Re: Music Year-End Lists

What should have been an email is now this blog post answering Nick Heer:

I am sure there are terrific records that do not appear on any of these lists, just as I am sure there are album rankings you reference instead. If there is one you think I would like, please let me know.

These are my top albums from 2024.

How do I define “top albums from 2024”? Easy.

“Album” means a new release from an artist in the classic full-length record sense. No greatest-hits compilations, half-assed singles, or three-track EPs. (Live albums are A-OK.)

“2024” means it was released in the 2024 calendar year.

“Top” means most times played according to Plex and Roon running on the Mac mini in my office closet. Why? Because Spotify and YouTube are for discovering and browsing. Plex and Roon are for listening to music that has graduated to “stuff I care about”. Put another way, music I bought with real money. (Also, my streaming music stats are all shot-to-hell because of my day job.)

With that out of the way, here’s my top 10, in no-particular order.

Joey Valence & Brae: No Hands

Goose: Live at the Fox Theatre

Oliver Wood: Fat Cat Silhouette

The Dare: What’s Wrong With New York?

Yard Act: Where’s My Utopia

Elbow: Audio Vertigo

The Last Dinner Party: Prelude to Ecstasy

IDLES: TANGK

The Sleeveens: The Sleeveens

Amyl and the Sniffers: Cartoon Darkness

I’m not sure what to make of that list other than to notice it’s a much louder collection of artists than in past years. Why louder? Well, <gestures wildly at the world>

(A benefit of living in Nashville is an endless supply of live music. From the list above, I saw Joey Valence & Brae, IDLES, Oliver Wood, The Sleeveens, and Yard Act. Each one, a fantastic show. Highly recommended if they tour near you.)