End of The Year: Best of Women’s 2020
End of The Year: Best of Women’s 2020
Albums and Producers
By Isobel Mcleod
After this crazy, pretty ridiculous year, an end of the year list wouldn’t be complete without a Covid mention. It has created unprecedented challenges for the music industry as a whole, removing gigs, festivals, closing studios and putting a halt on releases. However, out of this shit storm there have been amazing displays of creativity throughout the year from live streams, virtual festivals and bedroom production. This demonstrates the ingenuity and strength of the music industry and communities within this which deserves an applause (but christ I hope it goes back to normal soon.) One shining example of this has to be Charli XCX’s ‘how I’m feeling now’ bringing together a DIY process with fans, creating the album in just 6 weeks and epitomising many people’s lockdown experiences.
The year has bought many highlights for women in music, for me, the commercial success of Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘WAP’ is up there. An unapologetic reclamation of female sexuality in a time where it is often profited off, but not by women themselves. It celebrates sexuality in a fun way, the video is great, yet Biffy Clyro still had the audacity to attempt it. However jokey, this one isn’t for you boys.
Below are my albums of the year, in no particular order, but all of them are brilliantly innovative and what I thought to be exciting releases. Kelly Lee Owens, Yaeji and Park Hye Jin are all doing really cool things in electronic music. Park Hye Jin gained a real name and acclaim this year with her experimental mini album merging house and techno beats underneath her unrelenting monotone.
Porridge Radio similarly seemed to do really well with their releases this year, with an upcoming headline UK tour next year, hopefully. Their album ‘Every Bad’ providing a bit of variation within the burgeoning post-punk scene which can get pretty repetitive.
A 2020 list, especially for women, almost has to include ‘Punisher’ and ‘Fetch the Bolt Cutters’, both phenomenal albums that captured the hearts and minds of critics, and twitter. I didn’t think on first listen that I’d get caught by ‘Punisher’ as much as I have, I could listen to ‘I Know The End’ on repeat, and definitely have. Fiona Apple’s ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’ is introspective, clever and marked a wonderful return to music.
After rediscovering my love for Soko earlier this year, the new release was the cherry on top. Retaining the sadness of ‘I Thought I Was An Alien’ and love stories of ‘My Dreams Dictate My Reality’, ‘Feel Feelings’ has actual range throughout the album without abandoning the languid, self-reflection that she has made her name on.
Marie Davidson’s project with L’Œil Nu is her first project after taking a break in 2019 following the success and non-stop touring of ‘Working Class Woman’. It combines the energy of her previous work with laidback funk, more suited to a cool bar than sweaty basement.
Habibi’s album is not the most imaginative, but it’s such a great listen, it blends summery melodies, psychedelia with a bit of garage rock. Despite it being over five years since the debut, it’s like they never left.
Top 10 albums
Kelly Lee Owens: Inner Song (Smalltown Supersound)
Yaeji: WHAT WE DREW (XL)
Charli XCX: how I’m feeling now (Atlantic)
Soko: Feel Feelings (Because Music/Babycat)
Phoebe Bridgers: ‘Punisher’ (Dead Oceans)
Park Hye Jin: How Can I (Ninja Tunes)
Fiona Apple: Fetch The Bolt Cutters (Epic Records)
Porridge Radio: Every Bad (Secretly Canadian)
Habibi: Anywhere But here (Muddguts)
Marie Davidson: Renegade Breakdown (Ninja Tune)
Women in sound are the often-forgotten pioneers of the music world. After chatting to Hachiku, who also released a great album this year, she told me about the women in sound zine that showcases female producers, mixers and engineers. I don’t know enough about the world of women on the production side, but I just wanted to highlight five women this year who are doing amazing things in sound, and paving the way for more women in this unbelievably male dominated side of the music industry.
Marta Salogni
Based in London, but with Italian Roots, Marta Salogni has an incredible list of people she’s worked with from Bjork, MIA, FKA Twigs to Frank Ocean. This year has been no exception, she produced and mixed Dream Wife’s ‘So When You Gonna…’ album; Porridge Radio’s ‘7 Seconds’ single; The Orielles and mixed Daniel Avery, Groove Armada and many other big names.
Mandy Parnell
Also based in London, at her Black Saloon Studio, Mandy Parnell is a very experienced mastering engineer with 24 years of experience. She also has a major discography behind her with electronic legends Aphex Twin, Bjork and Brian Eno. This year she mastered Daniel Avery and Allesandro Cortini’s album ‘Illusion of Time’ as well as CocoRosie’s ‘Put The Shine On’ and others.
Laura Sisk
Based in the US, Laura Sisk is an Engineer with a whole host of awards behind her, like a Grammy for Taylor Swift’s 1989. Laura is the engineer behind Lana Del Rey’s masterpiece ‘Norman Fucking Rockwell’ and this year engineered ‘Violet Bent Backwards Over The Grass’ which seems to have disappeared from Spotify. As well as Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ and ‘Evermore’ which have been massive this year. Last year she did FKA Twig’s incredible album ‘Magdalene’.
WondaGurl
(A.K.A Ebony Oshunrinde) Beginning in Toronto, WondaGurl had made a name for herself before she’d even finished high school. Working with some of the biggest names in rap like Drake, Jay Z and Rihanna. Making beats and mixing, she has outlasted her early fame, continuing to produce major names within Rap and Hip-Hop. This year she produced Kid Cudi’s album, Pop Smoke, and Don Toliver and worked with the London’s growing name, Headie One.
Emily Lazar
Emily Lazar founded and is the chief mastering engineer at The Lodge, an audio mastering facility that has been going in Greenwich Village in New York since 1997. She has a rich past, working on over 3000 albums and being the first female mastering engineer to win a Grammy for Best Engineered Album for Beck’s 2017 album ‘Colors’. This year she has mastered and engineers a wide range of albums including Haim’s ‘Women in Music, Pt.3’, Hinds’ ‘The Prettiest Curse’ as well as The Struts, Depeche Mode and Morrissey.
Here’s to a new year with more fun and more gigs. With the nightmare that is Brexit, it will make it even harder for bands to tour across Europe, so give the petition to provide a free cultural work permit a sign here!
