2024 AOTY So Far

Below is every album to appear on one of the following 9 sources -- what'd they miss?:
- Pitchfork Best Albums of the Year So Far list and/or 8.0+ score
- Stereogum Best Albums of the Year So Far list and/or Album of the Week
- Rolling Stone Best Albums of the Year So Far list
- The Quietus Best Albums of the Month (Jan. - May)
- AllMusic Guide's Editor's Choice list and at least 4.5 stars (Jan. - Jun.)
- NME Best Albums of the Year So Far list
- The Guardian Best Albums of the Year So Far list
- AOTY score of 85+ with at least 10 reviews (thru Jun. 25)
- Paste Best Albums of the Year So Far list

Artist - Album (Source Count)
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (8)
Charli xcx - Brat (7)
Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice (7)
Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future (6)
Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive (6)
Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch (6)
Kali Uchis - Orquídeas (6)
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown (5)
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter (5)
Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee (5)
Kim Gordon - The Collective (5)
Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (5)
Arooj Aftab - Night Reign (4)
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft (4)
Brittany Howard - What Now (4)
Chief Keef - Almighty So 2 (4)
Rachel Chinouriri - What a Devastating Turn of Events (4)
Still House Plants - If I Don't Make It, I love u (4)
The Smile - Wall of Eyes (4)
Tyla - Tyla (4)
Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us (4)
Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da (3)
Charley Crockett - $10 Cowboy (3)
Claire Rousay - Sentiment (3)
Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves (3)
Rosali - Bite Down (3)
Rosie Tucker - Utopia Now! (3)
St. Vincent - All Born Screaming (3)
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy (3)
Tierra Whack - World Wide Whack (3)
Vince Staples - Dark Times (3)
A.G. Cook - Britpop (2)
Amaro Freitas - Y'Y (2)
Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine (2)
Broadcast - Spell Blanket (2)
Cavalier - Different Type Time (2)
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (2)
DJ Anderson do Paraiso - Queridao (2)
Einstürzende Neubauten - RAMPEN (apm: alien pop music) (2)
Ekko Astral - Pink Balloons (2)
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas (2)
Fabiana Palladino - Fabiana Palladino (2)
Hannah Frances - Keeper of the Shepherd (2)
Helado Negro - Phasor (2)
Jlin - Akoma (2)
Kali Malone - All Life Long (2)
Kiran Leonard - Real Home (2)
Knocked Loose - You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To (2)
Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan's Slingshot (2)
Mary Halvorson - Cloudward (2)
Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream (2)
Naemi - Dust Devil (2)
Nia Archives - Silence is Loud (2)
O. - WeirdOs (2)
Rafeael Toral - Spectral Evolution (2)
Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips (2)
Shabaka - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace (2)
Sheer Mag - Playing Favorites (2)
Sprints - Letter to Self (2)
Tems - Born in the Wild (2)
This Is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star (2)
Thou - Umbilical (2)
Verraco - Breathe...Godspeed EP (2)
Yaya Bey - Ten Fold (2)
Yunchan Lim - Chopin: Etudes (2)
1010Benja - Ten Total (1)
A. Chal - Espiritu (1)
Aaron and the Jeri Jeri Band - Dama B​ë​gga Ñibi (I Want To Go Home) (1)
Alison Cotton - Engelchen (1)
Alvaro Diaz - Sayonara (1)
Anastasia Coope - Darning Woman (1)
Andra Day - CASSANDRA (cherith) (1)
Anycia - Princess Pop That (1)
Arab Strap - I’m Totally Fine With It👍 Don’t Give A Fuck Anymore👍 (1)
Ariel Kalma / Jeremiah Chiu / Marta Sofia Honer - The Closest Thing to Silence (1)
Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt (1)
Ayra Starr - The Year I Turned 21 (1)
Babehoven - Water's Here in You (1)
Bavarian RSO/Rattle - Mahler: Symphony No 6 (1)
bbymutha - Sleep Paralysis (1)
BEAK> - >>> (1)
Ben Frost - Scope Neglect (1)
Big Special - Postindustrial Hometown Blues (1)
BIG|BRAVE - A Chaos of Flowers (1)
Bill Frisell - Orchestras (1)
Black Crowes - Happiness Bastards (1)
Black Keys - Ohio Players (1)
Bladee - Cold Visions (1)
Bolis Pupul - Letter to Yu (1)
Bring Me the Horizon - Post Human: Nex Gen (1)
Brittney Spencer - My Stupid Life (1)
Brown Wimpenny - Live Demos (1)
Camera Obscura - Look to the East, Look to the West (1)
Caroline Shaw / So Percussion - Rectangels and Circumstance (1)
Charley Crockett - $10 Cowboy (1)
Charlotte Day Wilson - Cyan Blue (1)
Chastity Belt - Live Laugh Love (1)
Christian Poltéra / Ronald Brautigam - Brahms: Cello Sonatas; Schumann: Fünf Stücke im Volkston (1)
Couch Slut - You Could Do It Tonight (1)
Dali De Saint Paul & Maxwell Sterling - Penumbra (1)
Daniel Romano - Too Hot to Sleep (1)
David Nance - David Nance and Mowed Sound (1)
Dehd - Poetry (1)
Diiv - Frog in Boiling Water (1)
Donato Dozzy - Magda (1)
Ducks Ltd. - Harm's Way (1)
Elaine Mitchener - Solo Throat (1)
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru - Souvenirs (1)
Empress Of - For Your Consideration (1)
Eric Chenaux Trio - Delights of My Life (1)
Erika de Cassier - Still (1)
Ex-Easter Island Head - Norther (1)
Fat White Family - Forgiveness is Yours (1)
Faye Webster - Underdressed at the Symphony (1)
Flo Milli - Fine Ho, Stay (1)
Four Tet - Three (1)
Frank Peter Zimmermann / Jakub Hrůša - Stravinsky: Violin Concerto; Bartók: Rhapsodies 1 and 2; Martinu: Suite Concertante; Méditation (1)
Fred Hersch - Silent, Listening (1)
Friko - Where We've Been, Where We Go From Here (1)
From Indian Lakes - Head Void (1)
Future & Metro Boomin - We Don't Trust You (1)
Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore (1)
Gary Clark Jr. - JPEG RAW (1)
Girl in Red - I'm Doing it Again Baby! (1)
Glass Beach - Plastic Death (1)
Glitterer - Rationale (1)
Gnod - Spot Land (1)
Gouge Away - Deep Sage (1)
Grandaddy - Blu Wav (1)
Guests - I Wish I Was Special (1)
Halle/Elder - Elgar: Symphonies Nos 1 & 2 (1)
Heems & Lapgan - LAFANDAR (1)
High on Fire - Cometh the Storm (1)
Hovvdy - Hovvdy (1)
How to Dress Well - I Am Toward You (1)
Idles - Tangk (1)
Infant Island - Obsidian Wreath (1)
Irakere - Grupo Irakere (1)
Jacken Elswyth - At Fargrounds (1)
James Elkington / Nathan Salsburg - All Gist (1)
Jane Weaver - Love in Constant Spectacle (1)
Jawnino - 40 (1)
Jimmy Montague - Tomorrow's Coffee (1)
John Grant - The Art of the Lie (1)
Jonathan Fournel / Howard Griffiths - Mozart: Piano Concertos Nos. 18 KV 456 & 21 KV 467 (1)
Jozef Van Wissem - That Night Dwells in the Day (1)
Julian Lage - Speak to Me (1)
Jürg Frey: String Quartet No. 4 - Quatuor Bozzini (1)
Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement (1)
Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry (1)
Kaytranada - Timeless (1)
Kings of Leon - Can We Please Have Fun (1)
Kneecap - Fine Art (1)
Laetitia Sadier - Rooting For Love (1)
Leonidas Kavakos/Yo-Yo Ma/Emanuel Ax - Beethoven for Three (1)
Les Amazones d'Afrique - Musow Danse (1)
Les Talens Lyriques/Rousset - Louise Bertin: Fausto (1)
Lola Young - This Wasn't Meant for You Anyway (1)
Louise Alder / Tim Mead / Jonathan Cohen / Arcangelo - Handel: Theodora, HWV 60 (1)
Madi Diaz - Weird Faith (1)
Maggie Rogers - Don't Forget Me (1)
Maggie Rose - No One Gets Out Alive (1)
Mahti - Musiikki 3 (1)
Marcus King - Mood Swings (1)
MGMT - Loss of Life (1)
Microwave - Let's Start Degeneracy (1)
MIKE & Tony Seltzer - Pinball (1)
Milkweed - Folklore 1979 (1)
Mohammad Syfkhan - I Am Kurdish (1)
Moor Mother - The Great Bailout (1)
Myriam Gendron - Mayday (1)
Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath (1)
Nduduzo Makhathini - uNomkhubulwane (1)
NewDad - Madra (1)
Omni - Souvenir (1)
Oolong - Oolong (1)
Pearl Jam - Dark Matter (1)
Peggy Gou - I Hear You (1)
Perc - The Cut Off (1)
Persher - Sleep Well (1)
Philip Glass - Philip Glass Solo (1)
Pissed Jeans - Half Divorced (1)
Pouty - Forgot About Me (1)
Prize Horse - Under Sound (1)
Pyur - Lucid Anarchy (1)
Queen of Jeans - All Again (1)
RaiNao - Capicu (1)
Real Estate - Daniel (1)
RM - Right Place, Wrong Person (1)
Roc Marciano - Marciology (1)
Sandrine Piau / Jean-François Verdier - Reflet (1)
Sarah Shook & The Disarmers - Revelations (1)
Saramaccan Sound - Where The River Bends Is Only The Beginning
(1)
Sean Shibe - Profesion (1)
Sexyy Red - In Sexyy We Trust (1)
Shaboozey - Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going (1)
Shakira - Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran (1)
Shellac - To All Trains (1)
Sisso & Maiko - Singeli Ya Maajabu (1)
Sleater-Kinney - Little Rope (1)
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - Of the Last Human Being (1)
Slow Hollows - Bullhead (1)
Soft Kill - Escape Forever (1)
Squarepusher - Dostrotime (1)
STRFKR - Parallel Realms (1)
Sum 41 - Heaven :x: Hell (1)
Sumac - The Healer (1)
Sy Smith - Until We Meet Again (1)
Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poet's Department (1)
Terminal Nation - Echoes of the Devil's Den (1)
That Mexican OT - Texas Technician (1)
The Chisel - What a Fucking Nightmare (1)
The Fauns - How Lost (1)
The Lemon Twigs - A Dream is All We Know (1)
The Marias - Submarine (1)
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis (1)
The Mountain Movers - Walking After Dark (1)
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Challengers Original Score (1)
Trinity College Choir, Cambridge / Stephen Layton
- Duruflé: Requiem; Poulenc: Lenten Motets (1)
tripleS - ASSEMBLE24 (1)
Uncle Acid & the Deadbeats - Nell' Ora Blu (1)
Usher - Coming Home (1)
Vanishing - Shelter of the Opaque (1)
Various Artists - Ulyap Songs: Beyond Circassian Tradition (1)
Vegyn - The Road to Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions (1)
Vida Miknevičiūtė / Gidon Kremer / Kremerata Baltica - Songs of Fate (1)
Vijay Iyer / Linda May Han Oh / Tyshawn Sorey - Compassion (1)
Wadada Leo Smith and Amina Claudine Myers - Central Park’s Mosaics of Reservoir, Lake, Paths and Gardens (1)
Willi Carlisle - Critterland (1)
William Doyle - Springs Eternal (1)
Wu Lu - Learning to Swim on Empty (1)
Xaviersobased - Keep It Going Xav (1)
Yard Act - Where's My Utopia? (1)
Young Miko - Att. (1)

None of the above. The correct answer is Judas Priest - Invincible Shield.

was planning on starting a thread like this in july. my top 3 is

gouge away
tems
beth gibbons

Here are some of my favorites of the year so far:

Scotch Rolex, Shackleton & Omutaba - The Three Hands of Doom (Nyege Nyege)
Donato Dozzy - Magda
Charles Lloyd - The Sky Wil Still Be There Tomorrow (Moran/Grenadier/Blade)
Julian Lage - Speak to Me
Binkbeats - OHM
Howie Lee - At the Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery
Oren Ambarchi/Johan Berthling/Andreas Werliin - Ghosted II
Charli XCX - BRAT
Tara Jane O’Neil - The Cool Cloud of Okayness
Molly Miller Trio - The Ballad of Hotspur
Johannes Enders/Renato Chicco/Jorge Rossy - Micro Organisms
Taylor Deupree - sti.ll

haven’t seen anyone mention unusual object by josh johnson, which is too bad

I think that's a very good album, but I'm already getting a little sick of sax players diving into post-Sam Gendel fx + beats, and I think the Gendel records are a bit more idiosyncratic. Not to say he owns it though, there was an EP by a saxophonist under the name Bossada this year that's excellent.

This year is so much better than last year already. My shortlist of the best of the best:

Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Arushi Jain - Delight
Julia Holter - Something In the Room She Moves
Jlin - Akoma
Naemi - Dust Devil

Digging a lot of other records too, but these 5 have kinda stood above the rest. Haven't heard the new Arooj Aftab yet.

already tired of brat supremacy. don’t care for brats unless we’re talking about bratz the movie

bratwurst are good too

somesurprises - Perseids

The Jlin and Arushi Jain records are very good (though I think I liked Jain's last album better — this one is more pop song-y, and I'm kind of allergic to pop songs). The new NikNak album is also excellent.

1) Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
2) Joseph Shabason & Ben Gunning - Ample Habitat
3) GB - Gusse Music
4) Sam Gendel & Sam Wilkes - The Doober
5) Amen Dunes - Death Jokes
6) Rob Clutton Trio - Asterballoo 23
7) Heresiarch - Edifice
8) AHMED - Giant Beauty
9) Rafael Toral - Spectral Evolution
10) Eric Chenaux - Delights Of My Life
11) Benoit Delbecq, Etienne Renard, Guilhem Flouzat - Triple Fever
12) Tapir! - The Pilgrim, Their God and The King Of My Decrepit Mountain
13) Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet - Four Guitars Live
14) Holmström / Jansson / Osgood + Ström - Easy To Remember
15) Jack Sheen - Croon Harvest

top 5 something like Bbymutha, La Luz, Liv.e, Gordon, Holter

tapir album was really nice, yes

so far it is this one for me:

https://www.discogs.com/release/29782582-Various-Palestine-Solidarity-Compilation

plus short "albums" by The Gobs and Busted Head Racket

Kim Gordon and Shellac are also solid, Broadcast is a reissue so doesn't count for me

In a very rough order here are my favourites so far:

Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch
Tyla - s/t
Raveena - Where the Butterflies Go in the Rain
yaya bey - ten fold
Elyanna - WOLEDTO
Phoebe Go - Marmalade
Fabiana Palladino - s/t
Tems - Born In The Wild
Charli XCX - Brat
Normani - Dopamine
Alex Anwandter - Dime Precioso
Kali Uchis - Orquídeas
Empress Of - For Your Consideration
Zsela - Big For You
Erika de Casier - Still
L'Impératrice - Pulsar

Looking forward to hearing releases from Cassandra Jenkins, Ravyn Lenae, Tinashe, Salute, Nilüfer Yanya and Confidence Man in the second half of the year.

off the top of my head, the most recent albums by...

dina ögon
tems
julia holter
cindy lee

...are all fairly noteworthy.

can't believe the year is almost half over

Faves so far

Gumshoes - Cacophony
Kim Gordon - The Collective
Helado Negro - Phasor
High Llamas - Hey Panda
Itasca - Imitation of War
Vampire Weekend - Only God was above us
Armand Hammer - WHT LBL
Nourished By Time - Catching Chickens ep
Lao - Chapultepec 
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - s/t
The Reds Pinks and Purples - Unwishing Well
Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee
The Lemon Twigs - A Dream is All We Know
Sisso & Maiko - Singeli ya maajabu
Jane Weaver - Love in Constant Spectacle
Donato Dozzy - Magda
Julia Holter - Something in the room she moves
Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
Greg Foat & Gigi Masin - The Fish Factory Sessions

add nourished by time to my list.

everything I've awarded 9 or 10 to (top three 10):

April 1830 - The Adventures Of Space Pig*
Clarissa Connelly - World Of Work
Joanna Wang - Hotel la Rut
Hoplites - Paramainomeni
Kraanerg - Heart Of A Cherry Pit Sun*
VR SEX - Hard Copy
Sisso & Maiko - Singeli Ya Maajabu
Black Dresses - Laughingfish
Angelwings Marmalade - Kill Me In My Man Cave
Dos Monos - Dos Atomos
Logan Posthumous - SOS*

*by PALS OF MINE but entirely deserving of inclusion

was sorely tempted to include my latest EP in this but that'd be an unclassy look, yo

Some faves of mine not mentioned above:

Awen Ensemble / Cadair Idris - Welsh folk/jazz, Fender Rhodes and flugel horns
Sean Khan Presents The Modern Jazz & Folk ensemble - similar vibe to the above, jazz versions of Nick Drake, John Martyn, Pentangle etc.
Bryony Jarmon-Pinot / Below Dawn - prod. by the Nostalgia 77 guy.

Oh, and Oisin Leech / Cold Sea

A few others...

Ulcerate - Cutting the Throat of God
Actress - Statik
Harry Gorski-Brown - Durt Dronemaker After Dreamboats
Lake Mary & pinyonpine - It's Okay, You Can Open Your Eyes Now

Oh I can definitely second a couple of those^

the ulcerate is so good. metal release of the year so far for me is inter arma

Not to discourage lists (I started it) but I'd welcome any descriptors or RIYLs on some of the lesser known stuff. Or, if anyone wants to make a quick Spotify sampler of their favs so far this year, I'd be interested.

Gumshoes - Cacophony
Like Ben Folds meets Microdisney. A chamber pop album about a failed reunion tour of an old punk rock band. Some lad from Birmingham made the whole thing in his bedroom

Itasca - Imitations of War
RIYL of you like Joni Mitchell and lots of pretty psychy guitar on this too. Lovely album, maybe my most listened to of the year

was sorely tempted to include my latest EP in this but that'd be an unclassy look, yo

― imago

Ah, come on, do it.

that Itasca record is so great, wish it got more attention

Is music less interesting than it’s ever been or am I just less interested than I’ve ever been? I usually only find like two or three new albums I’m really into each year now it feels like and I haven’t found a single 2024 album I’m into yet…I can’t even find one that interests me enough to check out at the moment which feels like a new level. What happened to psych/drone/free folk/weirdo music? Jazz seems to be either boringly academic or mining the spiritual jazz territory, the latter of which usually feels inauthentic to me these days. As I type this out I’m guessing this is more of a ‘me’ problem.

What happened to psych/drone/free folk/weirdo music

may I recommend Baldruin? nothing new in 2024 yet I don't think, but lots of cool recent material

You also might like O.
https://www.stereogum.com/2268381/o-weirdos/reviews/album-of-the-week/

Jazz seems to be either boringly academic or mining the spiritual jazz territory

The Molly Miller and Julian Lage records I posted upthread definitely don't fall into either of these categories imo (guitar records with a sense of humor and folk elements). Lots of great electronic music too.

xxpost or Water Damage: https://waterdamage12xu.bandcamp.com/album/in-e

(more heavy psych/drone than free folk but definitely weirdo)

What happened to psych/drone/free folk/weirdo music? Jazz seems to be either boringly academic or mining the spiritual jazz territory, the latter of which usually feels inauthentic to me these days.

The middle ground between these two areas is the Beings album There Is A Garden. You might like it.

https://beingsnyc.bandcamp.com/album/there-is-a-garden

water damage album is incredible

their release '2 songs' from 2023 is worth a listen too

Not to discourage lists (I started it) but I'd welcome any descriptors or RIYLs on some of the lesser known stuff. Or, if anyone wants to make a quick Spotify sampler of their favs so far this year, I'd be interested.

― Indexed, Wednesday, June 26, 2024 7:27 AM

here's my running mixtape. some very obvious picks. i rep for all albums the songs come from. it's going to be in flux/tabulating for the remainder of the year.

Reyna Tropical album “Malegria “

https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/reyna-tropical-malegria/

Reyna Tropical have a song on Austin’s running mix

high on fire - cometh the storm
heresiarch - edifice
vitriol - suffer & become

Some of my favourite albums from this year that people might not have heard or heard of (based on no or minimal ILM mentions):

Adeem The Artist - Anniversary: The general sales-pitch for this is "queer country artist makes mainstream country album", and on a tune like "One Night Stand" it's hard to overlook that framing, but really it's just beautiful-sounding mainstream country that looks great in any frame.

Adult Jazz - So Sorry, So Slow: See my thread on them. I described them there as Owen Pallett meets Vulnicura and I'm standing by that.

Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chu & Marta Sofia Honer - The Closest Thing To Silence: not particularly close to silence at all actually; this is my favourite 2024 album in the whole in-vogue spiritual jazz / ambient / minimalist interzone, in part because it's not afraid to go full Vangelis.

Church Chords - elvis, he was Schlager: Started a thread on this the other day; voluptuously thick, driving and rhythmic jazz-bleeding-into-krautrock-bleeding-into-dance-music, like The Necks' Chemist but with more of a vocal/crossover/we-can-do-any-genre sensibility.

Delay Grounds - Digital Spiritual: if Wordcolour manages to put out an album this year it'll probably be the over-produced maximalist kitchen sink techno album we both need and deserve, but in the meantime this is a very good substitute.

Douglas Dare - Omni: dark, dramatic and lush synthetic art-pop with a surprisingly sturdy rhythmic undercurrent, kinda Patrick Wolf vibes?

Halo Maud - Celebrate: impeccably produced and consistently surprising ecumenical French pop-rock: Spotify says "displaying the influence of artists such as Bjork, Blond Redhead and Broadcast" which is... about right actually, though a more concise reference point might be Wye Oak's The Louder I Call The Faster It Runs.

Howie Lee - At the Drolma Wesel-Ling Monastery: what if Deep Forest, but the Forest is dark and full of terrors.

Ibaaku - Joola Jazz: world music as banging techno, banging techno as world music; also occupies the exact middle-ground between the albums immediately above and below.

Imperieux - Losers Queue: Wonky, percussive breakbeat-techno that imagines a Venn Diagram of DJ Koze, Pepe Bradock and the kind of oddball big beat that Bolshi Records were putting out in the late 90s.

Jasmine Myra - Rising: my other favourite spiritual hat jazz album of the year.

Lavurn - Lavurn: murky, whispery R&B collages which start off seeming a bit so-far-so-early-Weekend (though Velvet Negroni would be a closer point of comparison) but grow increasingly lush and layered and all-enveloping and ultimately intoxicating - real lost soundworld stuff. Apparently Lavurn is deeply obsessed with Tim & Bob productions? But more Bobby Valentino than Boys II Men.

L.B. Dub Corp - Saturn To Home: Started a thread on this one as well. Just really excellent and dense 1990-coded house and techno from Luke Slater.

Lost Souls of Saturn - Reality: portentous, verging on pompous jazz-techno doubling as a kind of War of the Worlds soundtrack. Like if the Moritz von Oswald Trio decided to record a tribute to Pink Floyd.

Mong Tong - 銘 Epigraphy: Dense percussion workouts from the outer edges of the galaxy. Pete Baran says "Orbital with the melodies removed", and I guess you could also say "Can with the songs removed" - but either description would imply this is somehow reduced music, when in fact it's always teeming with sound to the point of collapsing in on itself.

Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath: Nadine doesn't really dramatically switch up her sonorous and somewhat spasmodic post-punk sound from album to album, but why would you?

Rachel Chinouriri - What A Devasating Turn of Events: Just really sweet, winsome, endearing indie-pop, I guess along the lines of Beabadoobee? If that sounds like your bag maybe start with "Never Need Me" and venture outwards from there.

ShineTTW - The Chosen One: I would say that this is my favourite naija album of 2024 so far, but that would imply an unwarranted level of authority on the subject. However it is tremendously good, managing to sound both hooky and stirring at every turn.

WILLOW - empathogen: Unexpectedly knotty math-pop vibes, but WILLOW knows how to keep it R&B (albeit R&B that sounds like it's been listening to Veda Hille), soulful and moving.

The Rosali album is my favorite of the year so far.

big co-sign on the kalma, chu, and honer album

also the howie lee album, what a unique collection of sounds

In the discoveries from this thread so far, I really appreciated the Donato Dozzy which sits on a nice edge between repetition and subtle variation: a really comfortable home listening album in a techno envelope.
The second one is the Rosali. I don't listen to Adrienne Lenker / Big Thief, I don't feel the need, this seems close but more closely hits my spot - I assume because of the vocalist, and because it's so numbingly slow and soft and fuzzy.

One from me: Skee Mask - Resort. Blends techno and ambient -- I've seen references to Boards of Canada, but to my ears, his stuff always sounds uniquely him and is some of the most exciting electronic music I encounter.
https://iliantape.bandcamp.com/album/itlp19-resort

i'm looking forward to hearing that lb dub corp album when i need a techno fix, luke slater is an amazing artist

No one has mentioned it yet but I really liked the Mk.gee album. Probably the one I have listened to the most this year so far.

It’s not a 5 star album (maybe not even a 4 star album) but really like the overall palette he’s using and how it all comes together. “Alesis” is one of my favorite songs of the year too.

The Lechuga Zafiro album is almost certainly my electronic AOTY

really enjoying this right now, thanks

I love Mk.Gee so much. Also it should just be commonly established that the calendar year for new music releases runs Nov 1-Oct 31.

Motor Tapes is stupendous--i'm blown away (thanks, jmk)

Erland Cooper's Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence is ticking a lot of my boxes in thick black ink

Mope Grooves album good for what ails me this morning, thank you

First 2024 EOY Albums list published in the new issue of Uncut Magazine, on sale in the shops tomorrow in the UK. Subscribers are likely to receive their copies today. So the list may leak somewhere on the internet today / tomorrow.

Time for a New 2024 EOY Rolling Lists thread soon.

Uncut New Issue:
https://www.uncut.co.uk/publications/uncut-review-of-the-year-2024-147619/

All print copies come with two gifts: a 32-page, A5 book, My Year In Music, where the stars of 2024 share their albums, books, gigs and other musical highlights from the last 12 months; and also a 15-track Best Of 2024 CD starring Jack White, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Beth Gibbons, The Smile, Richard Thompson, Bill Ryder-Jones and more!

1/5 Let love in! @uncutmagazine's bumper Review Of The Year is here. @nickcave, @AliceColtrane2, @ElvisCostello, @CassFreshUSA, @blurofficial, @springsteen, @michaelheadtreb, a 32-page book, Best Of 2024 CD and more. In shops Friday or direct from us: https://t.co/WZBakmZpIA >> pic.twitter.com/anGhqna6qx

— Michael Bonner (@MichaelBonner) November 5, 2024

Next issue Mojo on sale November 12th in the UK, includes Mojo's Top 75 albums of the Year

Comes a time: @MOJOmagazine's Review Of 2024 incoming! The best albums, reissues, books and movies of the year. A spectacular CD, featuring Jack White, Nick Cave, Fontaines D.C., Beth Gibbons and Kim Deal! Loads more, explained after the jump and here: https://t.co/dRo0ZsVyuU 1/4 pic.twitter.com/4I2mZX68b6

— John Mulvey (@JohnRMulvey) November 7, 2024

Mojo cover designer has gone a little heavy on the Photoshop there, not enough ditch.

any thoughts on Machine Girl (MG Ultra, and in general) ? haven't found any discussion about them here (yet) after listening to MG ULTRA. listened to the album 1-2 times, it seemed sticky (ear candy-ish) despite being so aggro, over the top. haven't revisited it yet (to determine if it sucks) but it seemed like a worthwhile listen at the time. i couldn't find a reasonably priced CD copy (it's like $30 on their bandcamp page, a bit cheaper on their website) ... the vocals vaguely recall zach hill's concentration face (dvd) material, and maybe the first track on opn's returnal (acid-fueled terror, yelling out into a massive void, etc.)

ixnay on the achine girl-may, eh? ain't seen anyone talking about them on here. maybe there's some discussion about MG o'er at the Steve Hoffman estates...
(not)

I took my son to see Machine Girl play in the parking lot of a tiny bar by the highway in San Antonio several years back. It was a wild show.

haven’t heard the new one but i remember liking one of their earlier albums - reminded me of digital hardcore/atari teenage riot a bit

Loved U-Void Synthesizer but haven't gotten into the new one yet.

Merope - Vejula

I'm not sure how I stumbled on this but this is one of the more unique and beautiful albums I've heard this year. Lithuanian folk music but with some layered electronic textures. Super immersive and detailed.

loving that, thx

yeah this rules

along similar lines, Arianne Churchman & Benedict Drew - May takes English folk melodies and blurs and smears them with layers of loops and sound effects turning them into hypnotic trance jams, gorgeous stuff

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnjoQkF0KeE

dunno if this is 'AOTY' material, but it's a nice release. unusual to hear piano / guitar duos (with these two), as opposed to just guitars. loren connors plays piano (and drums briefly, on one track) on a few tracks as well. not sure if it's been mentioned; loren connors & david grubbs 'evening air'

https://room40.bandcamp.com/album/evening-air

Pleasantly surprised to see some Machine Girl chatter in here! They're definitely part of my music taste (probably the majority) that I just assume doesn't fly on here so I don't bother. Anyway the new album isn't close to their best imo, U-Void Synthesiser was much better, but it still has some super moments

adore most stuff I hear from room40

Reymour - NoLand
https://reymour.bandcamp.com/album/noland

i find this album addictive. strange and dreamy swiss/belgian synth-pop, tons of hooks

Anton Friisgaard - Teratai Åkande
https://stroomtv.bandcamp.com/album/teratai-kande

danish producer working with gamelan musicians. exceptionally beautiful

huh, stroomtv, same label as the Merope album posted earlier!

yes, stroom is a great label that deserves its own thread tbh

stroomtv continues to have one of the highest hit/miss ratios for me

I really enjoyed the Temir Alcy album they put out this year too. They’re quite prolific!

big co-sign on that reymour album, a must for any broadcast fan

Before the lists start pouring in, what are we expecting to be the critical consensus picks this year? I've been a little out of the new release game in the last few months but based on what I've seen maybe Brat, Cindy Lee (US Indie), The Cure (UK), Vampire Weekend, Waxahatchee?

Nick Cave

in terms of critics consensus, metacritic already has aggregated scores of reviews throughout the year.

metacritic albums of 2024 ranked
https://www.metacritic.com/browse/albums/score/metascore/year/filtered?year_selected=2024

https://m-o-i-n.bandcamp.com/album/you-never-end

decided this is definitely one of my aoties

I need to check that out. Vanishing Twin is one of my favorite bands, but i haven't really explored the rest of Valentina Magaletti's projects.

Keeping up and have found some amazing albums in here. Thank you all for sharing.

Here’s what my top 10 would look like atm (unranked):

Ariel Kalma, Jeremiah Chiu & Marta Sofia
Honer - The Closest Thing to Silence
Fine - Rocky Top Ballads
Kelly Moran - moves in the field
Hildegard - Jour 1596
Merope - Vejula
Michel Banabila - Unspeakable Visions
Mk.gee - Two Star and the Dream Police
Stacks - Want
Total Blue - s/t
Unessential Oils - s/t

Talk about the Merope album led me down a rabbit hole exploring the Stroom.tv catalog, and now I'm convinced that Alepher - Dodges Aim is another favorite of the year. It's full of weird minimalist sketches and confounding percussive workouts.

Sounds promising

https://psicadence.bandcamp.com/album/--4

This slice of Brazilian vaporwave gets my vote

Oops I meant this one

https://psicadence.bandcamp.com/album/--2

A few albums that I've discovered from EOY lists that have vaulted into my top 25:

Being Dead - EELS
Skee Mask - ISSO10
Loidis - One Day
Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven (listened to this one when it came out but recently revisited and was knocked out)

This Australian two tracker of beautiful songs + synth minimalism might make my list

https://openswimmer.bandcamp.com/album/two-songs

My favorites of the year:
1. Hurray for the Riff Raff: The Past Is Still Alive
2. Horse Jumper of Love: Disaster Trick
3. MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks
4. Nap Eyes: The Neon Gate
5. Smashing Pumpkins: Aghori Mhori Mei
6. Euphoria Again: Waiting on Time to Fly
7. English Teacher: This Could Be Texas
8. Mannequin Pussy: I Got Heaven
9. Yung Lean/Bladee: Psykos
10. Kim Gordon: The Collective
11. The Amazing: Piggies
12. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings: Woodland
13. Office Dog: Doggerland
14. Death’s Dynamic Shroud: You Like Music
15. Cash Cobain: Play Cash Cobain
16. Chat Pile: Cool World
17. The Hard Quartet: S/T
18. Babyface Ray: The Kid That Did
19. Devon Welsh: Come with Me if You Want to Live
20. Punchlove: Channels
21. Soft Kill: Escape Forever
22. Joyer: Night Songs
23. Starflyer 59: Lust for Gold
24. Why Bonnie: Wish on the Bone
25. Bizhiki: Unbound
26. Lucki: Gemini!
27. Kenny Mason: 9
28. LL Cool J: The Force
29. Cassandra Jenkins: My Light, My Destroyer
30. The Chisel: What a Fucking Nightmare

Yatta - Palm Wine: unclassifiable avant pop/experimental; post-mallpunk cyber-emo rnb realness with kaleidoscopic sonics

Hesaitix - Noctian Airgap: ketamine wobble mixed with chrome and glass production, riding the line between dread and arousal, negative space remaining after ego loss

Autre ne Veut - Love Guess who: (a bit biased bc i was involved w/ production but ...) imo a strong return to form with multiple earworm bangers and a more expansive soft rock palette. i actually wasn't expecting to get hooked since i'd already heard it a million times but it's really just a lot of good to great songs

new punk stuff this year:
Media Puzzle - Strategic Living (if you just check out one, this is the one)
The Gobs - S/T (2nd fave)
GEE TEE - Prehistoric Chrome
Busted Head Racket - Go! Go! Go!
Dru the Drifter - The Moon Walker

discussed a bit in LPD thread:
Legendary Pink Dots - Chemical Playschool Volumes 23 & 24

metal/unclassifiable/grunge/idk from Tunisia
Znous - 4

these are my faves that haven't been mentioned it so far, also cosign Shellac, Merope, R. Toral

oh and Baldruin's new Mosaike der Imagination

Couple of things i haven't seen mentioned but enjoyed this year:

Winged Wheel - Big Hotel
Supergroup overstating it perhaps, but folks from Tyvek, Water Damage, plus J Rolin, Steve Shelley. Tranced kraut style jam sessions edited post factum in the Faust style. Two drummers!

Daisy Rickman - Howl
Immersive, sometimes Cornish(!) language acid folk, with Eastern touches and drones. Bridget St John? Nico? Check track Bleujen an Howl.

Mope Grooves is incredible

thanks for your list, sleeve

A few names I haven't seen listed more than once that I'll rep for:

Kali Uchis - Orquideas
Johnny Blue Skies - Passage du Desir (aka Sturgill Simpson)
Kaitlin Butts - Roadrunner!
Tierra Whack - World Wide Whack
Adeem the Artist - Anniversary

that Winged Wheel album is great indeed, good call P. Flick

data dump incoming, just starting to think about my list, here is a (mostly) chronologically heard (long) list of all the albums I'd consider a cut above everything else I heard:

Slift - Ilion
Ty Segall - Three Bells
Lucifer - Lucifer V
The Smile - Wall of Eyes/Cutouts
Iyer / Oh / Sorey - Compassion
Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Ducks Ltd. - Harm's Way
meth. - Shame
Friko - Where We've Been, Where We Go from Here
Slimelord - Chytridiomycosis Relinquished
Pissed Jeans - Half Divorced
The Bevis Frond - Focus on Nature
Kim Gordon - The Collective
Hashtronaut - No Return
The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis - s/t
Chapel of Disease - Echoes of Light
Meatbodies - Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom
Rosali - Bite Down
Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future
Waxahatchee - Tiger's Blood
Locrian - End Terrain
Coffin Storm - Arcana Rising
Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves
The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Unwishing Well
Six Organs of Admittance - Time is Glass
Big | Brave - A Chaos of Flowers
High On Fire - Cometh the Storm
Inter Arma - New Heaven
Writhing Squares - Mythology
Full of Hell - Coagulated Bloss
Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
Darkthrone - It Beckons Us All
The Cosmic Dead - Infinite Peaks
Acid Mammoth - Supersonic Megafauna Collision
Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice
Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch
Kali Malone - All Life Long
Full Earth - Cloud Scultpures
Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement
Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few - Almighty
Pallbearer - Mind Burns Alive
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
Shellac - To All Trains
DIIV - Frog in Boiling Water
Tzompantli - Beating the Drums of Ancestral Force
Ufomammut - Hidden
Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Nathan Salsburg & Tyler Trotter - Hear the Children Sing & The Evidence
Crypt Sermon - Stygian Rose
Thou - Umbilical
Beak> - >>>>
Beings - There is a Garden
Arooj Aftab - Night Reign
Haunted Plasma - I
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Nell' ora blu
Brown Horse - Reservoir
Sumac - The Healer
Alcest - Les chants de l'aurore
Causa Sui - From the Source
Dirty Three - Love Changes Everything
Beachwood Sparks - Across the River of Stars
ORB - Tailem Bend
Elkhorn - Other Worlds
Redd Kross - S/T
Wormed - Omegon
SML - Small Medium Large
Kyosaku - Kyosaku
Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson) - Passage du desir
Emergency Group - Mind Screen
Wand - Vertigo
Oneida - Expensive Air
Los Campesinos! - All Hell
Good Looks - Lived Here for a While
Black Pyramid - The Paths of Time Are Vast
Osees - Sorcs 80
Krallice - Inorganic Rites
delving - All Paths Diverge
On Ka'a Davis - Here's to Another Day and Night..
Nile - The Underworld Awaits Us All
Dawn Treader - Bloom & Decay
Basic - This is Basic
Aluk Todolo - Lux
Free Ride - Acido y Puto
MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
Pyrrhon - Exhaust
Asher Gamedze & The Black Lungs - Constitution
The Jesus Lizard - Rack
Jack White - No Name
Hyperdontia - Harvest of Malevolence
Peel Dream Magazine - Rose Main Reading Room
Billy Strings - Highway Prayers
The Body & Dis Fig - Orchards of a Futile Heaven
Prairiewolf - Deep Time
Jeffrey Alexander & The Heavy Lidders - Planet Lidders
The Waeve - City Lights
The Hard Quartet - S/T
Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
Memorials - Memorial Waterslide
Geordie Greep - The New Sound
Oranssi Pazuzu - Muuntautuja
Goat - S/T
Ameiensus - Reclamation Pt. 1 & 2
Chat Pile - Cool World
The Necks - Bleed
Undeath - More Insane
Cosmic Putrefaction - Emerald Fires Atop the Farewell Mountains
Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks - True
Ripped to Shreds - Sanshi
Humdrum - Every Heaven
Immortal Bird - Sin Querencia
Gigan - Anomalous Abstractigate Infinitessimus
Mitochondrian - Vitriseptome
Nap Eyes - The Neon Gate
Needlepoint - Remnants of Light
Tribulation - Sub Rosa in Aeturnum
The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Paysage d'Hiver - Die Berge
Iotunn - Kinship
Black Curse - Burning in Celestial Poison
The Clearwater Swimmers - S/T
Departure Chandelier - Satan Soldier of Fortune
Father John Misty - Mahashmashana
Jeff Parker IVtet - The Way Out of Easy
Sergeant Thunderhoof - The Ghost of Badon Hill
Midwife - No Depression in Heaven
Bedsore - Dreaming the Strike for Love
Thy Catafalque - XII: A gyonyoru almok ezutan jonnek
Opeth - The Last Will and Testament
Bunuel - Mansuetude
Weite - Oase
Aara - Eiger

yr welcome budo xxp

Yooo how did I miss there was a new DIIV album?!?!?

Oh glad you mentioned Adeem, Indexed. Planning to nominate that in the poll. Bunch of good songs, and the one about their kid just kills me.