It’s been a h*ck of a year, but there was some nice media to help me get through it.
Albums of the Year
While I had my most song plays since 2014, I only tracked 79 albums from 2020. In rough order:
- Shore by Fleet Foxes
- Marigold by Pinegrove
- Neon Skyline by Andy Shauf
- Women in Music Pt. III by Haim
- The Ascension by Sufjan Stevens
- Songs by Adrienne Lenker
- Everything Else Has Gone Wrong by Bombay Bicycle Club
- Leisure World by Diners
- Bonny Light Horseman by Bonny Light Horseman
- Lost In The Country by Trace Mountains
- Candid by Whitney
- Hannah by Lomelda
- Punisher by Phoebe Bridgers
- Aporia by Sufjan & Lowell
- LOVETHEISM by Haru Nemuri
Podcasts of the Year
Based on episodes released in the year 2020.
- Stay F. Homekins – Paul F Tompkins & Janie Haddad Tompkins
A welcome companion through this year. I guess it's a good thing that this show might end sometime this coming year, but it's kind of sad too. - Reply All – PJ Vogt & Alex Goldman
From QAn*n to trying to find a song that you heard in the grocery store, Reply All is still the best at understanding the internet. - Front Burner – CBC
In a year of quick-moving news, Front Burner was a handy, digestible way to stay informed without getting to caught up in it all. - Comedy Bang! Bang! – Scott Aukerman (+ Cal Solomon, August Lindt, Darren Matichek, Max Keeper, etc)
Despite the challenges of producing this kind of show remotely, it was as funny as ever. As proof, listen to the Best of 2020 Episodes - Young Adult Movie Ministry – Alissa Wilkinson & Sam Thielman
It's kind of like Good Christian Fun but a tad more serious?
Video Games of the Year
2020 was the year that I finally bought a Nintendo Switch. I had been wanting to play Breath of the Wild since it came out, but it took Public Health telling me to stay at home before I actually bought a Switch. I only played 2 games from 2020, so this list is 2020 games first, followed by other games I started this year – in no particular order.
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) – Nintendo Switch
The first game I bought for my Switch. The perfect game for this year. - Ghost of Tsushima (2020) – PS4
The first AAA RPG I’ve played on PS4. This game has beautiful lighting. - Outer Wilds (2019) – PS4
The first game that I got into during the early days of staying at home. Quirky and enjoyable. - The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017) – Nintendo Switch
Late to this one. Not the first to say this one is great. - FIFA 21 (2020) – PS4
I just like playing FIFA, ok?
Books of the Year
I read 23 books in 2020. One short of my goal of 24. I read a few books from 2019, but only two books from 2020 – The Skin We're In by Desmond Cole and Why We're Polarized by Ezra Klein.
Favourites Read in 2020
- The Skin We’re In (2020) by Desmond Cole
- Why We’re Polarized (2020) by Ezra Klein
- Trick Mirror (2019) by Jia Tolentino
- The Mezzanine (1988) by Nicholson Baker
- The Hobbit (1937) by JRR Tolkien
- Recursion (2019) by Blake Crouch
- The Lathe of Heaven (1971) by Ursula K Le Guin
- Dune (1965) by Frank Herbert
Movies of the Year
I tracked 4 films from 2020: one musical and two standup specials. So I don't think I’ll rank them. Palm Springs ends up in first place by default. I’ll try to do better next year.