Opinion & Analysis: The Questions of “Inclusion” and Lay-offs in the Modern Corporate World
The ABC building on my last day of work. July 27, 2023.
Just before Thanksgiving last year, on November 22, a movie was released on Disney+. It was a feel-good, well-made, uplifting film called “Out of My Mind.” It told the story of a young girl with Cerebral Palsy and her quest to be understood and accepted by her classmates. Around this time, Disney filled its social media platforms with positive messages of inclusion around people with CP. It was the kind of move you’d expect from a company that is thought to be on the forefront of progressive change.
My name is Allan Raible. I was born with mild Cerebral Palsy that mostly affects my walking. I worked for ABC/Disney for 21 years, from 2002 until I was laid off in the middle of 2023. I worked in the News Research Library for six years and the Music Library for the next fifteen. On the side, whenever I had a chance, I wrote music reviews and pieces for the websites of “Good Morning America” and ABC News. In the Music Library, I was respected for my ear and finding great pieces of music for shows like “GMA” and “20/20.” I worked tirelessly during the pandemic years, often extending my work time beyond typical hours to make sure work got done.
Later, in 2022, I had a massive panic attack after dealing with too many spreadsheets, focusing on too much visually-intensive work. When I was in high school, attending the Packer Collegiate Institute in Brooklyn, I had been diagnosed as being “non-binocular.” As a result, my eyes don’t always line up and they tend to flicker back and forth. When I had my panic attack, I was able to relocate the paperwork from three decades earlier, diagnosing me with this condition.
When I was in high school, this condtion excused me out of Geometry class. I never thought that this would affect me as an adult. As someone who has spent my more than four decades on this planet trying to appear as “normal” as possible, for the first time in my professional career, I made a request to Disney HR to have the clerical aspects of my job lessened (or eliminated) for my health. I was dealing with programs across the Disney platforms and the creative aspects of my job were getting more and more sizable, so I had confidence in making this request. I sent the paperwork I had to HR and they asked me to get re-evaluated. In October of 2022, the new eye doctor evaluation backed up my request, lining up with the original diagnosis. I thought that this was an “a-ha” moment that explained so much of the discomfort I felt in the position I had had for fifteen years. I thought HR would help me. Instead, they said, “We’ll give you a second monitor.” Was this a help? A little… (Very little.) In January 2023, I got my second monitor.
To be clear, I can do clerical work, at a reasonable level. It was the sheer volume of what I was being asked to do and the amount of time staring closely at detailed screens that was creating the issue.
In April of 2023, I received an emailed Zoom invite labeled “HR Check-In.” My first thought was, “Oh, they are checking to see how well I am doing with my second monitor.” I was wrong. Like something out of the coldest scene in “Succession,” that “HR Check-In” was my Burbank-based boss and a visibly shaking HR woman telling me that my last day was July 27. My job had supposedly been “eliminated.” My boss insisted that the decision was “not performance based,” but considering I had just gone out on a limb and made a request to alter my responsibilities based on my needs, I have my doubts. At the end of July, I got my severance and I reluctantly left a company I had loved, wondering if I had kept my mouth shut about the panic attacks and my eye issue, if I’d still have a job. To make matters worse, of the supposed 7,000 people being “let go,’ I was the only one from the New York Music Library.
Nineteen months after my last day, I am still looking for a full-time job.
I had originally gotten my job at ABC through an organization that helps people with disabilities find employment. That organization has since moved and changed focus. I thought I’d be protected, working with HR and making an honest request. As someone who has spent my life trying to dance around my CP, making such a request was a difficult move on my part. “Inclusion” is great until it causes issues and with companies becoming too large to function like they once did, it is easier to mask potentially negligent layoffs under the vague, malignant guise of “corporate restructuring.” What happened with me at Disney isn’t technically illegal, but it is a poor business move that indicates where most of these companies actually are when it comes to accommodations, even with long-term employees who view themselves as more than just mere cogs in the machine.
I have applied for nearly twenty positions at ABC since I left and have yet to even get an interview. This is strange because as I was leaving, they recruited me as part of an “Employee Retention Program.” As a person with editorial news experience, encyclopedic pop culture knowledge and a knack for writing, surely, they would still want me.
Around the time of my layoff notification, a piece was run on “World News Tonight” with Whit Johnson about a five-year-old boy with CP, who had just learned to walk in front of his class for the first time. This mirrors my own story almost exactly. I know with stories like this and with movies like “Out of My Mind,” Disney thinks they are doing the right thing, but with my personal experience around being so coldly laid off, these moves come off as shockingly hypocritical. People with disabilities can be used for good press or as “inspiration porn,” but if someone asks for help, they get thrown away.
The new political landscape makes this even scarier. While Bob Iger reportedly has Disney joining other companies in enforcing the Trump administration’s decrease in “D.E.I.” programs, this assault on American workers who are “othered” in any way, continues. As someone who gets asked on every digital job application if I have a disability, I now wonder if that is the reason why, with my over two decades of network experience, on-air radio experience and a Daytime Emmy certificate win for my Music Department work, I still have yet to be interviewed anywhere.
Making things worse, with A.I. and digital filtering gaining more ground, it seems that humans no longer look at resumes, instead relying on some mystery salad of keywords. Welcome to the new corporate dystopia where great candidates fall through the cracks because they don’t check certain boxes and aren’t regarded for the actual skills they bring to the table. During this unspeakably difficult time, pay attention to what companies are doing behind the scenes and what images they try to project onto themselves.
Representation is great and I’m glad Disney is doing its part to spread positive messages about people with disabilities. Whether they intended it or not, the fact that I no longer work there so soon after making a simple request, gives the possible hint that they don’t quite practice what they preach. In the current climate, it is really upsetting that so many large companies have seemingly targeted so many marginalized groups. It definitely signals troubling trends.
As I am writing this, it was just announced that Disney laid off another round of people. Hopefully they didn’t single out people in currently vulnerable groups.
Our differences make us stronger. Diversity is important. Scaling back the “D.E.I.” programs is a huge step backwards. I fear a world where discrimination is legal and the only opportunities are given to certain limited groups of people. If that is where this all leads, we are on the wrong side of history.
ALLAN RAIBLE’S PICKS: The 50 Best Albums of 2024
Apologies that this list is later than I would have liked. 2024 was a difficult year on many fronts, to say the least, and when I knew I was running late, I decided that this list needed the extra time to be as expansive as possible. I wanted this to be as cohesive a dissection of the year as I possibly could create. In one form or another, I have been making these lists since 2006 in this very way. This is the second year doing so on this site and this rundown is actually much larger than the one I did last year. There is plenty to enjoy here. While this list maybe won’t go as far, readership-wise, as my work once did, this list remains of the utmost importance to me.
Please listen to and support these artists. Streaming doesn’t necessarily pay the bills. This is true even for artists who are signed to the majors. Please buy music whenever necessary. In spite of what Daniel Ek from Spotify says, music costs money to make and artists should be able to live off of their work. This allows them to live more fufilled lives and create more art. It is a cycle.
For those of you who think there isn’t any good music anymore, you are wrong. There is ALWAYS excellent music out there. You just need to know where to look. While the mainstream fluctuates with what is popular, you can bet that just about any niche genre you like is just about always thriving somewhere. The mainstream always thrives the most when the weirder and more experimental work gets past the gatekeepers. While we may not be experiencing one of those times right now, the barriers for breaking into the music industry are lower than ever, even if the algorithmic systems are still rigged to help the majors. That means that while radio is losing its power, someone in a room somewhere could be making music that you will love. Even if that person only has seven fans, they can still reach you in some way or another in today’s market. That’s pretty amazing.
Anyway… You didn’t click on this to read my musings on music industry trends. Here are my picks for the fifty best albums of 2024.
BEABADOOBEE – “This is How Tomorrow Moves” Album cover artistic detail.
50.. BEABADOOBEE – “This is How Tomorrow Moves” On her third record, Filipino-British singer Beabadoobee continues to scale back the alt-rock fuzz and sonic experimentation that was the backbone of the many of the highlights on her first two records. “This is How Tomorrow Moves,” is definitely an increasingly more mainstream record, although all the elements present here were present on those earlier records, as well. It appears she is just stripping back her sound.
In this case, the wonderful “California,” “Post,” “One Time” and “Beaches,” are the tracks where this album rocks the hardest Her sweet voice always fits well behind an enveloping wall of fuzz. Elsewhere, this just a more intimate record. Soft, sparse back moments like “Real Man,” “Everything I Want” and “Coming Home” work with a really stripped-down approach, with winning results. “Girl Song,” in particular, is an effective, quiet piano ballad.
There may be another key reason why this record has what feels like an increasingly minimalist approach. It was co-produced by Rick Rubin, who is famous for suppodely just walking around and “producing” on vibes. This is a great record but one wonders if he was just somewhere half asleep on a couch, barefoot in the control room. I may be wrong, and hearing interviews from Rubin, himself, I actually doubt his contributions are are minimal as even he claims.
Beabadoobee has song chops. “Take a Bite” is an excellent song and now considering Rick Rubin’s involvement, with its semi-blues rundown, it might be a great third in a playlist with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ “Dani California.”
There are some moments where you can hear cool studio echo on “A Cruel Affair.” “The Man Who Left Too Soon” has some odd circus-like orchestral sounds used as sonic accents.
I’d really like to hear what she would do if she were to make a record with someone who specialized in grungy rock. I’d like to see her next record produced by Gil Norton (known for work with Pixies, Foo Fighters, etc.) or someone similar. Even Dave Fridmann (known for his work with the Flaming Lips and others) or Sarah Tudzin (from Illuminati Hotties) might be good choices.
In any case, “This is How Tomorrow Moves” often feels almost twee in its approach as it sands away some edges. However, it delivers some real standouts and shows Beabadoobee really continuing to grow as a performer and a writer. In the end, it is a great record with some strong standout moments.
Listen to “This is How Tomorrow Moves” on Spotify
Listen to “This is How Tomorrow Moves” on Apple Music
Listen to “This is How Tomorrow Moves” on Amazon Music
JAKOBS CASTLE – “Enter: The Castle” Album cover artistic detail.
49. JAKOBS CASTLE – “Enter: The Castle” Genetics are funny and amazing sometimes. Jakob Nowell is the son of late Sublime frontman, Bradley Nowell, who died in 1996, when Jakob was just a baby. Jakobs Castle (Yes, there is no apostrophe…) is the younger Nowell’s musical project and the most amazing thing about it is that his voice is a near perfect echo of his father,
As a songwriter, he has inherited what he needed to in order to be able to write hit records. Just listen to the opener, “Supervillain,” and it is clear that the hooks are there. Even better is the stunning standout “Close Enough,” which sounds like a lost vintage nineties radio hit worthy of multiple repeat listens.
Nowell, however is more than a mere carbon copy of his father. The glitchy hyper-pop of “Motel Radio” and the pitch-shifted vocal weirdness of “Lights Out,” prove this to be a more modern endeavor and a product of 2024. The sonic stew of influences, though, is very similar. The punk, pop, reggae and hip-hop elements come together very appealingly much like they did on the Sublime records. There’s so much drive in the sunny sounding, yet sadly worded, “My Machine,” while “Catch Me,” is a well-executed bit of eighties-style pop. The reggae-flavored, “Time Traveler,” is cowritten with Rancid’s Tim Armstrong, which makes me wonder how often Sublime and Rancid ever crossed paths in the nineties.
Again, Jakob Nowell is his own man. It isn’t necessarily fair to compare him so closely with his father. At the same time, he seems to be alright with carrying the mantle bestowed by his genes. In 2024, he got together with Eric Wilson and Bud Gaugh (the surviving members of Sublime) and officially joined the band, making them very much a present-tense act, giving them more authenticity than Rome Ramirez could on the “Sublime with Rome” records. (Those records aren’t bad. The first one, “Yours Truly,” is actually quite decent.) So, now, not only is he singing songs his father wrote, he is also releasing new music with his dad’s band, dropping new single, “Feel Like That,” which actually features the voices of both generations of Nowells.
In addition to any Sublime work that may be in the future, Jakobs Castle’s “Enter: the Castle,” is in its own right, a nicely scrappy and experimental singer-songwriter record that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Listen to “Enter: The Castle” on Spotify
SCHOOLBOY Q – “Blue Lips” Album cover artistic detail.
48. SCHOOLBOY Q – “Blue Lips” A stylistically-forward-thinking record, full of dense production and a variety of grooves. ScHoolboy Q’s latest is a huge step forward. There is often a jazzy abstraction going on here. Listen to his flow on the Mac Miller-tribute, “Blueslides.” Conversational in tone. Compare that to the rapid-fire, low-rumbling of “Yeern 101” or the calculated crawl of the Devin Malik-assisted “Back n Love.”
On “Cooties,” Q says, “Mass shooting, when will they stop it? / ‘Nother kid gone for unlimited profits. / Rather keep my kid home before you f__k up the process. I’d rather die and lose it all before they don’t get the knowledge.” It is as pointed as it is a necessary complaint. How the hell are we still here as we approach 2025?
Q’s approach is unfiltered. The Rico Nasty-assisted “Pop,” may be too much for some, but it is strangely awesome for its sonic experimentation. (Again, if this isn’t for you, it isn’t. That’s OK.) Q and Rico attack this beat with a punk-like aggression. It is unapologetic.
On “oHio,” Q is joined by Feddie Gibbs over a smooth, deep groove, with a jazzy piano-bar switch-up.. If it isn’t clear, this is the kind of record that needs to be listened to at TOP volume on a good set of speakers. That being said, it is a record that firmly EARNS its parental advisory sticker, so there definitely is a time and a place (and a context) for this record.
The interestingly rhythmic, “Foux” pairs Q with Ab-Soul. Again, the beats and the flows on this record put it at another level. This collection on the whole finds ScHoolboy Q often in search of creating something artistically striking, over the pursuit of easy to digest hooks. “Blue Lips” is definitely a unique trip.
Listen to “Blue Lips” on Spotify
Listen to “Blue Lips” on Apple Music
Listen to “Blue Lips” on Amazon Music
WAXAHATCHEE – “Tigers Blood” Album cover artistic detail.
47. WAXAHATCHEE – “Tigers Blood” It is sometimes really funny (and often times, downright arbitrary) what makes something finally click and turn a negative into a positive. I have LONG been a champion of Katie Crutchfield’s Waxahatchee records. “Cerulean Salt” was my pick for the best album of 2013. However, a few years back when the album “Saint Cloud” was championed by the rest of the music press, I didn’t get it at first. I loved the tight, intimate, slightly fuzzy, slightly lo-fi indie rock of “Cerulean Salt” and “Ivy Tripp,” but as Crutchfield began to morph into more of a slow-paced country and Americana artist, she left me feeling a bit sleepy.
When “Tigers Blood” dropped in March, it was set to continue that trend. I felt that way until a few weeks ago when I saw a brief clip on Instagram of Crutchfield doing a live performance of “Right Back to It’ with MJ Lenderman. I don’t know what it was about that (literally seconds long) clip, but it had me rethink and re-explore the album that I was too quick to initially dismiss. This is a slow-burn record that requires close listening and it shows that Crutchfield deserves to be championed in equal amounts in both indie-rock and country circles. When the bits of fuzz fleetingly return on “Evil Spawn” and ”Bored” you get hints of the past while moving forward. When the harmonica-drenched “Burns Out at Midnight” hits you deeply in your soul, it is clear that Crutchfield is a multi-faceted talent.
Any music critic who thinks their initial takes are always right, needs to gain some humility. From start to finish, “Tigers Blood” is a nuanced, exceedingly well-crafted record that deserves deep and focused attention. Do I wish the title didn’t accidentally bring to mind Charlie Sheen during his most unhinged period? Yes. Sadly, that is just the way the pop-culture circus is my brain works.
Listen to “Tigers Blood” on Spotify
Listen to “Tigers Blood” on Apple Music
Listen to “Tigers Blood” on Amazon Music
BAT FOR LASHES – “The Dream of Delphi” Album cover artistic detail.
46. BAT FOR LASHES – “The Dream of Delphi” Inspired by the 2020 birth of her daughter, Natasha Khan’s sixth album under her Bat For Lashes moniker, is a warm, lush, woozy, synth-driven offering.
“Letter to My Daughter” sounds like a middle-ground between Kate Bush and Bjork, while “The Midwives Have Left” bridges the gap somewhere between ambient and classical influences. At times, this collection feels like a somber, yet quietly celebratory score piece. Single, “Home” is a noticeable high point that wouldn’t sound out of place on an Imogen Heap record. Mostly, this collection is a hushed endeavor, retaining some of the mystical energy from her last offering and career best, “Lost Girls,” from 2019 and repurposing the mood with some chilled after-party vibes. I mean this in the best way, but “Breaking Up” brings some vintage “smooth jazz” energy.
Mostly, this is an ideal record for either deep contemplation or a comedown after a party. It seems fitting that as a companion piece, Khan also dropped an EP of harp-driven versions of some of these tracks and more, with harpist, Lara Somogyi. While this isn’t the most pop-friendly Bat For Lashes album, it shows that even at her least commercial and most cerebral, Khan can summon some magic. This is a loving ode to motherhood and yet so much more.
Listen to “The Dream of Delphi” on Spotify
CLAIRO – “Charm” Album cover artistic detail.
45. CLAIRO – “Charm” On, “Charm,” Claire Cottrill’s third album as Clairo, she really puts her craft into full gear. Fusing her “lo-fi” whispery pop style with a seventies “soft rock” sound, she progresses into more sonically mature territory. Perhaps aided by producer, Leon Michels of the El Michels Affair, this album’s retro sound is further fleshed by the presence of Michels’ fellow Daptone alumni.
From the beginning, with the one-two punch of “Nomad” and “Sexy to Someone,” the growth is evident. While Clairo nearly constantly sings at a near whisper, these songs have heft. There’s a relaxed California coolness about “Second Nature,” “Thank You” and “Juna.” This really does feel like a time warp. Was she listening to vintage Albert Hammond records? Perhaps exploring other delicate 2000’s-era indie rock, like Jason Schwartzman’s Coconut Records project? “Echo” sounds like a bedroom-pop answer to Stereolab.
It's hard to tell the exact inspiration, but with “Charm,” Clairo delivers a set that is both intimate and gently enveloping. This is a softly groovy collection with delicate orchestration. Here Clairo fully realizes the sound she hinted was on the horizon on her first two albums.
Listen to “Charm” on Apple Music
Listen to “Charm” on Amazon Music
KATE PIERSON – “Radios & Rainbows” Album cover detail.
44. KATE PIERSON – “Radios & Rainbows” The B-52’s’ last proper studio album, “Funplex,” was released back in 2008. It is easy to forget that for a time, Kate Pierson was a driving vocal force on alternative-pop radio. Particularly in the late eighties and early nineties, there was a period where you couldn’t escape the omnipresence of the “Cosmic Thing” era singles… or her work with R.E.M. on “Shiny Happy People.” Her second solo album (and her first in nine years) is like a wake-up call, right from the opening notes of single, “Evil Love,” a retro noir romp that somehow evokes the spirits of both Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse. Now in her seventies, Pierson’s voice is still a booming, dynamic instrument. She still sounds as powerful (and as youthful) as ever.
This is a Kate Pierson album, so the campiness is on full display, from the retro-disco of “Take Me Back to the Party,” to the playful, “Every Day is Halloween,” there’s a timeless sense of joy here. Even some vintage “Rock Lobster”-esque vocal exclamations pop up from time to time.
It helps, too that this is an album with sharp pop hooks and no filler. The angular rush of “The Beauty of it All” and the woozy reggae arcade game sound of “Pillow Queen,” are both delivered with care. “Wings” sounds both retro and futuristic. If any one of these songs had been on a B-52’s record, they would have rivaled “Roam.” Even the politically-pointed “Dream On” is coated in optimistic sunshine.
From start to finish, “Radios & Rainbows” serves as an intelligently punchy dose of euphoria. As we continue further into one of the darkest and most uncertain periods in American history, this is just the record we need.
Listen to “Radios & Rainbows on Spotify
Listen to “Radios & Rainbows” on Apple Music
Listen to “Radios & Rainbows” on Amazon Music
ALIEN ANT FARM – “~mAntras~” Album cover detail.
43. ALIEN ANT FARM – “~mAntras~” I can feel your questioning me through the screen. “Alien Ant Farm, you say?” Hell, yes! If you are questioning me, that means you have probably only heard their famous cover of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal,” a cover, which, while hugely popular, did their legacy a massive disservice. You should know their landmark 2001 album “ANThology,” for standouts like “Movies,” “Attitude” and “Summer.” Instead, “Smooth Criminal” came along and overshadowed the rest of the album. That record and its nearly equal 2004 follow-up, “truANT,” showed them to be a skilled, under-rated band somewhere in the middle between Incubus and Deftones. Like those two other bands, they got kind of accidentally lumped into the “nu-metal” bin when in truth they were much more nuanced than most of the bands associated with that movement.
So, why is “~mAntras~” here? It’s here because it is the band’s best work in twenty years and they deserve a massive cultural reassessment. Sure, moves like consistently stylizing everything to highlight the word “Ant” can get in their way, but then you listen to a song like “Last dAntz,” after you groan a little at the forced title stylization, you realize that with a more minimalist approach, this song could almost be a lost track by the Police, with its reggae rhythms and its emotional drive.
“Fade” sounds like a lost alt-rock hit from the late nineties or early 2000s. The same can be said for “Storms Over,” “So Cold” and “Prosperous Futures.”
Later in the album, they try to repeat old tricks by covering Wham!’s “Everything She Wants” only… (oh Jeez… Here we go again… ) stylizing the title as “Everything She wAnts.” This is no longer as glaring an issue as it was when they covered “Smooth Criminal.” One, they are now more of a known (if perhaps misunderstood) commodity. Two, while the original was a big hit in the eighties, it’s not nearly as large a pop behemoth as “Smooth Criminal.” Repeating this strategy tells me that they are probably alright with the career they got after covering “Smooth Criminal.” I think they would probably be in a better place if someone in 2001 had told them to remove it from the tracklist of “ANThology.” They’d be seen as the strong band they are and not as a joke-y “one-hit-wonder.” If you doubt me, listen to this record and then go back and give “ANThology” and “truANT” another listen with new ears.
In the year 2024, Alien Ant Farm can still mix muscular metallic guitar-lines with appealing pop hooks. From the tone of the experimental greatest hits mash-up on the title track, maybe they are firmly comfortable with their legacy as it stands. As a band, they deserve more respect.
Listen to “~mAntras~” on Spotify
Listen to “~mAntras~” on Apple Music
Listen to “~mAntras~” on Amazon Music
“The Collective” (Deluxe Edition) Album cover artistic detail.
42. KIM GORDON – “The Collective” (Deluxe Edition) I didn’t have it on my 2024 bingo card that Kim Gordon would come back with a vengeance with her most important post-Sonic Youth release. It is fun to be surprised. Only Gordon can turn a massive laundry list of items into an art-rock, trap-beat banger like she does on “BYE BYE.” On the whole, this sounds both like the eclectic history of New York City art scenes colliding and like a vision of the future. “I Don’t Miss My Mind” sounds like nothing you have ever heard and yet it also sounds like something Jean-Michel Basquiat’s band might have been playing at the Mudd Club in the early eighties. “I’m a Man,” with its vacuum cleaner noise sheen also stirs the senses.
Dare I say that this is the strongest, most unquestionable offering from any member of Sonic Youth since their break-up. People looking for pop hooks, may find this collection confounding. This is more about clever sonic assaults with drum machines and a sea of feedback. (How is this record so consistently engrossingly visceral?) Here, Gordon and her collaborator, producer, Justin Raisen mix sounds together with an appealing sense of abandon.
“The Collective” plays best in its “Deluxe” form. Bonus tracks, “Bangin’ on the Freeway” and “ECRP,” should have made the standard album cut.
Like David Bowie and Tom Waits before her, Kim Gordon is an eternally cool, utterly singular figure. This is every bit as biting as the records she was making four decades ago. She will never not be on the cutting edge.
Listen to “The Collective” (Deluxe Edition) on Spotify
JAPANDROIDS – “Fate & Alcohol” Album cover artistic detail.
41. JAPANDROIDS – “Fate & Alcohol” Hyped as their last album after reportedly drifting apart personally, Japandroids’ first album in seven years shows no audible signs of strain between the guitar and drums duo. Musically speaking, Brian King and David Prowse sound as connected as ever. If you enjoyed their previous collections of hard-hitting power-pop sing-along anthems, standouts like “Eye-Contact High,” “D&T,” “Chicago” will also be shout-ready. Even making cheeky jokes with titles like “A Gaslight Anthem” and “Positively 34th Street,” seem sharply on the money. The tempo-shifting groove of “Upon Sober Reflection,” is one of the duo’s most powerful sonic-statements to date.
While their connection as a creative unit may have been fractured, musically speaking, this still sounds as fresh and as raw as ever. Simple power-chords and shouted choruses are all around, here. Here’s hoping that this isn’t actually their last record and in a decade or so, they can resummon the magic again and realize that they really captured something intangible over their four studio albums, one compilation and one live album. This is rock in its most stripped down and yet arena-ready form. The built-in nostalgia on closer, “All Bets Are Off,” seems fitting. You can taste that something has been lost. If this is the end, boy did they leave on a high note.
Listen to “Fate & Alcohol” on Spotify
Listen to “Fate & Alcohol” on Apple Music
Listen to “Fate & Alcohol” on Amazon Music
LEON BRIDGES – “Leon” Album cover artistic detail.
40. LEON BRIDGES – “Leon” On his fourth studio full-length, Leon Bridges continues to grow as a soul singer and sonic craftsman. His 2015 debut presented him to be a modern answer to vintage soul love balladeers like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding. As he modernized his sound on that album’s follow-up, “Good Thing,” it was initially an awkward transition before he confidently regained his footing on 2021’s “Gold-Diggers Sound.” Not only does “Leon” shoot him further into the modern age, right from the first few bars of opener, “When a Man Cries,” it is evident that he’s giving us something with some pensive emotional weight. Stylistically, this really builds. It is as if this is fusing the sonics of Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” through the modern sonic lens of Zero 7’s “Simple Things” album.
If R&B radio had as much of a mainstream presence as it did twenty or thirty years ago, Leon Bridges would be a much bigger star. (The guy doesn’t do badly, but man, he deserves more.) The smoothness of “Loredo” and “Panther City,” indicate that there may be some Jim Croce and America records in his collection. Bridges is continuing to bring elements from the sixties and seventies into the modern age. It all just sounds so utterly natural.
“Ain’t Got Nothing on You” verges on country-tinged “soft rock” in the best way possible. There’s a comforting serenity to “Peaceful Place” and “Can’t Have it All.” “Ivy” sounds completely organic and yet modern. There is so much brewing in Bridges’ sonic stew. He’s likely to be painted into an R&B balladeer corner but with closer listens, this is a nuanced offering combining elements from various genres and subgenres from the last six or seven decades. “Leon” is a bold and satisfying artistic achievement.
BILLIE EILISH – “Hit Me Hard and Soft” Album cover artistic detail.
39. BILLIE EILISH – “Hit Me Hard and Soft” While Billie Elish’s third full-length album doesn’t quite hit the high mark of her eclectic last record, “Happier than Ever,” it still packs quite a punch. A nuanced, whittled-down, ten-track collection which spends a lot of focused time on some lush bossa nova-style balladry. “Skinny,” “Wildflower” and “The Greatest” showcase this signature sound well. The upbeat sexual awakening of “Lunch” and the glossy radio-friendly boom of “Birds of a Feather,” both add some sense of variety, as does the interesting electro and new wave switch-up during the second half of “L’amour de ma Vie,” and the entrancing closing track, “Blue.”
More than any record she has previously released, this feels like a cohesive, singular sonic statement. While it demands focused listening for all of its charms to become fully evident, it remains a mature, enveloping statement. With each passing year, Billie and her brother, Finneas continue to hone their skills together. While this is unquestionably a pop record, there’s an unapologetic, admirably dense quality to its contents. These tracks are given plenty of space to breathe and expand where needed, sometimes into multiple movements. Softly, this collection benefits from its musical subtlety. “Hit Me Hard and Soft” often brings some heavy emotion in a quiet package.
Listen to “Hit Me Hard and Soft” on Spotify
Listen to “Hit Me Hard and Soft” on Apple Music
Listen to “Hit Me Hard and Soft” on Amazon Music
LINKIN PARK – “From Zero” Album cover artistic detail.
38. LINKIN PARK – “From Zero” When Linkin Park announced they were re-forming with a new co-lead vocalist and a new drummer, people were cautiously optimistic. Chester Bennington casts an immense shadow. Replacing him with Emily Armstrong from a technical standpoint makes perfect sense. She can sing as beautifully as he could while also delivering blood-curdling screams the next moment. When it was discovered that Armstrong reportedly has deep family ties to Scientology and a questionable past because of it, it put a dark cloud over the record. Armstrong didn’t help things by not distancing herself from the seemingly cult-like organization. While that may make “From Zero” a tainted no go for many previous Linkin Park fans, especially considering the organization’s views on issues concerning mental health, “From Zero” is on its face, actually a very strong record. For many (and I include myself in this) that sadly makes this album equally conflicting and thrilling. This will remain an issue (whether spoken or unspoken) for many fans until Armstrong follows other celebrities who in recent years have cut ties with Scientology, especially in the wake of the organization’s role in protecting Danny Masterson. (Armstrong isn’t even the only person on this list with potential Scientology ties, but upon the announcement of her joining the band, this became a point of discussion… Given the band’s lyrical focus is often on mental health, it makes sense that this became a topic point.)
That ugly issue aside, objectively speaking, based purely on the music, itself,, this is an undeniable Linkin Park record. Standouts like “The Emptiness Machine,” “Heavy is the Crown” and “Two Faced,” show that band is leaning back into the core sound they had during the “Hybrid Theory” and “Meteora” days. This is understandable, considering this era was their commercial peak, even though, honestly, I, personally connect more deeply with their last album, “One More Light,” especially since Bennington’s death. (That album, in combination with Mike Shinoda’s solo record, “Post Traumatic,” really hit hard for me.) Nevertheless, it is good to see this band revitalized and relaunching from their core. The title is a pun, considering the band’s name before Linkin Park was actually Xero.
Speaking of Shinoda, I don’t think he gets the credit he deserves. He is and has been the band’s consistent leader and while Bennington was seen as the band’s “lead singer” by some, Shinoda’s voice was heard pretty much just as often. It helps that that vocal interplay works somewhat in the same way between him and Armstrong.
At 31 minutes, this is rather brief, but it re-establishes the band in the right way. “Over Each Other” even finds Armstrong delivering an effective ballad, forging a new path ahead. “From Zero” may not be a perfect second start, but it indicates that there is a decent and promising artistic path forward. In the wake of tragedy, this is a new beginning.
Listen to “From Zero” on Spotify
Listen to “From Zero” on Apple Music
Listen to “From Zero” on Amazon Music
EVE 6 – “Dream Fist” Album cover artistic detail.
37. EVE 6 – “Dream Fist” On their sixth album, Eve 6 begin to sound a little bit more like themselves. You can hear the bright pop sound of their major label albums seeping back into the mix. The darker, more punk, wonderfully sleazed up sound on their last two offerings, 2022’s “Hyper Relevisation” and its 2021 companion EP, “Grim Value,” is still there, but it is receding, giving way to a brighter sound. Max Collins is witty as always. It is weird and kind of cool that the title-track almost sounds like their response to the Flys’ hit, “Got You (Where I Want You),” while “No Time At All” is a refreshing bit of bright rawness. The deep grooves of “I Don’t Wanna Know” and “No Better,” show that this trio are as tight a unit as ever.
As a band, they have evolved nicely into something more organic, without losing their keen pop sensibilities. Sure, this is a brisk 33 minutes, but it is packed with earworms that you’ll want to revisit time and time again. I don’t know if a major label would have allowed them to blossom in quite the way they have because a record executive would no doubt get in the way asking for more sonic polish. (I can just picture an unqualified, clueless suit asking,“Can’t you make another “‘Here’s to the Night?’” )
With each successive release, Eve 6 are unveiling a new layer. It wouldn’t surprise me if their best albums are still ahead of them. Right now they are basking amidst a very cool renaissance in their career, somewhere between crusty pop-punk and “indie sleaze.” If hits like “Inside Out” and “Promise” just re-emerged from a dark back room of a club, they might sound like this.
Listen to “Dream Fist” on Spotify
HAPPY ACCIDENTS – “Edit Undo” Album cover artistic detail.
36. HAPPY ACCIDENTS – “Edit Undo” This is either Happy Accidents’ fourth or fifth album. (That all depends if you consider their 2022 release, “cgwarmth” an EP or an album.) Here the duo of Rich Mandell and Phoebe Cross do what they do best, delivering tender, often heartstrings-tugging tunes over sonically diverse backdrops.
Maybe the best moments here come when the guitars swell up to near shoegaze levels on tracks like “Infinite Possibilities” and “Dog Day.” It is as if in these moments, they studied the guitar textures during the chorus of Radiohead’s “Creep,” and thought, “Let’s add a dash of that!” I’m convinced that had it been released thirty years ago, the Mandell-led, “Infinite Possibilities” would have made this duo left-field “Brit-Pop” stars, while the same could be said for the Cross-led “Dog Day,” as it evokes a moodier, slightly grungy answer to the Sundays. Both of these singers have such differently expressive voices that really work well together.
Even when the sonic environments shift to more electronic realms, like on the lo-fi, synth and beat-driven “Forgive Me,” or the atmospheric “All Around,” these two show themselves to be exceptionally versatile.
Both Mandell and Cross are also members of the band Me Rex and Mandell is a key producer in the British indie-rock scene, producing tracks for the likes of Fresh, Supermilk and others.
“Edit Undo” shows Happy Accidents deserve more attention, particularly here in the United States. This is a warm and winning record. It sounds focused and purposeful at every turn, in heavy contrast with the mistake its title implies. Give a listen to “Makes No Difference,” and tell me you can’t imagine it gaining massive traction with fans. If you don’t know Happy Accidents, you are in for a treat.
Listen to “Edit Undo” on Spotify
Listen to “Edit Undo” on Apple Music
Listen to “Edit Undo” on Amazon Music
SHERYL CROW – “Evolution (Deluxe) Album cover artistic detail.
35. SHERYL CROW – “Evolution (Deluxe) Back in 2019, Sheryl Crow said she thought her album, “Threads,” would be her last. I’m glad she changed her mind.
“Evolution” has Crow sounding revitalized, harkening back to peak records like her self-titled album and “The Globe Sessions.” The 2024 “acid rock” burn of “Alarm Clock” hits pretty hard, while still being pop-radio-ready. The existential crisis and new age searching on “Do it Again,” suits Crow’s classic style well. Other tracks like “You Can’t Change the Weather,” the title track and “Where?” all sound like they could stand well next to Crow’s biggest hits.
“Broken Record,” with its cheeky but pointed tone is a real star on the set. It serves as a takedown of people with bad manners in the social media age, particularly aimed toward the dangerous MAGA and “alt-right” trolls. (When she sings, “We were buds but now I’m unfriending,” one can’t help but wonder if she is talking about Kid Rock.) Always politically aware and not to be afraid to be outspoken, this kind of track has always been in Crow’s wheelhouse. This song stings after the November election. When she sings “Love wins,” at the end of the track, there is a tinge of sadness. Love didn’t win. Hate and bigotry with a dose of grifter-fueled greed won. The world needs more damn empathy.
The deluxe edition adds on an utterly jaw-droppingly stupendous cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Digging in the Dirt.” Peter Gabriel is even with her on the track! She must have rightfully thought highly of this cover because instead of being tacked onto the end of the record like you see with most “deluxe” versions, this is up near the front, at track two.
“Evolution” is an album we needed in 2024. Crow is an evergreen talent and more than thirty years after “Tuesday Night Music Club,” she is still dropping gems. She effectively ignored what she said in 2019. Let’s hope she continues to do so. “Evolution” is the career-reaffirming proof that the world needs her to continue to release albums.
Listen to “Evolution” (Deluxe) on Spotify
WILLOW – “Empathogen” Album cover artistic detail.
34. WILLOW – “Empathogen” To say that Willow Smith’s new album is a huge step forward is a radical understatement. Honestly, “Empathogen,” is a musically complex, jazz-influenced offering. Always a shapeshifter, she really surprises on this one. One listen to dense, constantly propulsive tracks like “Symptom of Life,” the brief, yet intense “No Words 1&2,” the slyly funky “Run!” and the Jon Batiste-assisted “Home,” it is hard to believe that just a couple years ago, she was experimenting with pop-punk. This is in many ways the polar opposite.
This album is at times baffling in its musical complexity, putting the normal simplicity of most modern pop records to shame, without sacrificing hooks. “Between I and She” is a really boldly catchy track, even with its tempo-shifts and side-trips.
The deluxe version of this album is the one you should really hear, retitled as “Ceremonial Contrafact (Empathogen Deluxe.) This deluxe version just feels like it should have been the standard record. At 39 minutes instead of 32, it just flows well from beginning to end. The bonus tracks don’t feel tacked on. They feel like the natural progression of the cycle. I know that acts are releasing supposed “Deluxe” editions of records to increase and reinvigorate streaming numbers, since platforms now dictate the norms, but honestly, as a fan who collects albums in physical form whenever possible, it is a colossal pain when an album is released and then a couple months later (or sometimes even sooner) a “deluxe” edition just appears and it really just makes the whole thing sound more complete. If you are a musical completist, having to sometimes buy a record twice to get the whole picture is terrible. If artists thought more about their actual fans instead of streaming numbers, it would be better, but as someone who has music on the platforms, myself, I get it. The new norm asks for a lot of work from the artists with little to almost no financial reward. As we all know, the streaming royalty structure needs a massive overhaul so artists get paid what they deserve… However, that soapbox discussion is probably better suited for another time.
“Empathogen” is truly impressive. It is a big reminder that Willow can really deliver any kind of music she wants and she shouldn’t be underestimated merely based on who she is. This is the work of someone who thinks about music very deeply, with intense focus.
Listen to “Ceremonial Contrafact (Empathogen Deluxe)” on Spotify
Listen to “Ceremonial Contrafact (Empathogen Deluxe) on Apple Music
Listen to “Ceremonial Contrafact (Empathogen Deluxe) on Amazon Music
LAUREN MAYBERRY – “Vicious Creature” Album cover artistic detail.
33. LAUREN MAYBERRY – “Vicious Creature” Much like her work with her band Chvrches, on her solo debut album, “Vicious Creature,” Lauren Mayberry continues to impress, while widening her sonic scope beyond the electro-pop sound that made her famous.
“Something in the Air” is equal parts euphoric pop and stunning psychedelia. (It sounds like the unexpected sonic offspring of Maggie Rogers’ “That’s Where I Am” and Alanis Morissette’s “All I Really Want.” Those are great places to take bits of possible influence!) “Are You Awake?” is a tender piano ballad. “Crocodile Tears” sounds like it pairs 2024 lyrics with an instrumental transported from 1986. “Anywhere but Dancing” is a slick dose of alternative-folk-pop. “Change Shapes” is either about having to put on different disguises to function in the world or a confession of manipulation. (Probably the former, or a little bit of both, since the world is full of grey areas and compromises… Anyway, it definitely prompts some thought-provoking discussions.) The Greg Kurstin-produced “Sunday Best” is a club-ready, sonically bright pop banger again packed with lyrical importance.
I fear Mayberry doesn’t get the credit she deserves. She’s a singular voice who makes important pop records. Counting the four Chvrches albums, this is her fifth great record in a row. Rest assured, there will supposedly be more albums from Chvrches, but this is a momentary but necessary side-step. On her own, she can move the needle just as much as she does in her band.
Listen to “Vicious Creature” on Spotify
Listen to “Vicious Creature” on Apple Music
Listen to “Vicious Creature” on Amazon Music
ILLUMINATI HOTTIES – “Power” Album cover artistic detail.
32. ILLUMINATI HOTTIES – “Power” Sarah Tudzin’s third proper Illuminati Hotties album is her catchiest, bounciest and most engaging to date. Tudzin built her name as an impressive producer and engineer, working on records by the likes of Pom Pom Squad and Boygenius. If you look at her credits, it is a long list, so it is nice that “Power” even exists in a world where she is obviously in demand as a studio pro.
“Can’t Be Still” begins the sets in a wonderfully off-kilter way before it bursts into a bright bit of power-pop. “I Would Like, Still Love You” is an anthem about um…er… unconditional love. “Falling in Love with Somebody Better” sounds like it belongs in an alt-rock-flavored rom-com. It is a dose of grungy sunshine. “Sleeping In” is an ode to waking up next to someone you love and the resulting euphoric feeling. “Didn’t” is a tight punchy rock duet with Cavetown. “What’s the Fuzz” brings some real 1995 energy in the best possible way.
I don’t think I noticed on previous records how much Tudzin’s delivery and approach reminds me of Juliana Hatfield. This album feels like a coincidental companion-piece to Hatfield’s “Only Everything.” Perhaps this is an argument for the two of them to someday work together.
“Power” is a wide-eyed, exciting and bright record. Even when she sings about heartbreak on “Everything Changes,” there is a warm glow present, perhaps the lost echo of positive memories. Firmly, this is an alternative rock record in the singer-songwriter vein with some mainstream hit potential. There used to be a time when the enveloping title-track would have been a gargantuan hit. If this all sounds good, find this record!
Listen to “Power” on Apple Music
Listen to “Power” on Amazon Music
DOECHII – “Alligator Bites Never Heal” Album cover artistic detail.
31. DOECHII – “Alligator Bites Never Heal” The line between “mixtape” and “album” has definitely blurred, but Doechii has really established herself this year as one of the newest voices in hip-hop to watch. The nineteen tracks here breeze by, each showing a level of excitement that occasionally brings back a vintage battle-rap cadence. Just listen to the intense storytelling on “Denial is a River,” and you get the idea. When she gets hyped, she is a force. Whenever she goes into her rasp, watch out.
On “Catfish,” she sounds like an authoritative and unhinged cross between the Roots’ Black Thought and Missy Elliott. So many tracks here have a straight-ahead low bass rumble that allows her enough room to let her flow cook. (See “Bullfrog” and “Boiled Peanuts”.) I don’t think I’ve ever heard someone sound so threatening one moment and laughing playfully in the next. It’s all a wonderfully theatrical game, fueled by pure skill.
She’s also a great singer, bringing some warm soul to “Wait.” On “Skipp,” she brings an Erykah Badu-esque vibe.
As a lyricist, she can really bring it and switch up her flow. You can tell she can pack a tight verse when she wants to and yet she can drop something more straight-forward and modern sounding without losing the momentum. When you see that she actually has a track called “Boom Bap,” and it seems to be mocking classic heads, it seems weird because, like her Top Dawg label-mate, Kendrick Lamar, she has found a happy middle-ground, where she has a flow enticing enough to please the hip-hop purists and modern enough to please the newer generation. I mean, something as lyrically intense as the fast-paced, raunchy romp, “Nissan Altima,” could never be pulled off by many of her peers.
This collection hits hard and is varied. It stuns and surprises over its dense 47 minutes. Strap in and enjoy the ride as it takes you to a surprising number of places. Does this deliver the bite that the title implies? Most definitely!
Listen to “Alligator Bites Never Heal” on Spotify
Listen to “Alligator Bites Never Heal” on Apple Music
Listen to “Alligator Bites Never Heal” on Amazon Music
KASEY MUSGRAVES – “Deeper Well” Album cover artistic detail.
30. KACEY MUSGRAVES – “Deeper Well” Getting even further from her country roots, “Deeper Well” has a distinct, sometimes, nearly psychedelic sound. Opener, “Cardinal,” sounds like it could be a lost seventies hit from the band America. Even the very audible Autotune doesn’t lessen the organic impact of the title track. Really, Musgraves has become a master at conveying a certain lovelorn brand of melancholia. “Too Good to be True” hits deeply. Again, this feels like vintage folk writing and not like the modern Nashville establishment.
Like on her landmark opus, “Golden Hour,” it sounds like Musgraves is perhaps taking cues from peak Neil Young records and Beck’s “Sea Change,” while putting her own spin on gentle, warm, moody odes to heartbreak.
If you are looking for more country fare, the closest you will probably get is the sweetly twangy, “Dinner with Friends,” while “Heart of the Woods” possesses a warm, haunted echo. These kind of tracks wouldn’t sound out of place on early Dolly Parton records. Certain guitar passages bring to mind Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” era. The haunting “Jade Green” really hits a special spot, as does the sultry standout, “Lonely Millionaire.”
Like many other records this year, there is also a deluxe edition (subtitled “Deeper into the Well”) with seven more songs and 20 more minutes. Again, as someone who remembers when seventy-minute albums were the norm, not the exception, I wish these “deluxe versions” were the standard versions. Flooding the market with multiple editions just adds confusion and ultimately waters down the product. Even in the streaming era, this means some fans may miss out on the bonus material, especially if they don’t live off of the platforms and choose to go the physical route. This deluxe version, also is bolstered by some essential keepers, including duets with Leon Bridges and Tiny Habits. Again, in MOST cases, the “deluxe” editions should really be the standard versions. I mean, in this case, yes, “Nothing to be Scared of,” is a perfectly fine closer, but the “Deluxe” version closes with “Irish Goodbye,” which is even better.
End to end, this is a really stripped-down effort. It is never suffocating. It always feels like Musgraves is whispering in your ear, which gives this album a tender closeness. “Deeper Well” offers an intense, yet gentle, emotional ride.
Listen to “Deeper Well: Deeper Into the Well” on Spotify
Listen to “Deeper Well: Deeper Into the Well” on Apple Music
Listen to “Deeper Well: Deeper Into the Well” on Amazon Music
LL COOL J – “The Force” Album cover artistic detail.
29. LL COOL J – “The Force” LL is a legend, but let’s face it. The guy has a supremely uneven discography. Either the records are great, or they really aren’t. When I heard that his first album in eleven years was mostly going to be produced by Q-Tip, I knew it was going to be great. I was right. Q-Tip’s tight, often stunning production work is the right backdrop to bring back a version of LL you probably thought was long gone. Opener, “Spirit of Cyrus,” featuring Snoop Dogg, sets the set off right with a mystical bounce.
As was the case with the last Tribe record, and his production on Danny Brown’s “uknowhatimsayin¿” Q-Tip’s production style here is much more modern and futuristic in tone than his earlier work. When the title-track comes in, it has a computerized voice, with a continuous distorted (possibly) guitar tone, blossoming into a passage that sounds like a euphoric underwater scene from a vintage NES game. This heavily electro-infused beat, gives LL the perfect backdrop to deliver with his signature “Mama Said Knock You Out” intensity. As LL is dropping heavily freaky verses with Saweetie, Q-Tip’s beat manages to merge Gary Numan’s “M.E.” with LL’s classic, “Jingling Baby.”
Elsewhere on the record, the two manage to bring more high-profile friends to the party. Rick Ross and Fat Joe appear on “Saturday Night Special.” Busta Rhymes brings his signature, low bellow to “Huey in the Chair.” Eminem brings his rapid-fire lyricism to “Murdergram.” Nas drops a dense verse on “Praise Him.” This is in many ways, a peak-hip-hop summit.
Forty years after his debut, listen to the way LL flows on “Basquiat Energy.” He may have been gone for a while and released a couple of so-so records along the way, but on the whole, “The Force” is a surprising re-birth and a new statement of purpose from one of hip-hop’s original “golden era” pioneers.
Listen to “The Force” on Spotify
SABRINA CARPENTER – “Short n’ Sweet” Album cover artistic detail.
28. SABRINA CARPENTER – “Short n’ Sweet” To say Sabrina Carpenter was one of the greatest breakout pop stars of 2024, is a huge understatement. You literally could not escape her song, “Espresso,” which is perhaps the first major pop song built around Splice loops. Is this record cheeky and fun? Yes. Was it shoved down our throats everywhere we turned? Yes. It’s a fun confection, nonetheless.
It was Carpenter’s playful attitude that made her a winner this year. The country twang and the vintage synth sounds on “Please Please Please,” made for a winning formula. The nearly alterna-pop sheen on “Taste” is truly appealing, as is the gently crafted but playfully insulting “Sharpest Tool.” (The latter sounds like it would have gone well on Ryn Weaver’s underappreciated but excellent 2015 album, “The Fool.”)
Odds are, this is one of the records I don’t have to go over in excruciating detail, because you may have heard it on repeat. Here, Carpenter and her producers really know how to catch a vibe. Mainly, a summer vibe, vaguely out of somewhere from the 1980s. Like “Espresso,” “Bad Chem” and “Juno also sit firmly in this wheelhouse. It’s almost as if someone remembered “Lite” radio and decided to give that sound a modern, slightly racy makeover.
“Slim Pickins” is an interesting country meditation on how there aren’t any smart men around to choose. Carpenter’s wit is cutting, but her sarcasm is refreshing.
If you are only familiar with the singles, I’m here to tell you that the album on the whole pops. Speaking from experience, if you are initially on the fence about the omnipresent singles, within the context of the record, you could probably have your mind changed. The entire record presents Carpenter’s many musical sides in a very quick way. Two or three decades from now, this may be seen as a very important and nostalgic record for a lot of people. “Short n’ Sweet” is appealing and it firmly delivers on the promise of its title.
Listen to “Short n’ Sweet” on Spotify
NADA SURF – “Moon Mirror” Album cover artistic detail.
27. NADA SURF – “Moon Mirror” After being dropped by Elektra in the late nineties, Nada Surf emerged as indie darlings. How great is it that in spite of being misunderstood by the myopic major-label system that 28 years later, “Moon Mirror” stands as their tenth proper studio album?
There is a definite, new spring in the step of Matthew Caws and company on the opening tracks, “Second Skin” and “In Front of Me Now.” Even as they head into more ballad-driven material on the title-track and “Losing,” there is a brightness under the groove.
The blistering and surprisingly punk-infused “Intel and Dreams” comes through with authority. I wish we heard more of this sound from them. When they turn up the distortion, their songs get a nice additional bite. “Open Seas,” “Give Me the Sun,” and the pogo-ready “X is You” possess this added element, as well.
“New Propeller” feels like it is the latest step in the progression that brought us key singles like “Inside of Love” and “Always Love.” A tender ballad delivered with care.
Indeed, Nada Surf have a renewed sense of pep on “Moon Mirror.” Like Spoon, they are nineties survivors who got dropped way too soon and in spite of it all, managed to drop a string of classic records. “Moon Mirror” is just the latest offering in a unquestionable solid discography.
Listen to “Moon Mirror” on Spotify
Listen to “Moon Mirror” on Apple Music
Listen to “Moon Mirror” on Amazon Music
POM POM SQUAD – “Mirror Starts Moving Without Me” Album cover artistic detail.
26. POM POM SQUAD – “Mirror Starts Moving Without Me” Right from the first notes of “Downhill,” it is clear that Mia Berrin’s second Pom Pom Squad full-length is a more pop-focused effort than her last album, “Death of a Cheerleader.” Sure, this album isn’t quite as eclectic as its predecessor, but songs like “Spinning,” “Running From Myself,” “Everybody’s Moving On” and “Street Fighter” belong on the radio becoming modern pop standards between singles by Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, even if Pom Pom Squad is more rock oriented. If Olivia Rodrigo has a place in the highest places in the mainstream, so should Pom Pom Squad. In fact, maybe Rodrigo is the one who made it safe for a possible full-on crossover for Berrin and company.
Like Mitski, Berrin crafts songs that are often very intimate and personal while playing with a wide scope of sonic backdrops. Yes, this is a much more focused and safer album than its predecessor, but then you hear “Villain,” which volleys from hard-rock shouts to an angelic choir of voices. The fact that this record is such an obvious attempt at a rightful pop crossover, makes the moments that don’t easily stick to the formula stand out even more. The slightly grungy “Messages” feels like the excellent follow-up to the last album’s key standout, “Drunk Voicemail.”
At just over 28 minutes, this album is a tad too brief, but then again, Berrin says a lot during this brief timeframe. Still, if this were a 14 or 15 track record, instead of 11, maybe we would have gotten more of a range. Still, we get gems like “Montauk,” simultaneously an ode to disappointment, romance and uncertainty. Similarly, “Doll Song,” has a stunningly classical focus, before it interpolates bits of “My Favorite Things,” into the mix. When you strip away the cool rock sheen, Berrin does seem after all like the coolest of the theatre kids, easily handling a musical standard.
“Mirror Starts Moving Without Me” offers a new path for Pom Pom Squad. If you love modern pop with a rock edge, this is a record you shouldn’t miss.
Listen to “Mirror Starts Moving Without Me” on Spotify
Listen to “Mirror Starts Moving Without Me” on Apple Music
Listen to “Mirror Starts Moving Without Me” on Amazon Music
CRUMB – “Amama” Album cover artistic detail.
25. CRUMB – “Amama” New York indie psych-rockers, Crumb’s third record “Amama” is an frequently woozy little masterpiece. Leader Lila Ramani has dedicated this record to her grandmother and it is a versatile set. “Side by Side” sounds like it is equally suited for soundtracking Sunday brunch or long periods of spacing out. Can an album be comforting and simultaneously vaguely eerie? There’s something about Ramani’s whispery vocals mixed with the bits of musical dissonance on “The Bug” and “From Outside a Window Sill.” It’s a powerful concoction.
“Genie” feels like some off-axis dream-pop-y synth-wave. It is warm and welcoming but somehow a little uneasy. Perhaps it is that awkward and strangely perfect balance that this band achieves which makes them so appealing. It is such a delicate line. This is cool, chill martini party music with a few unexpected momentary minor-key turns. The tension in “Crushxd” has a similar feeling, with a touch of possible Stereolab influence. (Yes.. the second time I have mentioned them on this list.)
The appropriately-named “Sleep Talk” sounds like it is being delivered in a half-awake state, aided by its unexpected tempo-shifts. The way it transitions almost perfectly into the next song, “Dust Bunny,” shows the attention and care put into this set.
On the whole, “Amama” is an extremely hazy record, in the best possible way. At times, it feels like the instruments are coming from a closed door of a semi-distant next room. Put this record on to establish a new, half-dreamy sonic environment.
Listen to “Amama” on Apple Music
Listen to “Amama” on Amazon Music
PHANTOGRAM – “Memory of a Day” Album cover artistic detail.
24. PHANTOGRAM – “Memory of a Day” With each successive record, Phantogram’s Sarah Barthel and Josh Carter seem to boost their sound and just from the opening track, “Jealousy,” it is evident that they are continuing on a pleasantly explosive, stadium-ready path. Always mixing elements of alt-rock, dance-pop and trip-hop, they continue to hone their skills. “It Wasn’t Meant to Be,” sounds as fresh as early single, “When I’m Small.” They can even make a modern pop trope like syncopated handclaps sound oddly refreshing.
As always, Barthel is the star. She can deliver a gospel-y torch song like “All a Mystery,” and have you feeling every word. While not known as a belter, she has an uncanny and unique way of conveying emotion. The way she and Carter trade vocals on the jungle and drum-n-bass-flavored “Feedback Invincible,” displays exactly why this duo works together as a unit so well. (Seriously, why isn’t this track a club hit???) There’s just a keen synergy between them. Similarly, “Attaway” should be a pop radio hit.
Listening to records like this, you can tell that record labels are cutting their staffs to the detriment of their artist rosters. I mean, my god… This record is a stack of potential hits from beginning to end. If this were two or three decades ago, this would be the kind of album that would spawn six or seven long-charting singles. In the current environment, where A&R and promotion departments no longer exist the way they used to and artists are expected to promote their own material on social media, there is no way they can reach the same heights as previous generations. Part of it is the creation and increased proliferation of niche culture and the loss of “the mono-culture,” but, man, some of this is on the labels, themselves. Yes, I know this is the direct result of the industry being gutted by the Napster bros 25 years ago, but yeah, music can’t be free and you have to be able to pay artists to fuel the ecosystems that support them. Phantogram’s label, Neon Gold is distributed by Virgin, which is affiliated with Universal. Tracks like the ones I mentioned, along with “Ashes,” “Come Alive” and “Happy Again” should be more omnipresent. When people say there isn’t as much good music anymore, they are wrong. There actually may be more great music than ever being released… You just have to dig for it more now because the promotional structures have been dismantled in the quests for “convenience” and corporate greed… But I digress.
On “Memory of a Day,” Phantogram are as sharp as ever. Use the above rant as evidence for what the music here inspired. This is yet another strong album from a duo long on the cusp of a major mainstream breakthrough. That eventually needs to happen. Judging from their streaming numbers, “Black Out Days,” from their classic 2013 album, “Voices,” seems to be their biggest monster hit. “Memory of a Day” is just as tight as “Voices.” Like many other artists on this list, Phantogram deserve more.
Listen to “Memory of a Day” on Spotify
MAGGIE ROGERS – “Don’t Forget Me” Album cover artistic detail.
23. MAGGIE ROGERS – “Don’t Forget Me” Following the production-forward approach of 2022’s “Surrender,” Maggie Rogers strips things a little back for her third proper album, “Don’t Forget Me.” “Drunk” and “So Sick of Dreaming,” have a more organic, late-seventies/early-eighties “soft rock” radio vibe. (The spoken-word bit on the latter track had a lot of people talking. Definitely, an ear-catching move.)
Rogers may have initially gained fame with a viral YouTube clip where Pharrell had to practically lift his jaw off the floor because he was so impressed with her production and songwriting skills, but Rogers has always been an old soul, who takes influence from artists like Carole King and Joni Mitchell. You can hear the guitar strings hit every strum on “If Now Was Then,” which takes that older approach and fuses it with a newer, post-Taylor Swift pop approach. You can hear every instrument in the room. In the age where most artists work to a click-track and Autotune the hell out of everything, it is refreshing to hear something more natural.
“On & On & On” would have been a hit in a different time, with its bouncy, slight country twang and its groovy bassline. You can tell that Rogers is getting lost in the groove towards the end. The same thing can be said about “Never Going Home.” Has Rogers been listening to old Linda Ronstadt records? It definitely sounds like she is trying to recapture a certain brand of AM Radio pop from decades ago and recapture the same mood within a 2024 context.
In a fair world, the closing title-track to the record would be culturally seen as a career-peaking achievement. It burns and bristles with honesty at a time when there are too many fake people around.
At 35 minutes, “Don’t Forget Me” is a brief but vital offering. Rogers’ talent and skill levels remain indelible and timeless.
Listen to “Don’t Forget Me” on Spotify
Listen to “Don’t Forget Me” on Apple Music
Listen to “Don’t Forget Me” on Amazon Music
FONTAINES D.C. – “Romance” Album cover artistic detail.
22. FONTAINES D.C. – “Romance” There is a weirdly dark magic to the music of Fontaines D.C. The Irish post-punk band can sound ominous one moment and deliver something serene the next. “Romance” definitely ups their game. They are definitely aiming and fine-tuning their sound to try to make a bigger splash. “Here’s the Thing,” for example, sounds like the sonic offspring of Oasis and Bauhaus. “Starburster,” on the other hand sounds like someone is taking someone down to “Strawberry Fields Forever,” to get supremely roughed up and mangled.
My gut tells me that this album has a warmer, less foreboding feeling in comparison to their last offering, “Skinty Fia,” but that could be purely psychological, based on the cool blue and pink cover art and the title “Romance.” Even with warm strings, somehow, the song “Desire,” sounds like a threat. I think part of this band’s appeal is the level of mystery around them. At least in the States, you don’t see a lot of interviews with them. In that way, they don’t feel overexposed here, so the records can stand without being tainted by the current personality-led culture. When “In the Modern World” washes over your ears, it sounds really hypnotizing.
There’s another element to their appeal, as well. They sound like the kind of band that would have emerged in the early to mid-nineties, that somehow time-traveled to the 2020s to remind us how it used to be done. Surely, I’m not the only one who listens to “Bug,” “Motorcycle Boy,” “Sundowner” and “Death Kink,” thinking that all of these tracks would have fit really well on an episode of “120 Minutes.” The band knows exactly what they are doing. It has to be a targeted sound.
Closing the album with something as uncharacteristically sunny as “Favorite,” is a wonderfully unexpected left-turn. “Romance” really gives you a lot to dissect and provides one hell of an enthralling trip.
Listen to “Romance” on Spotify
Listen to “Romance” on Apple Music
Listen to “Romance” on Amazon Music
ST. VINCENT – “All Born Screaming” Album cover artistic detail.
21. ST. VINCENT – “All Born Screaming” Annie Clark’s latest offering as St. Vincent finds her yet again adopting another persona and exploring a new sound. While her last album found her paying tribute to Candy Darling and playing with vintage seventies-style sounds, “All Born Screaming” is some alternative rock, nineties-style with a sly sense of mystery and a slightly industrial edge. This is club music, but not necessarily in the partying sense. Dave Grohl drums on “Broken Man” and “Flea,” giving these songs an extra sense of sonic heft, while Clark weaves a new, continuously entrancing sonic web.
The influences are clear. At times, Clark evokes PJ Harvey. At times, she sounds not unlike Shirley Manson of Garbage. There are even moments when you wonder if Ruby’s 1996 album, “Salt Peter,” was an influence. “Hell is Near” is a good argument for her to work with Zero 7 someday. On “Big Time Nothing,” she rattles off a list that may or may not be a response to U2’s “Numb,” with a chorus that perhaps lovingly echoes Peter Gabriel, all as an expression of palpable, pure anxiety.
“Violent Times” feels like her tribute to Portishead, with a cool horn section in tow. “The Power’s Out” also has Portishead vibes.
Maybe it is all the reinvention, but there is a David Bowie-esque agility to this entire endeavor, reminiscent of his own semi-industrial reinvention, “Earthling,” from 1997. On “Sweetest Fruit,” when Clark goes semi-operatic, harmonizing with herself over a synth-line that sounds like it has been warped and runover by a steam roller, you can’t help but hear Bowie in her emotive howls, while the ending, descending piano line is surely a Nine Inch Nails homage.
“So Many Planets” has an unexpected electro-reggae groove, while the closing title-track finds her fittingly trading vocals with Cate Le Bon, over a backdrop that mixes African and dub influences, before it playfully disassembles into a Radiohead-esque electro jam.
In a move I definitely didn’t see coming, after dropping this album in April, in November, Clark dropped a complete Spanish-language version of this record. It is actually refreshing to hear this kind of approach being taken with an album that doesn’t particularly sound Latin in its initial form. The Spanish version is called “Todos Nacen Gritando” and it works really well. The version of “Big Time Nothing” (“El Mero Cero”) works especially well. The tight list of commands finds her having to make room for extra syllables, resulting in a more syncopated vocal cadence.
“All Born Screaming” is one of the strongest albums in St. Vincent’s discography. As usual, Annie Clark continues to surprise.
Listen to “All Born Screaming” on Spotify
Listen to “All Born Screaming” on Apple Music
Listen to “All Born Screaming” on Amazon Music
SUPERMILK – “High Precision Ghosts” Album cover artistic detail.
20. SUPERMILK – “High Precision Ghosts” The third proper Supermilk full-length follows up the more eclectic and expansive “Four By Three,” with a tighter, more intense collection. There is bottled up, punk-fueled tension here. This is the group’s first effort after as a full band and that new sense of interplay brings a new spark to the mix. It is also the first album recorded after the leader and founder, Jake Popyura was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease/A.L.S. Popyura has been very open about this and the new struggles it creates. Perhaps this is partly why this is now a full-band effort. (This move may have begun as a way to do live shows, as well.)
With this brisk 29-minute set, it feels like the group is trying to make the most of their time. As “Many Thanks” charges in, it runs you over with its hundred and three seconds of unflinching sense of bombast. There is a new angular quality here. Sure, there was always an element of quick-shifting tempos and rapid transitions in Popyura’s previous Supermilk work, but there is a new, near-Prog sensibility to the work on the Devo-esque “Robot Talk,” while “Patterns” sounds like it is a companion-piece to “Cease to Exist” from the last record.
“Sweat” can work any crowd into a frenzy, while there is sadness in “A City to Die For,” even as it hits its radio-ready crescendo. When Popyura sings about “another bruise from fists I’d rather forget,” it sounds understandably existential in nature. “Christine” sounds like it would have been a great track from Popyura’s previous band, Doe, and it brings an appealing signature drive. “Words of Affirmation,” again ramps up the intensity, before exploding into a sea of sing-along voices. When the album closes on the melancholy, yet dreamy, “To Sink a Ship,” the emotional weightiness is felt.
On the whole,“High Precision Ghosts” is the most singularly focused Supermilk record to date. The addition of a full band both boosts and cements this feeling. Add to that Popyura’s grappling with a presumably diminishing skillset thanks to a cruel and unforgiving condition and the end result can’t help but be packed with angst. Hopefully something can be done to stop the A.L.S. progression. In a perfect world, we’d be getting Supermilk records for decades to come. This is one hell of a record.
Listen to “High Precision Ghosts” on Spotify
PEARL JAM – “Dark Matter” Album cover artistic detail.
19. PEARL JAM – “Dark Matter” Now twelve albums and thirty-three years in, you know what you are getting with Pearl Jam. “Dark Matter” shows the band doing what they do best, from the initially very Big Star-influenced, “Scared of Fear,” to the thunderous, stomping boom of the title-track. Eddie Vedder nearly raps his verses on the psychedelically-charged “React, Respond,” while “Wreckage” belongs in the band’s top-tier of singles, merging that whimsical “Given to Fly” side of their music with a late-period Tom Petty-esque sense of whimsy. “Running” is a blistering bit of rapid-fire, mosh-pit-ready punk.
As an album, this feels very much like the next logical progression after Eddie Vedder’s 2022 album, “Earthling.” My guess is that he and producer, Andrew Watt must have really hit it off, since Watt is back on board for this record. While many older fans would decry the fact that this band is morphing into something more introspective than what was heard on “Ten,” “Vs.” or “Vitalogy,” I would argue that there is a strong, singular core that covers their entire career. Sure, you probably couldn’t imagine something like “Upper Hand” on “Ten,” but that could possibly be because you are no longer fifteen.
If any of these songs had somehow wound up on earlier records, they would be classics now. I mean, “Waiting For Stevie,” is just as powerful a song as the band has ever delivered. Initially started as something Vedder and Watt worked up while they waited for Stevie Wonder to arrive for a guest spot on “Earthling,” it was later fleshed out by the rest of the band. Listening to this song, I wonder what would happen if Stevie Wonder actually chose to cover it.
All of Pearl Jam’s albums are good. Some are weirder than others… (Um…“No Code,” “Riot Act,” I’m looking at you.) This is a stunning record, showing them as the classic rock journeymen that they are. Yes, I said it. There has always been a “classic rock” element to Pearl Jam. They are continuing to evolve and change, without losing their focus.
Listen to “Dark Matter” on Spotify
THE LINDA LINDAS Album cover artistic detail.
18. THE LINDA LINDAS – “No Obligation” The sophomore offering from these (mostly) teenage garage punks finds them once again volleying from brutal sounding hardcore, like the title-track, to catchy pop-punk like “All in My Head.” The range on here is astounding. While the title-track finds Eloise Wong bellowing a new anthem of non-conformity, there are also well-crafted bits of power-pop like “Once Upon a Time” and “Don’t Think.”
There is a definite pattern. Wong usually fronts the raw tracks, while if a song is sung by Lucia de la Garza or Bela Salazar, it tends to be more melodic and hook-driven. In this way, you get the best of both worlds as a punk fan. Drummer, Mila de la Garza is just 14 and delivers some amazing work behind the kit. This is mostly a family band. Wong is the cousin of the de la Garza sisters and Salazar is their friend. In addition, the album is produced by the de la Garzas’ father, Carlos de la Garza, a punk scene veteran, so it is definitely something in the genes.
The Salazar-fronted, “Yo Me Estresso,” is an effervescent bit of Spanish pop, which not only stands as one of the album’s biggest surprises, it also features “Weird Al” Yankovic, not on vocals or making jokes, but for his impressive accordion skills!
“Too Many Things” is a cool slice of new wave. “Nothing Would Change” finds a middle-ground between dream-pop and jangle-pop. “Excuse Me,” is a pummeling, politically-charged good time. “Stop,” verges on ska and makes you wonder if its subject of derision is a certain problematic cult-like American political figure.
“No Obligation” has the Linda Lindas maturing with their song-craft and continuing to expand their horizons. This band ininitally emerged with their song, “Racist, Sexist Boy.” We need this band now, more than ever! We need more bands with this level of ethos.
Listen to “No Obligation” on Spotify
“The Auditorium Vol. 1” Album cover artistic detail.
17. COMMON & PETE ROCK – “The Auditorium Vol. 1” Somewhere along the line, Common became the biggest carrier of “consciousness rap” mantle. There’s just something about his delivery that seems like it is packed with wisdom that is generations deep. Joining forces with Pete Rock, one of the best beat-makers of hip-hop’s “Golden Age,” the two of them create a massive statement for hip-hop purists. Over 62 minutes, Common spits rhymes of political righteousness on “Dreamin’,” drops some smooth sex raps on “Chi-Town Do it,” and restates his life’s purpose on “This Man.” In many ways, Common still really is kind of like hip-hop’s answer to Marvin Gaye. Political sometimes, but also occasionally sensual in his approach, as well.
On “This Man,” Common proudly proclaims, “I’m rap’s James Baldwin.” Some may argue that he lacks certain qualifications to quite hold that title, but his point is taken. He is a poet. Like Nas, he is currently on a roll, as an older rapper, still dropping classic records.
Pete Rock’s crate-digging skills are as tight as ever, as well, finding the perfect elements to build his grooves. Mostly using old soul records to carefully craft beats that match Common’s smoothness. The way he uses Curtis Mayfield’s version of “We’ve Only Just Begun,” on “We’re on Our Way,” is a demonstration of his deep skills. His beat on “Wise Up,” brings some vintage “boom bap” energy. The same can be said for the constantly moving, “Stellar.” “All Kind of Ideas” is a classic DJ workout where Rock actually drops a verse!
There are also a lot of fantastic guests who show up along the way. Jennifer Hudson appears on the gospel-driven “A God (There is),” while Bilal comes in on the inspirational, “So Many People.” Posdnuos, from De La Soul is on “When the Sun Shines Again,” while singer, PJ, who was also on-board on tracks for Common’s “A Beautiful Revolution” series, shows up here on “Everything’s So Grand.”
“The Auditorium Vol. 1” delivers exactly what you expect when you see Common and Pete Rock’s names together. That comfortable consistency is what makes this album a joy. If you doubt what I’m saying, go listen to “Now and Then.” If that track doesn’t move you, I don’t know what to tell you.
Listen to “The Auditorium Vol. 1” on Spotify
Listen to “The Auditorium Vol. 1” on Apple Music
Listen to “The Auditorium Vol. 1” on Amazon Music
TAYLOR SWIFT – “The Tortured Poets Department” Album cover artistic detail.
16. TAYLOR SWIFT – “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” This was the most streamed album of the year and so I’m guessing you may have heard it. I will use this space to say that the full two hour “Anthology” version of the album should have been the ONLY version of the record. As someone who collects physical media, it is really frustrating to order an album to have the bait-and-switch pulled a few hours after the release…. As if to say, “Surprise! The version you just got isn’t complete! There’s a whole other disc worth of material…” Again, I realize it helps with streaming numbers, but there has to be a cool down of the “Deluxe Edition” culture. It waters down the market and keeps everything from seeming concrete…
That being said, I also had a realization listening to this record. The people who think Taylor Swift is “boring,” don’t get it. Her songs don’t work like traditional pop songs. They work like chapters in a novel or like episodes of a streaming series. If you aren’t on the Taylor Swift train, you won’t understand what everyone else hears until you hit that key turning point. I know, because I didn’t quite get the fuss until her 2019 album, “Lover,” and I haven’t turned back since. Some people may scoff at this comparison, but like Bob Dylan, the focus of Taylor Swift’s albums is often more lyrical than melodic. There is a huge story being told. You have to be invested in the ongoing body of work to fully understand her cultural impact.
“Fortnight,” with Post Malone is a perfect example of a modern pop ballad in 2024. This is a glorious deep dive of a breakup record, especially in its full deluxe version. The title track and “So Long, London,” alone speak volumes. There is just a warm sonic shimmer to everything here that makes tracks like “Down Bad” enticing. This element also lessens the negative impact of some of Swift’s hilariously on-the-nose titles like “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” and “I Can Fix Him (Really, I Can)” Then again, these kinds of titles work in Swift’s favor in a way by personalizing these songs, while simultaneously winking at the audience. Swift’s ability to make her songs seem relatable to her audience is one of her greatest gifts.
TAYLOR SWIFT – “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” Album cover artistic detail.
Both “The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived” and “Clara Bow,” are key examples of how Swift has mastered a certain kind of ballad. Throughout this entire set, it remains clear that she has been able to have a connection with her frequent producers, Jack Antonoff and the National’s Aaron Dessner. There must be a deep creative entanglement between them by now, resulting in really strong work.
Again, I don’t know why this album was ever issued as a single disc. It’s not like the second disc is filler. It isn’t. “The Albatross,” for instance, is essential. This isn’t an easily digestible record for passive listeners, either. There’s nuance in the details, but it is all one miraculous piece of art.
Granted, the double CD album is a declining art form in popularity with most artists capping their records somewhere under forty minutes, Swift has given us this 122-minute opus! Again, considering this ONLY as a double album, it would probably join the ranks of great double records like The Beatles’ “White Album” and Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” (I can imagine the comments right now… If you don’t understand or agree with this point, guess what, this album isn’t for you, and that is fine. To a whole generation of listeners, this album will have the same kind of hefty importance as those records.)
Swift is bubbling over with songs. It is refreshing in 2024 to hear an artist so compelled to write that she has such an overwhelming amount of material. I wish more artists could afford to have the kind of freedom that Swift has earned. I think we would get better records if artists were free to follow their creative muses and whims. “The Tortured Poets Department – The Anthology” demands repeated listens and it cuts deeper with each successive spin.
Listen to “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” on Spotify
Listen to “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” on Apple Music
Listen to “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” on Amazon Music
MAXIMO PARK – “Stream of Life” Album cover artistic detail.
15. MAXIMO PARK – “Stream of Life” Why the hell aren’t Maxïmo Park a bigger deal? Seriously! They have repeatedly made my list. Every time, I feel like I am letting people in on a secret when they are one of the most consistently thrilling bands to come out of England in the last twenty years. That being said, I feel like in the mainstream, we are getting fewer and fewer bands from England making a splash over here. I loved Coldplay’s first four albums, but we need less bands like Coldplay and the 1975 and more bands like Maxïmo Park, who deliver sharp, intelligently written angular rock songs that blend in some punk and new wave influences.
I mean, right from the beginning, this is undeniable. “Your Own Worst Enemy,” “Favourite Songs” and the Vanessa Briscoe Hay-assisted “Dormant ‘Til Explosion,” set the record off right. If you don’t know this band, imagine taking influence from the likes of Echo & the Bunnymen and the Smiths with a dash of late nineties Blur, with the high-tension tightness of peers, Kaiser Chiefs and Bloc Party.
Paul Smith has a cool, almost professorial energy. Not in a stodgy way. You can just tell from his lyrics and delivery that he takes this very seriously and has given every move a great deal of thought. This can be felt on ballads like “Armchair View” and on the sly and witty, off-kilter surf and jangle-pop-infused, “Quiz Show Clue.” You don’t write songs like “The Path I Chose” and “No Such Thing as a Society,” without a literary mind.
“Stream of Life” is a remarkably sharp set, often recalling the band’s 2005 debut, “A Certain Trigger.” If you don’t know Maxïmo Park, look them up. They may become your next favorite band.
Listen to “Stream of Life” on Spotify
Listen to “Stream of Life” on Apple Music
Listen to “Stream of Life” on Amazon Music
FOUR TET – “Three+” Album cover artistic detail.
14. FOUR TET – “Three+” “Three+” is obviously the deluxe version of Four Tet’s album, “Three.” Kieran Hebden has long been a master of chilled and experimental beats, thriving in ambient and IDM spaces. It is what has made him a great remixer. It has been what makes him a great artist.
Having made records since the late nineties, his grooves have just gotten deeper over time. Indeed, what is here is as abstract as it is dreamy and warm. You can hear this in the digital rainfall on “Gliding Through Everything,” and the warm pads of “Loved.” This is as much of a score-piece as it is a traditional album. “Storm Crystals” moves along with perhaps a natural analog hum, begging to either soundtrack your next cool dinner party or an art-house erotica film, while “Daydream Repeat” easily morphs from a hard-charging bit of techno to something much warmer and ethereal. When it volleys back into a scraping fuzz sound, the seesaw effect is quite effective. “Skater” has a goth-y new-wave vibe, as if it is a trip-hop fusion with the Cure, although the female backing vocals, deep in the mix bring something else fresh to the table.
There is a real singularity to this album as a conceptual peace. As it goes from the similarly drifting sounds of “31 Bloom,” into the minimalist sultry groove of “So Blue,” the connection of all these pieces is apparent. Even when the pace picks up on “Three Drums,” the traditional album’s closer, it fits the narrative, with its warm, downright Moby-esque synths. As the warm sonic wash increases, it provides a sense of conflict, like a suffocating hug.
Yet again, I must complain about the record industry’s “deluxe edition” culture. Yes, the traditional album is eight tracks in 44 minutes. I get that, especially in the age where vinyl is coming back again. (That’s somewhat of a perfect length to not have to be a double record.) The four tracks added to the end, continue the flow and sound like they belong. This is a necessary third side to the record. The distortion that begins “I’ll Miss the System Here,” echoes that heard earlier on “Daydream Repeat.” If you are discovering this record, the twelve-track version is the one you need, especially if you put on your headphones and let it bathe you in its glory.
Listen to “Three+” on Apple Music
Listen to “Three+” on Amazon Music
VINCE STAPLES – “Dark Times” Album cover artistic detail.
13. VINCE STAPLES – “Dark Times” Vince Staples continues to expand his scope with his sixth album, “Dark Times,” an introspective record, full of honest rhymes, thick grooves and sadness. When he repeats, “Don’t forget to Smile,” on “Government Cheese,” you believe him, as if he’s trying to convince himself to be happy. When he sings the hook on “Black&Blue,” it is thick with emotion.
Ever since his first (classic) full-length,”Summertime ’06,” Staples has been a bit of an outlier. Sure, there have always been stories of his gangster past, but at the same time, he has never been afraid to be vulnerable and spell out the emotional tolls that have been taken on him and the streets around him. While here he is often unapologetic with his frankness, he’s often backed by smooth guitar-led beats, On “Shame on the Devil,” it sounds like he’s giving himself a pep talk when he declares, “I need direction.” There’s an inherent religiosity here, hoping for a guiding force.
Even when the pace picks up on “´Etoufée,” Staples keeps it gritty and unfiltered while dropping something for the clubs, connecting the experiences of his ancestors with the modern hustle.
On “’Radio’,” Staples gets nostalgic for the airwaves and the music that made him the man he is now. He misses the old morning show he heard every morning while waxing poetic on the life he has now, bringing in elements of religion to point out the redemptive qualities of great soul music.
In a sense, this album feels like it is about healing through music. Music as an escape is vital. When you hear a song with a title like “Nothing Matters” and it still has energy and bounce, the feeling is real. Throughout “Dark Times,” Staples is trying to put his thoughts in order and compartmentalize his life in a way that doesn’t drive him mad. He spends most of this album in a conversational mutter, thus making it all seem very personal, as if he is leaving voice memo recordings for himself to ponder later. The results are starkly unflinching and thought-provoking, illustrating an artist who is trying to improve his life through his craft.
Listen to the upbeat optimism in “Little Homies.” In the darkest times, there is always hope.
Listen to “Dark Times” on Spotify
SOCCER MOMMY – “Evergreen” Album cover artistic detail.
12. SOCCER MOMMY – “Evergreen” I would say that Sophie Allison’s fourth studio album under her Soccer Mommy moniker, “Evergreen” is an ideal record for introspective teenage sulking in one’s bedroom. Then I remember that the Cure also released an album this year, so for 2024, this album may take second on that front.
Yes, this record wallows in a folk-y acoustic, yet dreamy space, particularly on its first two tracks, “Lost” and “M,” (interestingly titles that are coincidentally shared by Cure songs) before the album bursts open with the louder and more authoritative “Driver.” There is kind of an eerie dream-pop center to “Some Sunny Day,” and maybe that sense of unease comes from the track’s winding bits of minor-key sadness.
Like Julien Baker and Phoebe Bridgers, Soccer Mommy makes records that are unapologetically personal, with a folk-y core. Listening to “Changes,” you can’t help but hear a bit of Elliott Smith influence, but there is also a bit of R.E.M. and Sheryl Crow-influence in the mix. Like her previous studio albums, this record has a bedroom-pop sense of intimacy, while at the same time, the production is purely radio-ready. As “Abigail” bursts in with a synth orchestra, it hits like a lost chart smash, while keeping the tenderness of the less bombastic tracks. Just under the surface, the bits of subtle shoegaze guitar textures add something to the mix, as well.
This isn’t necessarily the catchiest Soccer Mommy album, but instead it rewards the listener on repeated, intense listens. This isn’t a record about hooks. It is a record about feelings and once you lock into the groove of “Thinking of You,” it will grab you. (Am I crazy, or does the track subtly slow down a little for a few moments in the middle? Refreshing in an era when too many records are recorded to the grid.)
Allison knows how to write with authentic emotion. “Dreaming of Falling,” “Salt in the Wound” and the title-track are all key highlights, making “Evergreen” her fourth stellar album in a row.
Listen to “Evergreen” on Spotify
RAPSODY – “Please Don’t Cry” Album cover artistic detail.
11. RAPSODY – “Please Don’t Cry” Rapsody’s fourth full-length album finds her looking inward. From the beginning, she is talking to a hair-stylist/therapist (played by Phylicia Rashad) setting up the entire album as an exploration of self. This expansive 22-track set leaves a lot for the listener to ponder. Right from the beginning, Rapsody makes two references to her idol, Lauryn Hill and how she essentially left the industry after just one landmark record. She begins the Hit-Boy-assisted, “Asteroids,” by saying, “First name: Marlanna. / Last name: Evans. /Underappreciated, but still I’m the most respected. / My insecurity is the fear of being rejected.” Yes. We get deep here. Rapsody is a real M.C., ranking among the best working today, not to be afraid to explore her feelings on record.
On the smooth “Stand Tall,” she talks about her sexuality and how people misread it because of the way she dresses. She talks about anxiety and being there for her friends. She’s just trying to keep it together in the face of all the modern drama.
“3:AM” has Rapsody (joined by Erykah Badu) spelling out a vulnerable tale of an incredibly charged relationship the burned too brightly and eventually fell apart. It’s a glowing, authentic love letter to an ex.
“Loose Rocks,” is an in depth exploration of someone who she loves, disappearing into the recesses of dementia. (Alex Isley guests to sing the hook.) It is moving. One can’t help but look at the current wave of honest, new hip-hop records that are taking issues of mental health seriously and contrast them with the days of old-school bravado. When you make a record like this, you aren’t looking for a hit, necessarily. You are looking to get something relatable off of your chest. Rapsody is eloquent as she spills out all of her pain.
A range of different emotions are explored here, going from “Diary of a Mad Bitch,” (which goes after a cheating ex, the industry and the killers of her peers) to the religiosity found on both “Never Enough,” “God’s Light” and “Faith.” Then there is the sexually frank, “Raw,” with Lil Wayne and Niko Brim. This continues with the ode to um… self-love, “Lonely Woman.” (This album really is about mind, body and soul. All areas are covered.)
There are so many tracks here. I won’t spoil the whole thing. We need more mainstream love for records like this. Why aren’t more of the same people who championed Kendrick Lamar’s “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” giving this record a dose of mainstream love? Rapsody deserves your attention and “Please Don’t Cry,” while heavy in subject matter, does so with relatable ease. This is a record a lot of people need to hear.
Listen to “Please Don’t Cry” on Spotify
BETH GIBBONS – “Lives Outgrown” Album cover artistic detail.
10. BETH GIBBONS – “Lives Outgrown” I suppose “Lives Unknown” is Beth Gibbons’ solo debut, after making three albums with Portishead and releasing one collaborative album with Rustin Man, the alias od Talk Talk’s Paul Webb. There’s also a three-track score piece that she did with Henryk Gorecki and the Polish National radio Symphony Orchestra. I suppose “Lives Outgrown” is the first time we have really heard Gibbons on her own and the mystique she has crafted over the last three decades remains intact.
There is an ethereal, rustic eeriness to these haunted folk songs. “Tell Me Who You Are Today” sounds like a song a hungry wolf sings to its prey to win its trust before devouring it. The winding guitar-line of “Floating on a Moment,” begs for a trip-hop remix, akin to Poe’s classic track, “Trigger Happy Jack.” Again, Gibbons seems to inhabit these songs like a character actress flexing a muscle. Her embrace of her material is not unlike Thom Yorke of Radiohead at his most cryptic and beguiling.
“Lost Changes,” perhaps nods to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall.” “Reaching Out” finds Gibbons galloping along to a rabid vampire blues. “For Sale” creeps along with an operatic and orchestral sense of dread. Gibbons is one of the most engaging voices working today. She has such a distinct emotional imprint. It’s actually a shame that she hasn’t released more over the years. After all, we got the most recent Portishead album more than fifteen years ago. Even working at a mere whisper, she can convey multitudes of expression.
How would I describe this album? If it didn’t sound so uniquely British, I would say that it sounds like a new brand of Gothic Americana, with some Indian and Middle Eastern influences thrown in for an appealing mix. “Beyond the Sun” mixes a tabla-esque rhythm with a bonkers jazz solo.
Like many people, I want a fourth Portishead record. That may never happen. This album, with its uniquely stirring energy serves as a reminder of Gibbons’ gifts as a singer. It disturbs and comforts in equal measure. Supposedly this album came together over a lengthy period where she was contemplating her own aging. This sense of progression, along with an embrace of new realities and perhaps a hint of dread are all felt in Gibbons’ songs. “Lives Outgrown” is a wallop of a record, offering up some dusty campfire songs that will make you look over your shoulder. Even the lullaby-like closer, “Whispering Love,” has an uneasy undercurrent.
Listen to “Lives Outgrown” on Spotify
BEYONCE´ – “Cowboy Carter” Album cover artistic detail. (Physical CD)
9. BEYONCE´ – “Cowboy Carter” For those racist idiots complaining about Beyonce´making a “country” record, slow your roll. Country, like 99% of all modern popular music genres, has African-American roots. Given the fact that Beyonce is from Texas, she should be allowed to make a country record. Is this a country record, though? Sort of. It’s actually more of a pop record with acoustic guitars, giving it country and folk inflections. It actually ends up sounding way more organic than most modern country radio, as if it is fusing pop R&B with Americana and what is now considered “alt-country.” Ironically, that somehow often makes it sound MORE country than what passes for country on moden “country radio.” Should “Texas Hold ‘Em,” be a country hit? Absolutely! However, the obvious influence on opener, “American Requiem” is Buffalo Springfield’s “For What it’s Worth,” which means that this record explores a nearly endless well of influences not previously tapped by Queen B.
This is a fascinating record. Beyonce´ covers the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” (over the original backing track, no less) which is fitting, since Paul McCartney wrote this song as an act of solidarity with the American Civil Rights Movement of the sixties. Beyonce´ also re-writes and updates Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” with a nod from Dolly, herself. Willie Nelson makes a couple appearances on interludes. “16 Carriages,” bangs and clatters with a natural, earthy, celebratory grit. On “Protector,” she sings a tender lullaby. “Bodyguard,” possesses warm, inviting summery swagger. It makes perfect sense that like a few other tracks on here, that it is co-written and produced by Rafael Saadiq.
Much to my disappointment, “Daughter,” is NOT a cover of the Pearl Jam song. (How awesome would that be??? That would actually really work!) Actually, though, what is this? A bit of “spaghetti western” opera? (No kidding!) Beyonce´ NAILS this!
Speaking of spaghetti… “Spaghetti” has Beyonce´ rapping, bookended by Linda Martell and Shaboozey. Martell was the first successful black female country star in the sixties, while Shaboozey scored a MASSIVE single this year with “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” a country hit that interpolates J-Kwon’s 2004 club hit into a guitar-driven sing-along. Essentially, Beyonce´ is joined by two real trailblazers. One from the past. One who could be the future. (This record is REALLY important! It really is a good thing to give a middle finger to the genre gatekeepers, who only do so out of reasons of bigotry. These dinosaurs need to be made as uncomfortable as possible!)
Speaking of people who defy genres, Beyonce´ is joined by Miley Cyrus on “II Most Wanted” and Post Malone on “Levii’s Jeans,” both of whom are up to the task.
When listening to “Ya-Ya,” pay attention to how Beyonce´ fuses together Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” and the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” into something new and soulfully commanding. This is an exercise that the music industry needs. Too much of the algorithmic system of the music streaming services is dictated to recognize music within the narrow confines of genres. It is great to kick that kind of myopic approach to the curb and throw it on its ear. Beyonce´ is the pop star just powerful enough to do this in the right way.
Honestly, once again, I have to give it up for long records. “Cowboy Carter,” in its full digital form, is a 78-minute, 27-track piece that is continuously engaging. This is a weighty experience. This is the kind of experience we used to get frequently before the record labels figured out they could maybe make twice the money by turning each eighty-minute record into two forty-minute records. In many ways, too, this is among Beyonce´’s best records, partly because of how stripped down some of its arrangements are, allowing her nearly unadorned voice to shine in all its glory. “Cowboy Carter” is a record I never knew I needed. This is as much of heartfelt history lesson as it is a low-key party.
Listen to “Cowboy Carter” on Spotify
Listen to “Cowboy Carter” on Apple Music
Listen to “Cowboy Carter” on Amazon Music
CHARLY BLISS – “Forever” Album cover artistic detail.
8. CHARLY BLISS – “Forever” On their 2019 album, “Young Enough,” after being radicalized by the influence of Lorde’s “Melodrama,” New York band, Charly Bliss pretty much ditched the power-pop grunge sound of their debut album to make a more pop-centered record. A long five years later, the band returns, honing the formula even more. The thing is, they are still very much a guitar band, only they seem to be making their guitars sound like synths, which is an interesting move.
This band is really ready for their pop moment. “Calling You Out,” thunders in immediately. “Nineteen” shows they can once again make a ballad as strong as their previous album’s title-track. “I Don’t Know Anything,” may be the best song of the album and one of the few songs where the guitars are allowed to really explode into a fuzzy oblivion. “I’m Not Dead,” mixes some possible Taylor Swift-influence, with some emo rock malaise, all with carpe diem message. “Back There Now,” is the best pop song 2024 has to offer this side of Charli XCX’s “Brat,” with its hindsight clarity. “In Your Bed” sounds like it could be a lost left-over track from Jimmy Eat World’s “Integrity Blues.”
Eva Hendicks has always been reliable to deliver personal, heartstring-tugging lyrics, but this record takes her to a whole new level. From beginning to end, this is an emotionally driving record without any low points. Part of me wishes that instead of a twelve-track record, they had made it a fourteen-track record, adding two singles they released between albums, “You Don’t Even Know Me Anymore” and “I Need a New Boyfriend” should be here. Both of those would have really worked on this album.
Somehow, Charly Bliss went pop without sacrificing any of the soul that made them stand out on their debut album, “Guppy.” Somehow, the pop direction increases the emotional importance of the songs. Is this a band that should be played next to Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Olivia Rodrigo, Lorde and Chappell Roan? Absolutely. Charly Bliss has MASSIVE crossover potential and the fact that “Forever” isn’t higher in the current pop-culture zeitgeist is probably only due to the fact that they are signed to an indie. Do yourself a favor. If you haven’t heard this band, listen to all their music. Charly Bliss is one of the smartest and most important bands to emerge in the last decade. Three albums and two EPs in, with zero weak spots.
Listen to “Forever” on Spotify
Listen to “Forever” on Apple Music
Listen to “Forever” on Amazon Music
GREEN DAY – “Saviors” Album cover artistic detail.
7. GREEN DAY – “Saviors” Few albums are as bad as Green Day’s 2020 album, “Father of All…” I’m not sure what they were thinking with the brief, 26-minute throwaway set. It would have been easy to write off the band after such a disastrous misstep, but thirty years after “Dookie,” and twenty years after “American Idiot,” Green Day have thankfully delivered another important record in their discography with “Saviors.”
Everything Green Day does well is on display here. The political punk of “The American Dream is Killing Me” and the fast, fun, dumb rock of “Look Ma, No Brains!” set the album off right, into the gender-fluid lovefest of “Bobby Sox.” “Dilemma” is about falling off the wagon, recalling their classic album, “Nimrod,” and its song, “Redundant.” “Goodnight, Adeline,” is a stadium-ready power-pop ballad. “Coma City,” with its call and response demands a large-scale live performance. “Suzie Chapstick,” like most great Green Day songs, sounds immediately familiar. Both “Strange Days are Here to Stay” and “Living in the ‘20s,” capture the political weirdness of our time. “Father to a Son” is a strangely touching ballad and not cheesy in its execution. The title-track has an Oasis-like sense of importance, but maybe the best moment on the record is the surprisingly adept “Fancy Sauce,” which takes the institutional imagery from “Basket Case” and turns it into something more deeply felt. As Billie Joe Armstrong sings, “Watching the evening news / ‘Cuz it’s my favorite cartoon,” it effectively captures the bizarre world of 2024, especially post-election. Listening in December, as opposed to last January, when the album was released, this takes on new meaning. Obviously, the American people seem out of touch with their own needs, the needs of others and too many people lack an overall sense of empathy.
This album is less on-the-nose than “American Idiot.” While that album effectively pinned down the George W. Bush years, this album is more vague in its targeting. Still, there is a brand of MAGA-era exhaustion felt throughout the set that makes it an appropriate barometer of the time. As we get more siloed into our corners and certain people in our lives get brainwashed with ulta-conservative misinformation, the so-called “American Dream” gets further and further away for many, in the face of incoming fascism, fueled by xenophobia, racism and misogyny. While the misinformed lead us to a path of ultimately possible destruction, in the quest to reclaim an era of “greatness” that never truly existed for everyone, “Saviors” serves as a perfect soundtrack while the oligarchs and grifters attempt to seize the country. Hopefully, we will survive.
If only this was a fantasy. Like the Clash before them, Green Day have slyly once again created something catchy with an undeniable political undercurrent.
Listen to “Saviors” on Spotify
Listen to “Saviors” on Apple Music
Listen to “Saviors” on Amazon Music
KIM DEAL – “Nobody Loves You More” Album cover artistic detail.
6. KIM DEAL – “Nobody Loves You More” After being famous for nearly forty years, with her bands Pixies, the Breeders and the Amps, Kim Deal now releases her solo debut, in a year where the Breeders served as an opening act for Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts” tour. To say it has been a great year for Deal and that she is in a good place artistically is an understatement. The songs on “Nobody Loves You More” show, even in moments of sad reflection, that Deal is in top form. It isn’t all sunshine, however. There is a bittersweetness to this record after the sudden death this year of her frequent collaborator, Steve Albini. (This is one of the last records with Albini’s touch.) Still, it is fitting that even on her solo debut, there are appearances from members from every revolving Breeders line-up present. Kim Deal is an indie rock giant and here she really delivers.
Right from the title-track, with its lovelorn lullaby nature, it is clear that this is something timeless. As a horn section suddenly explodes in the track’s midpoint, it cements the indelible nature of the track. First single, “Coast,” is a similarly bright bit of easy-going pop, with an evergreen center.
“Crystal Breath” has a post-punk, semi-industrial core. “Are You Mine?” and “Wish I Was” allow Deal to re-record rough singles she originally released in 2013, giving them the care they deserve.
Sure, there are moments that defy this description, but for the most part, this album has a semi-Hawaiian sounding flare, mixed with some influence from Cass Elliot’s take on “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” Upbeat moments like “Disobedience” and “A Good Time Pushed,” are here, too but most of this album sounds like Deal is fleshing out the sound heard on the Breeders’ classic, “Off You.” Her unique rasp was meant for these kinds of tender torch songs and yet, this is among her most accessible work, this side of “Last Splash.”
Even when she stumbles into more experimental territory on “Big Ben Beat” and “Bats in the Afternoon Sky,” you are carried along for the ride. Such cutting-edge moments are expected for those who have followed Deal’s work. Like Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, who took a huge modern step forward on her album, “The Collective,” it is refreshing to see these indie and alt-rock veterans continuing to branch out.
One hopes that some of the kids who saw the Breeders open up for Olivia Rodrigo discover this album, as well, although sadly, the streaming numbers don’t seem to indicate that that is the case. “Nobody Loves You More” sounds like an equal cross between the classic “indie rock” of the eighties and nineties with classic Brill Building-esque orchestration, combined perfectly with a 2024 modern sheen. In a way, this is a classic singer-songwriter record, constructed with Kim Deal’s unique sensibilities. Listen to “Come Running,” if you want a perfect example of how this record rumbles and swoons with equal measure.
Listen to “Nobody Loves You More on Spotify
Listen to “Nobody Loves You More” on Apple Music
Listen to “Nobody Loves You More” on Amazon Music
VAMPIRE WEEKEND – “Only God Was Above Us” Album cover artistic detail.
5. VAMPIRE WEEKEND – “Only God Was Above Us” Vampire Weekend’s fifth album is intensely focused. A love letter to seventies and eighties New York with sharp edges and intense feelings. It also may be the band’s best work. Feedback-drenched and often unkempt in its approach, it muddies up the band’s normally clean signature sound, adding a much-needed punch of adrenaline. If the Strokes were in a sonic cage match with Paul Simon, it might sound like “Ice Cream Piano” or “Capricorn,” the latter of which is packed with unfathomable levels of instant nostalgia as it denotes that the people born in December of any year are born in a year that ends up not being their own.
Ezra Koenig has grown into himself as a lyricist. Listening to “Prep-School Gangsters” or “Gen-X Cops,” he has now become an adept narrator. “Mary Boone,” which gets its title from the name of a famous gallery owner, makes great use of a sampled Soul II Soul beat loop, while “The Surfer,” is built around a dubby bass-line and a rinky-dink piano. There is so much going on here. The junk shop quality of how these sounds just collide together on tape is what makes this record as compelling as it is and yet there is the same sense of fortitude present that made the band stand out when they initially emerged. The orchestral approach that made early standout, “Ottoman,” shine, is still present on “Classical,” “Capricorn” and “Hope,” even if here it is now covered in layers of fuzz. This album sounds like its predecessors’ grimy cousin.
“Only God Was Above Us” bristles with a potent and singular feeling. You sense every manipulated tape loop. You can get lost in every hint of amplifier hum. You can feel the keys of every off-kilter jazz piano solo. There’s something extremely tactile here, as if Vampire Weekend wanted to make their own answer to the kind of record they would have put out in 2001 had they been around for what is now known retroactively as the height of New York’s “indie sleaze” moment. The results then are both retro and futuristic in their scope and the truth is, with “Only God Was Above Us,” Vampire Weekend have crafted a record we really needed badly in 2024.
Listen to “Only God Was Above Us” on Spotify
Listen to “Only God Was Above Us” on Apple Music
Listen to “Only God Was Above Us” on Amazon Music
KENDRICK LAMAR – “GNX” Album cover artistic detail.
4. KENDRICK LAMAR – “GNX” Even before “GNX” was released, Kendrick Lamar had already won 2024 with the precision and ease that he easily slayed Drake with “Not Like Us,” a career-cementing diss track that made its multi-platinum target look like an increasingly problematic, opportunistic poseur.
Yes, with “GNX,” Kendrick comes in, charged up and ready to go with his pen as sharp as ever and his tone set for attack mode. There is no question that he is to many (myself included) the carrier of the torch of a certain kind of vintage, skill-based hip-hop lyricism. On the opener, “Wacced Out Murals,” when he says, “I never lost who I am for a rap image,” he says so with a seething tension in his voice. Kendrick is authentic. Don’t mistake his pointed drive for anger. He just firmly believes in himself. A poet, who isn’t afraid to be unpopular if he knows what he is saying is true.
“Squabble Up” samples Debbie Deb’s “When I Hear Music,” and delivers one hell of a lyrical workout. Kendrick’s personal and theatrical delivery makes what Drake passes off as a flow sound amateurish in comparison. Then again, Kendrick fans probably tend to be deeper into hip-hop ethos and history, while I get the feeling that like Eminem, Drake gets a lot of fans on the pop side who don’t know a lot about hip-hop and don’t necessarily “like” hip-hop, but they “like” him. (Interestingly, Eminem can also rap circles around Drake, so skill-level isn’t a pre-requisite, but at a certain level of cross-over, the pop side takes over and the hardcore “stans,” as they are, tend to lose the focus of the true purpose behind the music. That happens with all genres when they cross over. The “pop” audience just tends to be more passive and less engaged on a deeper level.)
Without a doubt, the starting seed to this record’s energy was “Not Like Us.” Puzzling that the track isn’t here. It should be. A jumpstarting catalyst of epic proportions. Even when the pace slows on the R&B SZA duet and Luther Vandross-sampling, “Luther,” there is still authority in Kendrick’s (singing) voice. On “Man at the Garden,” when Kendrick declares, “I deserve it all,” at a near conversational whisper, it has the impact of a shout. “Not Like Us” woke up something deep in him that truly lingers. The ominous battle rap energy continues on “Hey Now,” into “Reincarnated.”
At 44 minutes, by Kendrick standards, “GNX” seems more focused and concentrated than his other albums that mostly clock in at an hour or more, but one gets the feeling that this record came together in a rush of inspiration either during or just after the beef with Drake. Had this been a longer record, maybe it would wear out its welcome. Interesting that we get the origin story, “Heart Pt. 6,” here, continuing his series that a lot of the time isn’t part of his standard records. This time is obviously different.
While “To Pimp a Butterfly” remains as his career magnum opus, “GNX” still shows Kendrick Lamar at a point of potent reawakening. Would this album be better if “Not Like Us” served as the closing track? Yes, but at the same time, part of me understands why it isn’t here, especially with Drake’s lawsuits against the parent company both artists’ labels share surrounding the promotion of the song. (Plus, again, as I said, that track’s energy is all over this. Listen to the rabid bounce of “TV Off!” Sound familiar? It sounds like part two.)
If you want glowing proof that lyrically-focused hip-hop is far from dead, look no further than Kendrick Lamar.
Listen to “GNX” on Apple Music
Listen to “GNX” on Amazon Music
THE CURE – “Songs of a Lost World” Album cover artistic detail.
3. THE CURE – “Songs of a Lost World” Before “Songs of a Lost World,” the last Cure album was “Dream 4:13,” way back in 2008. Robert Smith had been promising a follow-up ever since that album’s release, often saying that he had not one album on the way, but two. Years went by. No album. He’d be interviewed again and he’d say that an album was almost done. Occasionally, he’d repeat that there was not one album on the way, but possibly two. More years would go by… No album… The Cure would do live tours, release live albums, etc. At every turn there would be the promise of new material. It turns out, this record was indeed worth the wait.
Like “Faith” from 1981 and “Pornography,” from 1982, “Songs of a Lost World” is an eight-song collection, delivering a succinct mood. It plays more like a heavier, 2024 answer to the band’s 1989 classic, “Disintegration.” Long intros help this album really set the mood. Each track allows you to get lost in the lush sounds long before the lyrics start. Listening to “Alone,” “And Nothing is Forever,” or “A Fragile Thing,” and it is evident that we are in the Cure’s classic wheelhouse. “4:13 Dream” deserved more credit than it got, but in all honesty, this is the best Cure album since “Bloodflowers,” in 2000, a record that also frequently got downplayed in the press… Dare I say that this album really does share a lot of DNA with “Disintegration,” therefore being perhaps that album’s first fitting follow-up. Maybe there is a reason that Robert Smith sat on this record for so long. Maybe the version we would have gotten in 2011 would not have been as well-developed. Maybe it needed to be reworked to perfection.
Yes, 45 years after their debut, the Cure have handed in a classic for a new generation, in many ways delivering a record that offers an updated blueprint for their sound, evoking memories of their important records of the eighties and nineties, but delivering the perfect answer for 2024. “I Can Never Say Goodbye” easily stands among the group’s best.
If you have ever loved the Cure, there is plenty to enjoy here. In true Cure fashion, once again in interviews, Robert Smith is saying that there will be possibly two more albums before teasing a retirement when he hits his seventieth birthday. He’s 65 right now… We will see what the coming years bring. No matter what, “Songs of a Lost World” lacks duds or filler. Even at over ten minutes, the closing track, “Endsong,” makes the most of its run-time. This album is everything you could want in a top-tier Cure release.
Listen to “Songs of a Lost World” on Spotify
Listen to “Songs of a Lost World” on Apple Music
Listen to “Songs of a Lost World” on Amazon Music
HALSEY – “The Great Impersonator” Album cover artistic detail.
2. HALSEY – “The Great Impersonator” An amazing, tour de force of a pop record, Halsey’s fifth record is a sprawling, near-seventy-minute collection where the singer shapeshifts as if to pay tribute to influences. This is honestly jaw-dropping in its scope. Halsey always sounds still like Halsey, but right from the folk-driven “Only Living Girl in LA,” to the mid-nineties-hued grunge-light pop of “Ego,” the mission is clear. This is Halsey’s show and this is an unadulterated, unwavering exhibition of range.
“Dog Years” is PJ Harvey-esque goth-y folk. “Letter to God (1974)” captures what sounds like a raw, room-mic-ed rehearsal, complete with a piano that sounds like it is being played in a school auditorium, while its companion-piece, “Letter to God (1983)” is a fleshed out ballad that sounds like it takes its influence from Bruce Springsteen’s “I’m on Fire.” The crowd noise helps cement the importance of the piece. “Panic Attack” sounds like “Rumours”-era Fleetwood Mac, perhaps with some influence of America’s “You Can Do Magic,” thrown in for good measure. (Wow… I mentioned the band America three times on this list… Insane!)
Throughout the record, particularly on the intimate, “The End,” Halsey discusses their health issues and fear of death. Indeed, this is linked to their recent diagnosis of both Lupus and a rare T-Cell disorder. No doubt this fuels the drive of this album. “I Believe in Magic” discusses parenthood. There’s a bit of uncomfortable uncertainty in the subtext about the future as Halsey sings, “Please tell my boy I love him so. / Please tell the world I have to grow before I go. “I may be reading into this, but that really reads like a future that may not be promised.
The medical scares continue on the moving, mid-tempo number, “I Never Loved You,” while “Hometown” flirts with country. “Lucky” nods to and interpolates elements of the Britney Spears hit, while “Lonely is the Muse,” may be the best slice of alternative-pop here, hitting like a slow-burning sonic eruption. “Arsonist,” on the other hand is a cleverly warping, whisper-laden bit of trip-hop.
“The Great Impersonator” is overflowing with creative juices. It is the epitome of what makes a great, constantly shifting pop record. It also playfully takes chances and violates rules of what should and shouldn’t be on a great pop record, when it needs to, in order to deliver the best experience. Its orchestral title-track, plays like an off-kilter bit of Broadway magic. Again, the worry sets in when Halsey asks “Does a story die with its narrator?” (Ooof…)
There is what appears to be a digital-only bonus track, with the upbeat and propulsive, “Alice of the Upper Class.” This is a would-be radio single… not suited to be just tacked onto the end. Again, this should have ended the traditional album… and on streaming services, it does…
Calling this lengthy, constantly engaging masterpiece, “The Great Impersonator,” almost does Halsey a disservice. This is not only Halsey’s fifth stunning album in a row, but this also implies a level of imitation that just isn’t there. Influence is everywhere. The clear, honest and brave voice heard throughout this set is Halsey’s alone. As a record, this should be seen as a career-crowning achievement.
Listen to “The Great Impersonator” on Spotify
Listen to “The Great Impersonator” on Apple Music
Listen to “The Great Impersonator” on Amazon Music
CHARLI XCX – “Brat” Album cover artistic detail.
1. CHARLI XCX – “Brat” / “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” The moment of truth has arrived and yes, I could tell you that the best album of 2024 is by some indie rock band you have never heard or some underground rapper who is about to be huge, but let’s be honest. No one ruled 2024 more than Charli XCX and “Brat,” with its brash, in-your-face, minimalist, yet also futurist electro-pop production. It was the standout album of the year. It isn’t even a debate. If you doubt me, just find the biggest speakers available to you and put on “360,” “Club Classics” or “B2b” at full blast.
The true impact of this record can’t quite be felt on streaming services. I feel like hearing this album directly through my old school stereo made the listening experience a million times better. Hearing “Rewind,” “Apple” and “Girl, so Confusing” at optimum audio levels with a near room-shaking clarity brought this album to life. Not only that, but (and I can’t believe I’m saying this) the way Charli and her producers use Autotune and vocoder effects, PERFECTLY suits the album and its inherently robotic sound, without sacrificing the undeniable humanity underneath. This is a club record for the ages. Someday it will either be a timeless classic or a booming time-capsule. (My guess is that it will be the former, since, no doubt, it will influence many records to come, both with its dynamic sound and the genius marketing around its stark cover art.)
Here, also, is probably the one case where I won’t complain about a deluxe edition… A few months after the release, Charli dropped a reasonably-priced deluxe edition that not only featured an expanded version of the original album but also a bonus disc with high-profile guests on every song! This expanded version is known as “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat.” (The run-on quality of that extended title just adds to the humor.) So, it is cool then to have these songs boosted by guests. The back and forth with Lorde on the new version of “Girl, so Confusing.” The playful flirting with Billie Eilish on the new version of “Guess.” How did Julian Casablancas from the Strokes end up on “Mean Girls???” (I don’t know, but it works.) The same goes for Bon Iver on “I Think about it all the Time.” Tinashe sounds at home on a revamped “B2b.” It also goes without saying that Kesha was meant to be on “Spring Breakers.”
CHARLI XCX –“Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” Album cover artistic detail.
As someone who takes music VERY seriously… maybe TOO seriously… there is something thrilling about how free the music on “Brat” sounds. It just wants to be a party record. It has its introspective moments, so it isn’t quite as frivolous as Charli XCX might want you to believe it is, but that hint of a duality just further cements the record’s legacy. Let’s face the fact that for many, 2024 was a terrible and difficult year. “Brat,” even in its contemplative moments, is brimming with stress-relieving joy as it tears across the dancefloor and demands attention. Few artists bring the party in quite the way Charli XCX did on “Brat!”
May “Brat Summer” be eternal!
Listen to “Brat” on Apple Music
Listen to “Brat” on Amazon Music
Listen to “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” on Spotify
Listen to “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” on Apple Music
Listen to “Brat and it’s completely different but also still brat” on Amazon Music
As 2025 promises to be darker and sadder, judging from the increasingly fascistic political and global landscape, let’s hope it will at least lead to some important, challenging records. Here’s hoping for many future masterpieces in the new year. In times of hardship, there is still the need for powerful thought-provoking records that will comfort and nourish with equal measure.
No one knows for sure what the future will bring. We can only try as hard as we can and hope for the best. Happy New Year!
Green Day’s “Saviors” ****1/2
I would prefer to not think of Green Day’s 2020 album, “Father of All…” as a colossal, utterly baffling misstep. Sure, the band was also working on fumes on the awkward, repetitive, oddly-compressed, 2016 effort, “Revolution Radio,” but I have a weird theory about their last record. At a mere 26 minutes, “Father of All…” was (I believe to be) the last album in Green Day’s contract with Reprise. Often confounding and sometimes obnoxious, the album read to me like a middle finger goodbye to wrap up a contract. Then again, I might be wrong.
Each of these two records had their standouts. “Revolution Radio” at least ended with the wonderfully uncharacteristically sweet, “Ordinary World.” (The version without Miranda Lambert.) “Father of All…” had “Junkies on a High,” which although it sounded like a retread of “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” still had a kick. The reason I think that the latter record might have been a purposeful gutterball is due to the fact that the project before these two albums (the trilogy of “Uno!” “Dos!” and “Tre!”) apparently only supposedly counted as one album on their contract with Reprise, in spite of actually being three albums with 37 songs total. Some might say the band went wrong there, as well. I would disagree. I really like the trilogy and have long viewed (no pun intended) it as a massively misunderstood offering that might have gotten its proper, well-deserved due if it had been instead delivered as ONE release, consisting of two hour-long discs in the mold of Smashing Pumpkins’ “Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.” Listen to the trilogy again. It has a lot of hidden gems.
While the band is still on Reprise now, it seems that they are using their longtime label merely as a distributor, similar to the way latter-day Weezer is currently using the major-label system. Does this seem to affect their fourteenth album, “Saviors?” My god, does it ever! The results sound like a liberated, awakened band, maintaining their stature while still possessing an undercurrent of freedom. If there was more than a whif of disengagement on the last two records, they are committed to their mission once more.
“Saviors” is easily, the most confident, easily digestible offering Green Day has delivered since their 2004 mega-opus “American Idiot.” While opener, “The American Dream is Killing Me,” sounds a bit like a callback to the former album’s title-track, it makes perfect sense as we live in a similarly polarizing political environment. While “American Idiot” worried about the dangers of the jingoistic war-time ethos of George W. Bush’s presidency in a post-9/11 world, more subtly, “Saviors” (in scattered places) sounds like the product of the moment, as we live in a time where science and actual facts are questioned and we brace for the unsettling possibility of incoming fascism. “Look Ma, No Brains!” may at first sound like the kind of teenage rebellion music Green Day have been making for more than thirty years, but upon deeper listen, it is easily a slap at people who thrive on modern idiocy, living in their own misinformed bubbles. Similarly, “Strange Days Are Here to Stay,” defies its sugary, rousing melody by thoroughly describing a deep dystopia. This contrast is nothing new for Green Day. They have long thrived packing dark tales and truths into bright, shiny packages. When Billie Joe Armstrong sings, “Ever since Bowie died, it hasn’t been the same,” it hits hard. The same can be said for “Living in the ‘20s,” which is equally anthemic and cuttingly disheartening.
Even if you don’t connect with the album’s visceral political messaging, this is at its core, one of Green Day’s best and most earworm-heavy records to date. Now in their fifties, they are delivering something that could easily go hand-in-hand next to classics like “Kerplunk,” “Dookie,” “Insomniac,” “Nimrod” and “Warning.” The “Nimrod” comparison seems especially on point, due to this set’s range and melodic elasticity.
“Bobby Sox” sounds like an all-time, rage-along classic and yet the manner in which the lyrics play with concepts of gender and with love and friendship seems lovingly of the moment.
“Goodnight Adeline,” is a punchy power-ballad that works in a similar, arguably more successful vein than previous hit, “21 Guns,” while “Corvette Summer,” with its by-the-numbers lyrics of “Get around. / I can get around. /Drop a bomb on my rock and roll,” still succeeds thanks to its catchy melody and the fact that it seems to winkingly know that it is a stupid rock song…and owns it.
The brutally honest falling off the wagon tale of “Dilemma,” compels with its lack of irony, while also recalling the pop mastery of “Redundant,” while “Suzie Chapstick” is downright beguiling and impressively dense, recalling what secretly may be the band’s best song to date, “Whatsername.” If pushed, sometimes the songs here aren’t as simple as they appear.
“Father to a Son,” is jarringly beautiful, In lesser hands it would run the risk of sounding saccharine.
With a few tweaks, you could imagine the title-track not sounding out of place on Oasis’ “Definitely Maybe.” Even if the lyrics take the concept, too far, this kind of grandiose overstepping sounds purposeful, as if it is delivered with a strong nudge.
A lot has been written and spoken about how the guitar riff in the single, “One Eyed Bastard” sounds like P!nk’s “So What,” and to that I say, yes, they both are working with a similar blues-based down-turning shuffle but P!nk was definitely not the first person to do that. Riffs like that probably go back to the foundation of the blues. Some have often criticized the band for their perceived borrowing of melodic ideas. In places, “One Eyed Bastard,” also vaguely sounds like Iggy Pop’s “The Passenger,” as well. Frankly, so do a lot of other songs. Crafting earworm pop songs is a delicate art. Some may argue that the fact that the title-track to “Warning” sounds a lot like the Kinks’ “Picture Book,” or that section of “Jesus of Suburbia” sounds a lot like Bryan Adams’ “Summer of ’69.” While this is true, these songs should be allowed to exist on their own as close cousins but not overt copies. In the years since the atrocious “Blurred Lines” case, which incorrectly confused influence with theft, the industry has been obsessed with the concept of “interpolation.” (This is why for instance, Billy Joel gets a piece of Weezer’s “Beginning of the End,” because a section of it kind of [ just barely] sounds like “For the Longest Time.”) This kind of thinking is litigious thinking is dangerous for any music creation and could eventually mean the end of art. If you only have twelve notes, people are bound to come up with similar patterns, especially when they are trying to stick to the boundaries of cultural acceptance. Odds are, also, the one who will get credit, inevitably borrowed elements from someone else. Art is a continuum and that progression doesn’t happen without some (sometimes liberal) borrowing. The modern concept of “interpolation” is often heavy-handed and toxic, when it should be used to deal with flat-out quotes. Green Day’s strength has always been in molding something new out of elements that are extremely familiar. It is a tight rope to walk, and for the most part, they do it right. That being said, with the notions of nuance slowly fading, this can be an increasingly difficult point to comprehend.
But… I digress…
Going back to the record, itself, by the time you reach the final track, “Fancy Sauce,” it sounds epic! It is as if the band is delivering a near-perfect summary of their career so far. Everything that makes Green Day fantastic is in this song. As punks who were always too pop-fueled to be accepted by the grittier aesthetic lords of the genre, they should be actually be embraced more as kings of power-pop.
When I first saw the album cover to “Saviors,” and learned that it was a photo from the Troubles in Ireland, originally taken by Chris Steele-Perkins, I was initially turned off that the band chose to edit the subject, Paul Kennedy’s face into a smirking smile. After listening to this record, the use of this image no longer comes off as the oblivious cultural recontextualizing that it initially seemed. Instead, it really works and speaks to our times. When you have a burning pile of trash in back of you and you are perhaps dodging cars, what can you do but perhaps grab a rock to throw, hope it makes a difference and smirk and shrug your way along until things improve? Consider “Saviors” to be Green Day’s effectively tossed rock.
Like Foo Fighters and Rancid did on their recent, respective albums, “So Here We Are” and “Tomorrow Never Comes,” on “Saviors,” Green Day strip back down to their essence and reclaim their place. Now that this exists, those last two records will probably only get better because we now will see them as passing, fascinating pit-stops rather than the final destination.
“Saviors” is a bold, effective, strongly pivoting restatement of purpose and a welcome return. It is packed with hits and packed with potential. It is a record that should not be ignored or forgotten. It easily belongs with “Dookie” and “American Idiot,” in the highest tier of their work.
ALLAN RAIBLE’S PICKS: The 50 Best Albums of 2023
It has been another stellar year for music. (Anyone who says otherwise is either lying or willfully not paying attention.)
A few key notes before the actual list.
There were serveral albums that didn’t make the list that are still quite good. Wilco, Killer Mike and Depeche Mode all released great work this year that just barely missed the cut.
Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” from the “Barbie” movie is probably the single most striking song of the year. Beautiful, tender, poignant and important. That song is a stunning piece of work and Billie and Fineas continue to impress me. I almost put the soundtrack on this list but there were a few tracks that kept it from contention, quality-wise. (It’s a soundtrack… Those can be uneven… What can you do?)
Album cover detail - “Little Simz “No Thank You.”
It is always a pet peeve of mine that so many of these lists seem to come out in November. I usually try to push my lists to the last possible minute. (This year, especially… Sorry. I’ve been busy.) If you were familiar with the lists I wrote for ABC, I missed a record last year that was being released just at the moment I handed in my list. That record was “No Thank You,” by Little Simz. I debated putting it on this year’s list since it was released digitally last December and the physical version dropped in 2023, but I didn’t want to be like those other publications who missed SZA’s album, “S.O.S.” last year because they rushed things…and then decided to put it near the top of their lists this year… So, Little Simz now gets her own shout-out. An excellent British MC whose music you should know! Seriously… Once you finish this list, go listen to her song, “Gorilla.”
Album cover detail. Taylor Swift - “1989” (Taylor’s Version)
Also, can we please take a moment to appreciate what Taylor Swift has done for the music industry this year? I realize that there is no shortage of praise for her, since she is Time’s “Person of the Year,” but in a moment when actual sales are dwindling and streaming has become king, she is actually making records that engage (and grow) her audience. I will admit that I liked “1989” when it came out in 2014, but I didn’t truly connect with it. (I now appreciate what Taylor is doing a lot more! The turning point for me was the album, “Lover.”) I am thankful that it took me a while to appreciate “1989” to its fullest… Why do I say this?? I am thankful for the “Taylor’s Version” expanded editions. I know, here and there, there are some nitpicker, audiophile complaints by some about the new version of “1989,” but honestly, by reclaiming her own work, Swift is getting a chance to present these records again in mightier, expanded forms, utilizing everything she has learned from playing many of these songs over, and over and over, again. For thaat reason, the “Taylor’s Version” editions are the superior way to hear these records.
Another thing we can add to Swift’s posiitve achievements is that she keeps expanding her albums, debunking the industry’s collective (wrong) notion that people don’t have long enough attention spans to appreciate albums from start to finish.
(No… (insert music streaming service name) … Artists should be releasing albums and NOT singles… In the song run, singles get lost (literaly) in the shuffle! But… I digress..)
Sure, the old fart in me could blame meme culture or TikTok for this myth of shortening attention spans, but ultimately, when it comes to releasing shorter albums, somewhere along the line, someone in the industry determined it was better for the bottom line for artists to release two 35-minute albums instead of one that spans 70 minutes. Swift, is (thankfully) not of this mindset. She is someone who has stated she wants to release as much music as possible. More artists should have that approach. That being said, she is in rariftied air. Swift, Adele and Beyoncé all actually sell records and are still able to convince their fans to commit to an album experience. If the album as a medium is vanishing or lessening in its clout, it is due to lack of artistic and creative focus within the industry. Decades ago, the industry used to stand by artists and help them develop focused, cohesive creations. If we returned to this mindset, the notion of the “album artist” would come back and be given more respect.
Swift, by her nature, is an “album artist.” For her, it is all about the journey. (That is essentially the idea behind the “Eras Tour.” She is somehow working the system in the old way when all the barriers have been seemingly put up to discourage such operation. Her secret is connection. (It also doesn’t hurt that over time, her albums and her output only are getting better and better…)
If you are reading this and are discouraged about the future of music… don’t be.
I’m about to give you a list of 50 albums worth your time and energy. LISTEN TO THEM! Drop any preconceived notions and just listen. Not just the “hits.” Listen to the “deep cuts,” as well. In all of my time listening to the radio and hearing what “singles” get promoted the most, the logic behind everything involved doesn’t always seem to make sense. There are a lot of songs should be promoted as potential hits that aren’t for one reason or another. Also, as a musician, myself, I know that when you aim to make a “hit single,” you are probably going to miss the mark. The best music tends to come with the most open outlook. Too often, when people think of “singles” today, they think of stale formulas. In other words… the best “hits” tend to happen by accident.
So… Buckle up and be prepared to be entertained!
Here are my picks for the 50 BEST ALBUMS OF 2023!
Album cover detail. The Rolling Stones - “Hackney Diamonds”
50. THE ROLLING STONES – “Hackney Diamonds” In the calendar year when both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards celebrated their 80th birthdays, the Stones dropped their best album in a very long time. Granted, their last collection of new material was “A Bigger Bang,” way back in 2005 and 2016’s excellent “Blue & Lonesome” was a covers album.
Charlie Watts is no longer with us, but he still manages to appear on two tracks here. One of which is ”Live By the Sword,” which also features original bassist, Bill Wyman and piano playing by Elton John, who actually appears twice on the record. Paul McCartney plays bass on “Bite My Head off,” (Mick actually shouts at one point, “Come on, Paul! Let’s hear some bass!” Hahaha.) while the expansive “Sweet Sounds of Heaven,” somehow features both Lady Gaga and Stevie Wonder.
The album opens with the one-two punch of “Angry” and “Get Close.” Is that autotune on Mick’s voice? Maybe. It is 2023 and this sounds like a 2023 album. Many of these songs somehow sound like well-worn Stones classics, already. While the lyrics throughout are far from groundbreaking… (obvious may be Jagger’s lyrical lane at this point) there is thankfully nothing here quite as overtly lyrically embarrassing as “Rain Fall Down,” from “A Bigger Bang.” (“She cooked me up some eggs. / Then she made some tea. / Kissed me on the cheek / And I turned on her TV.” Oy!!!) This time, at least the more awkward lyrics are covered up by better tunes.
In comparison, on the whole, “Hackney Diamonds” sounds like a re-vitalized band with something more to prove. It could be that losing Charlie woke them up. Hard to tell. Unsurprisingly, Steve Jordan does great work in Charlie’s place. Oh, and Keith gets to lead a song with the more than decent, “Tell Me Straight.” In all, “Hackney Diamonds” is indeed a welcome, surprise and a well-earned victory lap from one of rock’s greatest mainstays.
Album cover detail: Lana Del Rey - “Did You Know There is a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?”
49. LANA DEL REY – “Did You Know There is a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?” Sure, Lana Del Rey is polarizing, but think about this. She is now nine albums deep into her career. (Ten if you count her spoken-word version of her book.) She released all of this in only 11 years! Also, she has crafted a unique sound that is completely her own. Sure, there are bits borrowed from Nancy Sinatra, Fiona Apple and some others, but her mixture is her own. She’s not a run-of-the-mill pop star by any means. What her detractors often miss is that she is singing in character. That disconnection, I think, tends to cause her trouble. Her discography tends to work in peaks and valleys, as well. “Did You Know There is a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd?” follows 2019’s “NFR” as a true peak. A sprawling, cinematic offering full of orchestral flourishes and nods to light pop of the past.
“Sweet” might sound like it would belong in a vintage musical if it didn’t have lines like, “If you want some basic bitch go to the Beverly Center and find her.” “
A&W” is a wonderfully blunt, constantly winding song that makes the most of its seven minutes. (Does she sneeze at the 3:13 mark???) The fact that this song was a single is utterly daring!
This album, with its disconnected interludes plays like a random audio movie. (Yes, “Judah Smith Interlude,” I am looking at you as a WTF moment. Why???)
Mostly, this record (like many of her others) is telling a rich story. One of uncomfortable truths of the dark side behind setups that look glamorous at first glance. Lana Del Rey seems to wallow in the grotesque layer just below the shiny surface. That uncomfortable place makes her a difficult entertainer for some and a brilliant one for others. Across its 77 minutes, this record will have you swooning and squirming with equal measure.
Album cover detail. Miley Cyrus - “Endless Summer Vacation”
48. MILEY CYRUS – “Endless Summer Vacation” (Deluxe Edition) Somewhere along the line, Miley Cyrus became a consistently great pop powerhouse. Her voice, with its disarmingly husky texture has become a well-honed instrument, able to handle rock, pop, country or blues with deceptive ease. When she sings, “I’m sorry that you are jaded,” on the second song from her eighth album, “Endless Summer Vacation,” you believe her grief. There’s a dense, new-wave sheen on the songs “Rose Colored Lenses” and the hit single, “Flowers.” She’s at home with just about sonic backdrop. Consider “You,” with its jazz piano chords, its slight country twang and its modern, hip-hop-referencing beat. She buries herself comfortably in the center of it all.
On “Thousand Miles,” she is paired with Brandi Carlile. On “Muddy Feet,” she’s with Sia. On “Used to be Young,” (added later on the deluxe edition) she sings a tender ballad about her very public youth.
“Handstand” appears to be a slick dance jam about acrobatic sex on a boat, complete with the wonderfully bizarre (spoken) opening line, “We met each other on the neon dinghy….” Er…. um… OK…
“Endless Summer Vacation” is an eclectic, entertaining (and occasionally bonkers) sonic ride.
Album cover detail. The Zombies “Different Game”
47. THE ZOMBIES – “Different Game” (Deluxe) Yes, this the classic British Invasion band and anchored by Rod Argent and Collin Blunstone from the band’s original lineup, they are delivering the goods almost sixty years after their debut. The title track to “Different Game,” has a kind of soulful depth that recalls Procol Herum’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” while “Rediscover,” sounds effectively like a nod to Brian Wilson. This is a blues-ier record than one would necessarily expect, but if you think about it, that aspect is probably heightened by modern production. Classics like “She’s Not There,” and even the psychedelic “Beachwood Park,” are rooted in blues. Conversely, you can imagine, if these songs had been recorded in the sixties, they would sound like they were cut from the same cloth as the band’s hits. For example, “You Could Be My Love,” is definitely a cousin both “This Will Be Our Year” and “Care of Cell 44.”
Even the album’s quieter moments like “The Sun Will Rise Again,” and “Love You While I Can,” effectively recall the past. Blunstone’s voice is a warm and bold and Argent’s organ and piano skills are as tight as ever. In a year where we saw the “final” Beatles song and a new Rolling Stones album, it is nice to see the Zombies deliver their strongest album since their 2004 resurrection. The deluxe edition features four live tracks at the end of the album.
Album cover detail. Rancid - “Tomorrow Never Comes”
46. RANCID – “Tomorrow Never Comes” Clocking in at just under 29 minutes, Rancid’s tenth album, “Tomorrow Never Comes,” is a quick and brutal effort. With 16 tracks packed into that tight framework, it is constantly moving, from the insistence of the title-track to the hardcore punk workout of “Don’t Make Me Do It,” to the rallying crying energy of “When the Smoke Clears.”
“Devil in Disguise” is a deeply political, wary anthem wrapped in what sounds like something lifted from an old drinking song. “Magnificent Rogue,” “Hellbound Train” and “Hear Us Out,” are just several of the songs here that approach at a blistering pace, without apology.
Tim Armstrong’s rasp sounds better and carries more authority than ever and Lars Fredriksen is there to back him up with his own great bellow. This album was produced by Epitaph head and Bad Religion leader, Brett Gurewitz, delivering a mighty bit of punk that truly hits the spot.
Album cover detail. The Go! Team - “Get Up Sequences Part Two”
45. THE GO! TEAM – “Get Up Sequences Part Two” On their seventh album, experimental indie-rock and hip-hop outfit, The Go! Team creates a sequel to their 2021 album, which as you may have guessed was called, “Get Up Sequences Part One.”
If you are at all familiar with the Ian Parton-led group, all of the sonic elements that have made them stand out from the pack are still there. The lo-fi indie production, the chants that sound like a pep rally, the playful bits that sound like they are lifted from a cartoon from the early seventies and the forays into old-school hip-hop.
Rapper and drummer, Ninja brings the sonic napalm on “Divebomb,” while in contrast, “Stay and Ask Me in a Different Way,” sounds both a tad twee and boldly heartfelt. “Gemini” has a playful Tropical bounce while the Nitty Scott-feature on “Whamm-o,” automatically slams with authority. The Go! Team has long been known for effectively blending sonic elements you might think wouldn’t mix, making a powerful concoction in the process. if “Get Up Sequences Part Two” doesn’t move you, there is something wrong. This is a lot of fun.
Album cover detail. Gorillas - “Cracker Island”
44. GORILLAZ – “Cracker Island” (Deluxe Edition) In a year where Damon Albarn re-teamed with his band Blur to release the comeback album, “The Ballad of Darren,” he also released the eighth Gorillaz album, “Cracker Island.” While the Gorillaz discography definitely has its peaks and valleys, “Cracker Island,” sounds playful and alive like the virtual band’s self-titled album and its follow-up, “Demon Days.”
The title-track features Thundercat, while “Oil,” features Stevie Nicks of all people! “New Gold,” pairs Tame Impala with the Pharcyde’s Bootie Brown with hypnotic results. Bad Bunny brings a modern Latin energy to “Tormenta,” while Beck effectively helps close off the traditional album on the soft, soothing “Possession Island.”
My one beef with this album is the fact that there are five bonus tracks on the deluxe version, which frankly, should have been on the standard album. Gorillaz albums are always like mixtapes thanks to their heavy reliance on an unpredictable roster of guests. This album plays much better as a slightly bonkers 53-minute offering than it does as a slimmed down 37-minute slice. This is especially true, when you consider, “Crocadillaz,” which features De La Soul and Dawn Penn, a notable track for featuring some of the last verses from the late Dave/Trugoy the Dove.
In all, what is striking about “Cracker Island,” as a whole is actually how much it achieves as an eclectic pop album. While this outfit used to be seen as a left-field experiment, somehow this set maintains the same approach, with a more mainstreamed sheen and without missing a creative step.
Album cover detail. The New Pornographers - “Continue as Guest”
43. THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS – “Continue as Guest” The ninth album from this Canadian power-pop collective is notable for its wintery approach. Even at its most driving, it sounds modal in its attack, as if it is soundtracking an epic trudge through a blizzard and a cup of post-voyage cocoa by the fire.
As sunny as opener, “Really, Really Light” sounds, contrary to its title, it seems to pack a lot of heft. A.C. Newman and Neko Case are reliable as always, throughout, with great interplay on the jazzy, horn-assisted “Pontius Pilate’s Home Movies.” The jazzy undertones of the album combined with the band’s new reliance on occasionally icy synth beds make the title-track, “Marie and the Underseas” and “Cat and Mouse with the Light,” sound like there may be some Stereolab influence at play.
While this collection has a lower earworm ratio compared to most of the rest of the band’s discography, it feels like it going for something else entirely. It is just as notable for the focused, nearly meditative listen it delivers. “Continue as Guest” is uniquely welcoming.
Album cover detail. Hamish Hawk - “Angel Numbers”
42. HAMISH HAWK – “Angel Numbers” The fourth album from Edinburgh-based singer-songwriter, Hamish Hawk, “Angel Numbers,” is a delightful, insightful listen, packed with warmth.
Opening tracks “Once Upon an Acid Glance,” and “Think of Us Kissing” sound like the most literary come-ons this side of a Maxïmo Park record. “Elvis Look-alke Shadows” recalls Morrissey, sans the insufferable, problematic qualities. On the dramatic, theatrical duet, “Frontman,” with Anna B. Savage, Hawk has met his match. With biting lines like, “some ugly men think of themselves as gods” and “the cruelest child is the one with two names,” the track packs a quietly effective punch, even if Hawk’s veiled lyrical approach doesn’t make his targets immediately known.
It doesn’t get more lyrically visceral and pointed as it does on “Money.” “Bill” shows that Hawk can effectively soar with deceptive ease, while the title-track displays some rocky crunch as he spills out a laundry list of life’s milestones and disappointments. If you have never heard Hamish Hawk before, this album is a great place to start.
Album cover detail. Genevieve Stokes - “Catching Rabbits.”
41. GENEVIEVE STOKES – “Catching Rabbits” EP The six songs on Genevieve Stokes’ new EP, “Catching Rabbits” show her as an artist to watch. The bouncy, winning “Habits” would sit well between Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo, while “You & Me” somehow is simultaneously warm and menacing. Her brand of alt-pop has an underlying, magnetic darkness. You half expect Tricky to show up and drop a verse. Yet, she can also deliver some sugary pop like, “Can I,” even if her voice sounds like it may be on the verge of crying.
The hushed ethereal whisper of both “Book of Memories” and “Mara” draws the listener further in while closer, “17” sounds so delicate that if you listen closely enough, you can hear the piano keys being pressed, even as the melody swells. The whole EP is only 20 minutes, but like “Swimming Lessons,” from 2021, it shows Stokes is probably just beginning to rise.
Album cover detail. Sufjan Stevens - “Javelin”
40. SUFJAN STEVENS – “Javelin” I’m not sure why this is, but Sufjan Stevens seems to make his best work when he is processing grief and trauma. Like 2015’s “Carrie & Lowell,” which was mostly about his troubled childhood and his mother, “Javelin,” finds him in an equally raw and tender place, processing the death of his partner, Evans Richardson.
Opener, “Goodbye Evergreen” goes suddenly from a tender send-off to something visceral, dissonant and pseudo-industrial, perhaps mirroring emotional turmoil.
Even at its most orchestral, this is a tender offering. The children’s choir heard throughout, adds a great touch to both “A Running Start” and “Will Anybody Love Me?” Stevens uses a striking, unusual vibrato on the prayer, “Everything that Rises,” while on “So You Are Tired,” he seemingly recounts a 14-year relationship with heartbreaking frankness. The eight-and-a-half-minute epic, “Shit Talk,” is much more gently cathartic than its title would lead you to believe. If “Javelin” as an album proves anything, it is that pain can be processed sometimes through art with beautiful results. Music is indeed healing.
Album cover detail. Margaret Glassy - “Echo the Diamond”
39. MARGARET GLASPY – “Echo the Diamond” Right from the opening notes of “Act Natural,” the first track on Margaret Glaspy’s third album, it is evident that she’s immediately commanding the room. Owing equal influence from blues, grunge and power-pop, Glaspy delivers a dynamic concoction, anchored by her unique vocal rasp. In 1996, “Get Back,” would have made her a superstar, while “Irish Goodbye,” “Memories” and the stupendous “Turn the Engine” show a more tender and traditional side.
“Hammer and the Nail” is sleek and jazzy, while the blistering, dirty punk of “Female Brain,” takes no prisoners and shakes the walls. “My Eyes” is excellently Beatle-y in its execution, sounding like a response to “Dear Prudence.”
Even when Glaspy turns down the volume a little, her guitar playing is still wonderfully authoritative in its attack. All throughout the album, she, along with bassist Chris Morrissey and the Bad Plus’ Dave King on drums, create a mighty spark. “Echo the Diamond” is over in a quick 35 minutes and change but it firmly leaves a mark.
Album cover detail. PJ Harvey - “I Inside the Old Year Dying”
38. PJ HARVEY – “I Inside the Old Year Dying” PJ Harvey’s tenth album is also her first in seven years. In the time between releases, she has been gradually dropping demos and b-sides from across her discography to fill out context for her past releases. Is “I Inside the Old Year Dying” an experimental, sometimes odd offering? Indeed, but that comes with the territory and “Lwonesome Tonight,” the title-track and “A Child’s Question, August” are all key highlights, making this her best album since 2007’s “White Chalk.”
Firmly experimental, this record still has plenty accessible moments. (Is that a sheep I hear in the distance on the beginning of “Seem an I,” before it blossoms into a slightly rustic blues?) The adventurous nature of this record is an asset.
There might have been a time when Harvey would have delivered a single-worthy song like “The Nether-edge” with a dose of polish, but here it is peppered with fun glitchy sounds and a slight bit of tape-hiss echo. That being said, she has always been most comfortable covered in a layer of mystery. More than three decades into her career, PJ Harvey can still deliver, balancing both what the listeners expect and pleasantly surprising them with what they don’t.
Album cover detail. Jenny Lewis - “Joy’All.”
37. JENNY LEWIS – “Joy’All” “Joy’All” is either Jenny Lewis’ fourth or fifth solo album if you count her record with the Watson Twins. It recalls the kind of country records that used to emerge out of the Laurel Canyon scene in the early-to-mid seventies.
“Psychos,” the album’s opener, immediately recalls the likes of Joni Mitchell, Linda Ronstadt or Fleetwood Mac, albeit with a parental warning sticker. The title-track is some hippie-minded chill music while the humorous, “Puppy and a Truck,” seems to be actively trolling modern country radio. “Apples and Oranges” is a kiss-off to a lover who has been replaced, while “Giddy Up” is downright sultry in its execution.
Indeed, the former singer from Rilo Kiley seems firmly comfortable embracing herself, even if as she begins “Puppy and a Truck” with the line, “My forties are kicking my ass and handing them to me in a margarita glass.” This is confident, slightly sensually-charged adult music, from the slight funk of “Cherry Baby,” to the casually flirty “Balcony.”
“Chain of Tears,” ends the record on a key highpoint. This is a stellar collection. If it feels like something that may have been spinning on a turntable at a swingers party a generation or two ago, maybe that was the goal.
Album cover detail. Mammoth WVH - “Mammoth II”
36. MAMMOTH WVH – “Mammoth II” Wolfgang Van Halen’s second Mammoth WVH album continues where his 2021 debut left off. Does this sound like Van Halen? No. It is closer to sounding like “The Colour & the Shape” era Foo Fighters, with some added shredding and guitar solos to please the fans who value him for his family name.
Honestly, Wolfie continues here to show that he is an adept craftsman, putting together some tight, metal-infused alt-rock. “Right?” “Like a Pastime,” ”Another Celebration at the End of the World,” “Take a Bow” and “Erase Me,” are all key highlights. It does feel like the amount of shredding is increased on this rcollection. Also, keep in mind, on record, this is all played by Wolfgang. Not only is he a skilled guitarist but pay attention to the drumming, too, particularly on “Optimist.” (He learned well or inherited skills from both his father and his uncle!)
This is no sophomore slump. Quite bluntly, “Mammoth II,” effectively doubles down on the promise of Wolfgang Van Halen’s debut.
Album cover detail. Janelle Monáe - “The Age of Pleasure”
35. JANELLE MONAE – “The Age of Pleasure” In case the topless, mermaid cover isn’t a clue for you, “The Age of Pleasure,” is Janelle Monáe’s sexual awakening record. No longer a robot wearing a suit, Monáe is a now feeling charged up, coated in sultry reggae grooves.
From the Doechii-assisted, “Phenomenal,” to “Black Sugar Beach,” to “Lipstick Lover,” this album may lack subtlety but at the same time, this feels like a cathartic release for Monáe. This has been a long time coming and it offers a consistent groove.
Grace Jones spices up the interlude, “Oooh La La,” while Sister Nancy appears on “The French 75.” Nia Long and Amaarae assist on “The Rush.” Some Afrobeat even gets infused into the mix on “Know Better,” which features CKay with Seun Kuti and Egypt 80.
At under 32 minutes, this effort flies by quickly, but it is solid. This is a contender for the most celebratorily rndiest and spiciest record of the year, full of sex-positive anthems.
Album cover detail. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds - “Council Skies.”
34. NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS – “Council Skies” (Deluxe) If you are missing Oasis, rest assured that Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds can give you the same fix as his previous band, even if “Council Skies” is a mellow, lush, mature offering that blossoms with melancholic weight.
The opening three tracks, “I’m Not Giving Up Tonight,” “Pretty Boy,” and “Dead to the World,” are deeply packed and pensive. “Open the Door, See What You Find” is a breath of fresh air with its glowing strings and Christmas-esque bells. The title track hums and rings in your ears as it gives a minor key lift.
Throughout the set, Gallagher’s voice is frequently gentle in tone. Pop-craft-wise, he is still at his peak and yet we couldn’t be further from the raucous sounds of Oasis’ more rocking material. This sounds like his answer to R.E.M.’s “Automatic For the People” or Beck’s “Sea Change,” even if “Love is a Rich Man,” possesses some upbeat punch.
The deluxe edition comes with an expansive bonus disc of outtakes, instrumental versions, remixes and live performances, including a Radio 2 pensive take of “Live Forever.” Also included on the bonus disc are excellent covers of both John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” and Bob Dylan’s “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere.”
Album cover detail. Kid Koala - “Creatures of the Late Afternoon”
33. KID KOALA – “Creatures of the Late Afternoon” Ever since he appeared in the nineties, Kid Koala has aimed to push turntablism to new levels. Just listen to the back-to-basics reinvention on 2012’s “12 Bit Blues,” or the chilled-out exercises on his two more production-based “Music to Draw To” albums for proof.
His latest collection, “Creatures of the Late Afternoon,” seems to act as a culminating mixture of the sample-fueled fun of his earliest classics like “Carpal Tunnel Syndrome” and “Your Mom’s Favorite DJ” with the more traditionally song-based sound of his later work. Here tracks like “Hear Now” and “1000 Towns” sit on the same album as playful experiments like the Radiohead-nodding “Robohotel 1” and “Robohotel 2.”
Turntablism as a genre doesn’t get its due for being as adventurous and thrilling as it is. From start to finish, this album is a whole lot of fun. Highlights include the jazzy “Dusk,” the slightly ominous, Western-sounding “Decades,” the lo-fi Farfisa funk of “Let’s Go!” and the Lealani-assisted “Things Are Gonna Change.”
This 20-track, 53-minute opus is a shapeshifting, inventive set that is surely to grab fans both new and old.
Album cover detail. Louise Post - “Sleepwalker”
32. LOUISE POST – “Sleepwalker” If you are expecting Louise Post’s solo debut to sound like her band Veruca Salt, you’ll only be partially right. Sure, lead single, “Guilty” and the song, “Killer” will scratch familiar itches. Elsewhere, it is pretty evident that Post has been also listening to the likes of Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Lana Del Rey.
“Secrets” and “Don’t Give Up” sound like Post’s answer to modern pop ballads. “All Messed Up” finds her almost singing in a rap flow over an ethereal groove, while “What About” is a quietly anthemic, whispery jam. What’s amazing is that Post never sounds like she is over-reaching. She’s an often unheralded nineties titan who here proves she can adapt to just about any backdrop. “Sleepwalker” goes many unexpected directions without disappointing.
Album cover detail. Belinda Carlisle - “Kismet”
31. BELINDA CARLISLE – “Kismet” EP Out of the blue, after a long absence, Belinda Carlisle has returned to her roots with the “Kismet” EP. All of the songs here were penned by Diane Warren and honestly, working together brings out the best in both of them.
Writing for Carlisle, Warren’s more cheeseball instincts are muted, partly probably because she knows, with her Go-Go’s and Germs (yes, look it up!) punk pedigree, Carlisle can really sell a driving pop song and make it sound cool. What we get here are five tracks that sound like they could’ve been on 1987’s “Heaven on Earth,” pushed through a 2023 filter.
Even the ballads “Deeper Into You” and “I Couldn’t Do That to Me” sound fitting without being saccharine. (Some may notice the presence of Autotune, but yes, this is a 2023 release…)
“Big Big Love” is a modern pop classic, as are both the heavily orchestral “Sanity” and the radically punchy, “If U Go.” At the end of these 18 minutes, you’ll probably wish that these two made a whole album together.
Even in its brevity, “Kismet” serves as a reminder of Carlisle’s gifts as a performer and an interpreter of Warren’s songs.
Album cover detail. Dominic Fike - “Sunburn”
30. DOMINIC FIKE – “Sunburn” One could argue that Dominic Fike offers up a perfect mix of old sonic templates and new ones. His tracks often have guitars but they are mixed with some pseudo-trap-influenced electro beats and occasionally some pitch-shifted vocals.
His second album, “Sunburn,” continues on the promise of his 2020 debut. It speaks volumes that many people probably first heard him covering Paul McCartney’s “The Kiss of Venus” on Paul’s “McCartney III Imagined” project. (If he’s OK with McCartney, that’s a real endorsement!) Others may know Fike for his role on HBO’s “Euphoria.”
On this record, he playfully interpolates Weezer’s “Undone – The Sweater Song” into standout, “Think Fast,” he maneuvers a slick Latin-tinged club groove on “Mona Lisa,” he offers up a soulful pop burner on “Dancing in the Courthouse,” he channels a cool, chilled hip-hop vibe on the title track and packs some smooth power in “Pasture Child,” which kind of sounds like it could have been on an early Jack Johnson record.
Fike obviously loves folk as much as he loves hip-hop. He's a pop star who still pays attention to the past, mining a wide range on influences into his records. The oddball tones and rhythms of “Mama’s Boy,” show that he isn’t afraid of a little weirdness. The mainstream probably needs his brand of disruption.
Album cover detail. Everything But the Girl - “Fuse”
29. EVERYTHING BUT THE GIRL – “Fuse” Everything But the Girl suddenly reappeared in 2023 with “Fuse,,” their first proper album since 1999’s “Temperamental.” It isn’t that Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt disappeared between releases, because they were each releasing solo records in the absence of the group.
“Fuse” sounds like it follows where their last album left off, mixing the organic songwriting that made them a cult favorite in the eighties with the chilled, house-flavored dance beats that made them an international smash in the nineties. The piano that starts off “Run a Red Light” sounds like it would go well on a latter-day Radiohead record, while opener, “Nothing Left to Lose” seems like a confident mission statement as the duo returns.
Thorn has always had a very rich vocal instrument, but with time, her voice has gained a richness and a raspy quality, giving her words even more of a brand of world-weary gravitas. When she sings the words to “When You Mess Up,” you know she has lived them, and yet there is still an airy, jazzy quality to the whole production, even when she disarmingly plays with vocal pitch-shifting.
Watt’s beats somehow mix lightness and depth. You can imagine “No One Knows We’re Dancing” playing in the background of the coolest chilled party you can imagine. There isn’t a weak song here in this dramatic, tight, ten-track set. “Interior Space” uses a vocal filter to create some effective sonic claustrophobia. “Time and Time Again” sounds like it has the potential to repeat the huge pop crossover of their massive hit, “Missing.”
In the end, 24 years later, Everything But the Girl” have returned with another deeply emotional chill-pop masterpiece.
Album cover detail. Blink-182 “One More Time…”
28. BLINK-182 – “One More Time…” Blink-182’s ninth proper album (and tenth album, overall) finds Tom DeLonge returning to the band once again. As a fan of what Matt Skiba brought to the fold in DeLonge’s absence, particularly on their last album, “Nine,” do I wish they had kept Skiba and turned into a two-guitar, three vocalist quartet? Yes! (I know I’m in the minority.)
When the band reunited and returned for 2011’s “Neighborhoods,” it was just after drummer Travis Barker had survived a plane crash. Now, “One More Time..” comes after Mark Hoppus’ diagnosis and subsequent remission from stage 4 diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. (Tragedy keeps bringing these three back together.) This is why the emotional title track hits so hard with the lines, “Do I have to die to hear you miss me? / Do I have to die to hear you say goodbye?” (Heavy stuff for a band that usually deals in immature sex and fart jokes. Also, an interesting, perhaps purposeful deflection to have DeLonge sing these lines.) Also shocking that on this song, even Travis sings… a little. (This is the best example of a band making peace with themselves through song since Veruca Salt’s moving “Empty Bottle” in 2015.)
If that title track is too heavy for you, “Edging,” and “Dance with Me,” deliver the immature side of Blink you may have missed. Hoppus may be now in his fifties with the other two in their late forties, but there is something nice about the fact that in spite of all their real life, dramatic, adult struggles over the years, they remain in touch with their inner 12-year-olds.
“You Don’t Know What You’ve Got” shows some influence from the Cure, while “Blink Wave” has some “new wave” synths. “Terrified” is a repurposed and re-worked leftover from the Box Car Racer days that fits in quite well with Blink’s current template.
As was the case with other recent releases from the band, there is a thick layer of autotune over most if not all of the vocals. This seems less pronounced when listening on a big stereo at a high volume. It also feels like this is done here, mostly for DeLonge, who sings a little differently than he used to, probably because he may have strained his voice with his previous approach.
Ultimately, this is a great Blink album in the way that it finds balance in the serious and the silly. (It recalls the band’s untitled album from 2003, that way.) It also shows that these three need to continue to make music together until it is no longer possible.
Album cover detail. Slow Pulp - “Yard”
27. SLOW PULP – “Yard” On their second album, Madison Wisconsin rock band, Slow Pulp move over to the Epitaph subsidiary, Anti- and deliver the goods, combining grungy, folk and pop-punk elements with some lo-fi touches.
Anchored by Emily Massey’s often deadpan vocals, there is something truly infectious about standouts like “Doubt,” the piano-led title track, the raw, (shoegaze-y) “Cramps,” the oddly dreamy “Slugs,” the surprisingly twangy banjo and harmonica-accented “Broadview” and the brutally sonically-accented “Worm.”
The way the band plays with tape manipulation and effects makes it this record sound home-made in the best and most creative way. It is as if a band was transported from smack dab in the middle of the nineties and were given more modern technology to bring everything up to date.
At a quick half hour, this record demands relistening once it ends. If you like Bully, Soccer Mommy, or the rougher side of Waxahatchee, Slow Pulp should immediately be added to your radar. “Yard” is absolutely made for the big time.
Album cover detail. Ghost of Vroom - “Ghost of Vroom 3”
26. GHOST OF VROOM – “Ghost of Vroom 3” Mike Doughty once again joins forces with Andrew “Scrap” Livingston on their third Ghost of Vroom offering and second full-length album.
The goal is to continue in the same vein as Doughty’s former band Soul Coughing. With Beastie Boys-producer Mario Caldato Jr. behind the boards, the results are awesome. “Still Getting it Done,” “Pay the Man” and “As the Kid Goes for Broke” all continue the thread quite excellently. I still don’t think Doughty gets the credit he deserves as a rap lyricist, but then again, his flow has always also screamed vintage Village “spoken-word,” as well. A modern beat-poet who was radicalized by A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End Theory.” Yet, he can also deliver something that sounds as melodically driven as “Yesterday in California” or bring the woozy space-age funk in “Your Bones in the Mud.” “
Slipping off Your Wrist” works with a constantly dancing groove If you like ramshackle music that fuses hip-hop attitude with an alt-rock aesthetic, this is your record!
Album cover detail. Was - “Magic 2”
25. NAS – “Magic 2” / “Magic 3” These second and third installments of his “Magic” trilogy are Nas’ sixteenth and seventeenth albums, respectively.
Nas is putting other verteran MC’s who are resting on their laurels to shame. He’s had a hell of a productive few years between these “Magic” albums and his “King’s Disease” series. He and Hit-Boy have really spun gold together. “Magic 2” dropped in July. “Magic 3” came in September in honor of Nas’ 50th birthday.
First, here are key highlights from “Magic 2.” “Abracadabra” and the 50 Cent-assisted “Office Hours” both bring some vintage boom-bap. “Motion” has a dope, propulsive energy. Both “Slow it Down” and “Pistols on Your Album Cover” sound gloriously effortless.
Album cover detail. Was - “Magic 3”
“Magic 3” begins with “Fever,” which is an authoritative celebration. The beat-switch on “Tsk” is sweet. “Superhero Status” possesses a Wu-Tang-worthy groove… although RZA probably would have made it sound a touch dustier… “Never Die” has Nas joined by Lil Wayne. Honestly, I could write about each of the 15 tracks here. This six album run that Nas has had of late has him reconnecting with with the same energy he had on “Illmatic,” thirty years ago.
He was always one of the greats but from 2020 onward, he has cemented himself as a rapper’s rapper. As someone who has always oozed charisma, he has become relaxed and even more confident with age.
Album cover detail. Helmet- “Left”
24. HELMET – “Left” Helmet’s ninth album is a blunt, lean and muscular offering. At a trim 31 minutes and change, it goes by in a flash, like a quick, metallic pummeling.
Opener, “Holiday” volleys from Page Hamilton’s serene sounding melodic vocals to hurled, growled insults. “NYC Tough Guy” plays like a thick, heavy, mesmerizing, tempo-shifting exercise, while “Make-Up” is actually disarmingly pretty at close listen, in a doomed, down-tuned sort of way.
This is the band’s first album in seven years and they sound as sharp and bristly as ever. The threatening tone of “Big Shot” sounds like a ball of testosterone (which I think sounds like it could be aimed towards a certain obnoxious, toxic former president) while “Bombastic” is the closest this band comes to an elastic-fueled slice of funk.
More than three decades after “Strap it on” and “Meantime,” it is nice to know that Hamilton’s approach hasn’t mellowed in the least. Even the album’s cheeky, jazzy instrumental closer, “Resolution,” somehow fits.
Album cover detail. Bethany Cosentino - “Natural Disaster”
23. BETHANY COSENTINO – “Natural Disaster” On her solo debut, Bethany Cosentino trades up the power-pop, garage rock and punk-pop aspects of her Best Coast records for a folkier, earthier sound. There is some Tom Petty and Fleetwood Mac influence here and there is a hell of a lot of Sheryl Crow’s essence here, as well.
This change fits Cosentino really well and “It’s Fine,” “Easy” and the title-track all show some fantastic maturity.
“My Own City” sparkles with a fresh sheen. “Real Life” moves with an earnest sense of truth as she grapples with an existential crisis. On “A Single Day,” her voice sounds world-weary as she ponders her torpedoing world over a cool slice of country-tinged pop.
This is essentially the singer-songwriter answer to the raw journal-entry-style lyricism that made Cosentino’s Best Coast work so compelling in the first place. I hope this isn’t the end of Best Coast and more of a fascinating pit-stop, but in the end, this is a dynamic record.
Album cover detail. Arlo Parks - “My Soft Machine”
22. ARLO PARKS – “My Soft Machine” (Deluxe) On her second album, British singer, Arlo Parks continues to create boundless pop built on trip-hop beats, hooks galore and intimate passages.
Right from the beginning, on the spoken-word bit, “Bruiseless,” she causes a wistful smile when she says, “The person I love is patient with me. / She’s feeding me cheese and I’m happy.” On “Devotion,” she offers up a slick love song, given extra power by a powerful bassline and some surprisingly grungy guitars. On “Pegasus,” she pairs nicely with guest, Phoebe Bridgers, as they sing the lines, “I think you’re special cuz you told me.”
“Blades,” has a dreamy, retro, neon eighties roller-rink vibe. Parks effortlessly sings over the bluesy groove of “Purple Phase.” “Weightless” is silky and suits its name in the most glorious of ways.
The deep narrative nature of her debut is still here, but there is something more lush about the approach this time around. A deluxe version of the record was dropped at the beginning of this month, tacking on some bonus tracks and alternate versions. Indeed, Arlo Parks continues to impress and stun. No sophomore slump here!
Album cover detail. Kimbra - “A Reckoning” (Deluxe)
21. KIMBRA – “A Reckoning” (Deluxe) To U.S. audiences, Kimbra is probably still most known as the female voice on Gotye’s smash hit, “Somebody that I Used to Know.” On her fourth record, the New Zealand singer delivers a smooth, moody, jazzy, utterly enthralling set.
From the first ominous bass notes of “Save Me,” she immediately grabs her listeners by the ears and demands to be heard. There’s a slight trap influence of “Gun,” “The Way We Were” has a bit of an Asian sound in its instrumentation and its booming bass during the verses, before it turns into a slow-burning club banger in the chorus. “New Habit” mixes a trippy beat with some vocal snippets.
Across this whole set, its sparse nature is a key asset. So many of these songs begin with impressive levels of open space, thus making the whole approach more impressive when the tracks eventually simmer and explode. Even a throbbing groove like “Replay!” makes use of this strategy.
The Ryan Lott-assisted piano ballad, “Foolish Thinking” is both intimate and alien-sounding. On “Personal Space,” Kimbra feels like she is creating an R&B-pop classic over an inside-out synth groove.
A deluxe version of the record with three more tracks was dropped at the end of the year. These songs fit the flow of the record well, especially the closing track, “The Robin.” At times, with her vocal skill, it seems as if Kimbra was born to be a jazz singer in the thirties or forties and was transported to modern times instead sing over sparse pop and electro grooves. Truly, an impressive talent.
Album cover detail. Boygenius- “The Album”
Album cover detail. Boygenius - “The Rest”
20. BOYGENIUS – “The Album”/ “The Rest” Supergroups rarely work out this well.
Boygenius’ proper debut more than delivers on the promise of the trio’s 2018 EP. Julien Baker, Lucy Dacus and Phoebe Bridgers are all stars in their own right and “The Album” plays like a curated, varied mixtape with each one of them taking turns.
Bridgers’ “Emily I’m Sorry” is a key highlight. The playful grunge-flavored romp, “Satanist” has all three of them trading verses before it explodes into dark mayhem and then recedes into something unsettlingly mellow.
There are also some beautifully quiet and intimate moments on the set. Closer, “Letter to an Old Poet” is Bridgers working to her expected wheelhouse, while opener, “Without You Without Them,” gracefully shows the audience how well these three can harmonize with one another.
The most revolutionary moments on the set, however, seem to be the ones where all three rock out. “$20” and “Anti-Curse” both hit apexes at their loudest moments. From start to finish, “The Album” is an epic listen.
“The Rest” is just four more tracks from the session, none of which sound like b-sides. Should this have been one 54 minute album instead of a 42 minute album and a 12 minute EP? Yes. In any case, even if you have to assemble this record yourself to make it complete, the whole two-part work offers up a good argument for this trio to continue making records together for years and decades to come.
Album cover detail. Seablite - “Lemon Lights”
19. SEABLITE – “Lemon Lights” Seablite are a San Francisco-based shoegaze band and one of the best modern, newer acts of the genre. “Lemon Lights” is their second full-length, following 2019’s excellent, “Grass Stains and Novocaine.” Leaders, Lauren Matsui and Galine Tamasyan know exactly what they are doing.
One listen to standouts “Hit the Wall,” “Melancholy Molly” or “Pot of Boiling Water,” and you’d swear this was straight out of early nineties England, not 2023 California. Everything about this presentation is perfect, from the imagery to the blurry vocal mixes and vacuum-toned guitars. “Monochrome Rainbow” and “Frozen Strawberries” are almost bits of sun-soaked pop, while “Blink Each Day” has some true urgency.
All 12 tracks here serve a key purpose. If you like the classic shoegaze sound, give “Lemon Lights” by Seablite a listen.
Album cover detail. Aesop Rock - “Integrated Tech Solutions”
18. AESOP ROCK – “Integrated Tech Solutions” As you may have guessed from its name, Aesop Rock’s ninth album is a forward-thinking, intensely cerebral meditation on technology and where it is taking us.
“Mindful Solutionism,” the album’s first real track works as a thesis statement about humanity’s battle with technology. “If it’s out the bag than it’s out of the bag!” He raps as if he is warning us not to open Pandora’s Box. Synth-driven beats fuel this set and yet he still brings the boom-bap on “Kyanite Toothpick.”
He pauses with “100 Feet Tall,” to tell a story about seeing Mr. T at the Carnegie Deli back in the eighties. (Maybe this fits the narrative, though, since technology and our celebrity obsessions go hand-in-hand.)
“Aggressive Steven” tells an extensive story about a run-in with a naked, crazy man who had broken into his apartment. (Aesop Rock can definitely spin a yarn. If you remember, according to a study in 2014, it was determined that he was the rapper with the largest vocabulary in hip-hop.)
“All City Nerve Map” is more cryptic… but offers up some mesmerizing word salad.
“On Failure” finds Aesop he goes off on a wonderful tangent about Van Gogh.
If you’ve ever liked an Aesop Rock record, “Integrated Tech Solutions” will be no different. If you have never heard one of his records, this is definitely a great place to start.
Album cover detail. Slowdive - “Everything is Alive” (CD Version)
17. SLOWDIVE – “Everything is Alive” After jumping back into action with 2017’s self-titled record, shoegaze/dream-pop gods, Slowdive return with what is their fifth album over a 31-year span.
This an airy, synth-heavy record, as it supposedly was first imagined as something for a Neil Halstead electronic side-project before it was fleshed out into an actual Slowdive record.
There are only eight songs here in just over forty-one minutes and “Prayer Remembered,” the second song, is an instrumental. Don’t worry. Halstead and Rachel Goswell get to trade off vocals with each other on the standouts, “Shanty,” “Alife,” and the slightly New Order-esque “Kisses.”
Part of me wants to think that this album is like a brighter 2023 answer to the Cure’s “Faith,” in the way that it sounds like it is designed for pensive moments lying on one’s bed. Actually, since it isn’t as dour in tone as “Faith,” it may be closer in tone to “Disintegration,” if I’m going to stick to my guns on comparing this to the Cure. In any case, a second reunion record must mean that everything stuck… which is great to know, especially since the output is still so strong.
Album cover detail. Caroline Polachek - “Desire, I Want to Turn into You”
16. CAROLINE POLACHEK – “Desire, I Want to Turn into You” On her second solo album under her own name, ex-Chairlift singer, Caroline Polachek ups the pop quotient and goes full steam ahead.
“Pretty in Possible” recalls the work of Frou Frou (Imogen Heap and Guy Sigsworth) with miraculous results while “Sunset” works a flamenco groove. On “Fly to You,” Polachek is joined by the the surprising duo of Grimes and Dido, with the three of them singing over a drum-n-bass break. “Blood and Butter” makes the most of a marimba beat.
This set showcases Polachek’s impressive vocal instrument well. She has a knack for unusual, quickly modulating melodies that show off her level of skill. Right from the beginning of opener, “Welcome to My Island,” the listener is greeted with her mighty bellow, which is just as capivating when she pumps the breaks. (Listen to the delicate, hushed details in “Hopedrunk Everlasting” and “Butterfly Net”)
“Desire, I Want to Turn into You” is a sultry, elastic, entertaining listen. It is the soundtrack for a tropical paradise both real and imagined.
Album cover detail. Lydia Loveless - “Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again”
15. LYDIA LOVELESS – “Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again” Lydia Loveless has been a rising star in the world of alt-country pretty much since they first appeared, but at only ten tracks in under 33 minutes, her sixth record, “Nothing’s Gonna Stand in My Way Again” should, if there is any justice, be a career-altering gamechanger.
It doesn’t get any better than the wistful, mournful balladry of “Runaway,” with its eighties synth-pad keys and its soaring chorus. On “Song About You,” they turn what should be a bright pop song into something darker and more introspective. There’s a punk stomp to “Poor Boy.” “Sex and Money” has one hell of a hook. “Toothache” has a Paul Westerberg-esque saunter to it. “Do the Right Thing” sounds like it would have been a massive hit in the eighties, when country radio was more genuine in its approach.
Honestly, while Nashville boardrooms are packed with songwriters writing stale, generic odes to beer and trucks, artists like Lydia Loveless are out here giving us something real and unapologetically raw. They’re the next in line, following in the footsteps of greats like Lucinda Williams and Neko Case. Pay attention to this record. It is important.
Album cover detail. The Chemical Brothers - “For That Beautiful Feeling”
14. THE CHEMICAL BROTHERS – “For That Beautiful Feeling” Leave it to the Chemical Brothers on their tenth album to essentially create a perfect and seamless soundtrack for a blissful rave.
“For That Beautiful Feeling” glows brightly with its layers of psychedelia. Halo Maud jumps aboard for “Live Again and the cathartic title track. “No Reason” is a new classic in the duo’s immense catalog with its infectious bassline. Even Beck is here to deliver the pensive “Skipping Like a Stone,” complete with synth choir, siren sounds and a house beat. “Magic Wand” is cool, woozy haze of bleeps and bloops over a charmingly dissonant bass.
Even their 2021 single, “The Darkness That You Fear” makes its album debut here, fitting well into the album’s context. If you love the Chemical Brothers and are looking for a solid, euphoric dance record, look no further. This is an aptly titled record.
Album cover detail. Mitski - “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We”
13. MITSKI – “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We” On last year’s “Laurel Hell,” Mitski was firmly planted in an electro mode, singing her often dour and emotionally poignant songs over some icy keys and drones. While it might have been tempting to think that her next step would be to go fully industrial with her sound, instead, on her new album, “The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We,” she strips things back for a more folk-y approach. It worked. She scored a big hit with “My Love Mine All Mine,” which verges on sounding like a vintage country ballad. “Heaven” and “The Frost” both mine the same territory with even more slide-guitar. “Buffalo Replaced” sounds like with a few minor changes and with a volume lift, it could be covered by Alice in Chains. (You think I am joking. I am not!) This may be her most laid back album to date, but the edge is still there. “I Love Me After You” sounds sweet and angelic, while possessing a menacing undertone, eventually giving way to a dense layer of guitar fuzz.
If anything, here, Mitski continues to establish herself as one of indie-rock’s most skilled chameleons.
Album cover detail. Hannah Jadagu - “Aperture”
12. HANNAH JADAGU – “Aperture” A new signing to the famed Sub-Pop label, Hannah Jadagu brand of “bedroom pop” aligns with the intimate music the label has been known for in recent years. A hushed, sonic experimenter, the music here would fit well between the likes of Phoebe Bridgers and Mitski.
“What You Did” buzzes and booms at its highest points, but Jadagu always sings in a conversational tone, emphasizing the shoegaze-esque guitar approach. “Say it Now” follows a similar pattern. “Admit It” has a trippy beat and some cool synths that at times makes it sounds like it about to fall off of its axis, creating a beautiful sense of tension.
“Shut Down” is a cutting guitar ballad about feeling out of sorts, whereas, “Warning Sign” is a confident and assured, jazzy exercise. If you haven’t heard Hannah Jadagu before, “Aperture” is an immediately engrossing full-length debut.
Album cover detail. Corinne Bailey Rae - “Black Rainbows”
11. CORINNE BAILEY RAE – “Black Rainbows” Talk about throwing a curveball… For the lead single to her album, “Black Rainbows,” Corinne Bailey Rae, who is mostly known for hushed, lush R&B hits like her 2006 smash, “Put Your Records On,” instead dropped, “New York Transit Queen,” a raucous, Bad Brains-inspired bit of punk. Perhaps bored with her perceived lane, she decided to stir things up. “Black Rainbows” is an eclectic, daring record. It also won’t be completely alien to the fans who liked her old style.
“A Spell, A Prayer,” which opens the record sounds like her older material, with some psychedelic elements and some heavy guitars added. The title-track is inventively abstract as it morphs into a jazz breakdown.
“Erasure” booms and bristles with the same punk energy as the single, with Bailey Rae effectively and essentially declaring that rock is black music and to many that knowledge seems to have been erased.
“Red Horse” is the kind of angelic slow-burner that her longtime fans may expect. The same could be said for the hypnotic, orchestral “He Will Follow You with His Eyes” and the stunning, “Peach Velvet Sky.”
“Black Rainbows” is a concept record that was inspired by an exhibit on Black History Bailey Rae saw in Chicago at the Stony Island Arts Bank. It is a focused, (sometimes purposefully jarring) meditation particularly on the African-American Experience. As a British person, Corinne Bailey Rae can draw similar parallels with our two countries’ troubling histories. To those who don’t understand her aim, this will probably be seen as Corinne Bailey Rae’s odd answer to Radiohead’s “Kid A.” Those who fully get it will see that she is trying to encapsulate the diversity and range of the black experience into a 44-minute timeframe.
From a historical point of view, this is a genius bit of work. For someone who wishes other artists would feel increasingly free to experiment and take big, unexpected creative swings, this is a truly awakening piece of work. Corinne Bailey Rae could have chosen to take the safe route. Thankfully, she chose to follow her muse.
Album cover detail. Be Your Own Pet - “Mommy”
10. BE YOUR OWN PET – “Mommy” Be Your Own Pet return with their first album since 2008’s excellent, “Get Awkward.” This riotous, daring Nashville garage-rock band were one of the true musical highlights of the first decade of this century.
Formed as a band of teenage friends, this group delivered two groundbreaking albums before quickly splitting. I don’t know why they broke up. It might have had to do with Universal refusing to release their second album, “Get Awkward,” as they intended in the U.S., concerned with “violent lyrics.” The three songs that Universal removed were then released by their British label, XL, in the states. (One of those three songs, “Becky,” is now their biggest hit on streaming… Go figure.) This is a band that has always pushed buttons. Not genuinely. In a winking, John Waters kind of way…
The cheekily-titled “Mommy,” finds the band now in their thirties but not losing any edge. Frontwoman, Jemina Pearl is now a mother. (Thus, the album title.) On “Goodtime!” she sings about the fear of missing out in the same aggressive tone she had before, only she shouts, “I got two kids and a mortgage!” It’s a song about growing up, having real responsibilities and yet not losing your youthful essence.
Elsewhere, “Worship the Whip” is some campy fun with dominatrix imagery. “Pleasure Seeker” is a charging, stomper of a song. “Hand Grenade” feels like it is literally revving up to explode, while closer, “Teenage Heaven” is a disarmingly lush and delicate, fifties-inspired make-out anthem.
This album is a textbook example of how to come back after a long break and effectively pick up where you left off. Also, it is funny to note, this band traded guitar gods as label bosses. When they signed originally to Universal, they were on Thurston Moore’s imprint, Ecstatic Peace! Their new album is on Jack White’s label, Third Man Records. Here’s hoping the creative juices keep flowing and that this band remains active.
The world needs playfully subversive bands like Be Your Own Pet. Welcome back!!!
Album cover detail. Peter Gabriel- “i/o”
9. PETER GABRIEL – “i/o” Peter Gabriel last released a proper album of all original material back in 2002, when he dropped “Up.” In the years since, he has released a few albums of covers and a collection or rare songs and spare tracks. So, this makes “i/o” a big deal. He also apparently thinks it is a big deal because he released the album with THREE different mixes. Those mixes are “The Bright Side Mix,” “The Dark Side Mix” and (the Blu-ray “Dolby Atmos” version) “The In-Side Mix.” (This isn’t “lo-fi” in the least. This is labored over audiophile perfection.) Thankfully, this is his strongest batch of songs since the 1986 landmark, “So,” even if it still doesn’t reach that record’s immense heights.
Throughout the set, Gabriel has a cinematic, orchestral focus. “Panopticom” and “The Court” constantly are moving and evolving pieces. These are still pop songs but in the most complex sense. “Playing for Time” seems to be a reflection on human existence in space and time. (Beginning it by paraphrasing Chopin’s “Death March” is an interesting choice.)
All throughout, this album plays like Gabriel is an elder wise-man calling down observations from a mountain. The environment, the way we treat each other, consumerism, war… They are all discussed in some veiled and some less subtle ways. “Four Kinds of Horses” takes this approach in a nutshell, while “Road to Joy” feels like his 2023 answer to the same sound he gave us on “Sledgehammer” and “Steam.”
In a weird way, the unapologetic brightness of chorus in “Olive Tree” is an overt (and rare) sonic reminder that Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins emerged from the same band.
“Love Can Heal” is a plea for peace and understanding. In the course of the set, Gabriel has a point of view but he is never preachy. He never oversteps. It helps to have some unquestionable musical fortitude backing up his sentiments. It is hard not to be engrossed in this music.
It isn’t all political, either. “And Still” is just as moving as it tells the story of either a break-up or a death.
The years between releases show in “i/o.” I mean that in the best way. This is a rewarding piece that feels more like an immersive art exhibit than a traditional album. Gabriel’s level of craftsmanship is incredibly high.
Album cover detail. André 3000- “New Blue Sun”
8. ANDRE 3000’s “New Blue Sun” No doubt, critics are bound to over-inflate the importance of André 3000’s solo debut, “New Blue Sun.” Perhaps, as I am writing this, I am doing the same. Still, it is remarkable that instead of releasing a rap album for his solo debut, he decided instead to make an abstract, ambient flute record, comprised of eight tracks in 87 minutes. (Essentially, he is finding his inner Sun Ra.. or… Zamfir???) This is a crazy and daring move, but not surprising since André has always been one to go his own direction.
How are the songs? They are great. I won’t get into the titles because they are humorous and ridiculous. (An absurdly funny rundown.)
Most of these tracks are over ten minutes which means that André has now beaten Tool’s “Fear Inoculum” for the song with the longest length to make it onto a Billboard chart.
I’m sure there are many people who normally make this kind of ambient, jazz-flavored meditation music wincing at the attention this album is receiving. They aren’t necessarily wrong… But in this case, the source matters. A lot of people who would never think to listen to a record like this will give “New Blue Sun” a spin and love it. Perhaps it will open up a new musical door for them. This abstract mood music may be the exact chill-out soundtrack we need at this point. It takes guts to release an unexpected album of this sort.
Like Corinne Bailey Rae did on “Black Rainbows,” André is just following what he feels. More artists need to feel safe to take these kinds of risks.
Album cover detail. Meshell Ndegeocello - “The Omnichord Real Book”
7. MESHELL NDEGEOCELLO – “The Omnichord Real Book” What genre is Meshell Ndegeocello’s thirteenth album, “The Omnichord Real Book.” One could make a strong argument that this 18-track, 72-minute opus is a jazz record. Along the way, flecks of R&B, folk and even Afrobeat slip into the mix. “Call the Tune,” for instance is definitely not jazz by any purist’s definition, but in any case, Ndegeocello has made one of her strongest and most adventurously atmospheric albums to date.
There is no way I can do this album full justice in a short few paragraphs. The best way to sum this up is as a profoundly warm and immersive sonic experience. While she is now three decades removed from the MTV fame that her single, “If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night)” rightfully earned her, she has long been releasing a string of quality releases ever since.
Listen to “Omnipuss” or “Clear Water” and it is undeniable that Ndegeocello brings her own unique brand of funk. The boat load of guests on this album help bring her bass-led jams to life. The interplay with guitarist, Jeff Parker on “ASR” alone is worth the price of admission. By the time you reach the nearly nine-minute, synth-heavy jam, “Virgo,” if you don’t truly believe this album is astounding, I don’t know what to tell you. All the way through, this collection offers up one of the most open musical journeys of the year. I mean, there even is an interpretation of “Hole in the Bucket” on here…. One that is soulful, heartfelt and rousing!!
Album cover detail. Foo Fighters - “But Here We Are”
6. FOO FIGHTERS – “But Here We Are” They may be the “rock saviors” with the biggest pull in the mainstream, but let’s face it. Foo Fighters albums tend to be hit or miss. Exceptions come to mind (2011’s “Wasting Light” for one…) but, for the most part, after 1999’s “There’s Nothing Left to Lose,” the band took a huge turn into mostly meat and potatoes, run-of-the-mill, ham-fisted rock. I’m not sure what happened but generally speaking, they lost that alternative spark that was left over from Dave Grohl’s time in Nirvana.
“But Here We Are” was crafted rather quickly after the sudden death of drummer, Taylor Hawkins, and honestly, the old band sounds like they are back. Maybe losing Hawkins woke Grohl up, but they seem again like the same band that made their first three records. This is immediately felt at first listen of singles, “Rescued” and “Under You.” Hawkins’ ghost haunts this set on songs like “The Teacher” and “The Glass.” This doesn’t sound completely like a mournful record, necessarily, musically-speaking, but lyrically, this thing is all about Taylor. Dave’s daughter, Violet adds some glorious back-up vocals to “Show Me How.” The title-track is a tight, angular rocker with a swagger, while “Hearing Voices” bristles with emotion.
It's a shame that it took the loss of Hawkins to bring the band back to their glory. In comparison to the wonky, weird prog-meets-funk attempts on 2021’s “Medicine at Midnight,” this sounds like a different and more awake band, playing to their truest strengths.
Oh, and if you listen to this, you should also go and find H.E.R.’s jaw-dropping cover of “The Glass.” (The crossover, I didn’t know I needed!)
Album cover detail. El Michels Affair & Black Thought - “Glorious Game”
5. EL MICHELS AFFAIR & BLACK THOUGHT – “Glorious Game” The Roots haven’t dropped an album since 2014, maybe because they are too busy being the house band on “The Tonight Show.” That being said, over the last few years, no MC has been more on fire than Black Thought. Last year, he worked with Danger Mouse and released the excellent “Cheat Codes.” This year, he paired with soul band, El Michels Affair and “Glorious Game” is the end result. WOW! The band’s dusty, thick, vinyl-ready grooves suit Thought’s tight lyricism. “Grateful,” with its reggae nod and the title-track, anchored by singer Kirby’s unique approach to the hook, both stand out from the pack. “I’m Still Somehow” mines doo-wop gold to create the kind of laid back beat few other rappers would approach. “Hollow Way” has a beat that slowly speeds up and switches. The same tempo trick is used on “The Weather.” “That Girl,” “Alone” and “Miracle” are all startlingly smooth.
This isn’t surprising because the El Michels Affair is a band that is comprised of some former members of the Dap-Kings. Imagine Black Thought rapping in Sharon Jones’ place and you get the idea. These guys know their way around a vintage sound.
Album cover detail. Caroline Rose - “The Art of Forgetting”
4. CAROLINE ROSE – “The Art of Forgetting” You never know what you are going to get with Caroline Rose. Starting off as an Americana artist before switching to alternative pop on 2018’s stupendous, “Loner,” Rose then made an even more tongue-in-cheek pop record with 2020’s “Superstar.”
To call “The Art of Forgetting” a murky, gut-wrenching experience is an understatement. No record in recent memory has captured the angst of a breakup quite the way this record does. It is all spelled out so clearly on single, “Miami.” (“She wouldn’t touch me and she hadn’t for weeks.”) When Rose sings, “This is going to break you. / This is going to rip your own heart out,” those words are delivered with every muscle. There is a warped and wounded quality to even the instrumentation on this record. The whispered vocals through a phone effect on “Everywhere I Go I Bring the Rain,” drive this essence home. In fact, so many parts of this album are delivered through this hazy backdrop. “Stockholm Syndrome,” even with its warm, uplifting tune still sounds drained. Brighter and more upbeat in its execution is “Tell Me What You Want,” where Rose asks, “Are you trying to kill me?” (Yes, this record is some raw realness.)
Rose could have approached this and made an even more pop-driven album than “Superstar.” While this isn’t the kind of album that would generally result in hits, it is a fully rewarding piece of art. Most people make art and use it as a tool to process and work through the weird things that have happened to them. Caroline Rose turns this into confession-fueled gold. Every ache. Every pang. Every gasp of uneasiness is on this record, sandwiched between phone messages from what I’m guessing is an older relative hoping that Rose is doing alright. Indeed, “The Art of Forgetting” is a bluntly honest record, looking up from rock bottom. Beneath the layers of pain and anguish, lies a beautifully universal sense of humanity.
Album cover detail. Meg Myers - “Tzia”
3. MEG MYERS – “Tzia” For her third proper album, “Tzia,” alternative singer/songwriter Meg Myers, radically changed her look to re-emerge as some sort of cool, bleach-blonde alien. Perhaps this change was a middle finger to being burned by stylists at major labels. (Frankly, artists should have complete autonomy of their own image and look.) Judging from the album, itself, perhaps Myers was taking a page from artists like David Bowie. This does seem to be a futuristic set, anchored by standouts like lead single, “Children of Light II.”
“A New Society” is a modern, electro-tinged jam that creates a wish list for a modern utopia. “Me,” is a bold anthem of self-appreciation. The Luna Shadows and Carmen Vandenberg-assisted “HTIS”, which literally stands for “Hiding that I’m Sexual,” is obviously (quite literally) an ode to sexual awakening. Indeed, this album plays like a dense exploration of rebirth.
The fact that “My Mirror” isn’t a monster, star-making hit on pop radio shows how the “mainstream” music industry is failing the public. Indeed, Myers, yet again proves she is a potential superstar. Sure, she had a major breakthrough with her excellent cover of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” (slightly before that track’s “Stranger Things” renaissance!) but she deserves to be seen as a hit-maker in her own right. Few artists are currently making as bold and honestly stirring records. Listen to “Waste of Confetti,” here, and tell me it doesn’t sound like both a beautiful sonic punch in the face and a breath of fresh air. I mean, she even covers Linkin Park’s “Numb,” adding her own brand of torment. It is funny that she covered this, considering she had her own excellent single called “Numb,” in 2018. If you aren’t already listening to Meg Myers, you need to start!
Album cover detail. Olivia Rodrigo - “Guts”
2. OLIVIA RODRIGO – “Guts” Olivia Rodrigo ups her rock side on her sophomore album “Guts.” She’s doubling down. (Even more amazing, she’s taking the Breeders on tour with her, which means some teen fans will be exposed to an awesome band fronted the coolest 62-year-old twins you can imagine.) “Guts” equals or maybe even betters “Sour” in just about every way. It is the same approach with even more confidence.
Right from the opener, “All American Bitch,” Rodrigo mixes sweetness with bile. This is quite literally (from what she has said) what probably happens when a pop star gets awakened by also listening to Rage Against the Machine. “Bad Idea, Right?” would make Elastica proud. “Vampire” is a stirring, show-stopping piano ballad kiss-off that throws a chord progression similar to Radiohead’s “Creep,” on its head. “Lacy” is delicate but packs some bile. “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” is brimming with timeless angst over the kind of backdrop that sounds like it is straight out of 1995. “Get Him Back!” is a cheerleader-ready breakup track in which Rodrigo adopts a spoken/rap flow that at times playfully references Beastie Boys’ “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.” “Love is Embarrassing” is a beautiful piece of “new wave” pop. “Pretty isn’t Pretty” tackles beauty expectations quite cuttingly. The piano riff from “Teenage Dream” will get caught in your head as Rodrigo ponders the dread in her head about celebrating her 19th birthday. (I’d tell her that that that dread and insecurity never goes away… but I think she already knows…)
As 39-minute pop records go, this delivers an incredibly rich text. It is the kind of record that I can imagine enjoying just as much as a teenager as I do now. The gripping emotions that swirl through Rodrigo’s music are evergreen. This is just about the highest quality pop record you can get in 2023.
Album cover detail. Bully - “Lucky For You”
1. BULLY – “Lucky For You” Alicia Bognanno is a force! A recording disciple of the legendary Steve Albini, she has now made four records an EP with her project, Bully.
“Lucky for You” is her latest and most assured collection to date. Does it get much better than grungy single, “Days Move Slow?”
“A Wonderful Life” is the most beautiful breakup song this side of Caroline Rose’s record, albeit with less quantifiable consternation on the presentation side. (Why this isn’t a single, I don’t know. It is the album’s best song!)
“Lose You” is a smash, featuring Soccer Mommy, where Bognanno sings, “Time is just a useless measurement of pain!” “Hard to Love” uses eeriness to its benefit, adding some extra drive. “Change Your Mind is packed with emotion and is still one of Bognanno’s most hook-driven songs to date.
This year was packed with emotionally-wrought, well-executed albums, so why is “Lucky for You” by Bully number one? It actually is simple. Here, Bognanno mixes heartfelt sentiment with infectious and punk-driven rock songs with ease. The whole thing is so succinct and to the point. It makes you want to listen to this album on repeat. It is a very close race with a number of these top choices, but this is the album of the year. The bit of righteous political rage that closes the record, “All This Noiae” further cememnts the importance of this record.
So 2023 is about to end…. Please gp listen to these records! Support art wherever you can! Buy albums! Make music, yourself! Music is so vital and to too many people, it is seen as something expected and recyclable. That needs to change,
I’m sure there will be even more great music in 2024! Happy New Year!
Why Haven’t the Television and Film Industries Learned From the Music Industry’s Mistakes?
As the writers strike ends, the actors remain on strike. Here we are, at the start of what should be a new season and it looks like we are close to possibly getting one. How did we end up here? It is painful to watch the television and film industries repeat the same mistakes that the music industry made two decades ago.
A list of apps on an Amazon Fire TV.
As the writers strike ends, the actors remain on strike. Here we are, at the start of what should be a new season and it looks like we are close to possibly getting one. How did we end up here? It is painful to watch the television and film industries repeat the same mistakes that the music industry made two decades ago.
Back in 1999 and 2000, when the record industry lost its footing, it did so because there were many people who naively didn’t truly understand the value of music. Napster and sites like it were born out of frustration from some people who didn’t want to pay master-list prices for CDs, take them home and then end up “only liking one song.” While this approach may be the cause and the industry may have overplayed its hand with $18.99 list prices, it is still a myopic way to approach music. As a music collector around the same age as those who started this new digital “revolution,” I rarely found myself disappointed at that level by an album that I had purchased. If I only liked one song at first, I would listen to that album again until another song popped and blossomed. (Music sometimes takes time and patience to examine properly. It isn’t always the immediate sell.)
As a consumer and a lover of music, even at that time, I knew that even if I bought an album that I didn’t end up loving, I was still supporting the industry and the creators of art. The simple fact is, the kids downloading and sharing files on the sites for free saw what they got in return without perhaps realizing the lasting ramifications. Sure, if we all accept that the music industry was a money-grubbing, massive conglomerate, it all seems easy to justify, but in reality, what was really happening was the creators of the music that was being downloaded and traded for free were losing their livelihoods. If that happens over and over again, it creates a cycle that ultimately kills the industry.
Spotify.
Riding high on massive sales at the start of the file-sharing boom, the music industry didn’t act quickly enough to counteract the catastrophic damage that was being done. Money was pouring in. Executives were getting rich off of album sales. Why should they worry? Nearly a quarter of a century later, artists making music are struggling. The major labels are now perhaps forced to go with what makes them easy money in the fastest way possible. Ultimately, this, in combination with the industry consolidation of the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which allowed companies to expand almost exponentially with fewer restrictions, resulted in a world where fewer musical innovations hit the mainstream. Sure, there will ALWAYS be excellent new music. (Don’t let anyone tell you that music isn’t as good as it used to be. That’s usually an embittered person, yelling at clouds, lacking the bandwidth to do the necessary research.) In today’s environment, however, it is more likely that the real musical innovators will be stuck in the fringes. Streaming royalties are low. (On Spotify,, it takes 1,000 streams to make roughly $4. On Amazon Music and Apple Music, the same streaming numbers could add up to roughly $5. Imagine you have a song with multiple writers and contributors, each dividing that pie! It isn’t sustainable.) Less mainstream experimentation happens now because the companies that operate the major labels have more to lose if risks don’t equal returns. The executives up on top are probably still getting bonuses, so ultimately the ones being increasingly fractured from the equation are the actual creators of the music, without whom, there wouldn’t be an industry.
In television and movies, it works the same way. The companies have merged to point of being too big to manage. The executives above are taking their huge payouts and not necessarily paying the writers, actors and the people behind the scenes what they are worth. “Cutting the cord” has in a way had the same effect as file-sharing did on the music industry. As we adjust to new digital means, we need to adequately and fittingly also adjust the pricing so that artists and creators can afford to create. It’s simple logic. If years ago, you spent $200 a month on cable but now you have four streaming services instead at $15 a month, each, that means that the industry now has to maintain the same level of entertainment with a net loss of $140 per month. Multiply that by millions of people and you see that it is an avalanche that threatens to destroy the industry.
The executives on top are still going to take more than their share and somehow justify doing so, so ultimately the people who actually create suffer from the consumers looking for a way to get more for less money. The greed and imbalance up top is a problem in nearly every American industry. (Look at what is currently happening with the auto-workers.) Somehow those in power still want us to believe the Reagan-era lie of “Trickle-Down Economics.” It sounds good on paper. In practice, it never works. It enriches those on top while resulting in inequality below. This approach has led to many huge entertainment companies facing major layoffs. Those below suffer while those above do their best to maintain their status.
Entertainment-wise, what does this mean? It probably means that in order to make this modern streaming system work in a way that is more equitable to the people behind the scenes, prices need to go up for both the music and the video streaming sites. A lot of people need to be able to afford to continue to make art. Of course, then that also creates a tricky balance.
When Max first appeared as “HBO Max,” the idea was that it was pretty much going to have virtually the entire HBO and Warner Brothers collections. Then Warner’s new parent company, Discovery came in and began removing titles. Like the old syndication model, more money is made by essentially leasing content out to other platforms. Perhaps we will see Disney begin to eventually do this with their content. The problem is, the completest aspect of these streaming services is a huge selling point. Lessening what is actually available on these apps diminishes their value. Plus, the compartmentalizing by production company made it easier to know and find certain programming on their respective apps.
Movies Anywhere is an app initially started by Disney. When you buy a digital movie from Amazon, Apple, Vudu, etc, and it is from Disney, Sony Pictures, Warner Brothers or Universal, this app allows you to link your services so that your movies show up in all of your collections. Paramount, Lionsgate and MGM have yet to join.
Ultimately, this is probably bad news. If you still have cable, as counteractive as it may seem, you probably shouldn’t cut the cord. If you listen to music on a music service, you definitely should still buy music whenever you can. Also, in addition to going to the movies, if you know of a movie or show that you want to be able to watch repeatedly, you should buy it, either in physical form or from a digital retailer to make sure you will have continuous access.
If you want entertainment to continue, its financial eco-system needs to be maintained. (It definitely needs to be severely retooled, as well, but we also don’t want it to cave in the meantime.) That being said, eventually ALL of the streaming services will have to increase their prices to make up the difference. Residuals are important because they support creators and afford them the ability to create even more.
In the end, those Napster kids probably thought they were sticking it to the labels. 23 years later, we have just traded overlords. We continue to barrel ahead into a more uncertain future.
Tribute and Rant: Steve Harwell: (1967-2023) Why Smash Mouth Deserves a Better Legacy
Smash Mouth deserves a better legacy.
I'll be honest. I never loved Smash Mouth. I do, however think they probably deserve a different and better legacy.
The omni-presence of "All Star" (which isn't necessarily a bad song, but kind of suffers from being over-played in the same way, say, as the Spin Doctors' "Two Princes") hampered them. Yes, the "Shrek" of it all, matters. It is amazing to me, for instance that somehow, "Accidentally in Love," is Counting Crows' second biggest song in the streaming era, eclipsing much better songs from their discography. While no one is Smash Mouth was ever even close to possessing Adam Duritz's unique artistry, like Counting Crows, better songs in their discography were overshadowed by "All Star." At least on their first two albums, the strong, happy, sometimes bubblegum retro-sixties vibe that showed up, was interesting.
On the song “Then the Morning Comes” and the VERY Doors-influenced "Walkin' on the Sun," they also merged a tad hint of psychedelia into their sound. In the case of "Then the Morning Comes," look beyond the goofy, semi-embarrassing "dude-bro" video and actually listen to what is happening musically. Fascinating shifts and melodic turns. While it might be the "dude-bro" side that cemented their often maligned cultural place, it is their skill at merging a bubblegum, sixties pop vibe into a nineties, ska-punk-infused framework that should be their claim to fame.
Steve Harwell was not a great singer, but like the Kool-Aid man breaking through the wall of a party, he brought a likable level of undeniable charisma. Again, these guys arose from the ska-punk side of things. While not possessing the finesse of the bellow of Dicky Barrett of the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Harwell's vocal approach came from a similar place. I also think that in the nineties we were musically spoiled by an embarrassment of riches. The earnestness and the craft in the work of the bands of the early nineties, made the light-eared sound of late-nineties alternative pop sound infinitely less impressive. In hindsight, it was fun, almost mirroring the musical evolution of the sixties in chronological reverse.
Smash Mouth knew who they were, too. They were never a cool band. Their willingness to admit that on record (see "The Fonz,") and their tendency to unflinchingly lean into occasionally hokey cover-versions with confidence prove that point.
The band Smash Mouth still exists with a new singer but like them or not, they will never be the same without Steve Harwell. Sure, lots of embarrassing "dude-bro" energy was all around, but the band had their place. Smash Mouth had their own unique sound.
Rest in peace, Steve Harwell.
John Mayer's "Sob Rock" ***1/2 (Columbia 2021)
Sure, John Mayer’s eighth studio album suffers from an atrocious title. This isn’t helped one bit by its kitsch-y, eighties-fueled album cover. This is, however, all delivered with a wink of sorts. Mayer is in a way trying to emulate singer-songwriters who managed glitzy glossy pop crossovers in the eighties. No doubt, Maren Morris’ quick guest appearance as opener and single, “Last Train Home” fades off is meant to mirror Chaka Khan’s stand-out guest turn on Steve Winwood’s classic eighties pop confection, “Higher Love.” Does it reach those heights? Not quite. Still, it is quite enjoyable.
The tender ballad, “Shouldn’t Matter But It Does,” hits a sweet spot, partly because it recalls Mayer at his peak, “Room For Squares”-era likability. Yes, “Your Body is a Wonderland” is still a bit embarrassing, but the guy who wrote “Why Georgia” and “No Such Thing” is still hiding in plain sight.
The truth is, Mayer’s worst tendencies still tend to frequently hinder otherwise appealing moments. Like when he sings about “pushing 40 in the friend-zone” on otherwise sunny and bright, “New Light,” or insists on calling a song, “Why You No Love Me?” The latter is just awkward, whereas the former wouldn’t necessarily stand out so much if Mayer’s personal life weren’t as famous as his music.
“Wild Blue” is a slick, hushed bit of bluesy soft rock which perhaps nods to Dire Straits in ballad mode, while “Shot in the Dark” recalls inoffensive mid-eighties “Lite” radio fare. That may sound like an insult to some, but it isn’t intended as such. In fact, this record as a whole feels like a odd warm blanket, recalling a time which seems lost.
In an age where the stations that used to be “Lite” now play dance music, this should theoretically sound like a lost an unwanted, outdated relic. In lesser hands, it would. Mayer has seemed somewhat adrift for his last few albums but here, he is suddenly in his element.
The warm subtlety of “I Guess I Just Feel Like” is bolstered by Mayer’s guitar skills, while “When the Right One Comes” also sounds like a vintage slice of mellow, neon-hued pop.
On “Carry Me Away,” Mayer’s eighties obsession hits its apex, with a wonderfully glowing groove that wouldn’t sound out of place in a John Hughes film. Gravity-defying, wistful synths prove to be a solid anchor here, giving the track a potent sense of instant nostalgia.
The tight, 39-minute set closes with the quiet builder, “All I Want Is To Be With You,” a song that sounds so immediately familiar that I had to check to make sure it wasn’t a cover.
“Sob Rock” comes across as strangely effortless. Mayer has been bogged down in recent years and he hasn’t sounded this at ease perhaps since “Continuum.” On paper, this album shouldn’t work. It is not of this time and such a concept should perhaps weigh it down. This is not the case. Add to that that some of these songs were released as singles two or even three years ago and the record’s strict cohesiveness seems to fly in the face of all logic.
Twenty years after “Room For Squares,” Mayer has found another admirable comfort zone. If only the record had a better title.