My 24 Favorite Albums of 2024
This year's list comes with more narrative than usual, in an effort to explain how my listening habits were influenced by the battle with cancer that I've had this year. We suspected a problem at the end of January, but it was officially diagnosed as Stage 4: metastatic prostate cancer in early March. A game changer, to say the least, and not in a way that anyone wants the game to be changed.
(If you have any interest in reading some of my journal entries from my cancer battle this year, click here.)
When I first got the diagnosis, anxiety and depression pretty much shut me down. Musically, I didn't want to listen. Most songs with lyrics that I could understand felt very trivial compared to the tragic news. In the earliest days, I preferred to sit in silence and my own depression. Then I started letting some instrumental jazz in for a while because it didn't have any lyrics. This was mostly jazz from my personal sweet spot; small group recordings from the late 50s and early 60s.
Early in the year, a collective of African women calling themselves Les Amazones d'Afrique released their third album, Musow Danse. Although I was aware that this group wrote songs about women's rights and female empowerment, I couldn't understand a word they were singing. I love this album and included it in my list without hesitation. Still having an aversion to lyrics I could understand, though, this and my new sedentary lifestyle sent me off on a journey around the world, finally taking the time to explore all of the Real World Records releases I had collected over the years.
So, part of my early spring was spent listening to lyric-less jazz, then later that spring I got completely immersed in world music. Very little of any of this was released in 2024, but it comprised a fairly large part of my listening experience in the spring so is noteworthy.
A Very Honorable Mention in this year's list is Peter Gabriel's i/o, which was released in December of 2023. It was my #1 album from last year, largely because Gabriel was releasing a song from the album every full moon starting in January 2023. It's a great album that includes some wonderful musings on ageing and mortality. Already a favorite, it was really the one English-speaking album that I still wanted to hear after I got my diagnosis. In other words, I listened to this album a heck of a lot in 2024. In fact, if it hadn't been released in 2023 it would be heading my list for 2024.
I suppose I should get on with this year's list. I just thought it was worth mentioning some music that got played quite a bit around here this year but didn't qualify for my favorite releases of 2024.
My Favorite Releases of 2024
I broke this up into a couple sections because I found it difficult to rank everything when I mixed pop/rock with jazz, electronic, and even some various artist releases that I liked quite a bit. Sometimes (last year, for example) I mixed these in with the single-artist pop and rock albums that I liked. I tried that this year but found it muddied the waters.
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| A quick and randomized preview by cover art |
Favorite Music with Words
1 • LYR - An Unnatural History
LYR is a collaboration between Simon Armitage, Britain's current poet laureate, singer-songwriter Richard Walters, and multi-instrumentalist and producer Patrick Pearson. I fell under their spell when I first heard "Never Good With Horses" from their debut album in 2020. An Unnatural History is their third consistently excellent release and metaphorically recreates a Natural History Museum (in tribute to one that once existed on Eldon Street in Barnsley UK) as a kind of imaginarium of all things zoological. It's wonderous and wonderful.
2 • Les Amazones d'Afrique - Musow Danse
The third album from this collective of female singers from Africa. Both of their previous albums have been fantastic, and this new one is no exception. Sung in various languages from throughout the African diaspora, the lyrics are almost all in support of gender equality and the rights of women and/or girls, sometimes broaching some rather tough subjects. All three of their albums are on Real World Records and all three are excellent.
3 • Johnny Blue Skies - Passage du Desir
Ever the contrarian, Sturgill Simpson has decided to start recording under a different name, this one given to him by a charismatic bartender in Kentucky many years ago. The music here, though, is unmistakably Simpson. I swear, this guy has an ear for everything that has ever been great about country music, mixes it with flights of imagination both nautical and celestial, then brings all that home with emotion straight from the heart. A definite favorite of ours this year!
4 • The Libertines - All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade
With only four albums in over 20 years, it's not hard to get thirsty for new Libertines material. Their previous album came out in 2015, making it a long nine years since their last record. They never disappoint, though. Their sound may have become a bit more polished over the last two records but they still bring (as my friend Mike would say) the ramalama. It's a fun rock 'n' roll record with catchy hooks throughout but also manages to make some valid social commentary.
5 • IDLES - TANGK
There's a strong aspect of what these guys do that feels angry, but it also feels like it's for the right reasons. I also seem to be on some every-other-album schedule with them, having heard their 1st, 3rd, and 5th albums but not the 2nd and 4th. Their third album, Ultra Mono, made my 2020 Front Burner at #6. With TANGK, all I can tell you is that I liked it more each time I heard it. Once in my big Front Burner Candidates playlist, each time one of the songs from this album came up in the shuffle it felt like a highlight. Good stuff, but admittedly not for everyone. Note to self: Check out those 2nd and 4th albums soon!
6 • Zach Bryan - The Great American Bar Scene
My daughter turned me on to Zach Bryan last year with his self-titled 4th album. (It makes me smile to think those tables are turning.) Bryan's style has been described as "red dirt" country, but he's delightfully literate. I've actually learned things from some of his lyrics! This new album contains duets with Bruce Springsteen and John Moreland, among others. It's a testament to Bryan's songwriting talents that these collaborations don't feel like highlights of the album but instead like the sprinkling of some extra flavors here and there.
7 • Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well & Deeper in the Well
After a rather devastatingly honest breakup record, one that was frankly so forthright that it was difficult to listen to at times, Kacey Musgraves returns with what is probably her most calm, assured, and introspective album to date. It's downright philosophical at times, in a very Taoist or Buddhist way. In the title track she sings, "I found a deeper well," and it definitely sounds like it throughout this wonderful album. Very few of the songs feel like they're in a hurry to get anywhere, yet that also feels very intentional. By now, she has earned her way to afford the best production available and even that is governed with a subtle hand. On top of it all is that beautiful, friendly voice. This probably deserves a higher rank in this list. So good.
8 • Halsey - Great Impersonator
I fell under Halsey's spell around her Manic album in 2020. In fact, it was (once again!) my daughter who first turned me on to Halsey's charms. She has attained the status of pop star, but I love the rock, prog, electronic, and storytelling elements she brings to the table. I love her voice, too. Her albums are all concept albums, and she doesn't appear to be afraid to step way outside the box in terms of the lyrical and sonic elements she brings to the table.
9 • Richard Thompson - Ship To Shore
Seriously, has Richard Thompson ever released a bad album? The guy's been writing consistently 4 or 5 star albums throughout most of his 50+ year musical career. And can we stop for just a minute to appreciate the greatness of this new cover art? That may have been the element that made me sit up and take notice, but the album turned out to be chock full of Richard Thompson goodness. "Lean and lively," as they say. If you're already a fan, this will not disappoint. If you're somehow not familiar, this is honestly as good a place as any to get on board!
10 • The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So Will It Be Again
You'd need to go all the way back to 2011's The King Is Dead to find a Decemberists album that I adored. Their last few just didn't seem to stick to my ribs. When I heard that this one had come out, I was hesitant to dive in. I won't claim that this is a "return to form" but it's a very good album. In fact, it almost feels as though the band is giving us a career-spanning retrospective with a set of completely new songs! Therein lies the rub, though. If this album has a fault it's that it's trying to pull so many tried and true Decemberists "tricks" out of their bag along the way.
11 • James - Yummy/Pudding
Albums of interest (potential Front Burner candidates) generally get put into a giant playlist on Spotify. Then, when I listen to this playlist in shuffle mode, it's as though a radio station was randomly playing songs from albums I like. It really helps me evaluate which recordings really stand out. One thing I noticed about this new James album is that, every time one of the tracks came up, I liked the album more. The original album was called Yummy and then they released a whole bunch of demos, etc. from the album (12 more tracks!) and called it Pudding. Their demos, experiments, and cast-offs are just about as good as the songs that make it to the official album, giving the original Yummy a sense of being twice as good as it was, and it was indeed good!
12 • Ride - Interplay
Several excellent records by bands that became popular in the 80s came out this year, most notably 1 2 3 4 by Modern English, Glasgow Eyes by The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Interplay by Ride. Of these three, Ride's Interplay proved to be the one I came back to most often. It's just chock full of great songs, all with one foot still planted firmly in the shoegaze arena. Bonus points for album cover art that fits the music inside perfectly.
13 • Magdelina Bay - Imaginal Disk
Who would have thought that the album on this list that was full of the most surprises would also be full of pop candy sweetness? Pop/dance records typically wouldn't do much for me, but the musical and lyrical twists and turns here are often unexpected and keep me wondering "what comes next"... even after multiple listens. Synthpop from outer space might be one way to describe this crazy adventure. Singer Mica Tenebaum has the kind of Mini Mouse vocals that, at times, remind me of Kate Bush or Clare Grogan. She and bandmate Matt Lewin write, perform, and produce together. It didn't surprise me to learn that this band sprang from the ashes of a prog/art rock band. Imaginal Disk indeed!
14 • Peter Perrett - The Cleansing
In my introduction, I mentioned Peter Gabriel's i/o as an album that I loved because it contained "some wonderful musings on ageing and mortality" to which I can now relate. I'm almost bookending this list with another record that gives me the same vibes. The background and approach is very different but, as someone now made to feel 72 (Perrett's age) by cancer and chemotherapy, I can really relate to many of the 20 songs on this career highlight of an album.
15 • Adeem the Artist - Anniversary
Tip of the hat to my friends Chris and Jim for turning me on to this one. One listen to the amazing song "Rotations" is just about all it took to hook me. Most of the songs here are winners, though. Adeem Maria Bingham (they/them/theirs) is a non-binary American country music singer-songwriter. They're also not afraid to tackle some heavy social commentary through lyrics which, especially in country music, has never gone over very well. This is likely the most brave album on my list.
Favorite Compilations of Various Artists
1 • Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin
Jesse
Malin is an incredibly talented urban roots-rocker from New York City.
Unfortunately, he suffered a rare spinal stroke last year that left him
paralyzed from the waist down. This project raises funds for the Sweet
Relief Musicians Fund which helps artists in difficult financial
situations, but it's also a fabulous tribute to the man and his talents. Which Jesse Malin fans chose to contribute to this massive (3LP) collection of his songs? ... Bruce Springsteen, Dinosaur Jr., Lucinda
Williams, Elvis Costello, Susanna Hoffs, The Hold Steady, Ian Hunter,
Counting Crows, Frank Turner, The Wallflowers, Spoon, and even bands
like Rancid and Agnostic Front. What's more, this list just scrapes the
surface. Some of the best versions were delivered by bands many people have never heard of. If you aren't that familiar with the songs of Jesse Malin, let a big house full of musical friends share them with you.
2 • Notes from the Underground, Vol. 1 - Milwaukee
I won't pretend to know the origins of this project, but the guys who run Irving Place Records assembled these 12 songs from fellow members of the music scene in Milwaukee. It's a wonderfully varied sampler of contemporary power pop, rock, and post-punk sounds with gloriously detailed liner notes. You can clearly tell this was put together by both record junkies and musicians.
3&4 • Noise for Now: Songs for Sex & Volume 2
The Noise for Now project is a national initiative working for reproductive justice, including access to abortion. Jason Isbell, Tift Merritt, Andrew Bird, CAKE, and Erin McKeown are among the artists contributing to Songs for Sex, and Vol. 2 features the likes of Courtney Barnett, David Byrne, DEVO, and The War On Drugs. Great songs throughout both albums, even from artists less known to me.
Favorite Wordless Music (jazz, electronic, etc.)
1 • Jeff Parker & ETA IVtet - The Way Out Of Easy
If I had chosen to mix the wordless with the worded above, this would have definitely been in my Top 5. Jeff Parker (Chicago's hardest working guitar player?) held a residency at a small club (ETA - Enfeild Tennis Academy) in Los Angeles with subtle percussionist extraordinaire Jay Bellerose, double bassist Anna Butterss, and sax experimentalist Josh Johnson. Captured here are four lengthy and intimate improvisations over the album's four sides. It's fascinating to hear these tracks unfold and listen to the conversations these excellent musicians are having with one another. The recording by Bryce Gonzales (who also wrote the excellent liner notes) is about as sympathetic to the setting and musicians as I've heard in a long time.
2 • Monolake - Studio
Glitch electronica / dub techno at its finest. I first heard Monolake with Cinemascope (2001) and I was immediately hooked. Robert Henke makes these truly otherworldly sounds under the Monolake alias and then creates mindblowing soundscapes for those sounds. This is music best enjoyed with good headphones. This is also music best enjoyed with a good buzz.
3 • DjRUM - Meaning's Edge
Speaking of glitch electronica and mindblowing soundscapes, Felix Manuel's DjRUM project trips those triggers as well. This is techno with drum-and-bass seasonings but informed by jazz and classical music. (Manuel trained as a jazz pianist but started to DJ in the late 2000s.) At five tracks totaling just over a half hour, I guess this would be considered an EP, although it definitely doesn't feel like it comes up short in any way. This is a cinematic, adventurous ride!
4 • Quartet Diminished - Deerand
Another improvisational record that probably falls most comfortably under "jazz", but imagine jazz performed through the filter of progressive art rock. These guys are going for long, mythical stories that often remind me of the instrumental passages that you hear on records by the best prog bands. King Crimson in particular. I had never heard of this quartet from Tehran, Iran before but they popped up on my radar because they joined forces with Tony Levin (King Crimson, Peter Gabriel, etc.) and Markus Reuter, an excellent guitarist also in Levin's Stickmen project. (I've met both those guys!) The collaboration works incredibly well, and makes me wonder if they'll all record together again. I also now plan to explore previous QD material that got by me in the past. This is a very different kind of improvisational record from the Jeff Parker album but it is no less a fascinating listen.
I've put together a > Spotify playlist of sample tracks < from each of these recordings. It's in the order listed here but works just as well if you shuffle it. Check it out!
So... what was on the Back Burner?
Here are some very good albums that I enjoyed in 2024 but not quite enough to make my list of absolute favorites. Listed in alphabetical order because ranking is hard!
Andrew Bird and Madison Cunningham – Cunningham Bird
Bonny Light Horseman – Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free
Camera Obscura – Look to the East, Look to the West
Isobel Campbell – Bow to Love
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Wild God*
Chestnut Grove – Can’t Stand the Music
Clevelode – Muntjac
Crowded House – Gravity Stairs
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World*
Kim Deal – Nobody Loves You
Desperate Journalist – No Hero*
Fairground Attraction – Beautiful Happening
Stewart Forgey – Nature of the Universe*
Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown
David Gilmour – Luck and Strange
Richard Hawley – In This City They Call You Love*
Robyn Hitchcock – 1967
Iron & Wine – Light Verse
Sarah Jarosz – Polaroid Lovers
Jesus & Mary Chain – Glasgow Eyes*
Lady Blackbird – Slang Spirituals
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
Nick Lowe & Los Straightjackets – Indoor Safari
John Mellencamp – Trouble No More
Modern English – 1 2 3 4*
John Moreland – Visitor
Redd Kross – Redd Kross
Bill Ryder-Jones – Iechyd Da
St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
Star Anna – Love and Sex and Fear of Death*
The The – Ensoulment
Travis – L.A. Times
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
The Vaccines – Pick-Up Full Of Pink Carnations
Jane Weaver – Love in Constant Spectacle
Wrest – Everything’s Nothing Forever Again*
* These were among the last contenders to be cut from the main list.
