Mid-Year 2024 User Lists (Best Of 2024 So Far) • Page 2

Top 10, roughly in order

Alkaline Trio - Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs
The Early November - The Early November
Kings of Leon - Can We Please Have Fun
Pearl Jam - Dark Matter
Augustana - Something Beautiful
Future Islands - People Who Aren’t There Anymore
Restorations - Restorations
Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes - Dark Rainbow
Green Day - Saviors
Orlando Weeks - LOJA

 

Here's the list I submitted for the staff mid-year feature. One of those years where I've liked a high volume of stuff, but only fallen truly in love with a small handful of albums.

1. Katie Pruitt – Mantras
2. Kacey Musgraves – Deeper Well
3. Super American – Gangster of Love
4. Good Looks – Lived Here for a While
5. Green Day – Saviors
6. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
7. Maggie Rogers – Don’t Forget Me
8. Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
9. Hannah Ellis – That Girl
10. Mat Kearney – Mat Kearney
11. Madi Diaz – Weird Faith
12. Bleachers – Bleachers
13. Gracie Abrams – The Secret of Us
14. Augustana – Something Beautiful
15. Carly Pearce – Hummingbird
16. Dua Lipa – Radical Optimism
17. The Dangerous Summer – Gravity
18. Snarls – With Love,
19. Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
20. Sarah Jarosz – Polaroid Lovers
21. Guster – Ooh La La
22. Conan Grey – Found Heaven
23. Pillow Queens – Name Your Sorrow
24. Liquid Mike – Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot
25. Brynn Cartelli – Out of the Blue
26. The Forecast – Good Journey
27. Iron & Wine – Light Verse
28. Maggie Rose – No One Gets Out Alive
29. Will Hoge – Tenderhearted Boys
30. Adeem the Artist – Anniversary

 

I feel like I'm very quickly losing track of what's being released this year, I guess being offline more means I miss out on stuff and threads posted here, which has historically how I've found lots of new music. I also think Apple Music should do a much better job of prompting me when artists I already like and listen to, release something new. They already have that data on me, surely it shouldn't be that difficult?!?

Just quickly scrolling through lists here, there's a half dozen artists that I know and like where I didn't know they'd released new music this year.

 

If you're willing to have a separate app for this, Music Harbor does a pretty good job. You can select which artists you want updates on, so it's not flooding you with everything in your library.

 

Tiers are pretty strong on this, rankings within those are pretty fluid

1. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
2. Maggie Rogers - Don’t Forget Me
3. girl in red - I’M DOING IT AGAIN BABY!
4. Tiny Habits - All For Something

5. Charli XCX - BRAT
6. Novo Amor - Collapse List
7. Local Natives - But I’ll Wait For You
8. Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism
9. Aurora - What Happened To The Heart?

10. mehro - Trauma Lullabies
11. Thomas Powers - A Tyrant Crying In Private
12. The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again
13. Super American - Gangster of Love
14. Middle Kids - Faith Crisis Pt 1
15. Allie X - Girl With No Face

H/M: Liquid Mike, Kacy Hill, Everything Everything, The Greeting Committee, The Last Dinner Party

 

1. Twenty One Pilots - Clancy
2. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
3. IDLES - TANGK
4. Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well
5. Yard Act - Where’s My Utopia?
6. Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism
7. Kings of Leon - Can We Please Have Fun
8. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
9. Bleachers - Bleachers
10. Maggie Rogers - Don’t Forget Me

 

Surprised not to see that Good Looks album on more lists. Feel like a lot of people around here would absolutely love it.

 

I don’t rank stuff until the end of the year, but the top 5-6 are definitely cream of the crop. Really, really good first half of the year for me.

AOTY 2024:
Caligula’s Horse - Charcoal Grace
Wheel - Charismatic Leaders
Knocked Loose - You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism
Bilmuri - American Motor Sports
The Story So Far - I Want To Disappear
Night Verses - Every Sound Has A Color in the Valley of Night
Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well
Job For A Cowboy - Moon Healer
Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department
Dvne - Voidkind
Local Natives - But I’ll Wait For You
Eidola - Eviscerate

EP:
Greyhaven - Stereo Grief
Artificial Language - Distant Glow

Live:
Manchester Orchestra - COPE
The Dear Hunter - Act II
Caligula’s Horse - Audiotree Live

edit: just read through some lists and realized I forgot Alcest and One Step Closer, those are definitely on here as well.

 

Some records dominating the ears. Already a strong year for music and look forward to the coming months (no particular order).

1. Knocked Loose - You Wont Go Before You're Supposed To
2. Contention - Artillery From Heaven
3. Gatecreeper - Dark Superstition
4. Cory Wells - Harboring the Hurt I've Caused
5. Medium Build - Country
6. Bring Me The Horizon - POST HUMAN: NeX GEn
7. Bilmuri - American Motorsports
8. Wyatt Flores - Half Life
9. Hovvdy - Hovvdy
10. Gracie Abrams - Gracie Abrams

 

favs so far in no order

1999 WRITE THE FUTURE - hella (˃̣̣̥╭╮˂̣̣̥) ✧ ♡ ‧º·˚
Fabiana Palladino - S/T
How to Dress Well - I Am Toward You
The American Analog Set - New Drifters (compilation)
Chief Keef - Almighty So 2
Mdou Moctar - Funeral for Justice
Gulfer - Third Wind
Schoolboy Q - Blue Lips
Tierra Whack - World Wide Whack
1010 Benja - Ten Total
Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past is Still Alive
Mach-Hommy - #RICHAXXHAITIAN
NxWorries (Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge) - Why Lawd?
Lupe Fiasco - Samurai
Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well
Hovvdy - S/T
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
Fust - Songs of the Rail
The Fever Haze - Moonbow
Iron and Wine - Light Verse
Cloud Nothings - Final Summer
Vince Staples - Dark Times

ambient/instrumental/experimental/etc:

Greg Foat and Gigi Masin - The Fish Factory Sessions
Gerycz / Powers / Rolin - Activator
d’Eon - Leviathan
Steve Roach and Robert Rich - Waves of Now
Felbm - cycli infiniti
Adam Wiltzie - Eleven Fugues for Sodium Pentothal
Geotic - The Anchorite
zakè - Lapis
Skee Mask - Resort

 

AOTY

 

In no order, but have been listening to j-hope and RM the most by far

1ST Vows - Feel In The Blanks
Green Day - Saviors
Le Sserafim - Easy EP
Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine
Hot Water Music - Vows
j-hope - Hope On The Street Vol. 1 EP
Tomorrow x Together - minisode 3: Tomorrow
Conan Gray - Found Heaven
Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties - In Lieu of Flowers
Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department
Luke Hemmings - boy
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft
Bleachers - Bleachers
RM - Right Place, Wrong Person
Twenty One Pilots - Clancy
The Early November - The Early November

 

Top 3 rn is definitely

1. Charli xcx - BRAT
2. DIIV - Frog in Boling Water
3. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven

and then these round out the top 20 in no specific order because I'm lazy

Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She She Reaches Out to She
MK.gee - Two Star & the Dream Police
ScHoolboy Q - Blue Lips
Gouge Away - Deep Sage
Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
Empress Of - For Your Consideration
The Fever Haze - Moonbow
Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
Cloud Nothings - Final Summer
Hovvdy - Hovvdy
Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft
Mach-Hommy - #RICHAXXHAITIAN
Vince Staples - Dark Times
How to Dress Well - I Am Toward You
NxWorries - Why Lawd?
Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us
Boldy James & Conductor Williams - Across the Tracks

 

a shame it got little to no traction. I think fans of Japanese Breakfast or Chvrches would find something to like, as much as fans of Janet Jackson and Brandy-type stuff

 

I'm a fan of all of them. Gonna give it a listen!

 

In alphabetical order besides the top 2 - stuff I've enjoyed so far this year:

Fave Albums of 2024 – So Far

Bring Me The Horizon – POST HUMAN: NeX Gen
Bilmuri – AMERICAN MOTOR SPORTS
Alkaline Trio – Blood, Hair, And Eyeballs
Alien Ant Farm – ~mAntras~
Alpha Wolf – Half Living Things
The Black Keys – Ohio Players
Blanket – Ceremonia
Bleachers – Bleachers
Cage The Elephant – Neon Pill
Casey – How To Disappear
Cloud Nothings – Final Summer
Dead Poet Society – Fission
ERRA – CURE
The Ghost Inside – Searching For Solace
Glass Beach – plastic death
Green Day – Saviors
Hot Water Music – VOWS
IDLES – TANGK
Incubus – Morning View XXIII
Kings Of Leon – Can We Please Have Fun?
Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
Liam Gallagher & John Squire – Liam Gallagher & John Squire
Local Natives – Local Natives
Microwave – Let’s Start Degeneracy
Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – South Of Here
Neck Deep – Neck Deep
Normandie – Dopamine
One Step Closer – All You Embrace
Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
P.O.D. – VERITAS
Royal Tusk – Altruistic
The Smile – Wall Of Eyes
The Story So Far – I Want To Disappear
Sum 41 – Heaven :x: Hell
Super American – Gangster Of Love
Twenty One Pilots – Clancy
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
Wage War – STIGMA
Wallows – Model
While She Sleeps – SELF HELL

 

Shit I didn't hate from this year so far in no particular order:

Divine Right - Salvation Ends
Burning Lord - Arcane Demolition
Dirt Sucker - At The Landfill
Contaminated - Celebratory Beheading
Full of Hell - Coagulated Bliss
Upon Stone - Dead Mother Moon
Ivy Creep - Demo 24
Dodsrit - Nocturnal Will
Conservative Military Image - No Squares in Our Circle
Sheer Mag - Playing Favorites
MK Ultras - Secret Tape
Sinister Feeling - s/t
Balmora/Since My Beloved - Six Pacts Etched In Blood
Restrictor Plate - Slamtona 500
Spectral Voice - Sparagmos
Stand Still - Steps Ascending
Severe Torture - Torn From The Jaws of Death
Antichrist Siege Machine - Vengeance of Eternal Fire
Prize Horse - Under Sound

 

Charli, Vince Staples, Billie Eilish, both Future x Metro albums, everything else has been singles, mainly Kendrick’s stuff and the two from Balance and Composure

 

Album of the Year so far for me =

CAPSTAN - THE MOSAIC


Other releases I've enjoyed:

Belmont - Liminal
Cory Wells - Harboring the Hurt I've Caused
408 - Hot Mess
L0L0 - Falling for Robots & Wishing I Was One
The Used - Meds
Dangerous Summer - Gravity
The Early November- The Early November
One Step Closer - All You Embrace
Gracie Abrams- The Secret of Us
Taylor Swift - Tortured Poets Department

 

the vaccines - pick-up full of pink carnations
green day - saviors
the oderants - love songs never die
the speakeasy - the speakeasy
hot water music - vow
super american - gangster of love

 

Most played so far. Surprised Contention isn’t in there. Others include Stand Still, Candy, HEAVYHEX, and Aaron West. EPs include Malinois, Bayway, and Big Ass Truck.

 

These are really cool lists, and good recs to catch up on!

Here's mine:

1. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
2. SPRINTS - Letter To Self
3. Aaron West And The Roaring Twenties - In Lieu of Flowers
4. Nia Archives - Silence Is Loud
5. The Chisel - What a Fucking Nightmare
6. Knocked Loose - You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To
7. Beyonce - COWBOY CARTER
8. Bob Vylan - Humble as the Sun
9. Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry
10. Everything Everything - Mountainhead

Also Unpeople and Lil Simz have dropped really good EPs/Mixtapes, and I am fucking psyched for the new Los Camp!

Fun year.

 

I guess I need to listen to Knocked Loose?

EDIT: I just did. This is not the vibe I am on at all currently, sorry guys

 

Me too!! The Contention record is pretty incredible.