Old Music I Got Into in 2020

More than most years, 2020 left me plenty of time to catch up on old music I either hadn’t heard before or hadn’t quite clicked with me yet. Here are 10 songs, albums, and artists that stood out to me in the past twelve months. (There’s a playlist of selected songs at the bottom of the post.)

Four Tet

Sixteen Oceans (his 2020 album) is by no means his best, but it nudged me to dig into his discography at a time when I suddenly had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with. And thank goodness, because There is Love In You has become one of my favorite albums over the course of this year.

Latin ala Lee by Peggy Lee

My roommate and I heard Peggy Lee’s cover of “Til There Was You” in a hardware store and it blew us away. The whole album is fun, chintzy, and swoon-worthy in equal parts.

Drake

Yeah yeah, I’m late to the Drake party. Kid’s got some real bangers, though. And speaking of Drake…

“Sicko Mode” by Travis Scott

I slept on this album when it came out, but how the f did I miss this song? It sounds like mashed-up Yeezus outtakes without Kanye ruining the party.

MF DOOM

He peaked before I really got into hip-hop, but MM…Food and Madvillainy were both in constant rotation for me the second half of the year. Shoutout to VMP for getting me hooked.

Jorge Ben

During the early dark days of quarantine, Jorge Ben (along with other Brazilian tropicalia greats) brought some sunshine in. Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab fame listed A Tabua de Esmerelda on her list of favorite albums of all time, and I’ve gotta agree.

Joao & Astrud Gilberto

Speaking of Brazilians, Joao and Astrud Gilberto’s recordings were another big find. Outside of their blockbuster Getz/Gilberto recordings, Joao’s 1973 self-titled album and Astrud’s 1965 Astrud Gilberto Album are both top-shelf saudade.

Lucinda Williams

I got the chance to see Lucinda open for Yo La Tengo at last year’s Hanukkah shows, and while I knew Car Wheels was a classic, I didn’t realize how stacked her discography was. Sleeper favorite: World Without Tears, which has some of the saddest (and best) country tunes I’ve ever heard.

Ju Ju by Siouxsie and the Banshees

I’d only ever owned Peep Show, and quite enjoyed it in college, but nothing could have prepared me for Ju Ju. The songwriting is impeccable throughout, and the first half of the album in particular has gotta be one of the strongest sides of any 80s album.