good morning!
We at hoddle headquarters love our music, so much so that we’ve featured a Track of the Day every day since fitzie took the reigns of this illustrious position.
We’re almost entering Year 5 of the decade, and the good folks at Pitchfork thought this would be a good time to review the Best Albums and Songs of the 2020s (so far). Let’s take a look at them:
Best Albums of the 2020s (so far)
Whole Lotta Red, by Playboy Cari
Diamond Jubilee, by Cindy Lee
SOS, by SZA
RENAISSANCE, by Beyonce
Ganger, by Veeze
Gosh, I haven’t heard of three of these albums. I think any “Best of” list will be incredibly subjective based on the publication’s personal tastes, and this list seems no exception to that rule with a lot of independent/rap-focused material on here. It’s a bit boring, honestly.
Still, there are pleasant surprises. I’m thrilled Promises by Floating Points/Pharoah Sanders/London Orchestra made it onto the top 20 (although I could swear it had a higher Pitchfork ranking than the albums that topped it).
Also happy to see Big Thief and Caroline Polachek high up the list. Dry Cleanin at No. 50 is also a huge surprise.
Best Songs of the 2020s (so far)
Similar vibes here in the top songs. A&W isn’t a surprise at all. The Pitchfork people ate this thing up when it dropped last year, and of course Kendrick Lamar received tonnes of praise for Not Like Us and the accompanying album.
Again, Polachek is a surprise here. And I’m even more surprised it’s this one. Just outside the Top 5 is Bob Dylan’s Murder Most Foul, an 18-minute magnus opus centered arround John F Kennedy’s assassination. It was the only song from a classic rock artist on this list (and no jazz?). I also don’t quite understand how Big Thief’s album made it to the Top 15 of the “Best Albums” list but not a single song made it in this category.
Fitzie’s track of the day: The Wheel, by PJ Harvey
And now for your links:
Football London with Tottenham’s Christmas fixture schedule
The Athletic ($$) on Premier League managers’ favourite phases