The Best Albums Of 2024 ... well, so far
It feels a little glib to make a list of the best albums half way through the year but, nevertheless, here are my favourites so far ...
I love listening to new music.
I didn’t think I would ever say that when I started this Album-A-Day thing back in 2021; back then, the brand new albums were the hardest work to absorb and write about because I was usually meeting new bands for the first time in addition to listening to new music, often with no expectations.
This year, I started off the same way - but around the end of February, I started to find the new music was what I wanted to write about most. In early March, I adjusted my output to include at least one album released this year per day. I shifted again in early May, deciding I would only write about albums released in 2024, plus albums I missed in 2023 ( Young Fathers! SZA!) and any really big albums celebrating milestones (like The Cure’s Disintegration turning 35).
Best decision I ever made.
The below list is ranked by my gut feeling. I tried to consider which ones I’d listened to most, which I enjoyed most, but for the most part I just ranked them based on what felt right. All of the Top 3 albums were at #1 on various drafts. #9 was at #16 at one point. #10 got the most consideration after I saw a really bad review of it and wondered if I was wrong, then decided ‘fuck it’.
I went with my gut in the end. I liked it; it doesn’t really matter what the ‘internet's busiest music nerd’ thought of it. This is my list.
As of June 21, I’ve listened to and written about 100 albums released in 2024 so far. And these are my favourites.
Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (March)
For fans of: anyone who think In Utero is better than Nevermind
I first heard this album back in March and it has been on high rotate ever since. The most enduring album I’ve listening to in 2024 and one that I can listen through from start to finish, from the slow build of “Loud Bark” to the all out sonic assault of “OK? OK! OK? OK!”
The Smile - Wall Of Eyes (January)
For fans of: the Kid A/Amnesiac/Hail To The Thief trilogy
I’m not planning to see Thom Yorke’s solo show as I’m saving myself for an eventual tour down under from The Smile which, for me, is a bigger draw than the Radiohead frontman playing solo.
Charlie XCX - Brat (June)
For fans of: going to nightclubs or remembering going to nightclubs
It arrived relatively late onto this list but, holy hell, how could I deny the sheer power and talent on display here. Marilyn Manson once released a track called “This Is The New Shit”. Incorrect, Marilyn. THIS is the new shit.
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard And Soft (May)
For fans of: sitting on the fence about Billie Eilish
Look, if you’re not sold on just how talented Billie Eilish - and by extension her brother/co-songwriter Finneas - is, one listen to Hit Me Hard And Soft will make you a fan. And if it doesn’t, get off the fence anyway.
Elbow - Audio Vertigo (March)
For fans of: old school Britpop, but not 90s Britpop, like newer than that
This is a fairly standard Elbow album - which is to say that it is endlessly creative, extremely stylish, and willing to go somewhere new. I believe so strongly in this album that I unfollowed a SubStack account that disparaged it.
David Dallas - Vita (March)
For fans of: Kiwi hip-hop from the mid-2000s
Vita arrived like a bolt out of the blue back in March and instantly livened up what, to that point, had been a pretty blase year for both hip-hop and for Kiwi music. Tracks like “Bourdain” and “Better In Real Life” are instant classics.
St Vincent - All Born Screaming (April)
For fans of: combining ice-cream flavours to create something awesome
The new album from Annie Clark didn’t win over everyone, but count me among those who think it is among her best work. I love how it jumps between genres with ease, I love the guitar work later in the album, I love all of it.
Idles - Tangk (February)
For fans of: dancing in public spaces while no-one is watching
There is something undeniably catchy and energetic about Tangk, even as it moved Idles away from safety and into newer, funkier territory. Tracks like “Dancer” and “POP POP POP” will have you boogieing in no time.
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown (May)
For fans of: very specifically the third Portishead album
I’ve played this one at least every couple of days since release - Gibbons’ vocal work is gorgeous, but the instrumentation is next level, and makes you reconsider her contribution to Portishead. Turns out it was her band.
Bring Me The Horizon - Post Human: NeX Gen (May)
For fans of: blowing out your eardrums
BMTH have become famous for their blend of nu-metal, electronica and pop, kind of like a vastly more talented Enter Shikari. Best played through headphones with the volume so loud your desk neighbour will comment on it.
The rest of my personal Top 40 rounds out like this:
Gouge Away - Deep Sage (June)
Vince Staples - Dark Times (May)
Big|Brave - A Chaos Of Flowers (April)
Knocked Loose - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To (May)
Fabiana Palladino - Fabiana Palladino (April)
Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath (February)
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude To Ecstacy (February)
Yard Act - Where's My Utopia? (March)
Kim Gordon - The Collective (March)
Sleater-Kinney - Little Rope (January)
Mdou Moctar - Funeral For Justice (May)
The Libertines - All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade (April)
Brittany Howard - What Now (February)
Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism (May)
Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well (March)
SWIDT - Taking Care Of Business (June)
Lizzy McAlpine - Older (April)
Sum 41 - Heaven :x: Hell (March)
Salvia Palth - Last Chance To See (June)
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter (March)
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas (April)
Gossip - Real Power (March)
Incubus - Morning View XXIII (May)
Alkaline Trio - Blood, Hair and Eyeballs (January)
Childish Gambino - Atavista (May)
Orville Peck - Stampede: Vol 1 (May)
Bess Atwell - Light Sleeper (May)
DIIV - Frog In Boiling Water (May)
Ride - Interplay (March)
Pearl Jam - Dark Matter (April)
Kia ora and thanks for reading down this far - if you have a sec, why not like and comment your favourite and share with your friends?
See you tomorrow for my regular Week In Music!
Mā te wā! Chris
Mannequin Pussy-the sound of a band who knew that everything they had spat out previously led to this exact moment and seizing it. I hadn't felt the raw excitement on a first listen since the riot grrl bands of the 90s. Ace pole position!
Holy shitballs. Forty! Excellent effort. I need to check that Elbow album out - a magical live act.