My Twenty Favorite Albums of 2024 (Working Parent Version)

Traditions are great. Now that I am a working parent, however, it is time for a new tradition: spending a lot less time on my annual year-end music roundup! Before you fret (or shrug because you haven't looked at these since at least 2019 anyway), I am still compiling a list of my twenty favorite albums of the year with corresponding playlists. But I am pretty sure "sorry honey, I can't help with the baby right now because I need to spend 45 minutes writing the perfect sentence to describe MJ Lenderman's guitar tone" isn't gonna go over so well with my wife. So, minimal blurbage this year. 

Another caveat: I definitely did not cast a super wide net musically-speaking this year. Again, baby's fault; one can only hear so much Fisher Price play mat music before wanting to reach for old favorites during rare moments of free time. So the list/playlist is pretty heavy on the genre in which I am most associated (Indie Rock™) as well as bands/artists I already liked prior to this year. If anyone reading this has recommendations of music I missed, please reach out—especially if you heard some good stuff outside of the rock realm.

Honorable Mentions
Kendrick Lamar- GNX
Cassandra Jenkins- My Light, My Destroyer
Doechii- Alligator Bites Never Heal

Vampire Weekend- Only God Was Above Us

Top Twenty

20. Peel Dream Magazine- Rose Main Reading Room

Ever wonder what it would sound like if Sufjan Stevens made an album with Stereolab? Me neither, but the result would be something like this.

19. Charli XCX- Brat

I have nothing to add to the discourse about this one, but no doubt it is a very good pop album that had a massive cultural impact in 2024.

18. Friko- Where We've Been, Where We Go From Here

This Chicago band makes indie rock that feels like it was made in 2005 (lots of strings and big sweeping choruses). Personally, I am here for it.

17. Adrianne Lenker- Bright Future

The Big Thief frontwoman is possibly the best songwriter going right now, and this nice solo album further increases her pedigree. Just skip Track One if a song about putting down the family dog seems unpleasant. Track Two (the beautiful "Sadness as a Gift") is a tad easier to digest.

16. Tyler, The Creator- CHROMAKOPIA

Tyler's always up to something interesting. Wouldn't rank this among his very best but it's a good listen with impeccable production as always.

15. Liquid Mike- Paul Bunyon's Slingshot

Loved these guys before I heard a note of their music (inspirational band name, plus they are from the UP of Michigan. Love a Yooper band). They make big dumb rock music with maximum riffage, shouty choruses, etc. Super fun stuff.

14. Rosali- Bite Down

Musically comforting (album cover, maybe less so) roots rock by this North Carolina (via Philly and Michigan) singer-songwriter. I reached for this whenever I wanted something in the vein of Waxahatchee but didn't want to over-play Tigers Blood (see below). 

13. Jack White- No Name

Never was a big Jack White/White Stripes guy but that changed in 2024. Really dig this album. It' is a "back to basics" record (in this case, filled with catchy blues-rock numbers) done right. It inspired me to do a proper deep dive into The Stripes and hey, turns out they're pretty good! (Breaking news, I know).

12. Mount Eerie- Night Palace

A great encapsulation of everything Phil Elverum does well (catchy indie rock! abrasive noise! poignant first-person narratives! anti-capitalist screeds!) across 26 songs and 80 minutes. Wholly inaccessible but very enjoyable for me personally.

11. Mk.gee- Two Star & the Dream Police

This guy's trajectory from underground favorite at the start of 2024 to being the musical guest on SNL come November was a sight to behold. An immensely talented guitarist and songwriter who makes music that sounds like the '80s but filtered through a modern lens. 

10. Wild Pink- Dulling the Horns

These heartland rockers have been getting better with each album. Nice to see them break out the distortion on this one and really rock out. 

9. Nala Sinephro- Endlessness

Endlessness takes the crown as the most gorgeous piece of music I heard this year. A mesmerizing work of ambient jazz with some electronic elements. Perfect music to relax to (or make your workday a little less terrible).

8. Jessica Pratt- Here in the Pitch

Pratt always delivers on the Slightly Spooky but Very Pretty Folk Music front. She has gradually expanded the instrumentation with each subsequent album, and her newest (which incorporates some unexpected bossa nova vibes) could be her very best.

7. Hurray for the Riff Raff- The Past is Still Alive

I thought this one was pretty underrated! Really nice country-rock record. The band's only constant member, Alynda Segarra, is a great storyteller and vocalist. I just learned they moved to Chicago, which is obviously another plus in my book.

6. This is Lorelei- Box for Buddy, Box for Star

The first proper album from Nate Amos, aka one half of the excellent Brooklyn band Water From Your Eyes. Whereas Amos' main band favors glitchy disjointed electronics, this album is a rootsy indie rock album that reminds me of Alex G or (on the gentler numbers) Wilco. Really excellent tunes that will get stuck in your head (try hearing "I'm All Fucked Up" without humming it the rest of the day).

5. Father John Misty- Mahashmashana

This one really surprised me! I have always liked Josh Tillman's songwriting but I was not sure he could do anything new to excite me. Turns out he very much could— this album is flat-out gorgeous. He really went for it with the production, which is Phil Spector "Wall of Sound"-esque at points. There are also a few groovy danceable numbers to move the album along.

4. Waxahatchee- Tigers Blood

One of the most successful musical reinventions in recent memory is Waxahatchee's Katie Crutchfield's decision to shift from DIY indie rock to alt-country/Americana. She is not necessarily breaking any new ground on Tigers Blood compared to its predecessor St. Cloud (an album my wife and I loved so much we had it in cookie form as a party favor at our wedding). But dang does she know how to write a pleasing melody, and her band is enhanced this time around by fellow 2024 favorite MJ Lenderman's guitarwork and backing vocals. Their collaboration "Right Back To It" might be the most perfect song I heard this year.

3. MJ Lenderman- Manning Fireworks

I have loved pretty much everything Lenderman has touched since getting on my radar a few years back (including his band Wednesday's Rat Saw God, which topped my list last year). Lenderman plays the sideman role well, as with Wednesday and on the aforementioned Waxahatchee record. But he is a killer songwriter in his own right, and Manning Fireworks is an irresistible listen. Lenderman's hype got a little out of control this year and if you are looking to have your mind blown, this album won't deliver. But if you want to hear some great country rock tunes with a healthy dose of wit and humor (that will have you googling "What is a Himbo Dome?") you will be very satisfied.

2. Magdalena Bay- Imaginal Disk

An absolutely resplendent synth pop masterpiece. Imaginal Disk is a concept album (Wikipedia will fill you in if you want details), but it works just fine if all you desire is to bob your head to the infectious music. Magdalena Bay write hooks worthy of an ABBA album, but with a dose of psychedelia. The end result is endlessly replayable and a whole lot of fun. 

1. Cindy Lee- Diamond Jubilee

Cindy Lee is the drag alter ego of Patrick Flegel, who I knew way back in the day as the vocalist for Canadian indie/post-punk band Women. So Diamond Jubilee did not quite come out of nowhere, but it found a remarkably wide audience this year for an album literally released via Geocities (and remains unavailable on traditional streaming platforms. It is on YouTube, though!). Across two hours and 32 songs, the album is a trippy journey through a lo-fi '60s radio dial. Fuzzy guitars and girl group harmonies are a constant thread, and Flegel's wonderful guitarwork and vocals are quite moving. All of the individual songs are good, but this is definitely a "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" record. The atmosphere Flegel conjures is magical, and the album is remarkably captivating throughout its extended runtime; I found something new to appreciate on every listen. Since it is not on Spotify, Diamond Jubilee is not represented on my playlist so I will highlight the song I would have chosen here: the absolutely stunning "Kingdom Come" encapsulates the album quite well. 

Best of 2024 Playlist: 12 Favorite Songs

Here are my twelve favorite (non-Cindy Lee) tunes of the year.

Best of 2024 Playlist: Long Version

And here's an extended playlist of the best songs I heard this year. I spent some time sequencing it so it should flow pretty well if you play it in order (but if you are more of a shuffle kind of person, that works too!). 

My Twenty Favorite Albums of 2023

It is time for everyone's favorite end-of-year tradition: Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest Matt's annual music roundup. I have now been doing this for a decade, which is pretty wild. Enough time has passed where some of my choices from previous years are now truly embarrassing (let's just say I would like a do-over on 2016). Here's to another decade of making selections that will probably age terribly!

I liked a lot of different albums this year—so many, in fact, that I could not limit myself to just a Top 15. So I am getting back to this blog's roots and ranking music using a nice round number (specifically, the number 20). Additionally, I am including not one but two playlists this year. After the list of favorite albums, you will find the typical way-too-long (4.5 hours) playlist of some of the songs I enjoyed most in 2023 and a tidier hour-long playlist of my absolute favorite tunes of the year. Props to my father-in-law Larry for inspiring the latter playlist by telling me last year that maybe some editing would be helpful for those who prefer I just get to the point and highlight what they really need to hear. 

Honorable Mentions

Armand Hammer- We Buy Diabetic Test Strips (Hip-Hop)

Lonnie Holley- Oh Me Oh My (Experimental/Soul)

Olivia Rodrigo- GUTS (You know who Olivia Rodrigo is)

Special Honorable Mentions

The Replacements- Tim (Let it Bleed Edition): This 1985 album with some of the best rock songs ever written gets a revelatory (read: way less muddy) new mix that makes you wonder whether they could have had some radio hits if they had gone with this version back in the day. 

MJ Lenderman- And the Wind (Live and Loose!): The guitarist for 2023 favorites Wednesday (see below) is building a potent catalogue in his own right. This live album is an exhilarating listen from front to back, with Lenderman backed by a killer band that tears through his best songs and nearly universally improves upon the studio versions.

Top Twenty

20. Joanna Sternberg- I've Got Me (Folk/Singer-Songwriter)

Until Joanna Newsom releases a new album (fingers crossed for 2024), this album satisfies the itch for beautiful music created by a Joanna With an Unusual Vocal Style. These simple folk tunes marry timeless melodies and charmingly self-deprecating lyrics.

19. Water From Your Eyes- Everyone's Crushed (Experimental Rock/Art Pop)

Maybe too weird for most of you (prove me wrong!), but I always appreciate a band that resembles absolutely no one else. This album incorporates a chaotic mix of sounds: at points atonal and extremely catchy (sometimes simultaneously).

18. Yves Tumor- Praise a Lord Who Chews but Which Does Not Consume; (Or Simply, Hot Between Worlds) (Art Rock)

I hear the spirit of David Bowie in these songs, which continue Tumor's run of increasingly listener-friendly (but never conventional) albums that blend glam rock and neo-psychedelia.

17. yeule- softscars (Experimental/Dream Pop)

This talented songwriter and producer from Singapore melds electronics, ambient textures, and sludgy Smashing Pumpkins-esque guitar: a combination I did not know I needed (but I definitely do).

16. Black Country New Road- Live at Bush Hall (Art Rock/Chamber Pop)

I usually omit live albums from this list, but I am making an exception here due to the fact that Live at Bush Hall contains never-before-released music the remaining BCNR members wrote after the band's frontman left at the beginning of 2022. These songs are softer and prettier than the band's prior work, and though they can veer into cutesy territory I found it to be a pleasing listen.

15. Indigo De Souza- All of This Will End (Indie Rock)

Great rock record with a ferocity and lyrical directness that reminds me of Alanis Morrissette. But my favorite songs are the ballads that make up the back half of the record—particularly the stunning closer "Younger and Dumber."

14. ANOHNI- My Back Was a Bridge For You to Cross (Soul/Experimental/Art Rock)

Anohni (formerly Antony) Hegarty has amassed a groundbreaking catalogue over the past three decades, and their newest work represents a career highlight. This is beautiful, powerful music with Anohni's inimitable vocals taking center stage.

13. 100 gecs- 10,000 gecs (Hyperpop/Alt Rock/Batshit Crazy)

Some of you will get through 30 seconds of this before saying "What the hell, Matt?" and you would not be wrong! But I can think of few albums that make me laugh as much as this one, and goddamn, the hooks are so good! This is absolutely ridiculous music and yet I enjoyed the hell out of it any time I put it on this year.

12. Greg Mendez- Greg Mendez (Singer-Songwriter)

This is an extremely likable and comforting album that will remind you of early Elliott Smith. Mendez comes from Philly's DIY scene, and the sparse production (mostly just acoustic guitar and vocals) suits his songwriting. The album's nine songs go by quickly in just 23 minutes, and if you are like me you will want to immediately replay it.

11. McKinley Dixon- Beloved! Paradise! Jazz!? (Jazz Rap)

McKinley Dixon is easily one of my favorite new discoveries this year. This is an expertly crafted album that doubles as a Toni Morrison tribute (literary-minded listeners will notice the title references three of her novels). The jazzy production is exquisite, as are Dixon's lyrics. The fact my favorite music writer (Hanif Abdurraqib) is also on here is the cherry on top.

10. Caroline Polachek- Desire, I Want to Turn Into You (Art Pop)

I have been a fan of Ms Polachek dating back to her iPod commercial days in the band Chairlift. It has been a joy to watch her reach new heights as a solo artist, with her newest album representing her most consistent and engaging effort yet. These pop songs got stuck in my head during the early portion of 2023 and nearly a year later still sound fresh and exciting.

9. Geese- 3D Country (Indie Rock)

I was shocked to learn the members of Brooklyn's Geese (not to be confused with the jam band Goose) are only a few years removed from high school, because these bombastic songs sound like they were crafted by a group of seasoned veterans. The goofy vocals are definitely not for everyone (and threw me for a loop at first), but after a few listens I was hooked and convinced these guys are the future of guitar rock.

8. Mitski- The Land is Inhospitable and So Are We (Indie Rock/Singer-Songwriter)

This is a nice bounce-back album for Mitski, who abandoned synthesizers and returned to warmer guitar textures with a subtle dose of country twang. The splendid "My Love Mine All Mine" is a career highlight, and more than justifies its TikTok-aided viral fame.

7. Jeff Rosenstock- HELLMODE (Punk Rock/Indie Rock)

What a run Rosenstock is on; he is easily one of the most consistent musicians out there. His songs continue to hit hard, as he grapples with increasing career success amidst the backdrop of a deteriorating society. HELLMODE absolutely rocks, as do all of his albums, but I appreciate the softer side he displays on songs like "Healmode."

6. Kara Jackson- Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? (Singer-Songwriter/Indie Folk)

Jackson, an Oak Park native (and former National Youth Poet Laureate), arrived with an astounding debut album. Jackson's songs are intricate, complex, and wildly creative. I hear shades of Joni Mitchell and Tracy Chapman, but Jackson's lyrics and song structures are wholly unique. At just 24 years old, I suspect she is just getting started.

5. Billy Woods and Kenny Segal- Maps (Hip-Hop)

Woods has cemented himself as one of my all-time favorite rappers, with Maps continuing his recent streak of excellent albums. His lyrics are as clever and humorous as ever— and the food nerd in me appreciates him for being (I assume) the first musician to include a tantalizing pork belly preparation in the middle of a song.

4. Ratboys- The Window (Indie Rock)

I have loved Ratboys for years now, but The Window is their first truly great album. The band mentioned in interviews that the onset of the pandemic resulted in a slowed-down creative process. The result is their most thoughtful, nuanced, and emotionally evocative album. The title track, about frontwoman Julia Steiner's grandfather saying goodbye to her terminally ill grandmother through a window (due to COVID-19 restrictions), particularly resonates. On the other side of the coin, the jammy, bass-heavy "Black Earth, WI" instantly became one of my all-time favorite road trip songs. I would expect nearly everyone reading this to dig the album- check it out!

3. Jessie Ware- That! Feels Good! (Dance-Pop/Disco)

Ware continues her reinvention from generic pop soul artist to full-fledged disco queen. These songs are fun and were always there for me this year when I needed a jolt of feel-good energy. The lush, Studio 54-style production pairs exceptionally well with Ware's formidable vocals. Against the backdrop of endless anxiety-provoking world events, this incredibly joyful album provided much-needed musical escapism.

2. Sufjan Stevens- Javelin (Singer-Songwriter/Indie Folk)

What is there to say about Sufjan at this point? He is one of the best to ever do it, and the fact he is still releasing albums of Javelin's caliber a full twenty years after Michigan is staggering. After a rare miss on 2020's synthesizer-laden The Ascension, Sufjan returns to his folk roots and manages to create an album that wonderfully encapsulates his career to date. Though the album is undeniably "Sufjan" from the first note to the last, it never sounds remotely stale and includes several of his best-ever songs (the epic "Shit Talk" is particularly marvelous to my ears). On the day of the album's release, Sufjan posted a beautiful tribute to his partner who passed away several months beforehand— providing heartbreaking context and making gorgeous songs like "Will Anybody Ever Love Me?" hit even harder.

1. Wednesday- Rat Saw God (Indie Rock)

This Asheville, North Carolina band created an instant classic with Rat Saw God. Frontwoman Karly Hartzman's rough-around-the-edges vocals are not for everyone, but if you can handle a little raggedness you will be rewarded. Hartzman crafts alluring vignettes about coming of age in the American south. Musically, the band pairs geographically-appropriate country rock with distorted, shoegaze-y production. The result is an album I adore so much that my Spotify Wrapped this year was incredibly boring (4/5 of my top songs hail from Rat Saw God). At the very top of my "most-played" list this year was the anthemic "Chosen to Deserve," which perfectly captures what makes Wednesday special. With rising star guitarist MJ Lenderman also in tow, their talent feels limitless and I am grateful 2023 gifted me a band I expect to be following closely for many years to come. 

Best of 2023 Playlist: 15 Favorite Songs

This playlist represents the "best of the best" for me this year, and highlights a few bands who did not make the above list but created individual songs I loved.

Best of 2023 Playlist: Long Version

And here is my "traditional" Very Long playlist for those of you who want to take a deep dive into what I liked in 2023.