by composition, arrangement, and performance - but other metrics like innovation and "relisten value" were also taken into consideration. For what it's worth, my taste in music has gotten real weird as of late, so please garnish this list with as many grains of salt as you like. Read and enjoy!
20.) An Evening with Silk Sonic - Silk Sonic (2021): This throwback album is as fun as it is funky, with blistering vocal performances, velvety productions, and effortless charm. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are at their best here, delivering soulful melodies and clever lyrics in every song. Standout tracks: "Fly as Me" and "Smokin Out the Window" are as groovy as music in the 2020s has ever been.
19.) Welcome - Daði Freyr (2020): If Silk Sonic recreates pop music's past, then Icelandic/Danish songster Daði Freyr reflects its future. This is a phenomenally funky EP, one that is both inescapably European and universally renowned. Standout tracks: The tune that hooked me was "Think About Things," but "10 Years" is a perfect portrait of my marriage at this point, so it's definitely a highlight for me.
18.) Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers - Kendrick Lamar (2022): Like all Kendrick albums, I was slow to appreciate this 79-minute hip hop odyssey. But the deeper I dug, the more I enjoyed. This is Kendrick at his most versatile, his lyrics and flow running the gamut from contemplative to chaotic. But best of all are the recurring motifs - the jazz piano, the elegiac vocal melodies, the human percussion, etc. Standout tracks: I prefer the first disc - Big Steppers - in its entirety.
17.) Pictures of Mountains - Cody Fry (2021): In an era of pop music supremacy, it's frankly astonishing that this album wasn't more popular. On Pictures of Mountains, Cody Fry has crafted an intensely personal record, one with lyrics sharp enough to slice to the bone. The entire album is effervescent in a slick, hyper-stylized way - like a luxury car fresh off the production line. Standout tracks: The sumptuous arrangement and groovy epilogue of "Wander Anymore/Dunes" are absolutely incredible. And "Make It" is just...ugh, it's heartbreaking.
16.) Happier Than Ever - Billie Eilish (2021): Elegant and melodic, trancy and avant-garde, simple and sophisticated - all words that perfectly encapsulate Happier Than Ever, Eilish's sophomore release. Standout tracks: The pop hits really do slap ("Therefore I Am" and "Lost Cause" are the post-breakup bangers to end all post-breakup bangers), but the album finds its footing in quieter moments, like the shimmering vocals of "Goldwing" or the meditative calm of "My Future."
15.) five seconds flat - Lizzy McAlpine (2022): You may not know Lizzy McAlpine, but you should. She's a singer/songwriter who reminds me of Eva Cassidy or Suzanne Vega - a voice clear as crystal, lyrics casually cool, and melodies that are simply divine. Standout tracks: The first three songs ("doomsday," "an ego Thing," and "erase me") are some of the most unique songs of the 2020s, particularly thanks to daring arrangements and heartrending vocals.
14.) Plastic Hearts - Miley Cyrus (2020): Say what you want about Miley, but Plastic Hearts is one of the best pop-rock records of the decade. With features from artists like Joan Jett, Billy Idol, and Stevie Nicks, a certain degree of late-80s aesthetic was bound to seep into this thing. But its identity extends beyond tribute, as Cyrus mines cliche to find plenty of gold all her own. Standout tracks: I love the punky angst of "WTF Do I Know," the sultry smolder of "Prisoner," and the throbbing synthwave ache of "Gimme What I Want."
13.) IMPERA - Ghost (2022): Although the lyrics are sometimes a bit cheesy, Ghost always manages to deliver fun, headbanging goodness. On IMPERA, the boys have forged a metal album that somehow balances catchy ear-worm hooks with soaring rock & roll instrumentals. I think of this as a counterpart to Plastic Hearts, like it's the next installment in a series of albums dedicated to recreating the anthemic stadium hits of yesteryear. Standout tracks: "Call Me Little Sunshine" is sinister and slick, while "Spillways" is diabolically dancy.
12.) 400LB BACK SQUAT - Bilmuri (2021): This 25-minute album is a lightning rod of creativity, one that delivers a fresh, frenetic experience. Genre-wise, I'm not sure what to even call this thing. Is it pop-punk? Aggressive dream-pop? Maybe it's psychedelic post-hardcore? However you want to define it, it's awesome. Standout tracks: the dubstep fury of "LORDFARQUADZILLA" must be heard to be believed, while the telecaster-style guitar solo of "ACOWBOYSHEAVYLOAD" is wonderfully unexpected.
11.) IDES - Dessa (2021): I've been a fan of Dessa since about 2015, and although I think she's an inarguable talent who deserves a slot on everyone's "top 5 dead or alive" hip hop rankings, IDES is particularly impressive. If you're a fan of flirty yet ferocious rap, especially songs with razor-sharp writing and dynamic rhythms, then this is required listening. Dessa's got flow and soul to spare, with every verse oozing charisma. Standout tracks: Check out the badass bravado of "Terry Gross" or the champagne bubbliness of "I Already Like You."
10.) SAWAYAMA - Rina Sawayama (2020): Awash in synthesizers and electric guitars, buoyed by magnetic lead vocals, Rina Sawayama's self-titled album is one of the decade's best. Honestly, each song holds a surprise, be it the Weezer-esque guitar solo of "Dynasty," the nü-metal chugging of "STFU," or the inexplicable crowd that appears for "Who's Gonna Save U Now?" Somehow these disparate parts weave together perfectly, a tapestry born of a thousand different colors. Standout track: I honestly cannot get enough of "Akasaka Sad."
9.) <COPINGMECHANISM> - WILLOW (2022): Who'd have thought that one of the best punk albums of the decade would come from Willow Smith? Not me, that's for sure - and if you don't believe me, you have to give this thing a spin. The production is great, the instrumentals are thunderous, but the best part of the record are Willow's melodies - they are some of the most unique, inventive, eccentric hooks I've heard in recent memory. Standout tracks: The breathless, stream-of-consciousness chorus of "Curious/Furious" is exhilarating, while the nimble melody of "ur a <stranger>" is, in a word, genius.
8.) Unlimited Love and Return of the Dream Canteen - Red Hot Chili Peppers (2022): It might be cheating to put both of these albums into one slot, but this is my list, right? So who cares? 2022 was a big year for the Chilis, as it saw the release of these two monstrous double-albums, featuring the return of fan-favorite John Frusciante on guitar and backing vocals. Unlimited Love came first, and with its fuzzed-out acid guitar and energetic vocals, is a raw rock & roll record. But its successor, Return of the Dream Canteen, is funkier and more polished, emphasizing mellifluous basslines and virtuoso drumming. Standout tracks: From Unlimited Love, my favorites are "Black Summer" and "It's Only Natural." From Dream Canteen, it's "Afterlife" and "The Drummer."
7.) GLOW ON - Turnstile (2021): I've never really liked the thrashy, full-throated power of punk. Sure, as a millenial, I have a fondness for emo/pop-punk, but I never really embraced the sweaty anarchism that's elemental to the genre's core. So really, it's this album that's helped ease me into the ethos. GLOW ON is as dreamy as its name and album art suggest, yet still manages to throwdown with the best of them. All the essential punk flavors are present, from high-energy bashers to gigantic riffs. But so too are pillowy puffs of soft electronica and shoegaze, unexpected and divine. Standout tracks: The opener, "Mystery" is gorgeously ethereal; "New Heart Design" has a bouncy guitar lick and a scintillating triangle groove.
6.) CAPRISONGS - FKA twigs (2022): This art-pop mixtape by English singer/songwriter FKA Twigs might just be the most intriguing album in my top-ten. Why? For starters, her voice is unlike anyone else's in modern music. It's textured in all the right ways, with a honeyed timbre that elegantly expresses every emotion she wishes to convey: trepidation, infatuation, love, lust. Twigs once described this as a "going out" record, which is perfect. It somehow contains all the elements of an adventurous night in a big city - bombastic beats, drizzling ambience, chatter with friends. A thread of self-confession strings together each song, and by the end, you feel like you've been with Twigs and her mates as they traversed the busy streets of London. Standout track: "Ride the Dragon" is a hallucinogenic odyssey you need to hear to believe.
5.) POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR - Bring Me the Horizon (2020): Again, I'm not the biggest fan of metal, but it's impossible to argue with the hellish roller coaster that is POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR. In many ways, this is a throwback to the nü-metal sounds of the early 00s, with gnarly guitars and percussive assaults. A bulk of the album was recorded during the lockdowns of 2020, and the panic is palpable - so too is rage, fear, and loss. There's a helpless-bug-trapped-in-a-glass-jar quality to this that really resonates, which without the pandemic, would be impossible to replicate. Standout tracks: While "Parasite Eve" is the tune that earned some notoriety, I prefer the obsidian aura of "1x1" or the stratospheric strains of "Kingslayer."
4.) Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa (2020): What's the biggest lie that baby boomers ever told us? "Disco sucks." For anyone who doubts me, please give Future Nostalgia a listen - I'll be waiting for your apology when you're done. Yes, this gargantuan pop album by Dua Lipa is a neon dream, one chock-full of bubblegum grooves and hypnotic hooks. Yet beneath its glossy veneer are oceans of depth, with countermelodies, harmonies, and instrumental flourishes that elevate the whole affair far above top-40 frivolity: the woodblock fivelet in "Don't Start Now," the inverted expectations of "Physical," the sassy strings in "Love Again." Standout tracks: "Hallucinate" and "Break My Heart" are cooler than cool, and on "Levitating," Lipa refers to someone as her sugarboo, and I'll spend the rest of my life wishing it was me. (Yes, my wife is aware.)
3.) Vaxis II: A Window to the Waking Mind - Coheed and Cambria (2022): Coheed is undoubtedly one of my favorite bands of all-time, and while I'm ignorant of the overarching narrative connecting their albums, the music more than makes up for it. On this album, the sequel to 2018's Unheavenly Creatures, each song is a stunner, from bard-like ballads to powerhouse pop. But don't worry, the band's trademark prog remains in tact, with time signatures aplenty, guitar heroism, and cascades of melody. The more I think about it, the more I realize that this might be my favorite Coheed record ever, although nostalgia might argue otherwise. It makes me incredibly excited about where the band is headed in the future. Standout tracks: As an aspiring novelist who beats himself up everyday for not "making it big," songs like "Comatose" and "Ladders of Supremacy" are cathartic and captivating.
2.) Djesse Vol. 3 - Jacob Collier (2020): I've said it a billion times before, but I'll say it again: Jacob Collier is a musical mad scientist, an auditory Jackson Pollock splattering your soul with unhinged abandon. While I enjoy his other albums, there's just something to Djesse Vol. 3 that I find irresistible. Collier is a musician's musician, and he revels in sonic eccentricities. If you know what a hemiola is, or a polyrhythm, or semi/microtones, then you'll definitely enjoy this. There's a spark of alchemy at work here - making dissonance beautiful, turning synthesizers into symphonies. I understand that his style might not be for everyone, particularly as he hurls you into the proggy, jazzy abyss. But it's this dedication to ingenuity, how breathtakingly different he is, that makes the journey worthwhile. Like one of those 3D magic eye pictures from the 90s, if you're able to relax your mind and slip into Collier's dimension, it'll be an unforgettable trip. Standout tracks: God, there are too many to count. But if I had to narrow it down to one song, it would be the whirlwind bloom of "Count the People."
1.) Antimai - The Dear Hunter (2022): If anyone actually reads these goofy little posts of mine, then you might roll your eyes at The Dear Hunter once again claiming the number one slot on a favorite music list. But how could I resist? This thing is phenomenal, a sweeping and ambitious concept album with songs just as multifaceted as the ideas explored within. Set in the dystopian nightmare of a far-flung future, each track is an exploration of a different level (or ring) of Antimai, humanity's last city. But more importantly, the album is a meditation on power, and as the band takes you from poverty to middle class to high society, you see the dehumanizing impact unrestricted power may yield. Thankfully, this doesn't seem preachy; although there are parallels to be drawn between Antimai and the present day, it's done with care and evenhandedness. Concept aside, this is an unbelievably impressive effort. Every song has its own distinct, fully-realized persona, with movements and motifs and characters throughout. This is grandiose stuff, yet it somehow retains a delicate touch. I am, and will no doubt continue to be, in awe. Standout tracks: While every track is great, the only one I'd recommend to a casual listener is "Ring 7 - Industry." For fans of Broadway, you should try "Ring 6 - Lowtown." But for my money, this album shines brightest on its opener and closer. "Ring 8 - Poverty" is notable for interlocking rhythms and engaging melodies, while "Ring 1 - Tower" is grimy and groovy, with brassy horns and overblown opulence.
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