After 6 years of putting out a top 10 albums list I’ve decided to bump it up to 20. This year was extremely competitive with a lot of new artists (to me) jumping up the ranks and plenty of beloved artists releasing some of their best work yet. You can see that I’ve rated seven albums as a 8.3/10 just on the cusp of the top 10.
I’ve put together 3 playlists below with the top albums, an unranked list of over 100 songs I liked from the year, and a top 30 songs ranked. Enjoy!
20. Adrienne Lenker
Bright Future
8.1/10
19. Jack White
No Name
8.2/10
18. Beyonce
Cowboy Carter
8.2/10
17. Father John Misty
Mahashmashana
8.3/10
16. Hana Vu
Romanticism
8.3/10
15. Vince Staples
Dark Times
8.3/10
14. Future Islands
People Who Aren't There Anymore
8.3/10
13. MGMT
Loss of Life
8.3/10
12. Brittany Howard
What Now
8.3/10
11. The Smile
Wall of Eyes
8.3/10
10. Charli XCX
brat
8.4/10
So much ink has been spilt over this album. “brat” with all of the ephemera tracks is great when you’re in a certain kind of mood. Top songs: 360, Sympathy is a knife, Von Dutch, So I, Girl, so confusing (w/ Lorde), I think about it all the time, 365.
9. Hurray for the Riff Raff
The Past is Still Alive
8.4/10
This was my first exposure to this band and it captured me from the first song to the last. I enjoyed this journey through the West and I think you will too. Top songs: Alibi, Hawkmoon, Snake Plant, Dynamo, Ogallala.
8. Mount Eerie
Night Palace
8.5/10
I’ve been on a big Phil Elverum kick this year with his Microphones in 2020 album reaching me pretty late in the game. Night Palace feels like a stained glass window with so many beautiful facets and great little nuggets of wit and insights. Top songs: Broom of Wind, Huge Fire, I Walk, Empty Paper Towel Roll, Wind and Fog pt. 2, I Saw Another Bird, November Rain.
7. Kendrick Lamar
DNX
8.6/10
Mustaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaard! Top (dawg) songs: luther, reincarnated, tv off, heart pt. 6, gloria
6. Johnny Blue Skies
Passage Du Desir
8.6/10
Sturg is on a hearty bender with this one. Love the mix between the high, happy clappy vibes of Scooter Blues and the devastating depths of Jupiter’s Faerie. If you can listen to ‘Right Kind of Dream’ without it getting it stuck in your head, you’ve got a different kind of brain than me. Top songs: If the Sun Never Rises Again, Scooter Blues, Jupiter’s Faerie, Right Kind of Dream, One for the Road
5. Hovvdy
Hovvdy
8.7/10
Choppy vibes with mop-top drop-top bops. Clearly I’m running out of ways to describe an album this expansive. I love the duo’s laid back and thoughtfully articulate production. It’s the kind of album I’d love to make. Top songs: Bubba, Jean, Forever, Make Ya Proud, Meant, Portrait,
4. Real Estate
Daniel
8.7/10
This album feels like a really delicate meditation on the intricacies of modern life. Not much more you can ask for from an album from this year. Top songs: Somebody New, Water Underground, Flowers, Say No More, Airdrop, You Are Here
3. Rosali
Bite Down
8.8/10
Another new artist for me this year. So many beautiful highs on this album. The way that Rosali is able to distill the complex into the simply beautiful captured me immediately (ironic for a track named ‘slow pain’). This album has gone up and down my list throughout the year, but here at the end it has captured the third spot after I was able to see them perform live at a tiny venue in York, UK. Experiencing the magic up close and personal was incredible, and revealed even more power than I had realized was there. Top songs: On Tonight, My Kind, Bite Down, Slow Pain, Rewind
2. MJ Lenderman
Manning Fireworks
8.9/10
Mr. Lenderman came to me late in the year but when he hit, he homered. So many great tracks on this album that you can just turn up and drive to. MJ’s tinny voice pairs well with the charging chords and incisive lyrics. The band hooks you with a bouncy groove and keeps you with the singer-songwriter lyrics. Top songs: Manning Fireworks, Joker Lips, Wristwatch, She’s Leaving You, You Don’t Know the Shape I’m In, On My Knees
1. Vampire Weekend
Only God Was Above Us
9.0/10
Aptly named for their place on this year’s list, “Only God Was Above Us,” is my top album for 2024. Similar to some of my #1 albums from the past, when a band that I already like creates an album that exceeds all expectations, they are likely to jump to the top and stay there. VW knew the assignment and made the grade. This album is grimy in a good way, its clippy, hippy, dippy, drippy, and snippy. It’s head down but hopeful. Reminiscent but entirely new. As with Rosali – I saw VW for the first time at red-rocks this year and it was phenomenal. Every song I already liked was made better, and songs from previous albums that I wasn’t a fan of took on a whole new feel and life when played live. I especially liked their 25-minute medley they called “cocaine cowboy.” Overall, this was a great year to be a Vampire Weekend fan. Top songs: Prep-School Gangsters, Classical, Capricorn, Mary Boone, Hope.
dajob
Content
?/10
Are you content or content? This is the question central to dajob’s 2024 album. It explores the ins/outs/ups/downs of this digital life we’re all living in. Would love to know what you think of the album and if any songs stand out!
Jack White proves he is in complete control of his domain. He gives the people what they want. A solid top 20 album, and I may even give it an 8.3.
Vince Staples makes it sounds like you’re part of his crew and you’re sitting in the studio with him on a chill Friday night while he effortlessly spits out some stories.
Future Islands leaves me with the feeling that there is so much more depth to their lyrics than they let on to. Their synths provide for a melodic ride that is so enjoyable.
The Smile is Radiohead-lite.
You can’t go wrong with easy listening like that from Hovvdy.