Favorite Albums of 2024

Better late than never! Here's my favorite albums from 2024, in alphabetical order rather than ranked this year.  There may be no ranking, but there are still some standout albums, so I've put a little 👑by those ones.

👑Adult Jazz - So Sorry So Slow👑

Top Tracks: Marquee, I Was Surprised

Aili - Nandakke?

Top Tracks: Babychan, Yubikiri

Arooj Aftab - Night Reign

Top Tracks: Raat Ki Raani, Saaqi

👑Doechii - Aligator Bites Never Heal👑

Top Tracks: Boiled Peanuts, Death Roll

Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore

Top Tracks: The Tower, The Thief

Helado Negro - PHASOR

Top Tracks: Echo Tricks Me, I Just Want To Wake Up With You

KAETO - INTRO

Top Tracks: U R MINE, YOMM

Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement

Top Tracks: Dream State, Road To Self (KO)

Kelly Lee Owens - Dreamstate

Top Tracks: Dark Angel, Higher

Lola Young - This Wasn't Meant For You Anyway

Top Tracks: Messy, Wish You Were Dead

 👑Meshell Ndegeocello - No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin👑

Top Tracks: Love, What Did I Do?

Remi Wolf - Big Ideas

Top Tracks: Soup, Kangaroo

Samora Pinderhughes - Venus Smiles Not in the House of Tears

Trop Tracks: Inertia, Slow Time

👑Shabaka - Percieve Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace👑

Top Tracks: Insecurities, Living

👑St. Vincent - All Born Screaming👑

Top Tracks: Sweetest Fruit, Hell Is Near

Tasha - All This and So Much More

Top Tracks: Living, So Much More

The Narcotix - Dying

Top Tracks: The Sun, The Lovers

👑Tyler, The Creator - CHROMAKOPIA👑

Top Tracks: I Killed You, Thought I Was Dead

And here's the playlist that goes along with the albums

Plus a playlist of all the songs I liked in 2024

Top Albums of 2023

 15. James Blake - Playing Robots Into Heaven

Top Tracks: Tell Me, If You Can Hear Me

14. Miss Grit - Follow The Cyborg

Top Tracks: Follow The Cyborg, Syncing

13. Kelela - Raven

Top Tracks: Raven, On The Run

12. Little Dragon - Slugs of Love

Top Tracks: Frisco, Disco Dangerous

11. ANOHNI and The Johnsons - My Back Was A Bridge For You To Cross

Top Tracks: Can't, It Must Change

10. Fever Ray - Radical Romantics

Top Tracks: Shiver, Carbon Dioxide

9. Meshell Ndegeocello - The Omnichord Real Book

Top Tracks: Virgo, The 5th Dimension

8. Jungle - Volcano

Top Tracks: Problemz, Dominoes

7. Corinne Bailey Rae - Black Rainbows

Top Tracks: A Spell, A Prayer, Red Horse

6. Young Fathers - Heavy Heavy

Top Tracks: I Saw, Geronimo

5. Sampha - Lahai

Top Tracks: Spirit 2.0, Jonathan L. Seagull

4. Gabriels - Angels & Queens

Top Tracks: To the Moon and Back, Stranger, Mama

3. Mali Velasquez - I'm Green

Top Tracks: Medicine, Decider

2. Yves Tumor - Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds)

Top Tracks: Echolalia, Lovely Sewer

1. Daughter - Stereo Mind Game

Top Tracks: Party, Neptune, Swim Back

You can listen to all the albums, plus a few extras, in this playlist

And here's the songs of 2023 playlist that I make in leiu of the blog now

Top Albums of 2022

10. Alt-J - The Dream

Favorite Tracks: Losing My Mind, U&ME, Chicago

9. Sudan Archives - Natural Brown Prom Queen

Favorite Tracks: TDLY (Homegrown Land), Loyal (EDD)

8. Bjork - Fossora

Favorite Tracks: Her Mother's House, Ancestress

7. The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention

Favorite Tracks: You Will Never Work In Hollywood Again, Thin Thing, We Don't Know What Tomorrow Brings

6. Rosalía - MOTOMAMI

Favorite Tracks: SAOKO, DELIRIO DE GRANDEZA, LA COMBI VERSACE

5. Saya Gray - 19 MASTERS

Favorite Tracks: EMPATHY 4 BETHANY, IF THERE'S NO SEAT IN THE SKY (WILL YOU FORGIVE ME???)

4. Wet Leg - Wet Leg

Favorite Tracks: Angelica, Chaise Longue

3. Florence + The Machine - Dance Fever

Favorite Tracks: Choreomania, Free

2. Beyoncé - RENAISSANCE

Favorite Tracks: CUFF IT, COZY, HEATED

1. Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers

Favorite Tracks: United In Grief, Mother I Sober, Auntie Diaries

And here's the playlist for good measure. It's got the 10 albums and some others that made the long list.

Top Albums of 2021

 This last has been in the works for a while, and actually complete for a while, but between moving last week and just not doing it, it's now pushed into 2022. I meant to post it yesterday, and then didn't. Whoops!

Anyway, 2021 was kind of shit, but not as bad as 2020. Overall good things though. Left a toxic job, had 6 months off, started a new job, got to see my parents, got to travel within Australia quite a bit. Many good things, when I think about it. And also good music, which is what we're all here for. 

This year I made a list of 20 albums, not 10. And I of course have a Spotify playlist for them. I also started a new playlist of all the albums I listened to and enjoyed in 2021. I started it quite late, so it's missing a lot from earlier in the year, but many good albums there. I'll link both at the bottom.

But back to the top 20. This year was hard to choose. I kept moving things around a lot. Like an album would be number 15 and then the next week number 6 and then back to 12. But in the end I think I'm happy with the order I picked. Who knows. Maybe not. The moral of the story is they are all wonderful albums that you should listen to over and over. So here we go.

20. sir Was - Let The Morning Come

19. The War On Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore

18. Yola - Stand For Myself

17. José González - Local Valley

16. Fred again... - Actual Life

15. Greentea Peng - MAN MADE

14. Maple Glider - To Enjoy Is The Only Thing

13. St. Vincent - Daddy's Home

12. Middle Kids - Today We're The Greatest

11. The Narcotix - Mommy Issues

10. Sega Bodega - Romeo

9. Squirrel Flower - planet (i)

8. Arlo Parks - Collapsed in Sunbeams

7. Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last

6. Flock of Dimes - Head of Roses

5. Sam Teskey - Cycles

4. Kan Wakan - Phantasmagoria, vol. 2

3. Remi Wolf - Juno

2. Cleo Sol - Mother

1. Hiatus Kaiyote - Mood Valiant

And as promised, here is one playlist with all of those albums:

And here is another playlist with even more albums from 2021: