Tuesday, January 7, 2025

2024 in Music: A Year in Review

If nothing else, at least 2024's musical year made slightly more sense than 2023. Some great veteran artists returned to their roots and put out their best material in years (Jack White, Judas Priest, St. Vincent). The world embraced then quickly got infuriated by the birth of new pop icons (Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter). A certain pop superstar went into autopilot mode and still put up insane numbers on the charts. Katy Perry's efforts to mount a comeback failed in spectacular fashion. Kendrick Lamar ruined someone's career and fell back in love with making aggressive bangers. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard found yet another new musical avenue to travel down. Glass Animals strengthened the odds that How to Be a Human Being was a fluke by releasing another collection of lukewarm tracks designed to be half listened to in the frozen food section of your local grocery store. Metalcore's continued resurgence led to my top 20 albums once again being populated by releases from that genre.  

Below, you'll find a list of every 2024 EP and LP I heard ranked from worst to best (w/grades) along with a collection of superlatives and my picks for the year's top 50 songs. Hope you enjoy.

EP's:

8.Corpse Pile-Hardgore Deathmetal (B-)

7.Big Ass Truck-Big Ass Demo (B)

6.Frontierer-The Skull Burned Wearing Hell Like a Life Vest as the Night Wept (B)

5.Disembodied Tyrant-The Tower: Part One (B)

4.Tove Lo and SG Lewis-Heat (B)

3.Unearth-Bask in the Blood of Our Demons (B+)

2.Counterparts-Heaven Let Them Die (B+)

1.Greyhaven-Stereo Grief (B+)

LP's:

103.Taylor Swift-The Tortured Poets Department (D+)

102.Maya Hawke-Chaos Angel (C-)

101.Ice Spice-Y2K! (C)

100.Glass Animals-I Love You So F***ing Much (C)

99.The Ghost Inside-Searching for Solace (C)

98.Alkaline Trio-Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs (C)

97.Left to Suffer-Leap of Death (C)

96.GloRilla-Glorious (C)

95.Normani-Dopamine (C)

94.Sum 41-Heaven :x: Hell (C)

93.Clairo-Charm (C)

92.21 Savage-american dream (C+)

91.Don Toliver-Hardstone Psycho (C+)

90.Gatecreeper-Dark Superstition (C+)

89.Vomit Forth-Terrified of God (C+)

88.Melt-Banana-3+5 (C+)

87.Tinashe-Quantum Baby (C+)

86.Megan Thee Stallion-Megan (B-)

85.Neck Deep-Neck Deep (B-)

84.Linkin Park-From Zero (B-)

83.Make Them Suffer-Make Them Suffer (B-)

82.Body Count-Merciless (B-)

81.Michael Kiwanuka-Small Changes (B-)

80.Kacey Musgraves-Deeper Well (B-)

79.IDLES-TANGK (B-)

78.While She Sleeps-Self Hell (B-)

77.Party Cannon-Injuries Are Inevitable (B-)

76.Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson)-Passage du desir (B-)

75.Mk.gee-Two Star & the Dream Police (B-)

74.Four Year Strong-Analysis Paralysis (B-)

73.Beyonce-Cowboy Carter (B-)

72.Zach Bryan-The Great American Bar Scene (B-)

71.Speed-Only One Mode (B-)

70.Wage War-STIGMA (B-)

69.Ariana Grande-Eternal Sunshine (B-)

68.Future-Mixtape Pluto (B-)

67.Spectral Wound-Songs of Blood and Mire (B-)

66.Chat Pile-Cool World (B-)

65.Maggie Rogers-Don't Forget Me (B-)

64.Childish Gambino-Bando Stone and the New World (B-)

63.Halsey-The Great Impersonator (B-)

62.Darkest Hour-Perpetual|Terminal (B)

61.Defeated Sanity-Chronicles of Lunacy (B)

60.Vampire Weekend-Only God Was Above Us (B)

59.Future and Metro Boomin-WE DON'T TRUST YOU (B)

58.Dealer-New Order of Mind (B)

57.Tommy Richman-Coyote (B)

56.Touche Amore-Spiral in a Straight Line (B)

55.Fleshgod Apocalypse-Opera (B)

54.Magdalena Bay-Imaginal Disk (B)

53.Underneath-From the Gut of Gaia (B)

52.Action Bronson-Johan Sebastian Bachlava the Doctor (B)

51.Anciients-Beyond the Reach of the Sun (B)

50.Intervals-Memory Palace (B)

49.Chelsea Wolfe-She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (B)

48.Vale of Pnath-Between the Worlds of Life and Death (B)

47.The Smile-Cutouts (B)

46.Fit for an Autopsy-The Nothing That Is (B)

45.Many Eyes-The Light Age (B)

44.The Story So Far-I Want to Disappear (B)

43.Foreign Hands-What's Left Unsaid (B)

42.Kali Uchis-Orquideas (B)

41.Kublai Khan TX-Exhibition of Forgiveness (B)

40.Sabrina Carpenter-Short n'Sweet (B)

39.SZA-Lana (B)

38.Bring Me the Horizon-Post Human: NeX Gen (B)

37.NxWorries-Why Lawd? (B)

36.Dark Tranquility-Endtime Signals (B)

35.BRAT-Social Grace (B)

34.Candy-It's Inside You (B)

33.The Smile-Wall of Eyes (B)

32.Wristmeetrazor-Degeneration (B)

31.Dissimulator-Lower Form Resistance (B)

30.PeelingFlesh-The G Code (B)

29.Nile-The Underworld Awaits Us All (B)

28.Dua Lipa-Radical Optimism (B)

27.Tyler, the Creator-CHROMAKOPIA (B)

26.Alpha Wolf-Half Living Things (B)

25.Vince Staples-Dark Times (B)

24.Billie Eilish-HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (B)

23.ScHoolboy Q-Blue Lips (B)

22.JPEGMAFIA-I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU (B)

21.Poppy-Negative Spaces (B)

20.High on Fire-Cometh the Storm (B+)

19.Boundaries-Death is Little More (B+)

18.Within the Ruins-Phenomena II (B+)

17.Blood Incantation-Absolute Elsewhere (B+)

16.Jack White-No Name (B+)

15.The Black Dahlia Murder-Servitude (B+)

14.Denzel Curry-King of the Mischievous South Vol.2 (B+)

13.Judas Priest-Invincible Shield (B+)

12.Kendrick Lamar-GNX (B+)

11.Remi Wolf-Big Ideas (B+)

10.Ripped to Shreds-Sanshi (B+)

9.Undeath-More Insane (B+)

8.Charli XCX-Brat (B+)

7.SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-Coup de Grace (B+)

6.King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Flight b741 (B+)

5.Job for a Cowboy-Moon Healer (B+)

4.200 Stab Wounds-Manual Manic Procedures (B+)

3.St.Vincent-All Born Screaming (A-)

2.Better Lovers-Highly Irresponsible (A)

1.Knocked Loose-You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To (A)

Awards/Superlatives:

Biggest Surprises:

1.Charli XCX-Brat

2.Poppy-Negative Spaces

3.Judas Priest-Invincible Shield

4.Undeath-More Insane

5.ScHoolboy Q-Blue Lips

Biggest Letdowns:

1.IDLES-TANGK

2.While She Sleeps-Self Hell

3.Ariana Grande-Eternal Sunshine

4.Halsey-The Great Impersonator 

5.21 Savage-american dream

Most Underrated:

1.SeeYouSpaceCowboy-Coup de Grace

2.Ripped to Shreds-Sanshi

3.Remi Wolf-Big Ideas

4.Alpha Wolf-Half Living Things

5.ScHoolboy Q-Blue Lips

Most Overrated:

1.Zach Bryan-The Great American Bar Scene 

2.Johhny Blue Skies-Passage du desir

3.Beyonce-Cowboy Carter

4.Chat Pile-Cool World

5.Defeated Sanity-Chronicles of Lunacy

Top Artists I Hope Drop an Albums in 2025 (Excluding Albums with Confirmed 2025 Release Dates):

1.Vein.fm

2.Deftones

3.Lorna Shore

4.Bad Omens

5.Emmure

Top 50 Songs (in Alphabetical Order by Artist):

200 Stab Wounds-Flesh from Within

200 Stab Wounds-Manic Manual Procedures

Alpha Wolf-Bring Back the Noise

Better Lovers-Drowning in a Burning World

Better Lovers-Future Myopia

Born of Osiris-Elevate

Boundaries-Scars on a Soul

Bring Me the Horizon-Kool-Aid

Chappell Roan-Good Luck, Babe!

Charli XCX-Sympathy is a Knife

Coheed and Cambria-Searching for Tomorrow

Denzel Curry-ULTRA SHXT (feat. Key Nyata)

Dua Lipa-Illusion

FKA twigs-Eusexua

Halsey-Lonely is the Muse

Jack White-Bombing Out

Job for a Cowboy-Into the Crystaline Crypts

Job for a Cowboy-The Sun Gave Me Ashes So I Sought Out the Moon

JPEGMAFIA-Sin Miedo

Judas Priest-Invincible Shield

Kacey Musgraves-Jade Green

Kendrick Lamar-Squabble Up

Kendrick Lamar-TV OFF (feat. Lefty Gunplay)

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Field of Vision

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard-Le Risque

Knocked Loose-Blinding Faith

Knocked Loose-Piece by Piece

Knocked Loose-Suffocate (feat. Poppy)

Kublai Khan TX-Darwinism

Kublai Khan TX-Darwinism

Luke Combs-Ain't No Love in Oklahoma

PEELINGFLESH-Shoot 2 Kill

Poppy-Negative Spaces

Poppy-Push Go

Remi Wolf-Cherries & Cream

Remi Wolf-Toro

Remi Wolf-Wave

Sabrina Carpenter-Taste

SeeYouSpaceCowboy-And the Two Slipped Into the Shadows

SeeYouSpaceCowboy...-Subtle Whispers to Take Your Breath Away

Spiritbox-Soft Spine

St. Vincent-Broken Man

St.Vincent-Sweetest Fruit

SZA-Saturn

The Black Dahlia Murder-Panic Hysteric

The Weeknd-Dancing in the Flames

Tommy Richman-Million Dollar Baby

Tove Lo-Let Me go OH OH

Undeath-Disputatious Malignancy

Undeath-More Insane

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