Favorite Music of 2024
What a fantastic year of music! Even though I stayed on top of it better than last year, it feels like I still missed so much.
Looking back on a whole year of music is always interesting. There are some clear standouts, but then there are all those other albums that make you go, “Oh yeah! I totally forgot that came out this year!” Underworld, one of my all-time favorite artists, released a new album—but I may have listened to it only once. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy it; I was just too busy rocking out to Curta’n Wall singing about hill forts and unicorn horns.
So let’s dive into it. Here’s all the music I dug in 2024. I don’t like ranking things, so the list is in chronological order. I considered an “Album of the Year” section, but decided against it. It was pretty much between 1999 Write the Future’s hella (˃̣̣̥╭╮˂̣̣̥) ✧ ♡ ‧º·˚:, and Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere.
Favorite Albums
Les Moontunes - Elephant Wizard
A perfect fusion of progressive rock, soul and…heavy jazz? I kinda sorta joked that this was already my album of the year back in January. It’s super good.
Top track: Wizard Universe
1999 WRITE THE FUTURE - hella
(˃̣̣̥╭╮˂̣̣̥) ✧ ♡ ‧º·˚:I have no idea why more people aren’t talking about this album. Every song is different, yet the album as a whole is cohesive. The features throughout are mind-blowing. Budos Band, Surprise Chef, BADBADNOTGOOD, Ghostface Killah, Rick Ross, and Busta Rhymes to name a few. It’s so fresh and creative yet kind of familiar at the same time. If you love hip hop, soul, jazz and funk, this is 100% for you. I listened to this album for probably the whole first half of 2024.
Top track: JoEys song
༼つ ◕_◕ ༽つ
Allie X - Girl With No Face
Eighties inspired disco synth-pop at it’s best. It’s banger after banger with this record. Really wish I had gone to her show when she came through Charlotte. Hoping that she tours again soon.
Top track: Black Eye
Alcest - Les Chants de l’Aurore
What an absolute stunner. This sounds like early Alcest, but with all the years of experience behind it. A perfect Alcest album, in my opinion. The balance between shoegaze and black metal is just right. It’s so light, bright and airy while still pummeling you with a massive wall of sound. Everyone should listen to this, even if you’re not into black metal.
I want to see them live so bad at this point, I’m willing to travel to Europe for itThey’re coming to the US in 2025.Top track: Améthyste
Greg Foat - The Glass Frog
I can’t exactly remember how I came across this album, but how could you see that cover and not check it out? The type, the actual glass frog. The opening track, Sea of Tranquility literally sounds like a sea of tranquility. This might be one of the most beautiful albums I’ve ever heard. It makes me want to learn piano just to one day have a reason to own a Fender Rhodes.
Top track: Sea of Tranquility
BADBADNOTGOOD - Mid Spiral
This is a combination of the three EPs that BADBADNOTGOOD released throughout the year. Some stellar jazz, but would you expect anything less from this band? There seems to be a good bit of South American influences throughout each EP. Definitely my favorite work by them to date. You can tell a lot of love, time and effort went into this one.
Top track: Sétima Regra
DJ Sabrina the Teenage DJ - Hex
I think this is my favorite album of hers, so far. The whole album is one big mix and it’s pretty incredible (there’s also an unmixed version that was released later.) I don’t know who she actually is, and I like that. Let’s just say it really is Sabrina Spellman and she’s an absolute house music Queen.
Top track: Deep Down
Jamie xx - In Waves
Jamie made us wait for a new record, and boy was it worth it. It’s kind of perfect in every way. I just wish it were a bit longer. By the time the whole album was released, almost half of the singles were out. Like his last album, I don’t think any of these tracks could be played out, anyway. The production and features is all just bonkers good.
Top track: Life feat. Robyn
Curta’n Wall - Yr Gwyddbwll
I still don’t know how to explain Curta’n Wall properly. When I do explain the sound, it makes no sense unless you listen to it. Medieval folk music with a little black metal thrown in, and some dungeon synth for good measure? The way it’s all tied together is genius, really. And, the production on this album is even better than the last.
Top track: Hill Fort
Caribou - Honey
I love it when there’s a new Caribou album, because he isn’t an artist I ever read up on or hear rumors about. So when a new album drops, it’s a complete surprise, and I get very excited because I know it’s going to be incredible. Honey is fantastic addition to the already amazing Caribou catalog. Over Now sounds like Discovery-era Daft Punk remixed a Caribou song. I love it. Actually, a few parts of this album sound Discovery-era Daft Punk inspired. I mean that in the best possible way.
Top track: Come Find Me
Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
That’s it. It’s over. Blood Incantation made the greatest psychedelic ambient death metal album ever. It’s probably the only psychedelic ambient death metal album. Even still, the bar is high. Back in 2023 there was talk about the band recording with members of Hällas at Hansa Studio in Berlin. Then Luminescent Bridge was released, but it seemed this was unrelated to whatever was being done in Berlin. One side death metal, the other an ambient track, Luminescent Bridge was more of a continuation of what we’ve heard previously. The guys were cooking something else. Absolute Elsewhere was unleashed, and I don’t think anybody was ready. They successfully created a blend of ambient music and psychedelic rock with multiple sub-genres of metal. It does feature Nicklas Malmqvist from Hällas, but also freakin’ Thorsten Quaesching from Tangerine Dream! It’s an amazing record, and I firmly believe they will push it even further with the next release.
Top track: The whole album
Neon Nightmare - Faded Dream
When 20 Buck Spin announced this release on their Instagram account, I was immediately drawn to the album art. It very much reminded me of Type O Negative’s album covers, but just the typography, really. I’ve never listened to enough Type O Negative to call this album completely inspired by them, but after reading other reviews, and sharing it with friends, it seems that this was the intended direction of the project. Heavily inspired by another artist or not, this is a solid listen start to finish. I’ve never skipped a track. Whether you need to fill that Type O Negative void in your heart, or just want some damn good metal to listen to, I don’t think you could go wrong here.
Top track: LATW2TG
Two Shell - Two Shell
I don’t know where these guys came from, but since this album was suggested, it has been on repeat. A steaming hot bowl of electronic music soup, featuring all sorts of styles like UK garage, dub, and techno. I love how they use vocal samples. It’s unique, and gives the album its own character. Also, that album art is crazy.
Top track:
₊˚⊹gimmi it
Other albums and EPs I enjoyed
- The Smile - Wall of Eyes
- Spectral Voice - Sparagmos
- Four Tet - Three
- Dodstrit - Nocturnal Will
- Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee
- Justice - Hyperdrama
- Letherette - EP6
- The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It will Be Again
- Misha Panfilov - To the Mesosphere and Beyond
- Dana and Alden - Coyote, You’re My Star
- King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Flight b741
- Missouri Executive Order 44 - Salt Sermon
- Spectral Wound - Songs of Blood and Mire
- Purple Disco Machine - Paradise
- The Smile - Cutouts
- Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
- The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Some of these probably deserve to be in the Favorites list after I really dig into them. I just learned of Dana and Alden the other day. And the new Cure album is amazing, I just haven’t really gotten around to listening to it a whole lot yet. I bet I listened to that Letherette EP almost 200 times.
Discovery 2024 Spotify Playlist
Every year I add songs to a playlist that I really like, and have never heard before. This years is a lot larger than the last. It’s easier than making a long list of every single that I enjoyed playing over and over again all year. If I could call out one song, though? The Beaches - Takes One to Know One. That’s my Single of the Year, I guess.