All right. Time to start giving some 2024 albums some love.
Five new additions to our year-end rankings with this 10.19 update. Beyonce's Cowboy Carter is the best of the bunch, and one of our favorites of the year. It may not be the Queen Bee's best album, but in many was it's her most interesting. A deep dive into black country influences and genre-free sonic design, it's as unpredictable as anything she has done, and fantastically produced. More of a sprawling White Album than an a tight Revolver, it does have lesser patches, but the dynamic sense of adventure is more than worth the trade.
Also excellent is post-punk quartet Mannequin Pussy's I Got Heaven, by far their most nuanced and restrained album - the shoegaze-dominated first half is to die for.
Two appealing and accomplished but not knock your socks off good albums would be Brittany Howard's eclectic, Prince-like latest What Now and Choral guitarist Bill Ryder-Jones latest solo release of restrained chamber pop lechyd-Da.
Elbow's latest Audio Vertigo is a perfectly solid effort, but compared to the bulk of the band's discography, definitely middle of the pack. Couple really nifty tracks though, and livelier than other recent efforts.
And the only semi-disappointment of the bunch, Sleater-Kinney's Little Rope, which finds the band returning to the hard-hitting psychedelic sound of The Woods and No Cities To Love, but not nailing the late-60s instrumental magic this time out (though the lyrical effort is quite strong).
And speaking of psychedelia - seriously enjoying portions of Goat's self-titled latest. It's a jam.
And keep checking back for more, McQ's Best Of will be updating these best of 2024 album rankings throughout 2024 and 2025, as well as updating which albums are in the listening pool below.
Highest Recommends
1. Prelude To Ecstasy - The Last Dinner Party
2. Brat - Charlie XCX
3. Cowboy Carter - Beyonce
4. Letter To Self - Sprints
Strong Recommends
5. The Past Is Still Alive - Hurray For The Riff Raff
6. I Got Heaven - Mannequin Pussy
7. Only God Was Above Us - Vampire Weekend
8. People Who Aren't There Anymore - Future Islands
Solid Recommends
9. What Now - Brittany Howard
10. lechyd Da - Bill Ryder-Jones
12. Audio Vertigo - Elbow
13. Real Power - Gossip
Mild Recommends
14. Glasgow Eyes - The Jesus And The Mary Chain
15. Little Rope - Sleater-Kinney
16. Wall Of Eyes - The Smile
2024 Albums In The Pool (# listens in/• strong early impressions)
3+5 (1•) - Melt-Banana
All Born Screaming (2•) - St. Vincent
All Hell (1) - Los Campesinos
As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (1) - The Decemberists
Big Ideas (1) - Remi Wolf
Big Sigh (1•) - Marika Hackman
Bright Future (1) - Adrianne Lenker
Cascade (1) - Floating Points
Charm (1) - Clairo
EELS (1) - Being Dead
Fearless Movement (1•) - Kamasi Washington
Filthy Underneath (1•) - Nadine Shah
Funeral For Justice (2•) - Mdou Moctar
Goat (1•) - s/t
Harm's Way (1) - Ducks Ltd.
Here In The Pitch (1) - Jessica Pratt
Hit Me Hard And Soft 4) - Billie Eilish
If I don't make it, I love u (1) - Still House Plants
In Waves (1) - Jamie Xx
Live Drugs Again (1) - The War On Drugs
Lives Outgrown (1) - Beth Gibbons
Manning Fireworks (1) - MJ Lenderman
My Light, My Destroyer (1) - Cassandra Jenkins
Night Reign (1) - Arooj Aftab
No Name (1•) - Jack White
Orquideas (1) - Kali Uchis
Passage Du Desir (1•) - Johnny Blue Skies (aka Sturgil Simpson)
Phasor (1) - Helado Negro
Poetry (1•) - Dead
Romance (1) - Fontaines D.C.
She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (4•) - Chelsea Wolfe
Tangk (1) - Idles
Ten Fold (1) - Yaya Bey
This Could Be Texas (1) - English Teacher
Tiger's Blood (4•) - Waxahatchee
Where's My Utopia (1•) - Yard Act
Wild God (1) - Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
Last Updated 10.19.24
Previous Updates
Previous Updates
08/27/24 - Dublin punk quartet Sprints blitzkrieg of a debut Letter to Self, the most cathartically uplifting (and hook-filled) noise rock album I've heard in ages and Future Islands sometimes non-distinct but likable and always listenable latest People Who Aren't There Anymore are the latest addition to our 2024 rankings.
09.02.24 - Two new additions to our 2024 rankings. The less sophisticated but way more fun of the two is the unexpected collaboration between Oasis's Liam Gallagher & Stone Roses master guitarist John Squire. It's nothing particular original or inspiring on a songwriting/lyrical front, but Gallagher's vocals are strong and it's always a pleasure to hear the far to rarely active Squire, one of the very best guitarists rock and roll has produced since 1985, cut loose.
09.02.24 - Two new additions to our 2024 rankings. The less sophisticated but way more fun of the two is the unexpected collaboration between Oasis's Liam Gallagher & Stone Roses master guitarist John Squire. It's nothing particular original or inspiring on a songwriting/lyrical front, but Gallagher's vocals are strong and it's always a pleasure to hear the far to rarely active Squire, one of the very best guitarists rock and roll has produced since 1985, cut loose.
Far more cerebral but ultimately was less engaging is Radiohead offshoot the Smile's Wall Of Eyes. The band is definitely honing in on a unique vibe that values texture above all else, but unfortunately, after the lovely ambient double hit of the title track and the even better Teleharmonic, there's little else on the album beyond maybe penultimate track Bending Hectic that interests me. Not one I will be eagerly going back to.
As far as 2024 titles recently added to the listening pool, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Wild God and Fontaines D.C.'s Romance are the most significant. Both contain a pair of songs that really excite me, but overall, on first impression, neither album strike's me as compelling as their previous efforts. Actually surprised both are sitting as high as they are right now in the Album of the Year/Metacritic rankings, because neither feels truly exceptional. But several listens to go on each, this opinion could definitely change.
On the other hand, on first listen Nadine Shah's Filthy Underneath sounds positively badass in a PJ Harvey gone clubbing kind of way.
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