{"id":10573,"date":"2024-12-24T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-12-24T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/?p=10573"},"modified":"2024-12-23T16:12:47","modified_gmt":"2024-12-23T21:12:47","slug":"top-24-albums-of-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/2024\/12\/24\/top-24-albums-of-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 24 albums of 2024."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

My gimmick of ranking a number of albums equal to the last two digits of the year lives once more, although I think I may just have to cap it at 25 next December before it gets out of hand. I had plenty of albums to consider in 2024, though, as it was a strong year for albums overall and for albums that might be 1-1 worthy in any year. Some honorable mentions include Blood Incantation \u2013 Absolute Elsewhere<\/em> (some brilliant music, but I just can\u2019t do with that much of the death metal trappings), Childish Gambino \u2013 Bando Stone & the New World<\/em>, Bob Vylan \u2013 Humble as the Sun<\/em>, Katie Gavin \u2013 What a Relief<\/em>, Parsnip \u2013 Behold<\/em>, Japandroids \u2013 Fate & Alcohol<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can see my previous year-end album rankings here: 2023<\/a>, 2022<\/a>, 2021<\/a>, 2020<\/a>, 2019<\/a>, 2018<\/a>, 2017<\/a>, 2016<\/a>, 2015<\/a>, 2014<\/a>, 2013<\/a>, and my top albums of the 2010s<\/a>. My top 100 songs of 2024 will go up some time in the next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

24. Griff \u2013 Vertigo<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Griff is a pretty big deal in the U.K. and opened for Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift this year, although she hasn\u2019t broken through at all in the U.S. yet. I\u2019m generally not a fan of highly polished pop music, but her brand of sophisticated pop that isn\u2019t overproduced and that lets her powerful alto voice shine is much more in line with my tastes. Highlights include the title track, \u201cAstronaut,\u201d and \u201cTears for Fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

23. Wheel \u2013 Charismatic Leaders<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wheel keeps changing personnel, with only lead singer\/guitarist James Lascelles left from the original lineup, but the sound remains the same. This is heavy, crunchy prog metal, driven by powerful and intricate guitar work, but never deviates into blast beats or death growls that might destroy the intense vibe of the music. I don\u2019t think this is their best album, but it\u2019s so much in my wheelhouse (pun intended) that I still like it quite a bit. Highlights include \u201cEmpire,\u201d \u201cSubmission,\u201d and \u201cPorcelain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22. Pond \u2013 Stung!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pond are all over the place yet again, and I\u2019m good with it because the highs are high enough. They\u2019re an experimental rock band from Australia with a heavy emphasis on psychedelic rock, but are comfortable veering into funk-pop (\u201cSo Lo\u201d) or a m\u00e9lange of 1970s hard rock and 1960s Motown rhythms (\u201c(I\u2019m) Stung\u201d), or just straight-up psychedelic rock that your parents might have heard at Woodstock (\u201cNeon River\u201d). The album is 14 songs and 54+ minutes long, so it does wear out its welcome a bit as it goes on, so it\u2019s a little lower here than it would have been at midyear, when I had it on my unordered list over some other titles like Ride\u2019s Interplay<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21. HINDS \u2013 Viva Hinds<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

HINDS went back to its original lineup, shedding two members to become a duo again, and their first album since 2020\u2019s The Prettiest Curse<\/em> is their most assured and polished record yet. HINDS has always thrived on a bit of chaos, the question of whether these two women can really even play their instruments or carry a decent tune, only to have them pull it together with a strong chorus or wry lyrics. On Viva Hinds<\/em>, they\u2019ve tightened things up across the board but haven\u2019t lost that sense that they\u2019re always on the verge of careening off the track. It\u2019s lo-fi and proud of it, but now it\u2019s not quite so rough around the edges. Standouts include \u201cBoom Boom Back\u201d (featuring Beck), \u201cMala Vista,\u201d and \u201cEn Forma.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20. Foxing \u2013 Foxing<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitchfork <\/em>summarized this album<\/a> by calling it \u201cNearer My God<\/em>\u2019s evil genius twin,\u201d and I can\u2019t beat that. It\u2019s wild and weird and ambitious and despairing, the sound of someone coming apart at the seams, with death metal-style screaming, soaring and haunting backing tracks, and despondent lyrics about mortality and isolation. It\u2019s incredible, but also a difficult listen \u2013 and, as you might guess, it\u2019s really hard to talk about individual tracks here, although if forced I\u2019d highlight \u201cBarking\u201d and \u201cHell 99.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19. GIFT \u2013 Illuminator<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This Brooklyn psychedelic rock band put out an album in 2022, Momentary Presence<\/em>, that was largely recorded by singer\/guitarist TJ Freda during the early days of the pandemic, when getting the whole band together wasn\u2019t possible, so while Illuminator <\/em>is their second album, it\u2019s also a first in some ways \u2013 and it shows. This is a stronger, more coherent record, and it\u2019s full of bright hooks and a blend of psychedelia and shoegaze that manages to feel fresh even though those styles date back decades. Highlights include \u201cWish Me Away,\u201d \u201cGoing in Circles,\u201d \u201cLater,\u201d and \u201cLight Runner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18. Elbow \u2013 Audio Vertigo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I admit to being very late to the party on Elbow; I didn\u2019t love their most acclaimed album, The Seldom Seen Kid<\/em>, winner of the 2008 Mercury Prize, and kind of wrote them off as a dream-pop band that was too chill to hold my attention. That was unfair to them and probably to my ears, as they\u2019re way more ambitious and experimental than that, which showed on their tenth album, Audio Vertigo<\/em>, a wide-ranging collection of songs that go from the mellower sounds of Kid<\/em> to some aggressively uptempo and progressive tracks like my favorites on this record, \u201cLovers\u2019 Leap\u201d and \u201cGood Blood Mexico City.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17. Ride – Interplay<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ride hit their stride here on their third post-reunion album, with a more mature sound that blends the shoegaze of their first incarnation with mellower synth-pop sounds from their influences, producing a record that shimmers enough to stand apart even with the glut of neo-shoegaze releases that have flooded the scene in the last two years. Standout tracks include \u201cPeace Sign,\u201d \u201cLast Frontier,\u201d and \u201cPortland Rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

16. SPRINTS \u2013 Letter to Self<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The long-awaited debut full-length from this Dublin punk-rock band did not disappoint, and it\u2019s one of the most true-to-form punk albums of the last few years, with spare lyrics and repeated lines over fast-paced guitar lines that mostly get out in under 3\u00bd minutes. (Unfortunately, lead guitarist Colm O\u2019Reilly left the band abruptly in mid-May.) Highlights include \u201cHeavy,\u201d \u201cAdore Adore Adore,\u201d \u201cLiterary Mind,\u201d and \u201cUp and Comer.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. Kid Kapichi \u2013 There Goes the Neighborhood<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They\u2019re probably never quite going to match their incredible, no-skips debut album, but Kid Kapichi keeps churning out angry yet catchy working-class anthems with a touch of Alex Turner in the lyrics but a heavier, crunchier backdrop of guitars more inspired by punk and pub-rock. Highlights here include \u201cLet\u2019s Get to Work,\u201d \u201cCan EU Hear Me?,\u201d and the wonderfully weird \u201cTamagotchi.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. Charly Bliss – Forever<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the album I was waiting for Charly Bliss to make, after the promising but a little tepid Young Enough <\/em>in 2019. It\u2019s mostly sunny power-pop goodness, with bigger and better hooks than their previous albums, although the ballad \u201cNineteen\u201d is a stunner on its own thanks to Eva Hendricks\u2019s plaintive vocals. Other highlights include \u201cCalling You Out\u201d and \u201cBack There Now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Mysterines \u2013 Afraid of Tomorrows<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was all about the Mysterines\u2019 earliest singles and EPs, but was disappointed when their debut album, Reeling<\/em>, saw them take the pedal off the gas, eschewing some of the heavier, snarling riffs and vocals that made me a fan of the band and specifically of singer\/guitarist Lia Metcalfe. This is a much stronger, more confident record, and has far more hooks than its predecessor. Unfortunately, the band cancelled their fall\/winter tour at the last minute with an ominous note saying it was \u201cdue to recent circumstances,\u201d with no further word from the band since that message on August 31st<\/sup>. Highlights include \u201cSink Ya Teeth,\u201d \u201cStray,\u201d and \u201cThe Last Dance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Yard Act \u2013 Where\u2019s My Utopia?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yard Act\u2019s first album, 2022\u2019s The Overload<\/em>, was my #3 record of that year<\/a>, as they nailed their contemporary twist on the classic post-punk sounds of Gang of Four and the Fall; their sophomore album finds them expanding their musical palate, with more electronic and disco elements and less post-punk in the music, although that ethos remains in the lyrics. I preferred The Overload<\/em>, but this one still has some bangers, including \u201cWe Make Hits,\u201d \u201cDream Job,\u201d and \u201cWhen the Laughter Stops.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11<\/strong>. Courting \u2013 New Last Name<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courting sound like they\u2019re having a blast on just about every song they produce, and the result is that this album, their second full-length, explodes with joy and youthful exuberance throughout. They\u2019ve dialed back a little of the weirdness from their debut, Guitar Music<\/em>, but they\u2019re still off-kilter in smaller ways, including some of the tones they use for the lead guitars and the often lo-fi production that contrasts with the electronic elements that seep in. Standout tracks include \u201cThrow,\u201d \u201cFlex,\u201d and \u201cWe Look Good Together (Big Words).\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. The Cure \u2013 Songs of a Lost World<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Cure hadn\u2019t released an album in 16 years, to the point where I assumed Robert Smith, now 65 years old, was probably done writing new material. Instead he surprised everyone (I think) with the band\u2019s best record since their best album, Disintegration<\/em>, came out 35 years ago. Songs of a Lost World<\/em> is, of course, a dark and brooding record, with mortality a major theme throughout the album, anchored by the melancholy \u201cAlone\u201d and \u201cI Can Never Say Goodbye,\u201d although there\u2019s more of a hint of the band\u2019s prior melodic leanings in \u201cA Fragile Thing,\u201d my favorite track from the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Opeth<\/strong> \u2013 The Last Will and Testament<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I heard Opeth was bringing back the death growls for their first new album in five years, I had mixed feelings; their 2001 album Blackwater Park<\/em>, which is a progressive death metal record that has those vocals, might be my favorite metal record of all time, but they had gone so long without visiting that style that I worried this would come off as gimmicky or outdated. That worry was misplaced \u2013 this is a fantastic, complex, rich record that doesn\u2019t overdo the death growls and still puts their intricate guitarwork front and center. It\u2019s a concept record where all tracks but the last one are just named with the section symbol and a number, and if you listen straight through there isn\u2019t the typical variation between songs, although if I had to pick one or two to isolate as the best it would be \u201c\u00a71\u201d and \u201c\u00a73.\u201d It\u2019s a return to form, certainly, even though I liked their prog phase for what it was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Jack White \u2013 No Name<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Man, I\u2019ve been waiting for White to rock out like this for a decade, at least, and he finally delivered. This is a crunchy, loud, old-fashioned rock album. It grabs you by the throat from the start, with the first four tracks all guitar-driven riff-fests, and doesn\u2019t really let go. It\u2019s not a White Stripes album, but it might be the most similar thing he\u2019s done to peak White Stripes since they broke up. Highlights include \u201cThat\u2019s How I\u2019m Feeling,\u201d \u201cIt\u2019s Rough on Rats (If You\u2019re Asking,\u201d and \u201cOld Scratch Blues.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Michael Kiwanuka \u2013 Small Changes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kiwanuka won the Mercury Prize with his last album, KIWANUKA<\/em>, which leaned more into 1970s R&B with a dash of funk, including some unbelievable bass lines. On his follow-up, Small Changes<\/em>, he goes for a much more understated sound, with slower tempos and sparse production (by Danger Mouse and inflo) that put much greater emphasis on his vocals. He doesn\u2019t swing for the fences anywhere on the record, in his lyrics or the music, producing something that\u2019s a little less immediate but ends up quite lovely in its own way. Highlights include \u201cFloating Parade,\u201d \u201cLowdown (part i),\u201d and the title track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Waxahatchee \u2013 Tiger\u2019s Blood<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I loved Katie Crutchfield\u2019s 2020 album Saint Cloud<\/em>, and still think that\u2019s the superior album of the two, but she is on a heck of a run right now with those LPs and her newest single \u201cMuch Ado About Nothing.\u201d Tiger\u2019s Blood <\/em>is a slower, more tenebrous affair than the previous record, and I prefer her music when she incorporates a little more rock or folk and works less in the traditional country lane. There are some great hooks here, though, and her voice shines throughout, perhaps even more so on the more somber tracks that don\u2019t appeal to me as much with their music. Highlights include \u201c3 Sisters,\u201d \u201cEvil Spawn,\u201d \u201cBored,\u201d and \u201cCrimes of the Heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Ezra Collective \u2013 Dance, No One\u2019s Watching<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the latest example of a band winning the Mercury Prize for an album that didn\u2019t do much for me, only for their follow-up to become one of my favorites of its year; the same thing happened with Sampha, to pick one other case. Ezra Collective is a jazz quintet that brings in a lot of Afrobeat and other African musical traditions, and on their latest album they leaned a little more into Afropop and even just mainstream pop sounds to create an album that\u2019s a bit more accessible and certainly more full of hooks. Highlights include \u201cGod Gave Me Feet for Dancing,\u201d \u201cAjala,\u201d and \u201cNo One\u2019s Watching Me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Fontaines D.C. – Romance<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fontaines D.C. went from punk to something between punk and post-punk between their second and third albums, but on their fourth album, they went in a totally different musical and lyrical direction \u2013 several directions, really, delivering one of the most unusual and ambitious records of the year. Vocalist Grian Chatten is still front and center with his commanding delivery, while they go from sheer pop beauty on \u201cFavourite\u201d to something like nu-metal on \u201cStarburster\u201d to a bluesy, funky groove on \u201cDeath Kink.\u201d There are elements of shoegaze, nods to rap, and still some vestiges of their punk origins. It doesn\u2019t always work, but they absolutely went for it, and few bands have that kind of vision or musical courage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Alcest \u2013 Les chantes de l\u2019aurore<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alcest started out as a death-metal project for the musician who goes by Neige, then incorporated shoegaze sounds to create something called \u201cblackgaze\u201d that was later co-opted by Deafheaven (with whom Neige has worked), after which Alcest added a second member and released an album that was all shoegaze with no metal. They\u2019ve varied their mix of genres on subsequent albums, but this latest one gets the balance right, as they did on 2016\u2019s incredible Kodama<\/em>. The album is primarily heavy shoegaze, with some very infrequent screamed vocals deeper in the mix, so the wall-of-guitars sound is really the emphasis. Highlights include \u201cFlamme Junelle,\u201d \u201cKomorebi,\u201d and \u201cL\u2019envol.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Mdou Moctar \u2013 Funeral for Justice<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hailing from Niger, a country that has been torn by political strife including a military coup this time last year, Moctar blends Tuareg music with western rock styles, particularly psychedelic rock and blues rock, crafting indelible guitar riffs and furious solos beneath the protest lyrics (sung in his native language, Tamasheq) that have boosted his popularity in the Sahel. I caught the last show of Moctar\u2019s U.S. tour, at Union Transfer in Philly, and he blew the doors off the place, with incredible shredding and extended jams for several of the songs he played, including jumping into the crowd for his final guitar solo. Highlights include the title track, \u201cImouhar,\u201d and \u201cOh France.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Libertines \u2013 All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I ended up flipping this with Funeral for Justice<\/em> because this is by far the album I came back to the most this year; if I\u2019m pretending to be a professional critic, I probably put Mdou Moctar first, but the fact is this was my favorite record of 2024 and nothing else was close. The likely lads came back better than ever, with a slew of intoxicating and surprisingly upbeat tracks \u2013 \u201dOh Shit,\u201d \u201cRun Run Run,\u201d \u201cShiver,\u201d and \u201cNight of the Hunter\u201d \u2013 that still bear that clear Doherty\/Bar\u00e2t sound, just with better production and less breaking and entering. That this album exists at all might itself be a wonderful gift to their fans; that it\u2019s this good is musical miracle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My gimmick of ranking a number of albums equal to the last two digits of the year lives once more, although I think I may just have to cap it at 25 next December before it gets out of hand. I had plenty of albums to consider in 2024, though, as it was a strong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1374,161,757,852,260],"class_list":["post-10573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-2024-in-music","tag-highly-recommended","tag-metal","tag-music","tag-rankings","entry"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10573","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10573"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10573\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10574,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10573\/revisions\/10574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/meadowparty.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}