[Shaun]

#20 - "how i'm feeling now" by Charli XCX
When she released this, so soon after 2019's Charli and somewhat hurried together whilst under lockdown, she almost made the entire pandemic seem harmless and as though it hadn't impacted music at all. Her best album in a long time - and perhaps her very best - HIFN is captivating, full of raucous energy and doesn't really stay into unwelcome territories like some of her previous records tried (be that cheesy pop with 'Sucker' or misguided attempts at big-star collaborations that don't really linger long in the memory, like Lizzo, Troye Sivan or Rita Ora). Her albums can tend to get messy and lack clarity; no such worries here.


#19 - "Chromatica" by Lady Gaga
Charli might have kicked off lockdown with a party but Gaga kept it going with her keen eye for a music video, costuming and theatricality. After venturing down different avenues from her signature style to varying successes - thank you for ASIB, curse you for Joanne x - it was a fantastic return to her electro-pop roots in 2020 that kept the gays nourished. Whether it was the meme potential of the Chromatica II/911 interlude, turning the facemask into a couture accessory at the VMAs, or literally feeding them Oreos, she came back home and boy we missed her


#18 - "After Hours" by The Weeknd
Another artist who spent most of the 2010s experiencing diminishing returns came back this year with one of the biggest surprise pop records: The Weeknd has long disappointed since his R&B mixtapes at the turn of 2011, with grating pop singles scattered in among the great ones and turning most of his albums into forgettable dreck. No such issue here: 'After Hours' is a glorious 80s revival and whether he and Dua did it subconsciously or not, they really took the whole Stranger Things nostalgia high and smashed it out of the park.


#17 - "Shore" by Fleet Foxes
I'm sure I enjoyed 2017's 'Crack-Up' at the time, but perhaps it was the doom of 2020 that made this arrival on the horizon seem like a long lost friend; the folk band have been turning out stunning music since 2008 and 'Shore' isn't really any different. It feels at once sunkissed and snow-sheltering; a warm blanket or a cooling fan depending on your mood.


#16 - "Saint Cloud" by Waxahatchee
She's always been a name that's been on my periphery, but it took me until 2020 to try an album and I was hooked. A little more on the country side of things than a folk record, 'Saint Cloud' is high in the top tens of various music publications for a reason. It's poignant, it's pretty, it's inspirational and it's incredibly feelgood.


#15 - "Future Nostalgia" by Dua Lipa
I've already alluded to Dua's embrace of classic sounds above, so there's not much else to say really. She's dominated much of 2020 just as she has for the past four years; and whilst the constant flow of singles and collaborations has sometimes resulted in underwhelming material (looking at you, Calvin Harris), the idea to centre an album around this disco was inspired. Especially in a year that was yet to usher in others' discos (Kylie, Sophie Ellis-Bextor). Just: whatever you do... ignore the remix album. That was a mess.


#14 - "evermore" by Taylor Swift
Treated very much as an afterthought by music critics as they continue to heap praise upon 'folklore', my preferred of Swift's two LPs in 2020 was definitely the latter. The lyrics are more striking and personal - whether it's the tribute to her grandmother on 'Marjorie', a former friend on 'Dorothea' or conspiring to commit revenge-homicide on 'No Body, No Crime' - and there's something more cosy and familial about this record than her other release. A very fine Winter comfort indeed.


#13 - "Gaslighter" by The Chicks
Some bands are capable of changing their band names to avoid racist connotations without simultaneously suing artists of colour, and that's a nice breath of fresh air, isn't it? I wasn't familiar with the Chicks' music they put out during the tribulations of the Bush administration, so this wasn't so much a stellar comeback as a stellar introduction for me. Handled masterfully (as usual) by Jack Antonoff (recent albums with Lorde, Lana Del Rey, and the lady just above), this album unpacks one of the member's divorce with a heartfelt fragility. One particular highlight is 'Young Man', addressed to the divorcee's adolescent children, and there's something tender about the lines "You're of me, not mine. Walk your own crooked line, I promise you'll be fine. Take the best parts of him as your own life begins. Leave the bad news behind you".


#12 - "Sawayama" by Rina Sawayama
I only really listened to this for the first time just before (or after) Christmas, so I'm still catching up with her hype (although maybe the release of the disappointingly generic 'LUCID' months after this album killed the buzz somewhat? Discuss below). It was a slow burner for me, but really kicked into full swing around the middle of the runtime. Some great singles and music videos, that might've benefitted more from a year where we weren't confined to our bedrooms.


#11 - "Græ" by Moses Sumney
Aside from literally looking like a model, Moses Sumney had something else to stun with in 2020: Græ is an incredible project full of rich, lofty ideas and performance art. He's described often as the male version of FKA twigs, perhaps just because of the performative nature of his videos, but there's a quiet, soulful element to his music that sets him apart from her.