Clocked In’s Top 20 Releases of 2020
By: Ryan O'Connor
Tags: Magazine, 2020, Review, Music, Albums Of The Year

Clocked In’s Top 20 Releases of 2020

It’s the most cliché time of year: time to list the best releases of 2020

The year 2020 is finally coming to a close, that in no way means everything’s going to magically become better; COVID-19 won’t disappear and racial and economic inequality will not cease to exist as soon as January 1st hits but it means we can look forward to moving on into a new year. It’s been a real bummer of a year as the 2020s started off on a sour note, we were robbed of a lot of entertainment slated to come out this year and music especially fell victim to this reality. Despite these mountainous obstacles however there were a plethora of great releases that dropped this year. It’s time we take a look back on the releases that did not suck and rank those which carried us forward through the COVID infected year that was 2020.

20. Pop Smoke: Meet The Woo 2

While I think his first mixtape displayed the darkness that is trademark of drill much better than on this one I can’t help but be impressed by the late rappers ability to command such a dark aura even on a cleaner production level. Each song maintains the scenery and Pop’s lyricism, while clinging to the gangsta blueprint, shows improvement and development which makes his loss more tragic as the rapper was able to adapt to many styles and flows. Just a reminder to appreciate an artist while they’re still with us.

19. Oliver Tree: Ugly Is Beautiful

We waited a long time for Oliver Tree’s album and while the amount of delays were tiresome it turned out to be quite worthwhile. Oliver’s blend of alt. rock, electropop and hip hop makes for quite a satisfying blend of tracks and there really was no throwaways found within this album. Each track works and builds on the mounting themes of depression, loneliness and alienation which despite Oliver’s usually hilarious social media content sounds especially personal and sincere.

18. Chubby and the Gang: Speed Kills

Did we forget what it was like to have fun listening to fast ass punk rock music? Because this album felt like it needed to come out and remind us that music can in fact be fun and irreverant. Blasting out 13 tracks of pure British punk rock ferocity Chubby and the Gang aches to be played as fast as possible in a live setting across the globe but apparently we’ll have to wait till next year for that.

17. Ozzy Osbourne: Ordinary Man

I can honestly say this was the album that surprised me the most this year. I wasn’t expecting much from the Ozzman especially after the last few albums he’s released in the 2000s and for him to come back with these tracks really proved me wrong. It’s obvious the man can still perform his tortured vocals as he has since his Sabbath days but this album sees him approaching sounds that he may not have stepped foot in before and it seems there’s a real love for the art he’s creating. It also contained some of his most soul-bearing songs we’ve seen in decades with songs like “Under the Graveyard” and the title track featuring Elton John. I’m glad Ozzy made this record, it’s one of his best.

16. Ramallah: The Last Gasp of Street Rock ’N’ Roll

It may have been unofficially released back in November of 2019 but I’m rating this for being the official release on State Line Records back in April. White Trash Rob of Blood For Blood fame is thankfully still with us and has seen the worst of this world and on this album he displays that reality as well as he did back in his Blood For Blood days but without the unrelenting nihilism. Here there’s a sense of hope in his lyrics, a sense that there’s still a way through our own personal hell, for him it’s music and the musicianship displayed here is more diverse than many hardcore albums in recent years. Even the re-recorded songs from his career take on a new life of their own from the slower pace on “City Boy” to the acoustic beauty of “Bye Bye.” It’s good to have you back Rob.

15. Mac Miller: Circles

The world still has not recovered from the loss of rapper Mac Miller since his untimely death in September of 2018 but the last album he made before his death really makes his life feel complete as the title it bears. Continuing from the darker lyrical content of Swimming Mac’s hauntingly optimistic lyricism on this is enough to bring tears to your eyes regardless of the reality of his loss. As his final composition it assures us that he is just as skilled as the jazz composers he wished all his life to live up to, he’s not making his albums sound like them, they sound even better, this sounds like Mac.

14. Trash Talk & Kenny Beats: Squalor

It’s been a few years since we last heard from Trash Talk and it seems they have not lost any of their edge, skill or ambition in creating the hardest and fastest hardcore punk on the market. Teaming up with producer Kenny Beats allowed them to bring their sound out even more crisp and the resulting EP is one of the most fiercely devastating hardcore records I’ve listened to in a long time. Albums like these are just fun despite the dark lyrical matter and harsh ass sounds and I think that attitude that Trash Talk displays in their albums and performances is why so many of the rap kiddies have turned on to their music and they do well to appeal to them. Just these five songs from the band are enough to hold up against some of the other big name records that have been released this year.

13. Benny The Butcher: Burden of Proof

Finally receiving the recognition the Buffalo rapper has always deserved Benny the Butcher takes his listeners once again on another harrowing tale of his life, this time leading us through the trials and tribulations of his fame. Don’t think this is going to be an album whining about demanding fans and such, this is an album that shows a veteran recalling the nightmarish reality he escaped and the survivors guilt he carries with him each day. Benny’s work is not done alone and the features on this album are in top form from verses featuring Lil Wayne, Big Sean and Rick Ross and of course his cousins Westside Gunn and Conway the Machine.

12. Rough Francis: Urgent Care

Vermont garage rockers and sons of Bobby Hackney, bassist for the band Death who created punk in the early 70s, are carrying the torch for the protopunk sound that influenced early punkers and breathing new light and energy into it with records such as this. These songs have the crossover appeal for both the hardcore punk crowd and the more mainstream punk/ alt. crowd. Singer Bobby Jr.’s voice soars across the heavy and bombastic rhythms blasted out from his brothers Julian and Urian and they all exhibit a diversity and energy remniscent to the Stooges 1970 album Fun House. If there’s one thing punk rock needs it’s fun and this album, this band delivers that with ease.

11. Cro-Mags: In The Beginning

Hey what’s 20 years right? Well it’s a long ass time and for Cro-Mags founder Harley Flanagan it was a tumultuous and hard road to walk, and every minute of those years is what translates through the music on this record. Bringing Flanagan back together with Rocky George of Suicidal Tendencies fame and Gabby Abularach from the Alpha Omega era of the band rounded off with Garry “G-man” Sullivan and the band sounds as tight as they did 20 years ago. It may not be Age of Quarrel but this is an album that doesn’t dwell on the golden days it focuses on the here and now and it’s a fitting return to the hardcore throne for the legendary band.

10. 21 Savage & Metro Boomin’: SAVAGE MODE II

The sequel to the 2016 collaborative effort between Savage and Boomin’ which made both artists a pinpoint in the ATL rap scene is here and it lives up to it’s name in both style and scope. Some may think it’s a bit overblown (hell Morgan Freeman narrates some of the interludes and even talks about snitches) but the excess is told through the skillfull and diverse raps that 21 Savage dishes out across Metro’s still stylish production. This isn’t preying on your nostalgia for No Limit style albums, even with the Pen & Ink cover and some songs reading from the No Limit book (“Steppin’ On N****s” is probably the closest they come) this is an album that’s defining of the two artists.

9. Dropdead: Dropdead 2020

2020 seemed to be a year of returns for bands who had laid dormant for awhile and Rhode Island’s Dropdead could not have returned at a better time and with a better assortment of tracks. The bands tightness and fury has not waned over the decades and their bitter viewpoint is now more poignant than ever, they may not be making standard hardcore anthems but powerviolence isn’t about catchy tunes it’s just about getting your message out fast and as furious as humanly possible. The blistering songs on this album and Bob Otis’ screams across the grind continue the bands bleak depiction of reality, it’s never sounded more perfectly produced than on this one.

8. R.A. The Rugged Man: All My Heroes Are Dead

Never doubt R.A. the Rugged Man’s skill because he will make an example of us all and on his third album he maintains his stature as one of raps most skilled and underappreciated artists. Being in the game for almost 30 years now and only having three albums serves as one of the greatest injustices in the history of music because this man deserves a larger catalog. Despite all of that he’s turned his tumultuous career into some amazing raps and his skills improve with every year that passes us by. he’s also incredibly skilled at selecting his collaborations, don’t believe me? There’s a song with Ice-T, Vinnie Paz, Brand Nubian, Chino XL, Chris Rivers, M.O.P. and Onyx… yeah, he knows his shit.

7. The Ocean: Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic

I’m not a big prog metal guy and yet this album exhibits a heaviness and complexity that I am able to sink my teeth into and continue having more. There’s some amazing drumming in this album reminiscent to Danny Carey’s work on TOOL but without boring me to sleep. Certainly one of the best prog metal releases of the year.

6. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist: Alfredo

Now here’s what we needed in 2020, two of hip hop’s best collaborating together and making a fucking masterpiece in the art, a lot of people will say there were better collab albums out there but not one of them can touch Freddie Gibbs or the Alchemist even when they aren’t together. Freddie Gibbs’ raps have always been the most intrinsic and complete and he never comes up short on any of the tracks on this album, it’s all complimented by The Alchemists’ slick production and genuine love for this genre. Freddie is able to step in to any beat Alchemist provides for him with great ease and I have not heard an artist do it better than he has this year. The meal served on this album is filling and even yet I will go back for seconds.

5. GAG: Still Laughing

I’m not sure what it is about GAG’s brand of straightforward hardcore punk but they make themselves stand out and endlessly entertaining. The fury maintained in this under 20 minute power trip fuels any need for harsh melodies and tormented vocalizations that I may ever need, it’s sometimes so satisfying to finally scratch that itch you’ve been ignoring. This band’s style always has felt like a truly unhinged band and they remind us of that quite well on this LP. There’s no shortage of madness here defined by the albums Hank Hill ass bearing cover as the ugly sounds of the album reflect the spaces this music comes to dwell in. The scenery may be ugly but you’re still going to have the time of your life in these dank, smelly and stained basements.

4. Rina Sawayama: Sawayama

When I heard “STFU” I had a strong feeling about this album and after listening to it I was not wrong. The British artist takes the reigns on this album beautifully and isn’t afraid to try her hand at a wide array of styles and for a debut album it sets a high standard. The use of industrial beats and crunchy guitar sounds bring out a heavier sound on songs such as the aforementioned “STFU” and “XS” but also compliment the later pop tunes such as “Bad Friend” and “Love Me For Me.” Rina announced her solo arrival with this album and it’s a grand one, it will be great to hear more from her.

3. Thundercat: It Is What It Is

The L.A. bass playing extraordinaire has always made amazing compositions, stretching jazz fusions limits while bringing it into the modern age throwing hip-hop and funk into his mixes with style and grace. Thundercat’s voice almost whispers his lyrics which are both funny as they are at times sardonic, jovial as they are depressed, the moods on this album all carried by his superb vocalizations. There’s obviously no shortage of BASS on this album, particularly on the track “Dragonball Durag” which I think may rank as the best song of 2020 but Thundercat makes use of his instruments at times to take us into the stratosphere in a way that would make Sun Ra gaze with wonder and awe.

2. KennyHoopla: how will i rest in peace if i’m buried by a highway?//

In a year that saw radio silence from a lot of major artists it was a time for the underground to rise up again and dish out some good tracks for hopeful new crowds who had nothing to do but spend time at home, KennyHoopla jumped at that opportunity this year. The Ohio artist is currently taking the world by storm by blending an eclectic choice of styles in his music from pop punk, to hip-hop, electronica and shoegaze, there’s nothing Kenny won’t try. Each song on this EP are so singular in how they sound and take on lives of their own yet they are woven into an EP that expresses a deep, introspective, cavalier and hopeful attitude and it’s perfect. We’re going to be hearing a lot about Kenny.

Run The Jewels: RTJ4

Killer Mike and El-P are in no doubt an amazing hip-hop duo, they’ve got razor sharp lyricism and their chemistry together is undeniable and as Run The Jewels they have reigned the last seven years as the most incendiary hip-hop group this decade. With their 4th LP they maintain that presence and continue to create diverse anthems for the disenfranchised of the world, some with the help of friends as the album contains some killer features with Zack de la Rocha, Josh Homme, 2 Chainz and Greg Nice all who are in top form. Killer Mike’s biting critiques are some of the best he’s spit in his entire career, not that he’s ever waned it just cuts through so much especially after this turbulent year. Run The Jewels show no signs of slowing down especially after this album. It in my opinion has earned the Album Of The Year title.

Honorable Mentions:

Buju Banton’s: Upside Down 2020

NaS: King’s Disease

Bad Bunny: YHLQMDLG

Deftones: Ohms

Napalm Death: Throes of Joy In The Jaws Of Defeatism

Barfight Champs: Outside of the Law

Juice WRLD: Legends Never Die

Static-X: Project Regeneration

Germ: The Hijinx Tape

Jello Biafra & The Guantanamo School of Medicine: Tea Party Revenge Porn

Body Count: Carnivore

Busta Rhymes: Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God.

Atmosphere: The Day Before Halloween

Sharptooth: Transitional Forms

Code Orange: Underneath

Great American Ghost: Power Through Terror