This challenging year, in keeping with the tradition I started in 2019, I’ve asked several musicians you probably dig to join me in sharing their recommended releases of 2020. In addition to my own selections, the musicians featured are a mix of returning and new contributors:
- Jay Wadley (composer of Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, James Schamus’ Indignation);
- Trevor Gureckis (composer of M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant, Bloodline);
- Graham Reznick (Shudder’s Deadwax, releases on MONDO/Death Waltz, and Burning Witches Records, and others);
- Le Matos (composers of Turbo Kid, Summer of 84, Exode, releases on MONDO/Death Waltz, and Vehlinggo Presents, and more)
- Mecha Maiko (a Vehlinggo regular with releases on Oro, NewRetroWave, and Vehlinggo Presents, and more)
- Immortal Girlfriend (captivating synthwave duo from Milwaukee, Wis.)
You’ll find the format to be a bit loose. For example, some chose five singles and some chose five albums — others selected more than five of anything. Some chose studio albums from specific artists, others focus on scores and soundtracks, and some mixed them up a bit. One person explained their choices and others didn’t. Regardless of their approach, I’m listing the musicians in alphabetical order — with my 12 recommended releases placed at the very end. And ultimately, the bottom line is everyone had fun. I hope you also have fun exploring their selections.

Graham Reznick
“My top releases this year, in no order. (Disclosure: I avoided releases from labels or artists I’ve directly worked with, otherwise this list would be 100 entries long!)”
1. Valium Aggelein — The Black Moon (Numero Group) — An obscure Duster side project; one of my favorite albums of all time. This is a meticulous new remaster of the original tapes and a ton of never-before-heard material. It’s not “new music” but it’ll be new to most people. If you dig fuzzed-out delay pedal soporific space-adelica, this is very much for you.
2. Behind the Sky — Portals: A Kosmische Journey Through Outer Worlds and Inner Space (Compilation, Behind the Sky Music) — Absolutely killer compilation of cosmic synthesizer from a ridiculously brilliant pool of talent, including Steve Moore, Steve Roach, Ian Boddy, Polypores, and more.
3. The Microphones — Microphones in 2020 (P.W. Elverum & Sun) — Phil Elverum absorbs the past 20 or so years of his life and work and transforms them into a dizzying, 40-minute odyssey through the gut-wrenching paradox that hits hard with middle age, when every past version of yourself still exists all at once. I’m right there with you, Phil.
4. N Chambers — Facets (Love All Day) — Norm Chambers has an infectious zeal for using sonic experimentation to redefine rhythm, melody, and tear down the psychoacoustic establishment. Playing this double LP at top volume will alter your perception of reality, guaranteed.
5. Max De Wardener — Music for Detuned Pianos (Village Green) — If 2020 was a film, insistently plucked detuned pianos tumbling through gorgeous landscapes of hope and despair would be the score.
6. Polypores — Azure (Castles in Space) — On Azure, Polypores (aka Stephen James Buckley, who has released a BUNCH stuff this year, all great) manages to find the rare balance between “ambient” and “constant sonic engagement.” Perfect for eyes open or closed.
7. Little Wings — Rosy’s Own (Perpetual Doom, Moone Records) — Kyle Field of Little Wings recorded live, loose ,and raw out in nature on a mountain ranch. It’s the most chill gosh-darned thing imaginable, and it all feels like it’s being performed just for you. This is the first release from the fledgling, eclectic Perpetual Doom label. (All their releases are worth checking out!)
8. Keith Fullerton Whitman — Various cassettes (self released) — Whitman has been responsible for so much mind blowing synthesizer fury and audio decimation, and over the course of this past year he’s released a ton of it on cassette. It’s all excellent, aggressive, and sounds like nothing else on earth.
9. Grandaddy — The Sophtware Slump…On a Wooden Piano (Dangerbird Records) — I wouldn’t have believed you could improve on the original, but Jason Lytle manages to do it in the most delicate and thoughtful way possible. If you love The Sophtware Slump, or you don’t, or you’ve never even heard it, you really should hear it performed on a wooden piano.
10. Emilee Emiko — Emilee Emiko EP (Perpetual Doom) — Another fantastic release on Perpetual Doom. The whole EP is wonderful, and the song “Quiet” is probably my favorite single track of the whole year. The lyrics (“If the world’s gone mad well so have I; I put up a good fight.”), the arrangement, the production, and Emiko’s double-tracked voice all create a perfect storm of sun-stoned horror and propulsive pop determination. An exceptionally prescient reminder that sometimes it’s OK to take a time out and not be so hard on yourself.

Immortal Girlfriend
Kevin’s Picks
- King Krule — Man Alive!
- Slow Pulp — Moveys
- Ludwig Göransson — The Mandalorian soundtrack
Will’s Picks
- Charli XCX — how I’m feeling now
- Dan Terminus — Last Call for all Passengers
- Ludwig Göransson — The Mandalorian soundtrack

Jay Wadley
- Clarice Jensen — The experience of repetition as death
- Tristan Perich — Drift Multiply
- Ben Salisbury, The Insects, and Geoff Barrow — Devs (Original Series Soundtrack)
- Ben Frost — Dark: Cycle 3
- Robert Aiki Aubrey Lowe & Ariel Kalma — FRKWYS Vol. 12: We Know Each Other Somehow

Le Matos
Jean-Philippe Bernier
- Blanck Mass — Calm With Horses (Original Score)
- Amtrac — Oddyssey
- OTHERLiiNE — OTHERLiiNE
- Worriedaboutsatan — Crystalline
- Dan Romer & Mike Tuccillo — Love Life (Music from the Original TV Series)
- Cri — Juvenile
- BONUS TRACK: Phoenix — “Identical (From The Motion Picture “On The Rocks”)”
- BONUS EP: Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs — Heartbreak / 6000 Ft.
Jean-Nicolas Leupi
- Reinier Zonneveld — “Evanescent” from Church of Clubmusic
- Yotto — “Another Riff For The Good Times” from Another Riff For The Good Times/Daydreaming
- Echonomist — “The Sequence Cabinet” from Dixon Presents Transmoderna Part 4/4
- Stephan Bodzin — “Diamant” from the Unity compilation by Tale of Us
- Colyn — “Concepts of Love” from Concepts of Love
- Jacques Greene — “Night Service (Fort Romeau Remix)” from Dawn Chorus (Deluxe)

Mecha Maiko
- Vandal Moon — Black Kiss
- Makeup and Vanity Set & djb — HHeLiBe
- Dana Jean Phoenix & Powernerd — Megawave
- Jason Priest (Antoni Maiovvi side project) — Is Missing
- Schwefelgelb — Die Stimme Drängt

Trevor Gureckis
- Ben Salisbury, The Insects, and Geoff Barrow — Devs (Original Series Soundtrack)
- Walter Mair — The Unfamiliar
- Aska Matsumiya — 37 Seconds (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Tamar-kali — Shirley (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Philip Glass & Paul Leonard-Morgan — Tales from the Loop
Bonus: Scores that should have gotten release, but didn’t.
- Jay Wadley — I’m Thinking of Ending Things
- Adem Ilhan — Avenue 5

Aaron Vehling of Vehlinggo
These are just some of the releases (scores or otherwise) that stuck out for me this year — presented in alphabetical order:
- Baldocaster and Traveler CS — EXODUS/SOLARE split EP
- Ben Lovett — The Wolf of Snow Hollow (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
- Ben Salisbury, The Insects, and Geoff Barrow — Devs (Original Series Soundtrack)
- Better Person — Something to Lose
- Charli XCX – how i’m feeling now
- Cliff Martinez – The Wilds (Music from the Amazon Original Series)
- Electric Youth — “Critical Thinking (Two Worlds Suite)”
- Jessie Ware — What’s Your Pleasure?
- Ludwig Göransson — The Mandalorian – Season One – Original Soundtrack 8XLP Box Set (Also, check out the Season 2 digital album released on Dec. 18)
- The Midnight – Monsters
- Sufjan Stevens — The Ascension
- Tame Impala — The Slow Rush
BTW, here’s last year’s.