KRCL's Best of 2020: DJ Picks

While 2020 has been a hard year, it did deliver some fantastic albums, breakout performances and songs that helped motivate and inspire us. Here's are some favorites from KRCL DJs.

Ebay's Top 20 of 2020:
Bob Dylan / Rough and Rowdy Ways
Doves / The Universal Want
Fiona Apple / Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Fleet Foxes / Shore
Fontaines D.C. / A Hero's Death
Frances Quinlan / Likewise
Gorillaz / Song Machine Season One
Haim / Women in Music Pt. III
Hamilton Leithauser / The Loves of Your Life
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit / Reunions
Laura Marling / Song for Our Daughter
Mac Miller / Circles
Marcus King / El Dorado
My Morning Jacket / The Waterfall II
Nathaniel Rateliff / And It's Still Alright
Neil Young / Homegrown
Phoebe Bridgers / Punisher
The Strokes / The New Abnormal
Sylvan Esso / Free Love - With Love
Tame Impala / The Slow Rush

Ebay's Best Soul Albums of 2020:
Childish Gambino / 3.15.20
Devon Gilfillian / Black Hole Rainbow
Khruangbin / Mordechi
Lianne La Havas / Lianne La Havas
Moses Sumney / Grae
Nick Hakim / Will This Make Me Good
Sault / Untitled (Black Is) + Untitled (Rise)
Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings / Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In)
Thundercat / It Is What It Is
Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes / What Kinda Music

Eugenie's Top Women Who Rock Albums from 2020:
Fiona Apple / Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Laura Marling / Song for our Daughter
Lianne La Havas / Lianne La Havas
Phoebe Bridgers / Punisher
Haim / Women in Music Pt. III
Margo Price / That's How Rumors Get Started
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings / Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Rendition Was In)
Lucinda Williams / Good Souls Better Angels
Waxahatchee / Saint Cloud
Frances Quinlan / Likewise
Sylvan Esso / Free Love
Soccer Mommy / Color Theory
U.S. Girls / Heavy Light

Songs That Got Eugenie Though the Insane 2020 News Cycle
"Lockdown" by Anderson .Paak
"March March" by The Chicks
"I Can't Breathe" by Chloe Nixon
"Do or Die" by Ani DiFranco
"We Are" by Jon Batiste
"I Know the End" by Phoebe Bridgers
"All Together Now" by Ok GO
"Hold On" by Yola
"Wildflowers" by Sault
"Turntables" by Janelle Monae
"Sweeter" by Leon Bridges
"What Have I Done to Help" by Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
"Fight the Power 2020" by Public Enemy
"Ferris Wheel" by Sylvan Esso 

John Florence's Best from the Bunker Top 20 of 2020
Jason Isbell / Reunions
Dawes / Good Luck with Whatever
Bob Dylan / Rough and Rowdy Ways
Fiona Apple / Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Phoebe Bridgers / Punisher
Drive-By Truckers / The Unraveling
Drive-By Truckers / The New OK
Lucinda Williams / Good Souls Better Angels
Laura Marling / Song for Our Daughter …The Lockdown Sessions
Sturgill Simpson / Cut the Grass Vol 1
Waxahatchee / Saint Cloud
Best Coast / Always Tomorrow
Nathaniel Rateliff / It’s Still Alright
Jeff Tweedy / Love is the King
Kurt Vile / Speed Sound Lonely EP
The Strokes / The New Abnormal
Brendan Benson / Dear Life
Courtney Marie Andrews / Old Flowers
Hailey Witters / The Dream
Bright Eyes / Down in the Weeds…

Extras: John Prine / I Remember Every Thing (song)
Paul McCartney / III (Releases Dec 18, 2020)

Courtney Blair of Afternoon Delight Top Albums of 2020 (in alphabetical order)Caribou / Suddenly
Choir Boy / Gathering Swans
Crack Cloud / Pain Olympics
Deeper / Auto-Pain
Destroyer / Have We Met
Empress Of / I'm Your Empress Of
En Attendant / Ana Juillet
Fiona Apple / Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Fontaines D.C. / A Hero's Death
GUM / Out in the World
Half Waif / Caretaker
Hazel English / Wake Up!
Holy Wave / Interloper
I Break Horses / Warnings
Jessie Ware / What's Your Pleasure
Kathleen Edwards / Total Freedom
Kiwi Jr / Football Money
LA Witch / Play with Fire
Liv.E  / Couldn't Wait To Tell You
Lucinda Williams / Good Souls Better Angels
Nation of Language / Introduction, Presence
Perfume Genius / Sett My Heart on Fire Immediately
Phoebe Bridgers / Punisher
Porridge Radio / Every Bad
Pottery / Welcome to Bobby's Motel
SAULT / Untitled (Black Is)
Soft Kill / Dead Kids RIP City
Sorry / 925
Tame Impala / The Slow Rush
Taylor Swift / Folklore

Circus Brown of Not a Side Show Top of 2020:
Mr. Gnome / The Day You Flew Away
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard / K.G.
Yves Tumor / Heaven to a Tortured Mind
Oh Sees / Protean Threat
The Flaming Lips / American Head
Fuzz / III

Connor Estes of The Late Night Lowdown Best of 2020
Olafur Arnlods / Some Kind of Peace  
Sault / Untitled (Black Is)
Donny Benet / Mr Experience
Janko Nilovic & The Soul Surfers / Maze of Sounds 
Moon Bounce / Skip Intro
Lianne La Havas - Lianne La Havas
Bastien Keb / The Killing of Eugene Peeps 
Chicano Batman / Invisible People
Kate NV / Room for the Moon 
Photay / Waking Hours 

Brian Kelm of Red, White & Blues Top Blues Albums of 2020 (sorted by release date, not rank) (Disclaimer - it should be noted that these are simply my favorite CD’s that came into KRCL and/or I otherwise came across. There are simply too many good blues CD’s out there for me to buy them all up! Tune in Monday, Dec 28 from 8-10:30pm for a full Best Of Show on Red, White & Blues) 
Tinsley Ellis – Ice Cream In Hell (Alligator 1/31/20)
Forrest McDonald Band featuring Andrew Black – Blues In A Bucket (World Talent 2/7/20)
Roomful of Blues – In a Roomful of Blues (Alligator 3/9/20)
Peter Karp – Magnificent Heart (Zyx Records 3/19/20)
Andrew Alli – Hard Workin’ Man (EllerSoul 3/20/20)
John Primer & Bob Corritore – The Gypsy Woman Told Me (VizzTone 5/1/20)
Ruthie Foster Big Band – Live At The Paramount (Blue Corn Music 5/15/20)
Jose Ramirez – Here I Come (Jose Ramirez Music 5/29/20)
Tony Holiday – Soul Service (VizzTone 5/29/20)
JD Taylor – The Coldwater Sessions (VizzTone 8/7/20)
AJ Crawdaddy – Steppin’ Out! (The Cave Records 9/6/20)
Sugar Ray and the Bluetones – Too Far From the Bar (Severn 9/18/20)
Shemekia Copeland – Uncivil War (Alligator 9/18/20)
Kim Wilson – Take Me Back! – (M.C. Records 10/9/20)
John Nemeth – Stronger Than Strong (Nola Blue 10/16/20)
Shaun Murphy – Flame Still Burns (Vision Wall Records 10/16/20)

Emily's Mix Tape Best of 2020 (in no particular order)

Westerman - Your Hero is Not Dead
Andy Shauf - Neon Skyline
Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
Sylvan Esso - Free Love
Tomberlin - Projections (ep)
Flock of Dimes - Like So Much Desire (ep)
Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
Deep Sea Diver - Impossible Weight
Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Fleet Foxes - Shore
Adrianne Lenker - songs
Haim - Women in Music Pt III
Tennis - Swimmer
Caribou - Suddenly
Sufjan Stevens - The Ascension
Perfume Genius - Set my Heart on Fire Immediately
The Postal Service - Everything Will Change (live)
Land of Talk - Indistinct Conversations
Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison
Taylor Swift - evermore and folklore (this pains me a bit to admit)