This has been one of the weirder years of music. For every album that’s fairly accessible there’s another that’s just downright challenging. I’m not sure what that reveals about the year I’ve had or my listening habits, but there’s a lot to scratch your head at, and there’s a lot to dig into and appreciate.
I only ask one thing of you. Whether you hate them or love them, listen to them regularly or have never heard of them, I ask for your engagement. Send me emails or messages. Subscribe to my writing (I promise to post more in the coming year than I have previously). Let me know what you’re digging yourself or what you’ve listened from last year that’s not on this list. It’s the way that we keep this thing alive and, let’s be honest, with a growing family, career commitments, and other distractions, this is really hard to do regardless of how passionate I am for it. I’m not asking for your pity, but it helps keep the engine lubricated and the wheels spinning.
Lastly, thank you for your time. Thanks for reading or scrolling. Thanks for being present. In a digital age where things are more bite sized and easily digestible, I seem to have gotten more long-winded. This may be an anomaly and next year I may return to paragraphs, but I guess when the spirit moves you, you gotta do whatcha gotta do.
Without further ado, let’s dig into these albums.
Honorable Mentions:
Samurai Lupe Fiasco (Hip-hop) Smart storytelling and chill beats.
In a Landscape Max Richter (Piano) Sparse atmospheric piano music.
Mountainhead Everything Everything (Indie Pop) Pleasant indie pop for a nice summer day.
FLIGHT b741 King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (Blues Rock) King Gizz has fun with 70’s psyche rock.
Mahashmashana Father John Misty (Singer Songwriter) Trippy, lounge rock.
Top 30 Albums:
30. Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome Gnome (Stoner Rock)
I’d initially thought about moving this album up on the list, not because it was necessarily better than some of the others that come after it, but because it’s so damn goofy. I was concerned that, if I was actually going to get you to check out this list, I would need to start somewhere safer… but then I remembered that, if you’re looking at this list, chances are pretty good that you’re prepared for some weird shit. So, here we are.
On the surface, Gnome is a gimmick band. They dress up as gnomes, sing songs about fantastical lands and quests, and, in the title track, sing with silly voices, but hold on! Don’t close the tab yet! The reason why this album made the list is because, despite all these really odd qualities, the riffs are there!
Vestiges of Verumex Visidrome is the child of sludge/ doom metal acts like Black Sabbath, Mastodon, and Baroness. Song after song swings and grooves with an attitude of a band from Alabama instead of Belgium (where Gnome herald from). If you’re looking for an album that makes you want to chop down a tree, save a damsel, and fight an ogre, this is the one for you.
For fans of…Black Label Society
29. My $tory Got $tories Bruiser Wolf (Hip-hop)
There’s hip-hop that makes you think deeply about complex social issues like police brutality, poverty, and generational trauma. And then there’s Bruiser Wolf. That probably makes it sound like the album is one to just have on in the background as you hang with your friends, but I assure you that it is very much the opposite. You need to be actively listening to appreciate how damn funny this one is. This album is a masterclass in how to write punchline after punchline. Wolf is a wholly unique artist in that every song is a series of couplets designed to set up and then deliver a hilarious zinger. His flow is closer to that of a stand up comedian than a rapper, and Wolf unfolds a life of sex, drugs, and hustler bar after bar after bar. I have laughed more listening to this album than I have listening to anything else in quite some time. I can promise that you will not hear another hip-hop artist like Bruiser Wolf this year, next year, or any time soon.
For fans of… Old Dirty Bastard.
28. The Bird of a Thousand Voices Tigran Hamasyan (Jazz Fusion)
Scoring a video game has to be hard work. The music is what drives not only the action, but the player themselves. It’s a delicate balance between propelling the player forward with frantic energy and giving the player space to breathe with dense atmosphere. So naturally, when I heard that Armenian keyboardist Tigran Hamasyan was going to be creating and scoring his own video game, I was intrigued. Hamasyan is known for his angular, polyrhythmic piano compositions, so I had confidence that the intense parts of the game would be driven by his djent inspired, often glitchy playing style, but would his score be able to articulate the calm as well? Would it immerse the player into the mythical world of Armenian folklore that he was attempting to construct?
Well, it’s on my list, so the answer is yes. The Bird of a Thousand Voices is a massive album at just a hair over an hour and a half, densely packed with heavy, rhythmically complex songs (“The Kingdom”, “The Well of Death and Resurrection”) as well as moments of soothing peace (“The Bird of a Thousand Voices”, “Bells of Memory”). Hamasyan’s metal and Armenian folk music influences are on full display here, creating a score that feels as exciting and innovative as it does cohesive. It does a brilliant job of establishing and revisiting themes in a unique way that, without even playing the game, allows the reader to compose an idea of what is supposed to be happening at each level of the game. I guarantee, if you’re a fan of jazz, metal, or video game music, you’re going to find something to enjoy with this album.
For fans of…Brad Mehldau.
27. Critterland Willi Carlisle (Americana)
One of my favorite things about doing this list is that there’s a lot more drama than one might think. Albums jockey each other’s status (or, eventually lose favor the more I listen to them). Some even disappear on to my “Albums I Listened To” list only to make a reappearance back onto my “Top Albums of the Year” list like some underdog football team. This album is one of the latter because, even though I didn’t listen to it all the time this year, I could not get it out of my head. I found myself continually suggesting it to friends and family, and regularly hummed the melodies of my favorites even when it wasn’t on my list. So grab yourself a cup of whiskey and find yourself a slowly setting sun. This one’s for the cowboys. The loners. The drunks.
Don’t let the seemingly goofy cover fool you. This album is a collection of raw, vulnerable americana/bluegrass/ folk songs about queer identity (“Two-Headed Lamb), addiction (“Higher Lonesome”), and living free (“Critterland”) and a masterclass on storytelling. Carlisle portrays himself as the travelling troubadour, weaving very modern issues into a sound that has been at home in the backwoods of Appalachia for the past three hundred years. In a year where country music saw some of it’s biggest numbers for streaming and engagement, this is the album that captivated and resonated with me long after I’d thought I forgot about it. So if you need a good cry, a good hug, or just want to hear a good story, this one’s for you.
For fans of… Woody Gutherie.
26. Of the Last Human Being Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (Avant Garde)
When I was in high school, sitting in the back of my junior level English class, I had a friend named Jonathan. He was one of the few metalheads that I was friends with back then, and when we weren’t… working on assignments… we were sharing with each other our latest music finds. I bring this all up because it was at this time that I was first exposed to the weirdest (and still one of the weirdest) bands I’ve ever had the pleasure of encountering. They were a collection of musicians: xylophonists and saxophonists, recorder-players and guitarists. They played in a genre that can only be explained as a mix between carny-folk and metal. They shocked the world (and specifically my world), dropped three wild albums, and then disappeared in 2007.
Well reader, the circus is back in town. Resurrecting material they recorded back in 2010-11, they started a kickstarter to help bring the album and a companion film back to life and, using elixirs, a defibrillator, and the body parts of many different corpses, were able to resurrect this very strange and evocative album.
Loosely connected by a story about the last living human being and the public’s fear, scrutiny, destruction, etc. of it, there’s a lot to try to dig into with this project. If you get hung up on how weird it is, you probably won’t like it. Most of you probably won’t like it. But try to focus on one bit and you might just come to an understanding of it. Listen to the wildly intricate compositions that melds influences of folk, prog, metal (“El Evil” is a thrash metal song on violin), and carnival music. Observe the truly astounding vocal harmonies of Nils Frykdahl and Carla Kihlstedt as they serve as the heralds for the coming of the last human (how can it be the last human if people are also observing it? Good question). Appreciate how outlandish and bold some of the song choices are. This truly feels experimental, especially in a day and age where many creators and artists have access and an audience to do whatever the hell they want. This album will unsettle you, reader, and it will probably also test you. But I can promise it will linger long after its final notes play.
For fans of… post-apocalyptic carnival music.
25. Revelator ELUCID (Hip-hop)
If you’ve dared venture onto the internet this year, you’ve found it’s a perpetually paranoid place. Conspiracy theories present themselves as news while tinfoil hat wearing basement dwellers denounce science and fact. Political adversaries point fingers at each other, slinging the warmest shit from the pile that is quickly growing around them. Every day citizens are drawn further apart by carefully constructed political and social lines. We are told that the world is black and white. It is or it isn’t.
This paranoia is felt in the claustrophobic beats and ELUCID’s aggressive, unrelenting flow, and rich lyricism. It can be felt in the glitchy, electronic break of “SLUM OF A DISREGARD” and the industrial pulsing of “CCTV”. It can be found in the muddy, psychedelic “14.4” and “IN THE SHADOW OF IF”. At times dream, at other moments nightmare, this is an album that demands the listener’s attention and is packed with enough to encourage one to return to it again and again.
For fans of… Del the Funkee Homosapian.
24. Light Verse Iron and Wine (Folk)
There’s a lot of heavy music on this list, in genre, composition, and content. I’m sure that comes as no surprise to my frequent readers. It should also then come as no surprise to you that every once in a while I need something calmer and brighter to balance out the grim dark. Light verse, as the teacher in me feels want to inform you, is poetry that sets out to be humorous and… light. It doesn’t mask some wheighty theme with uplifting stanzas or soothing imagery. It is meant to be easy to consume.
Light Verse is a collection of folk songs that encompass the listener in a sense of peace. Accompanied by Samuel Beam’s whimsical, lilting voice, tip-toeing ukelele and guitar lines, and warm production, this is an album for summer days where time doesn’t really matter. Songs dance softly, stretching, smiling, lifting from one pleasant line to another. If you’re in need of something to elevate your mood, this albums going to do it for you.
On a personal note, this album found me in one of these small, seemingly trivial moments. Sitting on my couch, I watched as my daughter practiced walking. She used the sofa to stand and then, turning, stumbled unsteadily towards her objective. At moments this was her mother or myself or the other sofa. Sometimes she made it, sometimes she didn’t, but as the symphonic climax of “Tears that Don’t Matter” rose to a crescendo I found that, indeed, the tears were falling. Her steps grew more confident. She fell less than she did during her previous attempt. And it was one of the most beautiful moments of my life. That’s what this album captures: it is a warm, simple moment. It is a reminder that when the world seems dark and paranoid and hope is lost, it is the light verses of our lives, the moments that are seemingly small, that matter the most. They’re the moments that make this life worth living. So put this album on. Smile at your children. Dance with your loved one. Stand outside and watch people as they walk by. Wave at your neighbor. You’re only as empty as a lost and found.
For fans of… the little, intimate moments.
23. Ridiculous and Full of Blood Julie Christmas (Sludge Metal)
As someone who collects physical media, I have a deep appreciation for artists who have a fully realized vision for their product. Even before I put on the album, the cover art should give me a good idea of what I’m going to be engaging with. It should reveal something about the album that, as I’m listening to the songs, simultaneously reveals something and develops itself over the course of the listening. And since you’re reading this on my website, you’ve scrolled past the album art for Julie Christmas’ latest album, and have already been affected by it.
If I had to award a vocalist of the year award to anyone, it would be Christmas. That’s not because her vocals are “good” (read:soaring, beautiful, ethereal) in the way that one sometimes thinks of when it comes to a vocal performance, but because they are phenomenally effective. Christmas is completely unhinged. She shrieks, hisses, and moans over post/ doom metal riffs. Her emotions are torn from her very diaphragm to the point where you have to wonder if delivering this performance actually hurt. But you feel it, and when I’m looking at strong vocal performances that is what I’m looking for. I want to feel Christmas claw her way through the muck and shit of society that represses her voice.
So as you listen to the clattering, anxiety-inducing drumstick cadence of the opening track “ Not Enough” or the looming dread built within “The Lighthouse”, have the album artwork in front of you and stare at it. Gaze into Christmas’ maniacal grin, her blood stained mouth, her dead eyes. Feel unsettled. Feel her power. Feel her fury.
For fans of… The Ocean.
22. Loss of Life MGMT (Psychedelic Rock)
The trip is over. The neon colors spilling from the ceiling have faded away, evaporating on the wind in a sparkling haze. The swimming images have retreated back into the shadows that elongate with the setting sun. All that remains is the sense that something was there. Something was experienced. And the ego is left with a simultaneously comforting and unsettling fact.
One day, we are going to die.
This is perhaps a morbid way to introduce an album created by a band that, at one point, was responsible for the pop anthem “Kids” and the infectiously groovy “Electric Feel”, but that’s ultimately what this album is. Gone are the funkadelic synth lines and the massive pop choruses. Instead, they are replaced with a collection of songs that are still psychedelic in nature, but darker, and more sober. If many of their previous albums were a celebration of life and living in the moment, experiencing and feeling (especially if those experiences are elevated by substances), then this album is the reflection that comes after. It’s the dissection of the trip. Songs like “People in the Streets” and “Loss of Life” find the band contemplating mortality and one’s place in the world. Even “Bubblegum Dog” (one of my favorite songs this year), which feels more familiar to MGMT’s previous output, is a darker version of anything they’ve created so far, a song about change and growth that portrays maturity as a dog that haunts and lingers with you until you’re ready to make the change.
So if you’ve grown up with MGMT like myself, give this album a chance. Sure it doesn’t sound like much fun, but maybe that’s the point, man.
For fans of… Simon and Garfunkel.
21. Charcoal Grace Caligula’s Horse (Progressive Metal)
I have a belief that, when there is societal unrest, music is at its best. I suppose that’s a really pessimistic way to look at art and the world, but it seems to be true. And as we wound ourselves up for another election cycle, that tension was palpable in quite a few albums released this year. I suspect this will only be exacerbated in the coming years, but that’s a conversation for another forum.
I bring this up, however, not to stir shit with my audience but to set the stage for this album, a collection of songs that are ultimately about the breakdown of society and, most importantly, communication. Caligula’s Horse’s darkest album yet, it gravitates around the idea that when a society doesn’t talk, it is destroyed. This idea is explored in detail on the four part centerpiece “Charcoal Grace” where vocalist Jim Grey sings about a family torn apart by a father’s unwavering beliefs , his attempt to guilt his children back to his side when he’s on his deathbed, and the result of his hate as it remains imbedded within his children. Yeah… it’s dark.
But within the darkness is a light. On songs like “The World Breathes with Me” and epic closer “Mute” (one of my favorite tracks from the year) the band implores its listeners to use their voices to speak out against the darkness, to find hope when there is none, and to seek an interconnectivity with other humans in a time that would divide them. This is their most emotional album to date, and one that will stay with the listener long after the final guitar notes echo out from the progressive metal mountaintop they were played from.
For fans of… Breaking Benjamin.
20. The Inevitable Fork Melted Bodies (Avant Garde Metal)
Back in 2020, I was absolutely blown away by the debut album of a band who sounded like if the Dead Kennedys were chewed up and vomited out with The Downward Spiral-era Nine Inch Nails and Mr. Bungle. Enjoy Yourself was violently overindulgent, as hilarious as it was angry, as Looney Toons as it was looney bin. I’m drawn back, in particular, to one of their music videos where, in a song about consumerism, they injected their own video with fake youtube ads, so many that it actually disrupted the flow of the track. They willingly destroyed their own art, and your consumption of their art, to make a point.
That takes dedication to a cause. That’s punk af.
Enter The Inevitable Fork, an album released in four EPs before being reconfigured into an album that contained eerie interludes from Xiu Xiu vocalist Angela Seo. Frantic hardcore/industrial/noise riffs serve as sledgehammer for the band to pummel the listener while vocalist Andy Hamm maniacally screams lyrics about mental health, trauma, success, doubt, and regret and how all these factors form the fork that our lives inevitably lead to.
What I’m continually drawn to about this band is how wholly original they are. Especially in a world where algorithms lump like sounding acts together to sell a product, Melted Bodies stand out as an act with an unwavering vision. It’s a vile, neon, grotesque, and sometimes unappealing vision, but it’s one that will draw you back in thanks to its smart songwriting, catchy choruses (yes, there are some), and unique flavor.
For fans of… System of a Down.
19. Coming of Age Mile Marker Zero (Progressive Rock)
If it isn’t apparent, I’m a sucker for a good progressive rock album. I’m sure it has something to do with it being a genre that I grew up listening to, but I appreciate how much variation there is across albums. Some feel familiar, referential of the sounds and albums that came before them, while others find bands pushing the boundaries of their sound, exploring new directions, styles, and subject matter. Mile Marker Zero are a group that very much falls in the former category. Their sound is heavily influenced by the progressive bands that came before them, and on this album, in particular, they explore the sounds of the bands that inspired them even further.
If their previous album, The Fifth Row, was an exploration of the future and a story about the dangers of AI, government surveillance, and the Singularity, Coming of Age is a look backwards. Using progressive rock as a foundation, the album is about the band’s roots, exploring topics about growing up and leaving your friends and family behind to pursue your dreams. Drawing inspiration from Kansas, Rush, and Yes, the band crafts a smart collection of songs that delve into both the excitement and trepidation that come with having to leave the town you grew up in. It’s an incredibly heartfelt album from a relatively young band that lives one foot in both the past and future.
For fans of… Steven Wilson
18. NO HANDS Joey Valence & Brae (Hip-hop)
Ok, you’ve seen the album cover. You know everything you need to know about this album. This one is in your face (Eat a booty with a side of fries/ Did a triple backflip, I ain’t even tried“). It’s goofy (“Teachers like thongs, always up in my business”). It’s unapologetically embarrassing (“You a small fry, you look like Toad/ I spit fire, I’m more like Bowser/ I got you scared, don’t piss your trousers”). And… the energy is there. Trading bars about nerd culture (and being “badass”) over a collection of boom bap/ house beats that sound like they belong in the 90’s/ early 00’s, Joey Valence and Brae have crafted an album of front to back bangers that are so infectious, hilarious (yes, they are aware of how ridiculous this album is), and punk that it’s really hard not to love it. This is for those of you who grew up in an age where coats were neon colored, tips were frosted, and pants were the size of circus tents. This is for the house party as much as driving with the top down on a warm summer evening. It’s for the skate park as much as the dance club. Grab your bucket hats, hair gel, and JNCO jeans. The 90’s aren’t dead, in fact, they are just getting started.
For fans of… the Beastie Boys.
17. I Lay Down My Life For You JPEGMAFIA (Hip-hop)
It’s taken me a while to come around to JPEGMAFIA. There’s no doubt that he is a talented rapper, but I always felt like the beats he constructed were a little unpolished, a little unfinished. My opinion began to change with last year’s visceral Scaring the Hoes, and my opinion of him has only improved with this year’s release.
I Lay Down My Life For You sees Peggy at his most refined. His signature sample heavy production is still there (and there are some truly wild ones on this album), but the beats feel more articulate, more complete than they have on some of his previous releases. The album is a rapidfire, punk rock affair, with most songs not reaching the three minute mark. Peggy is also at his most volatile, dropping heater after heater with his signature sneer. He calls out white people. He calls out his contemporaries (on “SIN MIEDO” he raps “Fake plug talkin’ Tubi rappers/ Got a machine behind ’em, and still they can’t fill up capacity with they raps”). It also sees him at his most vulnerable, discussing failed relationships on “I recovered from this” and his own shortcomings on “either on or off the drugs”. Regardless of the subject matter, JPEGMAFIA has officially cemented himself as one of the most ingenuitive, creative, and important rappers in the game on this one. He’s changing the game in a way that needs to be noted.
On a side note… that Denzel Curry feature on “JPEGULTRA!” goes off.
For fans of… MF DOOM.
16. War. Whores (Noise Rock)
This album is your neighbor working out in his garage. Next to pints of motor oil and empty PBR cans, he pumps out reps on a shitty bench press, pausing in between sets only to take a draw from his cigarette (yeah, he smokes cigarettes), crush a can of beer against his forehead, and rinse repeat. Yeah, he’s wearing a wife beater. Yeah, the bar touches his chest every time. Yeah, he’s blasting music. Yeah, it’s eight in the morning. He doesn’t give a shit.
You might not like him, but he’s kind of a badass.
That’s what this album is. You might not like it, but it’s kind of badass. There’s nothing complex to these riffs. The lyrics aren’t trying to say anything deep. It’s just ripper after ripper, an unrelenting 33 minute slugfest. It’ll get you storming around the pit, banging your head until your neck hurts, and throwing elbows. It’ll get you doing that even if you’re in your living room. So go ahead, shotgun a beer, take off your shirt, and go join your neighbor in the garage. It might be stupid, but it’s going to be fucking fun.
For fans of… Pantera.
15. Melodies of Atonement Leprous (Progressive Rock)
Last year, one of my favorite albums was the solo project titled 16 by Leprous’ front man Einar Solberg. It was an incredibly personal progressive rock album, delving into Solberg’s past, incorporating some of the weirder elements found in Leprous’ material including symphonic and electronic elements. As I suspected (and Solberg confirmed), this was an intentional choice, and it was a way for him to incorporate some of his more off-kilter influences to allow the rest of the band to take the helm with the writing of their main project.
The result is Leprous’ heaviest album in a hot minute, both lyrically and instrumentally. I came into Leprous at a weird time, jumping on board with their softest, most atmospheric release, 2019’s Pitfalls, and went back to discover some of their older heavier material when they played them all live during the pandemic. All this is to say that I don’t mind and even really enjoy their lighter/ poppier side, and that’s probably also why I really enjoy this most recent album because, even though it is their heaviest album, it is also one of their most accessible ones. Stomping, bouncy grooves, not to mention Baard Kolstaad’s intricate, off kilter drumming, are written within a fairly digestible pop structure, and that, on top of some of the band’s biggest choruses/ vocal moments, makes this one an album that touches on every part of the band’s sound that fans love. Songs like “Like a Sunken Ship” and epic closer “Unfree My Soul” swell to absolutely massive climaxes that I can attest translate to an almost larger than life status in the concert setting. If you’re someone who has never really appreciated metal music, but love great vocal performances, this is definitely one you should check.
For fans of… Evanescence.
14. Every Sound Has a Color in the Valley of Night Pt.II Night Verses (Instrumental Metal)
You watch them for hours… days. Shapes spin and sway around a roaring bonfire as shadows rise and fall like tongues of flame. It’s hypnotic, powerful, dizzying, beautiful. You can’t look away, even when one of the shapes points in your direction and beckons you forward. Without taking a step, you are drawn to them, carried by something within you that is and isn’t your soul. Your body rises in the air over the fire, arms outstretched, becoming something new as the moon breaks from the clouds and bathes you in its dead eyed glow. The ritual is complete. A new life has begun.
If the first part of this album, released last year, was the beginning of a ritual, fast paced, galloping, spiralling in and out of itself, then this year’s release, the second half, is the darker summoning at the end of the mass. There are plenty of intense, faster paced songs (“Plague Dancer” and “Crystal X”), but there’s also an incredible haunting post-metal-esq atmosphere to provide breathing room for the band’s trademark, tightly-woven sound. As I said last year, guitarist Nick Pirro, bassist Reilly Herrera, and drummer Aric Improta continue to prove that they are some of the best metal instrumentalists in the game, writing not only impressive but memorable riffs (“Phoenix V Invocation” is hands down the heaviest song you will hear this year). So light a candle, sit in the darkness, stare into the abyss, and immerse yourself in the second chapter of this behemoth of an album. Just don’t be surprised if you start to levitate.
For fans of… Cloudkicker.
13. The New Sound Geordie Greep (Lounge Rock)
In 2019, the world and I were exposed to a band called Black Midi that was bold, experimental, new, and shockingly good. Following the release of their debut album Schlagenheim, they dismantled the BBC with a performance of “bmbmbm” that ended in absolute chaos and made one of the most affecting statements I’ve ever seen a new band make. They followed it up with two more incredible albums: 2021’s shimmering post-punk Cavalcade and 2022’s dark, proggy Hellfire (one of my favorite albums OF ALL TIME).
And then, in 2024, vocalist and lead guitarist Geordie Greep unceremoniously announced that the band had broken up (something a chunk of the band wasn’t even aware of), and the next day, announced his solo album. The news was as shocking as it was disappointing, and many like me held their breath to see what sort of statement the former frontman would make. Was Greep capable of living up to the hype of a band that was literally at its peak? Was the decision to strike out on his own an act of hubris that would find him floundering without the voices of his bandmates?
Well Greep put fans’ concerns to ease with an album that is not only one of the best of the year, but one of the weirdest, horniest, and most vile. The album conceptually follows the lives of many despicable men: generals, business men, executives, and producers. All of them are desperate for sex, wealth, power, and status, and all of them are fucking pathetic. On lead single, “Holy, Holy”, Greep’s protagonist hires a prostitute to flirt with him (and eventually have sex with him) at a local bar, allowing him to cosplay as the debonair, sophisticated man he longs to be. On “Through a War” a military man (presumably a general or a dictator), regales another nameless woman about his triumphs and victories, his story swirling with sex and violence as he attempts to bed her. There’s something hilarious about their desperation, and it’s largely what makes palatable an album that will have many listeners revolted. (Seth Evans from HMLTD shouting “THIS TOWN IS FUCK” on “Motorbike”, a song where a man going through a midlife crisis abandons his family and life to ride his super cool motorcycle out of town, might be the funniest thing I’ve heard this year).
Driving all of these stories forward is music that can only be described as deranged lounge rock. Latin influence (samba, mambo, tango) infuses each of these soft rock songs with a flair that paints the setting of a shitty jazz lounge from the 70s. Suede and faux leather adorn the furniture as the smell of cheap cologne, whiskey, and cigarettes permeate the walls and air. These elements were used as accents in Black Midi, but Greep leans heavily on them with this project. The arrangements add to the concept, making everything feel cheesy and tacky in a way where you can’t tell if Greep is being sincere or not. If this sounds like an insult, I assure you it’s not, because everything here works. Narratively, musically, tonally, Greep has succeeded in crafting a project that oozes with a deplorability reserved for men stuck in arrested development with mommy issues, sexual impotency, and fragile egos.
For fans of… Steely Dan?
12. Friend of a Phantom Vola (Progressive Metal)
There’s something about knowing when to release an album that denotes a specific understanding of the listening experience of the whole rather than the experience of listening to a few one-off singles. I’m sure there are plenty of features behind the scenes that dictate when a band can actually release their material (mostly factors out of their control), but when it works in their favor, it really helps the album pop. Such is the case of Vola’s latest release, an album that echoes with a haunted, empty atmosphere perfect for the November day it was released.
It feels like Vola was really going through something on this one. Songs like “We Will Not Disband”, “I Don’t Know How We Got Here”, and heavy hitter “Hollow Kid” all reverberate with a nostalgia and longing that is only exacerbated by lyrical topics of death, passing time, and memory. That’s not to say that Vola has neglected the grooves and djenty riffs that made them such a growing powerhouse in the prog metal scene (opener “Cannibal” features a killer performance from In Flames’ Anders Friden), but in general there is a sadness throughout the album that leaves the listener with the sensation that some great loss has left its impact on the group. The cherry on top is closer “Tray” which some might say is a downer, but to me is the perfect statement to wrap the album up. Like many of the other songs, it feels like the epilogue of a ghost recounting his life as everything fades to grey. If you’re looking for an album when the world is grey and monochromatic, this is the album for you.
For fans of… Sleep Token.
11. TOEHIDER EPS (Progressive Metal)
If you’ve made it this far onto my list, you’ve probably noticed that there’s a lot of “fun” here. Many of my favorite albums didn’t take themselves too seriously, which probably says something about my own mental state wrestling the various events that occurred in the Year of Our Lord 2024. Well, as we approach my top ten albums, there is one collection of releases that I continued to return to over the course of the year: the “release a month” madness that was Toehider’s EP project.
Starting technically back in August of 2023, this idea was a mad dash of creativity and lunacy that saw progressive metal goofball, Toehider (a collaboration of solo artist Michael Mills, and artist Richard Evensand), exploring a wide variety of genres, expanding not only their catalogue but their sound. While there are twelve EPs within this release schedule, there are three that stood out to me.
The first, and most cohesive, is the April, 80’s synthesizer infused SPACE FAMOUS. This EP is a demonstration of what makes Toehider such an exciting artist, and it’s the one I would recommend to the casual reader of this list. Songs like “Present Prism” and “Skipping Summer” sound right at home on a Warren Miller soundtrack from the aforementioned time, with punchy drum patches, brooding synth lines, and catchy pop choruses while the title track dives headfirst into power/glam metal akin to Judas Priest or Iron Maiden. There isn’t a single song I would consider skipping on this EP and, had it been a full album experience, would have easily breached the top ten of this list.
The second one, Rediscovery is for the more adventurous listener and the one who is familiar with Toehider and wants to just find out what types of influences have led Michael Mills to pursue the zany, wacky type of progressive metal that he plays. It’s an album of covers, ranging from a part-manic, part-heartfelt rendition of Sia’s “Chandelier” (Mills has some serious pipes), to the Muppet Show’s “Can You Picture This?”. Yeah, it’s that ridiculous. He even manages to make Focus’ criminally underrated 70’s jam “Hocus Pocus” sound even more deranged. This one is a lot of fun and a definite recommendation for those who want to know just how the hell Mills got to where he is musically.
The final EP from the session is the dark, doomy X, an album that explores his heavier side. This album struck me, because while Mills has always been an artist that doesn’t take himself too seriously, mixing absurd lyricism with a touch of self-deprecating humor, there are songs that delve into topics of self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy/ missing inspiration. It’s not as fun as a lot of his other stuff (and, again, it’s shockingly candid about the creative process), but it’s still a great EP worthy of digging into, especially if the previous two peaked your interest.
That’s not to say that all the EPs from this session worked. The thirty minute song of ambient sounds on Stereo Night Ash: Music for Relaxation, Meditation, Decatastrophizing, and Deep Sleep is a creative departure but one that did nothing for me, and the collection of duck themed children’s show tunes on Children of the Sun 3 (no, I’m not writing the whole name), is goofy but ultimately not one that I could return to without serious internal embarassment. But that’s the allure of Toehider. He’s unafraid to explore any avenue of music, and the results are usually pretty great.
Some might ask “why not just release all the best tracks on one album,” but I think the answer is pretty clear. Regardless of the release, each of these EPs stands on its own, has its own flavor, and to combine them would have inevitably led to a project that was strong in songwriting, but lacking in cohesiveness. So, if you’re feeling goofy, check some of these EPs out. Regardless of which one you choose, you’re in for a wild ride.
For fans of… Thank You Scientist.
10. GNX Kendrick Lamar (West Coast Hip-hop)
If you’ve been keeping up with pop culture or hip-hop culture, there’s no way in hell you missed the Kendrick-Drake beef. One of the most massive events of the year, it saw Lamar go absolutely IN on Drake, dropping diss track after diss track until Drake had to bow out with a pathetic attempt to make it sound like he was bored with the whole thing and was moving on. Kendrick continued his victory lap with a massive Amazon Prime concert and a one off song, but it seems that to win wasn’t enough. To play the Super Bowl wasn’t enough. Kendrick had more to say, and that’s what GNX is.
It was inevitable that many of Kendrick’s fans were underwhelmed by this album. It wasn’t some epic, multi-layered puzzle for them to dissect like To Pimp A Butterfly or Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers. It wasn’t even a chart poacher like Damn. Instead, it was an album to silence those that felt he could only make high concept albums and those that felt he’d abandoned his west coast roots. The whole thing is a love letter to the music he grew up with and the music continuing to be made in that region. “Reincarnated” is a track that sounds like a 2Pac song that reflects on the struggles of black artists before and “heart part. 6” has the g-funk sound that artists like Snoop made famous. So if you don’t get it, that’s ok. It’s not for you, or really me. It’s the album that Kendrick wanted to make, and it’s really freaking good.
When the beef with Drake was at its peak, I remember stating that this was a great thing for hip-hop, and Kendrick’s career, if for no other reason than it lit a fire under his ass to create. This album is Kendrick’s angriest. He lashes out at his contemporaries (“wacced out murals”), addressing and creating beef in real time. He reminds the public that he can still make year defining bangers (“squabble up”, “tv off”). He struts up to the throne and takes the crown, demanding his peers either step up or step back (“man in the garden”). It’s a messy album, and it’s by no means perfect, but it feels in many ways like someone lighting a firecracker and throwing it into the box that is hip-hop. And until anyone can prove him wrong, I agree with Kendrick. I think he deserves it all.
For fans of… Beating a Drake… errr…. Dead horse.
9. Cool World Chat Pile (Noise Rock)
Two years ago, when I wrote my piece on Chat Pile’s debut album God’s Country, I commented on how I felt sorry for the band because they had set the bar too high on their inaugural release. Combining nu metal riffs with fuzzy production and Raygun Busch’s unsettling, cynical lyrics, it was an album that lived in the dark corners of my mind not only for the year, but the time in between now and then. To be honest, I didn’t expect the band to survive (or wish to survive) the year or two that came. There was no reason for me to believe this. There were no interviews hinting at turmoil within the band, nor songs serving as pointed jabs at one or another, I just figured with something THAT good, the band would choose to self-immolate and float off into the atmosphere.
But Chat Pile are back after a two years of touring and growth and they sound… worn. Everything that God’s Country did incredibly well is still there, but the edges are frayed. The riffs are more plodding, sludge-y, doomy. Busch’s vocals are exhausted, blunt, and garbled like a man who’s been punched in the face one too many times. Although the band has stated that this album is an expansion of their sound, focusing on the larger world instead of the issues more central to Oklahoma City where they came from, this album feels more intimate, more personal than the previous one. Songs like “Frownland” and “Masc” explore feelings of voiceless and powerless. The album explores how the world beats people down through violence, be it physical, historical, systemic, and even political. The band almost seems to be saying that, to talk about the issues they did on their previous album is pointless. Information will be skewed. Spirits will be broken. Truth will be buried. Indeed this idea is cemented on the mammoth closer “No Way Out” where, over skittering, frantic picking, Busch shrieks about the hopelessness felt in this world and the lies passed down to us consumers, voters, citizens, by powers that cannot be confronted or changed. As we enter a new year, this is certainly a dour one to explore, but perhaps also a necessary one.
For fans of… The Jesus Lizard.
8. Where’s My Utopia Yard Act (Post Punk)
It’s hard for me to really pinpoint why I love this album. Is it the funky basslines? Is it the spoken word, highly dry, vocal delivery? Is it the way that the whole album feels in part both heavily sarcastic and bleedingly sincere? Even writing this, I might as well backtrack and say that it’s probably all of the above. What Yard Act have done is construct a slew of cheeky, post-punk songs that sneer at consumerism, pop culture, toxic masculinity, and people who think they’ve got it all figured out. This album is part party (“We Make Hits” and “Dream Job”) and part the ravings of the dude leaning over the bar next to you (“Down by the Stream”, “Fizzy Fish”), drunkenly rambling on about some story from his childhood, referencing people and places like you’re supposed to know them between drags of his cigarette. Regardless of the direction, the groovy pocket is what carries this album from one idea to the other. So, like you would at the bar, pour yourself a pint and bob your head along. Yeah, you’re doing it because you want this drunk to just leave you alone. But you’re also doing it because you’re kind of having a really good time.
For fans of… Idles.
7. Stasis Hippotraktor (Sludge Metal)
Alright look, we all know Spotify is the root of all music evil, but every once in a while they provide me with solid data on what my listening habits for the year were and, more importantly, remind me of how much I listened to specific albums. Hippotraktor’s Stasis was an album I sort of slept with. It remained on my year end list from the time of its release in June up until now, happily content to take up space and accompany my drive to work and other weekly activities. It wasn’t braggadocious. It didn’t demand I immediately talk about it with friends, if anything it was fairly unassuming. But here it is, breaching the top ten, to which I’m sure many of you are thinking “how?”
It’s because, while it does take a little time to digest, this is an album that needs to be listened to by anyone who considers themselves a metal fan. What Hippotraktor have managed to do is construct an album that feels as grand as its album cover suggests. Stasis is an album that is a perfect merger of post metal atmosphere and crushing djenty riffage. It knows when to let the listener breathe and when to drop them into breakdowns brutal enough to fell a mastodon (don’t believe me… check that beatdown at the end of “Silver Tongue”), something all the more impressive considering this is only the band’s second outing. Over instrumentals that feel like ocean waves crashing against a cliff face, vocalist Stefan de Graef howls like a chained man attempting to tear his bindings from the rock, defying all who would stand in his way. If that sounds epic, that’s because it is. Everything about this album suggests a group that knows more about song construction than their discography would suggest, and the result is an album that demands multiple listens and yet will grab the listener after just one.
So thank you Spotify. You’re a terrible company, but without you I might not have realized how much I listened to this one. And as this album commands its listener, be better. Live a richer existence. Defy that which attempts to force you into complacency.
For fans of… Gojira.
6. Wheels Within Wheels MEER (Progressive Pop)
Three years ago, one of my favorite albums (and one I continually return to) was from a Norwegian band that completely blew me away with an album that had its roots in progressive rock and pop with a heavy leaning into broadway music sensibilities. They were the kind of group that immediately landed themselves on my “to watch” list, and I waited eagerly to see what would drop next from the talented group of musicians.
Well, if I loved Playing House, then I really freaking love this year’s release. Wheels Within Wheels is a worthy follow up to its predecessor, an album that doesn’t change their signature blend of genres so much as refine it. The choruses are bigger, the songwriting is smarter, the pacing is even more engrossing. Sitting at about an hour, this album is comfortable taking its time to immerse you in the rich world Meer have constructed, using massive ballads like “Today Tonight Tomorrow” and “Mother” to build atmosphere and provide space for some of the more energetic tracks (“Golden Circle”).
I can’t stress this enough, whether you’re a prog-head or a casual music listener, you need to be listening to this band (and subsequently, this album). There’s a little something for everyone. Songs like “Chains of Change” and “Behave” might appeal to those of you who love a good radio jam, while the epic, bring the curtain down closer “This is the End”, serves as an artistic statement that throws everything at the canvas and leaves nothing left (for god sakes, they even have lyrical callbacks to their previous album. If that doesn’t give you goosebumps, I don’t know what will). This is a band that has earned the hype and, as I said last time, I literally can’t wait to see what they come up with next.
For fans of… ensemble tracks that lead into the intermission of musicals.
5. Highly Irresponsible Better Lovers (Hardcore)
Look, I had a whole thing written up about this super group including the brief history of the breakups of both Every Time I Die and The Dillinger Escape Plan and how each might have contributed to the topics of communication breakdown, disillusionment, and the end of things (times, love, friendship, etc.). But the reality is, you don’t really need to know about the band’s baggage to get this album. Realistically, the band probably wants you to move on from the tumultuous endings each respective group faced, and it’s not like you need context to understand why this album is so freaking good. Composed of veterans of the hardcore and metalcore scene, this album is exactly what you need when you’re having a bad day and need to punch your steering wheel. Combing the groove infected, head banging riffs of Every Time I Die with the unhinged vocals of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Highly Irresponsible is half an hour of face-melting, gut punching hardcore music that blows your face up, picks up the pieces, and slaps it back on your skull. And you’re going to ask for more. Every band member is firing on all cylinders here, ripping through songs about failed communication, the end of things, and the general feeling of disillusionment that seems to be permeating all members of American life. Unlike some supergroup albums that have mature songwriting but feel more like a shouting match of personalities vying for control of the reins, this album feels like a singular vision. The boys came together out of a mutual respect for each other’s ability to write cataclysmic jams. They’re not ready to let go of their music (and hopefully never will be). And they can put on a decimating live show (seriously, every band member knows how to perform). At only half an hour, there isn’t really much space to breathe on this one. The boys really bottled electricity on this one. Hopefully they’re here to stay.
For fans of… drop kicking friends through dry wall.
4. And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth The Barbarians of California (Hardcore)
You know what was on my music BINGO card for 2024? Enjoying a lot of progressive music, hip-hop, hardcore, and an album or two of folk. You know what wasn’t on my BINGO card? Loving the hell out of a hardcore album released as a side project for the band AWOLNATION. Yeah, you read that right. The guys who brought us “Sail” (sorry to the band if you’re reading this, but that’s all I got) released an album of feral, ball-to-the-wall hardcore. And it’s really fucking good.
What I respect most about this album is that it takes risks. One might expect a band known for releasing radio friendly alternative music to attempt a project like this and to play it safe, sticking to a sound that’s been tried and true in order to make a cross genre shift that is more inoffensive than it is bad. This album doesn’t feel inauthentic. It doesn’t feel like the band just woke up and thought “hardcore music is easy to make, so let’s do it.” Instead, And Now I’m Just Gnashing My Teeth, feels like a passion project, a true love letter to a genre that the band has wanted to create in and simply hasn’t before. This album doesn’t give a shit if you like it… and that’s precisely why it works. The riffs punch above their weight. The vocals bounce between absurd and manic, adding to the berserk energy that permeates every single song on this project. When I say there are no misses, I mean it. You’ve got “The Walrus” with its skate punk riffs, wakadoo vocal performance (seriously, that whistle breakdown), and a blistering thrash moment mid-song. You’ve got “Three Letters” which sounds like something dropped off a Tony Hawk Pro Skater soundtrack. You’ve got the epic closer “Far Out, Bro”, which puts the foot on the gas and doesn’t relent until disintegrating into madness. These guys set out to make a statement and, by God, they wrote it in bold, block letters.
For fans of… Every Time I Die.
3. Unyielding Night Assemble the Chariots (Symphonic Death Metal)
One of my favorite movies of all time is Mad Max: Fury Road. Critics of it will claim that it’s just one long chase scene, and they’re right, but it’s a really good chase scene. Without feeling the need to impede upon the stories pacing with backstory or flashbacks, it builds its characters and its world around it as it goes. The cinematography is incredible, the acting is frantic, and the characters imbed themselves into your hearts with their unique characteristics.
I bring this up because Assemble the Chariot’s latest album, the opening chapter of a three part (?) concept is very much the same way. What it lacks in story (Aquilegia, the planet of light, is being attacked by the Reavers and they must fight to the death while their great leader escapes to preserve their way of life) it makes up for with fist-pumping riffs, battering drumming, guttural vocals, and smart touches of symphonic scoring. Breaking up the action with minor interludes (which serve to remind the reader of the stakes, the impending darkness, and the plans of the heroes), this album is one headbanger after another, shifting from stomping tracks like “Admorean Monolith”, hyperspeed thrashers like “As Was Seen By Augers,” and power metal-infused epics like “Galactic Order.” I’d really only recommend this for the metalheads reading this list, but if you are a metal fan, this has to be one you check out. Did this writer find goosebumps running up his arms as, *SPOILER ALERT* their defenses failing against the unrelenting onslaught of the invading Reavers, the Aquilegians let out their final war cry? You bet. But that’s what this album does. It engrosses you in its cosmic battle and makes it feel personal. It reminds you of your own struggles and the moments in your own life when you’ve felt hopeless, and it gives you the strength to stand up one last time. It reminds you that, even in the darkest moments, as the enemy stretches infinitely across the horizon, there are things worth fighting for… Things worth dying for.
As the Protectors scream “We will not back down, until every last one of us dies.” As you drive to work, you might just find yourself doing the same.
For fans of… The Battle of Helm’s Deep.
2. Life in the Wires Frost* (Progressive Rock)
It’s going to sound cheesy, but I genuinely believe in the power of music. I believe that it has the power to heal trauma, to bring people together, to inspire change, and to aid with rebellion. Regardless of whether it is familiar or challenging, radio-friendly or avant garde, I believe it’s important to regularly engage with music, to share it with loved ones, to explore new artists/albums, and to find comfort in old favorites. Especially in turmoil, never forget how important music is.
This concept of the power of music is one explored on Frost*’s latest project, a mammoth hour and a half long concept album about a young man who, living in a dystopian society, hears a voice in an old transistor radio beckoning him to escape his mundane, controlled life. It’s a concept that, as a teacher, I see so many teenagers exploring on their own. So many of us, especially in our youths, used music as a way to define us. For some of us, it helped us fit in. For others, it was a way of shedding societal norms and pursuing our own identity. For the protagonist of this album, it leads to him being hunted by the government, finding his own voice, and becoming something powerful and new.
Crafting an album that sounds like the lovechild of Genesis, Pink Floyd, and modern progressive rock, Jem Godrey and company have constructed a project that feels as much an homage to the music that saved them (they’re not exactly spring chickens) as it is a message to future generations, a voice in the ancient radio, beckoning teenagers to explore a genre that has historically, and continually been about breaking the mold.
One of the most impressive features of this album is that, despite its massive run time, it flies. This is largely due to the songwriting, which knows when to insert a smart chorus, when to expand a strong solo section, and when to let the album breathe. In part, I think the latter is one of the reasons for it feeling like this album doesn’t overstay its welcome. Using short interludes and saturating each song in a strong, nostalgic, melancholy atmosphere helps immerse the listener in the world of the characters. You feel the main character’s sadness as he’s trapped within an unloving home (“House of Winter”). You experience a rush that can only come from liberating oneself on the optimistic and powerful “Evaporator” (tell me this isn’t the perfect night highway driving song). You lose yourself in a sense of wonder as he transforms into something new (“Life in the Wires Pt. 2”). Regardless of whether you’re an progressive rock old head or a new convert, this album is a brilliant collection of songs that are both familiar and new. It’s an olive branch from those who found themselves in a specific group of artists and albums, to those who, perhaps feeling lost, rejected, or confused, are just about to.
Isn’t that what this list is all about?
For fans of… Peter Gabriel.
1.I Haxa I Haxa (Dark Folk)
If you’ve been watching this list for the past five years that I’ve published it, you’ve probably noticed a trend with my number one album of the year. Often it is one that I spent a lot of time with but more importantly it is usually one that has the courage to do something massive. It’s an album that I couldn’t stop thinking or talking about. It’s one that, above everything else on the list, I already know the staying power of what I would consider to be a classic. And so this year, my favorite album is one of rich atmosphere, beautiful lyricism, and a phenomenal marketing campaign. It is one that captured my attention and my emotions, and unrelentingly retained them since it was teased back in February.
When it was announced, it was stated that this project was to be a collection of four songs, released separately as four EPs (and subsequently broken up into four acts). A collaboration of singer-songwriter Rebecca Need-Menear and producer Peter Miles, these EPs were released with each season, thematically connecting a piece of a larger story to each season. I have to bring this up because we’ve seen artists playing around with how to release an album over the past couple years. Some have elected to release each song before the release, to help keep the album in conversation and streaming rotation. Other artists (like Melted Bodies earlier on this list) decided to release EPs to tease the song beforehand. While these ideas are frustrating but understandable given the attention spans of many in this day and age, they’ve enraged this writer who often waits for the whole album to be released in order to appreciate the music as one complete statement. But I Haxa’s release schedule makes sense and it helped establish the feeling of each album. Part One is haunted, dead, creeping in the shadows, seeking the light (early spring). Part Two is awake, lush, filled with breathing room (early summer). Part Three is alive, violent, angry, self-immolating (autumn) and Part Four… is beautiful, collapsing, revelatory (winter). This is one of the first unique release schedules that I’ve seen that adds to the listeners appreciation of the album while also providing space and time to process (and return to) each part.
There are other attributes of the release cycle that I could get into, from the packaging to the video accompaniments of each part, but all of this would mean nothing if the music wasn’t absolutely phenomenal. The intentionality of this project isn’t just felt in the packaging and release, it’s deeply rooted within the very concept of this album. In lush soundscapes constructed with electronic, industrial, post rock, folk, and even breakbeat, images of death and rebirth are constructed in abstract poetry that unfurls and wilts repeatedly. It leaves you both satisfied and hungry for more, a cyclical experience that ends where it begins (much like the covers of each individual EP suggest). This is not an album that you’ll want to hear only once. This is one that will linger with you in the darkness long after the truly breathtaking closer “Circle” fades away (seriously, after listening to this whole album all the way through for the first time, I sat in silence, stared at nothing, and wiped away tears). It will summon you back to it, beckoning with darkened fingertips and lidless eyes. It will lift the Veil, and show you the darkness, the beautiful, the haunted, the holy, the Circle. Come. See. Become. Breathe. Destroy. Discard. Renew. Release.
Repeat.
For fans of… Nine Inch Nails.
For the full first part video:
The Word and The Song 