Welcome to channel.WAV, a music blog dedicated to bringing news, reviews, and general views straight to your feed. From hot takes to album write-ups, we’ve got your music digest covered. We, three humble dudes who think they know way more about music than they actually do, have spent a great deal of time getting this labor of love up and running. Bear with us during these early days while the blog evolves. Initially, we’ll be scarcely posting, feeling our way out around this whole new thing. Just know there’s a lot stored in the future, expect great (and maybe less than great) music takes.
We’re glad you’re here with us. And what better way to start 2021 than saying adieu to 2020? Today, we thought it best to introduce our writing staff as well as our individual top 10 albums of the year. This way you can get a taste of our favorite genres as well as what to expect from our writing style.
Aaron Botts:
1. The Dead Tongues - Transmigration Blues
Every time I listen to one of the Dead Tongues albums I’m reminded that my best self is driving on a one-lane desert road in the American southwest. Thank you for allowing me to take a vacation during the lockdown of 2020.
Personal favs: Peaceful Ambassador & Deja Vu
2. Waxahatchee - St. Cloud
Nothing fancy here. Just a solid voice, a solid sound, and a seamless blend of indie-folk goodness. 2020 might have lacked a summer hit, but this album is a dark horse candidate for the summer sound.
Personal favs: Hell & Arkadelphia
3. The Steeldrivers - Bad For You
Remember when the Steel Drivers were relevant about 10 years ago? Well... they still kind of are. This album demonstrates that hoedown throwdowns can live into the second decade of the 2000s.
Personal favs: I Choose You & Innocent Man
You ever pick up where you left off? Well, Stapleton does. But this delivers what I’d expect from a Stapleton album. Gruff vocals, serenading guitars, and the aura of a hearing an aged singer who never made it in a Cheers-esque Nashville dive bar.
Personal favs: Arkansas & Starting Over
There were many bad things about 2020. But this album demonstrates how to cope. Something to ponder as we start over in 2020.
Personal favs: I’ll See You in My Dreams & Letter to You
6. Tyler Childers - Long Violent History
With Mitch McConnell, two lackluster Kentucky sports teams, and Johnny Depp's aging career, it’s not hard to be the best Kentucky has to offer. But Childers excels where most fail - his authentic voice and passion carry in every second of this album.
Personal favs: Bonaparte’s Retreat & Long Violent History
Was this just one big album that the record execs wanted to make into two? Probably... The older Swift gets the purer her sound. And, the more she realizes she can probably get away just playing an acoustic guitar to a sellout stadium for the rest of her days.
Personal favs: Folklore & Evermore (both ft. Bon Iver)
You know the girl in the back of your high school English Honors class who played guitar, wore all black, and who everyone thought was weird just because she was a little goth and found herself earlier than others? Enter this album and the now household name of Phoebe Bridgers. She shows us what those years and what that high school feeling was like. Excuse me because after listening to this album I’ve got some Facebook messages to write...
Personal favs: ICU & Savior Complex
If Towline magically appeared and said his iconic, “You wanna get high..?” I’d imagine this would play shortly after the first hit. But this isn’t the same tame, psychedelic sound we’ve come to expect and which would have been comforting during 2029. Instead, there was an optimistic edge that gave this album a ‘microdose’ edge.
Personal favs: Lost In Yesterday & One More Year
Does an EP count? Well if not, I’m making it. We might have lost Johnny Cash a couple years ago and Orville Peck is the candidate to pick up where he left off.
Personal favs: No Glory in the West & Legends Never Die
Honorable Mentions: Boro - Fly (Gotta support friends. Give it a listen.) Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters The Weekend - After Hours Mac Miller - Circles Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake
Brandon Slone:
1. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Fiona Apple has been around for ages, and yet this is only the fifth album she’s ever put out. Coming off an eight-year gap following The Idler Wheel…, Fetch the Bolt Cutters sounds pretty much unlike anything else you’ll hear in this day and age, sounding at times like it’s spiraling out of control with its marriage of industrial beats and poppy piano. This seems like the safe choice, considering the sheer amount of critical acclaim the album received, but it’s also the right one.
Taylor Swift put out 2 albums this year, but this is by far the superior of the two if you ask me. Masterfully straddling between catchy tunes and heartfelt narratives, this is, to date, the best album of her career.
I’m that rare Dylan fan who would put his more recent output on par with that of his prime 50 years ago. That said, this is easily the strongest of the post-1997 Dylan renaissance offerings. Plus, the fact that the man’s first new song since winning the Nobel Prize for Literature contains the lyric “rub-a-dub-dub it’s a murder most foul” is just peak Dylan. He contains multitudes.
Honestly, in most years, this would have been my number 1. Phoebe Bridgers totally demolished the concept of a sophomore slump, putting out an album that all but blows her debut, Stranger in the Alps, out of the water with the strength of singles like “Kyoto” and “I Know the End.”
Every Run the Jewels album feels like an event at this point, especially when they make us wait four long years. RTJ4 delivers the same level of quality we’ve come to expect from the duo at this point, and features cameos from a diverse group of artists ranging from Mavis Staples to Zack de la Rocha.
Jason Isbell continues to stand out as one of his generation’s best songwriters, weaving blue-collar tales far more grounded in reality than anything you’ll hear on mainstream country radio. If this was a list of top songs, I’d have “Dreamsicle” at number 1 without hesitation.
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If you told me this came out in pretty much any year including years that haven’t happened yet, I’d believe you. I honestly can’t even say anything else about it.
This packs quite a few sounds into a relatively short run time. Sad13, a side project of Speedy Ortiz leader Sadie Dupuis, weaves between uptempo pop, straightforward rock, and more experimental fare, making use of a wide variety of instruments including a sitar, a theremin, and self-described “toys, trash, and ephemera.”
The original lineup of 80s punk legends X returned with Alphabetland in one of 2020’s few developments that can be called a pleasant surprise. Old school punk has been effectively dead for well over a generation now, but for 29 minutes X manages to harken back to the era without simply pandering to nostalgia.
10. Jeff Tweedy - Love is the King
Gang, I fucking love Wilco. That’s not a secret at this point. I’m surprised, however, by how much I’ve enjoyed Jeff Tweedy’s run of solo albums over the past few years. This is the third of the series and effectively came out of nowhere, being recorded in lieu of Wilco’s canceled tour dates. Tweedy and his two sons play all instruments on the album, giving it a minimalist feel that feels appropriate to the therapeutic lyrics.
Dane Ritter:
1. Moses Sumney - græ
If someone told me that Moses Sumney could make his music feel more isolated post-Aromanticism, his dark and moody debut that is 80% acapella, I’d have scoffed at them. But Moses’ time off was well-spent crafting incredible story-telling and monumental lyrics, making græ the perfect soundtrack to 2020. And “Polly” one of the best songs of the year.
2. Freddie Gibbs - Alfredo
Freddie’s Instagram stories (RIP) aren’t the only reason he is a staple of hip-hop. The man can rap, and he can rap circles around your favorites. Between his collabs with Madlib and the Alchemist, Freddie now has the best single-producer albums of any rapper in history.
3. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher What else is there to say about Punisher that every other music critic hasn’t already said? If you haven’t heard Bridgers wail on “Kyoto” by now, you’re not living life to its fullest. I’ll let the music speak for itself on this one.
4. Conway the Machine - From King to a God
Griselda Records released a whopping 11 albums this year -- their output is unstoppable, and it’s not slop. Conway had the most impressive discography between his labelmates and the bravado to match. Take his verse on Spurs 3 for instance: “I don’t wanna rap, don’t wanna dap you / I honestly don’t care about being friends with a rapper / Griselda, we the inspiration / You can see me and Gunn influencing all the music they making.”
5. Tyler Childers - Long Violent History
Kentucky country music drew a very fine line this year, as Childers, Sturgill Simpson, and Chris Stapleton all advocated for the Black Lives Matter movement, something all but unheard of in modern country music. And if these statements weren’t enough, each artists’ experimentation with new sounds solidified their relevancy in 2020. Childers, however, made the biggest splash with his Bluegrass debut, having taught himself the mandolin during quarantine. Side note: all purchases of this album still benefit communities in Appalachia, you can visit Childers’ website for more information.
6. Tame Impala - the Slow Rush Is the Slow Rush better than Currents? Who's to say. But Kevin Parker et al sure knows how to make an album that leaves you wanting more.
7. Boldy James - the Price of Tea in China
Detroit’s Boldy James maybe had the best year out of everyone in music. Three great releases with three very different producers, signing to the hungry and raw group of MCs with Griselda Records, and to cap it off, a feature on the incredible “Friday Night Cypher” on Big Sean’s 2020 release. But the Alchemist and Boldy are too dynamic together, and the duo most certainly make that known.
8. Mac Miller - Circles
Too many post-mortem music releases feel rushed, empty, and too much like a cash-grabbing scheme forced by money-hungry label executives. That’s not the case with Miller’s Circles. Always intending to follow up 2018’s Swimming, the raw and moody vocals that are reminiscent of Indie-pop bands encapsulate the trajectory of Malcolm’s future.
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9. Kali Uchis - Sin Miedo
Fans of Tyler, the Creator will be familiar with Kali Uchis’ name, but she is far more than a backup vocalist on goofy rap songs. Following up her debut album Isolation, Kali’s at her most vulnerable on Sin Mideo, her first full-length Spanish language album.
10. Taylor Swift - evermore For a lot of reasons, evermore and folklore are hard to split up. Swift confirmed her second surprise album of 2020 was recorded alongside the late summer hit folklore and it should be considered a “sister album” in all regards. That’s why keeping only one on this list was more than difficult. But look no further for why evermore is the superior sibling than its title track: Swift is at her most unique and ambitious and seeking to cement herself as one of the best songwriters to ever do it.
Honorable Mentions: Denzel Curry - Unlocked I want a Kendrick Lamar album really bad but I’ll settle for Zel taking the rap game by force as a substitute anytime.
Dinner Party - s/t Speaking of Lamar, his longtime collaborator Terrace Martin proved he knows how to run a supergroup and make Jazz relevant again.
Samia - the Baby Samia did the indie-pop thing better than most indie-pop groups these days. Her debut doesn’t have a bad song in sight.
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And with that, our first post and 2020 is over! Enjoy what comes next from us here at channel.WAV.
- Botts, Slone, & Ritter
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