2020 is nearly over. Whew. As we wipe the sweat from our brow and lace up our boots for 2021, it’s time to take a look back and make note of the records that got us through the year. Here’s a list of some of our favorite records of 2020. These aren’t necessarily our bestsellers, although there is plenty of crossover. We’re extremely grateful to all the folks that bought (and listened!) to records this year. I’m sure we’ve left some out, so this list may be an evolving, living thing.

You can purchase most of these titles in our brick-and-mortar shop in downtown Oxford or from our online shop right here.

We’ve also created a 12 hour long playlist featuring tracks from this list, and if you’d like to support the artists directly we’ve compiled a Bandcamp list of these titles.

In no particular order…

–Alabaster DePlume “To Cy & Lee: Instrumentals Vol. 1” (International Anthem)
–Bob Dylan “Rough and Rowdy Ways” (Columbia)
–Fiona Apple “Fetch the Bolt Cutters” (Epic)
–Jeff Parker “Suite for Max Brown” (International Anthem)
–Peel Dream Magazine “Agitprop Alterna” (Slumberland)


–Moaning “Uneasy Laughter” (Sub Pop)
–Run the Jewels “RTJ4” (BMG)
–Thurston Moore “By the Fire” (Daydream Library)
–Bill Callahan “Gold Record” (Drag City)
–Optic Sink s/t (GONER)
–Stephen Malkmus “Traditional Techniques” (Matador)
–Kevin Morby “Sundowner” (Dead Oceans)
–Bonus “IIII” and “Palms” (Muscle Beach)
–Dent May “Late Checkout” (Carpark)
–Rev. John Wilkins “Trouble” (GONER)
–Bent Arcana (Castle Face)
–Thundercat “It is what it is” (Brainfeeder)
–Mary Lattimore “Silver Ladders” (Ghostly)
–William Tyler “First Cow” and “New Vanitas” (Merge)


–Emma Swift “Blonde on the Tracks” (self released)
–Yaeji “What We Drew” (XL)
–HUM “Inlet” (Earth Analog)
–Phoebe Bridgers “Punisher” (Dead Oceans)
–Moses Sumney “grae” (Jagjaguwar)
–Waxahatchee “Saint Cloud” (Merge)
–Don Bryant “You Make Me Feel” (Fat Possum)
–Sun Ra Arkestra “Swirling” (Strut/Art Yard)

 


–Tyler Keith “The Last Drag” (Black and Wyatt)
–Nick Cave “Idiot Prayer” LP and video stream (Bad Seed LTD)
–Anohni “It’s All Over Now Baby Blue” 7-inch single (Secretly Canadian)
–North Americans “Roped In” (Third Man)

Some of our favorite reissues:
–Hi-Tide Groove: DJ’s Choice 1969-1981 (Fat Possum)
–Water Liars “Roll On” (self released/Bandcamp)
–Harry Smith B-Sides box set (Dust-to-Digital)
–PYLON “PYLON BOX” and vinyl reissues (New West)
–Neil Young “Homegrown” (Reprise)

-“Strum & Thrum: The American Jangle Underground 1983-1987″ (Captured Tracks)

–Brother Theotis Taylor (Mississippi Records)
–Prince “Sign o the times” DELUXE Box Set (Rhino)
–Hiroshi Yoshimuri “GREEN” (Light in the Attic)
–Jimi Hendrix Experience “Live in Maui” LP + DVD (Legacy)
–Thelonious Monk “Palo Alto” (Impulse!)
–Sven Wunder “Wabi Sabi” (Light in the Attic)
–Jonathan Richman “I, Jonathan” (Craft Recordings)
–Jon Hassell “Vernal Equinox” (Ndeya)

–John Prine plethora of vinyl reissues: “Live”, Atlantic and Asylum box sets, “Souvenirs”

–Sun Ra vinyl reissues “Fireside Chat with Lucifer” and “Celestial Love” (Sundazed)
-Jazzman “Spiritual Jazz Vol. XII: Impulse!“
–Endless Boogie “The Gathered and Scattered” demos/rehearsals/jams 4LP box set (No Quarter)
–Widespread Panic “Coconut” 7-inch single (self released)
–George Jackson “In Memphis” (Ace/Kent)

–Eno/Cale “Wrong Way Up” (All Saints)

–Blue Note Tone Poet Series: McCoy Tyner, Lee Morgan, Duke Pearson, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Smith, Bobby Hutcherson
-“The Last Shall Be First: The JCR Records Story Vol. 1″ (Bible & Tire)
–PJ Harvey vinyl reissues (Island)
Record Store Day releases we loved:
–The Cure “Bloodflowers” pic disc (Fiction)
–Willie Nelson “Red Headed Stranger: Live from Austin City Limits” (Columbia)
–Sun Ra “Egypt 1971” (Strut)
–Galaxie 500 “Copenhagen” (20/20/20)
–Uncle Tupelo “Live at Lounge Ax” (dBpm Records)

–The Violets “Athens, GA 1988-1992” (Crooked Beat)

–Booker T. & the M.G.’s “McLemore Ave: 50th Anniversary” (Craft Recordings)
–Dinosaur Jr. “Swedish Fist: Live in Stockholm” (Cherry Red)
–The Wild Tchoupitoulas s/t LP (Jackpot)
–Karen Dalton “It’s So Hard To Tell…” (Capitol)
–Big K.R.I.T. “TDT” (BMG)
–Drive-By Truckers “Plan 9 Records July 13, 2006” bootleg style LP (New West)