Six Organs of Admittance, Companion Rises10. Haus of Altr, HOA112. La Doña, "Quién Me La Paga" 6. Dua Lipa, "Don't Start Now" (2019)6. Pink Siifu, NEGRO7. Jess Williamson, "Pictures of Flowers" (feat. Be safe, wear a mask and thanks for listening. My top 10 albums and songs are those that made me smile, laugh, dance or cultivate a sense of peace when I... Bob Boilen. Ólafur Arnalds, "Back to the Sky" (feat. Butcher Brown, #KingButch9. *cries in black converse, skinny jeans, and Tumblr* Listen Now 13 "I Want War (But I Need Peace)" by Kali Uchis Anderson .Paak, "Lockdown"5. Gabriel Garzon-Montano, Agüita4. Bonny Light Horseman, Bonny Light Horseman9. Dedicated Men of Zion, Can't Turn Me Around4. Steve Arrington, Down to the Lowest Terms: The Soul Sessions8. Sylvan Esso, "Make It Easy"3. El Shirota, "No Sé Todo"5. Adia Victoria, "South Gotta Change"4. Here are the 50 best albums of a year unlike any we can remember. hide caption. Records you fall into and recover with can. Kathleen Edwards, "Options Open"5. RMR, "Rascal"3. hide caption. For the comfort of Saint Cloud. BRS Kash, "Throat Baby (Go Baby)"6. Thundercat, "Black Qualls"4. hide caption. In 2020 I loved a lot of new music that sounded like old music, and like a lot of people coping with this year, I turned to old comforts: pop punk, old-school reggaetón, traditional Latin American folk genres, protest songs. NPR's 100 Best Songs Of 2020, Ranked The great songs of 2020 were as abundant as the rest of the year was a drag. Nubya Garcia, SOURCE5. The best six minutes of your life begin the moment the bright drums of Tame Impala’s “Breathe Deeper” roll in. Sam Sweeney, Unearth Repeat4. Fiona Apple, Fetch The Bolt Cutters2. Rafiq Bhatia, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"7. Backxwash, God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It9. 1. City Girls and DaBaby), Taylor Swift. Christine and the Queens, "People, I've been sad"9. Christine and the Queens, "People, I've been sad"8. hide caption. But the music has been sublime, starting with Fiona Apple's brilliant career highlight (among many), Phoebe Bridgers' slow-burning star vehicle and Vistas' stormily joyous Scottish power-pop. Anunaku, Stargate EP, 1. Best Music Of 2020 Music News New Music Music Features Live Sessions Shows & Podcasts Expand/collapse submenu for Shows & Podcasts. “You must got me fucked up/I think I had enough,” Chloe sings on the hook of “Forgive Me” after learning the person she’s been loving has been dishonest. Charli XCX, How I'm Feeling Now2. Fiona Apple, Fetch The Bolt Cutters2. Bartees Strange, Live Forever5. Pablo R. Ruiz, Estados Criminales6. The best selling female band in the history of the United States returned in 2020 with a new name and a monstrously good reminder of what we were missing during their 14-year hiatus. hide caption. Mon Laferte, "Biutiful"5. The Mavericks, En Español6. Angelica Garcia, "Jicama" (2019)10. Today we're featuring the good stuff from the private reserves. When the city's noblest daughters in... 3. Tracy Awino/Courtesy of the artist Like the '80s hit, Dua's song is about the other form of physical fitness—no resistance bands or dumbbells needed. Jazmine Sullivan, "Lost One"3. 18. Porridge Radio, Every Bad8. 1. Each of these artists offer a unique interpretation of rock music from poppy or emotional to dark and rhythmic. Apollo Brown & Che Noir, "Daddy's Girl"6. Courtesy of the artist Cadenza, "Walk Out" (feat. Special Interest, The Passion Of10. Orion Sun, Hold Space For Me4. Sweeping Promises, Hunger for a Way Out4. I was heartened by elders still at work and the archivists pulling out older music we've never heard. Nancy Sanchez, "Gran Civilización" (feat. 1. Isaac Dunbar, "Makeup Drawer"9. City Girls, "Broke N*****" ft. Yo Gotti5. Freddy Gibbs / The Alchemist, Alfredo5. SAULT, Untitled (Black Is)2. Dreamville, "BUSSIT" (with Ari Lennox)6. hide caption. KIRBY, Sis.6. Taylor Swift, "invisible string"5. Chynna, "attention" (2019)3. Noname, "Song 33"5. Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist, Alfredo3. Spillage Village, Spilligion9. Musicians are still giving us so much. And the music that came in from the far corners of the Latin music world was rich in variety, as it is every year. It's my favorite sonic embraces, worlds to be transported into, euphoria to share. I can't explain why I listened to so much Beatles music this year, but it meant I caught beautiful new remixes of solo tracks from Lennon and Harrison that captured the moment, and a gorgeous gem from McCartney, "Somedays," that offered the right melody for isolation. Ms Banks, Spice)2. Doja Cat can make just about any type of music; last year’s Hot Pink was proof. In the 25th anniversary year of our Lawd and Savior Faire Andre 3K's legendary proclamation that "the South got something to say," the hometown ran up the score yet again. Dorian Electra, My Agenda6. The songs list is where you'll find some nods to my extracurricular listening, as well as standout pieces from more great jazz albums that barely missed the cutoff for a Top 10. 1. Courtesy of the artist Nick Hakim, WILL THIS MAKE ME GOOD3. Why is this pop princess dabbling in the country sound? Lomelda, "Hannah Sun"4. (Find our 100 Best Songs of 2020 list here.) Natalia Lafourcade, Un Canto Por Mexico Vol. Ólafur Arnalds, some kind of peace2. After a turnt-up summer dropping twerk-inducing tracks like “Realer,” “Cash Shit,” and “Simon Says,” Megan Thee Stallion returned to her Tina Snow roots with the lusty slow-burner “B.I.T.C.H” It makes you want to send a toxic text—or three. Víkingur Ólafsson, Debussy • Rameau7. Cardi B, "WAP" (feat. Ambrose Akinmusire, on the tender spot of every calloused moment, 1. India Shawn, "Movin' On" (feat. So she grabbed her guitar and created her own version of “Before He Cheats,” she tweeted, “but instead about after he does haha.”. Beyoncé), Nubya Garcia. Homeboy Sandman, Don't Feed The Monster4. Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Reunions6. Theo Alexander, "re; Waiting", Alex "Grizz" Loucas/Courtesy of the artist. Jason Isbell, Reunions5. Becca Mancari, "First Time"5. Ranked in reverse by release date, I felt it necessary to include Terri Lyne Carrington's Waiting Game, a powerful project that came out in November 2019 and didn't get proper recognition last year. Drive-By Truckers, "Watching the Orange Clouds"8. Being the bigger person after a breakup requires growth, but sometimes you just want to be a little petty and get some things off your chest. Common, A Beautiful Revolution (Pt 1)5. Ana Tijoux, "Antifa Dance"10. Olof Grind/Courtesy of the artist On "Between Us," DVSN's Daniel Daley is ready to skip the small talk and get straight to business. Rosalía, "Juro Que"4. SAULT, Untitled (Black Is)2. Nap Eyes, Snapshot of a Beginner 10. Megan Thee Stallion, "Savage Remix" (feat. The truth is, I had near-zero interest in new music during the first six months of the pandemic. Anjimile, "To Meet You There"4. hide caption. Black Taffy, Opal Wand8. The 50 Best Songs of 2020 (So Far): Staff Picks 1. … Jake Sherman, "Dig Deeper"7. Jidenna’s music always brings with it heartfelt storytelling. Clarice Jensen, The experience of repetition as death8. María José Llergo, Sanación10. Taylor Swift, "mirrorball"3. Dan Weiss' Starebaby, Natural Selection8. This is the music I listened to on repeat in 2020. Backxwash, God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It3. Ana Tijoux, "Antifa Dance" 7. Sylvan Esso, Free Love4. Khruangbin, Mordechai6. Soccer Mommy, "circle the drain"6.