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Peter Zimmerman writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2020: Pete Zimmerman
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2020. Our next list is from DJ (Saturdays 3pm - 6pm) Pete Zimmerman.
On Wednesday, March 11th I was with my wife at SPACE in Evanston to take in a show by singer-songwriter Tyler Ramsey. While we were waiting for the show to start, I received a notification on my phone that said the NBA would be canceling the remainder of the season. Little did I know that that Tyler Ramsey show would be the last concert I would attend in 2020.
As the months progressed and we spent most of our time at home, I found myself listening to the music that was made closest to our home. Support local music and support your local record store.
#1 Flower of Devotion by Dehd (Fire Talk)
#2 Printer's Devil by Ratboys (Topshelf)
#3 Violence Against Star by Star (Half a Cow)
#4 Runaway Dog by Retirement Party (Counter Intuitive)
#5 Honeymoon by Beach Bunny (Mom + Pop)
#6 Sen Morimoto by Sen Morimoto (Sooper)
#7 Force to Reckon by Half Gringa (self-released)
#8 Moveys by Slow Pulp (Winspear)
#9 The One and Only by James Swanberg (Tripp Tapes)
#10 Cry All The Time by Impulsive Hearts (Midwest Action / Cavity Search)
It was such a great year for local music so here are some other records from local artists that I absolutely loved this year.
Drama Dance Without Me (Ghostly International)
V.V. Lightbody Make a Shrine or Burn It (Acrophase)
NNAMDI Brat (Sooper)
Ohmme Fantasize Your Ghost (Freakout)
Rich Jones and Montana Macks How Do You Sleep at Night? (self-released)
Spun Out Touch the Sound (Shuga)
Greenlights Music Space Craft (self-released)
Deeper Auto-Pain (Fire Talk)
Melkbelly Pith (Carpark / Wax Nine)
Space Gators Intergalactic Swamp Songs (Midwest Action)
Sy Somebody Life is Cruel, Let's Be Friends (Rock Proper)
Rookie Rookie (Bloodshot)
Jeff Tweedy Love is the King (dBpm)
Sunshine Boys Work and Love (Pravda)
Pelafina Familiar Places (self-released)
Shannon Candy So Long (Bernice)
Cafe Racer Shadow Talk (Born Yesterday)
Varsity Fine Forever (Run for Cover)
Mint Mile Ambertron (Comedy Minus One)
A.M. Slingers A.M. Slingers (self-released)
Whitney Candid (Secretly Canadian)
Gal Gun Critical Hit (self-released)
Serengeti Ajai (self-released)
Hum Inlet (Polyvinyl)
The Flat Five Another World (Pravda)
Lawrence Arms Skeleton Coast (Epitaph)
Ganser Just Look at that Sky (Felte)
Roy Kinsey Kinsey: A Memoir (Hom / Fantastic Sound)
Bethany Thomas BT / She / Her (self-released)
Neptune's Core Can't Have it All (self-released)
The Embryos SCV3 (self-released)
All Natural x Panik Dark Night (All Natural Inc.)
Special Mention to Wyatt Wadell for FIGHT! and Ric Wilson for Fight Like Ida B and Marsha P and SuperKnova for LSD Heartbreak and Liam Kazar for Shoes Too Tight and FURY for I Won't
As it turns out, It was a pretty great year of music from artists that aren't from Chicago. Here are my favorites:
Waxahatchee St. Cloud (Merge)
Sault Untitled (Black Is) and Untitled (Rise) (Forever Living Originals)
Cut Worms Nobody Lives Here Anymore (Jagjaguwar)
Marlowe Marlowe 2 (Mello Music Group)
Fiona Apple Fetch the Bolt Cutters (Epic)
Haim Women in Music Pt. III (Columbia)
Phoebe Bridgers Punisher (Dead Oceans)
Frances Quinlan Likewise (Saddle Creek)
Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever Sideways to New Italy (Sub Pop)
Sly5thAve What it Is (Tru Thoughts)
The Beths Jump Rope Gazers (Carpark)
Oceanator Things I Never Said (Polyvinyl)
Pure X Pure X (Fire Talk)
Rose City Band Summerlong (Thrill Jockey)
Nadia Reid Out of My Province (Spacebomb)
Thundercat It is What it Is (Brainfeeder)
Bartees Strange Live Forever (Memory)
Open Mike Eagle Anima, Trauma and Divorce (Auto Reverse)
beabadoobee Fake it Flowers (Dirty Hit)
Marques Martin Brave & Afraid (Operator)
Lydia Loveless Daughter (Honey, You're Gonna Be Late)
Anjimile Giver Taker (Father / Daughter)
Samia The Baby (Grand Jury)
Bob Mould Blue Hearts (Merge)
Cleo Sol Rose in the Dark (Forever Living Originals)
Blu & Exile Miles (Dirty Science)
Courtney Marie Andrews Old Flowers (Fat Possum)
The Reds, Pinks and Purples You Might Be Happy Someday (Tough Love)
Smokescreens A Strange Dream (Slumberland)
Pinegrove Marigold (Rough Trade)
Run the Jewels RTJ4 (Jewel Runners)
2nd Grade Hit to Hit (Double Double Whammy)
Margo Price That's How Rumors Get Started (Loma Vista)
Diet Cig Do You Wonder About Me? (French Kiss)
Best Coast Always Tomorrow (Concord)
Soccer Mommy color theory (Loma Vista / Concord)
Drive-By Truckers The Unravelling (ATO)
Nada Surf Never Not Together (Barsuk)
Perfume Genius Set My Heart on Fire Immediately (Matador)
The Orielles Disco Volador (Heavenly)
RVG Feral (Fire)
Maita Best Wishes (Kill Rock Stars)
Khruangbin Mordechai (Dead Oceans)
The Reflectors First Impression (Burger)
Sweet Spirit Trinidad (Merge)
Buscabulla Regressa (Ribbon)
U.S. Girls Heavy Light (4AD)
Lianne La Havas Lianne La Havas (Warner)
Jason Isbell Reunions (Southeastern)
Nana Grizol South Somewhere Else (Arrowhawk / Don Giovanni)
Fenne Lilly Breach (Dead Oceans)
Lomelda Hannah (Double Double Whammy)
Lunchbox After School Special (Slumberland)
SWiiMS Through Waves (Mint 400)
Anna Burch If You're Dreaming (Polyvinyl)
Fleet Foxes Shore (ANTI-)
Car Seat Headrest Making a Door Less Open (Matador)
Tim Heidecker Fear of Death (Spacebomb)
Corey Flood Hanging Garden (Fire Talk)
Real Estate The Main Thing (Domino)
Caribou Suddenly (Merge)
Heart Bones Hot Dish (Love OnLine)
Bad Moves Untenable (Don Giovanni)
Jess Williamson Sorceress (Mexican Summer)
Kevin Morby Sundowner (Dead Oceans)
X Alphabetland (Fat Possum)
Jeff Rosenstock No Dream (Polyvinyl)
Worriers You or Someone You Know (6131)
Knox Fortune Stock Child Wonder (Nice Work)
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