My Favorite Albums of 2024
An Annual List of What I've Been Listening To
The pure volume of new music released in 2024 by artists I like was extraordinary once again. It does indeed feel like artists have experienced a post-pandemic invigoration of sorts. It makes sense — the lockdown caused most of us to look inward and for artists that self-reflection turned into creative expression. Whatever the reason for the explosion of new music, we’re all better for it.
Because there was so much good music this year, I’m going to expand my favorites list beyond the usual ten to include a few extras and some honorable mentions as well. So let’s get started.
Here are some albums I liked, but that did not warrant inclusion in my favorites list. These things are subjective so perhaps listen and decide for yourself.
Can We Please Have Fun — Kings of Leon (solid KoL that fans will love)
The Glorification of Sadness — Paloma Faith (for fans of U.K. pop)
Audio Vertigo -- Elbow (an exceptional British band that has stayed under the radar for years)
Smoke and Fiction — X (John, Exene, D.J. and Billy go out strong on what they say is their final album)
Ensoulment — The The (the band’s first album in 24 years is moody but classic Matt Johnson)
This is How Tomorrow Moves - Beabadoobee (the third album from the 24-year-old U.K. indie artist.)
This Wasn’t Meant for You Anyway - Lola Young (nominated for a Brit Award for Rising Star in 2021. She will be a global phenom soon)
On to my favorites (a baker’s dozen)!
Kaiser Chief's Easy Eighth Album — Kaiser Chiefs. Kicking things off this year is this fun upbeat album from Leeds, U.K.-based Kaiser Chiefs. I’ve liked them for years, but this album is the first to ever make my top 10 countdown. It’s really solid pop that I kept going back to this year.
Passage Du Desir — Johnny Blue Skies. My alt-country tastes continue to grow deeper and this beautiful record from Sturgill Simpson released under the pseudonym Johnny Blue Skies is one of the many reasons I no longer discount country music. I’m still not interested in mainstream country, but Sturgill writes some of the best songs in any genre and this is his second record to mark a place on my year-end countdown. His voice is one of a kind.
A la Sala — Khruangbin. Texas trio Khruangbin has become one of my go-to bands for passive listening. I love cracking open a book with them on in the background, or chilling on the sofa just letting their psychedelic instrumental rock take me away. It’s not easy to carve out a new sound in rock but these guys have done just that. A la Sala is gorgeous.
Songs of a Lost World — The Cure. Well, this was unexpected. I haven’t liked a Cure album since around 1987 and I was skeptical to even listen to the band’s first album in 16 years but something inside me made me give it a try when it came out earlier this month and…well…frankly I love it. It is dark and moody, but so beautifully engineered with long intense song introductions and driving beats and guitar riffs and then Robert Smith’s iconic voice comes in sounding better than ever. This record is not going to appeal to Friday I’m in Love fans, but if you liked the dark and intense Cure from back in the day, give this album a chance. You will not be disappointed.
The Forest Is The Path — Snow Patrol. These guys have been around since the early 90s and they have continued to make solid alternative rock records the whole time. I liked their early stuff better, but the past few records felt a little like they were phoning it in. But this album brings the band back to its piano-driven roots and it is solid from top to bottom. There’s not a bad song on it.
Don't Forget Me — Maggie Rogers. This is the second straight album from the 30-year-old Maryland singer-songwriter to make my year-end list and I’m really becoming a huge fan. She’s just so damn talented and interesting. She studied at a Berklee College of Music program while still in high school, then earned a BFA at New York University and then a Divinity degree from Harvard. Who gets a master of religion degree from Harvard and decides to make pop music for a living? I don’t know, but I’m sure glad she does.
Tigers Blood — Waxahatchee. Katie Crutchfield is no longer a hidden treasure now that this beautiful album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Americana Album. Her last album, Saint Cloud (which made my best-of list back in 2021) only managed something called a Libera Award for independent music, but she’s in the big time now. I love her voice…and her attitude.
Only God Was Above Us — Vampire Weekend. They met at Columbia University and have a song about the Oxford comma, so yeah, they are pretentious. But I sure love their indie-pop sound. If you liked the band’s last album, Father of the Bride, you’ll like this one. I was excited about this album coming out and it doesn’t disappoint.
Ohio Players — Black Keys. Every Keys album going back to 2010’s Brothers has made my favorites list and given how prolific Patrick and Dan are at making records this streak is pretty impressive. I think Ohio Players is actually one of their best albums as it has just a little more soul than usual which is right up my alley. It also features great guest appearances including by Beck (listen below) and Noel Gallagher.
Mahashmashana—Father John Misty. This album was released just a few days ago, but after two full listens, I am all in. Josh Tillman evokes 1970s soft rock masters like Cat Stevens, Elton John, and, in my mind, especially Glen Campbell, but his lyrics are all 21st-century.
“Most of us old men die in the firing line; Just waiting for our number to be called; I guess time just makes fools of us all”
Oh, and in case you are wondering, as I was, what the heck Mahashmashana means it’s Sanskrit for great cremation ground. That’s dark Josh.
As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again—The Decemberists. The Decemberists are among my favorite bands of the past twenty years, so it should be no surprise that their new effort appears high on this list. This is a solid album that will please any fan of the band. I think Colin Meloy is the most literary songwriter of his generation and the band continues to be in a category of one. I saw them live this summer at a small venue and it was magical.
Neon Pill — Cage the Elephant. No album got more playtime for me this year than this one. I’ve liked Cage for a while now, but this album jumps out. It has been five years since their last album, Social Cues, which I also loved. But this one doesn’t have a single miss. The band is super popular with fans and reviewers, and having notched a handful of Grammys now, you have to say they are a force to be reckoned with.
Small Changes -- Michael Kiwanuka. I quite literally waited half the year for this album to finally come out, and when it did just this past Friday it was definitely worth the wait. The anticipation for this release was based on the fact that Michael Kiwanuka has become one of my favorite artists and his last record, 2019’s Kiwanuka, made my top 10 list that year and has since become one of my all-time favorite albums. I got to see him perform many of those songs in Oakland that year, just weeks before the pandemic shut the world down. Small Changes is a little mellower, but after just a few listens I knew it was destined to be my top choice in 2024. I suspect I’ll be listening to it over and over during the holiday season and beyond. I’m still a little bit surprised that Michael Kiwanuka is not a mega star in the U.S. yet, though he did receive a Grammy nod for best rock album in 2019. His music is undoubtedly influenced by American soul greats, and while he’s a superstar in his home country of England he just hasn’t quite broken through here yet. I mean, many Americans know his music and maybe just don’t know who he is. I saw him on The Graham Norton Show recently (see below) and Pharrell Williams was on the panel too and you could tell after Kiwanuka’s performance Pharrell, who had seemingly never heard of him, was quite blown away. It’s a bit of a Catch 22 though — if he does become an international mega star it won’t be as easy to get tickets to his American gigs. But ultimately, I would like the whole world to hear his music and to experience his genius.
Before I go, a little bonus this year. Here are a few more albums that came out this year that I’ve been enjoying: What Do You Believe In? — Rag'n'Bone Man; The Key to What — Bear Hands; Dark Matter — Pearl Jam; All Born Screaming — St. Vincent; Nonetheless — Pet Shop Boys; Look to the East Look to the West — Camera Obscura; Just Something -- Dee C. Lee; Radios And Rainbows — Kate Pierson; Beautiful Happening — Fairground Attraction; A Modern Day Distraction -- Jake Bugg; Leon -- Leon Bridges