5 years in music: 2020 — 2024
What a time to be alive, huh? I’m not going to attempt to eulogise the first half of this decade from either a personal nor a collective viewpoint. I was there, you were there; we know. So let’s just focus on the music. At the end of the 2010’s I decided to round off the decade with 20 of the best albums across 5 loosely defined genres — Pop/R’n’B, Alternative & Rock, Electronic & Experimental, Folk/Blues and Hip Hop/Grime. Check those out if you’re interested — I hope to do something similar at the end of the 2020s too. But as we’re approaching the halfway mark of the 2020’s in December I thought there might be a fun way to check in on this midpoint.
Hence ‘The Milieu Music Awards’ (milieu is also French for middle…very clever, I know) Some of the categories are ones you’d expect to see — Best Album, Best Song, Best of various genres — but I’ve also tried to include some different ones in the mix too; like Best Non-English Language Album, Best Artwork, Best Producer and more fun ones. For each award I’ll briefly touch on why the nominees deserve to be there before crowning the winner via a panel of esteemed judges (me, home alone on my laptop) Enjoy, and feel free to skip to ones that interest you most using the contents below:
The Categories
☆ Best Debut Album
☆ Best Hip Hop Album
☆ The MVP Award
☆ Best R’n’B/Neo-Soul Album
☆ Best Nu Jazz/Fusion Album
☆ Best Music Video of the Half-Decade
☆ Best Electronic Album
☆ Best Non-English Language Album
☆ Best Song of the Half-Decade
☆ Best Alternative/Rock Album
☆ Best UK Rap Album
☆ Best Producer of the Half-Decade
☆ Best Folk Album
☆ Best Pop Album
☆ Best Newcomer Award
☆ Best Metal/Extreme Music Album
☆ Best Feature of the Half-Decade
☆ Best Album of the Half-Decade
☆ Best Score/OST Album
☆ Best Album Artwork
Best Debut Album
As I look back over the last 5 years, I’d say that my tastes have definitely skewed more towards records from artists that have already established themselves to an extent. Is this a reflection of me getting old, and moving away from the chaotic ritual of an artist’s opening statement? I’m hoping the answer is No… but below are the ones that really caught my attention from the get-go:
The Nominees:
- Genesis Owusu — Smiling With No Teeth (2021)
- Black Country, New Road — For The First Time (2021)
- Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul — Topical Dancer (2021)
- Dijon — Absolutely (2021)
- Fred Again.. — Actual Life (2021)
- Ethel Cain — Preacher’s Daughter (2022)
- Gabriels — Angels & Queens (2023)
- Overmono — Good Lies (2023)
- The Last Dinner Party — Prelude To Ecstasy (2024)
- Friko — Where we’ve been, Where we go from here (2024)
The Winner:
From Ghanaian-Australian virtuoso Genesis Owusu to Belgian dance power-duo Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul there was new talent coming from all over the world in the early ’20s. In the US, trans artist Ethel Cain made her star powerfully known, while Chicago’s Friko reminded us of the power of emo-rock. Here in the UK brothers Tom and Ed Russell (Overmono) made good on years of banging singles while The Last Dinner Party showed all the cliched indie blokes how it’s done. But one debut album has had me captivated since the day it came out:
☆ Dijon — Absolutely
As I write this I still believe that it’s been 3 full years since I first heard this stunning debut. I recently got hold of the vinyl from the US and it’s like hearing it anew all over again. The Springsteen-esque adventure, the Vernon-like emotion. I still shed a tear when ‘Rodeo Clown’ plays, too.
Best Hip Hop Album
Those who know me will already be well acquainted with my opinion on how great hip hop has been in recent years. It’s an unconquerable hydra because even when charts look elsewhere for the big successes; scores of underground talents rise up to fill the space and find new ways to instil us with wonder and awe. The 2010s were rap’s second Golden Age, but 2020 onwards has been a fascinating period of evolution and change, and I think this list reflects that.
The Nominees:
- Run The Jewels — RTJ 4 (2020)
- Baby Keem — The Melodic Blue (2021)
- Kanye West — Donda (2021)
- Tyler, the Creator — Call Me If You Get Lost (2021)
- Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers (2022)
- JID — The Forever Story (2022)
- Denzel Curry — Melt My Eyez See Your Future (2022)
- JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown — Scaring The Hoes (2023)
- Travis Scott — Utopia (2023)
- ScHoolboy Q — Blue Lips (2024)
The Winner:
Yes, there is a notable lack of Drake in the list, despite the fact he released 5 full-length projects in the period; not to mention scores of loosies and features. But I’d be here telling you his reign (at least in terms of quality) has ended even if he hadn’t just been decimated in the most public rap beef since…the last time he lost one. The rest of the 2010’s Big 3? J. Cole focused his most creative talents on the feature game to stunning effect and Kendrick delivered the most emotionally-bare offering hip hop has ever seen. But most thrillingly we saw the evolution of younger acts like Tyler, the Creator and Travis Scott continue to push envelopes and ascend. While the protégés of Cole (JID) and Kendrick (Baby Keem) made undeniable stakes to the throne. I could barely keep up. But the winner for me, somehow, still managed to be:
☆ Kanye West — Donda
In what would— crushingly — be his final coherent statement before divorce, anti-semitism and mental health would get the better of him, and he finally relinquished his 20-year focus on creative quality. But today let’s remember this colossal pyre to his mother for what it was: a masterpiece.
Read what I had to say here, when I put Donda in my Top 3 albums of 2021
The MVP Award
I thought a decade mid-point awards show was the perfect opportunity to look back on some of the heroes of the last 5 years in my musical fandom. God knows that with each passing month there was a fresh disappointment, a new crushing let-down, and sometimes it felt like having heroes was a fool’s game. But the following 10 names all inspired and excited me in different ways and I really look up to them for that.
The Nominees:
- Charli xcx
- Childish Gambino
- J. Cole
- JPEGMAFIA
- Kendrick Lamar
- Little Simz
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Nas
- Nick Cave
- The Weeknd
The Winner:
Just look at that bunch. Childish Gambino became even more the polymath he was last decade. Megan Thee Stallion stood up to her attacker and scores of toxic men online. Nick Cave continued his ruminations on grief, even as tragedy struck a second time. Nas similarly enjoyed a late-career high as he turned 50 while UK artists Charli xcx and Little Simz both respectively stopped waiting and seized the crowns they’ve long deserved. But only one person did all that and more:
☆ Kendrick Lamar
Name another artist who, after a gold, a platinum and two triple-platinum albums, one superhero soundtrack, one Pulitzer prize and two children decides to make a therapy album? Not only did Lamar deliver a searingly honest portrayal of the impact of sex addiction and generational trauma on his young family; but he did it while making it sound so good. Other than Mr Morale.. he also found time to leave TDE and start his own record label, team up with cousin Baby Keem to make several of the most fun songs of the decade and of course, topple the lame prince of streaming in the process. That final point is a conversation for the end of the year, but suffice it to say: I’d never been quite so excited not only to be a Kendick Lamar fan, but of hip hop at large. Phew.
Best R’n’B/Neo-Soul Album
One of the most fascinating areas of music to follow across the past half-decade has been this one. Five years ago, when attempting to wrap up the best albums of the 2010s, I grouped R’n’B in together with pop music. Back then, with the advent of a certain Frank Ocean; it felt like the pop music landscape was being swallowed wholesale by neo-soul voices. Now, midway through the 2020s it feels like the distinction is back; and there are some captivating things happening album to album.
The Nominees:
- Lianne La Havas — Lianne La Havas (2020)
- SAULT — Untitled (Black Is/Rise) (2020)
- Jazmine Sullivan — Heaux Tales (2021)
- serpentwithfeet — Deacon (2021)
- SZA — SOS (2022)
- Corinne Bailey Rae — Black Rainbows (2023)
- Kelela — Raven (2023)
- Gabriels — Angels & Queens (2023)
- Jalen Ngonda — Come Around and Love Me (2023)
- Sampha — Lahai (2023)
The Winner:
One of the coolest things that happened were folky songstresses like Lianne La Havas and Corinne Bailey Rae taking bold leaps into the unknown sounds of psychedelic soul to career-defining results. Shadowy London collective SAULT kicked off an era of dominance with 2 albums in 2020 of smoky R’n’B and the great Sampha returned with a sophomore 6 year’s worth the wait. The spirit of 90s/00s R’n’B lived on and was evolved by the likes of Jazmine Sullivan, Kelela but most excitingly of all:
☆ serpentwithfeet — Deacon
Ever since his ground-breaking 2016 debut EP it‘s been clear serpentwithfeet was meant for greatness. He’d go on to work with artists as varied as Björk, Mick Jenkins, Moby and Kanye West but his second full-length LP was the crowning jewel. A truly sacred display of proud, black, gay love that nods to R’n’B past, present and future.
Here’s what I made of it at the time, in my Top 25 albums of 2021
Best Nu Jazz/Fusion Album
At the end of the 2020s, I didn’t even have a category like this. Maybe there was less of it around but more likely; I lacked the musical literacy to really connect with these type of sounds — with Oddisee’s The Odd Tape probably being the closest I got. But over the last five years I’ve felt truly spoiled by the vibrant, adventurous and out-there music.
The Nominees:
- Moses Boyd — Dark Matter (2020)
- Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes — What Kinda Music (2020)
- Duval Timothy — Help (2020)
- Alfa Mist — Bring Backs (2021)
- BADBADNOTGOOD — Talk Memory (2021)
- Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra — Promises (2021)
- Nala Sinephro — Space 1.8 (2021)
- Sons Of Kemet — Black to the Future (2021)
- Sault — Air (2022)
- Kamasi Washington — Fearless Movement (2024)
The Winner:
How full of pride I am to see 8 out of 10 of the nominations hailing from the UK (mostly London) — clearly nu jazz is one of our best exports right now and thank god we can offer something decent to the world stage! The outlier of course is the legendary Kamasi Washington who continues to drive the genre into bold new spaces. I could have chosen a Sault album which better fit the mould but their modern-classical, choral masterpiece Air had to fit somewhere. Duval Timothy would go on to help craft the introspective sounds of Kendrick’s last album while Sons Of Kemet drummer Tom Skinner would go on to join 2/5 of Radiohead as The Smile. Clearly; the genre is growing. But one title reached a higher plane:
☆ Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra — Promises
Who knew Manchester’s Samuel Shepherd would step out from a decade of post-dubstep pioneering to work with jazz saxophone legend Pharaoh Saunders for his very final album, a year before his death? It’s almost like a fairy tale — and the music suits perfectly. A crushingly beautiful ebb and flow carried by the strings of the London Symphony Orchestra. In 2023, Shepherd (along with Four Tet and Caribou) put on a one-off performance of the album in full at the Hollywood Bowl, with Shabaka Hutchings (Sons of Kemet) replacing the late Saunders. Watching the recordings, it was clearly a ‘one of those shows’ moment that will never be repeated; turning this stunning piece of music into the eulogy for the saxophonist’s great life.
Best Music Video of the Half-Decade
I was in two minds about doing this category. On the one hand, it felt churlish to do a music awards thing without a music video section. But on the other — most of the videos I called to mind that left an impact on me were pre-2020 for some reason. But then when I started looking back I realised I was wrong; and that there were plenty of amazing clips to choose from. Here are 10.
The Nominees
- ‘WAP’ by Cardi B & Megan Thee Stallion (2020)
- ‘Idontknow’ by Jamie xx (2020)
- ‘Family Ties’ by Baby Keem & Kendrick Lamar (2021)
- ‘Montero (Call Me By Your Name)’ by Lil Nas X (2021)
- ‘Introvert’ by Little Simz (2021)
- ‘Stained Materials’ by Blackhaine (2022)
- ‘The Heart Part 5’ by Kendrick Lamar (2022)
- ‘Sorry Not Sorry’ by Tyler, the Creator (2023)
- ‘Jenn’s Terrific Vacation’ by Danny Brown (2023)
- ‘Tailor Swif’ by A$AP Rocky (2024)
The Winner:
First and foremost; if you think WAP isn’t both a great song and a great video then you’re lying to yourself. The best part though perhaps being the moralistic panic it incurred. Speaking of which: see also Montero which gave me so much life. Try as I might, I couldn’t avoid Kendrick appearing twice in the list; once the kickass team-up with his younger cousin, and again with a breath-taking use of deepfake video on his solo cut. UK acts Little Simz and Blackhaine both delivered powerfully artistic displays while Tyler and Rocky made pieces brimming with fun. But my favourite:
☆ ‘Idontknow’ by Jamie xx
The story goes: Jamie Smith saw Belfast dancer and choreographer Oona Doherty perform and reached out for her to make a video for him. She sent clips of her and her friends dancing to the song and he was sold. She ended up co-directing the video and shooting it in one take the night before Belfast went into its first lockdown. Her movements are raw, unmeasured, primal at points — all sensations I remember the song giving me as we had to shut ourselves away. A huge departure from the big budget, Romain Gavras-directed Gosh but somehow just as impactful.
Best Electronic Album
As one of my longest-standing favourite forms of music; I made the decision early on not to get too bogged down in classification. Which is to say, I’m using ‘Electronic’ here to describe music among the nominees that includes ambient, bass, drone, dub, techno, trance, house, glitch, EDM, IDM, synth-pop, industrial, noise, deconstructed club, DnB, garage, experimental and everything in between. Perhaps, the 2010s had more landmark albums in the space while the last 5 years has had more impact from individual songs, but as you’ll see — there was still so much to love.
The Nominees:
- Against All Logic (Nicolas Jaar) — 2017–2019 (2020)
- Fred Again.. — Actual Life (2021)
- Gazelle Twin & NYX — Deep England (2021)
- Koreless — Agor (2021)
- Sega Bodega — Romeo (2021)
- brakence — hypochondriac (2022)
- Kai Whiston — Quiet as Kept, F.O.G. (2022)
- Headache (Vegyn) — The Head Hurts But The Heart Knows The Truth (2023)
- James Blake — Playing Robots Into Heaven (2023)
- Caribou — Honey (2024)
The Winner:
It is worth noting, I think, that of the 10 nominees here, 8 have appeared in my Top 10 albums of their respective years — and the other 2 were only missing because I didn’t discover them until their year ends! 4 of the albums here have appeared in Top 5s; such is the calibre on display. Those 2 were Sega Bodega’s beautiful sophomore where every song is stunning but the SOPHIE tribute hits especially hard. The other was hypochondriac by brakence, which is still now in the process of rewiring my brain. Gazelle Twin connecting with drone choir NYX to reimagine her England-as-Hell concept album still haunts me while Nicolas Jaar and James Blake continued their supremacy. Caribou’s previous album 2020’s Suddenly was on this list until this month, when its predecessor blew it out the water and took its place. And of course the 2020’s have been Fred again..’s to do with as he pleases. But the project that stopped me in my tracks most was:
☆ Headache — The Head Hurts But The Heart Knows The Truth
I used to espouse all the ways in which electronic music could convey such great emotion with no lyrics at all; but here I am crowning the best of the half-decade to a project full to bursting with words; and all performed by the voice of an A.I. I’m still processing this; but I know that Vegyn and poet Francis Hornsby Clark achieved something brand new and completely singular here, and for that reason it takes the prize.
This was my #1 favourite album of 2023! Read my write-up here
Best Non-English Language Album
I am keen for this category not to be seen as a ‘genre’ one like hip hop or jazz. Instead, I see it as a way to shine a spotlight on some of the varied and amazing albums that I’ve enjoyed these past few years which have nothing in common with one another other than their lack of English lyrics. I loved compiling the shortlist but couldn’t help mourn the languages that haven’t appeared — German, Polish, Italian, Afrikaans, Mandarin and so many more. Something to aim for before the end of the ’20s.
The Nominees:
- Al Nather & Shabjdeed — Sindibad el Ward (2020) Arabic (Palestine)
- Ichiko Aoba — Windswept Adan (2020) Japanese
- Arooj Aftab — Vulture Prince (2021) Urdu
- Parannoul (파란노을) — To See The Next Part Of The Dream (2021) Korean
- Rosalía — MOTOMAMI (2022) Spanish
- Stromae — Multitude (2022) Belgian-French
- Bad Bunny — Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana (2023) Spanish
- Yaeji — With a Hammer (2023) Korean
- Sofia Kourtesis — Madres (2023) Spanish
- Gwendoline — C’est à moi ça (2024) French
The Winner:
For all the reasons I noted about the nominations not having anything in common; this was a very tricky one to crown a winner. The urgency of Palestinian producer/rapper duo Al Nather & Shabjdeed tuned me into the fight over there long before the genocide we see now. Similarly; I was transported by Arooj Aftab’s songs of Urdu chamber folk and Ichiko Aoba’s mystical Japanese spirit journey. I obsessed over Stromae’s mental health journey (some of which I could follow without Google Translate!) and had endless fun to Rosalía’s pop behemoth. In the end, I simply reverted to the album which I played the most for a winner:
☆ Bad Bunny — Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana
I loved Bad Bunny’s X 100PRE debut and the follow-up YHLQMDLG but he kind of lost me after that — I think I missed the darker sound of his early releases which he departed from after the sophomore. Queue Nadie Sabe…which to my ears initially struck me as the Puerto Rican If You’re Reading This It’s Too Late. Icy, menacing but crucially exhilarating throughout.
I loved this so much that it made my Top 10 albums of 2023; read more
Best Song of the Half-Decade
If you’re reading this from start to finish; you have waited long enough for one of the big-hitter awards — Song of the Half-Decade. I love this category at the end of every year because it gives me a chance to shine light on some absolute gems that may have been obscured by more average songs within the context of the album. Or, of course, those lightning-in-a-bottle moments that never made it to a full-length at all. If you take one thing from this piece — just listen to the following 10 songs.
The Nominees:
- ‘After Hours’ by The Weeknd (2020)
- ‘Lingo Starr’ by tobi lou (2020)
- ‘Over’ by Lucky Daye (2021)
- ‘Marea (We’ve Lost Dancing)’ by Fred again.. (2021)
- ‘Happier Than Ever’ by Billie Eilish (2021)
- ‘There’d Better Be A Mirrorball’ by Arctic Monkeys (2022)
- ‘Glimpse Of Us’ by Joji (2022)
- ‘Basketball Shoes’ by Black Country, New Road (2022)
- ‘A&W’ by Lana Del Rey (2023)
- ‘Not Like Us’ by Kendrick Lamar (2024)
The Winner:
Let’s be real for a minute — much of this list is tainted by the unexpected end to my marriage in 2022. It’s ok; I am aware of the Divorced Energy. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve cried watching the live version of “Your generous loan to me / your crippling interest” from BC,NR and I am not ashamed to admit it. Ditto to the Joji song, which was a surprise entry to one of the most beautiful break-up songs of all time. Arctic Monkeys caught me off guard in the same way. So much poise, so much sadness. If we’re talking great songs on middling albums, The Weeknd’s title track is the ultimate candidate. I’ve grown on the album since but that song is possibly the best he’s ever made. And while I’m sick of it now Fred again.. really did make the ultimate lockdown song which has to be recognised. But for the winner, I’ve chosen the most fun, upbeat song on the list:
☆ ‘Lingo Starr’ by tobi lou
‘Lingo Starr’ was released on streaming as an EP, splitting the song into 3 parts: ‘Return Of The Dragon’, ‘Strikes Back’ and ‘Drunken Master’ — but as the video shows, it’s really just one, 6 minute opus. I can still remember the first time I heard it; the immediate thought coming to mind being “This is it — this is the sound of the future of hip hop” As the years went by, things went in different directions and tobi continued to be something of an outlier — more’s the pity. But if you haven’t heard this, put it on loud and — along with vocal samples from The US Office, Drake and Pharrell Williams — hear him bubble out of the speakers like a liquid effervescent. He made a fan of me for decades to come.
Check out a playlist of 100 favourites I pulled together for this piece
Best Alternative/Rock Album
Interestingly, this was a category that got harder to pin down than when I collected my favourites from the 2010 decade. Back then, the embers of the late 00’s indie reign were still glowing. But fast forward to the ‘20s and its memory has long been extinguished. Instead, the last 5 years have been coloured by angular post-punk, glittering glam rock, psychedelic experimentation and god-fearing wrath. All being said — I love where alternative, guitar-based music is right now.
The Nominees:
- Yves Tumor — Heaven To A Tortured Mind (2020)
- Fontaines D.C. — A Hero’s Death (2020)
- Nick Cave & Warren Ellis — Carnage (2021)
- Dijon — Absolutely (2021)
- Low — HEY WHAT (2021)
- Turnstile — GLOW ON (2021)
- Nilüfer Yanya — PAINLESS (2022)
- The Smile — A Light for Attracting Attention (2022)
- Black Country, New Road — Ants From Up There (2022)
- HMLTD — The Worm (2023)
The Winner:
Let’s clear the air first: any of the 3 Fontaines D.C. albums released in the period could have made the list — AHD just happens to be my favourite. What a band. No Radiohead album for 8 years but The Smile have absolutely scratched that itch for me. What would turn out to be the final Low album before the tragic passing of Mimi Parker absolutely deserves a spot. Turnstile made me critically reevaluate punk rock, Yves Tumor emerged as the new Bowie and Nilüfer Yanya as the new PJ Harvey. Hardest of all not to crown winner was Nick Cave — and the only reason I didn’t is because I see all his post-2010 work as one body; too difficult to single certain albums out. Therefore, the best rock album of last 5 years has to be:
☆ Black Country, New Road — Ants From Up There
When this came out in February 2022 it had been exactly 1 year since the band released their frantic and frenetic debut album, which I absolutely loved. I wonder, then, if that might go some way to explain why it took a while for this one to click for me. Because sure — I admired it greatly on release but as the years went on, it built and built as one of my favourite albums ever. So many moments of excruciating vulnerability and heart-stopping instrumentation, from a band so young too. It’s a masterpiece.
Read what I wrote when I placed the album criminally only Top 15 in 2022
Best UK Rap Album
OK this category is a bit self-indulgent but a) it would have been such a shame for so many albums to go uncelebrated if I combined it with the Hip Hop award and b) this entire endeavour is the epitome of self-indulgence, so why not? Rap music coming out of the UK has only gone from strength to strength since the turn of the decade, with grime slowly morphing into what we now call drill; it’s allowed a truly mind-blowing sound to rise up in its place — one of instrumentality, experimentation and spirit. And it’s not just all London anymore either (although much of the nominations are) with amazing talent coming up from Coventry (Pa Salieu), Birmingham (Jaykae), Hull (Cheidu Oraka), Manchester (Bugzy Malone) and Liverpool (Aystar) just to name a few. So allow me this celebration.
The Nominees:
- Pa Salieu — Send Them To Coventry (2020)
- Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert (2021)
- Dave — We’re All Alone In This Together (2021)
- Loyle Carner — Hugo (2022)
- Jeshi — Universal Credit (2022)
- Knucks — Alpha Place (2022)
- CASISDEAD — Famous Last Words (2023)
- slowthai — UGLY (2023)
- KNEECAP — Fine Art (2024)
- Ghetts — On Purpose, With Purpose (2024)
The Winner:
This one was HARD! At this point Dave has become the crown prince of UK rap for me — he’s got the entire package. Loyle Carner and slowthai continued to push their sounds in gripping directions while newcomers Jeshi, Pa Salieu and Knucks all put their best feet forward. Comparative veterans Ghetts and the elusive CASISDEAD put out defining statements. And yes, I know, KNEECAP would not want to be on any list with ‘UK’ in its title but for now the album just has to be here. With all that being said though, there could only be one winner:
☆ Little Simz — Sometimes I Might Be Introvert
Not only is Simbi Abisola Abiola Ajikawo our best rapper, but she may also be the best act in the UK full-stop. Getting together with legendary producer Inflo to helm the whole project was a masterstroke, as was bringing in the voices of Cleo Sol, Obongjayar and British actor Emma Corrin for the interludes. But the album is unmistakably Simz’ vision; her defining statement to date and a blistering and uncompromising capital-A Album. She’s the very best we’ve got.
SIMBI made my Top 15 albums of 2021; read what I said back then here
Best Producer of the Half-Decade
The 2010s finally cemented the producer’s seat at the table in terms of the respect and accolades they’ve long deserved. Many of the beat-makers below have helped usher in a new era for double-headline albums, where their names are just as big a pulls as the vocalists. I tried to diversify the genres here but 80% of the nominees primarily make music in the hip hop landscape — that just happens to be where the excitement is for me. Yes I recognise the accomplishments of Jack Antonoff and Max Martin et al; but their music just isn’t as much to my tastes.
The Nominees:
- AG Cook (Charli xcx, Beyoncé, Caroline Polachek, Troye Sivan)
- The Alchemist (Earl Sweatshirt, Roc Marciano, Larry June, Boldy James)
- BNYX (Yeat, Drake, Travis Scott, Quavo)
- Conductor Williams (Westside Gunn, Boldy James, Drake, J. Cole)
- F1LTHY (Playboi Carti, Lil Yachty, Young Thug, Lucki)
- Hit-Boy (Nas, Big Sean, Benny The Butcher, The Game)
- Inflo (SAULT, Cleo Sol, Little Simz, Michael Kiwanuka, Adele)
- Kenny Beats (IDLES, Vince Staples, Denzel Curry, Slowthai)
- Metro Boomin (Future, 21 Savage, Travis Scott, The Weeknd, JID)
- Tony Seltzer (Wiki, MIKE, Ski Mask The Slump God, Princess Nokia)
The Winner:
Stiff competition here as legends like The Alchemist and Hit-Boy held on, while paving space for the Tony Seltzers and Kenny Beats of the world to come up in their wake. Metro Boomin continued the domination he began in the 2010s to stratospheric levels while the new school sound was dominated by glitchy punk aesthetics courtesy of BNYX and F1LTHY. Outside of hip hop, AG Cook carried the PC Music mantle left by SOPHIE’s passing and accomplished full pop infiltration. And the amazing Inflo carried Sault and Little Simz right into a spot on the last Adele album. But when I think of the 2020s sound so far, there’s one person who comes straight to mind:
☆ Conductor Williams
The Kansas City beatmaker first came to my attention with the continued rise of Griselda Records post-2020; in particular on Westside Gunn project Pray For Paris, Hermes 8 and 10 — in no small part due to him having the best producer tag in the game. He made incredible albums with other artists in the camp like Boldy James and Rome Streetz, but as the decade rolled on he ceased to be in-house only. Other artists wanted the sound — not least Drake; whose best song on FATD was on a Conductor beat. He’s since worked with Tyler, JID and J. Cole — proving that he’s here to stay.
Best Folk Album
This, for me, is one of the categories that remains most unchanged over the last 5, 15, even 25 years — and for that it remains an island of calm. Looking at the list of my favourite folk albums of the 2010s; the vibe and the feeling has remained consistent into this decade — hell even 3 of the same artists appear on the nominations below. But consistency doesn’t mean its power is dulled. As ever, the quietest music is often that which can leave the deepest impact on me; and that remains true across the folk albums of the 2020s so far.
The Nominees:
- Adrianne Lenker — songs (2020)
- Bob Dylan — Rough And Rowdy Ways (2020)
- Phoebe Bridgers — Punisher (2020)
- The Microphones — Microphones In 2020 (2020)
- Mustafa — When Smoke Rises (2021)
- Stephen Fretwell — Busy Guy (2021)
- Villagers — Fever Dreams (2021)
- Sufjan Stevens — Javelin (2023)
- Angelo De Augustine — Toil And Trouble (2023)
- Bill Ryder-Jones — Iechyd Da (2024)
The Winner:
The scary thing about Bob Dylan’s most recent LP of new music is how perfectly it would serve as his swan-song in its retrospective scope — a really special album. From an 82 year old to a 28 year old, Toronto’s Mustafa announced himself as a poet for the streets with hushed devotionals. Phil Elverum returned to The Microphones moniker for one, 44-min song only available on YouTube. The world fell in love with Phoebe Bridgers and not enough people Adrianne Lenker, whose solo work is better than Big Thief to my ears. When I came to choose the award winner, the obvious option was Sufjan Stevens for a possible career high with Javelin; an album bursting with feeling. It is the best album on this list. But one held more personal meaning to me, and that’s why it had to go to:
☆ Stephen Fretwell — Busy Guy
“A plain song brought you to your knees / And kind of chained you to a car in disbelief” so goes the opening line of this album. I know it inside out, because throughout the summer of 2022 I played this album on a loop every night as I tried to fall asleep, with no home, no work, just counting down days and nights until I’d be back with my daughter again. Fretwell, too, had gone through personal upheaval — returning to music after 15 years of family life resulted in the end of his own marriage. Who is to say if it was worth it; but I know that for me at least, I’m glad the record exists.
Best Pop Album
At the end of the 2010’s, I tied pop music in with R’n’B because — frankly — there wasn’t much of interest going on in the mainstream pop landscape. But how times have changed. It feels like the weirdos have forced the charts to come to them, without having to sacrifice any of their vision to fit the mould; and music is now so much better for it. So here is a collection of the greatest pop albums of the last 5 years.
The Nominees:
- Rina Sawayama — SAWAYAMA (2020)
- Jessie Ware — What’s Your Pleasure (2020)
- The Weeknd — Dawn FM (2021)
- Self Esteem — Prioritise Pleasure (2021)
- Lil Nas X — MONTERO (2021)
- Beyoncé — RENAISSANCE (2022)
- Romy — Mid Air (2023)
- Lana Del Rey — …Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023)
- Troy Sivan — Something To Give Each Other (2023)
- Charli xcx — Brat (2024)
The Winner:
Firstly I want to celebrate Clarence Clarity’s coup of breaking into the mainstream by helming the production on Rina Sawayama’s amazing album; what a result. The Weeknd finally lent fully into 80s pop and I finally gave in. Lil Nas X destroyed any one-hit-wonder speculation in daring fashion and Beyoncé reminded people that pop music started in the club. But — recency bias be damned — the half-decade in pop will forever be marked by:
☆ Charli xcx — Brat
I will try to keep this fairly brief, as I imagine I’ll be writing a lot more on this record come the end of 2024… but for now let’s just say that I haven’t had more fun listening to an album for literally years. It taught me how to let loose again and gave me a space to do it even at my ancient pedigree (I am a whole year older than Charli) Passed the memes and corny co-signs, everything everyone says about Brat… it’s just true.
Best Newcomer Award
This category is always a tricky one, because there are invariably people who say “You’ve only just got into [x]?!? I’ve been listening to them since their parents recorded their newborn babbles” And, well, that’s great. But to me the 10 acts in the list below have all made their big entrances at some point in the recent history (some obviously moreso than others) and I wanted to arbitrarily lump them in a category together basically just to say: These guys rule and I think their huge ‘Moment’ is going to happen before this decade is out.
The Nominees:
- Blackhaine
- brakence
- Cameo Blush
- Da Flyy Hooligan
- Doechii
- Dua Saleh
- Fari
- Florence Sinclair
- Jim Legxacy
- |||||||||||||||||||| (‘barcode’)
The Winner:
Almost didn’t want to give an award out for this one; because they’re all in such different places doing such different things. From Doechii who is exploding as we speak (while carrying TDE on her shoulders) to Fari who I just saw play upstairs in Brighton with her parents the other night (and who blew me away) Elsewhere Da Flyy Hooligan is like the UK Westside Gunn with Jim Legxacy the UK Weeknd (but both better), Germany’s |||||||||||||||||||| (pronounced ‘barcode’) is reconfiguring synthetic jazz on his own, and brakence announced himself as both my new favourite singer and producer before his 20th birthday. So I guess, in order to pick one from the bunch, I chose the person whose future I find it hardest to predict:
☆ Florence Sinclair
I first came across Florence Sinclair via Manchester’s Iceboy Violet (another incredible up’n comer) and was immediately plummeted into their mysterious world. Growing up between North London, Scunthorpe and Brighton, Sinclair’s pronouns are they/them and frequently wear high heels on stage. They seem to exist in the spaces between conventions around gender, sexuality, race and culture — forging a sound and a vibe that is unashamedly unique. If I had to give a touchpoint to help first time listeners, and maybe suggest Dean Blunt for the sonic experimentation and tendencies to subvert — but this would do them an injustice. Just listen to 2023 album departures, wonders & tears and submerge yourself into something totally unknowable.
Best Metal/Extreme Music Album
I have a running joke with my best mate, a life-long metalhead, that each year I dip my feet into ‘heavy’ music for just one album. But look James! I managed to scrape 10 together in 5 years! I really wanted to give this category its own award because — despite their low number — the albums on this left some of the most indelible marks on me this half-decade; and every time one of them first ‘clicked’ for me I was so excited to be getting it. I called it Metal/Extreme music largely because I lack the depth of vocabulary to accurately discuss the musical styles on this list and hoped that would cover it without annoying anyone. But extreme for me refers to a sound that exists outside of the traditional comfort zone.
The Nominees:
- Backxwash — I Lie Here Buried With My Rings And My Dresses (2021)
- Lingua Ignota — Sinner Get Ready (2021)
- The Armed — Ultrapop (2021)
- The Callous Daoboys — Celebrity Therapist (2022)
- White Ward — False Light (2022)
- Liturgy — 93696 (2023)
- HEALTH — Rat Wars (2023)
- Sleep Token — Take Me Back To Eden (2023)
- Model/Actriz — Dogsbody (2023)
- Foxing — Foxing (2024)
The Winner:
I’ll cut through it — this award had 3 frontrunners and it was really tough to choose between them. Yes, Ukraine’s mighty White Ward blew me away with their death metal and saxophones, longtime favourites HEALTH exited their collaboration period and put out their best work for ages and Sleep Token tapped into the dormant, melodramatic Hybrid Theory section of my brain. But the 3 that stood head and shoulders above the rest were Backxwash’s harrowing account of gender dysmorphia and religious persecution for it, Model/Actriz’s incendiary and horny debut album and, well:
☆ Lingua Ignota — Sinner Get Ready
I couldn’t give it to anyone but the woman now going by Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter. The Lingua Ignota journey is a path I don’t recommend to the weak-hearted. We now understand that Hayter was the victim of physical, emotional, sexual and psychological abuse in a past relationship; calling her music “survivor anthems” On earlier records this could sometimes engulf the music entirely — and understandably too. But on Sinner Get Ready it felt like she was commanding man’s evil with a deftness of touch; which translated into more musical poise. Tellingly it would be the conclusion of her moniker; moving on to religious focuses. But what a testament to survival the music is.
Read what I wrote in 2021 when Sinner Get Ready just missed by Top 10
Best Feature of the Half-Decade
The spirit of collaboration is alive and well in the 2020s. Team-ups in music give me that same childlike excitement I got from reading comic books when I was young. “They’ve joined forces?! Wow, that’s gonna be unstoppable” Yes, a lot of the nominees here are rappers rapping on another rappers’ rap songs — however; it’s not an exclusively hip hop category and there have been some amazing examples of worlds colliding.
The Nominees:
- Playboi Carti on ‘Off The Grid’ by Kanye West (2021)
- Danny Brown on ‘Gentleman (d0llywood1 Remix)’ by Doria Electra (2021)
- JID on ‘Home’ by Mike Dimes (2022)
- Flowdan on ‘Rumble’ by Skrillex & Fred again.. (2022)
- James Blake on ‘Til Further Notice’ by Travis Scott (2023)
- André 3000 on ‘Scientists & Engineers’ by Killer Mike (2023)
- Earl Sweatshirt on ‘plz don’t cut my wings’ by MIKE (2023)
- Kae Tempest on ‘Geronimo Blues’ by Speakers Corner Quartet (2023)
- Real Lies on ‘Purple Hearts’ by KETTAMA (2024)
- Kendrick Lamar on ‘Like That’ by Metro Boomin & Future (2024)
The Winner:
A lot of vocalists ‘phone in’ their features (hi, Travis Scott) and you get the sense they’re just there to collect a check. Not so for the MCs on this list — look at how Kendrick used his spot to nuke the hip hop landscape this year. The amazing Real Lies utilised the KETTAMA beat to bring their surreal nostalgia onto a higher ground and poet Kae Tempest gave us some of their most heart-stopping verses yet. James Blake elevated the closing song on UTOPIA and Danny Brown reminded us he can rap on anything. But for me, there was one performance I kept returning to:
☆ Playboi Carti on ‘Off The Grid’ by Kanye West
Playboi Carti dropped his polarising album Whole Lotta Red early on Christmas morning 2020, which was executive produced by Kanye West. This was the beginning of my fandom for the artist who up until that point was confounding to me. The punk aesthetics; restless, abrasive sonics and constant change in vocal style mesmerised me on that project; so that summer, when Kanye premiered Donda in various stadiums I was very excited to hear Carti’s shrill howl blare out the speakers. Much was said about the other feature on the song, from drill artist Fivio Foreign. This is great too — possibly a career high for the NY rapper and lyrically the best on the song. Carti, in comparison is all vibes no substance — but it’s the attitude he portrays when he shrieks “I’m in the Rolls Royce on a what-you-call-it!” that makes you want to career off the road at 120mph. That’s real punk spirit.
Best Album of the Half-Decade
Here it is — the big award: Best Album. The LP format is clearly alive and well. Year after year it doesn’t just persevere but it thrives — and the last 5 years have been a golden example of its rude health. Even with the first half of the period marred indelibly by the pandemic — while the live music scene was decimated — artists pushed forward on record and those years produced some of the best music in memory. Each year into the ‘20s has got harder and harder to narrow down my favourite releases from each year, so this was near impossible but here goes:
The Nominees:
- Ka — Descendants Of Cain (2020)
- Dijon — Absolutely (2021)
- Kanye West — Donda (2021)
- Fred Again.. — Actual Life (2021)
- Stephen Fretwell — Busy Guy (2021)
- For Those I Love — For Those I Love (2021)
- Nick Cave & Warren Ellis — Carnage (2021)
- Injury Reserve — By the Time I Get To Phoenix (2021)
- Black Country, New Road — Ants from Up There (2022)
- Kai Whiston — Quiet as Kept, F.O.G. (2022)
- Real Lies — Lad Ash (2022)
- Sufjan Stevens — Javelin (2023)
- JPEGMAFIA & Danny Brown — Scaring The Hoes (2023)
- Headache — The Head Hurts But The Heart Knows The Truth (2023)
- Charli xcx — Brat (2024)
The Winner:
For most of the other categories I stuck to 10 nominees but I just couldn’t narrow down the last five years into any less than 15 heavy hitters for the big prize. Real Lies emerged as the new messiahs of the ups and downs of British nightlife, part-time fire chief Ka released one of several stunning ruminations on the parallels between antiquity and street life, Injury Reserve released their final communication in the wake of Stepa J. Groggs sudden passing. But in the end, there was only one album that still stands a head and shoulders above the rest for me:
☆ For Those I Love — For Those I Love
I’ve lived with this album for three and a half years now; and although I’ve managed to wean myself off listening to it constantly; its contents exist in my head most of the time. I hope David Balfe makes more music but if he doesn’t after releasing this labour of love I would understand.
Read more about this, which was my #1 Album Of The Year 2021, here
I will leave some appropriate links to mental health charities below:
Best Score/OST Album
One of the ways my music listening has changed since the turn of the decade is that I’ve listened to more film/TV/video game scores. Maybe this is a symptom of the advent of working-from-home culture — more time having to self-motivate from the increased distractions of your living space. I’ve been in cinemas and actively thought “damn, this sounds amazing, I’m going to be listening to this to try and recapture this feeling” but other times I’ve listened to an album before even experiencing the medium it’s soundtracking based on the artist alone (there’s one below I’ve still yet to see) But I wanted to create an award to shine some light on my favourites.
The Nominees:
- ‘Disco Elysium’ by Sea Power (2020)
- ‘Devs’ by Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow (2020)
- ‘The Power Of The Dog’ by Jonny Greenwood (2021)
- ‘Black Bird’ by Mogwai (2022)
- ‘Oppenheimer’ by Ludwig Göransson (2023)
- ‘The Zone Of Interest’ by Mica Levi (2023)
- ‘Aftersun’ by Oliver Coates (2023)
- ‘Infinity Pool’ by Tim Hecker (2023)
- ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ by Alex G (2024)
- ‘Challengers’ by Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross (2024)
- ‘The End We Start From’ by Anna Meredith (2024)
The Winner:
Shout out to Ludwig Göransson who started out as Childish Gambino’s main producer (and still is) before making a name with the first Black Panther score. His work on Oppenheimer was perfect for the movie. Likewise for Oliver Coates’ breathtaking Aftersun companion. Outside of the big screen, the TV score for Alex Garland’s Devs was nailed by Ben Salisbury & Geoff Barrow, as was Mogwai’s stunning Black Bird score. Sea Power did something truly memorable on video game score Disco Elysium. To me though a great score has to truly embody the story of the performance; and no one did that better than:
☆ ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ by Alex G
I’ve been a fan of Alex G since his 2014 breakout DSU but he really started to ‘rocket’ (pun intended) into stardom after helping Frank Ocean to foster some of the key soundscapes on Blonde and Endless. Since then his solo work has gone from strength to strength. In 2022 (as well as releasing his own career high God Save the Animals) he scored Jane Schoenbrun’s stunning ‘We’re All Going to the World’s Fair’ which was also amazing. But I felt Alex G really hit his stride with the follow up film ‘I Saw The TV Glow’ He captures both the 1990s time capsule as well as the gender confusion and internalised tension that Shoenbrun so perfectly displays throughout. It’s haunting, breath-taking and lingering in all the very best ways.
Best Album Artwork
Even with the advent of AI; the sheer creative artistry that goes into a fantastic album cover is alive and well — despite some not getting with the program. An amazing cover art will often tip me over into purchasing the record on vinyl; to proudly display the beautiful face of the music in my living room. So for this award; in order to let the visuals speak for themselves I have collected twenty albums released in the last 5 years below and display them without names or titles.
The Nominees:
The Winner:
Looking at the above; I think the most successful sleeves for me are the ones that reflect the mood of the music. Boldy James’ ornate vulnerability, SAULT’s grandiose vision, Injury Reserve’s terrifying grief, Amaarae’s effervescent elation. I also love an illustrated/painted cover such as Mach-Hommy, Heems and Perfume Genius all achieved. Then of course there’s the immediately iconic and simplistic as with Playboi Carti and Charli xcx. But the winner for me was the one that spoke most to who I am artistically:
☆ Real Lies — Lad Ash (2023)
Climbing a cherub plinth in order to embrace it is absolutely something me and my friends would have done on nights out growing up. Much of Real Lies’ sophomore album celebrates those memories of complete abandon, camaraderie and danger — all perfectly captured on the nocturnal cover of the record. It’s fun, it’s romantic and it’s dramatic too — simple and impactful just as all great art should be.
Well that’s it folks, I hope you enjoyed the 2020's Milieu Music Awards. Big shout out to all the winners, in particular to Fred again.. (5 nominations), Charli xcx, SAULT and BC,NR (4 nominations) Kanye and Dijon (3 nominations) 2021 was the year with the most nominations; followed by 2023, 2022, 2020 then 2024 (which did great considering it’s still in motion). Please get home safely and I’ll see you in another 10 years xx Cal
