My top 50 albums of 2024

Hello and welcome to the final edition of Radio Amor for 2024.

First, I want to thank everyone who subscribed or took the time to read since this launched in the fall. Your support and encouragement has meant a lot to me and there’s a lot of great stuff in store for the coming year!

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If you haven’t had enough list mania to close out the year, I’ve got one more queued up for you after diving into my top 40 songs made by Michigan artists last week. This time, it’s simply my 50 favorite records of the year, with no emphasis on the state of Michigan (although several artists from the Mitten State appear).

I’m still sifting through so many great recommendations I’ve gotten from other lists on Substack, so please share any of your own favorite albums or songs of 2024 in the comments. The newsletter returns on Jan. 3. Happy holidays and happy New Year, everyone!

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50. Good Looks - Lived Here for a While

Chicago’s Good Looks have felt on the verge of a commercial breakthrough on each of their last two releases, including 2024’s Lived Here for a While, where songs like opener If It’s Gone apply the War on Drugs Big Guitars template to create the band’s biggest song to date. While Lived Here for a While might not qualify as an unquestioned commercial success, it’s further proof Good Looks are a band perpetually on the rise.

49. William Basinski - September 23rd

For nearly five decades, ambient artist William Basinski has proven that the emotional source of his next album can come from literally anywhere. The first release for his new Arcadia Archives series September 23rd makes good on that claim, repurposing a 1982 recording of a piano piece Basinski wrote and performed in his first New York City loft, producing magical results.

48. Ex Pilots - Motel Cable

Pittsburgh’s Ex Pilots continued to build momentum with the release of another exciting album filled with indie rock and experimental noise pop tunes on Motel Cable. The band takes on some serious GBV vibes in both sound and spirit on Motel Cable to make their best record yet, with the band proving they can pack a lot into tunes that usually run under two minutes.

47. Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor

The songwriting is even sharper on Nilüfer Yanya’s third album My Method Actor, even if she loosened the grip on her normally tightly-wound songs to make it happen. Yanya’s talent oozes out of every track on My Method Actor, another step forward for the genre bending British singer-songwriter.

46. Infant Island - Obsidian Wreath

Elements of black metal and screamo yield results both pretty and pummeling on Infant Island’s stunning album Obsidian Wreath. The Fredericksburg, Virginia band’s “pandemic record” written in 2020 burns even hotter than its previous release from the era, Beneath, displaying the band’s clear conflict with the current times in its cathartic sound.

45. Ibukun Sunday - Harmony/Balance

Nigerian electronic musician Ibukun Sunday found success marrying a pair of unlikely genre partners in ambient and West African music on his calming, contemplative debut Harmony/Balance.

44. Ducks Ltd. - Harm’s Way

Pairing the jangly guitar elements of the Jesus and Mary Chain with additional nods to New Zealand bands like The Bats and Tall Dwarfs, Ducks Ltd. delivered their best batch of songs yet on Harm’s Way. Songs like The Main Thing, Hollowed Out and Train Full of Gasoline maintain the band’s adrenaline rush guitar energy behind some of their strongest melodies to date.

43. Los Campesinos! - All Hell

As far as reunion albums go, it feels like All Hell has already cemented its status as an example of the gold standard, making a defining statement about the band as a whole. All grown up and world weary, it’s the band’s “mature” album while still managing to push it forward by paying tribute to it on this fittingly self-mythologizing epic.

42. Ty Segall - Three Bells

The always prolific king of pyschedelic garage rock delivers his most focused and inspired album since 2018’s Freedom’s Goblin on Three Bells, an album chock full of recurring themes and tempo shifts, paying tribute to Segall’s sources of domestic bliss — his wife and dog.

41. Seefeel- Everything Squared

Mark Clifford and Sarah Peacock’s first new music in 13 years came at the demand for the reissues for their critically-acclaimed albums from the mid-90’s. On Everything Squared, they pick up where they left off by combining elements of electronic, ambient and rock to create a spare but expressive sound.

40. Church Chords - elvis, he was Schlager

This truly bizarre and wonderful collage of sound experiments from Stephen Buono’s Church Chords defies description with any chance of brevity on his latest collaborative album elvis, he was Schlager. It’s probably best to just list off the rolodex of contributing musicians for the project, whose resumes include work with Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Wilco, Tortoise, Ty Segall, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Sharon Van Etten, Bright Eyes, Julia Holter, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Phoebe Bridgers, Bill Frisell and Tom Waits.

39. Billy Strings - Highway Prayers

I’ve already given plenty of flowers to Billy Strings on the blog, but let’s take a minute to applaud the ambition Strings has exhibited, both on tour and in the studio over the past year. The Jon Brion-produced Highway Prayers feels like Strings’ most deliberate artistic statement, dipping into bluegrass, outlaw country, talking blues, stoner jams and pop rock to tell the Michigan picker’s evolving story.

38. Windy & Carl - Heavy Early & The Creation Of Venus

A pair of 50-plus minute compositions serve as bookend emotions on Dearborn, Michigan, ambient duo Windy & Carl’s latest album Heavy Early & The Creation Of Venus. While Heavy Early pays tribute to tribute to the jangly guitar stylings of The Smiths’ Johnny Marr, The Creation of Venus is a more serene meditation on loss, serving as a fitting sonic tribute to Stars of the Lid composer Brian McBride.

37. Michel Banabila - Uspeakable Visions

Dutch sound artist Michel Banabila can conjure up some pretty gigantic sounding compositions that feel like they’re floating in space, found throughout his dark ambient high water mark album Unspeakable Visions. Those who dig experimental headphone music will find great rewards at every turn on Unspeakable Visions, a multi-lingual dive into the unknown bringing to mind the work of Nicolas Jaar.

36. Bladee - Cold Visions

Bladee’s latest album Cold Visions does not find him well, even if the Swedish rapper is more popular than he’s ever been. Crippled with anxiety, paranoia and rage, Cold Visions documents all of these dark moods in cold-blooded fashion throughout its 30 tracks.

35. Cryptologic Sludge - Biometric Prophet Index

There is plenty of fuzzy but intricate detail beyond the permanent buzz consistently pushing Cryptolic Sludge’s Biometric Prophet Index into eerie, fascinating territory. Divided into six big old bricks of sound experiments, the album is great fun for people who enjoy uneasy ambient listening.

34. Oso Oso - life till bones

Oso Oso’s foray into indie pop songwriting pays off on Jade Lilitri’s latest album life till bones, a short n’ sweet album full of pop gems like the country club, that’s what time does, dog without its bark and application, to list the top of the heap. It’s hard to imagine a band with Oso Oso’s pop punk appeal leaning into the stylings of bands like Phoenix on life till bones and have it somehow end up flying under the radar.

33. J.U.S. - 3rd Base

This collaboration between Bruiser Brigade producer and engineer J.U.S. and Oakland producer Squadda B was a smashing success, with the team-up helping to elevate the games of both artists. Slick shit talking abounds on 3rd Base, with J.U.S. supplying a nearly-constant braggadocio, enhanced by Squadda B’s production.

32. 1010benja - Ten Total

1010benja resurrects the thrilling elements of Kaleidoscope Dream-era Miguel with the vocal spontenaity of Prince on his juiced up album Ten Total. From pop gems to a Woody the Woodpecker cackle to a brilliant one-off guitar solo on I Can, the energetic new age R&B album reaches for pop brilliance on every track, reaching a total of TEN hits in as many tries, as its title suggests.

31. Macseal - Permanent Repeat

Perpetually underrated Long Island emo/indie rockers Macseal went ahead and made the catchiest and best album of their career on the aptly-titled Permanent Repeat. Nearly every song on the album feels positioned to be a single, even if the band’s sweet pop sound hasn’t yet yielded radio success.

30. Jack White - No Name

The same things have been said about Jack White’s latest, well-received solo album No Name: Return to form; a true rocker; the type of songs we’ve been waiting for. They’re all true, making No Name the Detroit guitar icon’s best album since Elephant.

29. Donato Dozzy - Magda

An album dedicated to his aunt and the Adriatic Sea, Italian ambient techno pioneer Donato Dozzy’s Magda is a therapeutic listen requiring you to sit and digest the emotions Dozzy aims to conjur up at his own glacial pace. Each of the album’s six tracks evoke different moods and feelings, slowing things down with a diverse set of fascinating textures that each have their own gravitational pull.

28. Christopher Owens - I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair

Christopher Owens’ first solo album in nearly 10 years feels like the closest thing we’ll ever get to another Girls album, with some of the grief on I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair reflecting the loss of former bandmate Chet “JR” White. It’s easily Owens’ best as a solo artist, feeling like an honorary fourth member of his band’s spotless discography.

27. Mount Eerie - Night Palace

Phil Elverum does a really good job of tapping into the little universe he’s created over the past 25 years or so as Mount Eerie on his latest album Night Palace. The gigantic 80-minute album feels like an encapsulation of all the best aspects of Elverum’s personalities and sound motifs.

26. CoffeeBlack, WTM Scoob - Love at First Sight?

I learned about WTM Scoob upon his return to the Detroit rap limelight in 2023 after a multi-year absence, documented by the great Alphonse Pierre in a Scoob & Sydney track review. Scoob’s drowsy delivery teams up beautifully with Detroit producer CoffeeBlack, who weaves elements of rap, soul and jazz into the album’s standout sauce: Its spacey, warped out production.

25. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

I’ve already weighed in among the considerable amount of discourse offered during Manning Fireworks Fall, but this album somehow rises to the occassion to make it one of the most relistenable indie rock records of 2024.

24. Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt

2024’s runaway winner for best album cover supplied by experimental pop artist Astrid Sonne had everyone looking into the blossoming Danish experimental pop scene. Sonne’s third album Great Doubt is a big reason why it is getting attention, with an intriguing variety of ear-catching, off-kilter pop experiments that feel like a rhythmically-inspired version of Grouper.

23. Wild Pink - Dulling the Horns

John Ross’ album winning streak continues with what feels like a greatest hits collection unfolding before you on Dulling the Horns. The band continue to churn out anthems filled with life lessons served in the form of sports metaphors, which is ideal, if you ask me.

22. Floating Points - Cascade

Sam Shepherd proved he is capable of crafting a more dancefloor-friendly mix of tunes on his thrilling album Cascade. The album’s deliberately more upbeat tunes unfold with the same careful consideration Shepherd has paid to ambient, jazz and krautrock music in the past, giving off mad scientist vibes that are fun to shake your butt to.

21. Fred Thomas - Window in the Rhythm

Fred Thomas’ latest solo album is a perfect encapsulation of a number of things he’s done well over the course of his career. Window in the Rhythm takes its time to unfold in reconsidering past truths, putting on display Thomas’ prowess as a lyricist and songwriter.

20. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch

It feels almost disrespectful to rank an album this good this low, given the consensus instant classic status the arresting Here in the Pitch has already earned for sounding old in all the best ways. Here in the Pitch opener Life Is and album closer The Last Year combine to make for the best pair of album bookends released in 2024.

19. BABEHOVEN - Water’s Here in You

The dreamy pop formula BABEHOVEN have worked hard to perfect and make their own is fully on display on their second official full length album, Water’s Here for You. Singer-songwriter Maya Bon’s spacey but reassuring delivery pairs perfectly with collaborator Ryan Albert to combine elements of bedroom pop, shoegaze and folk into a harmonious core sound that rarely feels less than angelic.

18. Being Dead - EELS

Being Dead’s EELS is a great example of what indie rock bands should aspire to sound like in 2024, with catchy songs that veer into exciting and sometimes silly territory. EELS isn’t afraid to change tempos on you mid-song if it suits tunes like Ballerina, which feels like the band creating a mashup of several of its best sounds on the spot.

17. The Fauns - How Lost

With so much emphasis on the revival of shoegaze and all of its new iterations during the early part of this decade, a band like The Fauns feel a bit like a throwback. The Bristol, UK band’s first album in more than 10 years, How Lost, is steeped in the dreamy DNA of shoegaze’s first wave while still sounding fresh, proving again there’s more to the genre than a wall of distortion and feedback.

16. Ariel Kalma - The Closest Thing to Silence

Ariel Kalma has released a concerning amount of music this year. Seriously, how were there even enough minutes in the year to release the amount of material he’s put out (Spotify counts TWENTY-TWO releases of some sort)? Anyway, The Closes Thing to Silence was the best thing he released during a busy year, featuring contributions from Jeremiah Chiu and Marta Sofia Honer that make the album’s jazzy, ambient and electronic soundscapes so interesting, it can’t help but stand out above the rest.

15. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

How many indie rock bands out there can boast a 5-for-5 effort in churning out critically lauded albums to start their career? Vampire Weekend dive into and question their own musical lore on Only God Was Above Us, serving as a tribute to the band’s first act while setting the stage for its next one.

14. Dummy - Free Energy

Dummy’s breakthrough album Free Energy is sure to invite Stereolab talk, but the comparison comes behind the band’s militaristic precision rather than via sound emulation. The band can genre hop effortlessly, with the ability to, as Eli Enis puts it, hit all the pleasure points for millennials who view the 90s the way boomers view the 60s.

13. Hovvdy - Hovvdy

The front porch rock made by bands like Hovvdy can have diminishing returns, but that’s certainly not the case on the Austin band’s exceptional self-titled double album. Every blip of sound on the band’s warm, inviting 19 songs feels carefully considered and executed.

12. Empress Of - For Your Consideration

An experimental pop record on par with brat, in my humble opinion, Empress Of fluidly switches languages, tempos and genres to a dazzling effect throughout For Your Consideration. What Lorely Rodriguez delivers consisently on For Your Consideration is her passion and sex appeal on an endlessly catchy album fixated on burning romance.

11. Fine - Rocky Top Ballads

Unfolding like a hazy dream with old home movies playing silently in the background, Danish singer/songwriter Fine’s debut album Rocky Top Ballads is all about creating a mood. Repeated listens only add to the intrigue about the meanings behind songs like Losing Tennessee, giving Rocky Top Ballads a sound that feels incredibly unique but instantly familiar.

10. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

I recently had a conversation with my cousin about The Cure’s shockingly awesome, out-of-nowhere new album Songs of a Lost World. I’m sure it went like just about any exchange you’ve had with someone in discussing this masterful and timeless album, with a lot of King of the Hill uh-huhing going on about how this magical band pulled off a late career classic that feels appropriate for these times.

9. Johnny Blue Skies/Sturgill Simpson - Passage Du Desir

Regardless of what we’re calling Sturgill Simpson these days, it’s hard to argue he’s not at the top of his game based on footage from his epic run of live shows in 2024. Passage Du Desir is where some of those absolute rippers reside comfortably alongside some of the best songs of his career.

8. Rosali - Bite Down

Bite Down has an will continue to appear on a lot of year end lists, and that’s no accident. Those who still seek the thrills that come with simple, restrained rock with the occassional release found a constant companion on Bite Down, with Rosali’s sharp songwriting and Natalie Merchant-esque drawl proving a more than formidable combo.

7. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

How does she keep getting better? Tigers Blood finds Katie Crutchfield tweaking the already brilliant sound of her previous breakthrough Saint Cloud ever so slightly to make it feel like an upgrade during an ongoing period of brilliance.

6. Kelly Moran - Moves in the Field

This was my “pretty, expressive piano music record” that turned into a listening obsession over the course of the year. Kelly Moran’s brilliant instinct for crafting memorable, feathery-light melodies is on display throughout the beautiful Moves in the Field.

5. Fuubutsushi - Meridians

After remotely cranking out four albums in a year during the pandemic in 2020-21, ambient jazz and neoclassical instrumentalists Fuubutsushi returned in 2024 with Meridians, an 80-minute, genre-spanning instrumental record that feels naturally cohesive. Regardless of genre; melody and experimentation are both in ample supply on Meridians, one of the most rewarding listens of the year.

4. DORIS - Ultimate Love Songs Collection

Frank Dorrey has a lot to say across his debut album that comes in the form of 50 lo-fi sketches that feel lived in and carefully considered. The result is a true lightning in a bottle mix that doesn’t come off as a collection of one-offs on Ultimate Love Songs Collection, but instead the most poignant observations captured in the moment by an artist in the zone.

3. Charli XCX- brat

Everybody loved brat and a lot of people made summer plans around it or something. Whatever your feelings are about brat discourse at this stage of the year, there is no denying Charli’s best batch of club classics started a movement, making it the stone cold consensus album of 2024.

2. Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot

I’ve written plenty about the miraculous success story of Upper Peninsula pop punk band Liquid Mike at this point — it’s time for the numbers to do the talking. Between listening to this album for an article I wrote for my job to playing it for just about any friend or family member who would listen, I played a track from Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot 695 times in the past year. That feels like a lot — maybe too much.

1. This is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star

With a new favorite song emerging with every listen, this unlikely album of the year pick from This is Lorelei gains steam the deeper you go into the tracklisting. That was by design for singer-songwriter Nate Amos, who shared his vision for making the thematic Box for Buddy, Box for Star a builder in an outstanding interview with Arielle Gordon for The Creative Independent, along with other insights about what make this funny, diverse indie rock record so special.