Top 25 Albums & EP’s of the Year: 2020

Yves Tumor – Heaven To A Tortured Mind

If I had to choose one album from this year to listen to for the rest of my life, this will likely take the pick. Yves Tumor defies genre and categorisation. With Heaven To A Tortured Mind, the enigmatic artist propels himself into a world of psych and glam rock, with incredibly dense and fascinating compositions that highlight the extent of his artistic talents. “Kerosene!” and “Romanticist” are one of my favourite tracks of the year, though the whole album is so incredibly cohesive and beautiful. It’s a memorable listen, and one of those that perfectly captured the craziness and idiosyncratic nature of 2020. Read more

Nick Hakim – WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD

This is such an underrated record and one I haven’t seen as many people praise as I feel it deserves. WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD is equally as poetic, textured and profound as his 2017 classic Green Twins. The centerpiece “QADIR” is one of the most emotive and touching moments of the year, and the whole album oozes soul, with delicate compositions that are just beautiful in every sense of the word. In addition to the sonic palate of this beautiful body of work, the personal and raw emotions he’s able to convey with his smooth vocals and poetry makes this a stunning listen. He really came through with an amazing project this year, one I always return to for its profoundly beautiful sound. Read more

Duval Timothy – Help

As far as pianists and contemporary composers go, Duval Timothy is one of the names that should always come to mind first. Help is his most defined and complete album to date. The incredibly lush electronic rhythms are complemented by truly emotive piano compositions that perfectly capture the delicacy and profound beauty of his music. Playing this for the first time, I was flawed by the incredibly lush and potent arrangements, and with Duval Timothy’s incredibly emotive and smooth melodies, makes this such an incredible listen. I can’t recommend this album enough. Read more

Fly Anakin & Pink Siifu – FlySiifu’s

The collaborative album of the year probably, both Fly Anakin and Pink Siifu found their sweet spot musically with FlySiifu’s. The incredibly lush and soulful yet hard-hitting production is complemented by two of hip-hop’s most exciting and animated characters. Whether it’s Pink Siifu’s slower and more emotive and spiritual tone, or Fly Anakin’s more raspier and energetic flow, this project is such a fun listen. The 22 tracks on the album are sequenced perfectly throughout and act as snippets and fragments of their creative and musical ingenuity. A truly excellent album and one that I’ve been having on repeat since it came out. Read more

Armand Hammer – Shrines

One of the more dense and heavy albums released this year, the duo of billy woods and ELUCID came through with an exceptional album this year titled Shrines. I’ve still been trying to digest it, but the politically conscious and heavy lyrical subject matter makes for a fascinating listen. The production on this album is their most diverse and eclectic to date, with more of an emphasis on soulful, melodic beats that provide a lighter, more varied soundscape than their previous projects. “Ramesses II” featuring Moor Mother, Earl Sweatshirt and FIELDED is still one of my favourite tracks of the year, and with the array of talented features and producers throughout the 14 track album, billy woods and ELUCID are given a perfectly animated soundscape for them to rhyme effortlessly over. I feel like they’ve sharpened their pen as well, making for a phenomenal listen. Read more