A Small Selection of Pandemic-Era Albums
Jack MapelLentz
Well, 2020 was kind of crazy. Pretty much everything got turned upside down in the blink of an eye, the music industry included. No more festivals, concerts, or even impromptu collaborations — with everyone stuck at home, it even felt foreign to consider how such things once existed. The closest thing to a show that exists today might be The Flaming Lips’s performance for an audience literally contained in plastic bubbles. But after the onset of lockdowns and holed up at home with hours of extra time just like the rest of us, artists did what they do best: make music! What came out of that most unique epoch turned out to be some of my favorite music of all time — this is my abbreviated selection of the very best.
Music in 2020
Michael Bagley
In a year packed full of high ups and deep lows, it only made sense that music would follow suit. Sensational albums such as The Weeknd’s “After Hours” and Freddie Gibbs’ “Alfredo” were the benchmarks for music in 2020, giving us some of the most memorable and quotable songs of the year. In true Grammy fashion, though, these top albums received only one nomination combined (“Alfredo” - Rap Album of the Year).
This past year also brought back some beloved artists people may have forgotten about Artists such as Taylor Swift with “folklore,”Bob Dylan with “Rough and Rowdy Ways,”and Kid Cudi with “Man on the Moon III,” have all made a resurgence this past year, combining both a nostalgic, yet new sound to their catalogues. In addition, 2020 will be remembered for posthumous albums, most notably Pop Smoke’s “Shoot for the Stars, Aim for the Moon,” Juice Wrld’s “Legends Never Die,” and Mac Miller’s “Circles.” Works like these were definitely emotional for their fans, but ultimately gave inspiring and touching music to get through the year.