A very strange year comes to an end. 2020 was weird in so many ways and amongst all this mess I did not post as much as I would have wanted. But music is still an important part of my life and it's amazing how music can help you get through tough times. I won't bore you with another recital of all the stuff that's been going on. Instead here's my Top Ten Records in 2020. This is not supposed to be a trendy list claiming to know it all. It's a personal selection of meaningful music for a very strange year as compiled by me.
10.) GRANDSON - Death of an Optimist
My wife and me were on our honeymoon roadtrip and listening to Tom Morello's "Radio Renegade" show on SiriusXM Lithium. And the guitar powerhouse/political activist played "Blood / / Water" by Grandson. That song never quite left my brain and with 2020 nearing the finishing line there came a record that would shake up my Top Ten: Grandson released his debut album "Death of an Optimist" on December 4th. I was blown away by "In Over My Head". There's just something about the mixture of influences reaching from 90ies crossover to contemporary beats that just strikes a chord with me. And with lyrics like "When she asks me where I'm from/I catch my tongue before saying I'm American/It's getting embarrassing (It's getting embarrassing)" the musician otherwise known as Jordan Edward Benjamin will also strike a nerve with his fellow millenials.
9.) CHAMBERLAIN - Red Weather
Something funny happened to me before I began listening to Chamberlain: They released their new song "Some Other Sky" last year and I thought "Wow, this reminds me of The Gaslight Anthem" somehow. TGA is one of my favorite bands of all time. If I ever got a band-related tattoo, it would definitely be one dedicated to TGA. Then Brian Fallon posted a list of records that shaped his musical identity as a young man. On that list was "The Moon My Saddle" by Chamberlain. I bought the record and suddenly it all made sense. So that album became part of the sountrack for our aforementioned honeymoon roadtrip. Unfortunately I didn't make it to the Chamberlain show in Stuttgart last year. Let's hope we go see shows sometime again soon. I'll happily sing along to songs like "Every Trick in the Book" which is bursting with energy. And I'll ache to the sound of the emotional "Lion In The Well". We needed a comforting record like this in 2020. Glad Chamberlain gave us this.
8.) KVELERTAK - Splid
Just how do they come up with these kind of guitar riffs that are so good and never feel like you've heard them a thousand times before? And "Splid" also checks all the other boxes that an avid fan like me can desire. "Bråtebrann" is a very good example: There's the unrelenting force we love, the melodic chorus and a singer that fits right in: Ivar Nicolaisen is not a clone of his predecessor Erlend Hjelvik and that's a good thing. He has more of a rabid street dog vibe to him whereas Hjelvik was more of a berserker. And just how good is "Fanden Ta Dette Hull"! Nearly eight minutes of Heavy Metal heaven with glaring riffs, a touch of Iron Maiden and an abundance of creativity. I would have seen them play live in Lindau on March 13th - but then the gig was cancelled and Covid-19 changed everything. When Kvelertak are on stage again, I'll be there, that's for sure.
7.) BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Letter To You
I think we all can agree that Bruce Springsteen is one of the most important artists in the world. He has been around for many decades now and it seems he's not going anywhere. Good for us: "Letter To You" is one of his most memorable records. It was one of the last sunny days of autumn when I headed out for a photowalk at Lake Constance and was blasting songs like "Last Man Standing" on my headphones with the Boss singing "Out of school and out of work/Thrift-store jeans and flannel shirts/The lights go down and you face the crowd/The last man standing now". The sun, the autumn colours, sound of Bruce and the E Street Band - it was one of my favorite moments in this strange year. "Song For Orphans" reminded me of "Leningrad" by Billy Joel somehow, and for me this album was just as exciting as "Wrecking Ball" in 2012.
6.) ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD: X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
...Trail of Dead play a huge role in my musical journey. When they released "So Divided" in 2006, I had already fallen in love with "Worlds Apart", my first contact with Conrad Keely, Jason Reece and their inventive style. And while I didn't care much for "IX" in 2014, this year's record by ...Trail of Dead really blew me away. When you first listen to "Don't Look Down", the first song they put out ahead of the album release, you're tempted to think it's just a simple song - which would be a first for this band. But then after two minutes and 35 seconds, the song turns into a spiraling cathedral of guitar grandeur. Equally surprising: the reprise in "Gravity" where the band goes back to "So Divided" and we suddenly listen to a few strokes of "Eight Days of Hell". I could go on, but I'll stop here. Listen for yourself!
5.) GODS OF BLITZ - Now
When Berlin's Finest Gods of Blitz released their second album "Reporting a Mirage", I was still a trainee at the newspaper. As I was convinced that Gods of Blitz would be equally successful as Franz Ferdinand or The Strokes, I went to a legendary gig in Stuttgart and wrote a piece about Germany's up-and-coming Indierock sensation. Before that, singer/bass player Sebastian Gäbel and his teammates had caught my attention as a support band for Wolfmother in Munich. But sometimes things take a different turn. Sebastian left the band in 2008, "Under the Radar" with the new singer Nico Kozik had good songs, but I just missed Sebastian's voice. In 2012 there were two reunion shows in Berlin and we hag high hopes. Well, a few years later the Gods heeded our prayers. "Cactus Complex" - a musical harbinger of this album - sounded just as if they had never left. Sleek guitar riffs, a pulsating bass, energetic drums and Sebastian's voice - all the trademarks reunited in a song. "Now" is not completely made of new songs, there are some re-recorded ones, some live versions and also some covers. "First We Take Manhattan" is done in an immaculate way: Gods of Blitz take the classic by Leonard Cohen and make it their own. Just like Johnny Cash did with "Hurt" by Nine Inch Nails. Thank Gods!
4.) SPANISH LOVE SONGS - Brave Faces Everyone
When Spanish Love Songs released their debut album "Schmaltz" two years ago, I haven't paid attention. That's why I'm a bit late to the party - but then embraced the band all the more with their sophomore album. I remember listening to "Kick" on January 6th, the day the song was released. And I was like: Wow, that's impressive! "Brave Faces Everyone" is emotional without being whiny and deals with things that many of us had to face this year: depression and anxiety. Who can't relate when Dylan Slocum sings "It won't be this bleak forever - yeah right". But the great thing about Spanish Love Songs is the positive energy that their songs radiate. "I Swear to God I'm an Optimist" is a great line in the title track and there are many other lyrics on this album that you will remember forever. Glad I saw them in Munich in January - one of the last shows I attended before Corona hit.
3.) TOUCHÉ AMORÉ - Lament
Can a band be more pure than Touché Amoré? I don't know. But what I know is that their music and their energy have become one of the staples in my record collection and in my life. Singer Jeremy Bolm is a wonderful human being and it's just pure joy to watch him onstage (and to follow him on social media where he will inspire you musically and in terms of literature, movies etc.). Although the album is called "Lament", songs like "Reminders" are a reminder for me: to keep on searching for the good in people, to be thankful for the little things in your life, for the relationships with other humans. The fifth album by the US-post-hardcore heroes sounds more positive than "Stage Four" which was about coping with the death of a loved one: Jeremy's mother had passed away from cancer. "Lament" is a reflection of life in all its facets. Let's embrace it.
2.) THE STROKES - The New Abnormal
Who would have known that 2020 would be the year The Strokes make their triumphant return? "The New Abnormal" (quite a title for an album this year...) is filled to the brim with songs that sound inspired and inspiring. When the NYC bohemians released the "At The Door" as the first single, there were some skeptics: Where's the garage rock vibes? Where are the guitars? Well, there are the kind of songs we would expect from the band that made Rock'n'Roll cool again when the new millenium started. Like "Bad Decisions" which pays homage to "Dancing with Myself" (Gen X, Billy Idol). But it's the not-so-typical songs that really made me happy. "Ode to the Mets" is my favorite The Strokes song ever. The vocal melody makes me tear up. There's an incredible cover of this song: When I listened to Ruben Bracamonte and his kids, I forgot I was listening to a cover.
1.) PHOEBE BRIDGERS - Punisher
There are some years where I had trouble figuring out my number one. Not this year. "Punisher" had its place in my heart the moment it came out in June. Phoebe Bridgers came, saw and conquered. I think that the singer-songwriter/guitar player from Los Angeles will be an important artist for many years. Dangit, she already is, just listen to her 2017 debut album, to her collaboration with Conor Oberst (Better Oblivion Community Center) and to boygenius (with her, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus). The 26 year old musician delivered THE Indierock moment of 2020. The last two minutes of "I Know The End" and especially that moment at 4:34 really made my brain experience one of the most fascinating moments in music. The tragic beauty of the "Moon Song" is captivating, the happy melody of "Kyoto" is one of the best ways to get awake in the morning. Nothing this year came even close to this gem of a record. Nothing.
Want to know my top ten records of the past years? Here they are: 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 and 2011.
