Unlike their peers in the world of film, the music industry has delivered a pretty constant wave of splashy releases to start 2024. Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Ariana Grande, Billie Eillish, Vampire Weekend, Dua Lipa, Charli XCX, Kacey Musgraves, MGMT, Future, The Smile, Megan Thee Stallion, Kali Uchis, Kid Cudi, Usher, Vince Staples, ScHoolboy Q and Twenty One Pilots are just some of the heavy hitters that dropped new records in the past six months. And with the likes of Childish Gambino, Eminem, Sabrina Carpenter, Lana Del Rey and Zach Bryan all set to release records in the coming months, this industry-wide fireworks show doesn't appear to have an imminent conclusion.
Now, has all this starpower on the marquee led to a great musical year? Not at all. In fact, a pretty sizable number of these artists put forth complete mixed bag efforts that didn't live up to the prerelease hype and one of them put out a record that is easily the most half-hearted effort I've heard all year (scroll down a bit to see who I'm refering to). To be fair, some of these stars showed really well (particularly Charli XCX, Billie Eillish and ScHoolboy Q), but it wasn't enough to overcome the overall feeling that these big names failed to deliver works that lived up to their talent level.
Carrying the bulk of the weight in the quality department so far this year has been the artists that don't quite have this level of profile. There's the Kentucky metalcore outfit (Knocked Loose) that has remarkably continued to gain popularity despite their music becoming progressively heavier with each subsequent release. The Cleveland death metal outfit (200 Stab Wounds) that has put a modern spin on the genre's classic gritty, riff-driven sound. The art rock icon (St. Vincent) who put out her harshest, most endearingly experimental release in quite some time. And lastly, a recently reunited band (Job for a Cowboy) picking up right where they left off before they disappeared into the abyss for damn near 10 years. May all of these torchbearers for the fringes of modern music receive the level of exposure they deserve moving forward.
Below, you'll find a list of every record I've heard this year ranked from worst to best (w/grades) along with some superlatives/awards and my picks for the top 25 songs of the year. Hope you enjoy.
EP's:
2.Tove Lo and SG Lewis-Heat (B)
1.Greyhaven-Stereo Grief (B+)
LP's:
34.Taylor Swift-The Tortured Poets Department (D+)
33.The Ghost Inside-Searching for Solace (C)
32.21 Savage-american dream (C+)
31.Neck Deep-Neck Deep (B-)
30.Ariana Grande-Eternal Sunshine (B-)
29.Kacey Musgraves-Deeper Well (B-)
28.IDLES-TANGK (B-)
27.While She Sleeps-Self Hell (B-)
26.Beyonce-Cowboy Carter (B-)
25.Darkest Hour-Perpetual|Terminal (B)
24.Vampire Weekend-Only God Was Above Us (B)
23.Kali Uchis-Orquideas (B)
22.Future and Metro Boomin-WE DON'T TRUST YOU (B)
21.Intervals-Memory Palace (B)
20.Underneath-From the Gut of Gaia (B)
19.Vale of Pnath-Between the Worlds of Life and Death (B)
18.Bring Me the Horizon-Post Human: NeX Gen (B)
17.Dua Lipa-Radical Optimism (B)
16.Foreign Hands-What's Left Unsaid (B)
15.Candy-It's Inside You (B)
14.The Smile-Wall of Eyes (B)
13.Wristmeetrazor-Degeneration (B)
12.Charli XCX-Brat (B)
11.Alpha Wolf-Half Living Things (B)
10.Billie Eilish-HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (B)
9.ScHoolboy Q-Blue Lips (B)
8.Boundaries-Death is Little More (B+)
7.High on Fire-Cometh the Storm (B+)
6.SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-Coup de grace (B+)
5.Judas Priest-Invincible Shield (B+)
4.St.Vincent-All Born Screaming (B+)
3.200 Stab Wounds-Manual Manic Procedures (B+)
2.Job for a Cowboy-Moon Healer (B+)
1.Knocked Loose-You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To (A)
Awards:
Biggest Surprises:
1.Judas Priest-Invincible Shield
2.High on Fire-Cometh the Storm
3.ScHoolboy Q-Blue Lips
Biggest Letdowns:
1.21 Savage-american dream
2.While She Sleeps-Self Hell
3.Ariana Grande-Eternal Sunshine
Most Underrated:
1.SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-Coup de Grace
2.Alpha Wolf-Half Living Things
3.Wristmeetrazor-Degeneration
Most Overrated:
1.Taylor Swift-The Tortured Poets Department
2.Kacey Musgraves-Deeper Well
3.Beyonce-Cowboy Carter
Top 25 Songs (in alphabetical order by artist):
200 Stab Wounds-Manual Manic Procedures
Alpha Wolf-Bring Back the Noise
Better Lovers-The Flowering
Billie Eillish-Wildflower
Born of Osiris-Elevate
Boundaries-Scars on a Soul
Bring Me the Horizon-Kool-Aid
Charli XCX-Sympathy is a Knife
Dua Lipa-Illusion
Future and Metro Boomin-Like That (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
Greyhaven-Confined Collapse
Job for a Cowboy-Into the Crystaline Crypts
Job for a Cowboy-The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out the Moon
Judas Priest-Invincible Shield
Kacey Musgraves-Jade Green
Knocked Loose-Blinding Faith
Knocked Loose-Suffocate (feat. Poppy)
Knocked Loose-Thirst
Megan Thee Stallion-BOA
Remi Wolf-Toro
SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-And the Two Slipped into the Shadows
St. Vincent-Broken Man
SZA-Saturn
The Black Dahlia Murder-Aftermath
Tommy Richman-Million Dollar Baby
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