Continuing in my year end 2020 lists (even though we're into February) is a list of the top 5 musical disappointments from last year. In years past, this list was strictly albums, but since I didn't really come across many disappointing records last year, I filled it out with some other notable disappointments. Now take note: this is a list of musical disappointments, not the worst albums or something to that effect. Unlike others, I don't actively seek out bad music. This is a list of things that had the potential, in my mind, to be good. Stuff like Green Day's Father of All... never crossed my mind as being of any merit. With that being said, let's dive in.
The Smashing Pumpkins- Cyr
This will probably be the last time the Smashing Pumpkins appear on this list. I feel like I probably won't be looking forward to another release by Billy Corgan and company, since the last few were so middling. I'll still check the records out, and if I'm impressed, that's cool, but after probably Oceania, there probably hasn't been an album by the band or Corgan solo that I would describe as anything less than mediocre. Corgan couldn't even pronounce Samhain right on 'Wyttch'. That would've taken like two seconds to research. I see what they were going for, with the whole synthpop influence, but it just ended up sounding like a less inspired Adore. I figured with the band more or less reformed, it would be a little better than this. Not excited for this alleged Mellon Collie sequel.
Childish Gambino- 3.15.20
I feel like Donald Glover may be feeling himself a little bit too much. After the critical success of Awaken, My Love! (which I rated very highly), and his TV and movie successes, I feel like he thinks he can do no wrong. I may be on an island about this, but I didn't think that 'This is America' really worked without the video (since it really didn't say anything), I don't think that seasons 3 and 4 of Atlanta will touch The Sopranos or The Wire like he has stated in interviews, and I don't think an hour of aimless, experimental R&B noodling is all that interesting just because it has Donald Glover's name on it. I feel like Glover heard Frank Ocean, and just thought "I can do Endless and Blond at the same time, except way worse and mixed poorly".
Jay Electronica- A Written Testimony
We waited over a decade for this? Jay Electronica had been teasing Act II for so long (which we also kind of got this year), but instead scrapped it to release a rushed and relatively cobbled together product. I'm not a fan of Jay-Z, so I probably wasn't as excited as other people when he featured on nearly every track. How can your debut have almost the same time spent on another rapper? (unless your debut is Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, then it's cool) Plus, when Jay Elec is rapping it's not nearly what people had come to expect from Act I or the various loose singles. Maybe the hype killed it, but I felt like this was a pretty lackluster effort by one of rap's supposed greats.
Van Morrison and other COVID-19 "Truthers"
Dude, why? I just don't understand why artists like Van Morrison are so against the lockdown and not being able to tour that they'll destroy an over 50 year musical legacy. Yes, not being able to go see live shows sucks, but it's not worth dying over. You have a platform, and whether you know anything about the subject or not, people are going to look at you to see how to act, moronic or no. So when you complain about lockdown and release not one but three super cringey anti-lockdown singles, you may be getting people killed. If you don't have the money after a 50 year career to sit out a year of touring, you haven't managed your money well. I don't see Neil Young or others your age complaining.
Big Name Artists Hoarding Albums
Believe it or not, if your album is good, people will come and see you live, whether its now or in a year. I understand the financial crunch of smaller bands not being able to tour, but large bands and artists holding up albums because they can't tour them is pretty silly. The Weeknd, Taylor Swift and others did just fine. I know Weezer just released a new album, and I did have them in mind when I was planning this post and thought of changing the pictured image to someone like Kendrick or Avenged Sevenfold, but then I heard them complaining that they wished Eddie Van Halen had been able to hear their Van Weezer album, which is in part a tribute to his style of guitar heroics. Well, he could have if you'd released it last May like you were scheduled to, but then you couldn't tour it. Artistry doesn't have to rely entirely on whether or not you get paid.
I'll be back to finish my year end lists with my top 10 albums of 2020.
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