Dawson adds pop-facing elements to folk on this brilliant album, full of stories of a benighted Britain.
Capping off a decade where he has announced and solidified himself as possibly the country’s finest songwriter, Richard Dawson has produced another record of incredible melodic talent, compositional nouse and gloriously empathic writing.
2020 is more pop-leaning than Dawson's previous experimental forays, yielding some of his catchiest work to date.
Where Peasant was spidery, Beefheart-influenced avant-folk, 2020 is Dawson utilising pop at its most base iteration.
Richard Dawson outdoes himself with this modernist spiritual successor to 2017's Peasant.
On his dense but meticulously rendered new album, the British folk singer uses grander pop arrangements to wade into the barbarism of modern life.
If it isn't always fun, the honesty and passion in this music deliver more than enough reward for your time.
Ah, this good old Richard! 🇬🇧
Richard Dawson is really in my top 3 favorite artists of the decade but I think you will understand this by reading my review of "Peasant". Today, the best bard of his time is back, with an album entitled "2020", goodbye the Middle Ages and hello the zeitgeist....
Dawson is originally from Newcastle, England. He has two masterpieces in his discography: "Nothing Important" (2014) and "Peasant" (2017); a record that has ... read more
RYM Friday #5:
I mean they can’t all be bangers…..
I can definitely appreciate it for the amount of skill Richard Dawson has on display here, it’s very clear he knows what he’s doing but I feel like it’s not for me here.
I feel like this album focuses on its commentary rather than the music and it absolutely drags on and on at certain points
Just not for me.
The hardest test for any artist, especially coming off of an universally well-received record, is to be able to reinvent their sound, without losing that magic that makes them unique and satisfies their fan-base in the same stroke.
Well, Richard Dawson did not fuck that up in the least bit and even made newcomers, such as myself (I loved Peasant) want to explore his back-catalogue. This record is clearly his own, but entirely different from his last one (which, if you haven't heard it, go ... read more
beautiful. like nothing else i've ever heard yet all at once familiar, a simply-put understated masterpiece of progressive folk and experimentation in the modern era of music.
1 | Civil Servant 6:40 | 88 |
2 | The Queen's Head 5:17 | 82 |
3 | Two Halves 5:11 | 83 |
4 | Jogging 6:38 | 92 |
5 | Heart Emoji 4:34 | 79 |
6 | Black Triangle 7:59 | 76 |
7 | Fulfilment Centre 10:07 | 79 |
8 | Fresher's Ball 5:02 | 83 |
9 | No - One 0:50 | 65 |
10 | Dead Dog in an Alleyway 5:29 | 83 |
#2 | / | The Quietus |
#3 | / | The Needle Drop |
#5 | / | Loud and Quiet |
#14 | / | Far Out Magazine |
#14 | / | Uncut |
#15 | / | God Is In The TV |
#15 | / | The Guardian |
#23 | / | musicOMH |
#48 | / | Drift |
#51 | / | MOJO |