Vacant Planet's 2020
Only meant to include Bad Bunny's 3 albums from this year but the site keeps glitching and including things I've never heard of before. Please ignore all non-Bad Bunny albums until I can fix it. |
| 75 |  | Bad Bunny
YHLQMDLG
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Latin / Pop)
https://badbunnypr.bandcamp.com/album/yhlqmdlg |
| 74 |  | Xenobiotic
Mordrake
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Death Metal)
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/mordrake |
| 73 |  | Autocatalytica
Powerclashing Maximalism
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Prog Metal / Mathcore)
https://autocatalytica.bandcamp.com/album/powerclashing-maximalism |
| 72 |  | Nevoa
Towards Belief
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Sludge / Jazz / Atmospheric)
https://nevoaofficial.bandcamp.com/album/towards-belief |
| 71 |  | Warp Chamber
Implements of Excruciation
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Death Metal)
https://profoundlorerecords.bandcamp.com/album/implements-of-excruciation |
| 70 |  | Katie Pruitt
Expectations
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Folk / Indie Rock)
https://rounderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/expectations |
| 69 |  | Marrasmieli
Between Land And Sky
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Black Metal)
https://naturmachtproductions.bandcamp.com/album/between-land-and-sky |
| 68 |  | Svalbard
When I Die, Will I Get Better?
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Hardcore / Post-Rock)
https://svalbard.bandcamp.com/album/when-i-die-will-i-get-better-2 |
| 67 |  | Patrons Of The Rotting Gate
Bathed In Ash
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Death Metal)
https://patronsoftherottinggate.bandcamp.com/album/bathed-in-ash |
| 66 |  | Igorrr
Spirituality and Distortion
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Avant-Garde Metal / Breakcore)
https://igorrr.bandcamp.com/album/spirituality-and-distortion |
| 65 |  | Question
Reflections of the Void
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Death Metal)
https://question-chaos-records.bandcamp.com/album/reflections-of-the-void |
| 64 |  | JFDR
New Dreams
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Folk / Electronic)
https://jfdr.bandcamp.com/album/new-dreams |
| 63 |  | Crowning
Survival/Sickness
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Screamo)
https://crowningpool.bandcamp.com/album/survival-sickness-2 |
| 62 |  | Somnium de Lycoris
Orbis Terrarum Revolution
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Death Metal)
https://edrstytech.bandcamp.com/album/orbis-terrarum-revolution |
| 61 |  | WVRM
Colony Collapse
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Grindcore / Noise)
https://wvrmgrind.bandcamp.com/album/colony-collapse |
| 60 |  | Chepang
Chatta
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Experimental Grindcore)
https://chepang.bandcamp.com/album/chatta |
| 59 |  | Pop Smoke
Meet the Woo 2
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Hip-Hop)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoHaaOpOjqo |
| 58 |  | Cult of Lilith
Mara
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Death Metal)
https://cultoflilith.bandcamp.com/album/mara |
| 57 |  | Beaten to Death
Laat maar, ik verhuis naar het bos
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Grindcore)
https://beatentodeath.bandcamp.com/album/laat-maar-deel-een-ik-verhuis-naar-mastbos
https://beatentodeath.bandcamp.com/album/laat-maar-deel-drie-ik-verhuis-naar |
| 56 |  | Kali Uchis
Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Latin / Pop)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KJDlLvjoHQ |
| 55 |  | Bohren und der Club of Gore
Patchouli Blue
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Dark Jazz)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cfVxFj8aBPI |
| 54 |  | Haru Nemuri
Lovetheism
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Noisy J-Pop)
https://specific.bandcamp.com/album/lovetheism |
| 53 |  | Boldy James and Sterling Toles
Manger On Mcnichols
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Hip-Hop)
https://sector7grecordings.bandcamp.com/album/manger-on-mcnichols |
| 52 |  | Satyr
Locus
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Progressive Metalcore / Mathcore)
https://satyr1.bandcamp.com/album/locus |
| 51 |  | Benny the Butcher
Burden of Proof
** HONORABLE MENTION **
(Hip-Hop)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bo2RjeDYd6g |
| 50 |  | Sotomayor
Origenes
(Electronic)
Highlight: Menéate pa' mí
Slick pop from Mexico cycling through different Latin rhythms alongside a sophisticated palette of electronica and house
https://sotomayor.bandcamp.com/album/origenes |
| 49 |  | Chamber (US)
Cost of Sacrifice
(Metalcore)
Highlight: Scars in Complex Patterns
I yearn for the day I can get my teeth knocked out at one of their shows
https://chambertn.bandcamp.com/album/cost-of-sacrifice |
| 48 |  | Sutrah (CAN)
Aletheia
(Prog Metal)
Highlight: Variation II.ii - Genèse
Everyone likes 17 minute prog metal epics, right?
...right???
https://sutrahmetal.bandcamp.com/album/aletheia |
| 47 |  | Fleshvessel
Bile of Man Reborn
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Bile of Man Reborn
24 minute long epic with pianos, flutes, and other surprises along the way. Honestly this one struggles to keep up with it's own ambition, but I wish more projects were willing to take risks like this. Certainly a project to keep an eye on!
https://i-voidhangerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/bile-of-man-reborn |
| 46 |  | Snooze
Still
(Math Rock)
Highlight: Feels Bad
Chunky and energetic math rock, partly written as a tribute to their bassist who passed away earlier this year.
https://wearesnooze.bandcamp.com/album/still-2 |
| 45 |  | Ulcerate
Stare into death and be still
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Stare Into Death and Be Still
Nothing terribly new here for anyone that's been following the band for a while, but certainly their strongest and most grandiose album in the past decade
https://ulcerate.bandcamp.com/album/stare-into-death-and-be-still |
| 44 |  | Azusa
Loop of Yesterdays
(Prog Thrash)
Highlight: One Too Many Times
Great prog-thrash hybrid with former members of TDEP and Extol. Unique vocals
https://azusaband.bandcamp.com/album/loop-of-yesterdays |
| 43 |  | Uprising
II
(Black Metal)
Highlight:
Nazi scalping black metal
https://uprisingblackmetal.bandcamp.com/album/ii |
| 42 |  | Palm Reader
Sleepless
(Post-Hardcore)
Highlight: Both Ends of the Rope
Middle part of the album drags a little, but when everything clicks the resulting colossal moments more than make up for it.
https://wearepalmreader.bandcamp.com/album/sleepless |
| 41 |  | Moses Boyd
Dark Matter
(Nu-Jazz / Hip-Hop)
Highlight: BTB
Groovy jazz refracted through modern UK hip-hop and electronic sounds
https://mosesboyd.bandcamp.com/album/dark-matter-2 |
| 40 |  | Aesthesys
Alignments
(Post-Rock)
Highlight: Obey
Heavy futuristic post-rock with soaring violin melodies and sci-fi synths
https://aesthesys.bandcamp.com/album/alignments |
| 39 |  | Sokoninaru
超越 (CHOETSU)
(Post-Hardcore / Heavy Math Rock)
Highlight: complicated system
More mathy pyrotechnics and suprisingly catchy pop hooks from criminally overlooked 3-piece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kuq-LIqZTY0 |
| 38 |  | ZOMBIESHARK!
I Will Destroy You, Myself, And Everything I've Ev
(Deathcore / Cybergrind)
Highlight: Red Pyramids Kill Each Other
blue-screen-of-death-core
https://zombieshark.bandcamp.com/album/i-will-destroy-you-myself-and-everything-ive-ever-loved |
| 37 |  | Ghetto Kumbé
Ghetto Kumbé
(Latin / Electronic)
Highlight: Vamo a Dale Duro
Afro-Caribbean dance beats with trippy and futuristic vibes
https://ghettokumbe.bandcamp.com/album/ghetto-kumbe |
| 36 |  | Aeternam
Al Qassam
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Poena Universi
Kept putting this one off because I thought it'd be cheesy but I was glad to be proven wrong. This is excellent proggy death metal with middle-eastern textures fully and carefully woven together.
https://aeternam.bandcamp.com/album/al-qassam |
| 35 |  | Iri
Sparkle
(R&B / Pop)
Highlight: Clear Color
Great blend of bouncy hip-hop, slick R&B, and dance-pop from Japan. Good vibes only.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHR8srrQ_0Q |
| 34 |  | Tkay Maidza
Last Year Was Weird, Vol. 2
(Hip-Hop / Pop)
Highlight: 24k
Tkay effortlessly runs through a diverse set of pop, sultry R&B, and agressive hip-hop songs while having a blast. Huge potential.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuK5UUokdFs |
| 33 |  | Couch Slut
Take A Chance On Rock 'n' Roll
(Sludge / Noise Rock)
Highlight: I'm 14
Nobody captures seething rage and desperation like Couch Slut. 29 minutes and 10 seconds of getting your skull dragged across concrete.
https://gileadmedia.bandcamp.com/album/take-a-chance-on-rock-n-roll |
| 32 |  | Dua Lipa
Future Nostalgia
(Pop)
Highlight: Don't Start Now
80s retro pop is terribly overdone but Dua Lipa manages to make a compelling album full of genuine bangers through her outstanding performance & charisma
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oygrmJFKYZY |
| 31 |  | Vredehammer
Viperous
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Skinwalker
No trick plays here, just neck snapping riffs. Oh and the occasional assist of F A T synths (it works, trust me)
https://vredehammer.bandcamp.com/album/viperous |
| 30 |  | Envy
The Fallen Crimson
(Post-Rock / Screamo)
Highlight: Swaying leaves and scattering breath
Reinvigorated skramz legends return with an album full of beautiful and memorable moments.
https://envy.bandcamp.com/album/the-fallen-crimson |
| 29 |  | Nuri
IRUN
(Electronic)
Highlight: Asfer
Tasteful yet bass-heavy beats based on North-African percussion samples & field recordings
https://nuri.bandcamp.com/album/irun |
| 28 |  | Onipa
We no be Machine
(Afro-beat / Hip-Hop)
Highlight: Kukuru
Phenomenally fun and groovy
https://onipa.bandcamp.com/album/we-no-be-machine |
| 27 |  | END (NJ)
Splinters From An Ever-Changing Face
(Metalcore / Death Metal)
Highlight: Pariah
Every breakdown is a planetary extinction event
https://yourfuckingend.bandcamp.com/album/splinters-from-an-ever-changing-face |
| 26 |  | Nnamdi
BRAT
(Hip-Hop)
Highlight: Flowers to My Demons
Unique Hip-Hop album with subtle traces of jazz and math rock
https://nnamdiogbonnaya.bandcamp.com/album/brat |
| 25 |  | Shygirl
Alias
(Hip-Hop)
Highlight: SLIME
Gonna need a shower after this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-6iAyHES3c |
| 24 |  | Reol
Kinjitou
(Pop)
Highlight: ゆーれいずみー
Brash pop brimming with swagger. One of the most consistently fun albums front-to-back of the year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mUXwYx1CQs |
| 23 |  | Defeated Sanity
The Sanguinary Impetus
(Brutal Death Metal)
Highlight: Entity Dissolving Entity
5000 IQ slam
https://defeatedsanity.bandcamp.com/album/the-sanguinary-impetus |
| 22 |  | Psychonaut
Unfold the God Man
(Post-Metal)
Highlight: Celestial Dictator
I was a little underwhelmed by the big post-metal releases this year, but this album more than made up for it. The quieter moments and occasional psychedelic passages are great, but they thankfully know when to drop the nasty riffs when they need to.
https://psychonautband.bandcamp.com/album/unfold-the-god-man-2 |
| 21 |  | Wake
Devouring Ruin
(Blackened Deathgrind)
Highlight: Mouth of Abolition
Obviously heavy as all hell, but there's a surprising amount of dynamics and organic songwriting.
https://waketl.bandcamp.com/album/devouring-ruin |
| 20 |  | Boris
No
(Punk / Stoner Rock)
Highlight: HxCxHxC -Perforation Line-
Everyone's favorite Japanese shapshifters get crusty and do their best to blow out your speakers
https://boris.bandcamp.com/album/no |
| 19 |  | Afterbirth
Four Dimensional Flesh
(Brutal Death Metal)
Highlight: Blackhole Kaleidoscope
Gurgle and burp your way across the cosmos
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/four-dimensional-flesh |
| 18 |  | Cuushe
WAKEN
(Dream Pop)
Highlight: Emergence
Partially written as a response to several years of facing harrassment and stalking, perhaps the biggest victory here is that Cuushe doesn't let herself or her newest music be defined by the violence she faced.
https://flau.bandcamp.com/album/waken |
| 17 |  | Lauren Bousfield
Palimpsest
(Electronic)
Highlight: Clean Strategic Narratives With Relatable Messaging Murder Them Violently Make Their Children Watch
Dial-up connection type beats (AKA: the only good album titled "Palimpsest" to come out in 2020)
https://deathbombarc.bandcamp.com/album/palimpsest |
| 16 |  | Cytotoxin
Nuklearth
(Brutal Death Metal)
Highlight: Drown in Havoc
Germany's finest purveyors of irradiated death metal mutated into a beast with surprisingly refined (but no less aggressive or brutal) songwriting. I do miss some of their goofier over-the-top moments though...
https://uniqueleaderrecords.bandcamp.com/album/nuklearth |
| 15 |  | Tricot
10
(Math Rock / Pop)
Highlight: Warp
High energy math rock with really catchy and upbeat pop hooks throughout. The mathy aspects are mostly in the background in this one, but it is such a fun record I don't really mind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zReAAGD4ddo |
| 14 |  | Atrae Bilis
Divinihility
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Ectopian
In the span of only 22 min these newcomers manage to pack every song with great chunky riffs and memorable moments with a subtle proggressive vibe. More violins in the next one pls
https://atraebilisdeath.bandcamp.com/album/divinihility-death-metal |
| 13 |  | Triangulo de Amor Bizarro
oɹɹɐzıqɹoɯɐǝpolnƃuɐıɹʇ
(Shoegaze / Post-Punk)
Highlight: ASMR Para Ti
ǝɯnʅoʌ xɐɯ ʇɐ sᴉɥʇ ʎɐʅd
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Lmig4buIQk |
| 12 |  | downy
Mudai (7)
(Post-Rock / Electronic / Indie Rock)
Highlight: 砂上、燃ユ。残像
Melancholic post-rock driven by dense electronic sounds. There are surface-level similarities with 65daysofstatic but this has a very unique sound that is entirely their own
https://downy.bandcamp.com/album/7th-album-untitled |
| 11 |  | Akhlys
Melinoe
(Black Metal)
Highlight: Ephialtes
Suffocating discordant black metal with excellent dynamic songwriting and warped melodies
https://akhlys.bandcamp.com/album/melino |
| 10 |  | Respire
Black Line
(Post-Black Metal)
Highlight: Cicatrice
I've liked their previous albums quite a lot but this really seems like the band is finally living up to their potential. This album has some of their most cutthroat moments (see 'Cicatrice') alongside some of their most beautiful and cinematic moments.
https://respirefamily.bandcamp.com/album/black-line |
| 9 |  | Dai Dai Dai
∅
(Hyperpop)
Highlight: 愛ね暗いね
Manic and deliriously excessive hyperpop / idol monstrosity that will make you puke neon colors
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9Lzoq_32WE |
| 8 |  | Arise in Stability
Dose Again
(Progressive Metalcore / Mathcore)
Highlight: 輪廻解脱
Hidden gem packed with cool riffs, memorable melodies, and surprisingly brutal sections.
https://ariseinstability.bandcamp.com/album/dose-again |
| 7 |  | Mac Miller
Circles
(Hip-Hop / Pop)
Highlight: Good News
What more can be said about this bittersweet swansong?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIHF7u9Wwiw |
| 6 |  | Yashira
Fail to Be
(Sludge / Hardcore)
Highlight: Shades Erased
Utterly massive. Excellent blend of nasty sludgy riffs and chaotic hardcore moments.
https://yashira.bandcamp.com/album/fail-to-be |
| 5 |  | clipping.
Visions of Bodies Being Burned
(Hip-Hop)
Highlight: Say the Name
Spooky beats to rattle your innards
https://clppng.bandcamp.com/album/visions-of-bodies-being-burned |
| 4 |  | Burning Palace
Hollow
(Death Metal)
Highlight: Process of Hollowing Out
No other death metal album this year was as immediately satisfying and consistently compelling as this one. One of the few metal albums from this year that I can listen to all the way through without getting bored.
https://transylvaniantapes.bandcamp.com/album/burning-palace-hollow |
| 3 |  | Kashiwa Daisuke
Program Music III
(Post-Rock / Electronic / Experimental)
Highlight: sons
51 minute epic journey across a tapestry of rich vignettes blending post-rock, glitch, electronica, and other surprises
https://virginbabylonrecords.bandcamp.com/album/program-music-iii |
| 2 |  | Imperial Triumphant
Alphaville
(Avant-Garde Extreme Metal)
Highlight: Atomic Age
Hallucinatory fever dreams for the last days of a collapsing gilded age
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_lb8564Kcs |
| 1 |  | Ichiko Aoba
Windswept Adan
(Chamber Folk)
Highlight: Pilgrimage
This is by far the most beautiful and serene music I've heard in years. After mastering the art of intimately minimalist folk in '0' and 'qp', she reinvents her sound with densely lush arrangements of pianos, strings, and subtle electronics without losing herself in the process. The last 3 songs on the album are simply breathtaking.
https://ichikoaoba.bandcamp.com/album/windswept-adan |
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