WTWN #81 - My Top Albums of 2024
And why putting lists like this together is a great idea.
When I was a music writer, I took year-end lists seriously, and there was a remote possibility my opinions impacted some bands and fans when I included musicians who might not get much national attention.
I put together “Top 100” lists of albums, realizing that most people don’t listen to that many albums in one year, let alone have time to think about or write about them.
Although my tastemaking days may be over, listmaking is still worthwhile, if only as an exercise for myself.
I don’t have as much time to listen to music, and my peer group isn’t all music heads like it used to be. (Though it’s handy that I have a boss at my day job with enough musical knowledge to throw tips my way, two of which are on my top 10 list: The Smile and Beth Gibbons. I would have found these albums anyway, but the timely tips did help.)
My methodology these days is to review many of the year-end top 100 album lists that cater to my taste, see what I might have missed, and fill in the gaps.
This past week has been a frantic, though rewarding, game of catch-up. Although the John Cale album Poptical Illusion has been out for months, it wasn’t on my radar until now, and it’s fantastic.
I used lists from Mojo, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The New York Times, and The Guardian as resources.
A sign of my integrity is that my list (sadly) does not include “Songs of a Lost World,” the 2024 release by the Cure, arguably one of my favorite bands and an album on many top 100 lists, in some cases at the very top. It just didn’t do it for me, even after three or four listens, seeming a tired repeat of formula, exhausted already in the “Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me” days. Contrast that to Nick Cave’s 2024 release, “Wild God,” which expands on “Ghosteen,” and on which I feel he took something I already loved even further.
All the albums on my list can survive multiple spins and tend to get better with each listen.
I acknowledge the abundance of “old white guys:” John Cale is 82, David Gilmour is 78, Nick Lowe is 75, all the Nits are in their 70s, Nick Cave is 67, and Paul Weller is 66. I am not sure if this is a sign that, as an old white guy myself (60), I am finding these folks to be kindred spirits or that I am impressed that old white guys can put out such quality music, which I believe is the case here.
But it’s not all old white guys, you’ll note. Beth Gibbons (Portishead) is also 60. And Kim Gordon (Sonic Youth) is 71!
Enough background. Here’s my list, plus honorable mentions and a few comments.
It’s sort of in ranked order, but the main takeaway should be that there’s not a single album on this list I wouldn’t swear by in terms of quality.
Enjoy! (Album links will open Spotify.)
David Gilmour - Luck & Strange
David Gilmour has put together a profoundly listenable and lyrically rich ethereal masterpiece. One review I read said what I felt: David Gilmour writes about mortality, just like he always has since his debut solo album in 1980 on songs like “There’s No Way Out of Here.” The song his daughter sings (the cover “Between Two Points” of the 1999 song "Between Two Points," originally by the British band the Montgolfier Brothers) is soul-crushing.
Watch the video here:
I’ll leave this right here. On “Wild God,” Nick Cave took what he started with 2019’s “Ghosteen” and refined it—one of the year's best albums, and up there with Cave’s best.
“Evergreen” is my first real dip into Soccer Mommy’s catalog, though she’s been on my radar for a while. Some say her 2018 album, “Clean,” was her best. “Evergreen” gives it a run for its money. Check out “Abigail,” one of my favorite tracks from the album:
A latecomer to my list, this album has a soul that grows on me with each listen. At 82, who knows how long this monolithic musical influence will be with us? “POPtical Illusion” is on par with Cale’s best albums, such as “Paris, 1919” (1971) and “Fear” (1974). Check out “Shark Shark.”
Not many recent albums can claim to be events, but Beyonce’s “Cowboy Carter” was. (For the uninitiated, “Carter” is Beyonce’s legal last name - “Beyoncé Knowles-Carter,” the “Carter” coming from her husband, Jay-Z’s real name “Shawn Carter.”) When Beyonce’s “country album” dropped on March 29th, 2024, it was a big deal, and my wife and I listened to it not once but possibly even twice that day on a drive back from the Spring holidays. So much good here. It was enjoyable to hear again this past week while assembling this list.
This Dutch art-pop band has been around for fifty years, though this was the year I finally got to know them. In the two months following their September Helsinki concert, I went from having none of their albums to about ten on vinyl. They went from being off my radar to one of my favorite bands. This EP is a beautiful and sad tribute to the loss of their long-time studio, which burned to the ground in 2022. I hope they return to Helsinki, as I only saw half their show here in the fall. Listen to “The Month of May.”
The Smile - Wall of Eyes (1 of 2 albums this year)
"Wall of Eyes" by The Smile is a genre-bending, haunting follow-up to their 2022 debut, blending Thom Yorke's ethereal vocals with jagged rhythms and moody textures to create an often unsettling, always mesmerizing experience. Check out the title track:
“Lives Outgrown” is a haunting, folky release from the singer of Portishead. It does what the title suggests: It reflects on many aspects of growing old. Beth Gibbons and I are a year apart in age so that I can relate. I am glad she’ll perform at the Finland Flow Festival in 2025. Check out “Floating on a Moment.”
St. Vincent - All Born Screaming (1 of 2 albums this year)
St. Vincent's “All Born Screaming” is a moody blend of industrial rock and electronic elements. One Reddit user described Anne Erin Clarke’s latest outing as akin to Beth Gibbons doing a weird rock version of “Sweet Dreams” by Eurythmics. That sounds about right and can’t be bad. Check out “Broken Man.”
Paul Weller's “66” was released the day before his 66th birthday. Has the “Modfather” really put that many miles on his scooter? “66” integrates some of the best styles Weller has been known for over the years and features collaborations with Noel Gallagher and others. This album makes me feel good in the way the old Style Council records did and was one of “the best things that ever happened to me.” Check out “Nothing.”
2024 Honorable Mentions: