Zhanteimi

Oh good! No Kendrick Lamar.

Anteater

I liked TPAB, but I think I'll give my thoughts on it in my upcoming Honorable Mentions post.

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

Zhanteimi

****.

Anteater

Oh c'mon: while I don't think it's the absolute pinnacle of music in 2015, it does have a lot of strong points. It doesn't beat out Nujabes or guys like Pase Rock for me, but Kendrick poured a lot of effort into the production and it shows.

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette

JGuy Grungeman

This might be the first time I've seen mention of Toto o a forum.

Anteater

Kendrick Lamar - To Pimp A Butterfly


A multifaceted tour-de-force with flow and production that'd be difficult for even the best guys in the game to match under extraordinary circumstances. If I didn't know better I'd think Lamar spent a lot of time listening to the Samurai Champloo OST and digesting it, because the production is very reminiscent of Fat Jon and Force Of Nature in places. The sheer bloody spectacle of lyrical honesty on display here may not resonate with everyone, but it's an important album for many, many people today who feel marginalized. Put all these factors together and you have something very close to some kind of a musical benchmark. It lacks the sense of "universal" resonance that I got with Unified Past and Queensryche this year, but it is indeed a classic in its own way.

Seal - 7


The master returns with his best album since 1998's Human Being. Interesting blend of atmospheric contemporary pop with some trip-hop and baroque touches is the order of the day, due in no small part to legendary producer Trevor Horn once again taking the reins at the board. There's a great balance here between the palpable and experimental. It's not a perfect record: I'm not a big fan of ballads, and Seal tends to have a lot of those. That being said, the strong songs here are bangers to the nth degree...and that's what counts.


Tim Cashion - Find Us On The Dial


Journeyman Grand Funk Railroad touring keyboardist goes out and decides to do a gorgeous feel-good musical sendup to all things cool & Californian. The production is immaculate to a fault, the vocal harmonies otherworldly, the guitar as good as good can be. Could have easily been in my top five this year, but it arrived at my mailbox just a smidgen too late. If you need a specific context to work with...think of the lead singer of Ambrosia doing something that sounds like a cross between Steely Dan and The Beach Boys and you'll have an idea at how fantastic this material is. Can't say enough good things about this one.

Perfect Beings - II


These guys are quite possibly the most interesting of the modern prog bands. They're young, very "indie", and aren't afraid to experiment. Think Fleet Foxes or perhaps Half Moon Run colliding headfirst with Relayer-era Yes and you'll quickly appreciate the novelty. Beautiful sophomore album even if it doesn't immediately hook you.

Joanna Newsom - Divers


At this point she's pretty much freak folk's headline answer to Kate Bush. Either that or she's drinking from the same gourd of golden ambrosia, only with a harp in hand instead of a keyboard. Lots of onions here: songs that require quite a bit of peeling to see just how many layers lie beneath otherwise seemingly straightforward compositions. I like it a lot more than Have One On Me, but that's just because I prefer this girl in more measured doses.


Sadist - Hyaena


Ingeniously constructed death metal with plenty of off-the-wall elements to entertain people normally bored by the genre. Sadist may be Italian, but they're damn good at surprises. They really do progress from album to album and change things up...and here it works out brilliantly.

Faith No More - Sol Invictus


Will this eclipse The Real Thing, Angel Dust or King For A Day... Fool For A Lifetime for most longtime fans? Probably not. But despite that, we still have one of the best unhinged rock-oriented albums of the last few years that actually manages to take Patton's declining vocal range and utilize it in new, exciting ways. It's one of those albums I never thought I'd live to see, and yet here it is. What a wonderful world...


The Orb - Moonbuilding 2703 AD


Has dubby, galaxy skipping ambient house run its course? If The Orb have their say, I doubt we'll ever see an end...and that's a good thing. This is the latest odyssey in a series of fantastic outings since their dawn at the beginning of the 90's, and their sense of exploration remains a potent force in electronic music.


Mystery - Delusion Rain


This album will be remembered as the one where Mystery finally graduated from being a 2nd tier Neo-Prog act and went to the big leagues. New singer, better compositions, and some of the juiciest axework I've had the pleasure of hearing this year all contribute to an overall splendid package. Looking forward to more from these guys with this lineup!

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Anteater's 21 Fav Albums Of 2020

Anteater's Daily Tune Roulette