IN REVIEW: Let's Catch Up On 2020 With Haiku Reviews!

Eighteen albums might not seem like a lot to review in four months, but that running tally for 2020 does fill me with a little pride; even with a global pandemic and some time off work allowing me to spend much more time with music, averaging about one review per week is more than I thought possible considering how much procrastination (and, at times, outright ignorance) has played into my work ethic around here in recent years.

That said, there has been so much more released already this year that's worth talking about. So, I decided to go ahead and reinstate the gimmicky but fun haiku reviews I used as a cop out when catching up last year leading up to Year in Rock. This doesn't mean these albums don't warrant more thought out reviews, I just didn't get to them in a timely enough fashion. It also doesn't mean these albums aren't good enough to devote more time to; in fact, in a year where Fiona doesn't just decide to release a generational masterpiece, at least a couple of these would be strong nominees for Album of the Year.

Anyway, spending all this time on a preamble kind of undermines the point of doing haiku reviews, doesn't it? Let's get into it!

SPANISH LOVE SONGS Brave Faces Everyone
February 7, 2020 • Pure Noise
Highlights Generation Loss • Losers • Dolores

Sad and harrowing
Like modern America
As real as it gets.

BEACH BUNNY Honeymoon
February 14, 2020 • Mom+Pop
Highlights Promises • Cuffing Season • Cloud 9

Power pop heartache
A youthful rite of passage
That never gets old.

KVELERTAK Splid
February 14, 2020 • Kvelertak/Rise
Highlights Rogaland • Crack of Doom • Fanden ta dette hull!

If you ever doubt
Music is more than language
Then here is the proof.

WAXAHATCHEE Saint Cloud
March 27, 2020 • Merge
Highlights Can't Do Much • The Eye • Hell

Americana
What does it mean anyway?
Start with this record.

PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS Viscerals
April 3, 2020 • Rocket Recordings
Highlights Reducer • Rubbernecker • World Crust

This shit fucking slaps
Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs Pigs
What else can I say?

THE PACK a.d. it was fun while it lasted
April 17, 2020 • The Pack a.d.
Highlights Give Up • Soul Warden • No Good

Fourteen year career
Concluding on a high note
Come back any time.

JOEL PLASKETT 44
April 17, 2020 • Songs for the Gang/Pheromone
Highlights Memory Complete Me • Just Passing Through • Just Because

Just because you can
It doesn't mean that you should
One album's enough.

BRENDAN BENSON Dear Life
April 24, 2020 • Third Man
Highlights Good To Be Alive • Half a Boy (Half a Man) • Dear Life

Not fantastic, but
Not embarrassing either
Could have used less synth.

...and that covers some of the records I missed in the first four months of the year. Now, we'll get back to the usual style of reviews, although I'm sure by September there will be another backlog of records awaiting me, so maybe we'll do another run of haiku reviews then. Also, even after this, did I miss any 2020 releases that you feel I should rectify? Go ahead and make a request, and I'll see about it; I always like experiencing new music, so don't be shy!

Year in Rock 2025

Alright, I've got some explaining to do. By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but: a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...

Year in Rock 2013 Nominee: Arctic Monkeys

ARCTIC MONKEYS Do I Wanna Know? From: AM Released: September 10 That Year in Rock 2012's Single of the Year R U Mine? ended up on this album is pleasing, and it fits the motif well enough. But R U Mine? isn't what makes Arctic Monkeys' fifth album an Album of the Year contender. Sweaty, sultry and pulsing with sexual energy, AM is the kind of record that's just as effective whether you're chilling out after a long day, staring into a mirror prepping yourself for a late night clubbing session or setting the mood for some escapades in the boudoir.

Year in Rock 2023: Album of the Year #10-1

Now we're getting somewhere; the top ten, where there are no duds or mids, only bangers. Also, no more teasing it out; let's wrap this up! What I've learned this year from my ten faves this year is that it is indeed still possible for a dude approaching his fifties to more or less stay up to date on the new school. Of course, there are some listed here that got a boost from playing tribute to the old school, but there is an undercurrent happening in rock that points to the future. But, I'm getting ahead of myself; here come the champs. 10 MILITARIE GUN Life Under the Gun June 23, 2023 • Loma Vista Highlights Very High Will Logic Never Fucked Up Once Rising from the ranks of the still-potent L.A. hardcore scene, the debut record from Militarie Gun (following a trio of EPs) bears a dash of polish that's expected with backing from a larger label; the tension and energy remain, though, resulting in one of the catchiest hardcore albums I can think of in recent years. 9 ...

SOUND BITES

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