Top Albums of 2020
A list of our favorite 50 albums of this year.
2020 was the best year for music in our lifetime. Granted, we only have two decades of life experience, but we started out with a list of over a hundred projects that we absolutely loved, and narrowed it down to our top fifty.
So many people pushed the boundaries this year, and so many of our favorite legacy acts continued to deliver. Additionally, hip-hop in 2020 is in the best place it’s ever been. There’s so much room for experimentation and even the mainstream is embracing more experimental talent. Everyone on this list is incredible, and we’ve been blessed to speak to some of these talented artists on Two Virgins this year. Thank you all for reading and please check out all of these albums. Each one on this list made our lives infinitely better, and some even changed our lives this year.
Here is a snippet of our top ten, with our full list of fifty albums on the website!
Top Ten Albums
#1. Shrines by Armand Hammer
Elucid and billy woods are the two best rappers on earth, and Armand Hammer has become their gladiator arena where they battle it out for the crown over the wildest instrumentals they can find. The same words, (apocalyptic, dense, experimental) are always used to describe Armand Hammer and they’re just so wrong. The best word to describe their music is “alive.” Armand Hammer always moves to create something bigger than life. Music that grows with you and sticks in your head. They take this to a whole new level on Shrines.
Check out our conversation with Armand Hammer about Shrines!
#2. Àdá Irin by Navy Blue
Àdá Irin is a meditation on loss, driven by deep emotion. It’s not a lyrical miracle album and doesn’t aim to confuse, so it always feels like Navy Blue is speaking directly to you as he tells his story. We get to sit in with him as he searches for and sometimes finds, meaning in his life after a period of grief and loss.
#3. Fyai Demos, Nothing, and Hmm by Loraine James
It might seem weird to wrap three different projects into one for this list, but Loraine James had one of the most productive years. On each project, she showcased a different part of what makes her one of the most talented producers in recent memory. The glitch/dub/IDM/[insert literally any genre here] producer, consistently delivered complex landscapes to sit back and enjoy.
Check out our conversation with Loraine about her 2020!
#4. Heaven to a Tortured Mind by Yves Tumor
Amid the cloudiness and smoke, Yves Tumor suddenly reaches out from the haze, grabbing you by the wrist, running through the greatest fantasies and pleasures of life in their album Heaven to a Tortured Mind. From the opening track, “Gospel for a New Century,” we’re automatically reeled into a whirlwind of voice and instrumentation.
#5. Who Sent You? by Irreversible Entanglements
If we didn’t limit the number of projects each artist could have on this list, Moor Mother would appear four times in our top fifty. Everything she released was absolute gold and conceptually brilliant. Who Sent you? is one of the two free jazz odysseys she has been part of this year, the other being the mind-boggling, Circuit City, which addresses housing inequality and gentrification.
Check out our conversation with Moor Mother!
#6. Descendants of Cain by Ka
Ka is one of the greatest poets of this century, and Descendants of Cain is his conceptual masterpiece. It weaves through biblical stories while tying their key themes to stories from Ka’s own life. The biblical theme of this album is enthralling and guides tales of deceit, betrayal, and loyalty. Lyrically, Ka is at the top of his game as he expounds upon the theme of “brother’s killing brothers” that he establishes early on in the album.
#7. Ho, why is you here? by Flo Milli
Banger after banger after banger. Flo Milli raps like she talks, at times straight-up ignoring the beat. Flo Milli makes you listen to what she is saying, and she’s an expert at talking shit. While “Beef (Flo Mix)” and “In the party” were great appetizers in 2019, Ho, why is you here? showed a whole different side of Flo Milli’s talents.
#8. Because of a Flower by Ana Roxanne
Ana Roxanne nearly perfected her serene ambient soundscapes on her 2019 album titled ~~~, so it makes sense that she wanted to push for something different this year. On her newest project, Because of a Flower, she maintains the incredibly layered and complex compositions she had on ~~~, but adds new elements of percussion and guitar.
#9. Brujas, Cholas E Inventadas by HURAÑA
HURAÑA, a band from the southernmost Mexican state of Chiapas, left their mark on the punk world this year with their blistering album Brujas, Cholas E Inventadas. It’s an album you have to admire, even if just for the project’s revolutionary energy. At just seven minutes in length, Brujas, Cholas E Inventadas is a “fuck your feelings” type of record.
#10. Manger on McNichols by Boldy James and Sterling Toles
Manger on McNichols is an incredible feat and an album that I know will grow and stay with me for the next decade of my life. It’s one of those projects that is hard to comprehend at first. It is such a complex statement that it’s hard to process at first. This project was put together over the course of ten years — and it is immediately clear that the care that artist Boldy James and producer Sterling Toles took to ensure that it was great.
Thanks for reading! Be sure to check out the full list on our website! Oh, and also our Top Films of 2020 is dropping on Sunday, and our Top Songs of 2020 on Monday. Stay tuned!
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