2024 was another stellar year for music. I say it every year but there were way to many A-list albums to go back through and revisit over the last week or so. As usual this isn’t a ‘best’ list, just the ones that hit the spot and stuck with me the most over the last year. There will no doubt be others I’ll get to over the Summer as I peruse the plethora of album lists and find new discoveries that will vie for places in the upper echelons of my favourites for the year.
What I am pleased to see is the stylistic range of music that I connected with. My top ten includes indie rock, alt-rock, Americana, electronica and art pop and scattered throughout the rest of my picks you’ll also find experimental and ambient sounds, rock ‘n’ roll, Kiwi jangle, post punk, jazz, folk and more…
- MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
- Young Jesus – The Fool
- Fontaines DC – Romance
- The Jesus Lizard – Rack
- Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Past Is Still Alive
- Willi Carlisle – Critterland
- Underworld – Strawberry Hotel
- Christopher Owens – I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair
- Faye Webster – Underdressed at the Symphony
- William Doyle – Springs Eternal
Plus another 40 highly recommended albums, in alphabetical order:
- Adrienne Lenker – Bright Future
- Arab Strap – I’m totally fine with it don’t give a fuck anymore
- Becker & Mukai – Spirit Only
- Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown
- Big League – Heathen Sound
- Chimers – Through Today
- Claire Anne Taylor – Giving It Away
- Daniel Romano’s Outfiit – Too Hot To Sleep
- Dirty Three – Love Changes Everything
- Ducks Ltd. – Harm’s Way
- Elias Rønnenfelt – Heavy Glory
- Fennesz – Mosaic
- Floating Points – Cascade
- Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland
- Grandaddy – Blu Wav
- Hayden Thorpe – Ness
- Holy Tongue & Shackleton – The Tumbling Psychic Joy of Now
- Jack White – No Name
- Jake Xerxes Fussell – When I’m Called
- Jeff Parker & ETA IVtet – The Way Out Of Easy
- Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn
- John Moreland – Visitor
- Juno Point – Lost Along A River
- Mdou Moctar – Funeral For Justice
- Omni – Souvenir
- Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling, Andreas Werliin – Ghosted II
- Phosphorescent – Revelator
- Pixies – The Night The Zombies Came
- PJ Orr – Wake Me When I’m Thirsty
- Quivers – Oyster Cuts
- Restless Leg – Dance Around My Head
- Shellac – To All Trains
- Shirese – Hardly Cricket
- The Cure – Songs For A Lost World
- The Deslondes – Roll It Out
- The Hard Quartet – The Hard Quartet
- The High Llamas – Hey Panda
- The Lemon Twigs – A Dream Is All We Know
- The Smile – Wall Of Eyes
- Tindersticks – Soft Tissue
- Tucker Zimmerman – Dance Of Love
Doubtful Sounds 