My Top 200 Albums of 2024
Includes 2024 Playlist
Here are my favorite 200 albums of 2024. The first thing people say to me when I do a list of 200 albums every year is, ‘Did you just put every album on there?’. I suppose in 1994 that would have been a legit question, as we were not exposed to as much music. It was out there; we just didn’t have full access to it. We have access to so much music now, and I am obsessed with hearing a lot of it. I would guess I listened to well over 1000 new albums this year in full and dipped into many more than that. These are the albums out of the ones that I kept listening to that ended up being my favorite.
The second statement is that there is no way there is that much time to listen to that much music. I work in a record store; I write about music, and in my free time I bike and listen to music, walk and listen to music, travel and listen to music, or go out and watch live music. Listening to twelve albums a day is easy, and I would guess I listen to many more than that a day. I spend about half of my time exploring current music and half listening to music I have enjoyed in the past. That said, the last month I have been really working on this list and mostly listening to new music. I look forward to digging into old favorites the next couple of weeks, but I also anxiously await the first new release list of 2025.
If this is your first time here, or you do not read the Sunday posts usually, weekly I put together a list of albums that came out that week; I give my thoughts on some and put up a playlist of music that I enjoyed that week. Check them out and you can give the weekly playlist a follow HERE. It will start updating again probably about two weeks into 2025.
Once again there was a ton of great music out in the world. There is every year. I really do not want to be the guy that puts favorites from his old bands and artists he grew up with at the top of the list, but I just can’t deny the current releases from The Cure, The The, and Nick Cave. I guess there is a reason they have always been favorites. For much of the year, I thought Hurray for the Riff Raff would be at the top, mainly because I didn’t have a ton of confidence in The Cure, The The, and Nick Cave putting out the albums they actually did. Well, maybe Nick Cave. The other two were just earth-shatteringly surprising. Then Fontaines D.C. just came and changed things up a bit, kept it very interesting, and knocked a fourth straight album out of the park. Adrianne Lenker continues to get inside me; Last Dinner Party put out the most delicious pop album of the year, Sprints outdid all of the other gritty punk-type albums, and Charley Crockett, of course, had the best country album of the year with $10 Cowboy. Katy Kirby’s sophomore album was no slump, and honestly that Mannequin Pussy album is really a top ten album also, but stupid math and numbers and such.
Here is the playlist for the year. It should have one song from every album except Cindy Lee, who has chosen to release their album in a unique way (it comes out on vinyl finally in January!). There are closer to 300 songs on here, as I added in some good songs from albums that didn’t quite make the list as well. I recommend just putting it on random.
Thank you for listening along this year. Can't wait to do it again in 2025.
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My Top 200 Favorite Albums of 2024
The Cure-Songs From A Lost World
Fontaines D.C.-Romance
The The-Ensoulment
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds-Wild God
Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Past Is Still Alive
Adrianne Lenker-Bright Future
The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy
Sprints-Letter To Self
Charley Crockett – $10 Cowboy
Katy Kirby – Blue Raspberry
Mannequin Pussy-I Got Heaven
Bullion – Affection
English Teacher-This Could Be Texas
Meshell Ndegeocello – No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin
NewDad – Madra
Johnny Blue Skies-Passage du Desir
Amyl and the Sniffers-Cartoon Darkness
Eliza McLamb-Going Through It
Ducks Ltd. – Harm’s Way
Emily Nenni – Drive & Cry
Grace Cummings-Ramona
Rosali – Bite Down
Hermanos Gutiérrez – Cósmico
Fazerdaze – Soft Power
Faye Webster – Underdressed at the Symphony
Kim Deal-Nobody Loves You More
Cindy Lee-Diamond Jubilee
Modern English-1,2,3,4
Dummy – Free Energy
Nala Sinephro-Endlessness
Black Keys-Ohio Players
Pokey LaFarge – Rhumba Country
Fred again.. – ten days
cumgirl8 – [the] 8th cumming
Cola – The Gloss
Jessica Pratt-Here In The Pitch
Waxahatchee-Tigers Blood
Brigitte Calls Me Baby – Future Is Our Way
Kacey Musgraves-Deeper Well
Four Tet – Three
Willi Carlisle -Critterland
Capitol-Sounds Like A Place
Real Estate – Daniel
Ride – Interplay
Omni – Souvenir
Marika Hackman-Big Sigh
Madi Diaz – Weird Faith
Abby Sage – The Rot
Chanel Beads: Your Day Will Come
Been Stellar-Scream From New York, NY
Quivers-Oyster Cuts
Falcon Jane-Legacy
Tyler, The Creator-Chromakopia
Hiatus Kaiyote – Love Heart Cheat Code
La Lom – The Los Angeles League of Musicians
Gut Health-Stiletto
Kendrick Lamar-GNX
Vampire Weekend-Only God Was Above Us
Jesus and Mary Chain-Glasgow Eyes
DIIV – Frog in Boiling Water
Молчат Дома-Belaya Polosa
Dream Ghoul-A Forgotten Future
Black Grape-Orange Head
Lenny Kravitz – Blue Electric Light
Linda Linda’s-No Obligation
Claude Fontaine – La Mer
Britti – Hello, I’m Britti
King Hannah-Big Swimmer
Mary Halvorson-Cloudward
Fievel Is Glagque-Rong Weickness
Molly Lewis – On the Lip
Lizzie No-Halfsies
Mary Timony – Untame the Tiger
Fine – Rocky Top Ballads
The Fauns-How Lost
Arrested Development-Bullet In The Chamber
Thee Sacred Souls – Got A Story to Tell
Liquid Mike – Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot
Dehd-Poetry
julie – my anti-aircraft friend
Leslie Stevens-Leslie Stevens
Charlie Crockett-Visions of Dallas
Corridor – Mimi
Ret Madison-One More For Jackie
Shower Curtain-Words From A Wishing Well
Bodysync-Nutty
Hoorsees-Big
Cigarettes After Sex-X’s
Friedberg – Hardcore Workout Queen
The Decemberists – As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again
The Secret Sisters – Mind, Man, Medicine
Fish Hunt-Self Taught
MGMT – Loss of Life
Wolfgang Press-A Second Shape
Mediocre-Growth Eater
Lime Garden-One More Thing
Eddie Berman-Signal Fire
Allegra Krieger – Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine
Arooj Aftab-Night Reign
Laura Jane Grace – Hole in My Head
EKKSTACY-EKKSTACY
Kimmi Bitter-Old School
Fousheé – Pointy Height
Morgan Wade – Obsessed
Bonny Light Horseman – Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free
All Under Heaven – What Lies Ahead of Me
Feral Family-Without Motion
Neva Dinova-Canary
Horsebeach-Things To Keep Alive
Mary Lattimore and Walt McClements – Rain on the Road
Porij – Teething
Ray LaMontagne – Long Way Home
Aaron Lee Tasjan – Stellar Evolution!
Dwight Yoakam – Brighter Days
Lava La Rue – STARFACE
Gen and the Degenerates-Anti-Fun Propaganda
Shania Hayes – Kindergarten Heart
Pom Poko-Champion
Midwife – No Depression in Heaven
Kate Bollinger-Songs From A Thousand Frames Of Mind
Peel Dream Magazine-Rose Main Reading Room
J Mascis – What Do We Do Now
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
Lynks – Abomination
Charli XCX-Brat
Blushing – Sugarcoat
Clairo-Charm
Kamasi Washington – Fearless Movement
Caribou-Honey
Boeckner – Boeckner!
Eels – Eels Time!
Cursive-Devourer
Camera Obscura – Look to the East, Look to the West
Pixies-The Night the Zombies Came
Fashion Club-A Love You Cannot Shake
Shelby Lynne – Consequences of the Crow
LL Cool J – The Force (Frequencies of Real Creative Energy
Hannah Frances – Keeper of the Shepherd
bby – 1
Immanuel Wilkins-Blues Blood
Finom – Not God
Emily Frembgen – No Hard Feelings
Becky and the Birds – Only Music Makes Me Cry Now
Dare-What’s Wrong With New York
St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
Brittany Howard – What Now
Peter Perrett -The Cleansing
Angry Blackmen – The Legend of ABM
Kayla Ray-The Worlds Weight
Future Islands – People Who Aren’t There Anymore
David Nance-David Nance & Mowed Sound
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings-Woodland
Hamish Hawk-A Fimer Hand
Pink Milk – Night on Earth
Alaskan Tapes-Something Ephemeral
Porridge Radio-Clouds In The Sky Will Always Be There For Me
Blood – Loving You Backwards
Blvck Hippie – Basketball Camp
A Certain Ratio – It All Comes Down to This
Adeem the Artist – Anniversary
Bats-Good Game Baby
Office Dog-Spiel
Asteroid No. 4-Several Shapes of Solar Flares
Bear Hands-The Key To What
Black Polish – Forest
Helado Negro – PHASOR
Charles Lloyd – The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow
Friko – Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
METZ – Up on Gravity Hill
GLOK/Timothy Clerkin-Alliance
The Rocky Valentines – Erase
Doechii-Alligator Bites Never Heal
Jon Snodgrass – Barge At Will.
Lee “Scratch” Perry – King Perry
Chatham County Line – Hiyo
Danielle Durack – Escape Artist
Psymon Spine – Head Body Connector
Alena Spanger – Fire Escape
Chinese American Bear-Wah!!
Drahla-Angeltape
The Staves – All Now
Hello Maud – Celebrate
Asha Jefferies – Ego Ride
Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor
Sabrina Carpenter-Short and Sweet
Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia Honer – The Closest Thing To Silence
Daryl Johns-Daryl Johns
Julia Holter-Something In The Room She Moves
Joy Oladokun-Observations From A Crowded Room
Pale Jay-Low End Love Songs
Laura Marling-Patterns In Repeat
Primal Scream-Come Ahead
Claire Rousey-Sentiment
Eliza & The Delusionals – Make It Feel Like the Garden
Washed Out – Notes From a Quiet Life
Denitia – Sunset Drive
NxWorries-Why Lawd?
Amythyst Kiah-Still + Bright
Sybris – Gold On Hold
Jlin: Akoma