We're (only?) midway through 2020. These 6 months have reframed, redefined, confounded and crumbled our expectations. As our world's changed, how we listen to music has changed, too.

Today we're sharing our team's favorite albums of the year (so far). https://trib.al/NuI6M4P 

@natechinen selected @amBROSEire's 'on the tender spot of every calloused moment,' which he calls "the most holistic statement Akinmusire's made yet, which is saying something." https://n.pr/2ZoOEKy 

Mamani Keïta, Oumou Sangaré and Mariam Doumbia first performed as Les Amazones d'Afrique n 2015. On 'Amazones Power,' the music's velocity has increased, and its intensity has deepened. https://n.pr/2ZoOEKy 

With 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters,' Fiona Apple has "made a masterwork that embodies the spirit and circumstances of 2020," @idislikestephen writes. https://n.pr/2ZoOEKy 

@nprclassical's pick: "With a wink to heart-on-sleeve Romantic piano concertos by Rachmaninov, British composer-conductor Thomas Adès unleashes perhaps the most pleasing concerto written yet this century." https://n.pr/2ZoOEKy 

"Today, with ongoing protests and an indefinite pandemic, @Mosesboyd_'s 'Dark Matter' is the perfect soundtrack for the times." – @surayamo https://n.pr/2ZoOEKy 

@annkpowers on @phoebe_bridgers' 'Punisher': "This album is a missive from alone time, whose parameters are wider and more fluid than common use of the term implies." https://n.pr/2ZoOEKy