50.

 Caroline Rose - Superstar

In 3 Lists

MARCH 6, 2020
INDIE POP
CRITIC SCORE

77
17 reviews
Superstar is full-contact pop music: percussive, bouncing, and passionate. It’s designed to loosen you
up. If Rose was ever holding on, she let go long ago.
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49. Ben Watt - Storm Damage

 In 2 Lists

JANUARY 31, 2020

SINGER-SONGWRITER
CRITIC SCORE

79
10 reviews

Amazon

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Music

Spotify

48. Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes - What Kinda

Music
 In 5 Lists

APRIL 24, 2020

NEO-SOUL
CRITIC SCORE

77
10 reviews
It is a pairing that displays the best of both of their worlds at various points and is further evidence in
itself of a British music scene that bristles with talent and moves fluidly between many genres.
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47. Melanie C - Melanie C
OCTOBER 2, 2020
DANCE POP
CRITIC SCORE

73
10 reviews
What makes Melanie C unique is the sense of its creator’s personal freedom that suffuses its song stock
—this makes the long player a singular body of work within her growing catalog.
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46. LÉON - Apart
 In 2 Lists

OCTOBER 30, 2020

CRITIC SCORE

80
3 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

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45. Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony

 In 21 Lists

MARCH 13, 2020

ABSTRACT HIP HOP
CRITIC SCORE

78
11 reviews
A Written Testimony still makes me want to hear more of what Jay Electronica has to offer. I hope we
don’t have to wait another decade or complete societal collapse for us to get another album.
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44. Låpsley - Through Water

MARCH 20, 2020
AMBIENT POP
CRITIC SCORE

78
9 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

Spotify

43. Agnes Obel - Myopia

 In 5 Lists

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

CHAMBER POP
CRITIC SCORE

73
8 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

Spotify

42. Luke James - to feel love/d

JANUARY 31, 2020
CRITIC SCORE

90
1 review

Amazon

41. Kyshona Armstrong - Listen

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Amazon

iTunes
Music

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40. Tom Aspaul - Black Country Disco

In 2 Lists

SEPTEMBER 14, 2020

CRITIC SCORE

100
2 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

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39. Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter

 In 32 Lists

APRIL 10, 2020

FOLK
CRITIC SCORE

87
30 reviews
Marling finds the right variations on Song For Our Daughter, her sonically intimate seventh album.
Full Review →

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38. The Vapors - Together

MAY 15, 2020

Amazon

37. Country Westerns - Country Westerns

In 3 Lists

JUNE 26, 2020

GARAGE ROCK
CRITIC SCORE

78
4 reviews
Amazon

iTunes

Music

Spotify

36. Carly Rae Jepsen - Dedicated Side B

In 5 Lists

MAY 21, 2020

SYNTHPOP
CRITIC SCORE

77
10 reviews
In an age where most of today’s contemporary figures are content to settle for churning out soulless bops
engineered for the streaming slog, Jepsen demonstrates with Dedicated Side B that the art of genuine
songcraft is very much alive and well in the pop genre.
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35. The Dirty Clergy - In Waves

MAY 22, 2020

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Music

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34. Mac Miller - Circles

In 20 Lists
JANUARY 17, 2020
NEO-SOUL
CRITIC SCORE

82
16 reviews
The music on Circles is the sound of Miller plunging into change. Not quite a straightforward hip-hop
record but not quite an R&B album, it is a mix of his own interests and what they could’ve morphed
into.
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33. Busta Rhymes - Extinction Level Event 2:

The Wrath of God

OCTOBER 30, 2020

HIP HOP
CRITIC SCORE

69
7 reviews
Busta has made himself one of the most recognizable names and faces in hip-hop by creating
unforgettable moments, and with E.L.E. 2, he has crafted yet another. But this time, he achieves the feat
not simply with a catchy verse or hit single, but rather with a masterpiece of a fully-realized album, at a
time when the culture desperately needs it.
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32. Katie Melua - Album No. 8

In 2 Lists

OCTOBER 16, 2020

CRITIC SCORE

79
6 reviews
Album No. 8—from top to bottom—is a record teeming with musical intelligence and imagination; it is
also an elegant statement of Melua’s power, which should never be underestimated going forward.
Full Review →

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Music
Spotify

31. Sam Sparro - Boombox Eternal

FEBRUARY 21, 2020

SYNTH FUNK
CRITIC SCORE

77
3 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

Spotify

30. Car Seat Headrest - Making A Door Less

Open
 In 7 Lists

MAY 1, 2020
INDIETRONICA
CRITIC SCORE

73
32 reviews
Records like this make me excited for an artist’s future. It displays they are willing to interrogate
themselves and their ways, and that there is more change to come. I commend Toledo for going against
his own grain and pushing boundaries. Making A Door Less Open is a great record that I believe, in
time, will act as a transitional artifact.
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29. Georgia - Seeking Thrills

 In 15 Lists

JANUARY 10, 2020

ELECTROPOP
CRITIC SCORE

77
25 reviews
Although Seeking Thrills is Georgia’s sophomore album, there is a freshness and originality that can
only be manifested from pure passion.
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28. Bright Light Bright Light - Fun City

 In 2 Lists

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

CRITIC SCORE

85
2 reviews
Fun City marks a turning point in Thomas’ already fantastic career that will undoubtedly continue to
show great promise with each successive album he puts forward.
Full Review →

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27. Yumi Zouma - Truth or Consequences

 In 2 Lists

MARCH 13, 2020

INDIE POP
CRITIC SCORE

71
4 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

Spotify

26. Jacob Collier - Djesse (Vol. 3)

 In 2 Lists

AUGUST 14, 2020

NEO-SOUL
CRITIC SCORE

85
2 reviews
Despite being ironically slumber-obsessed, Jacob Collier’s euphonic fever dream is energetic and wide
awake. Depending on how strong you like your coffee, Djesse Vol. 3 could have you wired for days.
Full Review →

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25. S.G. Goodman - Old Time Feeling

JULY 17, 2020
SINGER-SONGWRITER

Amazon

24. Ego Ella May - Honey For Wounds

JUNE 26, 2020

CRITIC SCORE

80
2 reviews

Amazon
iTunes

Music

Spotify

23. Black Thought - Streams of Thought, Vol.

3: Cane And Abel

In 3 Lists

OCTOBER 16, 2020

BOOM BAP
CRITIC SCORE

75
7 reviews
It’s no longer surprising how Black Thought continues to astound as an artist, but Cane and Able is still
an impressive next step in his progression.
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22. Natalie Schlabs - Don't Look Too Close

OCTOBER 16, 2020
CRITIC SCORE

100
1 review

Amazon

21. Vanessa Carlton - Love Is An Art

MARCH 27, 2020

ART POP
CRITIC SCORE

78
4 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

Spotify

20. The 1975 - Notes on a Conditional Form

In 15 Lists

MAY 22, 2020

ART POP
CRITIC SCORE

71
40 reviews
Notes On A Conditional Form is a daunting yet ultimately rewarding experience.
Full Review →

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19. Soccer Mommy - color theory

In 36 Lists

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

SINGER-SONGWRITER
CRITIC SCORE

83
29 reviews
She's essentially taken what worked well the first time and managed to only enhance the things that
needed to be, while keeping everything else perfect.
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18. Moses Sumney - græ

 In 43 Lists

MAY 15, 2020

ART POP
CRITIC SCORE

87
25 reviews
Just as he offers the deepest introspection lyrically, so this album merits the same level of attention. It
needs a listener’s focus to revel and delight in every one of it nuances. Put your headphones on, lock the
door and slip into his world—you will be rewarded.
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17. Mandy Moore - Silver Landings

MARCH 6, 2020
POP ROCK
CRITIC SCORE

75
11 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

Spotify

16. Run the Jewels - RTJ4

 In 80 Lists

JUNE 3, 2020
HIP HOP
CRITIC SCORE

90
32 reviews
Run the Jewels captures these feelings of anger and uncertainty, and channels them into musical form.
Like real revolution, it’s not always pretty, but its wholly satisfying and never half steps.
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15. Alanis Morissette - Such Pretty Forks in the

Road
 In 3 Lists

JULY 31, 2020

SINGER-SONGWRITER
CRITIC SCORE

71
17 reviews
It’s her personal experiences within many of these realms that fire up the engine inside Such Pretty
Forks In The Road—her most inward-looking and outwardly forthright album in years.
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14. Faithless - All Blessed

OCTOBER 23, 2020
CRITIC SCORE

73
3 reviews

Amazon

iTunes

Music

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13. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher

 In 83 Lists

JUNE 18, 2020

SINGER-SONGWRITER
CRITIC SCORE

87
39 reviews
While I can’t say I was prepared for Punisher to ask as much of me as it did, I’m still moved by it,
unsettled by it, and captivated by it.
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12. Brandy - B7
 In 4 Lists

JULY 31, 2020

R&B
CRITIC SCORE

77
7 reviews
In the R&B genre where some of its purveyors are occasionally susceptible to the siren call of artifice
and theatrics, Brandy sidesteps manufactured drama and goes for music imbued with heart and technical
prowess.
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11. Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia

 In 64 Lists

MARCH 27, 2020

DANCE POP
CRITIC SCORE

86
28 reviews
Future Nostalgia lives up to its namesake as a luxuriant second act that prognosticates that Dua Lipa is a
much more formidable force than anyone could have imagined.
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10. Doves - The Universal Want

 In 12 Lists

SEPTEMBER 11, 2020

INDIE ROCK
CRITIC SCORE

81
22 reviews
As with their previous four efforts, The Universal Want unfolds as a sonically immersive and lyrically
engaging affair, its title emblematic of the album’s central thematic thread that explores our innate,
lifelong yearning for a sense of fulfillment and purpose.
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9. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters

 In 94 Lists

APRIL 17, 2020

ART POP
CRITIC SCORE

94
31 reviews
Fiona Apple’s ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’ Is a Vital, Visceral Call to Action for All of Us.
Full Review →

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8. Pet Shop Boys - Hotspot

JANUARY 24, 2020
SYNTHPOP
CRITIC SCORE

74
25 reviews
With so many new artists popping up on the scene daily, it is refreshing to see our elder statesmen
delivering music that remains true to their core, but still finding a freshness in the most organic, unforced
way.
Full Review →

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7. Kylie Minogue - DISCO

 In 10 Lists

NOVEMBER 6, 2020
DISCO
CRITIC SCORE

73
20 reviews
Decades removed from that prefabricated incarnation, DISCO is the product of a woman keenly aware
of her strengths, but not constrained by them.
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6. SAULT - Untitled (Rise)

 In 33 Lists

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

NEO-SOUL
CRITIC SCORE

90
7 reviews
In a little over six minutes, SAULT manage to demonstrate more excellence than other groups could
muster over an album’s length.
Full Review →

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5. Taylor Swift - folklore

 In 66 Lists

JULY 24, 2020

SINGER-SONGWRITER
CRITIC SCORE

86
33 reviews
As a complete body of work, folklore is Swift’s most compelling and challenging record
since Reputation. No longer a former “country starlet gone pop,” Swift is a woman with a singular vision
moving forward to blaze new paths and create art that will resonate for years to come.
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4. Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?

 In 42 Lists

JUNE 26, 2020

DANCE POP
CRITIC SCORE

84
26 reviews
What’s Your Pleasure? deepens the singer-songwriter’s commitment to her craft with the album marking
a striking and sultry chapter in her canon. One can be sure that there are even more good things to come
from Ware in the future.
Full Review →

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3. SAULT - UNTITLED (Black Is)

 In 42 Lists

JUNE 19, 2020

NEO-SOUL
CRITIC SCORE

88
7 reviews
Just as D’Angelo’s Black Messiah landed at the perfect time, so this monumental piece of work arrives
with a bible in one hand and balled fist in the other to demand equality and freedom for all at exactly the
right moment.
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2. Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas

 In 24 Lists

JULY 17, 2020

NEO-SOUL
CRITIC SCORE

81
26 reviews
In creating a lush, warm atmosphere, the album allows La Havas to mine the darker corners of love and
emotional connection without the subject matter ever weighing it down—everything is delicately and
artfully balanced.
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1. Róisín Murphy - Róisín Machine

 In 30 Lists

OCTOBER 2, 2020
NU-DISCO
CRITIC SCORE

83
19 reviews
In short, Murphy hasn’t only just made her own “happy ending” as she sang, she has also
managed to create a body of work that will bring her undoubtedly remarkable story in song to
broader attention—Róisín’s Machine is an unequivocal triumph.