More than a Dozen Albums You Might Like from 2024

It's the big year-end recap of memorable music finds

Among this week’s musical selections: We’re looking back at some of the records that stand out from the pack. There were a ton of good records spanning jazz, rock, hip hop, dance, and assorted genre-melding hybrids.

There is no “best”, in this type of environment, but if you missed any of these albums during the year, I'd recommend whole-heartedly spending some time listening. Let's forget the superlatives and get down to it.

The structure of this week is broken up into sections. First up are a bunch of records released this year that I really enjoyed and deserve your attention. That’ll be followed by a couple of great jazz albums released this year, and a handful of albums that have achieved some degree of well-deserved critical praise. If you already know about all of these selections, then you’re an incredible music listening human, and you should be proud of that. Reach out and I’ll send a certificate of appreciation.

We’re not talking about T Swift, Beyonce, Chappel Roan or Luke Bryant here. Mostly the sorts of things you might expect here. And so while many of these might not be household names, that’s the world’s fault, and we’re not just going to make it right, but make it righteous.

This list is non-hierarchical. I don’t feel a need to rank things. What’s the point? They are all awesome in different ways. We only play snowflake records this time of year… #ListeningHabit

Some of My Personal Favorites…

Beak> - >>>>

I love that this record exists. It’s a UK psych-rock masterpiece. It kinda came out of nowhere, but immediately hit right — and that surprise might be part of the joy. Not that this is an upbeat record. It’s a dystopian-score as rock experiment. Or vice versa. Beak> has a few older records, but my main point of awareness was due to the participation of former Portishead player, Geoff Barrow.

And this record, >>>>, which shares clear influence of late 1960s psych-experiments like the Silver Apples, came out around the same time I saw Civil War, which included a prominent placement for a Silver Apples song playing over an extended drone shot with badass results. This was not a coincidence because Barrow served as music director on the film.

Great organs and drums situation here. If you like CAN, et al. you’re in the right place.

Brijean - Macro

Very different sonic vibe, but equal level of appreciation for this LA-based duo. What I love about this record is it plays like a great mixtape, building on each track toward an uproarious celebration for the homestretch.

The front half plays like a Broadcast/Stereolab-type downtempo fun/sexy lounge situation. And then the switch flips at “Breathe” and the whole thing becomes a spunky, uptempo post-post-modern dance situation. “Workin’ On It” balances bass-y, new wave dance-punk with a self-aware riff on self-care and self-optimization culture. 🤌🏼

Jon Hopkins - Ritual

I didn’t see this album on many lists this year, but I don’t know whether it’s because it was under-appreciated, or if the standards are so high for Hopkins at this point that the critical world is a bit numbed to the excellence his recent creations.

From a listening standpoint, this a low-key masterpiece for me. It’s a deep listen. You have to go front to back in one sitting and give it enough space to pay attention. That it was it asks of you, but what it delivers is a wild ride from foggy ambient caverns to pulse-pounding psychic release. This is the loss of self in a 41-minute transendent sonic adventure.

Peace de Resistance - Lullaby for the Debris

This record really nails a sweaty glam rock expression of macro-economics, class and wealth disparity in a crumbling Western Civilization in the year 2024. If you like Lou Reed and the theoretical side of the Stooges with a little Eno, and a dash of T.Rex, plus you sometimes complain about billionaires, oligarchs, kleptocrats, and the plutocracy, then this one is for you.

Check out “40 Times the Rent” or “Coddle the Rich” for a quick taste.

Juniore - Trois Deux Un

I’m rapturous over this record, which I caught via word of mouth earlier this year. This Parisian trio packages up a fuzzy, reverb-soaked interpretation of traditional French ye ye spiked with some garage-psych tendencies.

Press play on “A Quoi Bon” for a starting point, but then contrast that against the indie-pop sparkles of “Grand Voyageur”. This record is a delight. I listen in the car, while cooking dinner, or while sitting by fire. It’s all good.

SHOLTO - Letting Go of Forever

This record is a cinematic jazz epic that spans 26 tracks with cool jazz breaks and lush string arrangements. Press play on the title track and get swept away on waves of harp, grab hold of a buoy made of guitar notes while the strings swirl overhead like seagulls. This is a transportive sonic escape. Letting Go of Forever plays like a jazz record influenced by RZA, Bonobo, and David Axelrod in equal measure. And everything opens up from there.

Further credence: Celebrated drummer Malcolm Catto (Heliocentrics, etc.) contributed to the mastering, which might be why the percussion sounds so crisp throughout.

Awon & Phoniks - Golden Era 2

I didn’t listen to nearly as much rap this year as in years past. I heard some great songs, but there weren’t as many great albums. Maybe I’m just getting old. If I’m wrong, and you’ve got a few to suggest, please send them my way.

But this record deserves more attention than it got. Phoniks’ production has that educated soul chop and fat-bottomed bass reminiscent of 9th Wonder in the Little Brother era. And Awon delivers a consistently high level of lyricism, casually shifting gears between storytelling, extended metaphors, keeping his swagger right and his swords sharp. The whole record plays at the level of this song, if you like it, I just particularly like “Holograms” as a first taste.

salute - True Magic

salute put out one of my favorite dance records of the year for its cohesiveness and concept. The whole thing plays out like you’ve warped inside a Japanese arcade where you need to play Dance Dance Revolution and Super Mario Kart at the same time. Right from the jump, this is a massive record. “saving flowers” is a big, bouncy anthem laced with Rina Sawayama’s sweet vocals. And what unfolds over the rest of the record is nothing but sweaty dancefloor celebration. This is somewhere between arena disco and funky-hyper-pop. Just let go.

A Couple of Jazz Records Not to Miss…

Nala Sinephro - Endlessness

This was an absolute standout record this year for its elegant blend of ambient electronic and jazz elements to create something of an immersive listen. This is a record that has also enjoyed an above average level of positive word of mouth among online music discussions of jazz and experimental music this year. Each “Continuum” on the record is a self-contained exploration of mood and timbre. Really a beautiful and unique musical accomplishment.

Mary Halvorson - Cloudward

This record was The Guardian’s choice for top jazz album on their 2024 year-end list, which is where I first heard about it. I was a bit surprised they went with an American artist, considering how talented and productive the London jazz scene has been during the past few years. It’s an impressive piece of work, and the players are all outstanding. Virtuosity on top of virtuosity on top of virtuosity. There are tons of surprises throughout the arrangements and between songs. You’ll need to keep your wits about you with this one. “Collapsing Mouth” is a tasty morsel, if you want a taste before sitting down for a longer session.

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet - The Way Out of Easy

I feel like it hasn’t been that many weeks since I had this record in the newsletter, but it’s deservedly one of the best jazz records of the year, imo. This record picks up additional energy from its live setting, and each song is a long-form exploration of form and interplay of the quartet.

A Few Records Enjoying Notable Levels of Critical and Cultural Success You Shouldn’t Miss

Kendrick Lamar - GNX

This album immediately took the spot for best rap album of the year when it dropped by surprise at the end of November. Normally, a new record from Kendrick would mean months of speculation and promotion, but instead it seemed like the LA-based rapper would be rapper of the year just for destroying Drake in their summer rap beef, which ended Mortal Kombat-style with Lamar eviscerating him on “Not Like Us”. This record is less ambitious from a production standpoint than the dynamic, interwoven feel of his last few, but the writing and layers of meaning and word play are a feat.

Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch

Press play on “The Last Year”, this record’s closing tune, which is a perfect type of song to listen to at the end of the year. It’s a sugary-but-not-too-sweet folk-pop tune that puts me in a similar listening space to the Nico songs that appear in Wes Anderson films but with better tuned vocals.

The sound has a nostalgic quality but also feels fresh. Influences here range from Phil Specter to Sergio Mendes with a sprinkling of Peggy Lee played through a drive-in speaker. The restraint required to use drums so sparingly there is a admirable.

This is smart and simple done right. It’s all made with care. A great listen front to back, but accessible via individual songs as well. That’s probably why it’s shown up on a bunch critic/blog/magazine best-of lists this year.

Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee

I haven’t gone back to do a forensic analysis of who said what when, and who might be responsible for making this such a hugely popular underground critical darling this year, but if you’re talking to your favorite music writer’s favorite music writer and they don’t mention this record as one of the breakouts of 2024, then turn around and get out of there, because you might be headed into some kind of trap where the aliens are dressed up as people. You are on the menu!

This is a double-disc release jam-packed with fuzzy, reverb-drenched, post-industrial psychedelic nostalgia rockers. At points it’s like The Byrds and Canned Heat played through broken radio speakers. Then it’s more like a Bakersfield pedal steel hallucination during a dust storm. Yearning and the Plains. Dreaming of things bathed in slanted sunlight. You’ll need more than one listen to take in all of this. It’s almost too much of a good thing for a single session.

Khruangbin - A La Sala

There was an excellent Khruangbin record this year. That this group has made it as big as they have over the past several years is kind of mind-blowing to me. I think they’re awesome — don’t get me wrong — but when I first heard them, I thought they’d be an awesome niche rather than the globe-trotting festival headliner type act they’ve become. I did not expect chill-jazz-funk-world vibes to blow up, but here we are. Good for them, and good for us. Win-win.

In this house, we play “May Ninth” semi-regularly because it’s a lovely tune.

That’s all for this year. Thanks for spending some time listening with us. We’ll be back next year with something completely different. Until then, focus more on your resolve than your resolutions. Best wishes for the new year.🥂