10. Lives Outgrown – Beth Gibbons
Chamber Folk
Beth Gibbons may not exactly be a household name, but listeners in the know will recognize her as the singer and lyricist fronting the 90s trip-hop outfit Portishead. Rather than the synthetic rigidity and metallic sheen of her previous band, here Gibbons (assisted by prolific producer James Ford and Lee Harris of Talk Talk) embraces an organic, earthy sound hewn out of woodwinds, hand drums and baroque strings. The result is a remarkable shift in tone from her previous work – perhaps that’s part of the inspiration for the title Lives Outgrown. What hasn’t changed is Gibbons’ immense vocal talent and her ability to deliver her own weighty, introspective lyrics with delicacy and finesse.
9. Songs of a Lost World – The Cure
Gothic Rock
It isn’t often that bands are able to stage a commercially successful comeback after an extended hiatus (much less a critically successful one) but The Cure have managed to attain a spot in that esteemed pantheon. Songs of a Lost World is not only the first studio album from the seminal UK gothic rock band in 16 years, but is their first number one album in their home country since 1992’s Wish and the first to be entirely composed by Robert Smith since 1985’s The Head on the Door – an astounding testament to the longevity of this group. Fitting, since longing has long been a key concept for The Cure, with the songs here largely continuing to explore themes of loneliness and loss. Booming drums and instruments heavily laden with reverb help to evoke an expansive atmosphere and the untethered feeling of an asteroid endlessly drifting through space.
8. Manning Fireworks – MJ Lenderman
Alt-Country
I didn’t know what was meant by “Manning Fireworks” before listening to this album, but it was immediately obvious after its nonchalant delivery in the title track. That’s the magic that MJ Lenderman brings in his fourth studio album, filled with dry one-liners like “Every Catholic knows he could’ve been Pope” and “I’ve got a beach house up in Buffalo.” Lenderman and his bandmates in Wednesday (who also make contributions here) are quickly putting Asheville, NC on the indie map; but, while the group effort flirted with noise rock, this music is much more easy listening. That’s not to say Lenderman’s guitar work has lost any of its edge – the gross tone on the solo “Wristwatch” is one of the best moments of the album, and dedicated listeners will find a six-and-a-half minute drone capping off “Bark At the Moon.”
7. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – Billie Eilish
Alt-Pop
In an era that rewards artists who release oversized albums just to rack up streaming numbers, the decision to release a streamlined package that barely reaches a double-digit track count was a bold gamble to fight the industry standard. It paid off, as Billie Eilish became the most-streamed artist on Spotify for a short time after this album was released. With no shortage of slick grooves courtesy of Finneas O’Connell, who provides most of the production and instrumentation, Hit Me Hard and Soft is also Eilish’s most tender work to date. The “bad guy” era seems like a distant memory compared to the open vulnerability shown here; yet, the vocal performances come across as more confident and powerful than any she’s delivered so far in her career.
6. No Name – Jack White
Garage Rock
By many accounts, No Name is Jack White’s best effort of his new blue aesthetic. What was it that inspired this baker’s dozen of blues-rooted rip-roaring rock cuts after a decade of dabbling in almost every genre that could use a guitar? Despite a decidedly old-school approach, nothing on this album sounds tired, outdated or overdone. It’s just one gritty, catchy riff after another, with enough variety to make the listener want to get up and flip the record for more.
5. Plastic Death – glass beach
Indie Rock
The First Glass Beach Album (2019) was a quirky collection of power-pop-punk with cutesy chord progressions and a few bedroom ballads; the second, Plastic Death, is an abrupt swerve into progressive rock and post-hardcore, a move which seemingly alienated longtime fans while not doing enough to impress the notoriously fastidious online metalheads. So who was this album made for, besides those making it? Me, obviously, who sees the “Diet Radiohead” label often bandied as a criticism of this work as a major compliment rather than the disparaging comment it was meant to be. The songwriting on display is incredibly creative, with an immense amount of variation not only between the songs but within them as well.
4. BRAT – Charli XCX
Electropop
Charli xcx has always put the alternative in alternative pop, although 2022’s Crash seemed to indicate a shift toward a more conventional pop sound. With brat, Charli instead diverted the mainstream altogether to include her interpretation of the London rave scene, successfully topping charts across the world with her own signature brand of harsh electropop. It’s easy to forget after all the deluxe re-releases, remixes and viral marketing campaigns that this is a very complete album exploring not just the intense highs of being a club acolyte, but the lows as well, with mature contemplations of grief and motherhood arising between the thumping bass and vain bravado.
3. Dark Times – Vince Staples
West Coast Hip Hop
“We deserve better” was Vince Staples’ answer when asked about the much-publicized rap beef between fellow LA rapper Kendrick Lamar and Toronto’s Drake. Seemingly neither distracted nor fazed by the happenings in the wider music sphere, the Long Beach native’s sixth studio album is a concise 35-minute package that flows as easily between songs as the emcee flows over his unique production style. Some of these instrumentals seem more like downtempo electronica than hip-hop beats, but Vince sounds right at home delivering bars with his characteristic calm nonchalance. The hooks are some of the catchiest of his career, and combined with the hazy psychedelic ambiance, the music does well to conjure the feeling of a hot summer night.
2. Imaginal Disk – Magdalena Bay
Synthpop
Pop duo Magdalena Bay burst onto the scene in 2021 with Mercurial World, an exciting blend of synthpop and neo-psychedelia that set expectations very high for the group’s future. With Imaginal Disk, any fears about a lack of follow-up material are quickly put to rest, as MagBay clears that high bar with ease. This new endeavor caters even more to the dance floor than the debut, as the album follows a loose concept of transcendental self-actualization through various party scenes. Overflowing with immediately groovable baselines and memorable choruses replete with multi-tracked vocals, the music is perhaps at its best when the rhythm section is fully uninhibited. The album climaxes multiple times with powerful drums roaring across layers of keys and synths – particularly in the outro sections of “Death & Romance,” “Tunnel Vision” and “That’s My Floor.” The musicianship is impressive for a band that leans so heavily on its visual aesthetic, proving that behind the adornments and special effects is an inimitable talent.
1. “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD” – Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Post-Rock
From the first moments of “No Title as of 29 December 2024 45,514 Dead”, the listener is transported to a rich landscape of shifting, rustling air with bright notes streaking in, backed by the ever-present drone that underpins Godspeed You! Black Emperor’s unique sonic aesthetic. The serene atmosphere of the opening track – which serves as a sort of prelude for this rock symphony – is then slowly, agonizingly shredded apart on the next, which grows from a foreboding hum to an urgent march and finally to a chaotic scramble of screaming strings. Unparalleled cinematography unfolds across this album as Godspeed, who in the past has obscured their agenda with cryptic titles, openly flies their flag – from the valiant ode of “Raindrops Cast in Lead” to the bitter condemnation of “Pale Spectator Takes Photographs.” Powerless but for the ability to plant the seed of hope that is the image of new life breaking through rubble, the collective here is the most focused, ferocious and visceral that they’ve been in decades.
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