Top Albums of the First Half of 2020

A Girl Called Eddy, Been Around

A Girl Called Eddy came out of nowhere for me. I wasn’t aware of her only other album, an acclaimed 2004 release (though I certainly am now, holy cow). If you thought Fiona Apple’s album cycles are long, try 15+ years. It was worth it. Some songs remind me of Aimee Mann. Others remind me of Steely Dan. If that sounds awful to you, try it anyway!

Also notable that all of these albums in the top 10 are either led-by or have prominent female members. Here’s the full list.

Top 10

1. A Girl Called Eddy — Been Around
2. Ashley McBryde — Never Will
3. The Orielles — Disco Volador
4. Summer Camp — Romantic Comedy
5. Fiona Apple — Fetch The Bolt Cutters
6. Sorry — 925
7. Waxahatchee — Saint Cloud
8. Tennis — Swimmer
9. Nicole Atkins — Italian Ice

10. Code Orange — Underneath

Honorable Mentions:

Thundercat — It Is What It Is

Yaeji — WHAT WE DREW

US Girls — Heavy Light

Dua Lipa — Future Nostalgia

Riz Ahmed — The Long Goodbye

Dead Ghosts — Automatic Changer

Aiming for Enrike — Music for Working Out

Rina Sawayama — SAWAYAMA

Ron Sexsmith — Hermitage

Tame Impala — The Slow Rush

Seems Great, But New To Me, Haven’t Heard Enough:

Amtrac — Oddyssey

Vinyl Williams — Azure

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever — Sideways to New Italy

Run The Jewels — RTJ4

Lady Gaga — Chromatica

Jeff Rosenstock — NO DREAM

Hayley Williams — Petals For Armor

Quelle Chris & Chris Keys— Innocent Country 2

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit — Reunions

Zaia — VERY ALONE

Wiley — The Godfather 3

Kate NV — Room For The Moon

Bonus Metal Recs:

Sepultura — Quadra

Testament — Titans of Creation

Kvelertak — Splid

Abysmal Dawn — Phylogenesis

Trivium — What The Dead Men Say