With coronavirus concerns leading to the cancellation of so many major concerts, music fans might want to use the free time to catch up on listening to some new releases.
Here are five of our favorite albums released in 2020:
"Always Tomorrow," Best Coast
The Los Angeles duo was among the most consistently entertaining recording acts of the last decade, having scored high marks with each of its three studio offerings of original material _ the 2010 debut "Crazy for You," 2012's "The Only Place" and 2015's "California Nights."
Now, Best Coast _ which consists of duo, consisting of vocalist-guitarist Bethany Cosentino and guitarist Bobb Bruno _ returns with its first album in five years and it's another winner.
The band remains proudly, and quintessentially, SoCal on "Always Tomorrow" as it serves up wave after wave of its patented mix of surf rock, indie-pop and Go-Go's-friendly new wave. Yet, there's undoubtedly more of an edge to this collection than usual, as if Costentino is coming to the realization that all that glitters is not gold.
Try this track: "Different Light"
"Half Moon Light," Lone Bellow
The acclaimed Nashville-based band _ consisting trio of lead vocalist Zach Williams, guitarist Brian Elmquist and multi�instrumentalist Kanene Donehey Pipkin _ has delivered its best album to date "Half Moon Light."
With sage guidance from National's Aaron Dessner, who produced the album, Lone Bellow has turned its back its signature indie-folk sound way down, while cranking up the roots-rock and alt-country. Fans of Wilco, Jason Isbell, Avett Brothers, Bruce Springsteen and, not surprisingly, the National fans will definitely want to give this a try.
Try this track: "Good Times"
"Citizen of Heaven," Tauren Wells
The Grammy-nominated Michigan native continues to impress on this follow-up to "Hills and Valleys," the 2017 full-length debut that reached No. 5 on the charts and delivered a half-dozen singles. "Citizen of Heaven" just sparkles with slick R&B grooves, cool pop melodies and great vocal work from this rising star in the contemporary Christian music world.
Try this track: "Citizen of Heaven" (title track)
"Hotspot," Pet Shop Boys
The legendary synth-pop act, best known for the '80s smashes "West End Girls," "It's a Sin" and (best of all) "Always on My Mind," sounds pretty strong on its 14th studio album. There are several high-energy dance-floor numbers, but Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe actually deliver their best work on the slower/mid-tempo cuts.
Try this track: "You are the one"
"Circles," Mac Miller
The posthumously released 12-track collection moving and convincingly illustrates how much the music world lost when this hip-hop star died at the age of 26 in 2018. There's a definite lo-fi vibe to the production, which serves to further highlight Miller's brilliance on the microphone.
Try this track: "Circles" (title track)
