Favorite Albums of 2024

1. Songs Of A Lost World - The Cure

Writing about my favorite album last year, (The National’s First Two Page of Frankenstein), I wrote “Every time I listen to The National, I think they might be my favorite band.” The only other band I have that feeling with is The Cure so I was very curious to hear their first new album in 16 years. It should be no surprise that, like The National, this new new album quickly became my album of the year. Released at the end of October, this group of eight songs sounds like what it feels like to be alive in 2024: dark but beautiful, epic but quiet. The song “And Nothing Is Forever” was the balm I needed the day after the election.

2. Small Medium Large - SML

SML is sort of a jazz and ambient supergroup consisting of bassist Anna Butterss, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, guitarist Gregory Ulhlmann, and synthesist (and composter of the Scratching the Surface theme music) Jeremiah Chiu. This collection of long improvisations recorded over two nights was frequently my Sunday morning soundtrack.

3. Chamber of Tears - Alejandro Cohen

Alejandro Cohen is a new-to-me artist who I got really into as Summer turned to Fall as I started exploring acoustic ambient music. Chamber of Tears is a lethargic, melancholy record of plucking guitar and rich textures that feels like I find something new in each time I listen to it.

4. rosie - ROSÉ

A late-breaking addition and a complete surprise to me. ROSÉ is the solo moniker of one member of the K-pop supergroup Blackpink, a genre I embarrassingly know nothing about, but I was completely taken with her interview on The New York Times’ Interview podcast and was completely delighted by this diverse pop record.

5. Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend

I’ve been a fan of Vampire Weekend since their debut in 2008 and have continued to enjoy their music for fifteen years (I consider their 2013 outing Modern Vampires of the City a near-perfect record.). This album, their first in five years, feels both like a return to form and something new: the jangly pop and esoteric lyrics intact but layered with a newfound and fuzz, as if the band is loosening up and letting their hair down. I’m into it.

6. Statik - Actress

I’ve always listened to a lot of what I’d classify ambient or experimental music. Because I was working on a big writing project this year, there was even more of it as I explored the genre more deeply. Actress, the stage name of British DJ and producer Darren Cunningham, is another new-to-me artist who makes a kind of music I seem to never not love: dark, danceable music. I listened to this a lot over the summer but it’s a perfect winter album too: plenty of drones, beats, and, as the title implies, static.

7. Place - Rhucle

Rhucle is a new-to-me artist though the Japanese musician has been producing music for over a decade. I can’t recall where I found this one but this album was on repeat most of the summer as I was writing. It’s my favorite type of ambient music that blends soft soundscapes with glittering fragements of beats and electronics.

8. Where’s My Utopia - Yard Act

Yard Act’s debut album from 2022 was an instant favorite for me, feeling like the post-punk and indie rock music I grew up listening to. This new album, though, blew me away: it was louder, catchier, and just funnier. I’m very excited to see where this band goes next.

9. Everything Squared - Seefeel

I was admittedly new to Seefeel, the electronic/post-rock/ambient who released most of their music across the 90s, but I am a big fan now. Their new album is their first since 2011 blends the dark drones I’m fond of with textures and beats to create a rich, concise album I played ALOT this summer.

10. All Born Screaming - St. Vincent

Like Vampire Weekend, St. Vincent, aka Annie Clark, is a musical project I’ve been following for going on fifteen years. Her previous album felt like a rare miss to me that I could never click with. This album, however, feels like a forceful return to form, equal parts rousing and introspective with plenty of guitars.

Honorable Mentions

White Roses, My God - Alan Sparhawk
Volta - Loula Yorke
Life on the Lawn - A Country Western
Guzzle Blood - Les Savy Fav
Cowboy Carter - Beyonce
Where’s My Utopia - Yard Act
Little Rope - Sleater-Kinney
Sentiment - Claire Rousay

A Spotify Playlist

As I do every year, here’s a playlist of the new songs I loved the most this year. This year’s — as of this writing — clocks in at 92 songs or 6 hours and 17 minutes. Over on my spotify profile, I also have monthly playlists of the songs I listened to the most throughout the year. Enjoy!