For a lot of us, our relationship to music was re-evaluated this year. For us, the biggest change was losing live music. We had to dig even deeper into our album listening and work hard to find that mental space that live music occupied. For those of you who all of a sudden had some extra time on your hands, maybe listening to music went from background distraction to the primary focus. Whatever newness was found or rediscovered, we are all damn lucky to have it. It has often seemed like we have too much music for the time and emotion we have to give to it. But, when that time and emotion becomes all we have, it’s time to dive into this big, beautiful, weird ocean of sound and go below the surface to hunt for lost treasure. In Stinkweeds’ 33(& 1/3) years as a record store, our purpose has been to guide you into those depths. We call our selection “Hand Picked.” This means our music choices are wholly human. We suggest and introduce music to you that has been filtered through a human experience. This year, we all shared in a very strange experience. And, we noticed how that experience changed your music listening. At the beginning of the year, we were selling less of the familiar artists and more of the “lesser known” stuff. We also sold more record players than any other year. We could sense that people were wanting a little more out of their music listening and we were more than happy to help facilitate that. Thank you for letting us help translate a very strange and challenging year into selections of songs.
In that spirit, we aren’t doing the big reviews for 2020. We’re just going to share music with you. Along with a list of our 50 favorite albums that were released this year, we’re including a playlist with a song from each album. Think of this as an old fashioned “mixed tape.” This playlist has been (loosely) arranged in a thoughtful order, representing some kind of flow or dynamic. But, you take it in however you see fit. We also hope that you’ll share your “mix tapes” with us. We would love it if you would share your 2020 picks in the comments of this post.
Thank you for all the support you’ve shown to us and many other local businesses, this year.  It means the absolute world to our little shop.

Enjoy a “Mixtape for an Emotional Rollercoasters”

Kevin Morby
Sundowner
[Dead Oceans]

Loving
If I Am Only My Thoughts
[Last Gang Records]

Widowspeak
Plum
[Captured Tracks]

Quakers
II – The Next Wave
[Stones Throw]

Tobacco
Hot Wet & Sassy
[Ghostly International]

Colter Wall
Western swing and Waltzes
[La Honda]

Protomartyr
Ultimate Success Today
[Domino]

Olafur Arnalds
Some Kind of Peace
[Mercury KX]

Loma
Don’t Shy Away
[Sub Pop]

Lianne La Havas
S/T
[Warner UK]

Mourn
Self Worth
[Captured Tracks]

Idles
Utlra Mono
[Partisan Records]

Shabazz Palaces
The Don of Diamond Dreams
[Sub Pop]

Thao & the Get Down Stay Down Temple
[Ribbon Music]

Land of Talk
Indistinct Conversations
[Saddle Creek]

All Them Witches
Nothing as the Ideal
[New West]

Charley Crockett
Welcome to Hard Times
[Son of Davy]

Rudy De Anda
Tender Epoch
[Colemine]

Jeff Parker
Suite for Max Brown
[International Anthem]

Adrianne Lenker
Songs
[4AD]

Moses Sumney
Grae
[Jagjaguwar]

Bonny Light Horseman
ST
[37d03d]

Deserta
Black Aura My Sun
[Felte]

Fontaines D.C.
A Hero’s Death
[Partisan]

Chouk Bwa & The Ångstromers
Vodou Ale
[Bongo Joe]

Rolling Blackouts C.F.
Sideways To New Italy
[Sub Pop]

Holy Motors
Horse
[Wharf Cat Records]

Sa-Roc
The Sharecropper’s Daughter
[Rhymesayers]

Deerhoof
Future Teenage Cave Artists
[Joyful Noise]

The Nude Party
Midnight Manor
[New West]

Stephen Malkmus
Traditional Techniques
[Matador]

Courtney Marie Andrews
Old Flowers
[Fat Possum]

Pure X
S/T
[Fire Talk]

Enrique Rodriguez & the Negra Chiway Band
Tase Liminal
[Soul Jazz]

Clipping
Vission of Bodies Being Burned
[Sub Pop]

Heather Trost
Petrichor
[Third Man Records]

Holy Hive
Float Back To You
[Big Crown]

Budos Band
Long In the Tooth
[Daptone]

Mike Polizze
Long Lost Solace Find
[Paradise of Bachelors]

Run The Jewels 
RTJ4
[Mass Appeal]

Wilsen
Ruiner
[Secret City]

Agnes Obel
Myopia
[Deutsche Grammophon]

Laura Marling
Held Down
[Chrysalis]

Sault
UNTITLED (Black Is)
[Forever Living Originals]

Phoebe Bridgers
Punisher
[Dead Oceans]

Kacy & Clayton & Marlon Williams
Plastic Bouquet
[New West Records]

Deep Sea Diver
Impossible Weight
[High Beam]

Future Islands
As Long As You Are
[4AD]

Dirty Projectors
5EPs
[Domino]

Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids
Shaman!
[Strut Records]