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Dan Oberbruner writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2020: Dan O.
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2020. Our next list is from volunteer Dan O.
Nicole Oppenheim: Ear Candy writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2020: Nicole Oppenheim
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2020. Our next list is from DJ Nicole Oppenheim.
Good god. 2020, amirite?
While there are few things about this year that I'd like to repeat, I would listen to the following records over and over with glee. I won't wax intellectual on my feelings about the past year because we've all read enough end-of-the-year opinion pieces for a lifetime. Instead, I'll address why you're really here: the music. Without further ado, I give you my Top Ten of 2020:
Matt Garman writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2020: Matt Garman
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2020. Our next list is from Sub DJ! Matt Garman.
In a year where I often felt less connected to the people in my life, music created a sense of normalcy: I love music all the time, even now.
The music I loved most in 2020 evoked the best soul, hip-hop, indie rock, jazz, folk, and funk sounds I've been obsessed with for a lifetime. It was also often made by people of color, people who identify as women, and occasionally people who identify as trans: voices frequently unheard because of systemic inequity.
Music in 2020 served to connect us to other people because life in 2020 was nonchalantly brutal, weird, exhilarating, and scary; the music was the backdrop and in the foreground. We'll remember it in a different way.
Rubbed in Dirt, Dipped in Sugar writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2020: John Lombardo
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2020. Our next list is from Live Performance Director John Lombardo.
This year has been a tough year for live music but this batch of records has kept me sane.
Kelsey Stimple writesCHIRP Radio Best of 2020: Kelsey Stimple
Throughout December, CHIRP Radio presents its volunteers’ top albums of 2020. Our first list for this year is from Substitute DJ Kelsey Stimple.
I last saw live music on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. I went to Sleeping Village with two friends from CHIRP (we bumped into more there) to see Sudan Archives. I remember that her dad was at the show, beaming up at his daughter performing for the sold out crowd. I convinced my friends to stay until midnight despite the fact we all had to work the next morning.
Given what transpired in the following weeks, I'm so glad that I did. COVID changed my music listening habits in several ways: I used to listen to music during my commute; I used to find out about new stuff at shows and Pitchfork Fest and wherever else; I used to see artists perform albums I already liked and leave the venue in love.
My favorite albums from 2020—played mostly in my apartment or as I wandered around my neighborhood alone—appear below. Twenty albums felt more appropriate than ten. Reflecting on the year in this very narrow way reminds me that my life still moved forward. I still managed to learn and discover new things. As a final note—I love list season. I finalized mine on December 3 and cannot wait to spend the rest of the month digging into others' to see what I missed.