Musoscribe’s Best of 2020
Happy Last Day of 2020. What a strange, unprecedented, generally awful year. But it certainly had its high points, and music is among them. In a year when it soon became reasonable to wonder if we’d have much in the way of new music, we found ourselves with an embarrassment of riches. In years past, I’ve devoted several days’ worth of posts to recounting my year’s faves; this time I’m doing it all in a single day, with links. If you find my perspective on music at all valuable, you’d do well to explore these albums. Support the artists!
Here we go, in no particular order…
New Album Releases
- The Greek Theatre – When Seasons Change
- Smoke Fairies – Darkness Brings the Wonders Home
- Strand – Can’t Trust the Rain
- The Third Mind – s/t
- Explorers Club – To Sing and be Born Again
- Holy Hive – Float Back to You
- Fantastic Negrito — Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?
- Mrs. Fun – Truth
- Professor and the Madman – Séance
- Marshall Holland – Paper Airplane
- Erk – When Night Meets Day
- Johnny Iguana – Johnny Iguana’s Chicago Spectacular! (review coming in January)
- Gretchen’s Wheel – Such Open Sky (review coming in January)
- The Neptunas — Mermaid-A-Go-Go
- Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets – Live at the Roundhouse
- Eleanor Underhill – Land of the Living
NOTE: Two releases this year both deserve placement near the top of my best-of list, but are disqualified on a technicality: they’re EPs, not albums. Nonetheless, I recommend both The Lickerish Quartet’s Threesome Vol. 1 and Semisonic’s You’re Not Alone in the most enthusiastic terms possible.
Reissue/Rarities/Archival/Compilation Albums
- Velvert Turner Group – s/t
- Iron City Houserockers – Have a Good Time But … Get Out Alive!
- Marvin Gaye – More Trouble
- Nat Turner Rebellion – Laugh to Keep From Crying
- Little Richard – The Rill Thing (review coming soon)
- Van Duren – Are You Serious? (read more about Van here)
- Doug McKechnie – San Francisco Moog
- Wilco – Summerteeth (feature/interview coming soon)
- Miles Davis — Birth of the Cool OST
- Various Artists — Still Disturbing the Peace (my book about 415 Records is coming in 2021)
- and quite likely the winner: The Krayolas — Savage Young Krayolas
Books
- Ben Sidran – The Ballad of Tommy LiPuma
- David Menconi – Step it Up and Go: The Story of North Carolina Popular Music
- Laurence Myers – Hunky Dory (Who Knew?)
- Andy Neill – Ready Steady Go! The Weekend Starts Here
- Derrick Bang – Crime and Spy Jazz on Screen Since 1971
Video
Best wishes for a happy and healthy 2021. And as always, thanks for reading.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4000-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he is co-teaching a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 40 Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.