Soundtrack for self-isolation: In 2020, these 10 music albums were the ultimate salve for the year's many wounds In a crisis year, these were the albums that kept us sane, distracted us, comforted us, perked us up, and saved us. Prahlad Srihari December 30, 2020 16:24:10 IST Even without COVID, 2020 was a rough year, a cosmic disaster. We braved Biblical locust plagues, cyclones, and wildfires. Let’s not forget celebs singing “ Imagine”, and “X Æ A-12” — the Grimes baby formerly known as “X Æ A-Xii”. The music industry had a rough year too. With concerts and festivals cancelled, it faces a projected $30 billion loss. It’s a miracle the music hasn’t stopped. Thankfully, the artists adapted as well as they could. Charli XCX and Taylor Swift, for instance, made a virtue of necessity, recording whole albums while stuck in lockdown. But they were in no way helped by penny-pinching streaming services. Despite Spotify and Co. accounting for a majority of all music revenue, they refused to provide artists a greater cut of royalties. (Read what Nadine Shah had to say about the matter.)