my personal top albums of 2024 list
I don't usually go out of my way to do write-ups for 10 whole albums at the end of a random calendar year, but 2024 was an insanely good, utterly stacked year for music. I don't usually even like 5 albums in a year enough to do something like this, but this time around albums that would probably make my top 5 list if released in a normal year aren't even included here.
so anyway, this is what I enjoyed or was otherwise impressed most by, this year. (or both)
10. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT - Billie Eilish (Pop)
When I first heard the opener SKINNY, I knew this was something special. And those strings toward the end of the track that transition into LUNCH are gorgeous.
There are a lot of good musical ideas here. I'm not sure exactly how well the song LUNCH fits the rest of the album, (which is overall more... subdued in my mind) but it makes a really good radio single nonetheless and I'm always happy to hear it regardless. For me the big standout tracks are CHIHIRO and L'AMOUR DE MA VIE, and I'm a huge sucker for whenever songs pull what the latter track pulls. (No spoilers.)
I also appreciate this album's length. This hasn't historically been a big thing for me in years past, but in 2024 a big thing I noticed in my favorites is that generally I favored shorter or more concise albums than ones that felt like they had too many superfluous tracks.
9. Devourer - Cursive (Rock)
I always considered Cursive to be a reasonably, if mildly successful band. And as a "failed musician", my perspective is that they definitely occupy an aspirational space in the musical canon. Something I could envy as a musician, and essentially wish I was more like them or had their level of notoriety or critical praise.
So the pre-release single Up and Away had me relating a good amount to the lyrics. I never ended up doing a lot of the things I dreamed of in adolescence, like releasing albums or touring. And here, Tim Kasher is wishing he had a stable relationship or some tykes running around. Things I suppose I take for granted while wishing for artistic success. Really makes me think.
To speak on the rest of the album, there's an overall air of being locked into dead-end days, either by the life choices we make, or because of systematic things we might feel incapable of changing or circumventing.
I relate to it a whole lot.
Musically, it's Cursive for better (or for worse) but I love the sound and I don't feel like they've really lost their touch from their heyday (Ugly Organ/Domestica) or sound like a watered-down version of themselves. It is perhaps a bit more straightforward and accessible than Ugly Organ and Domestica. Dark Star is also an interesting sonic departure from the rest of the album, being a bit more synthy and poppy but I definitely consider it an album highlight.
Standout tracks: Up and Away, Imposturing, and Dark Star
8. Big Ideas - Remi Wolf (Pop)
If there's a big idea concept to this one, with apologies to Remi Wolf, I didn't catch it. The music is great though, pulling from Funk, Rock, and Indie influences. Cinderella is a great hook, and is endlessly quotable. (Me and the boys in the hotel lobby!) For me, this album is just plain fun, in the best way.
On this record Wolf is bold, confident, and funny even. And holy shit can she sing. This album doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time it believes in itself. It all just works.
Standout tracks for me: Cinderella, Motorcycle, Toro, Kangaroo, and Pitiful
Funny enough, Motorcycle is another song about wondering in the back of your mind if having a spouse/family would be better than being a successful touring artist. I wonder if that will come up again.
7. gnx - Kendrick Lamar (Rap)
If there's a big overarching concept to this one, with apologies to Kendrick Lamar, I didn't catch it.
If anything, Kendrick Lamar has a long and storied history with having his albums all tied-up densely with a central concept so it's actually a bit fresh to get a "collection of songs" type of album from him.
The context of this album seems inextricably tied to his infamous beef that took place earlier in the year, but I personally like to think of it as its own thing and listen to it for its own merits.
I also appreciate how short and sweet this is. I loved Mr. Morale, and while I think I still prefer it to gnx overall (higher highs), I do concede gnx has a lot more replay value because truthfully I'm not going to be bumping a track like Mother I Sober all the time, even if it's a beautiful piece of art. It's just too heavy. GNX is more "all-purpose" or "splashable". And the music is great. The production perfectly matches the feel Kendrick is going for, and also vindicates Jack Antonoff a bit in my eyes for his productions this year.
Standout tracks for me are luther, reincarnated, hey now, tv off, and heart pt. 6
6. Empathogen - WILLOW (Jazz?)
There was a time when this was actually my favorite album of the year, but 2024 was so stacked with incredible releases that this just kept getting pushed lower. But make no mistake the music here is outstanding. I was actually pretty blown away by the moment I first heard this, finding it to be the slightest bit nonsequitur as a follow up to Willow's other more pop-punk material. But I found this to be a good direction for her (even though I enjoy her pop-punk material as well). I distinctly remember on my first listen that I made a whole lot of "stank face" while listening,
^ (me while listening to this)
and then (because it's so short) I proceeded to loop it a few times start to finish, and that's probably the best way I can describe this album. Stank face inducing, and short.
Because this album is so short, it can feel perhaps underdeveloped at times (also because the songs themselves can be quite short), but it's better to leave a listener wanting more than to have too much and bog down the experience. Imagine my surprise when Willow unceremoniously released a "deluxe version" a few months later called ... Ceremonial Contrafact. And I think maybe this version has just about the right length, though I don't think any of the Ceremonial Contrafact tracks top the highest highs from the original Empathogen album, but I'm glad they're here.
Standout tracks: false self, between I and she, and symptom of life
5. Chromakopia - Tyler the Creator (Rap)
I'm not a huge "hip-hop head" as it were, but I never thought I'd rank a rap album higher than Kendrick on one of these year-end lists. This one is phenominal though, and while I view Tyler and Kendrick as occupying different lanes in hip-hop/rap, I only bring up this Tyler/Kendrick comparison because Tyler does it himself on Rah Tah Tah (though he was kind of humble about it)
Every time I listen to this album I like it more and more, so I think if I had/have more time with this album, I could probably push it up to 4th on this list, but there are 13 days left in the year and here we are.
It's very cohesive without sounding samey, and some of the production choices are reminiscent of Gorillaz type instumentals and I'm a sucker for a narrative device driving the progression of an album through its tracks (Tyler's Mom's call/advice in this case).
I think this is a very important album though, hammering the theme of being your true self no matter the cost. (This is not really presented in the album in contrast to being your ideal self, for example. More on that later.) It's something I can learn from as a chronic people pleaser who doesn't really please anyone, but that's just me.
Contrary to Devourer and Big Ideas, Tyler makes it clear he does not want family/children (or even long-term romantic love!), but perhaps ponders how his life would be different if he did have them. (But again ultimately decides they're not for him.) I wonder if this pondering will come up again in this album-ranking list.
Standout tracks for me: Darling, I, Hey Jane, Judge Judy, Take Your Mask Off, and Thought I was Dead
This is one of the longest albums on my whole list, and I don't feel like anything was superfluous or warranted cutting.
4. All Hell - Los Campesinos! (Rock)
Full disclosure, I'm a huge LC! stan, so I'm biased and that's why I'm rating them so high here.
But really, earlier versions of this list had All Hell in 5th place. It's just that, a uhhh certain election occurred in 2024 and I leaned on this album a whole lot for comfort following that, and that bumped it up to 4th.
Prior to all that, my general feelings toward the album were that it's a great addition to the LC! cannon sounding like a less bright version of the last effort Sick Scenes, but that it perhaps has just a few too many songs (not including interludes, though I personally would be fine leaving the two of those interludes behind as well.) and that's why I originally rated the more succinct Empathogen higher than it. But I've had Long Throes and Coin Op Guillotine on loop lately and the album's just doing so much for me overall.
The previous LC! album of new material Sick Scenes came out in 2017 and this was absolutely worth the wait.
Standout Tracks: Long Throes, Coin Op Guillotine, kms, and Clown Blood
3. How to be Hopeful - Johnny Foreigner (Rock)
Full disclosure, I'm a huge JF stan, so I'm biased and that's why I'm rating them so high here.
Jokes aside, Johnny Foreigner have always held a place in my heart for having songs about maintaining hope or silver linings in the face of subpar circumstances, with past lines like "I'm not done holding hope in my hands" or "We'll make the best with the heat that's left".
This album leans into this theme fully, starting the opener with a big distorted chord and their trademark co-ed shout "IT GET'S WORSE", but only to eventually start the closer with the same chord and a shout of "IT GET'S BETTER". Perhaps that's misplaced optimism, but there's a nice symmetric journey in between the two, filled with chaos, consequence, a running gag of "Okay, 1 More" showing up in multiple songs, and it works and it feels like magic.
Like I mentioned for LC!, JF here have also had quite a gap since their last full-length album, which released in 2016. And like I mentioned for Cursive, JF here do not sound like a watered down version of themselves. Musically, they sound really reinvigorated here, even (especially?) in the slow songs, but overall tying into the lyrical themes of embracing chaos and how small actions can have wild and even positive ramifications down the line. If 2016's Mono No Aware kind of sounded like they were saying goodbye, How to be Hopeful says "Okay, 1 More!" (Which incidentally is also the name of a song on here that made me want to cry the first time I heard it). The wait was brutal, but ultimately worth it. (And somewhat softened, by a pre-release mixtape, more on that later.)
There's no rules to this list other than just however I see it fit, but if I purely went by which album I enjoyed the most (or probably listened to the most), this would take #1. But even in my standom, I feel this album does meander the slightest bit in the back half, around This is a Joke through Their Shining Path, even if I acknowledge how important the latter is to the narrative of the album. And for that reason, I rank it about here at 3rd.
Standout tracks: Orc Damage, Okay 1 More!, Roisin Does Advice Now, and Emily And Alex
2. BRAT - Charli XCX (Pop)
This album doesn't really need any introduction at this point, does it?
It's the album that finally made the public give Charli her flowers, at least much more than for being featured on I Love It or Fancy.
For me it actually took me a few listens before it sunk in. But once it did, holy shit did it sink in.
Charli's ethos of not being so flowery with her lyrics and just relaying them the way she'd speak to a friend really resonated with people, and so did just allowing herself to be vulnerable once you tear past the surface level exterior of a brat. I'd say we saw that trick before, but Charli makes the concept her own without feeling like a retread. And now two 10/10 albums named BRAT can coexist, and both are great.
Beyond the themes, the production (mostly by AG Cook) is masterful, and often makes me feel like I'm ascending, and it really lends itself to the atmosphere of it all. Listening to songs like Club Classics or Everything Is Romantic both give me frission. I fall in love again and again indeed.
On a side note, one of my many favorites on this album I think about it all the time, has Charli pondering if her limited time on earth might be better spent in motherhood or with a family, even if that means limiting her career output. Just a neat coincidence. I haven't spoken much on the deluxe or remix albums that each came out with their own splash in the pop culture zeitgeist in their own way, because I do believe the standard version is the definitive version of the album and view the others mostly as a bonus, but on the remix for I think about it all the time, she ponders it even further as it relates to her success due to the BRAT album itself, and how it's so hard to quit when you're on top.
There's no rules to this list other than just however I see it fit, but if I purely went by which album had the most cultural significance, this would take #1.
Standout Tracks: Everything Is Romantic, Apple, Club Classics, 360, and I think about it all the time
Bonus standout: Sympathy is a knife featuring Ariana Grande
1. Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay (Pop)
I went into this album completely blind. I hadn't heard of this band, didn't know what they sounded like, anything. I only saw this album was getting rave reviews, and decided to see what the fuss was about.
I was pretty sold by time the tempo changed early in the opener She looked like me!. I think this album resonated with me personally because I was really into prog rock back in my teen years but I kind of got tired of it as time went on since I found (in my experience) most of it will sacrifice catchiness or fun if it meant the song could be technical for technical's sake. But even 10-15ish years ago I pondered what "prog pop" would sound like but couldn't ever properly imagine it. Circa 2020, I even wondered if Hyperpop could be that thing, but Hyperpop gained its weirdness by hyperaccentuating traits that already belonged to pop music, basically making pop a caricature of itself (hence the title). Well, turns out if I wanted Pop with the Prog elements I admired, I just needed this album in disk form inserted directly into my brain. (And imagine my sense of validation when I later discovered that Magdalena Bay started off as a Prog Rock outfit, but I digress.)
Musically, this album just has so much going on, all these layers and sounds, and all of it works. It's so lush but mechanical and futuristic. Even the interludes are gorgeous to listen to! There's also a bit of ABBA influence here? I hear it the most on Cry for me, but throughout as well. Image is utterly addictive, as is the recurring melody that pops up in She Looked Like Me!, the end of Love is Everywhere, Feeling Diskinserted?, and The Ballad of Matt and Mica.
Thematically, there's a loosely connected thread about becoming your ideal self (in contrast to your true self) and doing so via inserting an Imaginal Disk into one's forehead. Through the music videos accompanying these songs, there's a large ominous red-orange character who pursues a character named True (portrayed by Mica of Magdalena Bay) and because of this, it almost seems to me like becoming the ideal self at the cost of the true self is kind of an unwanted outcome(?). It's kind of lore-heavy in that way and I'd be lying if I said I made a very large effort to understand all of that aspect of it.
This album is also one of the longer ones on my list, but every track here, interludes included feel like they deserve their spots on the tracklist. Nothing feels like filler, and most of these songs are longer than they feel. (I was surpised to learn the opening track was over 3 minutes, since it feels like a shortened "album intro" track, for instance.)
There's no rules to this list other than just however I see it fit, but if I went by which album impressed me the most, or by which album seems most masterfully written, this would take #1.
Standout Tracks: Image, Killing Time, She Looked Like Me!, The Ballad of Matt and Mica, and even freaking True Blue Interlude too
posted december 19 2024
Okay, 1 More!
It's probably a little unfair to add this here, and if you only care about what's #1 you can probably stop at Imaginal Disk. I've brought up my bias, and what Johnny Foreigner (very) broadly means to me, but there are no rules and this is my list so fuck it.
I got a substantial amount of enjoyment out of their newest full-length album How to be Hopeful, but I still don't think I fully mentioned the context surrounding that release strategy.
Johnny Foreigner didn't just drop a new album after an eight-year wait and then call it a day. They also released a companion EP/mixtape to drum up hype for the album and I can't let that get washed over like a stone cast into the sea because album ranking lists only ever feature "proper" albums.
And Johnny Foreigner certainly aren't the first band to drop a companion EP/single/mixtape to drumm up hype, and they won't be the last, and to give them a proper first place over what's technically not one single album doesn't feel entirely fair, especially given my pre-existing bias.
But the actual experience of having The sky and sea were part of me (or I was part of them) and then having How to be Hopeful, and both together after that was nothing short of chaos magic.
To speak on the release(s), Sky and Sea starts off with this 45-second long piano interlude called (a million different galaxies) and then jumps into What the Alexei, which is also on the final How to be Hopeful album.
We get a few more (stellar) non-album tracks in All of the Colours, Exhibit 1, and If you Ain't At The Table... before eventually getting another piano interlude in (speak of it and curse it).
Then we get another album preview track in Orc Damage, and then the last full (non-album) song All of the Chords, which in hindsight now that we have the full album, All of the Chords actually decodes the philosophy, narrative, and meaning behind the whole album that was at the time yet to be released.
And then to tie it up all together in a neat bow, we get the third and last piano interlude in (fireworks, full blossom) which is a piano-ified shortened snippet version of What the Alexei, a full album track from earlier in the mixtape. And then it hits you that the piano interludes are all shortened previews of (at the time) unreleased songs from the full album. And then the album drops and then you realise Exhibit 1 is also remix of Museum of Useless Things, and that they released the remix of a song months before the regular song.
I mentioned my bias for JF on multiple occassions, but I don't think I ever mentioned why I love them so much. I could go on at length about the why, but part of it is because they do shit like this.
There's no way I can properly recreate this feeling now that How to be Hopeful is already out for anyone and no one to go listen to, but these two releases together make my favorite music collection that happened in this incredibly giving year for music, even if it's not one singular "album".