Uncatena Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 (edited) In order to finally finish a list (lmao) I'm dumping the entire thing this year. While the year was ****, it was full of great records so here are my favorites with some thoughts! Hope you have fun and I will be sure to check out your lists over the next few days! 50. Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts Cyrus’ delivers the best album of her career as she finally and fiercely struts into a sound made for her soaring vocals and infectious attitude. 49. Taylor Swift - evermore On her second album in six months, Swift pushes her newfound sound into even more directions and manages to continue to write beautiful, exciting lyrics. 48. Penelope Trappes - Eel Drip An interesting, engaging EP of ambient pop. 47. Zora Jones - Ten Billion Angels Zora Jones’ long-in-the-making is a rewarding listening experience, balancing its hyper electro influence and pop sensibility with ease. 46. Lucrecia Dalt - No Era Sólida Berlin-based Lucrecia Dalt’s former job as a geotechnical engineer is apparent on her alien, enveloping new record full of moments that whirr in your brain long after they are over. 45. Banoffee - Look at Us Now Dad Martha Brown’s debut record sits comfortably at the intersection of post-PC Music pop and alternative R&B with exciting guest performers and surprising intimacy. 44. Caitlin Pasko - Greenhouse Caitlin Pasko’s quiet but powerful debut mixes left field ambience with pop structures to create intensely intimate music. 43. Helena Deland - Someone New Helena Deland manages to constantly surprise and engage on her pretty and perfectly rough around the ages indie pop debut. 42. Westerman - Your Hero Is Not Dead Groovy, calming and beautifully produced, Will Westerman delivers on the promise of his early EPs with a record full of small little moments of immense beauty and elevated songwriting. 41. Against All Logic - 2017-2019 Though not as breathtaking and gigantic as it’s predecessor, Nicolas Jaar’s second album as Against All Logic manages to excite and lure to the dance floor nonetheless. 40. Allie X - Cape God Alexandra Hughes finally uses her imagination to full potential on her densest, most diverse record yet. Full of thrilling and catchy moments with a more creative, earnest twist than her previous material. 39. I Break Horses - Warnings While they wear their influences on their sleeves to heavily sometimes, I Break Horses’ third record is a dreamy, trippy experience full of flashes of beauty. 38. Dagny - Strangers / Lovers While her EP had more of an edge to it, Dagny’s debut LP is chockfull of flashy pop gems with hooky hooks and sentiment. 37. Nilüfer Yanya - Feeling Lucky? Another brilliant output by one of the most exciting voices in indie pop right now. 36. Ela Minus - acts of rebellion Sometimes it can lack a bit of substance, but when it goes for it, Ela Minus’ debut album absolutely drives it home. 35. LAUREL - Petrol Bloom After exploring alternative synth pop and guitar driven indie pop on her previous projects, Laurel Arnell-Cullen finds herself in a sound that is undeniably suited for her. I hope she keeps going down this road because every song on this EP is fantastic pop. 34. Glass Animals - Dreamland While I sometimes miss the singular sound of Zaba, Dave Bayley’s new record manages to go straight to the head (and sometimes heart) with more R&B and Hip-Hop influenced production. 33. U.S. Girls - Heavy Light While it’s not as consistent as Half Free or In a Poem Unlimited, Meg Remy’s new record manages to hit the same heights as those albums with a richer sound. 32. Austra - HiRUDiN On her deeply personal new record Katie Stelmanis breaks down her synth pop into more digestible and rewarding moments than on her overproduced and convoluted predecessors. 31. Troye Sivan - In a Dream Troye lets go of his boxed in sound and explores a more facetted, exciting side of pop. Some real gems on here. 30. Douglas Dare - Milkteeth Douglas Dare manages to perfectly capture the memory of childhood with a rich mixture of ambience and folk boosted with an innate britishness and nostalgic longing. 29. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene Probably her most uneven album yet but it still has moments that are so undeniable good and hit right to the core. The theme doesn’t come across as well as she thinks it does, but who cares when the songs slap. 28. Arca - KiCk i Alejandra Ghersi explores her identity and newfound confidence beautiful across 40 minutes of her abstract version of pop, using her gifts as a producer. 27. Yelle - L’Ère du Verseau With barely a misstep in this collection of off kilter dance pop, Yelle manage to keep their sense of humor but explore a richness that was missing from their previous records. 26. Kylie - DISCO The Princess of Pop finally returns to the dance floor and delivers her most consistent and effortless record since 2011’s Aphrodite full of infectious glittery bops. 25. Lady Gaga - Chromatica Forty minutes of non-stop sugary dance pop head rush. Gaga returns to the club with an album with hefty, catchy grooves mixed with her unique worldview. A blast and exactly what she is the best at. 24. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia Mixing 80s influence with cutting-edge Top 40 pop, Dua Lipa arrives as radio’s next savior, one bop at a time. Seriously, this thing does not let up until the disappointing final two tracks. 23. Bullion - We Had a Good Time / Heaven Is Over Nathan Jenkins’ explores his unique and luscious production style over two fantastic EPs with weird pop that feels nostalgic and futuristic at the same time. 22. Christine and the Queens - La vita nuova Chris continues her strive for synth pop excellence on this beautiful new EP which partly deals with her mother’s death. At this point I’m sure she is unable to write a song I dislike. 21. Caribou - Suddenly Dan Snaith deals with loss and change of life with another record of fantastic dance music with effortlessly complex production and clever pacing. 20. Ariana Grande - positions Not much to say about this except that it’s great and Horny Ari is a mood. 19. JFDR - New Dreams Seamlessly fusing ambient pop with folk influence, Jófríður Ákadóttir delivers an album full of quiet moments of bliss and sparkling beauty. 18. Hayley Williams - Petals for Armor Paramore front woman Hayley Williams arrives fully assured in sound on her debut solo record. Filled with lyrical beauty and honesty and fantastic vocal performance, while the production manages to be engaging. 17. Declan McKenna - Zeros Glam rocker Declan McKenna delivers on the promise of his debut with a record that has more personality and drive while full of hilarious, sad and exciting lyrical and musical moments. 16. Braids - Shadow Offering Five years after their latest, synthiest record, Braids return sounding better than ever before. With a more guitar led sound and powerful vocals from front woman Raphaelle Standell-Preston they explore themes like white guilt, fear of men and sensual longing like only they could. 15. Arca - &&&&& (Reissue) I’m so glad this got a reissued this year so I have a chance to officially declare this as her best project as well as one of the most important electronic releases of the last decade. 14. Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now Donning a rawer, more aggressive sound (largely due to its production circumstances), Charlotte Aitchison once again proves that she operates in the outskirts of pop, a level barely anyone can touch. Full of moments of pure joy and head bouncing excellence. 13. Empress Of - I’m Your Empress Of Lorely Rodriguez returns to her dancy, industrial roots as she once again confirms herself as an incredibly skilled producer and songwriter. 12. Låpsley - Through Water After a lenghty break, Holly Fletcher sounds more assured and confident in her quirks as she delivers an album full of beautiful moments and minimalist synth pop that emotes. 11. Half Waif - The Caretaker On her fourth and best album as Half Waif, Nandi Rose’s synth pop goes into unexpected and rewarding territory as her soaring production and unconventional song structures serve a greater purpose of telling a story of a woman trying to find herself. 10. Taylor Swift - folklore On Swift’s finest record to date she lets go of her innate need to focus on herself and lets her imagination pair up with her impeccable songwriting skills to create a beautifully arranged and minimal record that lets her strengths shine. 9. Tennis - Swimmer Insanely catchy and emotional at the same time, husband and wife duo Tennis refine their sound. 8. Samia - The Baby With a sparkle in her eyes and immense amount of personality, Samia Finnerty delivers a thrilling debut record full of indie guitar pop perfection and thoughtful songwriting. 7. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song Synth wizard Kelly Lee Owens completely revises her sound and pushes it into new intimate, vibrating corners on her second LP, filled with tasty pop hooks and sonic experimentation. 6. Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine Long time in the making but not any less rewarding: Miss Murphy’s exploration of dance floor release is elevated by her unique production choices, off-kilter stylings, effortless style and impeccable songwriting. 5. Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure? Where Kylie went full camp and Dua cutting edge, Mrs. Ware went full sensual gloss and high art. Her first turn into disco-inspired dance music feels more like a triumphant return than trend-chasing all thanks to her sensual elegance and insanely catchy music that you cannot help getting lost in. 4. HAIM - Women in Music Pt. III HAIM create their best record to date: a collection of warm and fuzzy songs with varying and interesting production, gorgeous melodies and vivid imagery. 3. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters Auteur Fiona Apple returns to music with an album that could only come from her mind; so deft in its complexity and powerfulness that it is almost harrowing but not any less impactful. 2. Perfume Genius - Set My Heart on Fire Immediately Mike Hadreas once again exceeds expectations and once again furthers his musical experimentation and beauty with an album full of lush, impeccably arranged art pop with poetic lyrics about queerness and the body. 1. Sylvan Esso - Free Love Let’s face it: this year was the absolute worst. Even if you take out the devastating pandemic, political, social-economic issues plague our mind everyday. Perhaps this is why “Free Love”, the third studio record by North Carolina duo Sylvan Esso (composed of now husband and wife Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn), is the most perfect record of the year. In a time filled with anxiety, horrifying news and uncertainty, they provide a soothing, warm and downright gorgeous album filled with beautifully produced electronica. Much like their previous records, their music is about music: sound and movement and the power of it, the connectivity of song and the ways it heals us, so that we can survive each day and move on. But on this record, they finally completely fill in all the spaces in their sound. While they still treat us to bops like no one else could (seriously, if Train doesn’t make you wanna dance your ass off, what is wrong with you?), they infuse their sound with new hues of warmth through modular synthesis and clear acoustic instruments. “Make It Easy”, possibly the finest moment in their discography so far, reduces it down to a simple, clear message: Everything is everything and everything is beautiful. Amelia and Nick manage to fill each second of the short running time of “Free Love” with details and personality while never losing sight of their mission: bring people together with music. And in a year where human contact felt like a foreign concept to some, their music manages to be a damn fine replacement. Edited December 18, 2020 by ChapelHooker
ATRL Moderator madonnas Posted December 18, 2020 ATRL Moderator Posted December 18, 2020 the conspiracies im crafting with all these fat dumps
Pink Matter Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 17 minutes ago, Madame X said: the conspiracies im crafting with all these fat dumps Nn right?! Are all the missing indieheauxs gearing up for list dumps or what?
ATRL Moderator madonnas Posted December 18, 2020 ATRL Moderator Posted December 18, 2020 anyway sylvan esso is a shocking #1, um, i like it tho. its wayyy better than their last album. wyp should be higher.
Sunderland 4ever Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 There are lots of albums I know. Do you normally check albumoftheyear by any chance? Westerman, LAUREL, Tennis and Kelly Lee Owens.
smholiv Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 Wow great list ! Lots of amazing albums, happy to see folklore in the top 10, and HAIM definitely continues to grow on me. Honestly there's just a lot of great stuff so I will say overall it's a fun list, and I will be sure to check out both Jessie and your #1
Ewan Chaos Posted December 18, 2020 Posted December 18, 2020 (edited) Okay girl... give me like a day to dissect everything. But I'll start with WOW what an interesting #1 pick! I actually quite enjoyed that album so I'm glad to see it getting some praise. Quote seriously, if Train doesn’t make you wanna dance your ass off, what is wrong with you? I also read this comment without any context and thought you meant the band and was gonna drag you to hell girl Edited December 18, 2020 by Ewan Chaos
fossora Posted December 31, 2020 Posted December 31, 2020 ahhh the perfect top 5 and the Gaga, Roisin stanning too
Ava Max Posted January 2, 2021 Posted January 2, 2021 50. Miley Cyrus - Plastic Hearts 26. Kylie - DISCO 25. Lady Gaga - Chromatica 24. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia 14. Charli XCX - how i'm feeling now 13. Empress Of - I’m Your Empress Of 5. Jessie Ware - What’s Your Pleasure?
World Eater Posted January 6, 2021 Posted January 6, 2021 we love a good dump and we love some good graphics the list is very, erm, chapelcore so of course Sylvia Espresso would be your #1 :pretends:
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