Hindsight 2020. Favorite albums, songs and music videos…
By: Arya Davachi
Tags: Music Video, Year In Review, Album Review, 2020, Music

Favorite albums, songs and music videos from a year spent in isolation…

This year was kidnapped. Seized by looming fear, ideas of where life would take us next, love affairs we thought would last forever, the unforeseen loss of those we thought we would have the chance to say goodbye to, the unknowns of our own minds. What we have had throughout it all was music. The best albums infested our brains and inspired us. The best songs made us dance in our bedrooms as though they were packed clubs. The best videos showed us new worlds we never thought we’d see.

And while I have amassed a list of the 100 songs that soundtracked this year of abduction, I also believe it is an important act to look back at the year and the sounds that I loved the most. In my mind, I thought if it were true that I spent most of my time this year with music, then looking back would act as a way to actually relive the year’s fondest memories. I was correct.

Five albums, five songs, five videos. This is what 2020 sounded like.

ALBUMS (L to R: Taylor Swift, Yves Tumor, Dehd, Charli XCX, Perfume Genius)

folklore by Taylor Swift

Key Tracks: the last great american dynasty, august, peace

I’m sorry, the old Taylor can’t come to the phone right now… On her eighth studio album, released without any fanfare or the traditional album rollout Swift has perfected, the pop megastar did what no one expected: she stopped writing about herself. The result is a collection of soft, folk-inspired pop songs that paint elaborate portraits of life all across America. From raucous party scenes in Rhode Island to silent moments of reading in a park in Tennessee to sharing ghost stories in a closet in Pennsylvania to secret rendezvous behind the mall in an unnamed small town, folklore operates as a new type of great American songbook, one capable of transporting anyone back in time to when they were heartbroken or pushed over the edge or, most difficult of all, when they were trying to do the right thing. Alongside Aaron Dresser of The National and pop production royalty Jack Antonoff, Swift has created something that could only have been made during a pandemic and, as a result, injected new life into her career.

Set My Heart On Fire Immediately by Perfume Genius

Key Tracks: Describe, On The Floor, Nothing At All

Perfume Genius is a chameleon. The two records that proceeded Set My Heart On Fire Immediately were completely unique worlds: Too Bright was a gothic, gay masquerade ball, No Shape was a baroque fairytale. This record, his fifth, is yet another transformation. Over the course of 13 songs, Perfume Genius covers a wide range of sounds and emotions but all of them sound as though he’s doing his best to get everything out before a barn door shuts in his face, leaving him out in the rain. It’s progressive rock at its most emotive, which allows for the album to create succinct and haunting images destine to gnaw their way into any listener’s mind. The album’s unique ability to merge the feeling of moving slowly through mud and the feeling of a swift wind knocking you off your feet are most keenly felt on “Describe,” the album’s first single, and “Nothing At All,” a stunning anti-love song dedicated to all the terrible lovers out in the world. With this album, Perfume Genius perfectly blends all of his previous selves, ultimately creating a new version of himself that is impossible to look away from and sounds unlike anything else.

Heaven To A Tortured Mind by Yves Tumor

Key Tracks: Gospel For A New Century, Kerosene!, Dream Palette

Remember that moment in Fantasia where Chernabog reveals himself at the top of the mountain? That’s what the opening moments of Yves Tumor’s Heaven To A Tortured Mind may invoke for a listener. Big horns, bigger attitude, and an even bigger hook are the ingredients that go into the album’s opening track, “Gospel For A New Century,” one of the best songs of the year. From there, the album grabs the listener by the lapels and refuses to ever let go as it drags them through a barrage of soundscapes and blatantly pompous exercises in musical fusion. Tumor has found their power and the album allows for them to get in the listener’s face frequently and relish in the discomfort they may feel. Part glam rock, part neo-soul, part acid trip, Heaven To A Tortured Mind sits in a league of its own in 2020, with very few peers who had the audacity to attempt to do so much so well in less than 40 minutes. Songs like “Kerosene!” make quick work to establish Yves Tumor as a musical force of nature and this record is one everyone should listen to, as long as they are prepared to submit themselves to the control of a rockstar with nothing to lose.

Flower of Devotion by Dehd

Key Tracks: Desire, Loner, Flood

From the first gut wrenching, “baby!,” that escapes the mouth of Dehd lead singer Emily Kempf’s mouth on Flower of Devotion’s first track, it’s impossible to look away. On the band’s third record, Dehd carry the listener through a purposefully accessible and minimal soundscape built to slowly creep in and infest the mind. For most, post-punk surf rock feels nostalgic and something often relegated to background music, but Dehd manages to subvert all expectations by writing and constructing songs that feel revelatory without ever having to reinvent the genre. In fact, it’s the simple yet attention grabbing lyrics and poignant use of counter melodies that allow for Kempf’s vocal to elevate the album from great to fantastic. This record could easily have been overproduced, overwritten, and overdone in pursuit of festival ready bops, but instead it is honest, raw and self-aware, with Kempf glowing at its center. Her ability to go from soft and tragic in one moment to exuberant and violent in the next with no warning is a reminder of why post-punk surf rock strikes such a distinct cord and Flower of Devotion is a battle cry for the future of the genre.

how i’m feeling now by Charli XCX

Key Tracks: forever, party 4 u, c.20

One can only imagine what it must be like to be inside Charli XCX’s head. A popstar whose greatest commercial accomplishments has been writing hits for other popstars, Charli simultaneously has been honing her hyperpop sound for nearly half a decade, with how i’m feeling now emerging after six straight weeks of work at the onset of the pandemic. The result is a nearly perfect pop record that manages to encapsulate the entire notion of Club Quarantine and then some within eleven songs. From bangers like “pink diamond” to tortured love songs like “party 4 u” to moments of divine revelation like “i finally understand,” how i’m feeling now manages to hit all the moments that many encountered during those first few months of quarantine while bringing to life a soundscape any other popstar would run from in a heartbeat. One of the album’s highlights, “c2.0,” a stylish rework of her 2019 song “Click,” pays homage to Charli’s long list of collaborators by reveling in the difficulty of not being able to see friends during the pandemic. It’s a universal feeling that needed a soundtrack, which may have been the point of how i’m feeling now all along.

SONGS (L to R: Chloe x Halle, Arca, Tora, Jessie Ware)

“Time” by Arca

For anyone familiar with Arca, “Time” will come as a surprise. Known for experimental soundscapes and difficult to approach techniques utilizing discordance and genre-clashing, Arca’s dense discography has carved a niche entirely unique and unflinching. With “Time,” however, Arca chooses a different lane to operate in. Rather than manipulating all the sounds around her to create a cacophonous mirror to the artist’s complex gender identity and personal experience, “Time” allows for Arca to stand still while sounds swirl around her. The result is unlike anything she has ever put out and operates as both an incredible echo of the quarantine experience and a tentpole moment for the breadth of her craft.

“Ungodly Hour” by Chloe x Halle

Buried deep inside Chloe x Halle’s debut record is the best Disclosure song of the year. Undeniably groovy and begging to be heard on a dimly lit dancefloor, “Ungodly Hour” is unlike anything else Chloe x Halle has ever put out and a necessary reminder of how Disclosure may still have a few hits left in them after all. For Chloe x Halle, “Ungodly Hour” is a risk, a step outside of the duo’s R&B comfort zone, but one that has immense payoff. There wasn’t a single other song in 2020 that managed to fuse dance and R&B to the level of perfection reached on “Ungodly Hour,” making it a perfect blueprint for both Chloe x Halle and Disclosure moving forward, if either duo chooses to follow it.

“New Jade” by Caribou

As the EDM bubble continues to collapse in on itself, the electronic music community has relied on artists like Caribou to transcend and push boundaries in pursuit of vitality. “New Jade,” the standout track on the band’s excellent album Suddenly, has all of the ingredients of a perfect Caribou song: an infectious sample, a head-nod inducing kick drum, and enough twist and turns to make any listener feel as though they’re spinning into oblivion in the middle of a dancefloor. Lyrically, “New Jade” is a break up song, a diary entry on the difficulty of leaving someone behind and finding newness, all of which feels distinctly in disagreement with the song’s constant musical layering and propulsion towards its inevitable ending. This sort of subversive mind-game allows for the song to continually surprise the listener while managing to pull them in closer. While Caribou makes fantastic albums, it’s songs like “New Jade” that may serve as the band’s legacy as one of the select electronic artists continuing to innovate and disrupt the genre.

“Call Your Name” by Tora

When describing “Call Your Name,” Tora, a 20 year old R&B singer from London, is quick to note the song’s themes deeply revolve around, “the reality behind power — how those without it feel the need to unceasingly prove themselves.” A three minute exercise in understanding power dynamics, “Call Your Name” is an infectious anthem from one of the year’s most elusive and promising new artists. Powered by lush, horn driven production designed to capture the attention of any casual listener, the song is one of the year’s most underrated and one that will peak any listener’s interest when it comes to Tora and whatever she decides to create next.

“Soul Control” by Jessie Ware

Whoever told Jessie Ware to stop making dance music should be fired immediately. At the center of the English singer’s spectacular new album What’s Your Pleasure?, is “Soul Control,” a truly perfect dance song fans have been craving for over half a decade. Part throwback disco, part modern soul, the song is expertly written, sung to perfection and features an outro guitar solo built to get everyone out on the dancefloor. It’s a wonderful reminder of why Ware was so special when she emerged: she’s a vocalist who is able to sound soft and seductive over any kind of beat. For the two records leading up What’s Your Pleasure? those beats were mostly under 70 bpm and built for the bedroom. Thankfully, in a year where so many pop artists turned away from dancefloor fillers, “Soul Control” managed to flip the script, turn up the bpm and find innovation through the basics.

VIDEOS (L to R: Christine and the Queens, The Chicks, The Weeknd, J Balvin, FKA twigs)

La Vita Nuova by Christine and the Queens (Director: Colin Solal Cardo)

Over the course of nearly 14 minutes, “La Vita Nuova” is the perfect encapsulation of what Christine and the Queens is all about. Featuring five songs, the short film tells the story of infatuation and how quickly infatuation can become obsession. Each of the songs is given its own treatment, creating a truly filmic arch for the entire video. Shot inside and atop Paris’s Opéra Garnier, “La Vita Nuova” utilizes the perfect choreography from Ryan Heffington and the undeniable presence of Christine to enrapture audiences in a journey that manages to shift the moment after the story becomes the clear, constantly pushing audiences into new areas of the Opera house, where they meet another incarnation of the band’s lead singer. One portion in particular, which features her song “Nada,” is exceptional in its use of a seemingly overused film technique that is unnervingly elevated and brought to life by the performance. By the time the video comes to its dramatic and glossy close, audiences may want to immediately rewatch it, to be able to dive deeper into its messages and visual storytelling cues. As engrossing as it is entertaining, “La Vita Nuova” is pure music video perfection and proof that Christine and the Queens are one of the most inventive storytellers in music today.

sad day by FKA twigs (Director: Hiro Murai)

After directing “This Is America,” Hiro Murai had an inconceivable task: to continue working. How does one follow up what must be the most watched and lauded video in recent memory? The answer is simple: you make another one just as good. “Sad Day,” a track from FKA twigs’ 2019 record Magdelene, did not need a video like the one Murai created, one that transforms one of last year’s saddest songs into the backdrop for one of this year’s best fight scenes. Twigs is the perfect centerpiece, walking the fine line between dancing and fighting in order to make space for herself as hero and anti-hero. The song itself only plays in small portions throughout the video, as though a third character in the video’s love story. Through use of color, symbolism and ingenious cinematography, Murai creates a worthy successor to “This Is America” and continues to prove himself to be one of the best in his field.

After Hours by The Weeknd (Director: Anton Tammi)

The commitment to character from The Weeknd during the After Hours era has been both impressive and nauseating. This beaten and battered character often operates as a reminder of where The Weeknd came from, way back in 2011 when he was entirely anonymous, simply able to hide behind a name and a visual language. To see one of the world’s biggest stars constantly bloodied and bandaged, however, was also quite difficult, particularly in a year marked by unrest and mental despair. Released mere weeks before the onset of the pandemic, “After Hours” feels strangely prescient and begins with The Weeknd finishing a performance on Jimmy Kimmel in front of a live audience, a smile wide across his face. As he exits the soundstage and finds himself alone, the smile slowly begins to transform and make way for some other sort of Weeknd. From there, everything quickly becomes deranged as the video quite literally grabs the popstar by the leg and drags him through hell before culminating in a barrage of seizure inducing flashes of red light. The entire experience is haunting yet addictive, like watching a car crash on repeat. Somehow, it’s impossible to look away.

March March by The Chicks (Director: Seanne Farmer)

A visual time capsule of unrest, The Chicks’ video for “March March” operates as a reminder of the band’s unflinching devotion to social justice and honest criticism of the system. It is no surprise to see this band make a video like “March March,” but by making the choice to blend content from all different types of protesting, particularly previous civil rights movements, with the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020 the video reveals itself to be captivating in its simplicity. It isn’t until around two and a half minutes into the video that things start to really transform, as the names of the victims of police brutality and racial injustice begin to appear over content from this year’s protests. For almost 90 seconds, the names continue to appear, a stark reminder of just how many lives have been lost in America’s broken system. Much like Pharrell and Jay Z’s “Entrepreneur” video, The Chicks’ video for “March March” is a captivating and clean visual documentation of the resilience in America in 2020 and all of our power to impact change.

Un Dia by J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny, Tainy (Director: Stillz)

The video for “Un Dia” did not need to be special. In fact, “Un Dia” is the type of song that most likely did not need a video at all. This particular brand of song, the type that features a female pop star singing an infectious hook while a grab-bag of male rappers and vocalists do verses around her, usually is built solely for radio airplay and music festivals. It’s so surprising, then, to see how this video, one that relies on a concrete narrative and features none of the musical talent, manages to hit an emotional cord while also utilizing smart, approachable filmic techniques. By contrasting full color scenes of a door of white light (often paired with two scarecrow-esque entities engulfed in flames) with black and white scenes of a woman grieving and moving on from a former lover, the “Un Dia” video manages to do what every video hopes to accomplish: take a great song and transform it into an unforgettable story.