It was a year. It wasn’t all bad. I’m glad it’s over. Here’s a reflection as well as some of the things I enjoyed in 2020.
For my rolling playlist of liked songs that came out in 2020, I just decided to keep the title of the first song I put in there. This year it was “Cheap Regrets” by The Districts and that sort of fits. The other option put in the same day, I think, was “The Alarmist” by Pinegrove. Probably a better choice?
A quick personal reflection
Looking back 2020 doesn’t seem as bad as I’m sure it did while in the moment. The biggest feeling I have towards it and believe me, I feel privileged and very lucky to say this—is that I felt bored and trapped. It could have been a hell of a lot worse. I was able to work and work well. My family and I are healthy. The kids probably had it worse than anyone, but they all seem mostly ok. I’m glad it’s over but grateful to have made it through healthy and mostly happy. A lot of the credit for all of that goes to my partner, Kerri. Our wedding was just before all the shit hit the fan, and while it wasn’t always easy, our first year was reassuring and filled with more love, laughter, and good times than I ever would have expected.
2020 in music
The lack of live music in 2020 really messed with my music discovery plans. I was all fired up and getting ready to build my SXSW plan when things were called off. I think I saw one show in 2020, and while it was awesome—IDLES and Fontaines DC—it was nowhere near enough. No live music might have been my lowlight of 2020. I hope we can get that back soon and that all the venues, the small indie bands, and the hosts of people that support them make it through alright.
Speaking of, take a minute and check our Save Our Stages, and if you’re in a position to, think about helping them out.
I recently went through and listened to the music I’d discovered in 2020. A few old favorites came back around this year. I’ve already mentioned The Districts, they had quite a few tracks make it into my playlist. Hell, “Cheap Regrets” is in there twice with the Porches remix! Gorillas put out a ton of fun stuff. The Cribs latest, Night Network was a nice surprise. Fleet Foxes new one, Joywave had some killer hits, Albert Hammond Jr, HAIM.
And, of course, The New Abnormal from The Strokes is one of my favorites of the year. Have you seen the crazy, cool video for “At The Door”?
While there might not have been as many standouts as a “normal” year but there were a few. My current favorite, Impossible Weight by Deep Sea Diver, is fantastic. Here are a few more.
The Weeknd brought some serious 80s vibe in 2020. He wasn’t the only one but was probably one my favorites, with some killer singles and a great album.
Not many had a better year than Phoebe Bridgers. Punisher is top-notch. But she really got me with the Copycat Killer versions she released, I love them.
Probably my favorite new to me (thanks to a tip from my brother) artist is the sax-rock-dance-party band Melt Yourself Down. Their 2020 release 100% Yes is awesome. They remind me a whole lot of 90’s Seattle scene darlings Critters Buggin, and their legends on the saxophone, Skerik.
The last show I saw in 2020 was IDLES and Fontaines DC. Both of whom put out killer albums this year. Ultra Mono might have been my most played album of 2020 and if it wasn’t it was top 3.
2020 in Books
While I didn’t reach my reading challenge of 75 books and read less than last year, I still read a lot in 2020, mostly escapist fiction as I found myself really struggling to focus and keep momentum with pretty much everything else, especially earlier in the year. I blame American politics and culture coupled with a lack of imagination on my part leading to a lot of doom-scrolling.
Here are the new books I really loved.
Gideon The Ninth and Harrow The Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. These were probably my favorites this year. They’re a nearly perfect mix of an interesting and crazy premise with likable, relatable characters who grow and change in meaningful ways. They’re also just bonkers. Really fun read.
The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin. A super weird and super entertaining tale about a Cthuluian takeover of New York City.
Foundryside and Shorefall by Robert Jackson Bennett. Fast-paced, character-driven fantasy set in a steampunk world where magic is sort of like computer programming.
The Trouble With Peace by Joe Abercrombie. Gritty, violent, and complex fantasy from one of the new masters and an amazingly talented writer.
Most of the books I read this year just sort of seem so-so to me. Hopefully, 2021 is better.
2020 in Television
There’s much less for me to say here. Surprisingly I didn’t watch that much TV this year, and a lot of what I did watch doesn’t really stand out. A few things that do:
Ted Lasso. Perfect.
The Mandalorian. Loved it. I’m not a Star Wars junky, but I was a huge fan when I was a kid (I saw A New Hope in theatres when I was about seven or so) and The Mandalorian comes the closest to how I remember Star Wars as a kid.
The Flight Attendant. Kerri and I binged this one last weekend. It’s a dark humor murder mystery that was pretty much perfect for us at the time and kind of felt like it hit all the right notes at the right times.
Lovecraft Country. I thought this show was so cool and interesting. I really enjoyed how they mixed Lovecraftian horror and sci-fi with day-to-day living and historical events. And, of course, the big old “fuck you” to Lovecraft was fun.
Raised by Wolves. I really enjoyed this, even though the kid, Campion, reminded me of Sally from Mad Men mixed with Atreyu and I couldn't stop thinking about it every time he came on screen.
2020 in Movies
I don’t have much. I liked Soul and wrote a little review about that. Does Hamilton count?
2020 in Video Games
I didn’t play a lot of video games this year, but I did spend a fair amount of time with a few that I think will go down as all-time favorites of mine.
🤯The Last of Us Part 2. Mind-blowing. I think I loved just about every moment of this game, with one major exception, which I’ll mention later. The Seattle arc was my most fun playing a video game in ages. I especially loved rolling around the aquarium, as I’ve spent so much time there IRL. Anyway, this is a classic in every way.
⛩️Ghost of Tsushima. I’m not sure if I liked this better than The Last of Us Part 2, but it was damn close. The game is fantastic, the story solid and the…cinematography (?) probably the best I’ve seen to date. I might have spent more time taking photos with Tsushima’s in-game camera than I did outside with my real cameras.
🔱Hades. I’m not really into rogue-likes but I’ve been very much enjoying this one.
⚔️Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. I’m playing this one right now and, aside from one thing, enjoying it quite a bit. I spent a lot of time with AC: Odyssey this year as well and enjoyed that too.
So, what did I not enjoy about most of the above games? Killing dogs. They should seriously build options into these games to turn that shit off or make it easier to avoid it.