I changed things up a bit this year and got rid of the indie rock list and made this shoe-gaze / post -rock list . In years past the indie rock list had turned into this any ways or those bands got lumped in with post punk. Post rock is about atmosphere , post rock is about tension , ya know like Joy Division. Ok now that that is out of the way , much like in years past sort through the genre lists before making the overall top ten of the year list. I know many of you are ready for 2020 to be over with. Hate to break it to you but nothing is getting better next year. As far as 2020 goes there more new bands on this list than most.
The fact these artists made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Sure you can bitch and complain about your favorite band not being on the list. However I listen to five new albums a day so yes I heard your favorite album and was not impressed. No I do not care what you think about it .I do hope you can find your next favorite on this list and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out audio on these guys. Anyways here are the top 10 Shoe gaze and Post-rock albums of 2020
10-Mogwai - "Zero, Zero, Zero"
This is more of an honorable mention. Granted they were not trying to write songs as they normally would due to the fact this was the score to a tv show.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/mogwai-zerozerozero.html
9- Midwife- " Forever"
This album has a more minimalist indie rock garage vibe to the droning nature of what they are conjuring here.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/04/midwife-forever.html
8-Ascension of the Watchers - " Apocrypha"
Burton C Bell takes another step away from metal with this project and out into a surreal blend of post rock and shoe gaze. I do not think he has anything against metal, it sounds like he is just smoking hella weed.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/09/ascension-of-watchers-apocrypha.html
7-O Brother- "You and I"
More of a Radiohead direction than their harder rock edged records of the past. The yare still good song writers able to lure you in with the more subdued direction.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/obrother-you-and-i.html
6- Close the Hatch- " Modern Witchcraft"
Many of the bands on this list have a heavy side. You did not think I was going to sing the praises of some castrated bull shit did you ? This one lumbers in a way that borders on being sludge. But the crunch is outweighed by the surreal .
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/05/close-hatch-modern-witchcraft.html
5- Spotlights - 'We are All Atomic"
A different shade of dark. Which considering where you are reading this it is almost redundant as almost every album I review has a dark side. Happy music does nothing for me. This albums lingers in the narcotic shadows it hypnotizes you with. They also have a heavy side.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/03/spotlights-we-are-all-atomic.html
4- Bound- " Haunts"
Like a darker more progressive version of Alcest. This album sweeps you away with it's dream like atmosphere, but still has some balls to it. In many ways the fey nature of what they do now occupies a place Sigur Rios once held for me before they started doing symphonies. .
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/bound-haunts.html
3-Nothing - "the Great Dismal"
This band has been good at evolving from album to album. They are great at capturing their sound but not being defined by it in a way that hinders the dynamic scope of what they do. Their song writing which pulls from familiar influences continues to captive.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/nothing-great-dismal.html
2- Hum - " Inlet"
Their unexpected return was everything I could have asked from them. They remember to not just ponder why there shoes are untied and also wrote fucking killer songs . The guitar tones on this album rule really hard. Nothing has nothing to be ashamed of by being beating out for the number two spot these guys as I am sure they also agree.
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/06/hum-inlet.html
This late entry can in and swept it out from under Hum. Hum made a great album and it would have taken the number one spot if not for me finally hearing this album. It had been on my list of things to check out but everything I went to Bandcamp, there was never anything up, so I forgot then rediscovered it. Dark beautiful and hypnotic, the emotion invested into the vocals is really what beat out Hum. This album is catchier/
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