As 2024 winds down, it's time to celebrate the music that defined the year.
I've compiled the best albums of 2024, spotlighting the sounds that kept me inspired, energized, and occasionally stuck in a daydream. The first ten albums are my absolute standouts—but after that, it’s a free-flowing mix of genres and vibes.
The last 12 months have delivered a soundtrack impossible to ignore. After months of listening, re-listening, and—let’s be honest—passionately debating with myself, I’m excited to share my favorites. It’s an eclectic mix of sounds and stories that moved me differently throughout the year. This list isn’t just a ranking; it’s a celebration of the artists who kept me thinking, toe-tapping, and feeling in a year full of highs and lows.
So, dive in, discover something new, and let’s compare favorites, shall we? Spotify playlist to follow…
The Cosmic Tones Research Trio - All Is Sound (Mississippi Records)
Nala Sinephro - Endlessness (Warp)
Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch (Mexican Summer)
Khruangbin - A LA SALA (Dead Oceans)
Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future (4AD)
Charles Lloyd - The Sky Will Still Be There Tomorrow (Blue Note)
Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer (Dead Oceans)
Gillian Welch, David Rawlings - Woodland (Acony Records)
Giovanni Guidi, James Brandon Lewis, Thomas Morgan, Joao Lobo - A New Day (ECM)
Jeff Parker - ETAIVtet (International Anthem)
Michael Kiwanuka - Small Changes (Polydor)
Rosie Lowe - Lover, Other (PIAS)
Molly Lewis - On The Lips (Jagjaguwar)
Julian Lage - Speak To Me (Blue Note)
BALTHVS - Harvest (Mixto Records)
Caoilfhionn Rose - Constellation (Gondwana)
Avishai Cohen - Ashes to Gold (Pt. 3) (ECM)
Anna Butterss - Mighty Vertebrate (International Anthem)
NxWorries, Anderson Paak, Knxwledge - Why Lawd? (Stones Throw)
Svaneborg - Kardyb Superkilen (Gondwana)
The Smile Cutouts (XL Recordings)
The Offline - Les Cigales (DeepMatter)
Yuuf - In The Sun (Blikflak)
Shabaka - Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge its Grace (Impulse!)
Joan As Police Woman - Lemons, Limes, and Orchids (PIAS)
Ezra Collective - Dance, No One's Watching (Partisan)
Killer Mike - Michael & The Mighty Midnight Revival, Songs for Sinners and Saints (Loma Vista)
Wand - Vertigo (Drag City)
Shellac - To All Trains (Touch and Go)
Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free (Jagjaguwar)
Tindersticks - Soft Tissue (City Slang)
Yard Act - Where's My Utopia? (Island)
Yasmin Williams - Acadia (Nonesuch)
Vijay lyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey - Compassion (ECM)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor - NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD (Constellation)
Kendrick Lamar - GNX (Interscope)
SML - Small Medium Large (International Anthem)
The Necks - Bleed (Northern Spy)
Vince Staples - Dark Times (Def Jam)
Arab Strap - I’m totally fine with it don’t give a f*** anymore (Rock Action)
The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis (Impulse!)
Photay - Windswept (Mexican Summer)
Yutaka Hirasaka - Now Is Now (Inner Ocean)
Orion Sun - Orion (Mom + Pop)
Nubya Garcia - Odyssey (Concord)
Pat Metheny - MoonDial (Modern/BMG)
Marquis Hill - Composers Collective: Beyond the Jukebox (Black Unlimited Music Group)
The Cure - Songs Of A Lost World (Universal)
Jaubi - A Sound Heart (Riaz Records)
Hiatus Kaiyote - Love Heart Cheat Code (Brainfeeder)
Cigarettes After Sex - X’s (Partisan)
Arooj Aftab = Night Reign (Verve)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God (PIAS)
Kessoncoda - Outerstate (Gondwana)
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (Anti)
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy (Universal)
BASIC - This Is BASIC (No Quarter)
Johnny Blue Skies (Sturgill Simpson) - Passage Du Desir (Thirty Tigers)
Helado Negro - PHASOR (4AD)
Beings - There Is A Garden (No Quarter)
Talib Kweli, J. Rawls - The Confidence Of Knowing (Fat Beats)
Arun Ramamurthy Trio - New Moon (Greenleaf)
Richard Thompson - Ship To Shore (New West)
Nathan Bowles Trio - Are Possible (Drag City)
Eric Chenaux Trio - Delights Of My Life (Constellation)
Emile Londonien - And Just Keep Playing (OMG)
Jakob Bro (with Lee Konitz, Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan, Andrew Cyrille) - Taking Turns (ECM)
Tomin - A Willed and Conscious Balance (International Anthem)
Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammed - Jazz Is Dead 21 (Jazz Is Dead)
Masta Ace & Marco Polo - Richmond Hill (Fat Beats)
Playlist:
‘Tis the season for lists. I’ll have one more for you before taking a break.
Happy Holidays! - JB