I have no idea what it is that drives me to seek out and listen to mostly to new music year on year and I have no intention of stopping any time soon!
I know many people in / around my age bracket (and some way younger) that think that nothing of any significance has been released since they turned 30 / got married / had first child etc and I gave up trying to influence most of them many years ago.
My various sources (last.fm, Spotify, Plexamp etc) suggest I have spent time with over 120 albums released in 2024 and while a few of them are clear stand outs, trying to distil this down to a manageable list of great output put has, as alway, been a challenge.
Now I know that no-one cares about, or reads this ... but it gives me something to do between Christmas & New Year 😂
Here’s to 2025 and all the great new music it will no doubt deliver!
30. Hamish Hawk | A Firmer Hand
I fell across Hamish Hawk earlier this year thanks to a track on one of the many streaming service curated playlists that tempted me to give this album a listen.
An album of varied genres but consistent high quality songwriting delivered in a vocal manner that initially makes you think its light hearted, tongue in cheek stuff ... until you listen properly to the lyrics and recognise the complexity of the subject matter.
A hint of The Smiths / Morrissey in delivery ... in a good way, a really good way.
29. The The | Ensoulment
Over 20 years since its predecessor, Matt Johnson demonstrates that he still has the song writing capability of the guy that gave us ‘Soul Mining’, ‘Infected’, ‘Mind Bomb’ et al.
28. Pixies | The Night The Zombies Came
Every Pixies album since 2014’s “Indie Cindy” typically gets prefixed by reviewers with “its no Doolittle” but its time to recognise that the band have now produced more albums post-hiatus than they did between the 1988 full debut “Surfer Rosa” & splitting in the early 90’s and that their sound is now way more mature & polished than the brash (but totally brilliant) post-punk infused early offerings.
This is another ‘decent’ Pixies album that is welcomed in its own right but also gives them an excuse to hit the road again and deliver some of that early raucous stuff we all love so much live ... even an Aberdeen date in 2025!
27. The Jesus and Mary Chain | Glasgow Eyes
This should probably be higher in this list, especially after listening to the “Never Understood” autobiography audiobook narrated by Jim & William and encouraging me to go back and re-appreciate some of their releases that I didn’t give a fair go at the time ... “Munki” & "Stone and Dethroned” in particular.
“Glasgow Eyes” reminds me of Munki in that, on first listen, its all over the place ... Maybe I’ll revisit “Glasgow Eyes” in 26 years and realise it definitely should have been higher in this list!
26. NewDad | Madra
From the early 2020 singles ‘How’ and ‘Swimming’ through the ‘21 & ‘22 EPs ‘Waves’ & 'Banshee', Ireland’s NewDad showed promise as an indie / dream-pop retro prospect.
While first full album “Madra” retains the spirit and substance of the early releases, it also brings a maturity and variety that delivers a beautiful shoegaze - dream pop - grunge - emo - indie mashup that works.
25. Alessandro Cortini | NATI INFINITI
Italian ambient / electronic guru, member of Nine Inch Nails, How to Destroy Angels and regular collaborator with other huge names in the genre including Daniel Avery ... Cortini’s latest is the product of what was written originally for an immersive audio installation at the Sónar Lisboa Festival in 2022 and created entirely on the Strega synthesizer which Cortini co-designed.
Important to be experienced in full, preferably with decent headphones.
24. Shower Curtain | words from a wishing well
Shoegaze, slowcore retro, distorted guitars, subdued female vocal harmonies and its not from the early 90s? This’ll do for me!
The first full album from Brooklyn based quartet that shows significant progression from the early EPs.
23. alva noto | HYbr:ID III
German musician & artist Carsten Nicolai, aka alva noto in musician guise, has an extensive back catalogue of visual art installations in addition to his substantial ambient | electronic solo output as well as multiple collaborations with the late Ryuichi Sakamoto.
HYbr:ID is one of several alva noto anthologies, in progress since the release of part 1 in 2021. His other long running project, “Xerrox”, concluded in 2024 with the release of vol.5.
22. Jon Hopkins | Ritual
A similar auditory experience to that of Alessadro Cortini’s “NATI INFINITI” in that it is intended to be experienced in one session to fully appreciate its structure.
A follow up to 2021’s “ Music for Psychedelic Therapy”, “Ritual” is a more linear experience that deserves attention and appreciation.
21. Fennesz | Mosaic
Austrian Christian Fennesz has been producing ambient | electronic output utilising largely guitar & field recordings since the 1990s.
“Mosaic” is as ‘complete’ an album as Fennesz has delivered in his career and a great place to start for the uninitiated.
20. Ben Chatwin | Verdigris
My discovery of Ben Chatwin was via previous album (2020’s “The Hum”) that I came across one Friday while scrambling for any decent new releases that day and being captivated by its second track ‘Transistor’ ... this led me to a fairly expensive exploration of the back catalogue and trying to get as much as I could on vinyl.
An adopted Scot, Chatwin produces what appears largely electronic output from what is normally analogue sources and his sound had developed significantly over the years, including through the years of releasing music under the guise of Talvihorros.
Initial listens of “Verdigris” suggest a significant progression and wider exploration of the EDM genre however repeated listens bring into focus elements that have been consistent across Chatwin’s output.
19. Storefront Church | Ink & Oil
The follow up to 2021’s “As We Pass”, “Ink & Oil” finds Lukas Frank in much more experimental and ambitious voice (in more ways than one).
While grandiose, the first part of the album is relatively straight forward with several outstanding tracks that take a few listens to fully appreciate.
Things go a bit, erm, ‘off piste’ around ‘Coal’ and lose it completely in the midst of ‘The Manhattan Project’ ... things recover (slightly) in the second part of ‘The Orange Grove’ and the album settles back into relative normality.
Outstanding & bold songwriting throughout with challenging lyrical content ... well worth the time investment required to fully appreciate.
18. Pye Corner Audio | The Endless Echo
My initial exposure to Martin Jenkins’ Pye Corner Audio project was via his remix on Mogwai’s “No Medicine For Regret” on their 2024 EP “Music Industry 3. Fitness Industry 1” which led me to discover the 2015 album “Prowler” and, for some reason, not explore too much further.
While “The Endless Echo” doesn’t break new ground in the electronic genre, its structure of mixing up short and longer tracks holds your attention sufficiently to build appreciation of its consistent quality.
17. Abul Mogard & Rafael Anton Irisarri | Impossibly distant, impossibly close
While one of the two tracks on here is technically ‘live’ and therefore wouldn't normally qualify for my albums of the year list (no re-issues, no best-of’s, no live albums), this collaboration between two of the biggest and best of the ambient | electronic genre could not be passed over.
A ‘must listen’ even for those not big fans of the genre and guaranteed to stimulate a reaction that will probably have to exploring the back catalogs of both ... a journey that will not disappoint you.
16. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds | Wild God
While I’ve appreciated the output of Nick Cave in various guises for many years, its his album run with the Bad Seeds from 2013’s “Push the Sky Away” to 2019’s “Ghosteen” that have resonated the most.
While life events for Cave heavily influenced the lyrics in recent years, they appear to have also significantly help shape a sound that was, largely, down-beat but totally mesmerising.
“Wild God” initially sounds like this melancholic formula would continue however there are elements here that suggest a renewal for Cave and deliver some lighter movements (musically and lyrically).
15. Craven Faults | Bounds
14. Bright Eyes | Five Dice, All Threes
While led by front man and main songwriter Conor Oberst, Bright Eyes are very much a 3-piece where other members Mike Mogis & Nate Walcott seem to bring something that is often missing from Oberst’s solo and side projects.
Across their 10(ish) album back catalogue since 1998, the quality of their albums has varied wildly, peaking (in my view) with the utterly sublime “I’m Wide Awake Its Morning” (2005).
“Five Dice, All Threes” is probably the most consistent Bright Eyes have been since the 2005 classic.
13. Arab Strap | I'm totally fine with it don't give a f**k anymore
When Arab Strap returned from a 15+ year hiatus in 2021 and released “As Days Get Dark”, opinion was split on whether is was an opportunity to get some unfinished business out there or it was the start of a second chapter for the duo.
While lyrically, “I’m Totally Fine With It ... “ sound like the writing of those closing the lid for the last time, the energy and consistency of the album suggest that this, indeed, could be the continuation of the second wind that, going out a limb here, is at least as good as (if not better than) the product of the first wave of releases from 1996 to 2005.
12. Midwife | No Depression in Heaven
Madeline Johnston aka Midwife coined the term ‘heaven metal’ to describe her genre that now spans 6 albums including last years outstanding collaboration with Vyva Melinkoyla, “Orbweaving”.
Midwife produces sparse, ethereal, guitar led sounds and layers simple, regressed vocals that delivers an incredibly chilled sonic experience that perfectly accompanies the bleak subject matter across most of the tracks.
A ‘samey’ listen on first pass but a strangely rewarding experience.
11. The Smile | Wall of Eyes
One of two albums released in 2024 by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke & Jonny Greenwood plus Tom Skinner on drums and follow up to the 2022’s “A Light for Attracting Attention” that delivers to a level on a par with Tom & Jonny’s ‘main’ band ... ‘Teleharmonic’ & ‘Bending Hectic’ are up there with the best of Thom & Jonny’s back catalog.
I was lucky to see them up close live in 2024 at Glasgow’s Armadillo in a set that also showcased some tracks for the second releaser of the year “Cutouts’ that I haven’t spent enough time with to include on my main list but makes the notable mentions.
10. Slovenly Hooks | make or mar
Craig B has appeared on my albums of the year lists in the past in many forms / guises including as frontman of Aerogramme, The Unwinding Hours, A Mote of Dust and now Slovenly Hooks.
His second release under this moniker brings a slight shift from the instrumental | drone structure of the eponymous ‘debut’ by adding vocals in a style aligned to the A Mote of Dust that bring a whole new & welcome dimension to the project, accompanied again by Graeme Smillie who was such an integral element of the AMOD project.
‘make or mar’ (an idiom that means something will either be a complete success or a complete failure) is an outstanding album that would have likely been higher in my list had it not been released so late in the year.
9. Rafael Anton Irisarri | FAÇADISMS
One of the darker ambient offerings from the legendary composer, producer, and mastering engineer that deviates from much of his back catalogue and demands a level of focus and concentration to fully appreciate.
Not an easy listen but hugely rewarding in the right environment (this usually involves decent headphones and complete privacy).
8. Julie | My Anti-Aircraft Friend
LA youngsters Julie appeared on my radar a few years ago with some of their early ‘singles’ that appeared on the various curated streaming service playlists that do a pretty good job at working out what you really need to be listening to if its new stuff your after.
A great debut heavily influenced by the 90’s sounds of Sonic Youth & My Bloody Valentine.
7. Mono | Oath
Japan’s instrumental ‘post-rock’ veterans release one of the last albums to be produced by the legendary Steve Albini before his passing and one of the best of their extensive career.
6. Bill Ryder-Jones. | Iechyd Da
5. Fontaines DC | Romance
When Dublin’s Fontaines DC emerged in 2019 with the punk debut ‘Dogrel’, there was probably a couple of things that you might not have predicted .. first is that they would deliver three subsequent and widely varied releases in relatively quick succession and, secondly, that their sound would develop and mature so significantly & so quickly.
Who knows what they will sound like on the next album do lets just appreciate the genius of this one for now.
4. IDLES | TANGK
While the angst, anger & sharp social commentary of previous releases is still ‘just’ under the surface, “TANGK” demonstrates a softer and more polished side to IDLES that those who engaged early in their career may never have seen coming.
Those who start their IDLES journey here and work back are in for some shocks along the way!
3. The Cure | Songs of a Lost World
What can be said that hasn’t already been written about the first Cure album in 16 years and their best since the seminal classic that is 1989’s “Disintegration”?
While consistently darker that most Cure albums since the very early days given its recurring lyrical themes around Robert Smith pondering his last days (and acknowledging the death of his brother on “I Can Never Say Goodbye”), there are vague elements of positivity & hope that maybe only sad old goths can extract.
2. Dextro | Respire
Dextro (aka Ewan Mackenzie), also drummer in Pigs (x7), returns with the follow up to 2020’s ‘An Hour Is a Sea’ and takes things to a whole new level of complexity & consistency blending elements of electronic, ambient, and post-rock.
Takes several listens to completely digest but clearly one of the best (and likely most under-rated) albums of 2024.
1. Godspeed You! Black Emperor | NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD
The Playlist
The Notable Mentions
This isn’t just all the other albums I’ve heard this year (there are many more), these are the ones that could, with a change of wind direction, easily have been on my list above and deserve being checked out if you have the time.
So, in alphabetical order …
- alva noto | Xerrox, vol. 5
- Belong | Realistic IX
- Chelsea Wolfe | She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
- Crippled Black Phoenix | The Wolf Changes Its Fur But Not Its Nature
- DIIV | Frog in Boiling water
- Ducks Ltd | Harm’s Way
- Echo Machine | Accidental Euphoria
- Floating Points | Cascade
- Four Tet | Three
- Grand River & Abul Mogard | In uno spazio immenso
- Kim Deal | Nobody Loves You More
- KMRU | The Forge
- The KVB | Tremors
- Max Richter | In a Landscape
- McLarnan | We Shall Exist! (...in a Perpetual State of Probability Until Observed) |
- Moin | You Never End
- Nadine Shah | Filthy Underneath
- SHHE | DÝRA
- The Black Dog | Other, Like Me
- The Libertines | All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade
- The Smashing Pumpkins | Aghori Mhori Mei
- The Smile | Cutouts
- To Destroy a City | Only to Fall
- Vampire Weekend | Only God Was Above Us
- Warmth | The Black Sand
- Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan | Your Community Hub
- Wunderhorse | Midas
- Xiu Xiu | 13 Inch Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips
