Riff Magazine's 75 Best Albums of 2020

The best albums of 2020 include Washed Out, the Mountain Goats, Ethan Gruska, Tom Petty, Tyler Bryant and the Shakedown,…

Published: December 02, 2020 08:01 Source

# 1

RTJ4 by Run The Jewels

Album • Jun 03 / 2020 Hardcore Hip Hop Political Hip Hop

# 2

Never Not Together by Nada Surf

Album • Feb 07 / 2020 Indie Pop Indie Rock

# 3

Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple

Album • Apr 17 / 2020 Art Pop Singer-Songwriter Progressive Pop

# 4

By The Fire by Thurston Moore

Album • Sep 25 / 2020 Noise Rock Alternative Rock

# 5

Underneath by Code Orange

Album • Mar 13 / 2020 Metalcore Industrial Metal

# 6

The Slow Rush by Tame Impala

Album • Feb 14 / 2020 Psychedelic Pop Neo-Psychedelia Synthpop

# 7

The Universal Want by Doves

Album • Sep 11 / 2020 Indie Rock Alternative Rock

# 8

Have You Lost Your Mind yet? by Fantastic Negrito

Album • Aug 14 / 2020 Psychedelic Soul Contemporary R&B

# 9

Petals For Armor by Hayley Williams

Album • May 08 / 2020 Art Pop Alternative Dance

# 10

Shiver by Jónsi

Album • Oct 02 / 2020 Art Pop Glitch Pop

# 11

folklore by Taylor Swift

Album • Jul 24 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Folk Pop

# 12

Anime, Trauma and Divorce by Open Mike Eagle

Album • Oct 16 / 2020 Abstract Hip Hop

# 13

It Is What It Is by Thundercat

Album • Apr 03 / 2020 Psychedelic Soul Neo-Soul Jazz-Funk

# 14

Made of Rain by The Psychedelic Furs

Album • Jul 31 / 2020 Art Rock Post-Punk

# 15

Gaslighter by The Chicks

Album • Jul 17 / 2020 Country Pop Contemporary Country

# 16

Ohms by Deftones

Album • Sep 25 / 2020 Alternative Metal

# 17

Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa

Album • Mar 27 / 2020 Dance-Pop Nu-Disco

# 18

Nectar by Joji

Album • Sep 25 / 2020 Alternative R&B Alt-Pop

# 19

And It’s Still Alright by Nathaniel Rateliff

Album • Feb 14 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter

# 20

Suddenly by Caribou

Album • Feb 28 / 2020 Indietronica

# 21

Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel by Black Thought

Album • Oct 16 / 2020

# 22

Gigaton by Pearl Jam

Album • Mar 27 / 2020 Alternative Rock

# 23

The Ascension by Sufjan Stevens

Album • Sep 25 / 2020 Indietronica Art Pop

# 24

Atlas Vending by METZ

Album • Oct 09 / 2020 Noise Rock Post-Hardcore

# 25

Sun Racket by Throwing Muses

Album • Sep 04 / 2020 Alternative Rock

# 26

Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers

Album • Jun 18 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Indie Folk

# 27

The Dream by Hailey Whitters

Album • Feb 28 / 2020 Contemporary Country

# 28

TO LOVE IS TO LIVE by Jehnny Beth

Album • Jun 12 / 2020 Art Pop

# 29

Maya by John Frusciante

Album • Oct 23 / 2020 Drill and Bass Jungle

# 30

Visions of Bodies Being Burned by clipping.

Album • Oct 23 / 2020 Horrorcore Industrial Hip Hop Experimental Hip Hop

# 31

Night Network by The Cribs

Album • Nov 20 / 2020 Post-Punk Revival Indie Rock

# 32

Child Soldier: Creator of God by Greg Puciato

Album • Oct 09 / 2020 Darkwave Alternative Rock Alternative Metal

# 33

POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR by Bring Me The Horizon

EP • Oct 30 / 2020 Alternative Metal

# 34

Spirit World Field Guide by Aesop Rock

Album • Nov 13 / 2020 Abstract Hip Hop

# 35

Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan

Album • Jun 19 / 2020 Singer-Songwriter Americana

# 36

Ghosts of West Virginia by Steve Earle

Album • May 22 / 2020 Americana

# 37

Christian by Allan Rayman

Album • Apr 03 / 2020

# 38

Never Gonna Dance Again : Act 2 by TAEMIN

Album • Nov 09 / 2020 K-Pop Contemporary R&B

# 39

Meditations by Cory Wong + Jon Batiste

Album • May 29 / 2020 Smooth Jazz

# 40

Fake It Flowers by beabadoobee

Album • Oct 16 / 2020 Alternative Rock

# 41

The Allegory by Royce Da 5'9"

Album • Feb 21 / 2020 Conscious Hip Hop Political Hip Hop

# 42

The Mother Stone by Caleb Landry Jones

Album • May 01 / 2020 Art Rock Baroque Pop Progressive Pop

# 43

Xoxo by The Jayhawks

Album • Jul 10 / 2020 Alt-Country

# 44

Optimisme by Songhoy Blues

Album • Oct 23 / 2020 Afro-Rock Songhai Music

# 45

I Disagree by Poppy

Album • Jan 09 / 2020 Alternative Metal

# 46

Don't Feed the Monster by Homeboy Sandman

Album • Oct 16 / 2020 Conscious Hip Hop East Coast Hip Hop

# 47

Chromatica by Lady Gaga

Album • May 29 / 2020 Dance-Pop Euro House

# 48

Lighter by Donna Missal

Album • Jul 10 / 2020 Pop Rock

# 49

SUPERBLOOM by MisterWives

Album • Jul 24 / 2020 Indie Pop Alternative Dance

# 50

After Hours by The Weeknd

Album • Mar 20 / 2020 Alternative R&B Synthpop