The 30 Best Albums of 2024

According to me!

New year’s day is a good moment to celebrate the music of the year that was. I feel like I fell down a bit this year on listening to new albums…but! On the other hand, I came up with 30 favorites, so I guess I didn’t really fail? Listen and decide for yourself!

As always, I’ve included a link in cases where I wrote something about the band/release.

And also as always! If you’ve enjoyed this newsletter in 2024, please consider becoming a paid subscriber so I can keep on keeping on in 2025. I’ve lost a number of subs with the turning of the new year, which is not a huge disaster…unless I don’t get new subs. So, please consider subscribing and staving off this disaster, anyway.

30.
A.R. Rahman & Irshad Kamil
Amar Singh Chamkila

29.
Tomoko Mukaiyama
Peter-Jan Wagemans: Concerto, Het Lanschap

28.
Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru
Souvenirs

27.
Camera Obscura
Look to the East, Look to the West

26.
That Mexican OT
Texas Technician

25.
Anastasia Coope
Darning Woman

24.
Dwight Yoakam
Brighter Days

23.
Uboa
Impossible Light

22.
Linda Lindas
No Obligation
(interview)

21.
Nadja
Jumper

20.
Louis Armstrong
Louis in London
(review)

19.
Phelimuncasi & Metal Preyers
Izigqinamba

18.
Kim Gordon
The Collective

17.
René Berman & Kees Wieringa
Morton Feldman: Untitled Composition for Cello and Piano

16.
Abdallah Oumbadougou
The Godfather of Desert Blues

15.
Cedric Burnside
Hill Country Love

14.
Nick Dunston
Colle Voce

13.
Fire!
Testament

12.
Lord Spikeheart
The Adept

11.
Theophonus
Ashes in the Huron River

10.
Beyoncé
Cowboy Carter

9.
Nadah El Shazly & Elvin Brandhi
Pollution Opera

8.
Kazumoto Endo
At the Controls

7.
Caxtrinho
Queda Livre

6.
Aaron Lee Tasjan
Stellar Evolution

5.
Jlin
Akoma

4.
Panopticon
The Rime of Memory
(review)

3.
Mdou Moctar
Funeral for Justice

2.
Hurray for the Riff Raff
The Past Is Still Alive
(profile)

1.
Charli XCX
Brat