This past year was rough for me. For the first time in my life, I had Reader’s Block. I won’t name names (or titles!), but two books in a row rubbed me the wrong way. They were just not good. Or maybe all the other books I read were just that much better? However you look at it, I just had a really hard time getting back into reading after those two no-good books. And ages ago, I adopted the practice of not finishing books that I didn’t like because life’s too short! But sometimes, one has to read a bad book (or two!) because of … obligations.
Anyhow! The good news is I’m outta that funk! The book that saved me was The Taylors by Jen Calonita. A middle grade book about a group of girls named after Taylor Swift broke the curse! It even gave me goosebumps.
Right after The Taylors, I found myself reading my book of the year, Atmosphere, by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Who would’ve thought that this graduate of Space Camp would fall hard for a sapphic, historical fiction novel about the first female astronauts at NASA?
Space Camp! I’m on the right.
Rounding out my favorite reads of the year:
Love Stories (The Taylors Version #1) by Elizabeth Eulberg– this is the young adult companion to Jen Calonita’s book.
My cat with Elizabeth Eulberg’s book
It Rhymes With Takei by George Takei (graphic novel/non-fiction)
Wake Up and Open Your Eyes by Clay McLeod Chapman (horror)
Mood Machine: The Rise of Spotify and the Costs of the Perfect Playlist by Liz Pelly (non-fiction)
This past year, I wrote book reviews on NetGalley, Goodreads, Amazon, StoryGraph, and this blog. I logged my book reading on both Goodreads and StoryGraph. I think it’s important to continue to write reviews on Amazon and Goodreads because those are still so vital for authors.
This book is a must for Taylor Swift fans. I compulsively read Love Stories (The Taylors Version #1) because I was so consumed with the characters, the drama, and the Taylor Swift Easter eggs. There’s even a nod to one of my favorite (non-Taylor) singers! Elizabeth Eulberg does an excellent job with the characters’ individual voices. I’ve been using Love Stories as a benchmark for other young adult novels with multiple narrators. The recommended age for ‘Love Stories’ is 12-18, and the content does skew young (they’re high school freshmen), so one should feel comfortable sharing with mature middle grade readers who have read Jen Calonita’s companion book The Taylors.
Sadly, I didn’t get out to movie theaters as much as I used to. When you’re dynamically disabled, you have to conserve your energy. Going to the movies might not seem like it takes that much effort, but when the disabled toilet is broken and the only functioning one is on the other side of the theater and you’re using a wheelchair … you can guess why I haven’t seen Killers of the Flower Moon yet. I did manage to see Barbenheimer on different weekends though!
Here’s the list of my favorite films of 2023. This list is dynamic (like me!) so follow me on Letterboxd for updates. Parentheses show how I watched the film.
15. Talk to Me Creepy Australian horror flick with a diverse young cast. (Borrowed from library)
14. Red, White & Royal Blue This was fun. Of course the book is better, but I love seeing queer lit being adapted. (Prime)
13. Nimona A sweet adaptation of N.D. Stevenson’s graphic novel. (Netflix)
12. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour I missed out on tickets for the real thing, so seeing Eras in the theater was second best. Being in a theater filled with women and girls was refreshing. There was dancing, clapping, and of course, singing. (In theater)
11. Renfield Nic Cage as Dracula. Nicholas Hoult as Renfield. Plus Awkwafina! Need I say more? (Borrowed from library)
10. The Killer Michael Fassbender stars as a serial killer who constantly listens to The Smiths. My social media handle is an ode to The Smiths, soooo yes, this movie was made for me. (Netflix)
9. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse A great sequel to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. Stunning animation. (In theater)
I don’t care what anyone says, I love flerkittens
8. The Marvels More of a sequel to the excellent Ms. Marvel TV series than Captain Marvel, I found this movie to be a delight. Who doesn’t love a superhero who has a flerken as a sidekick? (In theater)
7. Infinity Pool Doppelgängers and Alexander Skarsgård. Yes, please. (Borrowed from library)
6. Saltburn Barry Keoghan and Jacob Elordi smolder in the sophomore film from director Emerald Fennel (Promising Young Woman). (Prime)
5. The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar This short film clocks in at 39 minutes and is everything you’d want from Wes Anderson and Benedict Cumberbatch. Henry Sugar was my favorite of Anderson’s Roald Dahl adaptations. (Netflix)
4. Oppenheimer Am I the only one who gets “Oppenheimer,” by the Old 97’s stuck in their head at the mere mention of Christopher Nolan’s epic opus? (In theater)
3. Beau Is Afraid I’m probably an outlier, but I adored this bizarre film. (Borrowed from library)
2. Asteroid City I even like The Darjeeling Limited. That’s how much I like Wes Anderson, so of course I loved his latest outing. Blink and you’ll miss Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker as a cowboy singer. (Borrowed from library)
1. Barbie Much like seeing Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in theaters, it was a joy to be in a theater filled with women (though I attended with two men). Yes, I cried. (In theater/MAX)
Chrystabell at Joe’s Pub in NYC in 2017/Photo by Amy Lordan
Chrystabell – Midnight Star The chanteuse has taken her trademark ethereal sound and mixed it with sci-fi disco. Includes a spacey interpretation of The Psychedelic Furs’ “Love My Way.”
Taylor Swift – Midnights (3am Edition) I was obsessed with Swift’s Folklore and Evermore, which makes sense because it was co-produced by Aaron Dessner of The National and I loooooove The National. Now I guess I’m a Swifty because Midnights is one of my favorites of 2022 although I think I’d be way more into it if she had employed Dessner again.
First Aid Kit – Palomino The best Americana folk album of 2022 comes from the Swedish sister duo First Aid Kit.
Mitski – Laurel Hell This album is a downer and I adore it. It is perfect alongside any Lisa Germano album or Elena Tonra of Daughter’s Ex:Re solo project.
Curve – Astoria London 1991 – Bootleg Series Vol 16 This live recording of Curve, released on Bandcamp, is a must for diehard fans of the electronic rock band.
Cannons – Fever Dream Recommended for fans of Canadian duo Electric Youth. Upbeat synthwave to brighten your day.
Jack White – Fear of the Dawn The first of two albums that White released this year is a rocking good time.
Panda Riot – Extra CosmicShimmery shoegaze and my new crush.
Wet Leg – Wet Leg Everyone loves Wet Leg and with good reason. The English duo have put out a dazzling indie rock debut.
†††– PERMANENT.RADIANT Chino Moreno of Deftones’ goth side project with Far’s Shaun Lopez hums with a dark delirium on this EP.
Conan Gray – Superache This is my guilty pleasure pick. It’s full-on pop for teenagers and I love it. Now I just wish he’d come back to Boston so I can take my nephew to see him.
Butch Walker – Butch Walker as… Glenn With Glenn, Butch Walker visits AM ‘70s soft rock with aplomb.
Suede – Autofiction
Placebo – Never Let Me Go
Metric – Formentera
Nick Cave and Warren Ellis performing in Boston in 2022/Photo by Amy Lordan
Nick Cave & Warren Ellis – Blonde (film score) Another gorgeous and haunting score from the legendary Bad Seeds duo.
Blood Red Shoes – Ghosts On Tape It’s like Nine Inch Nails and Metric had a baby and named it Blood Red Shoes. The English duo have made a brilliant album of brooding, synth-laden, alt-rock.
Dubstar – Two On their fifth album, Dubstar delivers a solid synth-dream-pop confection.
White Lies – As I Try Not to Fall Apart The first time I saw White Lies was at the Lansdowne Pub in Boston. They were touring in support of their first album, To Lose My Life… circa 2009 and their tour manager, Gigs, was a friend who asked me to check them out. I’m so glad he did. They’re like Interpol, if Interpol were British. On this, their sixth album, they’ve created more moody yet soaring sonic tunes.
Other than hugging my mom, what I missed the most this year has been concerts. When I saw Soul Asylum and Local H in February, I had no idea that it would be my last show of 2020. When I worked in the music industry, some weeks I’d be at shows every night. One night, when I worked at Ryko Distribution, I saw three separate concerts (at three different venues) on one night. I saw more shows on that one night than I have in all of 2020.
The upside of all of this quarantining at home, aside from reading way more than usual, has been the bonus music exploration time. KEXP,WERS,Hot Press,Bandcamp, and Vanyaland were some of my favorite sources for new tunes. When I wasn’t reading, you could find me playing Animal Crossing while blasting music.
As someone who’s immunocompromised and spent three months quarantining when she was 12, escaping through music has been a big part of my life. I wouldn’t have been able to make it through this year without these albums (and many, many others). Without further ado, here’s my top ten favorite albums of 2020!
Top Ten Favorite Albums
Matt Berninger’s SerpentinePrison | Photo by Amy Lordan
10. Matt Berninger – Serpentine Prison The frontman of The National released his first solo effort and it’s quite excellent. It picks up where The National’s Trouble Will Find Me left off.
9. Butch Walker – American Love Story This is Walker’s musical! Maybe someday it’ll be on the stage. For now, you can enjoy its many power pop ear worms like “Fuck It (I Don’t Like Love)” and “Everything White.” And if songs like Walker’s “Joan” are among your favorites, then your heart will break for the “Sunset Grill”-sounding “Out In the Open.”
Nine Inch Nails performing in Mansfield, MA in 2009 | Photo by Amy Lordan
8. Nine Inch Nails –Ghosts V: TogetherAtmospheric, ambient, and haunting. This release, along with Ghosts VI, is available for free on the Nine Inch Nails website. Go grab them both. As the description on the website says, “TWO DIFFERENT RECORDS FOR TWO DIFFERENT MINDSETS. DOWNLOAD NOW FOR FREE. STAY SAFE!” This year, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of Nine Inch Nails also released scores for the films Soul and Mank. That Emmy, Oscar, and Grammy award winner Reznor knows how to stay busy. Maybe Reznor should collaborate with Butch Walker on a musical so that he can get his Tony?
7. Run the Jewels – RTJ4 Remember that feeling in college you’d get when you listened to Consolidated? That’s the buzz I get from this politically-charged album. I get goosebumps every single time I listen to “Walking in the Snow” and I hear the lyrics, “Until my voice goes from a shriek to whisper, ‘I can’t breathe.'”
6. Phantogram – CeremonyThis was my go-to album when I needed a pick-me-up. Songs like “Dear God” and “Into Happiness” capture how I miss my friend with lyrics like “Take me out of this world I’m living in | Tell, tell my friends ’cause I know I’mma see again” and “Wish you could be here | No more loneliness | You’d make it perfect.” Also, it has a good beat and I can dance to it.
5. Pillow Queens – In WaitingThis is the Irishquartet that’s missing from your collection. Wistful. Melodic. Shimmering. Kinda sounds like Teagan and Sara gone shoegaze and power pop. From 2:51 of “Holy Show” to its end is truly glorious.
4. Hinds – The Prettiest CurseAh! Sweet power pop meets lo-fi garage rock. The Spanish quartet’s third album is a gem. They straddle the lines of pop and rock perfectly, and they even throw in a dash of synth-pop. It’s like Apples In Stereo, Fuzzy, and CSS had a baby and that baby is Hinds.
Deftones at the House of Blues in Boston in 2013 | Photo by Amy Lordan
3. Deftones – Ohms Hands down my favorite Deftones album since White Pony. Some tracks are kinda thrash metal (“Urantia”) while others (“The Link Is Dead”) meander into Angelo Badalamenti territory.
Nick Cave performing with Grinderman at the House of Blues in Boston in 2010 | Photo by Amy Lordan
2. Nick Cave – Idiot Prayer This is my kitten’s favorite album of 2020. She has a penchant for Nick Cave (and also Harry Styles). Everytime we play Nick Cave, she has to jump up to the speakers and be as close as possible to them. I think she gets that from me. Whenever I’ve seen Nick Cave live, whether it’s with Grinderman or the Bad Seeds, I always want to be close to him. I think that Cave is the most brilliant lyricist of his generation. With Idiot Prayer, Cave’s lyrics seem even more poignant in this stripped down, solo live performance. Idiot Prayer was recorded at Alexandra Palace in London and was streamed globally to ticket holders online on July 23, 2020.
1. Hum – InletI am obsessed with this moody, brooding, sonic masterpiece. When I found myself in the emergency department because of an intractable migraine, this was one of the albums that soothed me. It’s so easy to get lost in Inlet. I was particularly drawn to “In the Den” with the lyric “Find me here on the ground and in need of you” and wishing that my partner could be by my side. But that’s life during a pandemic.
Morrissey – I Am Not a Dog On a Chain (Yes. I’m just as confused as you that this isn’t in my top albums. It starts out strong and then just peters out.)
Taylor Swift – evermore (Yes. I’m just as confused as you that this is in my honorable mention section. It might even bump out one of my top ten albums! Why? Because this is basically an album by The National with Taylor Swift. Aaron Dessner of The National co-produced both of Swift’s 2020 album releases. In the past, I’ve tried to get into Taylor Swift, but had no luck. This time, I was like, “She does a song with The National? I gotta hear it.” So I did. I listened to “Coney Island” and then I listened to the whole album. And then I listened to the whole album again. And I’m in love. Particularly with “Champagne Problems.”
Pop Culture Omnivore 