Hello, welcome back, and trust me, that’s the last time I do something like that and mislead people thinking any and all of this collation will be over, I promise…

Before we get to that last gauntlet of reader-friendly listings though, I wanted to give a couple of special mentions to releases that fell outside of the isolated-body-of-work formula that album campaigns hold, just to put out more nice things into the world, you know?

Mentions Of A Special Nature

Firstly, not so much a recommendation on a particular album rather a shout-out to an artist whose commitment to their craft solicited three separate LPs this year, please give the Los Angeles DJ and producer AceMo a listen, seeing as he went to the trouble of indulging in thoroughly shape-throwy essays of dub, techno and house over the course of twelve paltry months.

AceMo :: Spotify / Tidal / Apple

Speaking of dancey goodness, of the glut of remix albums and EPs that accompanied their parent projects a little later out of the gate, the compilations arriving courtesy of both Charli XCX‘s brat and Kelela‘s Raven are as bop-heavy as they are prolific in their roster of collaborators.

brat and it’s completely different but also still brat by Charli XCX :: Spotify / Tidal / Apple

RAVE:N, The Remixes by Kelela :: Spotify / Tidal / Apple

Initially released as a collectible exclusively sold during their live tour in support of their 2023 album We Buy Diabetic Strips, underground hip hop duo Armand Hammer‘s b-side collection offers yet more disquietingly id-tastic missives from ELUCID and billy woods for fans to enjoy.

BLK LBL by Armand Hammer :: YouTube

Red Hot Org really pushed out the boat this year in terms of celebratory content including projects from both Meshell Ndegeocello and Kronos Quartet paying tribute to the work of legendary cosmic jazz icon Sun Ra, but this eight-disc compilation commissioned to celebrate and nurture the trans community featuring work from the likes of André 3000, Sade, Moses Sumney and Beverly Glenn-Copeland to name but a paltry few stands out in both qualitive and quantitive terms.

Red Hot Organization Presents TRANSA :: Spotify / Tidal / Apple

And for those who can only enjoy art whilst bawling their eyes out, the release of the audio recordings of Ryuichi Sakamoto‘s final performances captured by his filmmaker son Neo Sora for the concert film of the same name should give you the appropriate feels of halting awe that only listening to the last orations from a true genius of our time could do.

Opus by Ryuichi Sakamoto :: Spotify / Tidal / Apple

An Honest Admissions Of What My 2024 May Have Actually Sounded Like

As well as trying to listen to everything under the fucking sun, I also took to diligently recording seasonal mixes observing certain points in the calendar that seemed appropriate for the season.

So, in the name of shameless plugs, please have a listen to these ramshackle mixes that I spent far too much time on:

Bedroom Window Mix 5 (Valentine’s Day > Spring)

PRIDE 2024: love wins despite everything mix (Pride > Summer)

dark villa presents eerie disco 5 [witching hour mix] (Halloween > Autumn)

Across The Yuleiverse 5: Songs Yule Left Behind Mix (Christmas > Winter)

And finally, what this whole shebang has been anti-climactically building to (unless you’ve been keeping tabs on my Instagram and BlueSky accounts, in which case thanks for the stalking/head on over there)…

The Top 50 Albums Of 2024, As Arbitrarily Compiled Via A System Of Averages And Feelings Until The Next Time I Listen To Everything Again (I Guess)…

50. Piedras 1 & 2 by Nicolas Jaar

49. Where The Butterflies Go by Raveena

48. THE REBELLION by DJ Lag

47. The Cut Off by Perc

46. Something In The Room She Moves by Julia Holter

45. Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace by Shabaka

44. We Belong by Sinkane

43. Endlessness by Nala Sinephro

42. Sentir Que No Sabes by Mabe Fratti

41. Migratory by Masayoshi Fujita

40. Last Leaf On The Tree by Willie Nelson

39. Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend

38. WILD GOD by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

37. PRUDE by Drug Church

36. Yours Until The War Is Over by Amigo The Devil

35. The Thief Next To Jesus by Ka

34. Fabiana Palladino by Fabiana Palladino

33. Live Wire by Tom Rasmussen

32. Moves In The Field by Kelly Moran

31. In Full Effect by Tim Reaper & Kloke

30. Mahashmashana by Father John Misty

29. Postindustrial Hometown Blues by Big Special

28. Fragments Of Us by Midland

27. Lives Outgrown by Beth Gibbons

26. Songs Of A Lost World by The Cure

25. I LAY MY LIFE DOWN FOR YOU by JPEGMAFIA

24. Selected Jambient Works by Cowboy Sadness

23. Open Me, A Higher Consciousness Of Sound And Spirit by Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Orchestra

22. The Messthetics And James Brandon Lewis by The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis

21. i’m totally fine with it don’t give a fuck anymore by Arab Strap

20. It’s Over by Tatyana

19. Resort by Skee Mask

18. Odyssey by Nubya Garcia

17. For Your Consideration by Empress Of

16. Acadia by Yasmin Williams

15. Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay

14. I Got Heaven by Mannequin Pussy

13. Chromakopia by Tyler, The Creator

12. No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin by Meshell Ndegeocello

11. Studio by Monolake

10. BETA by Peter Cat Recording Co.

9. What Now by Brittany Howard

8. Cascade by Floating Points

7. Letter To Yu by Bolis Pupul

6. 3+5 by Melt-Banana

5. brat by Charli XCX

4. Chapultepec by Lao

3. You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To by Knocked Loose

2. They Kept Our Photographs by Snakeskin

And finally, the best album 2024 had to offer…

1. She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She by Chelsea Wolfe

So I suppose a few last words about why this darkly lovely album from Ms Wolfe caught my ears so pleasurably, right?

Chelsea Wolfe’s seventh album is one that concerns themes of spiritual and physical renewal, inspired by both her achievement in sobriety from the early 2020s and helping to console a friend during their recovery from a decades-long toxic relationship. Facilitated by TV On The Radio‘s Dave Sitek on production duties, She represents another stylistic evolution towards a more trip-hop influenced sound in Wolfe’s particular brand of gothic pop after the dark folk of sixth solo album Birth Of Violence and her celebrated collaborative album Bloodmoon I with metalcore stalwarts Converge.

Taking inspiration from the likes of Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and Tricky, Wolfe enhances her customary ethereal gloom with a welcome industrial groove that finds sensual beauty in the breakdown, a choice that makes this album probably the most accessible in her discography so far, but not at the expense of one iota of her soothingly sinister nature. Extending beyond multiple selves and timelines throughout, Wolfe is able to navigate the darkness of the past, the uncertainty of the present and ultimately the hope of the future with assured clairvoyance, providing an excoriating emotional purge for any and everyone who wishes to take the plunge alongside her.

Plus, there was a similarly dark and lovely remix EP that came out alongside this, featuring reworks by Boy Harsher, Forest Swords and Full Of Hell among others, because this is 2024 and every album has to arrive with an extra piece released later in the listening calendar.

And yeah, that’s it; as I’ve already let slip most of my feelings about all of this auditory swellness over the past couple of articles, 2024 can finally be put to bed now, with no further consequences of its actions to be felt whatsoever.

For posterity purposes though, please find a handy compendium below charting everything highlighted over these entries, and possibly even more:

Hope you’ve had fun at least in all of this sharing and thanks for giving this over-thought corner of the Internet; until next time, keep well and keep moving.

xxxo