Here’s to another year of discovering music, mostly outside the mainstream, in styles not really considered au courant. So much great music this year, I had lots of difficult decisions — several of the honorable mentions could easily have made the list. More artists than ever are getting their music out there, and as I find ones I really like, I buy their music to support them, in the hopes they continue making more. Remember to support your favorites, especially if they are not popular, mainstream artists, because streaming services surely won’t.
Christopher Owens – I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair – Owens was half of the duo Girls who produced two excellent albums and an EP from 2009-2011 that made numerous critics best of lists (including mine). Owens went solo, but his career was derailed in 2015 by a serious motorcycle accident that left him bedridden without money for health care. During this time, he lost his job, apartment, and fiancee. As he recovered, he tried for a reunion with friend and former Girls bandmate Chet “JR” White. But White’s health was on a downward spiral and he was unable to contribute much. He passed away in 2020. Owens has made a beautiful, melancholic, heart-on-the-sleeve album about working through all of the loss and grief he has endured. His guitar work is excellent throughout and his empathetic backing band provides a supportive backbone for the mid-tempo indie rock. Many songs speak directly to his trials. “No Good” and “White Flag” seem to be directed at his ex-fiancee, but that’s later tempered by “Two Words” which is about coming to terms with a failed relationship. “I Think About Heaven” is about White’s death. The stunning “Beautiful Horses” might be the album highlight for me, or perhaps the epic closer, “Do You Need A Friend”, which is life-affirming, even as it lays bare the long and difficult journey of emotional healing. I loved Girls, but I think this is his best work ever.
Yussef Dayes – Black Classical Music – Ok, I am cheating a bit because this came out in September 2023. But I’m not a big jazz aficionado, and didn’t discover it until January 2024 after I published my last list. I spent all year listening to it, and frankly it’s been my gateway to modern jazz, especially the UK scene, so an exception was necessary. Dayes stands out as a drummer with a uniquely identifiable, powerful, poly-rhythmic style. His compositions draw from a wide variety of styles like latin-jazz (“Afro Cubanism”), jazz-funk (“Jukebox”), R&B (“Woman’s Touch”), and lovers-rock style reggae (“Pon Di Plaza”). He has some great guest vocalists and works with a top-notch band, especially bassist Rocco Palladino, whose work on “Tioga Pass” recalls the great Jaco Pastorius. There’s a 74 minutes of diverse music here and it’s all simply fantastic.
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us – The album opens with a potent triptych of songs. “Ice Cream Piano” is a noisy, spiraling track comparing outrage culture to historical conflicts. “Classical” is about the style of music as a metaphor for societal class relations. “Capricorn” is a meditation on mid-life, lamenting the loss of the optimism of youth, but focused on finding the moments and purpose that make life worth living. I think it’s one of their all time best songs. “Gen-X Cops” is a rave up with punk energy ruminating on generational conflict. The whole album is loaded with interesting lyrical themes, inventive instrumentation, and subtly catchy grooves. A another winner in a remarkable streak of great albums.
Plastic Estate – Code d’Amour – Welsh duo with a slew of catchy songs that nail the sounds of moody 1980s synth-pop perfectly. They won me over almost immediately, but the real test was to see if I would tire of their music and just choose to listen to the 80s originals that inspired them. I never did. Their songs have the staying power of their antecedents. I should note that they do bring newer influences to bear (e.g. 2010s chill-wave), so they are not just some copycat/nostalgia act. But if you have a soft spot for acts like Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, and Prefab Sprout, you need to check them out!
Snarls – With Love, – Snarls is three mid-western young women who write fuzzy, hook-heavy, guitar-centric songs that sound very much like 90s alternative. But the lyrics, which are about the exhilarating highs and lows of love and romance, are closer to emo. For their sophomore release, they’ve really stepped up the quality of the songs, with memorable melodies and lyrics that are relatable and showcase a disarming vulnerability. Working with producer Chris Walla (formerly of Death Cab For Cutie) has added depth and punch to their sound as well. The extended closer, “Ur Song / Lovers Of Valdaro”, allows them to stretch out a bit and show off their instrumental prowess. A great listen all the way through!
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks – Lenderman has really leveled up his game since his last album. Boat Songs was merely decent, but Manning Fireworks is really damn good. He’s dialed back the tempos ever so slightly, deployed his distortion pedal a bit more judiciously and added a pinch more roots rock influence. But the biggest change is in the songwriting. “Wristwatch” and “She’s Leaving You” are the two best things he’s written. The rest of the album is pretty great, too — well-crafted and compassionate, but full of biting humor and wry wit. He’s found a middle ground, all his own, halfway between Neil Young and Stephen Malkmus.
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood – Waxahatchee (a.k.a. Katie Crutchfield) started out a lo-fi solo folkie, evolved into a muscular alt-rocker, and then dialed it back to become a more rootsy, alt-country singer-songwriter. Her last album, St. Cloud, was the first to feature this newest stylistic incarnation and you could almost feel her find the comfort zone as her vocal twang and easy-going guitar melodies shone through. The album was a successful new chapter in her career, but it was released right as the pandemic hit in 2020 and so, while it grew her audience, it wasn’t quite a mainstream breakthrough. Tigers Blood now finds Crutchfield settled in, still vulnerable, but resilient, warm, and open. She has a crack new band, including MJ Lenderman on guitar/backing vocals (see above), that help her achieve a detailed, layered sound. Her songs are more carefully wrought, finding beauty in the chaos of ordinary life and reflecting thoughtfully on universal themes of love, anger, and sadness. She’s getting her well-earned exposure on national TV and radio. Her recent Tiny Desk Concert on NPR, showcased her confident delivery and easy rapport with her band. The album was even nominated for a Grammy. She has officially arrived.
Cigarettes After Sex – X’s – Greg Gonzalez writes dark, atmospheric, erotic lullabies. The album plays like a hypnotic dream of love, lust, and romance — pretty much in the same vein as their previous work. There’s a slight uptick in tempo on a couple of tracks, and the songs themselves are some of the best he’s written since their self-titled album in 2017. But why change what is working — there’s no one else quite like them. And it sure looks like they have managed to reach a receptive young audience via streaming and social media. At a recent show, a big part of the crowd appeared to be Gen Z, singing along and waving their phone lights in the air. I missed my lighter.
Aaron Frazer – Into The Blue – The second solo album from the drummer/vocalist for Durand Jones & The Indications finds him stretching out a bit. He, of course, aces a few vintage soul jams that would fit in easily with his other band’s work (“Thinking Of You”, “Easy To Love”). But some of the best songs pull in other influences like tropicalia (“Dime ft. Cancamusa”), fuzz-rock (“Payback”), and yacht-rock (“Time Will Tell”). His band knows how to ride a groove and and it’s all topped off with his buttery, smooth falsetto delivery. The album is pure class.
Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino – Palladino has spent years supporting other artists, occasionally releasing a track of her own here and there. Working with producer and multi-instrumentalist Jai Paul, she has finally struck out on her own with this debut album of classy electronic pop/R&B. Her musical family — father Pino is a legendary session bassist, mother Maz and sister Giancarla, accomplished singers, and brother Rocco plays bass with Yussef Dayes (see above) — all chip in their talents as well. This skilled lineup ensures everything sounds amazing, but real heart of the album is her razor sharp songwriting. Informed by 80s/90s pop and R&B and by a recent break up, her songs wind through heartache, loneliness, and desire in an authentic way. The songs exude depth, maturity, and refinement, but they’re not too cerebral or inaccessible. The finest pop music of the year.
Honorable Mention:
Wishy – Triple Seven
Thus Love – All Pleasure
2nd Grade – Scheduled Explosions
Full Flower Moon Band – Megaflower
Cassie Ramone – Sweetheart
Onsloow – Full Speed Anywhere Else
Sprints – Letter To Self
Bodega – Our Band Could Be Yr Life
Drug Church – Prude
Jessica Pratt – Here In The Pitch
Absolutely Yours – Mirror Maze [EP]
GAUCI – Growing Pains [EP]
Best re-issues:
Majesty Crush – Butterflies Don’t Go Away
Galaxie 500 – Uncollected Noise New York ’88 – ’90
East Village – Drop Out (Deluxe Edition)