NPR Music's Top 14 Albums Of April

As the NPR Music staff continues to cover the pandemic and its effects on the music industry, we are still listening to new music. In fact, we started Press Pause and Hit Play, a new playlist updated daily, in an effort to catalog our favorites released during this time.

But albums are still events for us, even and especially as we shelter in place. Fiona Apple released Fetch the Bolt Cutters, her first album in eight years, early, and left our entire team (and listeners) absolutely bewildered.

So we did something different for April. Instead of long discussions over email and video chat to determine which albums would make our monthly list, each staff member was guaranteed their No. 1 pick. We don't always share our list-making process, but the results seen below reveal the music held closest to the chest, what gets repeat listens during quarantine.

Below you'll find an alphabetized list of NPR Music's top 14 albums of April 2020. Be sure to check out our top 14 songs from the month and, above, listen to the Best of April podcast from All Songs Considered.

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1 of 14  — Buddy & Kent Jamz, 'Janktape Vol. 1'

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2 of 14  — EOB, 'Earth'

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3 of 14  — Fiona Apple, 'Fetch the Bolt Cutters'

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4 of 14  — Kenny Mason, 'Angelic Hoodrat'

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5 of 14  — Lara Downes, 'Some of These Days'

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6 of 14  — Lido Pimienta, 'Miss Colombia'

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7 of 14  — Michael Rische & Berliner Barock Solisten, 'C.P.E. Bach: Piano Concertos'

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8 of 14  — Mike Dean, '4:20'

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9 of 14  — Nduduzo Makhathini, 'Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworlds'

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10 of 14  — NNAMDÏ, 'BRAT'

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11 of 14  — Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, 'Songs of Yearning'

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12 of 14  — Sam Hunt, 'Southside'

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13 of 14  — Thundercat, 'It Is What It Is'

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14 of 14  — Westside Gunn, 'Pray for Paris'

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