Letter 9 - Favourite Albums and Songs of 2024
Hi,
Generally I’m not massively in to ranking music, not least because my opinion of a record’s quality can so easily shift over time.
Nonetheless, multiple people asked me was I going to do this, and it was very helpful as a process of examining and re-visiting songs and albums from earlier in the year.
You’ll receive one more letter before the new year, with every movie I’ve watched that was released in 2024 ranked and rated.
Please like & subscribe, share with anyone who would enjoy, and let me know what you think of any of the recommendations (either directly or in the comments below).
Much love, Odhran x
Song of the Year
I primarily write about albums rather than individual songs, for a host of reasons that I’ll discuss in my next letter, however I have actually really enjoyed putting together a playlist of my 50 favourite songs released in 2024.
I’ve limited myself to one song per artist, and even taking that approach I had compiled over 150 songs in a few hours, which took me about a day to get down to 80 or so, and then another two days to get that down to 50.
So if you’re ready to get genre-whiplash, I’ve created a playlist of my favourite 50 songs from 2024 here on Apple and Spotify (with my favourite at the top).
Also fair warning to anyone at home seeing their family for the holidays, my track of the year is relatively NSFW, so maybe stick the headphones on rather than blasting it on your ma’s Alexa.
Album of the Year
After a fairly inconsistent start to the year in terms of quality releases, looking back 2024 is probably the strongest year of the decade of far, so it was very difficult choosing my 50 favourite albums of 2024.
Although I use the phrase “album” here, I have included a handful of EPs as well provided they were at least 6 songs and 30 minutes long.
I’ve set all 50 out below, but in order to keep this letter somewhat brief I’ve been quite limited with how much detail I provide on each record, as quite a few I’ve discussed in previous letters, some I’ll discuss in future letters, and some have been discussed to death this year.
Please do give these a listen, where available I embedded a link to the Bandcamp streaming page for the record. There’s no playlist for this section, but there is a playlist of my favourite songs of 2024 above.
50. The Shovel Dance Collective - The Shovel Dance
Genre(s): Folk, experimental folk & drone.
For fans of: Lankum, John Francis Flynn & One Leg One Eye.
Songs to try: The Merry Golden Trees & The Rolling Wave
A 9-piece who reinterpret and rearrange traditional English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh folk music. The Merry Golden Tree is my favourite track, with the chorus of vocals building throughout. There’s a lot to this album and the band’s previous releases - politically motivated and with deep historical context to each of their songs, a band well worth sinking your teeth into.
49. And So I Watch You From Afar - Megafauna
Genre(s): Math-rock, post-rock & instrumental rock.
For fans of: Black Country, New Road, Mogwai & King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard.
Songs to try: North Coast Megafauna & Mother Belfast Pt.2
Hitting play on this gave me a Ratatouille moment to drinking pints underage at their gigs in the Nerve Centre in Derry. Incredible instrumental rock and metal - my favourite track is North Coast Megafauna where the band play the same trick of ending the song three times, which I am yet to tire of.
48. Etran de L’aïr - 100% Sahara Guitar
Genre(s): Desert rock, psychedelic rock & taureg guitar.
For fans of: Mdou Moctar, Jimi Hendrix & Goat.
Songs to try: Imouha & Idgre Massina.
The first of two Saharan rock albums on this list, I’ll write more about this unique scene in 2025.
47. Rory Sweeney - Carlos Danger presents: Irish Hash Mafia
Genre(s): Hip-hop, underground hip-hop.
For fans of: Earl Sweatshirt, Kojaque & MF DOOM.
Songs to try: Roma Chipper Loughlinstown & Cuck Life.
Prolific underground Irish producer Rory Sweeney brings together a host of faces of the burgeoning underground Irish hip-hop scene - another topic I’ll write about in 2025. Some of the production on this goes crazy, and some really funny samples, including Eamon Dunphy’s legendary Rod Liddle rant.
46. Gurriers - Come and See
Genre(s): Post-punk, punk & alternative rock.
For fans of: Fontaines D.C IDLES & Amyl and The Sniffers
Songs to try: Des Goblin & Top of the Bill.
I briefly discussed this record in my Letter 2 - “A record with relentlessly high energy guitars and drums - think early-Fontaines but more agro.”
45. Tess Parks - Pomegranate
Genre(s): Psychedelic pop, sunshine pop & indie-rock.
For fans of: the Mamas & the Papas, The Eagles & Jessica Pratt.
Songs to try: California’s Dreaming & Lemon Poppy
Another record I briefly discussed in Letter 2 (“trippy dreamy vocals with lyrics clearly written from a pretty dark place”) - this record has only grown on me since then.
44. Konkolo Orchestra - Future Pasts
Genre(s): Afrobeat, jazz-fusion & highlife.
For fans of: Ezra Collective, Kokoroko & Fela Kuti.
Songs to try: Blue G & Future Pasts.
A very strong afrobeat & jazz fusion debut from the Berlin based outfit, a fitting follow up to 2022 single Blue G. Big things ahead.
43. EX GENERATION - The Napoli Exchange
Genre(s): Jazz-fusion, funk & boogie.
For fans of: Nu Genea, Ezra Collective & BadBadNotGood.
Songs to try: Holding Your Heart & Venus e Fortuna.
I wrote extensively about this record in Letter 7 about the Neapolitan funk scene - “Holding Your Heart showcases the crossover of Neapolitan funk/Italo disco with what I’d usually consider to a distinctly London neo-soul sound, although I can’t seem to find out much Honeylips, who’s buttery vocals feature on this song”.
42. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
Genre(s): Indie-folk, country-folk & alternative rock.
For fans of: Phoebe Bridgers, Boy Genius & MJ Lenderman.
Songs to try: Right Back to It & Crimes of the Heart.
This record would be higher up my list if it wasn’t an almost complete repeat of Saint Cloud (2020). I adored that album and it was really important for me in getting through Covid lockdowns, but I did not need a part 2. Tiger Blood is still objectively brilliant though, and the duet with MJ Lenderman on Right Back to It is an instant classic.
41. Kayla Painter - Fractures
Genre(s): Experimental electronic, dark techno & ambient.
For fans of: Aphex Twin, Auchetre & Burial.
Songs to try: Clipper & Fractured in Space.
An album dedicated to outer space. Third track Clipper (named after the recently launched NASA satellite “Europa Clipper”) is a trippy techno track that I’ve had on repeat, and Fractured in Space is an enveloping but dark astral soundscape. Not for the fainthearted.
40. High Vis - Guided Tour
Genre(s): Hardcore, Punk & Britpop.
For fans of: Fontaines DC, IDLES & Oasis.
Songs to try: Mind’s a Lie, Mob DLA & Feeling Bless.
Another record I discussed in Letter 2 - “If you’re into bands with shouty northern Englishmen, then oh boy do I have the record for you. Regardless of the rest of this record, stop whatever you’re doing right now and listen to Mind’s a Lie, its penultimate track. Undoubtedly one of the best singles of 2024, with the angelic voice of DJ Ell Murphy’s contrasted with frontman Graham Sayle’s screaming scouse vocals, creating something truly unique.”
39. I. JORDAN - I AM JORDAN
Genre(s): Breaks, rave & techno.
For fans of: HAAi, Overmono & Effy.
Songs to try: The Countdown & Real Hot n Naughty.
Do you want bangers? Because I. JORDAN has them. I haven’t been able to decide if Real Hot n Naughty featuring the distinct vocals of Felix Mufti is brilliant or the most annoying track of the year, but I’ve kept going back to it, and it was well received blasting out of my speakers by the folk sitting near me on the early Monday morning at Glastonbury’s stone circle.
38. Bassolino - Città Futura
Genre(s): Jazz fusion, funk & Italo disco.
For fans of: Nu Genea & Herbie Hancock.
Songs to try: Città Futura & Fuga Finale.
Another Neapolitan funk record I discussed in Letter 7 - “He achieves this cinematic soundscape with the vocals and guitar on ‘E Parole, conjuring up dramatic shots of the Italian coast, and on the jazz-heavy penultimate and final tracks Città Futura and Fuga Finale featuring dramatic arpeggios and basslines perfectly suited to 70’s and ‘80s spy and gangster films.”
37. salute - True Magic
Genre(s): House & UK garage.
For fans of: Barry Can’t Swim, TSHA & Joy Anonymous.
Songs to try: saving flowers & lift off!.
The most underrated house record of 2024, salute’s debut full-length album is a high-tempo bubblegum good time. The production on this is sick, and the tracks sound great on a club soundsystem. None of the tracks themselves made it on to my song of the year list, but only because they’re a little bit too pop for me on their own, but I really love it as a complete piece. One of my most listened to albums this year according to Spotify stats.
36. Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat
Genre(s): Indie folk & acoustic singer-songwriter.
For fans of: Joni Mitchell, Big Thief & Haley Heynderickx.
Songs to try: Caroline & Patterns.
As perhaps hinted at in Letter 3, I’m not always the biggest fan of Laura Marling’s records, or at least I’m not as big a fan as I would expect to be. This is primarily as I generally haven’t found what she has to say in her music particularly interesting. But she is undoubtedly one of the greatest songwriters of her generation in terms of skill, and some of the lyricism and musicality on this record really is stunning, particularly on Patterns and Caroline (the latter being 8th on my song of the year list). It’s grown on me over the past few months and I think I’ll continue returning to it.
35. Elkka - Prism of Pleasure
Genre(s): House, electronica & deep house.
For fans of: Sofia Kourtesis, Bonobo & Ross From Friends.
Songs to try: Right Here, Make Me & Passionfruit.
The debut LP from Elkka is vastly different to the banging techno of her DJ sets. Similarly to salute, is house music at its core, but where salute’s record is upbeat and “fun”, Elkka’s is more sensual in tone as an exploration of her identity as a queer woman. A fantastic electronica record as a sum of its parts. Excited to see where she goes next.
34. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future
Genre(s): Country-folk, indie folk & acoustic singer-songwriter.
For fans of: Big Thief, Waxahatchee & Phoebe Bridgers.
Songs to try: Sadness As A Gift & Fool.
Adrianne’s prolific songwriting and consistent quality is so impressive. I’ve never been a huge fan of her band Big Thief, but this album and it’s openness really spoke to me. Sadness As A Gift is the clear standout but opening track Real House is truly unique.
33. Dar Disku - Dar Disku
Genre(s): House, nu-disco & raï.
For fans of: The Isley Brothers, Asha Puthli & DJ Plead.
Songs to try: Dbayli, Baar Baar & Ya Nas.
I discussed this record in Letter 6 - “Indian disco royalty Asha Puthli features on Baar Baar, a Bollywood-inspired song. My favourite track on the album Dbayli has this incredible North African drumbeat and wavy slightly off-beat vocals from Algerian singer Yacine Elkhaldi.”
32. ScHoolboy Q - Blue Lips
Genre(s): Hip-hop & gangsta rap.
For fans of: Kendrick Lamar, A$AP Rocky & Freddie Gibbs.
Songs to try: THank god 4 me & Yeern 101.
It’s impressive that Q is still able to produce records of this quality this far into his career. Intricate rhymes and quality hooks is what we have come to expect from Q since Habits & Contradictions (2012) but what’s most impressive about this record is his versatility in switching up styles and flows throughout to the extent Blue Lips can feel like multiple records in one.
31. Loidis - One Day
Genre(s): Minimal Techno, ambient & dub-techno.
For fans of: Skee Mask, K-Lone & DjRUM.
Songs to try: Wait & See & Tell Me.
Like most people I only came across this album when it topped Resident Advisor’s best records of 2024 list. You know a stripped back techno album is good when its got the old dance heads scared about the return of minimal techno and the gatekeeping and dancefloor politics that came with it.
Though rolling glitchy broken drums, this is perfect a dark and gloomy minimal record.
30. Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness
Genre(s): Punk, pub rock & hardcore.
For fans of: IDLES, Mannequin Pussy, Viagra Boys.
Songs to try: Chewing Gum, Jerkin & U Should Not Be Doing That.
You can read my write-up of this record in Letter 2 - “Somehow Amyl appear to have made what is surely to be their most commercially successful album without betray their schooner-throwing Melbourne pub rock attitude”.
29. Four Tet - Three
Genre(s): Electronica, folktronica & ambient.
For fans of: Floating Points, Bonobo & Caribou.
Songs to try: Three Drums & Loved.
I briefly wrote about this record in Letter 4 - “a strong return to his ambient and folktronica roots, with Loved and Three Drums being the ambient highlights”.
28. Tyler, The Creator - CHROMAKOPIA
Genre(s): Hip-hop, alternative hip-hop & R&B.
For fans of: Kanye West, Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar.
Songs to try: Noid & Rah Tah Tah.
One of the more commercially successful releases on this list, another self-produced sprawling high-concept record from Tyler. Despite clocking in at 53 minutes, it’s a breezy listen. One of my most played albums of the year by streaming stats - not my favourite Tyler album but another quality addition to this back catalogue.
27. shiv - the defiance of a sad girl
Genre(s): Neo-soul & R&B .
For fans of: Jorja Smith, Yazmin Lacey Sampha &.
Songs to try: cherry pie & long route house.
A stunning sophomore from the Irish R&B singer. An album written and recorded after multiple break-ups, an emigration and leaving her management, this is a mature record about transition, growing up and relationships. Reminiscent of early Jorja Smith, cherry pie featuring probably my favourite rapper Kojaque is the absolute standout.
26. L’Impératrice - Pulsar
Genre(s): Nu-disco, electropop & funk.
For fans of: Daft Punk, Metronomy & Biig Piig.
Songs to try: Me Da Igual & Danzu Marilù.
I discussed this record in Letter 6 - “Me Da Igual is sensationally catchy and you can feel early Daft Punk’s influence all over it, which leads to Love from the Other Side, which sounds not unlike female-led Metronomy song. Closing off this brilliant 4-track run is the Italo disco banger Danzu Marilù featuring Italian singer Fabiana Martone - my favourite song on the album”.
25. Geordie Greep - The New Sound
Genre(s): Art rock, jazz fusion & post-punk.
For fans of: Steely Dan, black midi & Black Country, New Road.
Songs to try: Holy, Holy & Blues.
A frankly insane debut solo LP from the former black midi frontman Geordie Greep (his birth name, not a stage name). A concept album with a rotating cast of pathetic and often horrible male characters exposing their inner thoughts set to funk, jazz fusion and art rock. A theatrical album that sounds like it was made by evil Steely Dan - it’s remarkable musically, really funny and frankly a much better record than anything black midi ever put out.
24. Curtisy - WHAT WAS THE QUESTION
Genre(s): Hip-hop, underground hip-hop.
For fans of: Earl Sweatshirt, MF DOOM & Kojaque.
Songs to try: Landmine! & Lower Your Hopes.
The second record from the Irish underground hip-hop scene on this list. Like Irish Hash Mafia, you can feel Curtisy’s influences in Earl and DOOM permeating through this record. I’m going to write more about this scene in later letters.
23. Nia Archives - Silence is Loud
Genre(s): Jungle, breakbeat & “jungle-R&B”.
For fans of: piri & tommy, Overmono & SHERELLE.
Songs to try: Crowded Roomz & Forbidden Feelinz.
Nia continues to go from strength-to-strength, from viral Boiler Room sets, to DIY-live shows and a slew of quality singles over the past few years, Silence is Loud is another critical step on her journey of bringing jungle into the mainstream. The album blends classic jungle and breakbeat with R&B and pop vocals. It suffers a common issue these days where I had rinsed the singles before the album came out, so I haven’t been able to enjoy it as much as I should have, but it’s still a sterling record chock-full of emotive bangers.
22. Or:la - Trusting Theta
Genre(s): Techno, minimal techno.
For fans of: Skee Mask, Midland & Shanti Celeste.
Songs to try: Chant & Slay The Beast.
An understated full-length album from Derry-native DJ & producer Orla Dooley. Mostly deep and dark techno, the tempo picks up later in the album, including a feature from Eliza Rose, but my favourite track is Chant, where I’m a little obsessed with Or:la’s Derry-accented vocals.
21. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven
Genre(s): Punk, indie-rock & alternative rock.
For fans of: Amyl and The Sniffers & IDLES.
Songs to try: I Got Heaven & I Don’t Know You.
One of the best-named bands about and one of the best rock albums of 2024. Don’t take indie-rock lead single I Don’t Know You as instructive of their typical sound, this is a loud and heavy female-led punk band. They’re absolutely electric live, and funny too - still laugh when I think of their “BBC6 Music Daddy” joke during their Glastonbury set.
20. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch
Genre(s): Dream-pop, psychedelic rock & avant-garde pop.
For fans of: Cindy Lee, Chromatics & Iron & Wine.
Songs to try: Life Is & World on a String.
A difficult artist to fill the “For fans of” section as her voice is so unique and singular. A dream-pop album from a different time and place. Despite that, the similarities to Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee are pretty clear, and it’s nuts these two records were released in the same year. Some of the lyricism is truly beautiful, if a challenge to always accurately interpret at times.
19. Kneecap - Fine Art
Genre(s): Hip-hop, alternative hip-hop & electronic.
For fans of: The Streets, Run the Jewels & Bob Vylan.
Songs to try: Fine Art & Better Way to Live.
An act that has had a huge 2024. If you’d have told me in 2018 that the Belfast smicks (no offence intended) who released Your Sniffer Dogs Are Shite would be nominated for multiple academy awards for a semi-biopic, I’d have laughed in your face. Linking up with Toddla T to make a concept album set in a rough Irish pub, Fine Art is a real landmark in the trio’s journey. Features from Lankum’s Radie Peat and Fontaines D.C.’s Grian Chatten give the album external legitimacy from the off.
If you’re wondering (as I was) how those features came about, Dan Lambert (Bohemians FC’s COO) is Kneecap’s manager, Radie Peat’s partner and good friend of Grian.
18. Freddie Gibbs - You Only Die 1nce
Genre(s): Hip-hop & gangsta rap.
For fans of: Vince Staples, Schoolboy Q & Earl Sweatshirt.
Songs to try: Brick Fees & Wolverine.
I discussed this album in Letter 3 - “some of the flow shifts on Brick Fees are crazy, and his innate ability to layer each syllable to act as a beat on top of the drum machine under his bars is a marvel”. I had thought it might be the best hip-hop record of 2024 at the time, however it hasn’t quite stuck with me as much as I thought it would, and there are a few others higher in this list.
17. Jasmine Myra - Rising
Genre(s): Jazz & spiritual jazz.
For fans of: Nubya Garcia, Bonobo & Shabaka.
Songs to try: Rising & Glimmers.
A beautiful jazz record I discussed in Letter 4 “The second half of Glimmers has this repeating melody that strains against its serene surroundings, desperate to be played at a faster pace to a baying dancefloor. Glimmers has notes of hip-hop beats - a hit at the origins of Jasmine’s song writing being in jazz rap - Jasmine credits MF DOOM and Madlib’s classic album Madvillainy (one of my favourite records) as a key influence.”
16. Goat - Goat
Genre(s): Psychedelic Rock, Funk & Afrobeat.
For fans of: Led Zeppelin, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard & Mdou Moctar.
Songs to try: One More Death, Goatbrain & Dollar Bill.
You can read my write up of this album in Letter 2 - “not bound by genre, interpolating tribal beats with Hendrix-style guitar riffs. The screaming female vocals on tracks like One More Death conjure up images of a tribal call-to-war, whilst Goatbrain and Dollar Bill feature more funk and pop elements than their previous releases.”
15. Haley Heynderickx - Seed of a Seed
Genre(s): Indie-folk.
For fans of: Laura Marling, Phoebe Bridgers & Adrianne Lenker
Songs to try: Seed of a Seed & Foxglove.
I discussed this album in Letter 3 - “Gemini features a split-personality view of Haley being a woman addicted to her phone, avoiding texts and purchasing “useless things” for “someone’s profit”, and being a woman who pulls “the fuck over / just to stare at purple clover off the highway / and see the clover as a gift / a gift I almost missed / you know I finally begin to feel better”. This dichotomy speaks to the core of this album; the challenge of existing as a consumer in the modern world, when really simplicity of life, primarily in the form of connection with nature, is what we crave.”
14. Kendrick Lamar - GNX
Genre(s): Hip-hop & west coast hip-hop.
For fans of: Is this needed? You know the score with king kenny.
Songs to try: squabble up & luther.
A surprise album from Kendrick acting both as a victory lap for his beef with Drake and a tribute to west coast hip-hop. tv off and squabble up are the Kendrick of this era at his best, and luther with SZA continues to grow on me. I’m not hugely into west coast hip-hop and I’m very tired of thinking about Drake, so there’s bits of this that I’m not mad about, but I’m always grateful for any Kendrick release.
13. Floating Points - Cascade
Genre(s): Techno, house & rave.
For fans of: Four Tet, Jamie xx & Caribou.
Songs to try: Birth4000 & Vocoder [Club Mix].
I briefly wrote about this album in Letter 1 - “Sam Shepard at his raviest - I can't express my enthusiasm for this record as I would like to because the first 4 of 9 tracks were released as singles over the last 2 and a half years - an increasingly common and frustrating release strategy, however Birth4000 is an all time dancefloor filler.”
12. Ezra Collective - Dance, No One’s Watching
Genre(s): Jazz & jazz fusion.
For fans of: Kokoroko, SAULT & Yussef Dayes
Songs to try: Ajala & God Gave Me Feet For Dancing.
I wrote a long-form review of this album in my very first letter. Ajala is an all-timer, 3rd on my song of the year list.
11. Khruangbin - A LA SALA
Genre(s): Psychedelic rock.
For fans of: any of the bands I listed in Letter 5.
Songs to try: Pon Pón & A Love International.
After experimenting with disco and funk on third LP Mordecai (2020), soul and R&B with Leon Bridges on EP Texas Moon (2022), and afro-funk and soul with Vieux Faraka Touré on fourth LP Ali (2022), Khruangbin’s fifth LP is a return to the bands roots of sunny laid back psychedelic guitar and sparsely used whispered vocals. “A La Sala” means “to the living room”, representing that this record is a journey back to their home.
I love early Khruangbin, this record and the live show that went with it, but I do wish they had kept some more of the elements of their last three releases on this one.
10. Sloucho - NPC
Genre(s): UK Garage, techno and alternative hip-hop.
For fans of: Two Shell, Joy Orbison and Overmono.
Songs to try: Brand New & Come Around.
Another release from the Dublin underground scene, Sloucho is an anonymous producer similar in the style of Two Shell, and whilst their schtick (and music) mostly bores me now, Sloucho and his EP NPC thrills me. Blending grime and hyper-pop with garage and techno, NPC has about 4 of my favourite tracks this year, and Brand New is 7th on my song of year list.
Like Curtisy & co, this is a record and a producer I’ll discuss more next year.
9. Rich Ruth - Water Still Flows
Genre(s): Ambient, jazz & drone metal.
For fans of: Ishmael Ensemble, Lankum & Jon Hopkins.
Songs to try: Action at a Distance, Crying in the Trees & Aspiring to the Sky.
I wrote about this album in Letter 4 - “opening track Action at a Distance starts typically for an ambient jazz album - some gentle flute, the plucking of a harp and some drawn-out subtle synths. It builds intensity by adding jazz drums alongside electronic beats, the quiet of Rich’s guitar and a higher tempo synth melody, but the suspicion that I’m listening to something unexpected is aroused when elements of The Who’s Wont Get Fooled Again begin to come through the synths and drums. The song really takes off when Rich’s guitar comes into focus with some distorted riffs and a lengthy solo, which completes this pastiche of an 80s arcade game soundtrack.”
8. Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice
Genre(s): Desert rock, psychedelic rock & taureg guitar
For fans of: Jimi Hendrix, Los Bitchos & Etran de L’Aïr..
Songs to try: Funeral for Justice & Imouhar.
The second of two Saharan rocks albums in this list, Funeral for Justice is a deeply political album written about the abuses colonial actions of France and the USA has on his native Niger. I’ll talk more about this album and desert rock generally next year.
As an aside, Mdou Moctar is probably the best guitarist I’ve seen in person - like seeing Hendrix in the flesh.
7. RÓIS - MO LÉAN
Genre(s): Experimental folk, .
For fans of: Lankum, Enya Sinead O’Connor.
Songs to try: CAOINE & WHAT DO YOU SAY.
RÓIS (real name Rose Connolly, an experimental-folk artist and vocalist from County Fermanagh) wrote, recorded, produced (with help with Lankum producer & sound engineer John “Spud” Murphy) and released MO LÉAN entirely independently.
An exploration of Irish traditions around death, the album notes describe it as a re-imagination of “the tradition of ‘keening’ in Ireland, that goes back to pre-christian times, a practice in which women, or bean caointe, would keen a lamenting wail at the side of a coffin during a wake. After discovering two out three lasting recordings of keening songs, RÓIS was inspired by their ethereal melodies to give them a modern reworking.”
Dark and sweeping soundscapes are perforated by Rois’ stunning vocals. CAOINE is the centrepiece of the record - a reworking of a keening song Connolly heard on local radio. If you listen to it, give it til about 30 seconds before her vocals appear, and about 2:20 until the drums kick in.
It’s not all doom and gloom on this LP, the sampling of a radio death notices is a great example of Irish gallows humour.
I only listened to this album for the first time a few weeks ago (shout to the Nialler9 podcast as always), each time I’ve gone back to write this list it’s jumped up a number of places.
6. Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal
Genre(s): Hip-hop & R&B
For fans of: Wu-Tang Clan, Nicki Minaj & Lauryn Hill.
Songs to try: DENIAL IS A RIVER & NISSAN ALTIMA.
I wrote about this record in Letter 3 - “a tour de force, showcasing the TDE signed rapper’s versatility and skill across a seemingly never ending list of vocal and songwriting disciplines.”
Doechii’s had a several major moments since since I wrote that letter - a breakout live performance at Tyler’s Camp Flognaw, a self-choregraphed performance on the Colbert Show, and then her hyped has been into overdrive by one of 2024’s best Tiny Desk Concerts. Each of which added extra dimensions to to this mixtape, and I’m even more impressed with it since learning it was written from scratch and fully recorded, produced and mastered in a single month.
My conclusion in Letter 3 still stands - “The only draw back on this record is that it is very much a mixtape and not a coherent album, and it does feel like Doechii is holding something back here. It’s clear that Alligator is not an attempt to achieve critical or commercial success, but to show the world how talented she is, and to set the stage for the soon-to-be queen of hip-hop to take her place on the throne.”
The high points continue to rise in my estimation, and Nissan Altima takes 1st place on my song of year list. As whispers of Doechii coming for Nicki Minaj’s crown as the queen of hip-hop continue to gather volume, I actually think it’s some of the greats on other side of the gender divide that should be looking over their shoulder.
5. Fontaines D.C. - Romance
Genre(s): Post-punk, brit-pop & rock.
For fans of: Pulp, Bloc Party & IDLES..
Songs to try: Starburster & Favourite.
The best contemporary rock band in the world. Fontaines D.C. have gone from strength to strength, and every time I see them live they’re about twice as good as the last time. So satisfying to see a band who started off so strongly with Dogrel (2019) continue to evolve with each passing year.
Romance is a tightly produced album, which doesn’t linger too long at 37 minutes. Although I loved Skinty Fia (2023), Romance takes a step away from some of the chuggier moments in that record to release one that has banger after banger. I’m a huge fan of the nu-mental aesthetic they adopted for this release, and some of the videos they’ve put out alongside it are great.
The peaks on Romance are so startlingly high - perhaps the highest of their career - Starburster is the best rock song released this decade so far (and 2nd on my song of the year list), the wonderfully nostalgic brit-pop Favourite was my wife and I’s first dance song at our wedding.
4. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
Genre(s): Indie Singer-Songwriter, Country Folk, Soft Rock
For fans of: Waxahatchee, Daniel Johnston, Phoebe Bridgers
Songs to check out: She's Leaving you & Wristwatch.
I briefly wrote about this album in Letter 1 - “MJ has a warming brand of americana songwriting, built upon repeated throwaway phases that feel abstract at first listen, but when layered together throughout each song form half-metaphors displaying a cohesive message, or at least, a consistent vibe. The record sounds exactly like it was written in a bible-belt highway diner, by a somewhat depressed 20-something year old, on 40mg of Adderall and his 3rd coffee of the day”.
She’s Leaving You is my personal favourite, and 4th on my song of the year list. I was lucky catch MJ live in London a few weeks ago, where he gave the performance of a seasoned veteran, not of a 25 year old.
3. Nala Sinephro - Endlessness
Genre(s): Ambient, jazz & spiritual jazz.
For fans of: Floating Points, Alice Coltrane & Shabaka.
Songs to try: Continuum 1, Continuum 2 & Continuum 3.
I wrote about this album at length in Letter 4 - “despite its minimalist approach, Endlessness is so rich its hard to know what to praise, but the marrying of Nubya Garcia’s dreamlike saxophone with Lyle Barton’s pulsing electro-synths on Continuum 6, followed by the arpeggio’s gradual slowing to a trot on Continuum 7, is probably my favourite part of the album”.
Nala’s live show is absolutely excellent, if you get the chance to see it.
2. Charli xcx - BRAT
Genre(s): Pop, hyperpop & electro-pop,.
For fans of: Caroline Polachek, SOPHIE & FKA Twigs.
Songs to try: Everything is romantic & 365.
There’s not much more to say about BRAT that hasn’t already been said. Charli’s magnum opus, the pinnacle of her career, a masterpiece from beginning to end, including the extended version and fantastic remix album.
I love it’s honesty and openness in its lyricism - what other major pop star would sing about her inner turmoil over whether she should have children and how doing so would impact her career on I think about it all time, and then pivot to singing about doing keys in the bathroom one song later on 365 (4th on my song of the year list).
Acknowledging recency-bias, this is probably my favourite pop album of all time.
1. Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubilee
Genre(s): Psychedelic Pop, psychedelic rock & hypnagogic pop (non-derogatory).
For fans of: The Velvet Underground & Nico, Tame Impala & Jessica Pratt.
Songs to try: All I Want Is You & If You Hear Me Crying.
I wrote about Diamond Jubilee in Letter 2 - “a hazy half-memory of lying on a velvet couch in 1960, listening to pop music crackle through a transistor radio, whilst mourning or yearning for a lost lover. It’s a dream of a dream set in sepia tone. I’m not sure any album has so immediately transported me to a time and place that neither me or the songwriter have experienced, nor has any album running to over 120 mins felt like such a breeze.”
Just the most incredible and epic album, with such depth and layers it feels like I’m still discovering parts of it 9 months later.
It remains unavailable for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, however you can download a zip file of the album from here. You can then add the album as a local file to your streaming platform of choice. You can also stream the album on Bandcamp or YouTube, or can buy the vinyl forthcoming in early 2025 (which will also get you the digital version).
So much straight fire on this playlist 🔥🙏
Great list. Can't wait to dive into some of the stuff on here, so much of it I haven't heard. Love what you've written about Diamond Jubilee, it quite literally changed the way I engage with and think about music. Happy to see it at the top!