While this year started picayune in terms of quality movies and surprisingly quality television as well, it’s been a fantastic year for music from the get-go. We are only midway through April and the year is loaded with some great music albums already. So now, without any further ado, here are the top 20 albums of 2024 so far:
20. Omni: Souvenir
This post-punk flavoured album left a pretty good taste in my mouth. The songs are short, catchy with cool riffs and clear vocals. “Plastic Pyramids”, “INTL waters” and “Double Negative” have the potential to be an instant favourite of people who dig the genre.
19. Holiday Sidewinder: The Last Resort
The album that you need for summer escapism. Sidewinder’s new album is moody, mythical and chill as hell, there’s no stopping once you put it on. Allow “Escape & Retreat” to capture your attention and lead you into checking out more of such vibey songs present in the album.
18. Kelela: RAVE;N, The Remixes
A fresh reimagination of the original Raven project, with some interesting guests while Kelela keeps the core of the original album intact. Don’t worry if this album doesn’t click with you on the first go, but if one allows it, some tracks are real grower. “Enough for Love” is total moody bop and “Contact” slowly lets us in on the vibes.
17. Bill Ryder-Jones: lechyd da
Even though “I know that it’s like this (Baby)” easily stands out, this album still has good tracks to offer. At once, Bill Ryder-Jones makes us experience melonchy and happiness, a very warm album with some repetitive themes but an overall impressive effort.
16. Yard Act: Where’s My Utopia
Won’t say much but they do make hits (no pun intended).
15. Lime Garden: One More Thing
If you’re not in the mood for caveats or complexities, this is the pill by Lime Garden that you might want to swallow. A conventional yet thoroughly enjoyable album.
14. MGMT: Loss of Life
MGMT’s 5th studio album subverted my expectations. On first listen, there were certain songs that immediately stuck with me, while I did feel that this album lacked a characteristic punch. Over time, I think the album did grow on me for I can appreciate it for what it is. This new album is atmospheric and even more surrealistic compared to the previous works of MGMT. A cool new addition to their discography.
13. Satoko Shibata: Your Favorite Things
This could be your favorite thing this summer season. A warm and comfy album, the sweet vocals are candy to my ears. A fertile miscegenation between R&B and Indie-Pop, some songs will make you just want to lie down and soak in the vibes while others will make you bop your head.
12. Juliana Gattas: Maquillada en la Cama
Having a little Jessie Ware itch?! Well, look no further, Juliana Gattas is here to set the mood right. The overall album is a bop, the title track in particular is an immediate banger and “Borracha en un…” just sticks perfectly. Remember folks, people who converge upon Dance-Pop, converge with each other.
11. Hurray For the Riff Raff: The Past Is Still Alive
Alynda Segarra reflects on the past, their days of running away and loss of loved ones through this soulful alt-country album. Right from Alibi to Kiko Forever, Segarra takes us on a journey of self-reflection, the heftiness of grief and memory is counterbalanced by the lightness of her instruments. Vetiver acts as a microcosm of this album which is echoed by the line, “It’s all in the past, but the past is still alive..“
10. Tapir!: The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain
An intriguing album, while the spoken parts didn’t really enhance the experience for me but the songs here are well composed with a vocal quality that gives hints of the likes of Radiohead. Folks who enjoy Indie-folk, make sure to not sleep on this album!
9. Middle Kids: Faith Crisis Pt 1
Hannah Joy’s vocals never miss. While some tracks here may sound a bit generic but this whole album is worth a listen just for the majestic vocals of Joy. A real grower of an album.
8. Maggie Rogers: Don’t forget Me
Country-Pop at its grooviest. Maggie Rogers’ third studio album is easily her best yet. All the singles were solid, that eventually made me anticipate the release of this album and I’m glad that it didn’t disappoint.
7. Mannequin Pussy: I Got Heaven
A short, intense and rambunctious album. The passion simply oozes out of the vocals and punky songs here pack a solid punch, so much that you’ll keep returning back to satiate that specific type of Punk-Rock craving. A banger album for sure.
6. Adrianne Lenker: Bright Future
This one resonates so much on an emotional level. The production quality and sound mixing is incredible. The raw and ethereal vocals create a sense of nostalgia, the album has such a great flow that enhances the level of immersion for a listener. It’s an album that I keep returning back to, in order to cherish the feelings that arise by virtue of Lenker’s voice.
5. Allie X: Girl With No Face
A fecoventilatory collision has finally happened for the fans of synthpop. This is Allie X at her best- super-aggressive, super-catchy and highly enjoyable songs all around. This could be Allie’s magnum opus, do not sleep on this.
4. Chelsea Wolfe: She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
Pleasantly surprised by this one. A dark and atmospheric album, the sounds of which seems to be a perfect backdrop for Fincher films, particularly The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Chelsea Wolfe’s seductive vocals enhance the overall experience.
3. The Smile: Wall Of Eyes
With Wall Of Eyes, it seems like The Smile has finally found its vibe. The album is a proof of the fact that Thom Yorke still got the sauce, alongside Jonny Greenwood totally adept in his artistry over the instruments. A complimentary gift that comes with this album are the music videos (“Friend of a Friend”, “Wall of Eyes”) directed by the master, Paul Thomas Anderson himself.
2. Cindy Lee: Diamond Jubilee
Every track on this album is a breath of fresh air. The album length might be daunting for some people, but hear me, right from the first track the album grabbed my attention and continually kept impressing by each successive track. A real surprise of the year and a gem that I don’t see many people talking about. At the time this album isn’t streaming on Spotify or Apple Music yet, it’s only available to stream on YouTube. Do make sure to give this a try.
1. Vampire Weekend: Only God Was Above Us
Perfection. Not a single miss in this entire album, 10 songs none of which is skip worthy. My expectations were high with their consistent singles but goddamn, I wasn’t expecting them to deliver a banger of this scale. This is probably the strongest contender for AOTY and is certainly the best of the band. An impressive home run for Vampire Weekend.
If you liked this article, please be sure to check out some of our other articles and reviews here at Feature First. Thanks for reading!
