The world's greatest print and online music magazine. Independent since 1982

Audio
Subscribe

Donate now to help The Wire stay independent

The Wire's Releases Of The Year 2020

December 2020

Listen to a selection of tracks from this year's Top 50 Releases Of The Year, as voted for by The Wire's contributors. You can read more about the artists featured in our chart, as well as those featured in the Top 50 Archive Releases Of The Year, in The Wire 443.

Beatrice Dillon “Workaround Eight” 0:04:26
Moor Mother “Act 1 – Working Machine” 0:11:02
Mourning [A] BLKstar “Be” 0:05:32
Duma “Omni” 0:04:10
Jeff Parker & The New Breed “Fusion Swirl” 0:05:32
Still House Plants “Do” 0:03:36
Jennifer Walshe “John Dowland: Flow, My Tears, Air” 0:03:24
White Boy Scream “Apolaki” 0:05:53
Carl Stone “Pasjoli” 0:04:29
Backxwash “God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It” 0:01:52
Armand Hammer “Charms” ft KeiyaA 0:02:37
Sarah Davachi “Stations IV” 0:03:18
Zeroh “The Lord & Nature” 0:04:12
Bill Nace “Part 4” 0:03:32
William Basinski “The Wheel Of Fortune” 0:03:20
Rhodri Davies “Triban Cilrhedyn” 0:01:16
Quelle Chris & Chris Keys “Sacred Safe (feat Merrill Garbus, Cavalier & Homeboy Sandman)” 0:05:27
Special Interest “Street Pulse Beat” 0:04:30
Irreversible Entanglements “No Más” 0:07:59
Aksak Maboul “Sgraffites” 0:04:20
Liv.e “I Been Livin” 0:03:45
Ellen Fullman & Theresa Wong “Harbors Part 2” 0:09:09
ONO “I Dream Of Sodomy” 0:04:04
The Soft Pink Truth “We” 0:05:29
Autechre “schmefd 2” 0:05:25
Gogoj aka Sheng Jie “Lord Of Shadowland” 0:05:22
Mary Halvorson's Code Girl “The Lemon Trees” 0:07:15
PRAED Orchestra! “IL A3SAB” 0:12:42
Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood “Enlightenment” 0:03:22
Tara Clerkin Trio “I Know He Will” 0:04:06
Crazy Doberman “Born Under An Evil Star” 0:05:09
Oliver Coates “Butoh Baby” 0:03:16
Clipping “Eaten Alive” 0:05:41
Mary Lattimore “Sometimes He's In My Dreams” 0:03:46
Sara Serpa “Occupation” 0:04:54
Anna von Hausswolff “Dolore di Orsini” 0:04:05
Neptunian Maximalism “To The Earth: Daiitoku-Myōō no ŌDAIKO 大威徳明王 鼓童 – L'Impact De Théia durant l’Éon Hadéen” 0:06:13
Headie One × Fred again. “GANG” 0:02:39
Neil Charles “Bass Solo 2” 0:02:20
Wendy Eisenberg “Slow Down” 0:05:06
Asher Gamedze “Siyabulela” 0:08:23
Tricky “Thinking Of” 0:02:11
Sylvia Hallett “Song Of Boughs” 0:10:30


Full chart


1
Beatrice Dillon
Workaround
(Pan)

2
Moor Mother
Circuit City
(Don Giovanni)

3
Mourning [A] BLKstar
The Cycle
(Don Giovanni)

4
Bob Dylan
Rough And Rowdy Ways
(Columbia)

5
Duma
Duma
(Nyege Nyege Tapes)

6
Jeff Parker & The New Breed
Suite For Max Brown
(International Anthem)

7
Still House Plants
Fast Edit
(Bison/Blank Forms)

8
Jennifer Walshe
A Late Anthology Of Early Music Vol 1: Ancient To Renaissance
(Tetbind)

9
White Boy Scream
Bakunawa
(Deathbomb Arc)

10
Carl Stone
Stolen Car
(Unseen Worlds)

11
Backxwash
God Has Nothing To Do With This Leave Him Out Of It
(Bandcamp)

12
Armand Hammer
Shrines
(Backwoodz Studioz)

13
Sarah Davachi
Cantus, Descant
(Late Music)

14
Zeroh
BLQLYTE
(Leaving)

15
Bill Nace
Both
(Drag City)

16
William Basinski
Lamentations
(Temporary Residence)

17
Albert Bouchard
Re Imaginos
(RockHeart/Deko)

18
Rhodri Davies
Telyn Rawn
(Amgen)

19
Quelle Chris & Chris Keys
Innocent Country 2

(Mello Music Group)

20
Special Interest
The Passion Of
(Night School/Thrilling Living)

21
Irreversible Entanglements
Who Sent You?
(International Anthem)

22
Aksak Maboul
Figures
(Crammed Discs)

23
Liv.e
Couldn’t Wait To Tell You
(In Real Life)

24
Ellen Fullman & Theresa Wong
Harbors

(Room40)

25
ONO
Red Summer
(American Dreams)

26
The Soft Pink Truth
Shall We Go On Sinning So The Grace May Increase?
(Thrill Jockey)

27
Sun Ra Arkestra
Swirling
(Strut)

28
Fiona Apple
Fetch The Bolt Cutters
(Epic/Clean Slate)

29
Autechre
SIGN
(Warp)

30
Gogoj aka Sheng Jie
Oviparity
(WV Sorcerer Productions/Maybe Noise)

31
Mary Halvorson’s Code Girl
Artlessly Falling
(Firehouse 12)

32
Jay Electronica
A Written Testimony
(Roc Nation)

33
PRAED! Orchestra
Live In Sharjah
(Morphine)

34
Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood
Live
(International Anthem)

35
Tara Clerkin Trio
Tara Clerkin Trio
(Laura Lies In)

36
Crazy Doberman
Illusory Expansion
(Astral Spirits)

37
Oliver Coates
skins n slime
(RVNG Intl)

38
Clipping
Visions Of Bodies Being Burned
(Sub Pop)

39
Mary Lattimore
Silver Ladders
(Ghostly)

40
Pink Siifu
NEGRO
(Bandcamp)

41
Sara Serpa
Recognition
(Biophilia)

42
Thundercat
It Is What It Is
(Brainfeeder)

43
Anna von Hausswolff
All Thoughts Fly
(Southern Lord)

44
Neptunian Maximalism
Éons
(I, Voidhanger)

45
Headie One × Fred again.
GANG
(Relentless)

46
Neil Charles
Low And Beyond
(Takuroku)

47
Wendy Eisenberg
Auto
(Ba Da Bing)

48
Asher Gamedze
Dialectic Soul
(On The Corner)

49
Tricky
Fall To Pieces
(False Idols)

50
Sylvia Hallett
Tree Time
(Bandcamp)

Leave a comment

Pseudonyms welcome.

Used to link to you.