Ghost Cult continues our “End of Year Guest Post Extravaganza” with a slew of blogs from bands, industry, PR types, and more! We’ll be sharing lists, memories, and other shenanigans from our favorite bands, partners, music industry peers, and other folks we respect across the globe. Today we get a list from our trusted PR comrade in arms, Tom Brumpton of Polymath PR with his top album picks for 2020!
Top five albums of 2020:
Annina Melissa – Lost Worlds
Annina is a German/Canadian composer and her latest, “Lost Worlds”, is a largely instrumental electronic album. She’s not super well known but I cannot praise this release highly enough. “Lost Worlds” is the perfect means of temporary escape from the raw chaos of the last twelve months. A beautiful record and my favourite of 2020.
Best song: Somewhere Beyond Smoke And Hope
Ulver – Flowers of Evil
I have a few friends who, whenever Ulver announces new material, we all get excited together and it’s lovely to share that with them. Especially this year. “Flowers Of Evil” is a fantastic pop record. Possessing the intellect and attention to detail expected of Ulver, I’ve had it on loop a lot in 2020. It was nearly my favourite album, but Annina just beat them. Sorry lads.
Best song: Flowers & Peacock Feathers
Anaal Nathrakh – Endarkenment
Hearing a new Anaal Nathrakh record for the first time is like preparing for an angry TED Talk. The feeling I got when listening to “Endarkenment” and reading the statement the band released before hand made it feel like the bad guys had shown up to save the day. It is exactly what you’d hope for from an AN record made in the Brexit years; the battle-cry I’d been longing for, but not from the people I thought would deliver it.
Best song: Feeding The Death Machine
Sepultura – Quadra
I was blown away by this record. I wish Max Cavalera would quit attacking Sepultura every time he needs to sell an album, because Seps have consistently released solid records while Derrick has been with them, and “Quadra” is a fine edition to their discography. Also, huge props to them and their team for their SepulQuatra sessions.
Best song: Isolation
Katatonia – City Burials
Discovered this by accident. Thanks, Spotify! The kind of chunky, melodious melancholy you expect from Katatonia. One of the things I’ve missed most this year was visiting friends both locally and abroad. Exploring new places and lingering in old haunts together. “City Burials” reassured me that those things are waiting once the crisis has passed.
Best song: Untrodden