Top Ten Electronic Albums of 2020

With stay at home order in place drug use is on the rise. I did not do any drugs of the recreational variety this year , but support those who do .Here is the music you should have been doing them to. Electronic here means music not organic , so hip hop, synth wave, new wave, all the waves and witch house too have been included in this discussion. I . 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 is only a couple new bands on this list.

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 electronic albums of 2020

10- Statiqbloom- "Beneath the Whelm" 

Fade Kainer comes back darker and denser. The songs are murky funerals of cyber ambiance with trippy drum sounds abounding. His vocals are often croaked whisper under the pulse that urges you to dance in the dismal dystopia. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-statiqbloom-beneath-whelm.html

9-Boot Blacks - "Thin Skies" 

I like classic Depeche Mode. These guys do too. We have that in common. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-bootblacks-thin-skies.html 

 

8- Tricky - "Fall to Pieces" 

This is not Tricky's best album. But even when he dials it in he is still doing better than most. It is almost a little too happy for him so I guess he is still sober. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/08/tricky-fall-to-pieces.html

 

7-Dan Terminus-" Last Call for Al Passengers"

Almost the synth wave version of metal. For me to be able to give an instrumental album multiple listens it speaks to how well the album flows and the songs are written. 

Abysmal Hymns: Gothtober -Dan Terminus : "Last Call For All Passengers"

6-Carpenter Brut -" Blood Machines Soundtrack" 

This soundtrack pretty much helped make this movie. Synth wave has not been my thing but this had a great deal of drive and set the mood in a memorable manner . 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/06/report-to-dance-floor-carpenter-brut.html

 

5-Ghostemane- "Anti Icon"

Not purely and industrial album, and not just a hip hop album either so that is what it belong right here. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-ghostemane-anti-icon.html

 

4-Puscifer - " Existential Reckoning" 

A somewhat more subdued groove to this album, but it sounds great, the best produced album on this list for sure and Maynard doing what he does in the most refined fashion this side of A Perfect Circle. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/puscifer-existential-reckoning.html

 

4- Aesop Rock - "Spirit World Field Guide"

 To say he continues to experiment is redundant because by nature that is what is does. He throws his words around better than any rapper out . Where some hip hop albums , made the pop list, there is nothing poppy about what he is doing here. Yet the songs are catchy. If you know what he does then him being on here should not surprise you.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/11/aesop-rock-spirit-world-field-guide.html

3-SALEM- "Fires In Heaven" 

It had been far too long, yes they are missing a key member for this album, but they are witch house even without their witch. This album is more about a feeling than the kind of songs to bump in your car to have a good time, unless that good time include hard drugs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/10/gothtober-salem-fires-in-heaven.html

2-Grimes -"Miss Anthropocene" 

The goth sugar baby went above and beyond to put her vibes to music. This album sounds great, if you were to shoot MDMA to come out of a depressive binge while riding in your 5g satellite then this is what it would sound like. Pop music for your lizard brain.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/02/grimes-miss-anthropocene.html

 

2- Grimes -"Miss Anthropocene"
https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/02/grimes-miss-anthropocene.html

1- Ulver - " Flowers of Evil" 

This was a tough call. Here the band fully commits to going in a smooth new wave like direction, it feels like a synth wave version of Roxy Music. This album edged out Grimes , because while she wallows in her weird , this album stayed more focused on songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2020/08/ulver-flowers-of-evil.html