Gorilla Vs Bear's Top 50 Albums of 2020
Fellow music blog Gorilla vs Bear celebrated its 15th anniversary this year, and it’s retained its distinct style and tone throughout its entire existence. That always comes through in GvB’s year-end lists, which feature an array of albums across indie, rap, pop, ambient, electronic, folk, experimental, and more, all of which fit snugly within GvB’s world. Their list is always one of the more unique ones, with a mix of year-end list season’s usual suspects and some stuff you probably won’t find anywhere else. Their picks for the 50 best albums of 2020 came out today, and they include Mary Lattimore, Pa Salieu, Sault, Salem, Cindy Lee, Grimes, Eartheater, Ela Minus, Julianna Barwick, Jessie Ware, Dua Lipa, Freddie Gibbs, Shabazz Palaces, Oneohtrix Point Never, Shabazz Palaces, Yaeji, Adrianne Lenker, Sweet Whirl, Squirrel Flower, and more.
This year’s list is also the first time that GvB founder Chris Cantalini included an album released on his Luminelle label (Helena Deland, which came in at #1). “Fuck it, I included a Luminelle release on the list for the first time, because it’s the most special record of the year to me by far,” he wrote.
Check out the full top 50 below. What do you think of the list?
Gorilla vs Bear’s Top 50 Albums of 2020
50 MARY LATTIMORE | Silver Ladders
49 THE GREEN CHILD | Shimmering Basset
48 YOUNG EJECTA | Ride Lonesome
47 RICHES | Fantasy Chapel
46 EARTHEATER | Phoenix: Flames are Dew Upon My Skin
45 JESS WILLIAMSON | Sorceress
44 NORTH AMERICANS | Roped In
43 DRAB CITY | Good Songs for Bad People
42 KELLY LEE OWENS | Inner Song
41 KING KRULE | Man Alive!
40 FATEN KANAAN | A Mythology of Circles
39 YVES JARVIS | Sundry Rock Song Stock
38 TAN COLOGNE | Cave Vaults on the Moon
37 ELA MINUS | acts of rebellion
36 AOIFE NESSA FRANCES | Land of No Junction
35 NO JOY | Motherhood
34 JON MCKIEL | Bobby Joe Hope
33 OÏ LES OX | Crooner qui coule sous les clous
32 ACTRESS | Karma & Desire
31 TOPS | I Feel Alive
30 GIA MARGARET | Mia Gargaret
29 JULIANNA BARWICK | Healing is a Miracle
28 SQUIRREL FLOWER | I Was Born Swimming
27 JESSIE WARE | What’s Your Pleasure?
26 SHINICHI ATOBE | Yes
25) DUVAL TIMOTHY | Help
24) CHARLI XCX | how i’m feeling now
23) DISCOVERY ZONE | Remote Control
22) FREDDIE GIBBS + THE ALCHEMIST | Alfredo
21) DUA LIPA | Future Nostalgia
20) WESTERMAN | Your Hero Is Not Dead
19) SWEEPING PROMISES | Hunger For a Way Out
18) ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER | Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
17) SHABAZZ PALACES | The Don of Diamond Dreams
16) ADRIANNE LENKER | songs + instrumentals
15) SWEET WHIRL | How Much Works
14) ANA ROXANNE | Because of a Flower
13) YAEJI | WHAT WE DREW 우리가 그려왔던
12) ALLE | Alletiders
11) JESSY LANZA | All the Time
10) MOODYMANN | Taken Away
09) GRIMES | Miss Anthropocene
08) CINDY LEE | What’s Tonight to Eternity + Cat O’ Nine Tails
07) OKLOU | Galore
06) SALEM | Fires in Heaven
05) 070 SHAKE | Modus Vivendi
04) SEA OLEENA | Weaving a Basket
03) PA SALIEU | Send Them to Coventry
02) SAULT | Untitled (Black Is) + Untitled (Rise)
01) HELENA DELAND | Someone New
