Happenings staff and readers deliver their best music releases of the year.
Music has been one of the only consistently good things in 2020. While being stuck inside for most of the year with no live concerts to go to, new music has made it to your ears like never before. With music, I believe it comforts and lets you feel emotions you never would have before. So with that being said, I decided to reach out to some of my friends and other local Kenoshans for their Best of 2020 albums. With these lists, I hope everyone finds some new artists and expands their musical taste. Music is all about sharing what you feel and hear. So without further ado, here are some of the best music released in 2020, according to us!
Donny Stancato 
Stuff I like: Pearl Jam, Bright Eyes, Death Cab For Cutie
1. Bright Eyes – Down in the Weeds Where the World Once Was
2. Low Cut Connie – Private Lives
3. Pearl Jam – Gigaton
4. Cut Worms – Nobody Lives Here Anymore
5. Brian Fallon – Local Honey
6. Local H – Lifers
7. My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall 2
8. Kacy & Clayton – Marlon Williams – Plastic Bouquet
9. The Strokes – The New Abnormal
10. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
Close but no cigar list
Lemon Twigs- Songs for the General Public
Tennis – Swimmer
Ryan Adams – Wednesdays
The Postal Service – Everything Will Change (live album)
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Jason Hedman
Stuff I like: Faith No More, The Supremes, Bad Religion
1. Mr. Bungle – Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny
2. Osees – Protean Threat
3. X – Alphabetland
4. Thundercat – It Is What It Is
5. The James Hunter Six – Nick of Time
6. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – K.G.
7. Run the Jewels- RTJ4
8. War on Women – Wonderful Hell
9. Beach Bunny- Honeymoon
10. Brandy – b7
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Sarah Kovach 
Stuff I like: David Bowie, Talking Heads, Sam Cooke
1. Khruangbin – Mordechai
2. Tame Impala- The Slow Rush
3. Jeff Tweedy – Love Is the King
4. Thundercat – It Is What It Is
5. Future Islands – As Long As You Are
6. Nathaniel Rateliff – And its Still Alright
7. My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall 2
8. Pearl Jam – Gigaton
9. Fiona Apple – Get the Bolt Cutters
10. Gorillaz – Song Machine, Season One Strange Timez
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Matt Gonya 
Stuff I like: The Beatles, Velvet Underground and Radiohead
1. Rookie – Rookie
2. Beach Bunny – Honeymoon
3. Sparks – A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip
4. Angelica Garcia – Cha Cha Palace
5. Slow Pulp – Moveys
6. BC Camplight – Shortly After Takeoff
7. Public Enemy – What You Gonna Do When The Grid Goes Down?
8. Lydia Loveless – Daughter
9. Protomartyr – Ultimate Success Today
10. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
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Megan Horvat Mylar 
Stuff I like: The Beatles, Prince, Lady Gaga
1. Lady Gaga – Chromatica
2. Dua Lipa – Club Future Nostalgia
3. Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
4. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters
5. My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall 2
6. Glass Animals – Dreamland
7. Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
8. Pigeons Playing Ping Pong – Presto
9. Run The Jewels – RTJ4
10. The Avalanches – We Will Always Love you
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Jayme Raddatz
Stuff I like: The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Beatles, The Black Angles
1. Fuzz – 3
2. Osees – Protean Threat/Levitation Sessions
3. Black Lips – Singing In A World That’s Falling Apart
4. Run the Jewels – RTJ4
5. Alex Maas (Black Angels) – The City
6. Sic Alps – Supplemental Cozy (Demos Vol 2)
7. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Self Titled/Live in San Francisco ‘16
8. Tobacco – Hot Wet and Sassy
9. King Khan – Infinite Ones
10. Holy Wave – Interloper
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Jeff Moody 
Stuff I like: Chuck Berry, Little Richard , James Brown
Cryderman – Grande Masterpiece
Idles – Ultra Mono
Sault- Untitled
Sleaford Mods – All That Glue
Mister Dude – Killed By Life
Rolling Coastal Blackout Fever – Sideways To New Italy
Cubber – The Drinking Bird
Run The Jewels – RTJ4
Negativland – The World Will Decide
Mayor For Life – This Could Have Been Avoided
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Justin Sawyer 
Stuff I like: Motörhead, The Gaslight Anthem, Copeland
1. Brian Fallon – Local Honey
2. Taylor Swift – Folklore & Evermore
3. Wyldlife – Year of the Snake
4. Gulch – Impenetrable Cerebral Force
5. Run the Jewels – RTJ4
6. Bruce Springsteen- Letters to You
7. Bad Bunny – YHLQMDLG
8. Hundredth – Somewhere, Nowhere
9. Emma Ruth Rundle/Thou – May Our Chambers be full
10. Dua Lupa – Future Nostalgia
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Jenna Fanduzzi
Stuff I like: Lady Gaga, BTS, Rihanna
1. Lady Gaga – Chromatica
2. Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
3. Rina Sawayama – SAWAYAMA
4. Charli XCX – How I’m Feeling Now
5. BTS – Map of the Soul: 7
6. TWICE – Eyes Wide Open
7. Poppy – I Disagree
8. Ariana Grande – Positions
9. Grimes – Miss Anthropocene
10. Dua Lipa – Club Future Nostalgia
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Britney Bader Ginsberg
Stuff I like: The Beatles, Prince, Weezer, Fleetwood Mac
The Killers – Imploding the Mirage
Megan Thee Stallion – Good News
Hayley Williams – Petals For Armor
The 1975 – Notes on a Conditional Form
Halsey – Manic
My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall 2
Lady Gaga – Chromatica
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Jeff Tweedy – Love Is King
Lin Manual Miranda – Hamilton Film Soundtrack
(when Hamilton debuted on Disney+ in July 2020, even tho the music came out in 2015/2016 Broadway Season)
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James Trent
Stuff I like: Pearl Jam, U2, Kiss
1. Local H – Lifers
2. Bully – Sugaregg
3. Grandson – Death of an Optimist
4. JJ Wilde – Ruthless
5. Machine Gun Kelly – Tickets to My Downfall
6. Brian Fallon – Local Honey
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Joe Ryan 
Stuff I like: My Morning Jacket, The National, Slipknot
1. Deftones – Ohms
2. Lamb of God – Lamb of God
3. My Morning Jacket – The Waterfall 2
4. Metallica – S&M 2
5. Taylor Swift – Folklore
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Ismael Tapia 
Stuff I like: Faith No More, Bjork, Neko Case
1. Run the Jewels – RTJ4
2. Deftones – Ohms
3. Freddie Gibbs – Alfredo
4. Idles – Ultra Mono
5. Various Artists – Penrose Records Vol.1
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Kate Baker
Deftones – Ohms
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Written and assembled by Donny Stancato
Edited by Jason Hedman
What’s your top albums of 2020? Shoot an email to me at donnyStancato@happeningsmag.com
