The Content I Loved in 2020
It’s been a weird year. Here’s some of the stuff that got me through it.
American Head — The Flaming Lips
A truly great album from one of my favorite bands. The Lips dip back into their Soft Bulletin sounds, with a little help from frequent collaborator Dave Fridmann. Songs like You n Me Sellin’ Weed and Flowers of Neptune 6 topped my Apple Music 2020 Replay list, largely because they were released one by one throughout the summer in a successful bid to build hype. Mother Please Don’t Be Sad and When We Die When We’re High add up to the best back-to-back track combo since What Is the Light?/The Observer.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
I’ve been an Animal Crossing fan since playing the first American version on GameCube. New Horizons was delayed a while, but it was worth the wait. I clocked just over 200 hours in 2020, and logged 417 hours total on my Switch. That math speaks for itself. With Nintendo backing the game through seasonal updates, Animal Crossing will stand up to at least another full year of heavy play.
Aunty Donna’s Big Ol’ House of Fun
Aunty Donna is honest nonsense and I love it for that. The show starts strong with Everything’s a Drum. It’s a good litmus test for anyone who finds that too stupid to continue. I, for one, will be calling coffee “morning brown” for the rest of my life.
Beef House
The long awaited reunion of Tim and Eric, Beef House is a direct attack on/love letter to the classic sitcom. It’s ridiculous in all the good ways.
Cyberpunk 2077
Enough has been said about Cyberpunk’s floppy launch. I just love playing it. The retrofuture neon Night City setting and hack heavy combat tick all my genre boxes, so I’m having a total blast. I hope I can beat it while it’s still buggy, before a few layers of polish turn it into one of the best games of the next generation.
David Byrne’s American Utopia
It’s bold to throw Talking Heads songs into a concert movie after Stop Making Sense, but American Utopia works. I knew I’d love it from the start, when David Byrne sits alone on stage, serenading a human brain. Once the band joins in you can’t turn away. Extra points for being a great movie to put on while dancing with a toddler.
The Dollop: John Brown (Pt. 1, 2, & 3)
The Dollop is the most entertaining history podcast around. Comedian Dave Anthony does his research and tells a true story to comedian Gareth Reynolds, who usually knows nothing about the topic. Their comprehensive take on John Brown is one of two to come out this year, the other being Ethan Hawke’s The Good Lord Bird. I haven’t seen Bird, but I did walk away from The Dollop’s version agreeing that Brown was the greatest American ever.
Dark
The problem with being a Dark fan is it’s impossible to convince other people to watch Dark. German science fiction is tough to sell to anyone who likes looking at their phone while watching Netflix, especially when it’s as complicated as this. Then there’s the fact that even a brief synopsis would have to include spoilers.
All I can say is that the perfect ending leaves no loose threads. That’s a good thing to know going in.
Devs
Another fantastic science fiction series to come out of this year, Devs has the added bonus of being entirely self contained. These 8 episodes have a lot to say about the nature of free will and technological ethics. If you’re even a little curious, one season isn’t a huge commitment.
The Expanse
Season 4 was a pared-down version of one of the more grounded books in the series. Season 5 is The Big One.
Hades
I am absolutely dumping hours into this game. Reviewers will tell you about the fantastic dialogue-driven story and deep yet simple combat mechanics. I just love running around and mindlessly smashing baddies. Rogue Legacy is still my favorite roguelike, but Hades is locked in at No. 2.
Idiot Prayer: Nick Cave Alone at Alexandra Palace
2020 is the year I took a deep dive into Nick Cave’s discography. Coming in at the end of the year, Idiot Prayer was the perfect way to cap off that musical journey.
The Last of Us: Part II
How could you follow up on the undeniably immaculate ending of The Last of Us? The answer takes around 25 hours to get through and definitely isn’t for everyone. Those who did take the time to finish the second half of the story will be thinking about it for a long, long time.
Love is Blind
2020 was a great year for brainless reality television. Love is Blind kicked it off for me, long before Netflix finally got (a meager) two seasons of Are You The One. More please!
The Mandalorian
I have a lot to say about season 2 of The Mandalorian, but I’m willing to bet it’s all been said already. It’s on this list because Filoni and Favreau brought back Boba Fett, Ahsoka, and Luke Skywalker without sinking Mando’s quest in inscrutable lore. I would have loved the inscrutable lore though. And if I’m being totally honest, Mando would’ve been on this list no matter what.
The New Pope
The New Pope is as bold a sequel to absolute perfection as The Last of Us, and as successful in its execution. It’s as fun watching John Malkovich and Jude Law circle the papal throne as it is to see Silvio Orlando steal the show as the unassuming Cardinal Angelo Voiello.
Raised by Wolves
A show I didn’t see coming at all, Raised By Wolves is like robots meet cavemen vs. crusaders from the future. It’s as weird as it is gorgeous. I can’t wait for season 2.
Rhythm of War
The only book I read IN 2020 that was also published this year, RoW is the fourth in a planned 10-novel series from Brandon Sanderson. Each book is around 1,400 pages, so you can start with The Way of Kings today and have enough quality reading to fill the next (and hopefully last) few lockdown months. The writing is immaculate, full of action and forward motion. If you’re looking for a new series to dig into, this is what I’d recommend.
Spirit World Field Guide
Here’s a record I didn’t know to look forward to that’s now in heavy rotation in my basement. Sprawling musical reflections on death and dying hit the spot this year. Go figure.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars
The final season of The Clone Wars kicked off Disney’s year long effort to close the gap between Old Star Wars and New Star Wars. I’d been waiting to find out how Ahsoka and Rex survived Order 66. The revelations offered by the last four episodes did not disappoint.
Star Wars Squadrons
There is no better VR game out there for Star Wars fans. Piloting a TIE interceptor in a dogfight against an A-Wing fulfilled a few impossible dreams.
Tiger King
Joe Exotic’s true story came when we needed it most. It’ll be beaten to death over the next few years with factionalized retellings. None will match the unbelievable insanity of the real thing.
Tunng Presents… DEAD CLUB
DEAD CLUB is the second album-length exploration of the human dying process to make my list this year. That’s the kind of year it’s been. Great timing!
