One day after Pitchfork published their list of the top 100 songs of 2020, they've shared their list of the 50 best albums of the year. As is usually the case, you can predict a lot of this list if you read their reviews throughout the year, but it never entirely mirrors Best New Music. Some albums that got BNM didn't make this list (Touche Amore, Angel Bat Dawid, Jyoti, Fireboy DML, Popcaan, Julianna Barwick, Blake Mills, Gil Scott-Heron/Makaya McCraven, Jeff Parker) and some albums that scored lower than an 8 did make this list (Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Lil Baby, Arca, Chloe x Halle, Soccer Mommy, and others). The list incorporates several different genres of music, including indie rock, rap, electronic, punk, folk, pop, jazz, and more (no metal this year though), and it's got a lot of popular picks but there's a good chance you'll discover something new here too.
Oh, and if you happened to see what album scored a perfect 10 on Pitchfork this year, you probably already guessed their #1. Check out their top 50 below and read Pitchfork's commentary here. What do you think of their list?
Pitchfork's 50 Best Albums of 2020 50. Mary Lattimore: Silver Ladders 49. Yaeji: What We Drew 48. Charli XCX: how i’m feeling now 47. Lil Baby: My Turn (Deluxe) 46. Burna Boy: Twice as Tall 45. Lyra Pramuk: Fountain 44. Freddie Gibbs / The Alchemist: Alfredo 43. Megan Thee Stallion: Good News 42. Kate NV: Room for the Moon 41. Rina Sawayama: SAWAYAMA 40. Arca: KiCk i 39. Dehd: Flower of Devotion 38. Duval Timothy: Help 37. Lomelda: Hannah 36. Special Interest: The Passion Of 35. Ka: Descendants of Cain 34. Dogleg: Melee 33. Beatrice Dillon: Workaround 32. Drakeo the Ruler: Thank You for Using GTL 31. The Soft Pink Truth: Shall We Go on Sinning So That Grace May Increase? 30. Bartees Strange: Live Forever 29. Taylor Swift: folklore 28. Chloe x Halle: Ungodly Hour 27. Kelly Lee Owens: Inner Song 26. Soccer Mommy: color theory 25. Nubya Garcia: Source 24. Grimes: Miss Anthropocene 23. Porridge Radio: Every Bad 22. KeiyaA: Forever, Ya Girl 21. Dua Lipa: Future Nostalgia 20. Fleet Foxes: Shore 19. Amaarae: The Angel You Don’t Know 18. Destroyer: Have We Met 17. Róisín Murphy: Róisín Machine 16. Run the Jewels: RTJ4 15. U.S. Girls: Heavy Light 14. Jay Electronica: Act II: The Patents of Nobility (The Turn) 13. The Microphones: Microphones in 2020 12. Lil Uzi Vert: Eternal Atake 11. Adrianne Lenker: songs / instrumentals 10. Bad Bunny: YHLQMDLG 9. Jessie Ware: What’s Your Pleasure? 8. Haim: Women in Music Pt. III 7. Yves Tumor: Heaven to a Tortured Mind 6. Bob Dylan: Rough and Rowdy Ways 5. Perfume Genius: Set My Heart on Fire Immediately 4. Phoebe Bridgers: Punisher 3. Moses Sumney: græ 2. Waxahatchee: Saint Cloud 1. Fiona Apple: Fetch the Bolt Cutters
