best of Ewan Chaos's Best of 2020! | Done!

[madonnas]

okkaaay

 

chropannedica - yeah, i know this album has a lot of haters but its good,even if flawed.  you picked the right standouts tho overall (aside from missing alice) and your worst songs are accurate.  i dont think any one song is the biggest flaw, its that bloodpop sorta made it sound cheaper, but its also a consistent short listen so  

 

 

jessy - YES DONT FORGET HER LIKE MOST PEOPLE ARE.  i actually think this was a huuuuge improvement from oh no which had like 3 standouts.  it might be her best idk.  can't believe you didn't put face as your top song though!  i agree w your assessment, calling it r&b is completely false, maybe her first album and they just stuck with it?

 

yves - for me,i prob listened to this all the way through twice.  so yeah, i can't comment too much cuz a lot of it blended to me.  but kerosene and gospel are absolutely bangers that will be classic songs in the future.

 

moses  - good standout picks.  i kinda get annoyed when artists do the "you can't define me" thing.  just say you want to keep it private and mysterious? 

[Ewan Chaos]

Time for the top 20! By the way I'm deciding if I should also do some HMs next week before I drop the top 10 and before I drop the full ranked 229 album list. May spoil the top 10 a bit but we'll SEE.

 

"Wrapped up in your old fleece, I put it on when I can't sleep..."

20.) HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III (Indie Pop/Soft Rock)

You know, I felt a little obligated to lower this in my rankings because it's WAY TOO HIGHLY RATED both by Metacritic and Year End lists and everyone shades it here, but I remembered how much I played this album (obviously like a 5 to 1 ratio after WYP) when it came out and I have to give it props. I'm really glad that they at least tried some new sounds on this record instead of the middle-of-the-road Something to Tell You (though You Never Knew is their best song ever don't @ me). I wanna highlight Another Try specifically because I adore that it goes through 3 different little acts and it's basically the second R&B track after 3AM on the album, so WHY DID PEOPLE IGNORE IT? I'm also giving love to Leaning on You because people seem to hate it and idk but I'm a slut for some alt-country music and the lyrics are super pretty on this too. I was tempted to not put Summer Girl in my standouts section since it came out last year and I played it so much then but... come on. The good thing with this release is that I now KNOW that their debut IS their better album, because I wasn't sure for a good few months which was better.

Listen to: Another Try, 3 AM, I Know Alone, Summer Girl, Leaning on You

 

"And so I want to walk out in the night, see the wide young river flood rain..."

19.) Fleet Foxes - Shore (Indie Folk/Chamber Pop)

Wow, what a gorgeous autumnal record. I love albums that can evoke a season in the entire album and I played this A LOT the past few months, even though autumn in California consisted of 100 degree weather and fires. In a way though, that just speaks to how well this album was able to transport me into another world as I waited for fall to actually start for us. I'm a bit... rusty with my knowledge of the previous two Fleet Foxes album, so I don't wanna say this is my favorite FF album, but it's WAY better than the last one. Hey who knows, maybe Taylor can work with Robin on her next flannel shirt album? Never mind. Again to the point of "seasonal albums," they are gonna age very well because you can technically enjoy them year-round but you'll always come back to them in next year's season, and I know I will be playing this a lot.

Listen to: A Long Way Past The Past, Sunblind, Shore, Thymia, Wading in Waist-High Water

 

"I'm totally fine..."

18.) Gupi - None (Bubblegum Bass/Electro House)

Tony Hawk's son did THAT. Bit of a swerve here compared to the last two albums LOL. If you liked Charli XCX's last album (any of her albums from Pop 2 onward really) or any other "hyper pop" music then I highly recommend this album. Even though my biggest takeaway from this album is "BIG BOPS," it actually has that emotional aspect to it too with songs like Modest. Faking It is the biggest bop imo and I love blasting it on a run. Also... does False Awakening sample that Six Flags/Fortnite song from Vengaboys? LOVE that. Also when he told Pewdiepie to **** off when he found out he was listening to his music, we love to see it.

Listen to: Faking It, Modest, None, False Awakening, Plymouth Simulation

 

"웃어넘길까 살짝 눈치를 보다  (Thought I might just laugh it off)..."

17.) YUKIKA - Soul Lady (City Pop/Nu-Disco)

I never listen to KPOP and I think the last and maybe only KPOP album I really enjoyed was that Mamamoo one from 2016. I can't remember who was hyping up Yukika but I kept seeing "city pop" and thought that sounded cool so I gave her a listen. Turns out, I actually DO know what city pop is nnn and also turns out I really love the album! Honestly I don't have much to say about how I like this album, so I'll let it speak for itself and yell at everyone who hasn't heard this to LISTEN TO IT NOW. Oh, and also because I didn't know anything about Yukika last year I'm allowed to put Cherries as my top album pick, sorry. This is my highest foreign entry my top albums list and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Listen to: Cherries Jubiles, Pit-a-Pet, I Feel Love, Yesterday, Soul Lady

 

"I'm scared to know, but I need to know..."

16.) Pinegrove - Marigold (Indie Rock/Alt-Country)

I'd not heard of Pinegrove before this album, which I guess is good for me because apparently they had some, ahem, controversy. But of course, I wanted any excuse to listen to a new album in January because it's always a dry month. I immediately fell in love with this record and it's just wistful enough to be even more poignant in these fun (not fun) lockdown times. Moment especially makes me feel all sorts of emotion, even if the dude seems to be painting a specific picture of what happened to him. No Drugs is a super cute sentiment too. Basically the run of the first part of the album is flawless. I could do without the long ass dirge of a 6-minute last song, but outside of that I'd not remove any songs from this album and recommend it for people who want a bit of easy listening. There's one more alt-country album after this... will it make it to the top 10?

Listen to: Moment, No Drugs, The Alarmist, Dotted Line, Hairpin

[BlackoutZone]

Yukika of course mega serve you know already

 

WIMPIII is not my cup of tea however I appreciate 3AM, Los Angeles and the bonus tracks which are so ahead of the album for me like I dont get it, the rollout was rally good and the album was ready to drop with 3 amazing singles and they pushed it all and just made them the bonus tracks? KII!!

[KasioKas]

WIM wasn't one I enjoyed too much, but I didn't regret giving it a chance either.

[Ewan Chaos]

Comments under the spoiler~

Spoiler

23 hours ago, Remmy said:

Chromatica  Full of bops, I don't care what some of the other hoes say! Rain On Me + Replay are both amazing  Free Woman is nice and underappreciated. Her best album since BTW though, interesting take!

I thought that was a common take nnn I kinda hate Artpop and Joanne is BORING.

23 hours ago, Blue Rose said:

Yves and Moses saved this set  

nnnn the Gags shade

23 hours ago, Mark Rih said:

I'm torn.mp3 on Chromatica. It has some great highs (yes Replay and ROM are part of them) but also some terrible lows (but I will remain silent about these unfortunate tracks )

You seem like... a Free Woman hater  

23 hours ago, BlackoutZone said:

No shade, but Moses an F word yup  Very good album and I agree with the highlights

dhudhwhsdhsihdi I literally SCREAMED seeing this  

23 hours ago, TalkThatRihanna said:

Finally a girlie I know

 

And taste Chromatica is definitely her best since BTW  

And now we're back to the indies djskdjskjdsdsj

22 hours ago, Post Malone said:

Stan for Cosmetica 

Not Cosmetica sksksksksk

22 hours ago, Kevin2803 said:

YEEES, CHROMATICA 

 

Finally something i know and love. 

The top 10 I think will be a bit more "hoes that people know"

22 hours ago, ARTPØP said:

CHROMATICA 

Mother MONSTER SLAY

22 hours ago, KasioKas said:

Idk any of these :( And I didn't listen to gag beyond ROM

sajsklahsklah WHAT you don't know Chromatica?!?!?! I thought that would have been an easy one for EVERYONE nnn even when Ari is your fave

21 hours ago, GreatestLoveofAll said:

The Chromatica acclaim is what we like here, yes maam 

It's what she deserves  

17 hours ago, potent said:

I guess I'm basic since I only know Chromatica, I didn't like it that much though

Moses sounds kinda interesting though!

If you check out Moses, just note that the "first part" is really the only good part of the album nnn.

17 hours ago, M A R N ✮ said:

lady gaga <3 

Queen!

16 hours ago, Wicked said:

I don't know about his sexuality but he is aromantic, which is considered queer on its own regardless of sexual orientation. 

Ahh I see, that's good to know, thanks! Aromantic king  

16 hours ago, Legend E said:

oh hello chromatica  i wouldn't say it's her best since btw, asib exists

 

I mean... I never listened to the ASIB album outside of the context of the movie because it seemed weird to me so I don't really have a strong opinion on the music by itself nnn. Well, besides Shallow of course, a modern classic.

15 hours ago, minho said:

Chromatica is interesting!  I've never been that much of a Gaga listener but I ended up liking Chromatica purely because its just an enjoyable album the whole way through.  I grew tired of it as the year progressed but I definitely don't think it deserves to be so polarizing. It's solid!

 

Yves was also a great album.  It's not the easiest sit down and listen to album but I respect their vision and ambition as an artist - really great stuff too

Totally agree with you re: Chromatica! But let's be real... it's only a polarizing album because it's Gaga and her Monsters are psycho and OGHs are psycho nnn. 

15 hours ago, Tom Vercetti said:

I will say Chr*matica is more listenable than her last 3 albums. I think I prefer Yves Tumor albums with as little vocals as possible which is why Serpent Music is my current fave from them. Similar w/ Perfume Genius, happy to see Yves get more recognition tho. 

sksksk not you censoring the album name. Interesting, I should check out Serpent Music some time!

9 hours ago, geodancefreak said:

YAAASSS BABY STAN CHROMATICA! I agree with the 1000 Doves shade hihih

It's what she deserves (both Chromatica and 2 Doves)

7 hours ago, Lazuli said:

chromatica  replay is kind of a middling track for me, but yas stan sour candy  gonna ignore what you said about fun tonight and 1000 doves tho! 

grae is cute but it did not need to be a 2 part album that could put me to sleep  

I assumed that everyone panned Fun Tonight and 1000 Doves sksksksk. TOTALLY AGREE re: Grae, why did he even do that UGH. Lost a top 5 album just because he wanted to tack on 30 minutes of lullabies

3 hours ago, TheWayWeWere said:

Chromatica  full time jamming record  

Yves' Kerosene is a banger ! MV is pure gold

Oooooooo lemme add Kerosene MV to my watch list~

1 hour ago, Pink Matter said:

Yves and Moses + GGM in your last update  

I think I prefer all over their most recent efforts to their last ones! Likely because for the first two the sound was much more accessible. I really enjoyed Jardin but I think the production was a bit too sparse at times where the album felt empty? If that makes sense. The music felt more full this time around so that's part of why Aguita>Jardin for me

 

I didn't even listen to Moses's first album and I don't really care to based on what other people say about it nnn. Yeah that makes sense! And I figured you'd remain an Aguita stan after our chat in the album thread nnn. I'm just a slut for funky music so Jardin was always gonna outweigh Aguita!

1 hour ago, Madame X said:

okkaaay

 

chropannedica - yeah, i know this album has a lot of haters but its good,even if flawed.  you picked the right standouts tho overall (aside from missing alice) and your worst songs are accurate.  i dont think any one song is the biggest flaw, its that bloodpop sorta made it sound cheaper, but its also a consistent short listen so  

 

 

jessy - YES DONT FORGET HER LIKE MOST PEOPLE ARE.  i actually think this was a huuuuge improvement from oh no which had like 3 standouts.  it might be her best idk.  can't believe you didn't put face as your top song though!  i agree w your assessment, calling it r&b is completely false, maybe her first album and they just stuck with it?

 

yves - for me,i prob listened to this all the way through twice.  so yeah, i can't comment too much cuz a lot of it blended to me.  but kerosene and gospel are absolutely bangers that will be classic songs in the future.

 

moses  - good standout picks.  i kinda get annoyed when artists do the "you can't define me" thing.  just say you want to keep it private and mysterious? 

I think Chromatica only has so many hater because she has so many OGHs nnn. "My name is a dumbass" aka Alica is overrated sorry! 

 

I 100% see Jessy's album becoming my favorite down the line. Face literally would have been next in line to pick nnn. It has NO bad songs to me. NONE.

 

Yves and Moses, slay. Yeah agree with the "just shh about it" aspect you said re: Moses. There's so many ways to answer that question if you're asked. Whatever, doesn't affect the music or anything so  

 

Edited December 17, 2020 by Ewan Chaos

[KasioKas]

1 minute ago, Ewan Chaos said:

Comments under the spoiler~

  Hide contents

 

sajsklahsklah WHAT you don't know Chromatica?!?!?! I thought that would have been an easy one for EVERYONE nnn even when Ari is your fave

 

 

I know it I just don't listen to Gaga

[Post Malone]

Idk any of these [12]

 

[TheWayWeWere]

Women In Music is great, I'm okay with the praise it got tbh   your top picks are basically my top picks as well  

 

[Sunderland 4ever]

25 minutes ago, Ewan Chaos said:

17.) YUKIKA - Soul Lady (City Pop/Nu-Disco)

I saw this artist in someone else's countdown and gave her album a try. I liked it. City Pop is a genre I approve of.

 

I completely snubbed that Pinegold album. I think I only heard it once.

 

Shore is a good album, but for some reason I find it too long for what it has to offer. Shoutout to Women In Music Pt. III. Well, that means the only album I don't know is None. Not bad, not bad... So far, Top 20 is looking good.

[Sunderland 4ever]

On 12/16/2020 at 2:39 PM, Ewan Chaos said:

23.) Jessy Lanza - All the Time (Synthpop/UK Bass)

There are some RYM genre/style categorizations I don't tend to agree with either, haha, so quite often I need to do my genre research elsewhere.

 

I think I only heard that record twice, just like Yves Tumor's.

Edited December 17, 2020 by Sunderland 4ever

[smholiv]

YES YOU ARE OFFICIALLY THE BEST for having Soul Lady on.  Absolutely one of my favourite albums of the year

 

Fleet foxes was good but I didn't return to it! I should now though, I'm really feeling that kind of music rn

HAIM.. yeah, I think I was kind of shady to it at first but upon revisiting I like it more than I thought.  It's a solid album but it has some weak spots I guess, maybe a bit overrated? But good anyway

[Kevin2803]

Good for HAIM, i guess, but i am not the biggest fan of their music 

[TalkThatRihanna]

Nnn another indie update 

[Blue Rose]

Haim’s album is so uneventful for me  

[Pink Matter]

Love the Haim album. No idea why the girls have been dragging it lately  

[Remmy]

Yeah drop some HMs why not  Kiii at nearly everyone on this page having negative/mixed thoughts on the HAIM album. I never paid much attention to them before this year but WIM3 was cute, there's a good 5-6 tracks I had on rotation for a bit. Another Try, I Know Alone, Summer Girl but where is Now I'm In It aka the best song in their discography?!?

[Green]

I liked some songs from Women in Music Pt. III. 

[Into The Void]

I tried out Haim but not really into it

Fleet Foxes was ok but wasn't really into it either lol

[pinknblue]

I'm down with gupi's new sound. lots of potential there. 

 

kudos to soul lady for making that high on your list then deserved

[geodancefreak]

Not really familiar with the albums in this update, but def looking forward to your top15.

[Lazuli]

Quote

I assumed that everyone panned Fun Tonight and 1000 Doves sksksksk

people pan fun tonight cuz it's kinda basic, so i guess i'm just a basic bitch  1000 doves tho, it's so uplifting and whatnot  

 

wimpiii  it is better than their debut tho  good on ya for highlighting another try, i love the beat (i guess it's kinda R&B according to you?) and the final portion is just splendid

shore is definitely better than their previous album too, that one was a bit of a chore to get thru. a long way past the past is definitely the highlight too. i'd rather taylor work with someone more ambitious tho  

[ikiru]

The Yukika praise Truly such a wonderful album, I am happy you enjoyed her album that much!

Still haven't listened to HAIM's latest album, I remember not liking their latest album and one of the singles from Women in Music Pt. III   Their debut was phenomenal ugh!

[madonnas]

yukika  theres actually another city pop kpop album that you might like if you like her  its by bronze, and it actually has a song ft yukika.

 

cherries jubilies is SO good.  people got into her cuz of neon, but cherries is what sold me.

 

no thos moser in best songs   well, yeah tony hawk's son did do that.  3am IS an r&b jam, pretty good song.  a lot of the rest of the haim album tho  you already saw my scores on the rate lolz 

[Mark Rih]

Checking out None and it feels like I'm in a videogame, kinda here for it

 

 

Edited December 18, 2020 by Mark Rih

[Ewan Chaos]

Lemme post a bit to get to page 13 and then I'll start working on the next update~