Top 10 Most Played in 2020

1 January 2021 / by Sean Warkentine
CJRU Top 10 of 2020 Graphic

Let’s skip the chatter about one of the most globally disastrous years in recent memory, to instead shine a light on some of the musical successes. This is a list of the most played albums on CJRU 1280 AM’s airwaves throughout the past 12 months.

Aquakultre - Legacy Album

Self Released

10. Aquakultre: Legacy 

Spanning the gamut of soul from bluesy R&B to funky jazz breaks, this band recorded their breakout album using historical instruments to transform what would be folksy singer-songwriter tunes into a mosaic of cultures.

Orville Peck - Show Pony Album Cover

Sub Pop

9. Orville Peck: Show Pony 

The masked crooner’s second release was a brief EP of moody country music with authentic vintage production aesthetics and kitschy cover art to match the guest appearance of pop country legend, Shania Twain.

Tough Age - Which Way Am I Album Cover Mint Records

8. Tough Age: Which Way Am I?

The long-running garage rock crew delivered yet another classic in Canadian indie rock, with their upbeat trademark style of punk to remind you of how it was being on the dingey, sweat-soaked, pre-covid dancefloor.

Protomartyr - Ultimate Success Today Album Cover

Domino

7. Protomartyr: Ultimate Success Today

Another masterwork in literary post-punk. Protomartyr’s fifth full-length album will forever be tied to the apocalyptic-bent end times of 2020 while their noisy progression towards improvisatory jazz pushes them into the future.

Keleketla - Keleketla! Album Cover

Ahead of Our Time

6. Keleketla!: Keleketla!

An unexpected collaboration between a Johannesburg cultural archive library and trip-hop pioneers, Coldcut, along with a ton of guests to make some of the year’s most wide-reaching and diverse beats with a variety of traditional and contemporary soulful styles.

Khruangbin - Mordechai Album Cover

Dead Oceans

5. Khruangbin: Mordechai

This funky, psychedelic trio’s brand of moody guitar music shone through on their 2020 release, complete with light melodic vocal hooks, springy reverb pings, and enough tasteful guitar noodling to fill your hippie relative’s record shelf.

Snotty Nose Rez Kids - Born Deadly Album Cover

Self Released

4. Snotty Nose Rez Kids: Born Deadly

Young D and Yung Trybez return with another strong statement on this EP, featuring their usual playfully delivered lyrics full of aggression, pride, and political force, atop heavy trap beats and a year full of political change and social progression.

Brenna Lowrie - Loss Leader Album Cover

Self Released

3. Brenna Lowrie: Loss Leader

A surprise mini-album of psychedelic ambience, minimal guitar plucking, and mystic melodies, the singer-songwriter’s latest release left a stunning impression on anyone curious about how to approach melancholia.

Album Image for Yves Tumor - Heaven to a Tortured Mind (Released 2020-04-03 by Warp)

Warp

2. Yves Tumor: Heaven To A Tortured Mind

Yves Tumor, the defiant, has made an incredible statement on contemporary music with another acclaimed LP of glam rock visuals, pristine engineering, and foreboding pop songs in an ever-solidifying trademark experimental style.

Lido Pimienta - Miss Columbia Album Cover

Anti-

1. Lido Pimienta: Miss Columbia

On the sophomore album by this world class performer, the production elements improve, the cultural references deepen, the musical elements mature, and as the album moves from more recognizable pop to traditional Colombian folk chants, listeners will feel the gracefulness with which Pimienta progresses as an artist