Our team of writers and contributors have a diverse taste. While the main "Year in Review" feature was picked almost entirely by the Post-Trash editors, we wanted to give all of our contributors a chance to pick their favorite releases, regardless if the records are covered on our site or not. Every contributor who wrote in 2020 was able to pick their personal top 20 records of the year and points were assigned based on rank. An album picked at #1 was given 20 points while an album selected at #20 was awarded a single point and so on. Our contributors' tastes range outside that of our editors, but there's also a connection to this particular site's vision. With 23 of our writers submitting their votes, we had 345 different records nominated (which means there wasn’t a terrible amount of general consensus) and only the top four records received a score of sixty or higher.
We're happy to present "Post-Trash's Best of 2020: Staff Picks" as voted by the entire team (with each individual contributor lists below). There were a ton of ties throughout, so editors provided the tie breakers. It’s a weird list… but isn’t that how it should be with 23 different people’s opinions? We hope you enjoy.
Alex Johnson:
1. Jay Electronica - A Written Testimony
2. Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind3. Freddie Gibbs and The Alchemist - Alfredo
4. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
5. Against All Logic - 2017-2019
6. Lil Uzi Vert - Eternal Atake
7. AceMoMa - A New Dawn [HOA007]
8. Dean Blunt - Roaches 2012-2019 (Deluxe Version)
9. Oneohtrix Point Never - Magic Oneohtrix Point Never
10. Mac Miller - Circles
11. 100 Gecs - 1000 Gecs
12. Jeff Parker - Suite For Max Brown
13. Wifigawd and Tony Seltzer - Heat Check Vol. 2
14. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
15. Drakeo The Ruler and JoogSzn - Thank You for Using GTL
16. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
17. Four Tet - Sixteen Oceans
18. Ka - Descendants of Cain
19. Tha God Fahim - Lost Kingz
20. Boldy James & The Alchemist - The Price of Tea in China
Álvaro Molina:
1. Frankie & The Witch Fingers - Monsters Eating People Eating Monsters
2. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
3. Death Valley Girls - Under The Spell of Joy
4. Exhalants - Atonement
5. Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess
6. Bully - Sugaregg
7. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
8. Disco Doom / Oruã - Esmeralda Destiny Analysis
9. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo
10. Virginia Trance - Vincent's Playlist
11. A Full Cosmic Sound - AFCS
12. Vuelveteloca - Contra
13. Flores Silvestres - How The Story Goes...
14. Kelly Moran / Prurient - Chain Reaction at Dusk
15. Gordon Koang - Unity
16. Ringo Deathstarr - Ringo Deathstarr
17. Dungen - Dungen Live
18. Moses Boyd - Dark Matter
19. Gil Scott-Heron / Makaya McCraven - We're New Again
20. Osees - Levitation Sessions
Charlie Sussman:
1. Moses Sumney - Grae
2. NANCY - NANCY GOES COUNTRY
3. BIB - Delux
4. Jay Electronica - Act II
5. Actress - Karma & Desire
6. Boldy James & The Alchemist - The Price of Tea in China
7. Stove God Cooks & Roc Marciano - Reasonable Drought
8. Vex Ruffin - LiteAce Frequency
9. Grimes - Miss Anthropocene
10. Reason - New Beginnings
11. Hershguy - POPROCKS EP
12. Nicolas Jaar - Cenizas
13. Cafe Racer - Shadow Talk
14. Roc Marciano - Mt. Marci
15. Chronophage - The Pig Kiss'd
16. REZN - Chaotic Divine
17. Ka - Descendants of Cain
18. Ty Dolla $ign - Featuring Ty Dolla $ign
19. Foul Play - Origins
20. Makaya McCraven / Gil Scott Heron - We're New Again: A Reimagining by Makaya McCraven
CONOR LOCHRIE:
1. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
2. Run The Jewels - RTJ4
3. Lewsberg - In this House
4. The Microphones - Microphones in 2020
5. Fleet Foxes - Shore
6. King Krule - Man Alive!
7. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
8. Peel Dream Magazine - Agitprop Alterna
9. Modern Nature - Annual
10. Global Charming - Mediocre, Brutal
11. Jockstrap - Wicked City
12. Bad History Month - Old Blues
13. Kevin Morby - Sundowner
14. Jehnny Beth - To Love is to Live
15. Order of The Toad - Re-order of the Toad
16. JW Francis - We Share a Similar Joy
17. Chronophage - The Pig Kiss'd Album
18. Tough Age - Which Way Am I?
19. RVG - Feral
20. Thanks For Coming - almost named this album "untouched" in reference to not editing the cover photo and also having an unrequited crush on a stranger but then i remember we're all social isolating right now and it's a little too on the nose even for me
Dan Goldin *:
1. Blacklisters - Fantastic Man
2. Melkbelly - PITH
3. Sour Widows - Sour Widows
4. Cold Meat - Hot and Flustered
5. Tha God Fahim - Lost Kingz
6. Helvetia - This Devastating Map
7. Deerhoof - Future Teenage Cave Artists
8. Anna McClellan - I Saw First Light
9. Sumac - May You Be Held
10. Ohmme - Fantasize Your Ghost
11. Oranssi Pazuzu - Mestarin Kynsi
12. Hum - Inlet
13. Youbet - Compare & Despair
14. Exhalants - Atonement
15. Brigid Dawson & The Mothers Network - Ballet of Apes
16. Coriky - Coriky
17. Lomelda - Hannah
18. Stuck - Change Is Bad
19. Wendy Eisenberg - Auto
20. Ostraaly - Misery Guests
David Wilikofsky:
1. Wendy Eisenberg - Auto
2. Still House Plants - Fast Edit
3. Hiperson - Bildungsroman
4. Shabason, Krgovich and Harris - Philadelphia
5. Pa Salieu - Send Them To Coventry
6. Godcaster - Long Haired Locusts
7. Jimothy Lacoste - The Safeway
8. Caitlin Cannon - The TrashCannon Album
9. Oceanator - Things I Never Said
10. Rico Nasty - Nightmare Vacation
11. Angry Blackmen - Headshots!
12. Melenas - Dias Raros
13. Dehd - Flower of Devotion
14. Dreamcrusher - Panopticon!
15. The Cool Greenhouse - The Cool Greenhouse
16. Lauren Bousfield - Palimpsest
17. Polo G - The Goat
18. Pure X - Pure X
19. Duma - Duma
20. Yalc123 - Yalc Nitsua Mailliw
Dominic Acito:
1. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
2. Muzz - Muzz
3. Charley Crockett - Welcome to Hard Times
4. Fontaines DC - A Hero's Death
5. Samia - The Baby
6. Bambara - Stray
7. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today
8. Francis Quinlan - Likewise
9. Bad History Month - Old Blues
10. Ratboys - Printers Devil
11. Illuminati Hotties - Free IH
12. Porridge Radio - Every Bad
13. Pottery - Welcome to Bobby's Motel
14. Sinead O'Brien - Drowning in Blessings EP
15. Shell of a Shell - Away Team
16. Lawn - Johnny
17. Empty Country - Empty Country
18. Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison
19. Dogleg - Melee
20. Coriky - Coriky
Elise Barbin:
1. Dehd - Flower of Devotion
2. Gum Country - Somewhere
3. Advertisement - American Advertisement
4. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
5. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
6. Kiwi Jr - Football Money
7. Stephen Malkmus - Traditional Techniques
8. Jon Mckiel - Bobby Joe Hope
9. Deeper - Auto-Pain
10. Yves Tumor - Heaven To A Tortured Mind
11. Kate NV - Room for the Moon
12. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today
13. Lewsberg - In This House
14. Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways
15. Optic Sink - Optic Sink
16. Sinead O’Brien - Drowning in Blessings
17. Special Interest - The Passion Of
18. Chronophage - Th’pig’kisss’d Album
19. All Hits - Men and Their Work
20. TV Freaks - People
Hayden Godfrey:
1. Andy Shauf - The Neon Skyline
2. Katie Pruitt - Expectations
3. Frances Quinlan - Likewise
4. Bahamas - Sad Hunk
5. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
6. Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners
7. Yusuf (Cat Stevens) - Tea for the Tillerman 2
8. BENEE - Hey U X
9. Novo Amor - Cannot Be, Whatsoever
10. Blanco White - On the Other Side
11. The Weeknd - After Hours
12. Adrianne Lenker - Songs
13. Donovan Woods - Without People
14. Keaton Henson - Monument
15. Ben Kunder - Searching for the Stranger
16. Lisa/Liza - Shelter of a Song
17. Joshua Lee Turner - Public Life
18. Angel Olsen - Whole New Mess
19. Badge Époque Ensemble - Self Help
20. Adrianne Lenker - Instrumentals
Heather Williams:
1. Pleasure Leftists - The EPs of PL
2. Population II - Introspection
3. Moses Sumney - Grae
4. The Cowboys - Lovers in Marble EP
5. En Attendant Ana - Juillett
6. Dig Nitty - Reverse of Mastery
7. Smarts - Who Needs Smarts, Anyway?
8. Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind
9. Once and Future Band - Deleted Scenes
10. Neil Young - Homegrown
11. Pool Holograph - Love Touched Time and Time Began to Sweat
12. The Bats - Foothills
13. Sour Widows - Sour Widows
14. Adrianne Lenker - Songs
15. Stoker - Stoker
16. Floating Room - Tired and True
17. Mamalarky - Mamalarky
18. Public Eye - Music for Leisure
19. Ohmme - Fantasize Your Ghost
20. Land of Talk - Indistinct Conversations
Hugo Reyes:
1. Rotting Out - Ronnin
2. Touche Amore - Lament
3. Weave - The Sound II
4. Joshua Virtue - Jackie’s House
5. Cloud Nothings - Black Hole Understands
6. Sumac - May You Be Held
7. G Herbo - PTSD
8. Mountains For Clouds - Anxious And Aware
9. Your Arms Are My Cocoon - Your Arms Are My Cocoon
10. Zulu - My People...Hold On
11. Gulch - Cerebral Impenetrable Fortress
12. Growing Stone - I Had Everybody Snowed
13. Record Setter - I Owe You Nothing
14. Ratboys - Printer’s Devil
15. NNAMDÏ - Brat
16. Illuminati Hotties - FREE I.H: This Is Not The One You've Been Waiting For
17. Dogleg - Melee
18. Poppy - I Disagree
19. Necrot - Your Hell
20. Stay Inside - Viewing
Jeff Yerger:
1. Run the Jewels - RTJ4
2. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
3. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero's Death
4. SPICE - SPICE
5. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Reunions
6. Tame Impala - The Slow Rush
7. Loose Buttons - Something Better
8. The Killers - Imploding the Mirage
9. Fleet Foxes - Shore
10. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways to New Italy
11. Bully - SUGAREGG
12. Pottery - Welcome to Bobby's Motel
13. Jeff Rosenstock - NO DREAM
14. Nothing - The Great Dismal
15. Empty Country - Empty Country
16. Bartees Strange - Live Forever
17. I'm Glad It's You - Every Sun, Every Moon
18. Forever Honey - Pre-Mortem High EP
19. Alright - I'm Doing This to Myself
20. Frances Quinlan - Likewise
Jon Piotrowski:
1. Hum - Inlet
2. Puscifer - Existential Reckoning
3. Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts V: Together
4. Haim - Women in Music Pt. III
5. Khruangbin - Mordechai
6. King Princess - Cheap Queen (Deluxe)
7. Spice - Spice
8. Private World - Aleph
9. Pet Shop Boys - Hotspot
10. Death Bells - New Signs of Life
11. Fontaines D.C. - A Hero’s Death
12. Mr. Bungle - The Raging Wrath of the Easter Bunny Demo
13. The Strokes - The New Abnormal
14. Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts VI: Locusts
15. Jehnny Beth - To Love is to Live
16. ADULT. - Perception Is/as/of Deception
17. Fiona Apple - Fetch the Bolt Cutters
18. Caribou - Suddenly
19. Coastlands - Death
20. X - Alphabetland
Matty McPherson:
1. Bill Nace - Both
2. Special Interest - The Passion Of
3. Wendy Eisenberg - Auto
4. Kate NV - Room For the Moon
5. Soccer Mommy - Color Theory
6. Claire Rousay - A Heavenly Touch
7. Moor Mother & Olof Melander - Anthologia 1
8. Tenci - My Heart is an Open Field
9. Young Jesus - Welcome to Conceptual Beach
10. Louise Bock - Abyss for Cello
11. Sprain - As Lost Through Collusion
12. Slift - Ummon
13. Ana Roxanne - Because of a Flower
14. Irreversible Entanglements - Who Sent You
15. Fire Toolz - Rainbow Bridge
16. Privacy Issues - Privacy issues
17. John Kolodij - First Fire/At Dawn
18. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
19. Dogleg - Melee
20. No Joy - Motherhood
Meaghan Weiley:
1. Andras - Joyful
2. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist - Alfredo
3. Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today
4. Helvetia - This Devastating Map
5. 100 Gecs - 1000 Gecs And The Tree Of Clues
6. The Microphones - Microphones in 2020
7. clipping. - Visions of Bodies Being Burned
8. Handle - In Threes
9. Charli XCX - How I'm Feeling Now
10. Action Bronson - Only For Dolphins
11. Bad History Month - Old Blues
12. Stuck - Change Is Bad
13. King Krule - Man Alive!
14. Landowner - Consultant
15. Food House - Food House
16. Karate Boogaloo - Carn The Boogers
17. Armand Hammer - Shrines
18. draag me - I Am Gambling With My Life
19. NNAMDÏ - BRAT
20. Party Dozen - Pray For Party Dozen
Niccolo Porcello *:
1. Trace Mountains - Lost in the Country
2. Sorry - 925
3. Deeper - Auto-Pain
4. Jessy Lanza - Lick In Heaven
5. Double Grave - Goodbye, Nowhere!
6. Knot - Knot
7. Porridge Radio - Every Bad
8. Corey Flood - Honey
9. Dig Nitty - Reverse of Mastery
10. Ganser - Just Look At That Sky
11. Melkbelly - PITH
12. DAMP - Damp
13. Eieieio - Gentle Spaniels
14. Gladie - Safe Sins
15. Oceanator - Things I Never Said
16. Sneakerhead - Don’t Travel
17. Dehd - Flower of Devotion
18. Helena Deland - Someone New
19. Why Bonnie - Voice Box
20. Kingdom - neurofire
Reggie Bender:
1. Donors - Donors
2. Youbet - Compare & Despair
3. Dehd - Flower of Devotion
4. Dark Tones - Pulling Nails Out of Walls
5. Bad Bunny - YHLQMDLG
6. Surfer Rosie - Swell 16/18
7. Tens Unit - Valis
8. Stuck - Change Is Bad
9. Lady Gaga - Chromatica
10. Melkbelly - PITH
11. Sprain - As Lost Through Collision
12. Tosser - Total Restraint
13. Corey Food - Hanging Garden
14. Nappy Nina - 30 Bag
15. Mystery - Demo
16. Iceblink - Carpet Cocoon
17. Powerplant - A Spine / Evidence
18. NNAMDÏ - BRAT
19. Anna McClellan - I Saw First Light
20. Fiona Apple - Fetch The Bolt Cutters
Sabrina Cofer:
1. Taylor Swift - folklore
2. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher
3. Lomelda - Hannah
4. Ratboys - Printer’s Devil
5. waveform* - Last Room
6. Max Gowan - Last Companion
7. illuminati hotties - FREE I.H: This Is Not the One You’ve Been Waiting For
8. Charli XCX - how i’m feeling now
9. HAIM - Women In Music Pt. III
10. Cameraperson - Cameraperson
11. Soccer Mommy - color theory
12. Dehd - Flowers of Devotion
13. NNAMDÏ - BRAT
14. Caroline Rose - Superstar
15. Sipper - Have Fun
16. Zanders - Concentration Sixty-Four
17. Shamir - Shamir
18. Trace Mountains - Lost in the Country
19. Skullcrusher - Skullcrusher
20. Tenci - My Heart Is An Open Field
Taylor Ruckle:
1. Ganser - Just Look at that Sky
2. Telyscopes - With a Y
3. Sweeping Promises - Hunger for a Way Out
4. Yves Jarvis - Sundry Rock Song Stock
5. Cardinality - Cardinality
6. Opin - Media and Memory
7. Sinai Vessel - Ground Aswim
8. Oceanator - Things I Never Said
9. Holy Hive - Float Back to You
10. Ester - Turn Around
11. Carmen Canedo - Know it All
12. Wares - Survival
13. Gilt - Ignore What’s Missing
14. We the People - Misunderstood
15. Gabe Lee - Honky Tonk Hell
16. (Leave) Nelson B - 2.0: Phantom
17. Baby Got Back Talk - Genre Reveal Party
18. Ultimate Overshare - Rumble Pak
19. Ahomari - Girl Kiss II
20. The Weak Days - The Fabric of Our Lives
Ted Davis:
1. Gleemer - Down Through
2. Nuvolascura - As We Suffer From Memory And Imagination
3. Mary Lattimore - Silver Ladders
4.Young Jesus - Welcome To Conceptual Beach
5. Jau Ocean - Post Sad Boy Funk
6. Dehd - Flower Of Devotion
7. Crack Cloud - Pain Olympics
8. Lithics - Tower Of Age
9. Nubya Garcia - Source
10. Bartees Strange - Live Forever
11. Trace Mountains - Lost In The Country
12. Flung - Shaky But My Hair Is Grown
13. waveform* - Last Room
14. Alexander - Wonderland
15. Kelly Lee Owens - Inner Song
16. DJ Python - Mas Amable
17. Worthitpurchase - Dizzy Age
18. Knot - Knot
19. Gulfer - Gulfer
20. Shabason, Krgovich, & Harris - Philadelphia
Thrin Vianale:
1. Moses Sumney- Græ
2. Idles- Ultra Mono
3. Nova One- lovable
4. Denzel Curry & Kenny Beats- UNLOCKED
5. Uniform- Shame
6. Mort Garson- Music from Patch Cord Productions
7. Artisan P- How We Kept On
8. Deftones- Ohms
9. HEALTH: DISCO4 :: PART 1
10. Big Heet- Hiss
11. Shell of a Shell- Away Team
12. Ghostie- Self Hate Wraith
13. Metz- Atlas Vending
14. Knot- Knot
15. Boris- No
16. Dikembe- Muck
17. Charli XCX- How I'm Feeling Now
18. Psychic Graveyard- A Bluebird Vacation
19. Sightless Pit- Grave of a Dog
20. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist- Alfredo
Troy Sherman:
1 Rhodri Davies — Telyn Rawn
2. Pyrrhon — Abscess Time
3. Fiona Apple — Fetch the Bolt Cutters
4. Soul Glo — Songs to Yeet at the Sun
5. Ichiko Aoba — Windswept Adan
6. Bloto — Erozje
7. Ka — Descendants of Cain
8. Lucrecia Dalt — No era sólida
9. Lil Uzi Vert — Eternal Atake
10. Haruka Nakamura — Still Life
11. Westside Gunn — Pray for Paris
12. Moses Sumney — græ
13. Arca — KiCk i
14. Phoebe Bridgers — Punisher
15. Tashi Dorji — Stateless
16. Błoto — Kwiatostan
17. Sault — Untitled (Black Is)
18. Rico Nasty — Nightmare Vacation
19. The Microphones — Microphones in 2020
20. A.G. Cook — 7G
Wes Muilenburg:
1. Dogleg – Melee
2. bugsy – Teratoma EP
3. Infant Island – Beneath / Sepulcher EP
4. The Weak Days – The Fabric of Our Lives EP
5. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters
6. Ólafur Arnalds – some kind of peace
7. niiice. – internet friends
8. Julianna Barwick – Healing is a Miracle
9. END – Splinters from an Ever-Changing Face
10. Thank You, I’m Sorry – I’m Glad We’re Friends
11. Record Setter – I Owe You Nothing
12. worst party ever – here, online EP
13. Hammock – Longest Year EP
14. Equipment – All You Admire EP
15. Clearbody – One More Day
16. Double Grave – Goodbye, Nowhere!
17. The Goalie’s Anxiety at the Penalty Kick – Ways of Hearing
18. Gulfer - Gulfer
19. The Microphones – Microphones in 2020
20. Dad Bod – Precursor EP
* both Niccolo Porcello (Sad Cactus Records) and Dan Goldin (Exploding In Sound Records) submitted Top 20 lists that were taken into consideration for the staff pick total that included bands from their respective labels. In the interest of not publicly ranking their own bands, the lists submitted here are their favorite albums without inclusion of any Sad Cactus or EIS artists.