I may have sent Loops into the sunset on a Harley, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be adhering to my annual tradition of listing my favorite music of the year. I went out on a limb in 2024 and was all the better for it: there’s pop and polish, noise and jazz, dare I say MICROHOUSE. I hope my small blurbs encourage you to dive in and listen to something new.
24. Navy Blue – Memoirs in Armour
23. SOPHIE – SOPHIE
SOPHIE left this world far too soon, as did her artistic vision and whatever future electronic and pop may have had with her at the lead. This posthumous album finalized by SOPHIE’s siblings isn’t a direct approximation or representation of her. It’s supposed to be a celebration, uplifted by young and vibrant guests who keep SOPHIE’s memory alive with some of the catchiest, airiest songs in her catalog.
22. Xaviersobased – Keep it Goin Xav
Someone in no bells tweeted something about Xaviersobased being the “oasis at the end of brain rot”, and I agree. Bugged-out beats with technicolor synths and little regard for fidelity; Xav himself has little to say that’s substantial. Keep it Goin Xav is more extraterrestrial than human. That might be the reason I’m so intrigued.
21. Jonny From Space – back then I didn’t but now I do
20. Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch
19. Ice Spice – Y2K!
Let’s keep it funky: “Sexy drill” is the worst name for a subgenre I’ve encountered in a long time. Worse than “chillwave”, “illbient” and “haunted house”. Thankfully, we don’t have to worry about that with Y2K! This is pure drill, a bombastic showcase of Ice Spice’s dynamic, husky delivery.
18. Nala Sinephro – Endlessness
17. Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
16. Total Blue – Total Blue
Retro new age/private press instrumental music, with a couple of worthwhile surprises, too.
15. Erika de Casier – Still
Don’t get too meta on the concept of recreating Y2K: de Casier sticks the landing. A couple of tracks here, down to the end of the list, have near-perfect melodies. The production is killer, too, more a showcase of sensibilities today than anything Timbaland made.
14. Chuck Johnson – Sun Glories
Post-rock guitar, widescreen vision. I haven’t really dipped much into that since the days of Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. Johnson has a western twang (pedal steel) that occasionally splits the turbulent skies, growing slowly and reaching grandiose peaks.
13. Loidis – One Day
My official “mmmm, human music” pick of the year.
12. Schoolboy Q – Blue Lips
My first reaction to Blue Lips was that it was bloated, scattered and aggressive without warranting any of its madcap energy. I’ve since listened to it incessantly – especially jazz-inflected cuts like “thank god 4 me”, “Blueslides” and “oHio”, with Freddie Gibbs dropping a Kirby Puckett reference in the latter – and take back most of those feelings. It’s a liberating piece of rap that Q seems to excel at, plunging you into the thrill of the party, the self-destruction inherently involved, and the responsibilities that come with age.
11. Kelly Moran – Moves in the Field
A gorgeous and classy album of instrumental piano, some of which was programmed by Moran in addition to her own playing. The extra fingers aren’t a distraction; rather, they create a sort of ghost choir, lighting the edges of Moran’s weeping midnight serenades.
10. Charli XCX – Brat
9. Kim Gordon – The Collective
8. Haley Heynderickx – Seed of a Seed
Took a little for the follow-up to folk singer-songwriter’s 2018 debut I Need to Start a Garden. I caught her performing a few of the songs from Seed of a Seed a couple of years ago at Globe Hall in Denver, and they were stronger musically and lyrically. Seed of a Seed is a step up for Heynderickx on nearly every level.
7. Cindy Lee – Diamond Jubilee
6. MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
“Rip Torn” is so so so so good. The deadest lyrics, the loveliest fingerpicked guitar, and the closest approximation to being hangover and feeling physically and mentally unwell. It’s okay, it’ll pass.
5. NxWorries – Why Lawd?
Don’t sleep on this one please. It’s an incredible R&B album. Everything about it — Knxwledge’s production, Paak’s performance, their teamwork in general — feels natural and worn-in.
4. Callahan & Witscher – Think Differently
3. Mach-Hommy – #RICHAXXHAITIAN
2. SML – Small Medium Large
Rock and hip-hop indebted jazz. SML is full of experiments and quirky sounds. The band has a unique sense of groove and rhythm that sounds more wrong than right. It’s thrilling and captivating.
1. Astrid Sonne – Great Doubt
Miguel Otárola 