Let's get one thing out of the way off the top: this is probably Sound Bites' final post.
It's not that I've stopped enjoying music, or that I no longer enjoy talking about music, rather I've accepted some hard truths; that I lack the drive required to keep this blog updated on a regular enough basis to say I'm proud of the work I've done here, and that blogging itself has become a dead format of communication. Although my inability to achieve the consistency I strive for is certainly the chief factor behind it, the drastically lower visitor counts just don't motivate me to right the ship, so I've decided to just let it sink. Perhaps I'll find another way to do this and/or another place where it makes sense to do so, and if that happens I'll be sure to let you know. As it stands, though, this place is a ghost town; lost to time and increasingly irrelevant, and fixing it up is honestly more trouble than I feel it's worth.
With that sour news out of the way, let's send Sound Bites off with one last Top 20 albums of the year.
(Note: if you're looking for my song picks, they've been conveniently located in the "featured playist" sidebar; there are 75 of 'em there, all proof that 2020 didn't suck in absolutely every conceivable way. At least we got some good tunes.)
Rather than burden you with more long-winded diatribes that will essentially be rehashes of the reviews (and non-reviews) that I posted earlier in the year, I've decided that the best way for all parties involved is to run down my Top 20 in the format that got perhaps the most traction of any of my posts in recent years.
That's right, y'all: this year's best albums counted down with haiku.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS (in alphabetical order):
CREEPER Sex, Death & the Infinite Void
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS The Unraveling
BRIAN FALLON Local Honey
FONTAINES D.C. A Hero's Death
HAIM Women in Music Part III
HUM Inlet
THE KILLERS Imploding the Mirage
KING KRULE Man Alive
BOB MOULD Blue Hearts
MR. BUNGLE The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo
20
THE PACK A.D.
It Was Fun While It Lasted
Some of the best bands
Break up when they're still on top
A prime example.
19
GULFER
Gulfer
It's so refreshing
A great Canadian band
Making unique tunes.
18
...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD
X: The Godless Void and Other Stories
Almost nineteen years
After Source Tags and Codes hit
They're still enchanting.
17
WILL BUTLER
Generations
"So you're telling me
It's better than Arcade Fire?"
Everything Now, yes.
16
TOUCHE AMORE
Lament
Still incredible
After their grandest statement
Just a small step back.
15
BIFFY CLYRO
A Celebration of Endings
Pop experiment
Is pretty much over now
Mon the Biff again.
14
SPORTS TEAM
Deep Down Happy
A solid debut
It's just too bad the best songs
Came out years ago.
13
METZ
Atlas Vending
Canuck noise merchants
Proving that business is good
And so's the music.
12
THE BETHS
Jump Rope Gazers
'90s throwback rock
Done with such respect and love
Here's a band to watch.
11
KILLER BE KILLED
Reluctant Hero
Metal all-stars catch
Lightning in a bottle twice?
God damn right they do.
10
MAN MAN
Dream Hunting in the Valley of the In-Between
As odd as ever
But with a few more pop hooks
That's not a bad thing.
9
CODE ORANGE
Underneath
Brutal, beautiful
A punishing, modern noise
The future of metal.
8
TAME IMPALA
The Slow Rush
Produced with great care
And perfectly packed with hooks
One to get lost in.
7
IDLES
Ultra Mono
They may have caught flak
For not being that sincere
But the shit still rocks.
6
WAXAHATCHEE
Saint Cloud
A feral blessing
This haunted twang, amazing
Great heartbreak music.
5
DEFTONES
Ohms
Against all the odds
A legacy of greatness
They did it again.
4
SPANISH LOVE SONGS
Brave Faces Everyone
I present to you
The most relatable songs
I have heard this year.
3
PHOEBE BRIDGERS
Punisher
Sadness, depression
Our thoughts and fears filtered through
Heart quaking talent.
2
RUN THE JEWELS
RTJ4
I know it's not "rock"
But it's far too important
To disqualify.
1
FIONA APPLE
Fetch the Bolt Cutters
So, I'll be honest
I knew this race was over
After one listen.
***
I feel it's only fitting to sign off on a note of thanks. If you're reading this, you've taken time to read my words, and for that I am grateful. If you've been here since the beginning, I hope you know that you are the reason I've kept going, fighting against this moment because I truly wanted to make this place a haven for fellow music lovers, a place worth coming back to time and time again. I wasn't able to do that, at least not in the ways or with the frequency that I wanted, so I feel this is as good a place as any to bring this chapter to a close.
Music is still the greatest passion in my life. I will never stop listening, and I will never stop exploring; my hope is that you won't either.
Thank you and good night.
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