A tradition like no other! It just continues! (Miss you, Dave.)

“There’s an old, occasional tradition around LL known as the “Friday Morning/Afternoon Music Thread,” which is a sort of b-side to the usual Off-topic open threads. I believe it was started by Jeff Sullivan just as a way to share links to whatever music people felt like spreading about. It’s been a good way to find out about bands and artists you might not otherwise hear. LLers are nothing if not eclectic as a whole.”

We did a music thread back in June, and here we are, 6 months later at the end of this extremely cruel and vile year. This time, it’s all about the best music you heard in 2020. New music only! That’s it. That’s the prompt. Please drop one (or all) of the following into the comments:

• Your top 5 albums that came out in 2020
• Your favorite 3 songs that came out in 2020
• Post your Spotify/Apple Music/etc most played charts into a comment
• Most importantly, share at least one tune via a YouTube link that you think others might enjoy, or just one that you’re really into from this year

See ya in the comments! Without further ado...

Eric’s Top 3 Songs of 2020

The Chromatics - Twist the Knife

Formed in 2001 as a lo-fi, sassy, druggy punk band and gradually evolving into their current moody electro sound, the Chromatics may have truly hit sonic perfection with this song. It hits all the notes I want from a Chromatics song: fuzzed-out and catchy synth-leads, thumping drum loops, and alluringly dispassionate vocals. The lyric “We could try to play it straight / sometimes love feels just like hate” is a thesis statement for the band’s entire vibe. Absolutely nails it and I can’t get enough.

Deftones - Ohms

The Deftones were a big deal for me from ages 14-18 or so, but I pretty much stopped paying attention to them after “White Pony,” which is getting a re-release with some killer remixes on it’s.....20th anniversary (/crumbles into dust). ANYWAYS, the Deftones were still making solid heavy jams all that time I wasn’t paying attention. They slowly progressed to become a bit more groove and melody-laden as opposed to their more aggressive early albums, but still maintaining that unmistakable and relatable feeling of ennui that just permeates the band’s sound. They put out yet another banger in 2020 and the title track has some riffier textures to it here and there, but still has that classic Deftones lurch to it and I was very happy to connect with that feeling of consistency yet again during an uncertain year.

Future Islands - City’s Face

Future Islands got a huge boost in popularity after an absolutely legendary performance on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2015. They’d been at it for years already, honing their synth-propelled, emotive indie rock with a lead singer with a certain pecular presense and vocal style that lands somewhere between David Byrne, a beat poet, and a black metal frontman. Since then, they’ve just kept at it and “As Long As You Are” is a very contemplative record, with this song being the kind of meandering piece of quiet reflection that I found myself coming back to repeatedly. If you’ve ever lived somewhere, or with someone, that you found yourself falling out of love with, this one hits home.