The Top Ten Albums of 2024

Sometimes, when it comes to the current (or now recently past) year, I tend to have trouble figuing out which new music truly deserves a place in my list because so much of the best music takes time to simmer and rise to the top among my favorites, but this year proved to me that sometimes the best music is the kind that hits you in the face the first time. So many of these releases are the best of both worlds, they were clear standouts from the beginning while also growing on me throughout the year.

2024 was a remarkably strong year for music, with the forefront being the resurgence of truly excellent pop music, with many terming it the comeback year for the Main Character pop stars, those who have personality for days and can be canonized beyond just their songs. While pop had a banner year, there were highs everywhere with some of the best hip-hop, alternative and rock in years as well, creating my favorite musical year I've written up on my blog from the current era, and by far the strongest of the 20s decade to date.

Here are my top ten picks from such a banner year and I can't wait to see what 2025 serves up!

#10 Honeymind - Ben Platt (48 minutes, Singer-Songwriter)

Ben Platt's third pop record is a strong recovery from his second, which dived directly into the realm of the egregiously overproduced. Here he strips back all the unncecesary bloat and allows his compositions to breathe as soft, folksy acoustic ballads akin to Brandi Carlile which also lets his soaring, powerful voice take the stage in a way it hadn't before. He exchanges the piano ballads from his debut for acoustic folk, which makes the album feel warm and cozy, as if it could be played around a campfire. Platt also embraces his queerness more than he ever did before, writing explicitly gay love songs and songs for the young queer kids looking to see themselves represented in pop songs. This is a soft, unassuming sort of album that jumps out at you after a few listens, especially for those of us that can relate to this queer Americana. If Platt continues in this realm, he'll be one of the most impactful songwriters of the new generation, and I can say that's a world I'd love to live in.

Essential Tracks: "Cherry on Top" "All American Queen" "Home of the Terrified" "Andrew"

#9 No Name - Jack White (43 minutes, Garage Rock/Blues)

Jack White's most recent record harkens back to what made his best albums so damn great, he ditches all the unnecessary synths and overdone country ballads and puts out a platter of straight up, no holds barred rock and roll. White's guitar work on this record is ferocious, laying down blistering solos on top of razor-sharp, heavy riffs that are as bluesy as his best White Stripes material. Every song hits like a ton of bricks, with White's screaming vocals matching perfectly with the energy of his guitar work. This is easily his best since the days of The White Stripes because there is no desire to be anything better than some classic rock and blues. The entire album sounds as if it was recorded live in his garage by himself and it's all the better for it. This is a no bullshit album and that is the key to its success. The best rock's got.

Essential Tracks: "Bless Yourself" "Bombing Out" "Tonight (Was a Long Time Ago)" "Old Scratch Blues" "Number One with a Bullet"

#8 GNX - Kendrick Lamar (44 minutes, West Coast Hip-Hop)

Kendrick Lamar has had an unprecedentedly good year having absolutely demolished hip-hop's reigning king of the charts, Drake, in the best beef hip-hop has seen since the days of Nas and Jay-Z, and while many of K. Dot's best songs of the year (namely "Not Like Us", "Meet the Grahams" and "Euphoria") aren't on this project, he doesn't hold back on providing a killer West Coast album full of bangers to celebrate his victory. This album lacks the grand ambition of Lamar's previous albums, but instead of a storyline, K. Dot allows himself to gloat over ferocious DJ Mustard produced bangers, that strut all over Drizzy Drake's proverbial grave, but the strongest moments are the slower songs where Lamar is able to tell self-contained stories about his own struggles or the state of the hip-hop world. Kendrick also does his best to put on as many young and upcoming rappers as possible (and SZA), celebrating the new era of West Coast dominance. While this may not have the scope and memorability of his previous classics, this is one of Lamar's easiest and most relistenable projects. A well deserved victory lap for hip-hop's reigning GOAT.

Essential Tracks: "Reincarnated" "Heart Pt 6." "Squabble Up" "TV Off" "Gloria" "Wacced Out Murals"

#7 Cowboy Carter - Beyoncé (1 hour and 18 minutes, Country/Americana/Pop)

Beyoncé is an icon. Beyoncé is a legend. Beyoncé can do whatever the fuck she wants, and on this album she does exactly that. This album is a celebration of Bey's roots unlike anything else she's ever attempted, with the sprawling 27 song set being a love letter to Houston Texas and the country music that raised her. A Black woman making an unapologetic country album is nigh unheard of, and on this record Bey is happy to express how revolutionary this album is, making a high budget spectacle of having as many African-American collaborators as possible to make the record feel as family-oriented as possible. There is a true celebratory nature to this record, fusing country with everything else Beyoncé has made her own in the past with elements of hip-hop, R&B, rock and pop but everything is at its heart a country song. The range she is able to display here is incredible, especially vocally with her voice soaring all the way to the rafters on the show-stopping ballads. Not every single track here is a smash success, but in terms of sheer ambition this is one of the year's best alone. If this is just Act II I can wait to see what her third act has in store.

Essential Tracks: "16 Cariages" "Bodyguard" "Texas Hold 'Em" "American Requiem" "Ya Ya" "II Hands II Heaven"

#6 A Dream Is All We Know - The Lemon Twigs (34 minutes, Power Pop)

Music isn't always about pushing forward and innovation, sometimes all we need is a good throwback, a hit of nostalgia and this year no one filled that niche better than The Lemon Twigs, a fantastic revivalist group that sounds like the perfect amalgamation of The Beatles, The Beach Boys and The Kinks all wrapped into one. The song-craft on this record is incredible, writing songs with more hooks per minute than entire albums can boast, with its twee 60s aesthetic fitting brilliantly with their sense of warm, naive melody. The D'Addario.brothers' greatest strenght even more than their pen is their vocal chemistry, layering songs in Beatles-esque harmony that allows the tracks to soar. Power-pop tends to be a singles game, but on this record there's not a single skip with each song radiating joy and warmth like the best sunshine pop of days gone by. If you ever wanna dive into the world of nostalgia, this is the record just for you.

Essential Tracks: "My Golden Years" "How Can I Love Her More" "A Dream Is All I Know" "In the Eyes of the Girl" "They Don't Know How to Fall in Place"

#5 Hit Me Hard and Soft - Billie Eilish (43 minutes, Indie/Alt-Pop)

Billie Eilish's third album is another artistic evolution from one of pop's youngest and brightest auteurs, with this being her most nuanced and beautiful set of songs yet. Eilish's voice has never sounded better, with these songs mostly eschewing her whispered delivery and allowing her to sing with her full range, which can be dramatic when used to its best potential. Eilish and her brother Finneas, who works behind the boards, haven't forgotten their roots in moody atmospherics though, because these songs are mood-pieces, just instead of haunting they are more-so gorgeous and lush. Billie and Finneas create an album that feels almosy joyful in places, with a few genuine love songs and even a light, airy pop trifle, but they still do yearning, somber ballads like no one else. The album sounds like the cover, glassy and oceanic in its scope, letting each composition breath, with the songs evolving, never staying in one sonic place for too long. Billie Eilish is growing up, no longer relying on her signature moves and on this album she flourishes not just as a pop star but as a true artist. The year's most beautiful album.

Essential Tracks: "Birds of a Feather" "Chihiro" "Wildflower" "Lunch" "Blue" "Skinny"

#4 Songs of a Lost World - The Cure (49 minutes, Goth Rock)

Sometimes when a legacy act releases an album it's easy to get excited but it never quite lives up to the hype, but for The Cure, especially with this being their first project in over fifteen years, it couldn't possibly live up to the hype. However, sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and The Cure smashed the stereotype with this, not only exceeding my expectations but putting out their strongest project in over thirty years and easily being able to go toe to toe with their 80s masterpieces. This is a record that can only be written by an elder statesman of music, so assured and so confident in their style and aesthetic, and Robert Smith clearly knows how to write a song as these compositions are the equal of any he wrote in his artistic prime. The band sounds incredible, with the longer track times allowing the group to create haunting atmosphere with swirling keyboards and urgent guitar riffs but it truly is Smith's show, with his vocals not having aged a day since 1989. These songs are longing, melancholy and funereal, they sound like a man saying goodbye, but clearly Smith and the band don't sound like they're out of fuel at all. This is the most inspired I've heard a so-called legacy act sound in years. It is rare that a band this deep into their career can truly put out a classic, but this album is unequivocally one of the best in the esteemed Cure oeuvre. A dazzling spectacle of melancholia as only The Cure can pull off.

Essential Tracks: "Endsong" "Alone" "A Fragile Thing" "I Can Never Say Goodbye"

#3 Chromakopia - Tyler, the Creator (53 minutes, Hip-Hop/R&B)

Tyler, the Creator's eighth album is first and foremost a sonic distillation of everything brilliant about his last three projects, melding them together into what feels like the end of an era. Tyler embraces the self-exploration and warmth of Flower Boy, the pop hooks and soulful compositions from Igor and the witty, braggadocious rapping from Call Me If You Get Lost and creates a new, emotionally raw concept album that remarkably retains a sense of fun and humor along the way. Here Tyler explores threads of parenthood through the narrative of accidentally getting his partner pregnant and having the couple face the choice of what to do about it as well as exploring his own relationship with his absent father. The thoughtfulness on display here is astounding and light years away from the juvenile shock-rap of his early years, but by no means has Tyler contented to be all serious, because nearly every song boasts clever double-entendres and laugh out loud punchlines. This album is Tyler's show, but the features he uses to sing hooks and deliver energetic guest verses all benefit the flow of the project, never getting stuck in melancholia for too long. The blend of hip-hop and homegrown R&B pop is infectious, with every song bobbing along with hints of jazz, namely due to the HBCU-styled horn arrangements. Overall, while this may not be Tyler's most innovative record it is one of his most complete and enjoyable projects yet. This is a legend at the top of his game and it's clear that he's enjoying it.

Essential Tracks: "Like Him" "Darling, I" "Take Your Mask Off" "Noid" "St. Chroma" "Hey Jane" "Sticky"

#2 Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend (47 minutes, Chamber Pop/Indie Rock)

Vampire Weekend's fifth album, and their first in five years, is an artistic triumph of a band becoming elder statesmen of indie rock and embracing their maturity. After their first two albums embraced the dichotomy of clever, collegiate lyricism with upbeat, poppy Afro-pop, the group has leaned further and further into the realm of the baroque and with this album their maturation is complete, resulting in their most thoughtful project yet. Ezra Koenig's pen remains razor-sharp, with this writing primarily concerned with issues of nostalgia and history, imbuing some hope for the future despite the bleakness of our current world. Vampire Weekend's sonic palette has expanded further than ever, embracing some uniquely jazzy textures with swooning string arrangements and ersatz horn sections, but still keeping their indie rock core at its heart. This album is the definition of a grower, with each new listen revealing more layers to each composition. A thinking person's album through and through, and like great wine Koenig and the band keep getting better with age.

Essential Tracks: "Classical" "Capricorn" "Ice Cream Piano" "Hope" "Prep-School Gangsters"

#1 Brat - Charli XCX (49 minutes, Club/Electro-Pop/Hyperpop)

Charli XCX has been a bit of a pop cultural chameleon, going from a teen-pop hitmaker from her bedroom to a legend of the underground club scene, and now ten years since her eclectic debut has come back from the alternative world and brought the sounds of the underground into the mainstream with charisma and pop appeal for days. Since 2016, XCX and her producer A.G. Cook have been pioneers in the underground world of hyper-pop which has bubbled under the pop scene with its abrasive synths, heavy rhythms and chipmunked vocals, and here they take their innovations and create a world class club music record out of it. As Charli sings, this album is full of "Club Classics", it is impossible to not dance along to every single hyper-active synth-pop banger, but unlike most mindless club pop, this album is remarkably emotional and clever. Over these jittery, glittery beats, Charli writes about complex topics from professional jealousy, the intricacy of female friendship and most potently, her desire to settle down and have children being in conflict with her career aspirations and party-centric lifestyle. Her vocals are as strong as they've ever been, using auto-tune as an artistic element better than anyone since T-Pain's hey-day, letting her true voice break through in the most emotional moments. Charli XCX is that bitch, but at the same time she's a remarkably complex character, and this album is a killer testament to that face. Truly revolutionary pop albums are hard to come by, but this is a one in a million album from a performer who effortlessly brings pop music into the future. An instant classic.

Essential Tracks: "Girl, So Confusing" "Club Classics" "360" "Sympathy Is a Knife" "365" "Von Dutch" "I Think About It All the Time"

Thank you all so much for taking this musical journey through 2024 with me and for venturing through all my lists this year. I'll be back soon with more musical meanderings but for now, thanks and happy listening!