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101 Favorite Albums of 2024: 101-75

It’s that time of year again. The time of year where I write thousands of words about albums and you skip over it because you’ve already read all the major publications who rush to get their best of lists out by early November. I always like to wait until last minute, because I am but one man and I never clear out my playlists. True to form, this was an incredible year. 2024 was maybe the best year for new music since I’ve begun tracking and reviewing. My list of 2024 albums I still want to listen to sits at 145 entries, and includes albums from established artists I love like Fucked Up, Zeal & Ardor and James Blake that I still haven’t even gotten to.

My final count as of writing (12/27) is 333 albums and EPs from 2024 that I listened to. Pulling a top 100 out of 333 might sound easy, but this year was so stacked that it truly wasn’t. Why am I doing 101? Because #101 is an album from one of my favorite artists and it would be criminal to not include it, and there was one very short EP that I debated cutting – but that also felt criminal (check back tomorrow for #55).

I live in Boston and I’ve been covering the local beat for a few years, but I did a much better job this year keeping up with local releases, and there’s 14 local releases in here (though Clairo and two from The Body are much bigger than the rest). I will always stress checking out your local scene, you may find something extraordinary.

Nearly all of these write-ups are copied directly from other previous posts on this blog. I’m editing them but please keep that in mind in case there’s a nonsensical reference or anything. Enough from me, let’s get going.

#101. Pharmakon – Maggot Mass

Pharmakon is quietly one of my favorite artists, just not one I listen to often – her music is extreme industrial, pushing the sonic territories of noise. Her songs are often expansive, harsh and pulsating, but with hints of melody too, which sets her apart from the goofy pure harsh noise. Lyrically, she sings largely viciously raw songs about skin, bodies and illnesses. Maggot Mass is no different, as every song here is menacing and uncomfortable. This record is missing the one key song of her previous works, which hampers it a bit. No track feels like a standout, they’re all a muddy slog together. But if you’re into extreme music, you can’t do wrong with her catalog.

#100. Wooll – Unwind

One of the best debuts of the year came from Providence’s Wooll, who have given us a remarkably consistent indie record that is far more patient and collaborative than a normal debut record. The band operates as one unit throughout, bouncing intricate guitar rhythms, smooth and dreamy vocals and crisp work from the rhythm section against each other. These are well-worn songs, ones that are never too eager to get the pace going and aren’t afraid to noodle around. These tracks are low-stakes and warm, some small love labors that are just incredibly pleasant. The band teases some shoegaze influences, but never really leaves the realm of agreeable indie. In a rough year, this is just some cozy and enjoyable music. I covered this one for the release, wonderful album from wonderful folks.

#99. Lord Dying – Clandestine Transcendence

Don’t judge a book by its cover, don’t judge a metal subgenre by its band name/album name/album art. I went into this one blind, expecting some good old pounding death metal, but what I got was much more. There’s elements of stoner metal, heavy metal, even hard rock. No two songs are the same, not even close really. This isn’t a recommendation for those close-minded metalheads who only like their ONE style, this is for all the metal freaks. It’s a little too long, and it feels like it’s missing that one key song to really sell it. But, it’s unique and basically every song is fun and original in some way.

#98. Alisa Amador – Multitudes

Just like some other great recent releases, this record blends Latin & American influences well. Amador is a local, another album that I feel has broken containment from the corner I relegate local stuff to. If you’re a fan of NPR’s Tiny Desk shows, then this name may seem familiar; Amador won the contest they ran a few years back. Her debut album, one I’ve been quietly anticipating for a long while, is a delightful and glistening indie-pop romp. Spanish-language ballads and American bedroom pop songs live in harmony, and are often better than anticipated. There’s a number of sneakily excellent songs here, and they’re all unique from each other while still being familiar in concept. Get in on the ground floor here!

#97. Unto Others – Never, Neverland

It’s always interesting to hear a band and think that they’re not making the album they want to make. I normally cringe when a hard-edged band makes a more mainstream push, but here it just makes sense. The first Unto Others album was a mix of goth and metal that sounded ripped from the 80’s. Curiously though, the band sounded more engaged on the goth elements. Their divisive new one strips away some of the metal influence and focuses just on goth, to incredible effect. It’s bold, there’s synthesizer on the first track! There’s still metal songs, but there’s rock songs, some poppier stuff, and a teaspoon of hardcore punk. The central focus is Gabriel Franco’s classically goth vocals, and it all works. Check the title, a reference to Metallica’s unexpected mainstream thrust – this is band unafraid to announce a new direction.

#96. Charly Bliss – Forever

What a gem! Take everything I just said about Unto Others and transpose it here. Charly Bliss’s first two albums cemented the band as a pop-heavy indie group with some punk spirit, in the same realm as the Beths. After a brief break, the band is back – with pure bubblegum pop-rock. This record is the same overproduced, big beat pop that I have lamented elsewhere this year, but it’s used to full effect here. This record is fun as all hell. The best songs are mostly the bangers, and they come early. But the back half has a couple sneakily exceptional ballads, too. This is truly exceptional pop music. For more on this one, check my concert review. 

#95. Megan Thee Stallion – MEGAN

I’m historically bad at writing about hip-hop and you developed an opinion on Megan long ago, so this is a throwaway review. Let’s just say, this album solidifies Megan as a star. Even without the shit in her personal life, this would be a bombastic and confident record for the ages. But knowing what’s gone down, it’s downright glorious. It’s sexy, it’s funny and most importantly, it’s freeing. It’s a home run trot of a record. Like nearly every modern rap album, it’s too long – there are not enough different ideas to satisfy the 52 minute runtime. But, there’s a lot of songs that are just fun winners, and what else do you expect from Megan? There’s an extended edition of the album I have not yet heard, which has a tantalizing feature from metal band Spiritbox ! 

#94. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard – Flight b741

I came into this one with a lot of worry – I’m a King Gizz obsessive, one of the Gizzhead cult members, but I’ve never been much into their groovier stuff. I had heard that this one was a spiritual sequel to Fishing For Fishies, the penultimate entry in my ranking of their 26 albums. This was a lot of fun, however. KGLW had a few years where they got a bit lost in the quality v quantity debate, but they’ve now delivered three straight winners – in metal, krautrock and boogie, no less. This album is funky and bluesy, and often very spirited. A lot of Gizz’s lighter albums have been partially or fully improvised, but this album benefits from a locked-in band playing songs they’ve already jammed on before. This won’t go down as one of the best KGLW albums, but it’s one of the better recent ones – and certainly the best of the groove ones. No two Gizz fans will ever fully agree, so you probably don’t feel the same. 

#93. Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard And Soft

I really respect the boldness of this record. Eilish’s first two records both had distinct identities, and were wholly separate from each other. Her third seems to intentionally go against this idea, combining elements from her first two dichotomous albums and filtering in new ideas, too. The album opens with “Skinny,” a stripped down and powerful vocal ballad. The second track is “Lunch,” a synth-heavy tongue-in-cheek song that sounds ripped from her first album. This album is clearly one made by and for Eilish, and she throws everything at the wall. While some songs stay within familiar territory, others are unpredictable. After some time, we may agree that “L’Amour de Ma Vie” is her best song yet, a track that starts as a ballad and ends with wild club beats. While I don’t think this album quite stands up to her enigmatic debut album, it’s still a very solid pop release – and a refreshingly bold direction for a star at the top. 

#92. Big|Brave – A Chaos of Flowers

Big|Brave are a fascinating trio. They belong to the same circle of extreme metal like The Body and Full of Hell, and they belong to the same circle of Gothic folk like Chelsea Wolfe and Marissa Nadler. They’ve carved out a niche with practically no contemporaries. Flowers is a beautiful album, the songs are as haunting and gorgeous as the band has ever recorded. Every now and then, they remind you that they can get heavy and deeply inaccessible, but often they keep it quiet. Sometimes these songs edge on pure minimalism – the band works to hit both sides of the spectrum, and they do so very successfully. This isn’t a metal album, but it’s an album best appreciated by metal fans. A fascinating record by a fascinating band.

#91. Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor

I haven’t heard the British singer’s first two albums, but it appears that her third album is her best so far. It’s tough to imagine something that surpasses this. It’s the melding of indie and pop, but in a wholly different way than the American indie-pop albums that have flooded the year. This is suave, cool and loud – there’s a lot of pumping guitar that disrupts the soulful songwriting. The end result is almost unclassifiable, as if rock and R&B have been jammed together. Her voice is excellent, confident but smooth, and these songs are unique and just fun. I feel that this is a record I’ll be revisiting, as these songs need more attention from me. This is one rocks, folks.

#90. serpentwithfeet – GRIP

I simultaneously went into this one having never really heard the music of serpentwithfeet and still getting exactly what I expected – sultry, beautiful R&B. This exists in the realm of artistic R&B artists like Janelle Monae that make rhythmic, seductive music that nonetheless feels like it eschews any kind of “radio value.” Chalk it up to the homoerotic album cover, maybe, but this is absolutely on the alternative, experimental side of things. Breezy and hypnotic, this is a gem.

#89. Rick Rude – Laverne

A chronic issue with me is that I’ll listen to something I moderately enjoy, but wait so long to grade and/or review it that it leaves my brain entirely. The new album from Rick Rude – no, not the king of the camel clutch – fell victim to my lethargy. I’m glad I revisited it, because I loved it more the second time around. The band seems to tease the audience by inviting in specific, familiar sounds and brush them off just as quickly. They’re not truly emo, but they’ve got the sensitive guitar licks. They’re not really indie, but they’ve got the fuzz. They sometimes rock harder than both genres (especially on the rollicking opener “Wooden Knife”). They’re appealing to anyone who likes shows in basements, be it acoustic guys or punk weirdos. Add in a very effective dual-singer approach, and you’ve got a winning record. Ravishing work.

#88. Friko – Where we’ve been, Where we go from here

I’d been itching to get to this one! I’ve been loving both singles I’ve been hearing on the radio (“Crimson to Chrome” and “Get Numb To It!”). Both songs are guitar-forward bangers ripped from 90’s alt-rock, and with enough maturity and emotion in the rhythms and lyrics to hide the fact that this is a debut. But it is a debut, and these two youngsters seem like they already have a world of travel under their belts. The opener “Where We’ve Been” is a deeply patient ballad, something akin to Interpol’s “Lights” (or many other of their tunes). Truthfully, more than half of the album is slower songs, representing a wide range for a debut. It mostly all works, although there are a few too many down moments across the softer songs. The strength doesn’t lie in just the singles, there’s some other great bangers and a couple very effective ballads. There does need to be just a touch more energy, but it’s an impressive debut nonetheless. 

#87. Clairo – Charm 

Boston has always been a hub for all things punk and indie, and it only makes sense that the city would claim someone to rule over the current indie-pop movement. A lot of the over-produced, saccharine indie-pop can get repetitive easily, but Clairo’s new one is genuinely beautiful. I wasn’t super into her last album, but this one is full of small, pretty and balanced songs. The production is minimalist, avoiding the trappings of many of Clario’s cohorts. Instead, the focus is on her gorgeous vocals and the threadbare instrumentation. I need to give this one a second listen – the back half was hampered by getting on a train full of inebriated boomers going to a Journey concert and I could earnestly barely hear the album. And yet – it grabbed me fully.

Also, please check out the music video for “Juna.” While I am not in the video, it was clearly filmed before a wrestling event I went to. Most of these wrestlers are local ones that aren’t known outside the area, and now there’s millions of eyes on them. My little wrestling boys are in the stars!

#86. Brittany Howard – What Now

The fun thing about Howard’s debut solo album was the way it expanded well beyond the scope of her band Alabama Shakes. Her sophomore solo release sharpens her broader influences, incorporating elements of blues, punk, R&B, whatever, into an album that’s equally comprehensive but more singular than Jaime. Her vocals are, of course, incredible. That’s always been her strength. But everything works very well across this one. It’s a ton of fun, a winding and unpredictable experience. 

#85. Cardinals – Cardinals

Alright, we need to talk about British indie. Amidst the growing group of talk-sing indie punk bands (IDLES, Dry Cleaning, etc), there’s a thread of aggressive, artsy alternative. Bands like Cardinals – who I would liken to Black Country, New Road – feel born from the same womb. Though this is just a short EP, it’s riveting. It’s got that same feel as BC,NR, where it feels both jazzy and cynical despite never straying from alternative. Cardinals are more guitar-focused, but the feel is the same. These are super intriguing songs, and they hit a wide range of emotions in a short amount of time. “Unreal” is a great banger, while “If I Could Make You Care” is a wonderful closing ballad. Get your foot in the door on these guys, I think they’re gonna go places.

#84. Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me

I’m incredibly down with the y’allternative movement. Waxahatchee and Hurray For the Riff Raff have already released great albums this year, and we’re staring down a full release from Orville Peck. I was into the last Maggie Rogers record, but I’ve been waiting for a great one. I think she delivered one here. Some songs work better than others, but the combination of strong but sparse guitar, Maggie’s excellent vocals, and nostalgic tunes about slow American life are designed to win. The best songs here are the melancholic personal ones, the ones that describe real personal experiences done in a Glory Days haze of relatable pining. Some songs get a little too quaint, or a little too individualistic to really grab ahold of. But, as someone who was also once young, many of these hit me in the heart. And Rogers, like many others currently, is expert at diluting these elements of country music and running them through a faint alternative structure. It’s music practically designed for me. 

#83. Bark Dog – i’ll eat you, i love you

Whoops, I never wrote a review of this one back when I listened to it. This is a great indie record that I found the old fashioned way – a digital record store. There’s a few great albums I found by simply perusing the “Boston” tag on bandcamp, this one being the best. I know nothing about this artist, but he’s quite prolific. This is some very interesting, very fun lo-fi indie. A lot of smooth synth, grizzled production and healthy guitar. Even in the local scene, this one seems slept on.

#82. Beeef – Somebody’s Favorite

Beeef is one of Boston’s most prized groups right now, and Favorite showcases why. The band plays patient indie, nostalgic tunes about regional memories. The songs are conventionally appealing, but don’t have a forced alignment to radio structures. Some songs barely hit two minutes, some stretch past six. There’s a maturity here well beyond their goofy band name. Beeef has been great for years, and this only elevates them further. Please, check them out. This Beeef has some mustard on it.

#81. Good Looks – Lived Here For A While

I was way behind on reviews when I initially covered this, so let’s be quick – this is a wickedly fun indie album, mostly standard indie but with some threatening shoegaze elements. I think I was just in the right mood for something like this, because it scratched an itch that I didn’t realize I had. There’s a handful of great songs here, and nearly all of them are inherently listenable. Very fun stuff!

#80. MIKE & Tony Seltzer – Pinball

I’m generally not into rap that’s on the more lowkey side, but when it’s as effortless as this is, then it’s undeniable. I’ve never listened to MIKE but I keep seeing his name as a critical darling, and for good reason. Pinball is a masterpiece that doesn’t feel like one; quiet and short tunes that hide their bluntness in plain sight. Only three of the eleven songs are over two minutes, tunes that feel more like daydreams and out-loud musings. There’s a run in the middle of the album that’s just extraordinary. Great lyrics, great beats, great ideas. Real winner here.

#79. Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites

Sometimes you just need some good ol’ rock & roll. I was raised on classic rock and I will always have a deep appreciation for it. I love all of it, but the bluesy hard-rock of ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, Foghat, etc, is music I particularly like. That’s what Sheer Mag has always done at least somewhat, and they lean way into it here. Good old guitar rock. The song “Eat It And Beat It” – an obvious play on “Hit It And Quit It” – will certainly be the best straightforward rock song I hear this year. It’s fun as hell. The best songs on the album are. There’s a lot of complacency here too, to be fair – a handful of rock songs that don’t really bring the heat and just exist. They prevent this from being an excellent album, but it is still a very good and fun one. In fact, it helps them align even more with classic rock bands – it’s all about the singles.

#78. Les Savy Fav – OUI, LSF

If you can follow the trends across this blog, then it should come as no surprise that I adore this band. I mostly missed them on their original run, only really latching on once I saw a reunion set at Riot Fest on a whim. Their first new album in a real long time is both a continuation and an extension of their sound. LSF have always been comparable to a band you’ll see in a few posts, Pissed Jeans – fun, raucous post-hardcore that’s often fast and heavy but not quite abrasive. Some songs here carry on the tradition – “Guzzle Blood,” “Void Moon” and “Oi! Division” are all old school LSF classics. But there’s more patient and mature tracks, too; a symptom of reuniting. The balance works remarkably well, and the resulting album is one that’s emotionally complete. Even if half of the songs are on the softer side, the band is still melodic, funny, and just a blast to listen to. These guys deserved a bigger spotlight, maybe this time around they’ll get it. 

#77. Jane Weaver – Love In Constant Spectacle

You’ll have to forgive me because I’ve fallen way behind in my reviews, and this one won’t be getting the proper unconditional praise that it deserves. Like many albums this year, I tossed this on completely blind. The descriptions of Weaver toss around terms like “experimental” and “free jazz” but this is mostly woman-and-a-guitar music; if that sounds like denigration, it isn’t. I was floored by how beautiful these songs are. They’re minimalistic, a small sound in an open space, and yet captivating. Tons of singer-songwriters over the years have tried to capture the feeling of playing in the same room as the listener, and many would be jealous to do it the way Weaver does on every single song here. The rhythms are so simple yet riveting across the board. Some songs are certainly better than others – but the best ones propel this album into an elite territory. Some really special stuff.

#76. Knoll – As Spoken

Look at the cover of this record – an ominous, black and white photo of a mirror, pointing diagonally away from the camera. It’s unsettling. I put this record on knowing it was metal, but not much more. This is powerful black metal. Abrasive, pounding, sounding like the depths of Hell. What I’m saying is, it’s extremely me music. I love raw black metal. Oddly, this album eschews one of the normal characteristics of black metal – lengthy songs. It’s a genre devoted to wearing you down through both repetition and ferocity, but the band does away with the former. Only four of the album’s eleven tracks are over five minutes, and the rest are all under four. Instead of repetition, the band gives you whiplash transitions. It’s just as effective. Great stuff.

#75. Ducks Ltd. – Harm’s Way

I’ve been hearing lead single “Train Full Of Gasoline” on the radio pretty regularly, a rollicking, fun guitar tune. But with all guitar indie, I approached the album with a little apprehension, as singles are often livelier than the album. Not so! I know next to nothing of this duo, but this is a collection of fast-paced, clean indie-punk. At only 27 minutes, it doesn’t overstay the welcome, honestly could use a little more. While “Train” is one of the more rambunctious tunes, the whole release is just unfiltered fun. Think the song “Money” by The Drums – born of the surf-punk movement of the 2010s, but distinctly indie. Wide appeal on this one I think. 

And that’s all for now! Check back in the coming days for 74-1.

Because I can’t help myself, here’s five albums I wanted to include: 070 Shake – Petrichor (gorgeous and haunting R&B-indie hybrid), Sugar Pit – Shh, Don’t Jinx It (rapid fire funk/dance-punk), A Place For Owls – how we dig in the earth (old-school Midwest emo), Heems – VEENA and LAFANDAR (two excellent comeback albums from an indie rap god).

The Rundown: September 2024

Hello, and welcome back to another edition of me writing way too many words about albums you’ve already formed an opinion on! If you’ve stumbled on this, I’ve been doing flash reviews of (almost) every new album I listen to this year. Some of the previous posts have been, well, long, but this was a different month. I spent two weeks in September on a nice vacation, my ears far away from any streaming services. Still, I’ve got 27 flash reviews for you – and a lot of these are utterly fantastic albums. 2024 has spoiled us greatly. Below, we’ve got a ton of excellent new indie albums, a pair of post-hardcore releases that will be near the top of my AOTY list, some solid metal, and a predictably great country release. I hope you find some gems for yourself in here! Let’s get cracking.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds – Wild God

I’ve mentioned a few times that this exercise has mostly become me showing my own ass, and here I must do it again: I am not very familiar with the Nick Cave catalog. I’ve listened to (and loved) his earliest and most recent records, but there’s 20 years in the middle I haven’t heard. In my limited experience though, I’ve realized the best Nick Cave songs are ones where there’s just minimal piano or static noise and Cave talking lyrics. He does that a lot here. There’s also songs that have full-band with choir backups, and they’re just as stunning. It’s unbelievable that Cave still stuns this much, but every track on this album works well. Most of them work tremendously well. Cave is one of music’s premier storytellers, and this is another legendary release. It’s one of the best albums of the year. No question. I’m in awe. 

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 8/30/24

Tycho – Infinite Health

This one is pretty tough to grade, because listening to this record served much more of a purpose than the sheer entertainment value of every other record. This album was hand-selected as background music for me to sleep to on a grueling, intercontinental flight. This sounds like an extreme backhanded compliment, and maybe it is, but it did the trick. Not to say that this boring, it’s an album that’s mentally stimulating but peaceful enough to nod off to. I’ve never been super into Tycho, because it’s not necessarily for me, but they’re a great band. It’s all instrumental post-rock that marries complex and layered rhythms with a fun and playful aura. When you’re listening to it while 75% asleep with your head on a hard plane window, it’s a fun stimulation; it’s tougher to tell when one idea ends and the next begins. Will I ever give this one a chance while I’m alert? Probably not – but if funky post-rock is your scene, you can’t go wrong here.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 8/30/24

DIIV – Frog In Boiling Water

This one kinda hurts to write. I really like DIIV, or at least I really like the idea of them. There’s no other band out there like them, a shoegaze-inspired psychedelic band doing tons of cool guitar noodling while still somehow firmly indie. “Doused” is easily one of my favorite songs. But the band’s fourth album was, to me, very limp. I respect bands taking new approaches, and I seem to (thankfully!) be in a tiny minority here, as the record is getting rave reviews. The music is denser and slower, with the fun noodling replaced by droning chords. It’s alright in practice, but an album full of it gets tedious quickly. I think the parts are better than the whole, as the album needed some songs of other tempos either quicker or slower. It didn’t click with me. Then again, this isn’t the first time DIIV hasn’t clicked with me – so maybe someday it will. For now, it’s…fine.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 5/24/24

Good Looks – Lived Here For A While

Alright I’m way behind and I don’t remember this album completely clearly so let’s be quick – this is a wickedly fun indie album, mostly standard indie but with some threatening shoegaze elements. I think I was just in the right mood for something like this, because it scratched an itch that I didn’t realize I had. There’s a handful of great songs here, and nearly all of them are inherently listenable. Very fun stuff!

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 6/7/24

Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown

I’m not overly familiar with Portishead, what I’ve heard I’ve liked, but it isn’t music I feel any nostalgia for personally. I’m even less familiar with solo endeavors from their singer, Beth Gibbons, who dropped her first proper solo album 33 years after the first Portishead record. It’s a gorgeous album, one that starts innocently before expanding into something grander. The cover implies a folksy affair, and at most times it is. It’s brooding chamber pop, sometimes soft but sometimes sinister, like slipping back into a nightmare. It’s also usually acoustic, but when the guitars kick in, they really kick in – some of these songs drone and shout loudly, unexpected explosions after multiple songs of slumber. It’s a gorgeous record, one of both extremes, yet often just restrained chamber pop. We expected nothing less.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 5/17

Oceanator – Everything Is Love and Death

I love Oceanator for the same reason I love illuminati hotties – basic, effective indie-punk. And like IH, Oceanator is much more indie than punk, just with some occasional punk flares. There isn’t much to say here, it’s another very standard but very fun record. There’s something very comforting about Elise Okusami’s music: it’s warm and inviting even as she sings about interpersonal differences. This isn’t really any different than previous Oceanator records, but hey the system still works. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 8/30/24

Aborted – Vault of Horrors

Now here’s something you don’t see every day – a death metal album with full collaborations. Every song features a different guest vocalist, so the full effect is one that’s far more unpredictable than a standard death metal release. It’s fun throughout, the songs rarely fall victim to normal death metal trappings. I will say, there isn’t really a standout song; they’re all good, but none are great. But considering how repetitive the genre can be, we’ll call it a win. Riffs, drums, screams, and massive ridiculousness, what more could you need?

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 3/15/24

Beeef – Somebody’s Favorite

Bear with me, because there’s a few blast reviews I didn’t get to before leaving for a two-week, offline vacation. This is one and it is just no longer fresh in my brain. But, Beeef is one of Boston’s most prized groups right now, and Favorite showcases why. The band plays patient indie, nostalgic tunes about regional memories. The songs are conventionally appealing, but don’t have a forced alignment to radio structures. Some songs barely hit two minutes, some stretch past six. There’s a maturity here well beyond their goofy band name. Beeef has been great for years, and this only elevates them further. Please, check them out. This Beeef has some mustard on it.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 9/6/24

Kal Marks – Wasteland Baby

Kal Marks are one of my favorite Boston bands, even more so than Beeef, and yet this album still obliterated my expectations. The Kal Marks wheelhouse is midtempo post-hardcore that’s very bass-y in both music and vocals. Generally, their songs are ones that are heavy and divisive, but not exactly inaccessible. Here, they branch out a bit, introducing some poppier elements and some more optimistic lyrics. There’s plenty of just heavy shit, too, though; it’s a well-rounded record. Quite frankly, it’s one of the best heavy albums I’ve heard all year, local bias or not. Nearly every song floored me in some way. If you’re into a variety of post-hardcore bands like METZ or Protomartyr, then add this one to your list. They’ve done it again. This will absolutely be one of my year-end favorites. Finally, a good album with the name “Wasteland Baby.”

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 9/13/24

Uranium Club – Infants Under the Bulb

This one came via recommendation from someone who I believed referred to it as punk; the band name and song titles certainly indicated so. It took me a few songs to really vibe with the style, which is really more post-punk than anything, but not really in the same style as other bands I’ve covered this year like Cheekface or Guppy. This band has a lot of energy and spunk, they just present it in an odd way. The talk-sung lyrics didn’t really work for me at first, but I wasn’t expecting something like it. Once I got more into it, I found some stuff to appreciate. The band has boldness and humor in their lyrics. My two favorite tracks came back-to-back, “2-600-LULLABY” and “Abandoned By The Narrator.” Stick around for the comically named “Big Guitar Jackoff In The Sky,” which aptly has some of the finest guitar work of this year. Fun stuff, but some of it is just a head-scratcher.

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 3/1/24

Chromeo – Adult Contemporary

Another release that I jumped into blind, hell it wasn’t even really the genre I was expecting. I’ve definitely always lumped Chromeo and Chromatics together in my brain even though they’re not (particularly) similar. This was slight but ultimately fun funk music. The duo has been around a while and it’s clear this album is not meant for the youth – it’s a record about staying funky into middle age. There’s some tongue-in-cheek stuff (check the title!) but it’s also mostly played seriously. It’s very 2010’s, and it sticks to one gameplan. What starts as a fun record gets pretty played out by the midpoint, and less inspired. The duo is high-energy, but playing it very safe, which is fatal to the record’s back half. Still, throw on the first couple tracks for a quick lil dance party. We finally found the white boys bussin it down sexual style. 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 2/16/24

MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks

Let’s not mince words – this was my most anticipated record of 2024. The first single off this album, “Rudolph” was one of my favorite songs of 2023. The second single, “She’s Leaving You,” is easily making my 2024 list. Lenderman’s primary band, Wednesday, handily won my Album of the Year mark in 2023. I really set my sights too high on this one, as it didn’t quite deliver, but that’s on me – it’s one of the best records of the year. Lenderman’s solo music bridges the gap between Neil Young and Kurt Vile; it’s off-the-cuff guitar playing and talk-sung vocals, with intricate and specific lyrics that detail American loneliness. Lenderman’s previous album focused on the grungier side of those artists, and this one is heavier on the Americana side. There’s enough Southern gothic here to make Flannery O’Connor happy but, predictably, there’s a lot of humor and just unpredictable references that make these stories entertaining. I don’t think Neil Young ever sang about Ferraris, Guitar Hero or the Cars film franchise. I always love specificity in lyrics even if it makes the songs less applicable – to me, it shows personality and care. Lenderman is always all about that. Only complaint here is that the energetic/somber balance is off in favor of the latter, but it’s a minor complaint. This guy is just on a different level from everyone else.

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 9/6/24

Tierra Whack – WORLD WIDE WHACK

Ever since releasing a 15-song, 15-minute album, Tierra Whack has established herself as one of the more ambitious and exciting acts in rap. WWW follows the artist’s signature short songs, with only one song over three minutes here. The livelier songs that kick off both halves of the album are easily the best – namely “MS BEHAVE” and “X,” high-energy ditties that don’t settle for any conventional rap sound. Most of the songs are more template – sometimes frustratingly so, but often they’re still quite enjoyable. It isn’t Whack’s finest work, but it’s fun top-to-bottom, and it’s over as soon as it starts. 

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 3/15/24

Sheer Mag – Playing Favorites

Sometimes you just need some good ol’ rock & roll. I was raised on classic rock and I will always have a deep appreciation for it. I love all of it, but the bluesy hard-rock of ZZ Top, Thin Lizzy, Foghat, etc, is music I particularly like. That’s what Sheer Mag has always done at least somewhat, and they lean way into it here. Good old guitar rock. The song “Eat It And Beat It” – an obvious play on “Hit It And Quit It” – will certainly be the best straightforward rock song I hear this year. It’s fun as hell. The best songs on the album are. There’s a lot of complacency here too, to be fair – a handful of rock songs that don’t really bring the heat and just exist. They prevent this from being an excellent album, but it is still a very good and fun one. In fact, it helps them align even more with classic rock bands – it’s all about the singles.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 3/1/24

Uniform – American Standard

Uniform’s first few albums were solid but I kept waiting for a breakout release. 2020’s Shame was that release, a mix of industrial guitars and guttural post-hardcore that seemed to come out of the same catacombs on that album’s cover. The band’s newest album is impossibly even bleaker, complete with a smog-heavy cover of smog-plagued rural anywhere. The band also sounds even bleaker, and stretches themselves way out of a comfort zone. That comfort zone is reasonably-lengthed songs. Side A of this record is one, 21-minute song. Side B is only three songs. By stretching their songs out, the band can hammer home the innate misery of their music. This is angry, humorless stuff, just the absolute depths of unhappiness. Uniform is not an easy band to classify musically, even harder here because they stretch into doom-metal for the first time. But this isn’t really metal, and not really post-hardcore. It exists in its own dimension, a hell dimension of some sort. This is not something that’s appealing to most people, but I love this band and they crushed my highest expectations.

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 8/23/24

Einstürzende Neubauten – Rampen (apm: alien pop music)

This project has mostly resulted in me showing my ass a lot, and here I must do it again: I’ve listened to very little Einstürzende Neubauten in my time. It’s not like there’s little to listen to, this is the band’s 13th album in a 40-odd year career, plus tons of other releases. Although the industrial pioneers initially started by making super abrasive music, they’ve cooled off over the years. This is the only later-career album I’ve heard, and I got what I expected – mostly very chill music with an industrial background. Some of these songs stretch a bit (or fully) into ambient territory, although the better ones are more melodic. It’s never really heavy, opting instead for balanced rhythms. The opening two songs are quirky and fun, the two best on the album. There’s way too much, at 15 songs and 74 minutes, and a lot of it can feel like bloat. But, it’s a great workday record, surprising for a band that used to be so aggressive!

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 4/5/24

Gatecreeper – Dark Superstition

I always have trouble writing about death metal, so much of it is so similar that it can be difficult to separate bands, even if the albums are differing in quality. So excuse me when I just say – this is good ass death metal. I’ve loved Gatecreeper for a few years now, and this just rips. It’s not the most interesting Gatecreeper album, I think some previous ones have been more ambitious or exploratory. But, there’s nothing wrong with playing the basics when you’re this good at them. Sometimes, you just need the ground-pounding albums like this.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 5/17/24

Chick Corea & Béla Fleck – Remembrance

I am but one man who mostly loves garage rock, so I simply don’t keep up with modern jazz like I wish I could. Imagine my surprise at seeing two of my favorite jazz artists collaborating, hit immediately by the shock of remembering that the former artist has passed. This record is technically a compilation, a mix of studio songs, improvisations and live tracks, but it doesn’t feel like one. Everything is coherent and similar, and the smatterings of applause throughout signify a captive, sometimes nonexistent live audience. With Corea on piano and Fleck on banjo, you likely know what you’re going to get – and there’s a lot of it. It’s a beautiful set of collaborations, often just the two men alone, together. Very pretty and very fun music for any jazz fan.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 5/10/24

Kim Petras – Slut Pop Miami

I contain multitudes. Listening to this a day after Corea/Fleck was a whirlwind. This mini-album is both a parody of and the logical end to the 00’s pop scene, a set of short songs that are as sexually explicit as humanly possible. Gone are the metaphors, gone is even something like “If You Seek Amy,” replaced by songs like “Butt Slutt” and “Can we fuck?” On the one hand, the songs are fun, even if repetitive and simplistic. On the other hand, you have to wonder what the point is. Petras has made a name for herself in the same simple, bubblegum pop, so if this is satirical, then it starts in the wrong gate. More importantly, does this require this level of analysis? Hell, “Anal Y Sis” could be a track on this very album. It’s fun! 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 2/14/24

Kate Nash – 9 Sad Symphonies

I’ve been saying for years how unfair and unfortunate it is that Kate Nash fell out of the zeitgeist. I maintain that her previous album, 2018’s Yesterday Was Forever, is deeply underrated. Unfortunately, her comeback album just doesn’t have the juice. The indie singer has always had a flair for punk, even recording with bands like FIDLAR, but this record dilutes that energy. These are standard, template indie songs that are inherently pleasing but little else. The string-based opener feels like a red herring, but it isn’t. These tracks just don’t have the fitful spunk that set Nash apart from her contemporaries. If it were a quiet year for indie, this might be one to check out. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. 

Grade: 6/10   Initial release date: 6/21/24

Big|Brave – A Chaos of Flowers

Big|Brave are a fascinating trio. They belong to the same circle of extreme metal like The Body and Full of Hell, and they belong to the same circle of Gothic folk like Chelsea Wolfe and Marissa Nadler. They’ve carved out a niche with practically no contemporaries. Flowers is a beautiful album, the songs are as haunting and gorgeous as the band has ever recorded. Every now and then, they remind you that they can get heavy and deeply inaccessible, but often they keep it quiet. Sometimes these songs edge on pure minimalism – the band works to hit both sides of the spectrum, and they do so very successfully. This isn’t a metal album, but it’s an album best appreciated by metal fans. A fascinating record by a fascinating band.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 4/19

Darkthrone – It Beckons Us All

Like any true metal band, Darkthrone has petered out into legacy status. Darkthrone were instrumental in the foundation of black metal, though they were just as quick to abandon it. In the years since, they’ve remained active as a duo, releasing albums meandering around concoctions of black, doom, and speed metal or even hardcore punk. This release is largely doom-metal based, although not exclusively. I’ll be honest, the first song is irritating. It’s boring doom with off-key vocals. But some of these songs rip, especially the ones that hide energy or have tempo changes. Darkthrone doesn’t really have anything to prove to anyone these days, but they’re still making solid metal records. 

Grade: 7/10   Initial release date: 4/26/24

Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk

I was hesitant to even put this on my list because the list is so clogged and I wasn’t sure I’d get around to it. But rave reviews of both professional and personal manners convinced me – and it’s fun as hell. A loaded but never bloated indie-pop record, this one is not afraid to take chances. One song might be bouncy, standard indie-pop a la Charly Bliss, the next might be jazzy indie. The duo jump into 70’s ballads and drone guitar on a whim. A curated tracklist means the more ambitious tunes elevate the more standard tunes, so they all bounce off each other rather than seem like filler. It’s nearly an hour and yet there isn’t a skippable moment. I’m not sure if I ever heard their debut album, but this sophomore release feels like a true mission statement. Don’t sleep on this one. 

Grade: 8.5/10   Initial release date: 8/23/24

Fontaines D.C. – Romance

The previous Fontaines D.C. records were inconsistent in how much they grabbed my attention, but they were consistent in that the songs all kinda sounded the same. The (very) Irish post-punk band has had a relatively standard sound prior to Romance. Well the book’s out the window. This record actually has a majority of songs that are ballads, but the band hits the highest energy of their career too. They rap, there’s punk, and there’s tender love tunes. The band has always sounded a little inauthentic in their emotions previously; not here. This is earnest and real from a band that has never sounded so ambitious or energized. Don’t go in expecting the high-octane energy of the singles, but do go in expecting what is easily the band’s best album to date. This will go down as a highlight in a stacked indie year. UPDATE: Shockingly, they picked up a few Grammy noms for this. Well deserved, lads.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 8/23/24

Chastity Belt – Live Laugh Love

I was a fan of Chastity Belt’s early work before the band went a little too soft for my taste. I’ll admit that I haven’t really kept up with their output but the album title and cover combo grabbed me, as did a general desire to see where the indie-punkish ladies were at. The soft-indie turn has mostly continued, although the album does offer some surprises. Early track “Funny” has an ominous drone quality, effective and unexpected. Other early tracks are fun and bouncy, but the back half suffers. Side B is mostly very uninspired, just routine indie. It’s a shame because there’s some good stuff here, but it gets very tedious. 

Grade: 6.5/10   Initial release date: 3/29/24 

Bat For Lashes – The Dream of Delphi

What a year it’s been for mature, legacy indie artists. I haven’t really kept up with BFL, but as a human with ears and a heart, I love her early albums. Delphi is in the same realm; at its best, these are dreamy and warm indie songs, almost hallucinatory. The title track – presented as both the opener and the closer with an extended version – is one of the most engaging and haunting songs I’ve heard all year. Other points on this album hit a volume so low that I had trouble even hearing anything on the train – not the ideal listening situation. Indeed, there’s a little too little here, the true structured moments are too far in between. But the great songs are great, and worth the price of admission on their own.

Grade: 7.5/10   Initial release date: 5/31/24

Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well

There’s been a few examples this year of artists I love rebounding from weaker albums (Vampire Weekend, St. Vincent, ScHoolboy Q). Add Kacey to the mix. Coming off her breathtaking and Grammy-crushing country album Golden Hour, Kacey turned to a more pop-focus for Star-Crossed, and it was, bluntly, meh. For Deeper Well, she’s gone back to the atmospheric country that made her an arena star. It’s a welcome return, as the whole here is excellent. It’s a dreamy album, the same summer-y camping vibes as before. She’ll probably never make another record as good as Hour, but that’s an immense bar to clear. This one doesn’t really have standout songs like that record did, but the full product is wonderful. She’s also shifted her lyrics into a more serious zone. So many of her previous songs coupled breezy music with lyrics about wasting time and days spent milling around. Here, she’s quitting weed and strengthening her relationships. This serves as both a sequel and companion piece to Hour. Loved it.

Grade: 8/10   Initial release date: 3/15/24

And that’s another month down! I hope you perused this and found something that sounds interesting to you – or potentially something to avoid. Check back in next month, I’ll be going over some great death metal, a couple of my favorite rap records of the year, a ton more great indie, a wild African album and, unfortunately, what’s probably my most disappointing record of the year. All that and more!