Another year begins.. Another list of my favourite albums from the year just ended.
1 Kelly Lee Owens - Dreamstate
A regular in my lists, Kelly’s finest work came in 2024’s Dreamstate - a perfect blend of euphoric, melodic, and ambient sounds. My album of the year. Dark Angel is brilliant.
2 Ride - Interplay
Everything they’ve done since the comeback has been a joy. This is by far my favourite.
3 Another Sky - Beach Day
Songs that get better with each listen. Their previous debut album would have featured much higher given how much I’ve listened to that in the years since.
The band’s future sadly seems uncertain. If this is the end they leave a phenomenal if brief discography..
4 Linn Koch-Emmery - Borderline Iconic
Ebay Armour and the title track. Marvellous.
5 The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World
Worth waiting for!
6 Lauren Mayberry - Vicious Creature
More eclectic than her work with Chvrches and exceptionally good throughout.
7 Madi Diaz - Weird Faith
Madi’s writes gut punching lyrics like nobody else. Incredible. “For Months Now” is my song of the year.
8 Rachel Chinouriri - What a Devastating Turn Of Events
Debut album of the year..
9 Beyoncé - COWBOY CARTER
Country influenced but unmistakably Beyoncé. There really is no-one quite like her.
10 Maggie Rogers - Don’t Forget Me
Just like 2022’s Surrender, this took several plays to sink in. Rewarding songs.
11 Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath
12 Suki Waterhouse - Memoir of a Sparklemuffin
13 Kasey Musgraves - Deeper Well
14 Chali xcx - brat
For those of us who go back to the True Romance and mixtapes beginnings, her domination in 2024 felt long overdue.
15 Dead Pony - IGNORE THIS
Guitars!
16 NewDad - MADRA
17 Desperate Journalist - No Hero
A consistently excellent band.
18 The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
They’ve become a bit cringe, but what a record. No doubt about that.
19 Katie Gavin - What a Relief
Golden solo album from 1/3 of MUNA.
20 Torres - What an enormous room
21-30
Bat for Lashes - The Dream of Delphi
Drahla - angeltape
Griff - Vertigo
James - Yummy
Orla Gartland - Everybody Needs a Hero
Misha Chylkova - Dancing the Same Dance
Pillow Queens - Name Your Sorrow
Jazmin Bean - Traumatic Livelihood
Francis of Delirium - Lighthouse
Lola Young - This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway
31-40
Sarah Jarosz - Polaroid Lovers
Thurston Moore - Flow Critical Lucidity
Pale Waves - Smitten
Fontaines D.C. - Romance
Sheryl Crow - Evolution
Florrie - The Lost Ones
Oceanator - Everything Is Love and Death
Sprints - Letter to Self
Japandroids - Fate & Alcohol
Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past is Still Alive
41-50
Kim Gordon - The Collective
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
BIG SPECIAL - POSTINDUSTRIAL HOMETOWN BLUES
Nerina Pallot - A Psalm for Emily Salvi
Faye Webster - Underdressed at the Symphony
Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da
Snow Patrol - The Forest is The Path
Susanna Hoffs - The Lost Record
IDestroy - IDestroy