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

Rank Album Artist Info
#1 RTJ4 Run The Jewels Jun-03-2020, Hardcore Hip Hop
#2 Never Not Together Nada Surf Feb-07-2020, Indie Pop
#3 Fetch The Bolt Cutters Fiona Apple Apr-17-2020, Art Pop
#4 By The Fire Thurston Moore Sep-25-2020, Noise Rock
#5 Underneath Code Orange Mar-13-2020, Metalcore
#6 The Slow Rush Tame Impala Feb-14-2020, Psychedelic Pop
#7 The Universal Want Doves Sep-11-2020, Indie Rock
#8 Have You Lost Your Mind yet? Fantastic Negrito Aug-14-2020, Psychedelic Soul
#9 Petals For Armor Hayley Williams May-08-2020, Art Pop
#10 Shiver Jónsi Oct-02-2020, Art Pop
#11 folklore Taylor Swift Jul-24-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#12 Anime, Trauma and Divorce Open Mike Eagle Oct-16-2020, Abstract Hip Hop
#13 It Is What It Is Thundercat Apr-03-2020, Psychedelic Soul
#14 Made of Rain The Psychedelic Furs Jul-31-2020, Art Rock
#15 Gaslighter The Chicks Jul-17-2020, Country Pop
#16 Ohms Deftones Sep-25-2020, Alternative Metal
#17 Future Nostalgia Dua Lipa Mar-27-2020, Dance-Pop
#18 Nectar Joji Sep-25-2020, Alternative R&B
#19 And It’s Still Alright Nathaniel Rateliff Feb-14-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#20 Suddenly Caribou Feb-28-2020, Indietronica
#21 Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel Black Thought Oct-16-2020,
#22 Gigaton Pearl Jam Mar-27-2020, Alternative Rock
#23 The Ascension Sufjan Stevens Sep-25-2020, Indietronica
#24 Atlas Vending METZ Oct-09-2020, Noise Rock
#25 Sun Racket Throwing Muses Sep-04-2020, Alternative Rock
#26 Punisher Phoebe Bridgers Jun-18-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#27 The Dream Hailey Whitters Feb-28-2020, Contemporary Country
#28 TO LOVE IS TO LIVE Jehnny Beth Jun-12-2020, Art Pop
#29 Maya John Frusciante Oct-23-2020, Drill and Bass
#30 Visions of Bodies Being Burned clipping. Oct-23-2020, Horrorcore
#31 Night Network The Cribs Nov-20-2020, Post-Punk Revival
#32 Child Soldier: Creator of God Greg Puciato Oct-09-2020, Darkwave
#33 POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR Bring Me The Horizon Oct-30-2020, Alternative Metal
#34 Spirit World Field Guide Aesop Rock Nov-13-2020, Abstract Hip Hop
#35 Rough and Rowdy Ways Bob Dylan Jun-19-2020, Singer-Songwriter
#36 Ghosts of West Virginia Steve Earle May-22-2020, Americana
#37 Christian Allan Rayman Apr-03-2020,
#38 Never Gonna Dance Again : Act 2 TAEMIN Nov-09-2020, K-Pop
#39 Meditations Cory Wong, Jon Batiste May-29-2020, Smooth Jazz
#40 Fake It Flowers beabadoobee Oct-16-2020, Alternative Rock
#41 The Allegory Royce Da 5'9" Feb-21-2020, Conscious Hip Hop
#42 The Mother Stone Caleb Landry Jones May-01-2020, Art Rock
#43 Xoxo The Jayhawks Jul-10-2020, Alt-Country
#44 Optimisme Songhoy Blues Oct-23-2020, Afro-Rock
#45 I Disagree Poppy Jan-09-2020, Alternative Metal
#46 Don't Feed the Monster Homeboy Sandman Oct-16-2020, Conscious Hip Hop
#47 Chromatica Lady Gaga May-29-2020, Dance-Pop
#48 Lighter Donna Missal Jul-10-2020, Pop Rock
#49 SUPERBLOOM MisterWives Jul-24-2020, Indie Pop
#50 After Hours The Weeknd Mar-20-2020, Alternative R&B
Markdown

| Rank | Album | Artist | Info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | RTJ4 | Run The Jewels | Album, Jun-03-2020, Hardcore Hip Hop |
| #2 | Never Not Together | Nada Surf | Album, Feb-07-2020, Indie Pop |
| #3 | Fetch The Bolt Cutters | Fiona Apple | Album, Apr-17-2020, Art Pop |
| #4 | By The Fire | Thurston Moore | Album, Sep-25-2020, Noise Rock |
| #5 | Underneath | Code Orange | Album, Mar-13-2020, Metalcore |
| #6 | The Slow Rush | Tame Impala | Album, Feb-14-2020, Psychedelic Pop |
| #7 | The Universal Want | Doves | Album, Sep-11-2020, Indie Rock |
| #8 | Have You Lost Your Mind yet? | Fantastic Negrito | Album, Aug-14-2020, Psychedelic Soul |
| #9 | Petals For Armor | Hayley Williams | Album, May-08-2020, Art Pop |
| #10 | Shiver | Jónsi | Album, Oct-02-2020, Art Pop |
| #11 | folklore | Taylor Swift | Album, Jul-24-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #12 | Anime, Trauma and Divorce | Open Mike Eagle | Album, Oct-16-2020, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #13 | It Is What It Is | Thundercat | Album, Apr-03-2020, Psychedelic Soul |
| #14 | Made of Rain | The Psychedelic Furs | Album, Jul-31-2020, Art Rock |
| #15 | Gaslighter | The Chicks | Album, Jul-17-2020, Country Pop |
| #16 | Ohms | Deftones | Album, Sep-25-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #17 | Future Nostalgia | Dua Lipa | Album, Mar-27-2020, Dance-Pop |
| #18 | Nectar | Joji | Album, Sep-25-2020, Alternative R&B |
| #19 | And It’s Still Alright | Nathaniel Rateliff | Album, Feb-14-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #20 | Suddenly | Caribou | Album, Feb-28-2020, Indietronica |
| #21 | Streams of Thought, Vol. 3: Cane and Abel | Black Thought | Album, Oct-16-2020,  |
| #22 | Gigaton | Pearl Jam | Album, Mar-27-2020, Alternative Rock |
| #23 | The Ascension | Sufjan Stevens | Album, Sep-25-2020, Indietronica |
| #24 | Atlas Vending | METZ | Album, Oct-09-2020, Noise Rock |
| #25 | Sun Racket | Throwing Muses | Album, Sep-04-2020, Alternative Rock |
| #26 | Punisher | Phoebe Bridgers | Album, Jun-18-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #27 | The Dream | Hailey Whitters | Album, Feb-28-2020, Contemporary Country |
| #28 | TO LOVE IS TO LIVE | Jehnny Beth | Album, Jun-12-2020, Art Pop |
| #29 | Maya | John Frusciante | Album, Oct-23-2020, Drill and Bass |
| #30 | Visions of Bodies Being Burned | clipping. | Album, Oct-23-2020, Horrorcore |
| #31 | Night Network | The Cribs | Album, Nov-20-2020, Post-Punk Revival |
| #32 | Child Soldier: Creator of God | Greg Puciato | Album, Oct-09-2020, Darkwave |
| #33 | POST HUMAN: SURVIVAL HORROR | Bring Me The Horizon | EP, Oct-30-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #34 | Spirit World Field Guide | Aesop Rock | Album, Nov-13-2020, Abstract Hip Hop |
| #35 | Rough and Rowdy Ways | Bob Dylan | Album, Jun-19-2020, Singer-Songwriter |
| #36 | Ghosts of West Virginia | Steve Earle | Album, May-22-2020, Americana |
| #37 | Christian | Allan Rayman | Album, Apr-03-2020,  |
| #38 | Never Gonna Dance Again : Act 2 | TAEMIN | Album, Nov-09-2020, K-Pop |
| #39 | Meditations | Cory WongJon Batiste | Album, May-29-2020, Smooth Jazz |
| #40 | Fake It Flowers | beabadoobee | Album, Oct-16-2020, Alternative Rock |
| #41 | The Allegory | Royce Da 5'9" | Album, Feb-21-2020, Conscious Hip Hop |
| #42 | The Mother Stone | Caleb Landry Jones | Album, May-01-2020, Art Rock |
| #43 | Xoxo | The Jayhawks | Album, Jul-10-2020, Alt-Country |
| #44 | Optimisme | Songhoy Blues | Album, Oct-23-2020, Afro-Rock |
| #45 | I Disagree | Poppy | Album, Jan-09-2020, Alternative Metal |
| #46 | Don't Feed the Monster | Homeboy Sandman | Album, Oct-16-2020, Conscious Hip Hop |
| #47 | Chromatica | Lady Gaga | Album, May-29-2020, Dance-Pop |
| #48 | Lighter | Donna Missal | Album, Jul-10-2020, Pop Rock |
| #49 | SUPERBLOOM | MisterWives | Album, Jul-24-2020, Indie Pop |
| #50 | After Hours | The Weeknd | Album, Mar-20-2020, Alternative R&B |