So let’s get this out of the way. 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year. A worldwide pandemic shut everything down. A contentious Presidential election tore apart friends and families. Race and sexual identity issues became online litmus tests. Everybody was angry.

Putting together this year’s list then became a tougher task than usual. The initial list for this task included almost 100 records, and the pairing down included cutting out quite a few artists that routinely end up in the upper portion in a typical year. Elvis Costello’s new album didn’t make the cut. Nor did the 2020 records by Bruce Springsteen, Steve Earle, or Chuck Prophet. Even the surprisingly great reunion records by Wire, Close Lobsters, and the Psychedelic Furs were reluctantly dismissed.

This week’s episode of The Ledge is a reverse order, Casey Kasem-ish countdown show featuring a track from each of these albums. After listening, please go purchase those albums or tracks you enjoy! These great artists deserve to be compensated for their hard work, and every purchase surely helps not only pay their bills but fund their next set of wonderful songs.