Phil's Top 10 Albums of 2024

 

This was a strange year in music for me. I actually didn’t listen to that much “new” music in 2024, having spent a lot of time going back to older artists that I loved. It was also a year where a few of my favorites were the result of going to live shows with friends, even for artists that wouldn’t normally get a lot of my attention. That’s pretty cool too.

So, what did I miss?

1. “Love Heart Cheat Code” by Haitus Kaiyote. I saw this group this summer in Carnation at the invitation of Robin Giese, and holy hell are they phenomenal live. This is a fascinating album with everything from seriously funky jazz-inflected bops like “Everything is Beautiful” to meme-y delights like “BMO is Beautiful” (featuring the voice actress from “Adventure Time”) and “Long Cat” (with it’s charming chorus of “He is the longest cat in the world”). If you like jazz, funk, internet culture, or phenomenal bass playing, check this out.

2. “No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin” by Meshell Ndegecocello. Meshell Ndegecocello was one of last year’s biggest musical revelations for me, after a friend pointed me to her 2003 “Comfort Woman,” one of my most played albums in 2023. “No More Water” is … incredible, both in terms of its own musicality and in its use of Baldwin’s writing. “What Did I Do” is haunting and beautiful, superbly mastered track that I’ve added to my speaker/headphone testing list because of the use of space.  I cannot recommend this album to you strongly enough.

3. “Cowboy Carter” by Beyonce. I will start by saying that I’ve spent most of my life believing that Beyonce’s music is not for me (which is totally fine! It doesn’t need to be!), but between “Lemonade” popping up on Roon Radio a lot, and the ridiculous backlash against this album, I spent a fair amount of 2024 listening to this album. Honestly, this version of “Blackbird” is an example of a cover that surpasses the original, and the fact that Sir Paul McCartney blessed it is a testament to just how damned good Beyonce is. The rest of it is incredibly solid as well, from “Bodyguard” to “Texas Hold ‘Em.” I’ve always respected Beyonce as an artist (and cultural icon, and activist), but this album will be in rotation for a long time.

4. “I Love you So F***ing Much” by Glass Animals. Going back to my 2020 list, I cannot believe “Dreamland” didn’t make the cut given the ridiculous number of times I’ve listened to it every year since. “ILYSFM” isn’t quite at that level, but it’s a nice entry from a band that doesn’t seem to miss. Definitely darker in tone (if not content), standout tracks are “How I Learned to Love the Bomb” (and not just for the “Dr. Strangelove” reference) and “Creatures in Heaven”. At 40 minutes it’s a pretty short entry, but well worth taking the time.

5. “Dark Matter” by Pearl Jam. When one of your oldest friends calls you on a Thursday night and asks if you want to go see Pearl Jam play Climate Pledge Arena, you say yes even if they’re not your favorite band. What an experience, and it unlocked an appreciation for Pearl Jam that I’ve never really felt. (side note: the performance of “River Crossing” from “Gigaton” was a transformational moment and I have listened to that album more than this one). “React, Respond” and “Setting Sun” are the standout tracks on this one.

6. “Charm” by Clairo. I really enjoyed 2019’s “Immunity”, so when this dropped to a lot of buzz in the music media I picked it went into my 2024 summer rotation (and thus will always have a weird association with Singapore for me). I’d describe it as slinky college folk rock. “Thank You” and “Add Up My Love” are the standout tracks to me, though the whole thing is great background music for working, walking, or driving.  

7. “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” by Taylor Swift. Taylor Swift was omnipresent in 2024, and given how much I enjoyed “Midnights” I was feeling a little bit of Tay-Tay fatigue when this dropped in April. As seems to be the norm, I prefer the tracks that The National’s Aaron Dessner worked on vs the ones produced by Jack Antonoff, but I think the real strength of this album is in some of the unexpected collaborations. In particular, “Florida” is one of the most Florence + The Machine-y tracks I’ve heard in the last few years (including a Florence Album), and I mean that as a compliment. I’ve enjoyed Post Malone’s musical journey in recent years, and the duet here on “Fortnight” is lovely. I’d rank this behind “Folklore” and “Midnights”, but definitely a nice album in its own right, and it doesn’t demand my attention the way either of those albums do.

8. “Saturn Dayz” by Blackstarkidz. This was a late-year addition to my list, after a review on NPR. I haven’t spent as much time with it as I want to, but it gives me very De La or early Tribe vibes to me. It’s super interesting and I look forward to getting it in the regular rotation in 2025.

9. “In Waves” by Jamie xx. This is another one I got to relatively late, but I’ve been a fan of Jamie xx since I heard him live mixing before The xx’s first Seattle show more than a decade ago. I’m not sure where this one will end up in my canon (“In Colour” grabbed me really quickly in a way that this one hasn’t yet), but “Waited All Night” seems to be the closest we’re going to get to a The xx reunion album, and I look forward to more listens in 2025.

10. “BRAT” by Charlie XCX. I mean … this was a vibe, this summer. And I miss the sense of optimism and joy of August and September. “360” is the standout, though “Apple” is obviously also a bop.

Honorable mentions:

1. “the sugar machine” by slenderbodies. “sotto voce” was in my rotation a lot this year, so when they dropped a new album in 2024 I was curious to check it out. It’s … a little inconsistent, but will probably get a lot of play in the background while I work in 2025.

2. “Live on Boston Harbor” by Fleet Foxes. I’m not the world’s biggest Fleet Foxes fan, but tracks from this kept popping up on Roon Radio and I found myself really enjoying them, to the point where I spent some time with Fleet Foxes’ back catalog. If you like live music, recommend this album.