Listed below are the best albums of 2024 as calculated from their overall rankings in over 59,000 greatest album charts. (Chart last updated: 4 hours ago).
"As this site's #1 and possibly only Charli XCX superfan, I will say: this album showcases the best of Charli XCX's interpretation of the hyperpop genre and should be recognized along with the rest of her solid body of work as some of the best experimental artpop of this era. The lyrics range from...""As this site's #1 and possibly only Charli XCX superfan, I will say: this album showcases the best of Charli XCX's interpretation of the hyperpop genre and should be recognized along with the rest of her solid body of work as some of the best experimental artpop of this era.
The lyrics range from personal and introspective to max cringe, but what else would we expect from Charli? She has brought out the best musical ideas from AG Cook and Sophie. She complains about being "almost famous" and the lack of commercial success, but Crash was her most successful record and an absolutely phenomenal record but didn't have what made her sound so great from her "core" PC Music sound, this one has everything crash has (Talk Talk) and also the HIFN craziness on the instrumental like Club Classics. Here's hoping more people who like Lady Gaga's Chromatica, or Magdalena Bay's Mercurial World, to check out Charli XCX.
"I want to dance with me when I get to the club"
Ship it"[+]Reply
"When Vampire Weekend reformed and released Father of the Bride in 2019 I was just glad that my favourite band in my teenage years could still produce fun and exciting music, even if the output was a bit less consistent in quality than the stuff I'd grown to love years earlier. Only God Was Above ...""When Vampire Weekend reformed and released Father of the Bride in 2019 I was just glad that my favourite band in my teenage years could still produce fun and exciting music, even if the output was a bit less consistent in quality than the stuff I'd grown to love years earlier. Only God Was Above Us is a different prospect altogether, we're back to a shorter 10 track structure with each of these brimming with ideas and none having the throwaway quality of some of FotB's worse tracks. There's something else though, I've always found something very warm and reassuring in the band's earliest records and I'm finding it here as well, the baroque pop of Capricorn or Connect feels like the natural next step from Don't Lie and Everlasting Arms. It's a tough quality to completely describe but there's an effortless feel to these tracks, as though they simply grew from the emotions of the band members and the city setting. Maybe losing the pressure of delivering for a big comeback album has helped the band out or maybe they've just fully adjusted to Rostam's departure, either way they really feel back to their full powers here.
Through their early records, the improvements in the lyrics really charted the band's overall progress. The self-titled's sometimes anxious commentary on campus life gave way to something more emotionally resonant on Contra, before Modern Vampires of the City took the elaborate lyricism that the band were known for and twisted it into something strangely evocative and profound. Only God Was Above Us comes in at a similar level, there's lots of lines that I couldn't totally explain to you, but I could tell you how they made me feel. It's strong musically as well, the quirks in each of the tracks still hold close to the overall feel of a track and never feel like they were thrown in to try to make a song more interesting. None of the tracks stand out quite as much as Classical, where the multiple tracks of percussion, warm keys and wilder guitars & brass blend in this beautiful way. Ezra's vocals, reaching that mournful but not hopeless place he's so good at getting to, really wrap it all up as one of the band's best ever songs. There's no stand-out bad or even lacklustre tracks across the rest of the record, but it doesn't reach this level again. I'm also not always 100% sure about some of the more dissonant elements on some of these tracks, the final moments of Capricorn are especially guilty of this, as one of the better songs here starts to fall apart under the weight of the sound. Still, these are pretty minor points to make about an indie band which has had to adapt to so many changes in the musical landscape while either on hiatus or between albums. As a teenage Vampire Weekend obsessive I think I built myself up for the release of Modern Vampires of the City more than I have for any album before or since, I got a pleasant surprise with these subsequent two releases where I held much less of an interest in what was coming prior to their release, but with this I've really taken notice again and will be glad to be back on the VW hype train when it next rolls into the station."[+]Reply
"The first album from the Crawley band in 16 years is well worth the wait, the atmospheres generated are very reminiscent of Disintegration and Robert Smith's vocal performance is strong. One I'd definitely recommend if you're a fan of the group"Reply
"The Smile return with a second offering that's even more interesting than "A Light for Attracting Attention". I was a very big fan of their debut. After all, Radiohead is my favorite band, so I was naturally drawn to this side project. Many people have argued that The Smile sounds exactly like Ra...""The Smile return with a second offering that's even more interesting than "A Light for Attracting Attention". I was a very big fan of their debut. After all, Radiohead is my favorite band, so I was naturally drawn to this side project. Many people have argued that The Smile sounds exactly like Radiohead, while others haven't been able to get too much into this band. What I'm going to say is that, while it obviously has many similarities, because Thom Yorke is the lyricist and together with Jonny Greenwood they compose the music (with Skinner, alright), this band is able to create and get deep into another sound *just* because they *are* another band with another name.
I loved every single song in "A Light for Attracting Attention", because, yes, they sound a lot like Radiohead (mainly, my favorite cut from that record: "Speech Bubbles"), and even, many could pass off as Thom Yorke solo creations (such as with "The Same"). Having said that, I can't imagine some of those cuts having been able to be recorded by Radiohead as an entity, such as "We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings" or "Waving a White Flag"; I think they would've been too much out of the equation with the band's history, even taking into account the countless times they've hit a left turn in terms of what people expect from them. Just starting from "zero" with a flagship that doesn't have to specifically adhere to anything prior, can loosen up what they can do, not having to respect any history or live up to any expectations. If something goes bad, well, it was just a side project! With songs like "Thin Thing" or "The Opposite", the third element from The Smile comes to life. Tom Skinner is a perfect way to round up a project that delves, even slightly, into jazz and prog territory.
Coming into "Wall of Eyes" I wasn't too sure what to expect. I saw the band live last year, and I was amazed at the way they are able to almost seeminly, communicate with their instruments. These musicians have reached a level of artistry that is hardly comparable to other rock acts. They are very technical, and also, you can feel a lot of energy and freedom in this sound. I was a pretty big fan of songs such as "Just Eyes and Mouth", that promised an even more radical direction and departure from Radiohead.
When "Bending Hectic" dropped, though, it wasn't what I was expecting. It's a hypnotizing journey that takes you into a very low point, before coming right back at you and ending on a very high note. I loved the song, but I was taken off by it at the same time. When "Wall of Eyes" was released as a single, I had a very similar reaction to it. It was good, though it mainly grew over time. My thought was "Well, I think they're going for a calmer sound and songs that take some time to get to you". And even though that's not a bad thing, I wasn't expecting too much from this album.
I was wrong!
This might be even better than "A Light For Attracting Attention". In retrospect, after talking with other fans of the band, it's true that their debut was somewhat all over the place (something I'm personally fond of). What remains in an album where 3 core members of Radiohead are absent? Some people have said it was lacking in some areas, and that it was too similar to that other main band we are all pretending doesn't exist. But "Wall of Eyes" isn't just a statement that it can do whatever it wants to, but that it can be *as* good as a Radiohead LP, *as* consistent, and even, the right amount of *different* to justify not being a Radiohead album.
"Teleharmonic" is a profoundly amazing song, that goes pretty deep into an electronic sound that doesn't sound nothing like Radiohead's past electronic endeavors, or even Thom Yorke's. "Read the Room" is a more raw and rock-ish cut that strays into post-rock, while keeping a stretched arm that manages to cohesively tie together an album that also features more calm songs such as "I Quit" or "You Know Me!".
Even though I've spent a lot of paragraph trying to argue that The Smile isn't anything like Radiohead, and I still stand by that, at the same time, I incorporate The Smile as part of the bigger Radiohead canon by saying that this might be one of the best albums ever put out by these group of people, in general. The way things blend together sonically and spiritually is *almost* as great as albums like "In Rainbows" or even "Kid A", and not because they sound the same; it's because this feels like an album that's more focused in what it's trying to do. "A Light For Attracting Attention" was testing the waters; it was a singles compilations, even, or just a traditional album in that sense. "Wall of Eyes", however, *is* more akin to what we think about as the *concept* album, or, at least, what Radiohead has delivered time and again.
The atmosphere here is dense, but at the same time, it breathes. An interesting emotion that may be derived from the fact, that for the first time in forever, Nigel Godrich isn't behind a Yorke-led project. This results in a sound that's obviously familiar, from the musicians at play, but feels somewhat different, thanks to a more "natural-sounding production".
In summary, "Wall of Eyes" is another great album from the gang, and I'm pretty excited for their unevitable third album, that's already shaping to be amazing (please, just let me listen to that studio version of "Just Eyes and Mouth"!). I talked about this on my review for the first album, but if Radiohead doesn't return with a tenth album, I'm pretty comfortable with having more albums by The Smile, even if they are the same... even if they *aren't* the same!
Favorite tracks: "Wall of Eyes", "Teleharmonic", "Read the Room", "Friend of a Friend", "I Quit", "Bending Hectic""[+]Reply
"Pretty easily Kendrick’s most fun and intentionally “messy” project. The common thought at the moment (a day after release) is it feels like a mixtape with the possibility of another, more conceptual album yet to come. Regardless of if that’s true, this does feel like a mixtape, especially given ...""Pretty easily Kendrick’s most fun and intentionally “messy” project. The common thought at the moment (a day after release) is it feels like a mixtape with the possibility of another, more conceptual album yet to come.
Regardless of if that’s true, this does feel like a mixtape, especially given the catalog of music GNX finds itself in. But just like Untitled Unmastered, Kenny’s first “victory lap” project, GNX is a more than worthy addition. Kendrick is able to feel free, be loose and experiment with all of the different tools in his verbal arsenal.
As great of an artist as Kendrick is, it’s taken him (by my estimation) a couple of project cycles to properly explore the more loose, fun, and pop-rap side of his artistry and of the rap game at large. I think he finally nails that pocket on this release (worth noting, the first on his own independent label).
And that should terrify every other rapper in the business. "[+]Reply
"It sounds like they've actually thought about every single element of their music and presentation. Pulling elements from every decade and as many different genres as they can. It's probably the best thing I've heard from a new band/artist since Arlo Parks debut and the best record of 2024...so far.""It sounds like they've actually thought about every single element of their music and presentation. Pulling elements from every decade and as many different genres as they can. It's probably the best thing I've heard from a new band/artist since Arlo Parks debut and the best record of 2024...so far."[+]Reply
"You can't expect anything conventional from one of the most distinctive personalities in experimental rock in recent years. In The New Sound, we dive deep into Geordie Greep's creative arsenal, shedding more light on what he brings (or brought?) to the table as part of black midi. Greep has much ...""You can't expect anything conventional from one of the most distinctive personalities in experimental rock in recent years. In The New Sound, we dive deep into Geordie Greep's creative arsenal, shedding more light on what he brings (or brought?) to the table as part of black midi.
Greep has much to say, often delving into uncomfortable territory, yet he delivers every line with total confidence, forging the bizarre character that only he can portray. Lyrically, he takes us across a spectrum that ranges from sweet romanticism to unhinged libido.
This is backed up by quite the handful of session musicians, blending symphonic grandeur with tropical getaway vibes (Tristan Bongos!) and occasional cacophonies, all of which parallel the lyrical themes. Throughout the runtime, the chemistry among the musicians is flawlessly maintained.
With all this said, this project is one that black midi fans simply can't (and won't) miss."[+]Reply
"This is the first time of have been slightly disappointed by a Tyler album due to a lack of evolution of his sound, which mimics Flower Boy and CMIYGL but with diminishing returns. After the release of Sorry Not Sorry, I was expecting Tyler to really change things up. Despite lyrics inferring tha...""This is the first time of have been slightly disappointed by a Tyler album due to a lack of evolution of his sound, which mimics Flower Boy and CMIYGL but with diminishing returns. After the release of Sorry Not Sorry, I was expecting Tyler to really change things up. Despite lyrics inferring that he is done with hiding behind characters, it still feels like he is hiding behind familiar tricks. Most of the individual tracks are solid enough but I feel they don't quite come together to create something special in the way that FB and Igor did."[+]Reply
Cargusbralem | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +10 votes (10 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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corenfro | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (6 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
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lleon79 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (4 helpful | 2 unhelpful)
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AAL2014 | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (4 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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grohly | Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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