THREE WORKS OF LOCKDOWN GENIUS

Nick Cave & Warren Ellis: Carnage

On this pandemic masterpiece, the reliably audacious Cave grappled with isolation and loss against a backdrop of apocalyptic threat. These bitter elegies (written with Warren Ellis) were the motor for some of the most sumptuous lockdown music yet.

Taylor Swift: Folklore; Evermore

With this brace of strippedback albums Taylor Swift (inset below) finally arrived at genuine indie in 2020. Folklore and Evermore

– notable for their distinctly unswiftian minimalism – paired sparse melodies with Swift’s most narratively complex lyrics yet.

Charli XCX: how i’m feeling now

Written, recorded and released in just six weeks, the 27-year-old’s fourth album was a onewoman sci-fi whirlwind. Charli XCX is at the forefront of pop’s sonic arms-race, and this record’s other-worldly atmosphere gave it a cutting edge. Splicing boredom, existential dread and sudden emotional highs, it was a fast-paced summation of our strange new world.

…and one legend who struck out

Van Morrison: Latest Record Project – Volume One

Musicians from Aretha Franklin to Bob Dylan have kicked against The Man with zest and style, but Morrison’s retort to Covid has been more like a toddler tantrum. “No life, no gigs, no choice, no voice,” Van sulked on Deadbeat Saturday Night. Too easy, and not quite true.