Time flies, man. It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone. But it has, which means only one thing…another edition of America’s Favorite Year-End Music List! That’s right, we’re back for Year 4 of FTL’s Annual Playlist. This year, thanks to the sheer amount of blue-chip music releases (seriously, it felt like everyone put something out in 2024), The List™ is bigger and better than ever. Hold on to your butts and grab a nice pair of headphones. Time to dig into my favorite year of music since starting this list.
2024’s Catch-Up Corner
Just like last year, I’m including some releases from artists I’ve mentioned on Annual Playlists past. For the puzzle-minded among my readers, you could make a few guesses about the rest of the list based on who is included here:
- Peach Pit (From 2 to 3, #4 in 2022) is one of my favorite bands at the moment. They released their fourth LP in October, the very solid Magpie. I like that this album combines some of the dancier elements of their second album (2020’s You and Your Friends) with the folksier sensibilities of From 2 to 3. It didn’t make the list, but a lovely listen nonetheless.
- Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood’s non-Radiohead side project The Smile (A Light for Attracting Attention, #8 in 2022) put out not one, but TWO albums this year. I preferred January’s Wall of Eyes to October’s Cutouts by a slight margin, but both records were close to the quality of the band’s debut. We’ll take a Radiohead album whenever you’re ready, please.
- In the unofficial “Music That Is Good, Actually, And Made By People I Went To High School With” corner: school portraits (school portraits,#8 in 2021) put out a delightful EP called Doozy… this year. I found myself gravitating to the momentum of “Let It Slide” on that collection. I also loved “Literally” from Willie Dinardo and the Corporates’ self-titled record, a song that sounds straight out 1997 in the best possible way.
- I really enjoyed Zach Bryan‘s self-titled record (#8 last year). While I was hoping for more out of this year’s occasionally great, occasionally monotonous, occasionally unwieldy, heavily-Bruce-Springsteen-inspired-to-the-point-where-The-Boss-actually-shows-up-for-a-feature-on-the-album The Great American Bar Scene, there were still a handful of tracks that made it a worthwhile listen. I was ecstatic that North Carolina folk legends Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange as the real ones know) pop up on the rollicking “Pink Skies”.
- Taylor Swift‘s The Tortured Poets Department was messy too. But she, like Bryan, managed to put out enough songs between the standard issue and the extended, director’s cut Anthology edition for me to find some things to like. The anthemic, snarky “But Daddy I Love Him” and the wistful, crashing “The Black Dog” both come to mind there. No, I still will not be commenting on The Matty Healy Of It All. Ultimately though, I think she has learned the wrong lessons from folklore and evermore. Overly flowery vocabulary does not a great song (or album) make. TTPD reaches for poetry, but makes a melodic sacrifice neither of those other two albums did, which is why they contributed to such a special music year back in 2020. Hey, speaking of 2020…
Because I Am A Completionist And We’re Technically Halfway Through The Decade, Here Are My Top 10(ish) Albums of 2020
Honorable Mention: Paul McCartney – McCartney III
Honorable Mention: Sturgill Simpson – Cuttin’ Grass – Vol. 1
Honorable Mention: Taylor Swift – evermore
10. Thundercat – It Is What It Is
9. Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters
8. Fleet Foxes – Shore
7. Bob Dylan – Rough and Rowdy Ways
6. The Killers – Imploding The Mirage
5. HAIM – Women in Music Pt. III
4. Dehd – Flowers of Devotion
3. Taylor Swift – folklore
2. Waxahatchee – Saint Cloud
1. Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
Yes there’s a playlist. And yes, it’s on Spotify as well. Anyways, back to our regularly scheduled programming.
Missed the Boat (sort of): Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We
I’m cheating a little here because I didn’t belatedly discover The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We this year. I did my due diligence and listened to Mitski’s 7th album when it came out last September. For whatever reason it didn’t connect then. As a result, this less a “missed the boat” situation and more an “I need a mulligan” situation. I somehow overlooked the swirling choruses on opener “Bug Like An Angel” and the pretty twang on “Heaven”. “My Love Mine All Mine” broke containment on social media, and for good reason. Its gentle, fuzzy warmth is something to be cherished. If I had a do-over (and we don’t really do those here), this album definitely would have made last year’s top 10.
*Editor’s Note: I realize this will get me thrown out of the Pink Pony Club. I have no choice but to take that risk.
Shades of: Weyes Blood, winter walks, tucking in under a heavy blanket
Must Listen Tracks: Heaven, My Love Mine All Mine, Star
Robert Baratheon Memorial “Seven Hells, What Am I To Make Of This?” Award: The Avett Brothers – The Avett Brothers
Full disclosure: The Avett Brothers are my favorite band. I’m undecided on if that makes it easier for me to evaluate their music or makes me an unreliable critic. Either way, I naturally spent a lot of time with their self-titled 9th album in 2024. While it was definitely an improvement over 2019’s mixed bag Closer Than Together, it was still, strangely, a little forgettable. Look, I’m not unrealistic. It’s reasonable for a band that’s been around for 20+ years to slow down a half-step as its members enter their mid-forties, and there’s an element of growing with the band as they enter a different stage of life. The album does a fair bit of measured ruminating on those things, and I like those songs individually (especially the haziness of “Cheap Coffee” and the warm embrace of “We Are Loved”).
But as a collection, the album needed at least one more upbeat song (like concert staple “Orion’s Belt”, another highlight) to counter some of the pillowy, ethereal production, especially on the record’s back half. This used to be a band that effortlessly balanced life lessons with banging heads, sometimes in the same song. Even at their worst, I don’t think I’d ever describe them as forgettable. But they’re older and so am I, and even though this album is fine and occasionally very good, maybe now that moment is gone.
Shades of: The 00’s folk revival, Seth Avett’s side project Darling, when a stray gray hair here and there turns full salt and pepper
Must Listen Tracks: Country Kid, Orion’s Belt, We Are Loved
Nineties But Make It Autumn Throwback Album Of The Year: Wishy – Triple Seven
I promise this is not a shameless plug for one of my many personal playlists. For whatever reason, there were several albums released in 2024 that would have fit in well in 1994. With deepest apologies to Ducks Ltd.’s delightfully britpop-adjacent Harm’s Way, and This is Lorelei’s eccentric, vibe-hopping Box For Buddy, Box For Star, I have to give this new and totally arbitrary award to Wishy’s indie-pop-meets-shoegaze dreamscape Triple Seven. I love the tempo on this record. From the opening strums on opener “Sick Sweet”, Triple Seven hits the ground running and keeps pace. Crucially, though, it never feels tiresome. The album throws power chords ahead like a Jürgen Klopp gegenpress. Even in its few quieter moments (like “Just Like Sunday”) the album is buoyed by some killer harmonies.
Shades of: The Lemonheads, The Breeders (shoutout Kim Deal), The Sundays, My Bloody Valentine…I think you get the picture.
Must Listen Tracks: Triple Seven, Persuasion, Love on the Outside
Honorable Mention: Mk.gee – Two Star & the Dream Police
We’re moving on to the official list now, starting with a personal favorite of mine. Two Star & the Dream Police is the debut album of singer/songwriter Mk.gee (that’s pronounced like the name “McGee” and not like “em-kay-jee”), and the follow-up to 2020’s mixtape A Museum of Contradiction. I love the way Mk.gee combines elements of indie rock and bedroom pop with a dash of R&B on this album. There’s a chunkiness to the groove that reminds me of Unknown Mortal Orchestra (for those familiar with lists past) as well. “Are You Looking Up” is the main attraction for me on this one. Additionally, don’t sleep on loose single “ROCKMAN”, which got the SNL treatment earlier this year. Just an eminently likable (and listenable) album.
Shades of: Alex G, Bon Iver’s “Beth/Rest”, Frank Ocean, rain on your windshield
Must Listen Tracks: How many miles, Are You Looking Up, Alesis
Honorable Mention: Jack White – No Name
As I said earlier, 2024 was jam-packed. Everyone, including a bunch of legacy (or near-legacy) artists, seemed to have something to release. MGMT, Sleater-Kinney, The Black Crowes, The Black Keys, Guster, Phish, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, The Cure…and that’s just scratching the surface. Hell, even Mark Knopfler put out a solo record.
Speaking of solo records, I’d put Jack White (even without Meg) in that psuedo-legacy artist category. No Name, his release from this year, had a fascinating release cycle. White surprise released physical copies at his personal record stores and then told people to share the album online before its official arrival a few weeks later. But fun/strange marketing gimmicks aside, I love this album for how back to basics it is. White hasn’t been afraid to push boundaries on solo projects before. Yet on No Name he just plugs in and rips some down and dirty blues riffs. It’s the closest he’s been to making a White Stripes record since he and Meg split, and that’s a welcome return.
Shades of: Jack White, being the third man and the seventh son, a shot of whiskey
Must Listen Tracks: Old Scratch Blues, That’s How I’m Feeling, Bombing Out
Honorable Mention: Dehd – Poetry
This is the most Twin Peaks (the band, not the show) sounding record released since that group went on indefinite hiatus a few years ago. Dehd always has the goods (please reference my 202o list above, and 2022’s Blue Skies was a strong showing too), but I appreciated how the band captured a rawer, rougher sound on this year’s Poetry, while also upping the ante on melodic complexity and emphasizing harmonies. Emily Kempf and Jason Balla’s vocals on the latter point are a real strength, whether they’re letting loose like on “Dog Days” or mixing and matching sweetly like on “Hard To Love”.
Shades of: Twin Peaks (the band, not the show), a dose of your finest garage rock, sunflowers
Must Listen Tracks: Dog Days, Mood Ring, Alien
Honorable Mention: Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven
Music that makes you want to punch a hole in the wall is usually well-received around these parts. So, naturally, you could see how I might be drawn to the fourth studio album from Mannequin Pussy (excellent band name by the way, no notes) from the very first track, where lead singer Marisa Dabice’s near-feral howl provides a special kind of catharsis. It’s not all snarling and sneering, though. There’s a stealthy sultriness that pervades this record that makes the vitriolic moments pop. Sometimes those moments happen on seemingly relaxed songs, like when Dabice belts “Oh what’s wrong with dreaming of burning this whole thing down?” at the end of “Nothing Like”.
Shades of: Wolf Alice, Joan Jett, denting drywall
Must Listen Tracks: I Got Heaven, Nothing Like, I Don’t Know You
Honorable Mention: Hovvdy – Hovvdy
I was a big fan of indie duo Hovvdy’s (pronounced “howdy”) 2021 album True Love, especially the title track. 2024’s self-titled record isn’t so much a step forward for Charlie Martin and Will Taylor as it is an expansion of their signature sound. I discussed punching through plaster a moment ago, and this is decidedly not that kind of album. Hovvdy is a slow burn. It has moments of pop brilliance (“Jean” and “Forever” come to mind), but it’s mostly a low-key vibe that grows on you the longer you listen to it.
Shades of: low-fi Incubus with a little “y’all” mixed in
Must Listen Tracks: Jean, Forever, Make Ya Proud
10. Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
It’s amusing (to me, anyway) that Vampire Weekend’s live performances have become more and more jammy as time has gone on, to the point where shows on their tour this year had a whole section to taking audience requests on covers and riffing on those in their own style. This is supposed to be the preppy indie rock band with songs about oxford commas and summer romances on Cape Cod right? If you skipped 2019’s Father of the Bride, that shift might surprise you. But that record was way more unbuttoned than any of their prior work, and when combined with the energy of their tour this year, has signaled a tonal shift for the band. Except on April’s Only God Was Above Us, Vampire Weekend’s 5th studio album, Ezra Koenig and co. flipped back toward the sound they cultivated on Modern Vampires of the City (still my favorite of theirs), but louder and grittier. That brashness makes the record feel less like a retread and more like an interesting iteration on their core sound.
Shades of: Old Vampire Weekend with a twist, New York Citaaay, That scene in 21 Jump Street where the nerds are the cool kids now
Must Listen Tracks: Capricorn, Gen X Cops, Mary Boone
9. Cindy Lee – Diamond Jubilee
Jack White wasn’t the only one with an unconventional release strategy this year. Cindy Lee (a project by musician Patrick Flegel, formerly of the band Women) released Diamond Jubilee, a genuinely stunning and atmospheric double album that sounds like a greatest hits compilation by an oldies band from an alternate timeline. Or maybe more accurately, it sounds like a tape recording of a radio broadcast of a greatest hits compilation by an oldies band from an alternate timeline. It’s an impressive record, especially when considering Flegel’s previous work under the Cindy Lee moniker was much closer to experimental noise rock.
Adding to the mystique was the aforementioned release of the album: You can’t currently find Diamond Jubilee on any streaming service. You can download from Bandcamp, or listen to the whole thing in its entirety on YouTube. You can also visit a 1998-esque Geocities site to buy the record directly from Flegel/his label. That site, much like the album, is strange, from another time, and requires the user to take the time to access the music. But it is definitely worth the adventure.
Shades of: The Everly Brothers from another dimension, road trip through the desert to Area 51, what characters in Fallout were probably listening to before locking themselves in the Vaults
Must Listen Tracks: Diamond Jubilee, Flesh and Blood, If You Hear Me Crying
8. Kendrick Lamar – GNX
It was obviously a massive year for Kendrick Lamar, you don’t need me to tell you that. He won the biggest rap beef in maybe 20 years (if not ever), put out the biggest song of the year, and is going to be performing at halftime of the biggest football game of the season in February. Lamar capped a monster 2024 with GNX, his 5th studio album. GNX is far removed from 2022’s knotty, difficult Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. This album is not a dissertation, or an autobiography, or Pulitzer bait. It’s a victory lap, but on Kendrick’s own terms. Outside of opening track “wacced out murals”, he barely even mentions the beef that dominated the airwaves. If anything, the album comes across as a mixtape of songs he’d like to bump at full volume in his Buick Grand National. “squabble up” is a club hit, “hey now” is meant to rattle your subwoofers, “tv off” is a call to arms, and “luther” and “dodger blue” groove like Anita Baker in the tape deck. Kendrick watched the party die, but that didn’t stop him from creating his most fun album yet.
Shades of: K-Dot makes a mid-2000’s West Coast record, a mixtape but make it cinematic, getting crazy/scary/spooky/hilarious
Must Listen Tracks: squabble up, hey now, tv off
7. Friko – Where we’ve been, Where we go from here
Where we’ve been, Where we go from here is the debut album from Chicago indie rock duo Friko. If this record is any indication, they are a group that will be around for a while. Friko describes themselves on their own website as combining “elements of post-punk and chamber-pop and experimental rock”. That’s absolutely true, but omits that there is clearly a heavy Connor Oberst influence here as well (speaking of…Bright Eyes put out a new album this year too). It’s mid-to-late 2000s indie rock with a not-so-insignificant drop of midwest emo. That mixture works to the maximum effect on “Where We’ve Been” and “Crimson to Chrome”, the album’s first (and best) two songs. I also liked headbanger “Chemical”, a perfect showcase of the band at its rawest and loudest.
Shades of: Bright Eyes and Wilco but rougher around the edges
Must Listen Tracks: Where We’ve Been, Crimson to Chrome, Chemical
6. Los Campesinos! – All Hell
How rare is it for an artist to come back after a seven year hiatus with a near perfect album? It’s at least rare enough that when Los Campesinos! did with this year’s All Hell, I took notice. Critic Ian Cohen called All Hell “unquestionably the ultimate Los Campesinos! album” in his July review, and I have to agree. The Welsh band has never been better. The riffs have never been stronger, the hooks have never been catchier, and the gallows humor has never been more darkly funny. The album peaks on “Feast of Tongues”, which builds slowly before erupting into a rage-against-the-machine chorus.
Shades of: Jimmy Eat World, The Smiths, Death Cab For Cutie
Must Listen Tracks: Holy Smoke (2005), A Psychic Wound, Feast of Tongues
Halftime – Some Songs I Really Liked
As always, we’re taking a breather from the list to run through some individual songs I liked from this year as a thinly-veiled ploy to talk about a few albums that didn’t make the cut:
Bon Iver – S P E Y S I D E: We are always holding space for our leige-lord Justin Vernon, so inclusion of Bon Iver’s SABLE, EP should come as no surprise. I love when Vernon leans in unadorned to natural, lower register like he does here.
Sierra Farrell – Dollar Bill Bar: Sierra Farrell is very cool, and “Dollar Bill Bar” is very fun. One of my favorite country songs (and albums) from this year.
Brittany Howard – I Don’t: Brittany Howard rules in any format, whether she’s on her own or with Alabama Shakes. Her second solo record, What Now is as good as her first (a.k.a. very good), and “I Don’t” is the best of the bunch.
Billy Strings – Away From The Mire (Live at Moody Center, Austin, TX, 6/2/2023): There were a ton of great live albums this year, but none better than Billy Strings’ Live Vol. 1. Strings put out an awesome studio record September too, but Live Vol. 1 is an even better showcase of his immense talent. This is especially true of this live performance of “Away From The Mire”, a magnificent 13+ minute bluegrass jam odyssey.
Doechii – DENIAL IS A RIVER: Doechii’s Alligator Bites Never Heal was my third favorite rap record from this year, behind GNX and ScHoolboy Q’s BLUE LIPS. “DENIAL IS A RIVER”, with its theatrics wrapped in a classic hip hop presentation, might be the most memorable song from the genre in 2024.
Pearl Jam – Wreckage: I was pleasantly surprised by this year’s Dark Matter, which unexpectedly became one of my favorite records from one of my favorite bands. “Wreckage” was the best of the album for me, with a tremendous, Vedder-y chorus only Eddie can deliver on.
Future, Metro Boomin, & Kendrick Lamar – Like That: We’ve already covered Kendrick, but had to shout out the first (and for my money, best) song from the whole beef.
Yard Act – Dream Job: Yeah, this song rips. Yard Act lead singer James Smith’s wry vocals are a perfect counter for how danceable the track is.
Father John Misty – Mahashmashana: I’m 50/50 on Father John Misty’s work. I didn’t love 2022’s Chloë and the Next 20th Century, for example. Regardless, I have to acknowledge the title track of this year’s Mahashmashana, which features Josh Tillman operating at the peak of his powers.
lake j – My Own Mess: I noted Dehd’s Poetry was the most Twin-Peaks-y release this year, which may not have been 100% true. Cadien Lake James, the band’s guitarist, put out a great solo record which captures at least some of the band’s spirit. “My Own Mess” is a chill, low-stakes tune that stood out to me from that collection.
If you want to check out some other songs I loved from this year, check out my Best of: 2024 playlist below (and at the Apple Music link here):
5. Good Looks – Lived Here For A While
After Austin-based band Good Looks released their excellent 2022 debut album Bummer Year, tragedy struck. Lead guitarist Jake Ames was in a devastating car accident that cracked his skull, tailbone, and temporarily damaged his short term memory. Thankfully, Ames survived and recovered, and the band persevered. Lived Here For A While is the record Good Looks released in the aftermath, following that intense period of trials and tribulations around Ames’ health. It’s a sincere improvement in just about every way over its predecessor too. I’m very partial to the first two tracks on the record, “If It’s Gone” and “Can You See Me Tonight?”, which aren’t overt Tom Petty homages but definitely give off a heavy 90’s Petty vibe. “Vaughn“ is my personal favorite off the album; I love its loopy riff and that Ames crushes the guitar solo.
Shades of: Wildflowers-era Tom Petty, dive bar War on Drugs (complimentary), mowing the lawn
Must Listen Tracks: If It’s Gone, Can You See Me Tonight?, Vaughn
4. Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
I feel like there’s been a subtle (or maybe not-so-subtle) shift by the indie rock community (and, frankly, every other music community) to introduce more country/folk flavoring. Hell, maybe I’m part of that. Wednesday’s Rat Saw God was my #1 album last year. For what it’s worth, though, no artist has more successfully (and authentically) made that adjustment than Katie Crutchfield in her work as Waxahatchee. Tigers Blood is Waxahatchee’s sixth album, but it’s also the third part of a trilogy that began with 2020’s aforementioned Saint Cloud and continued with 2022’s I Walked with You a Ways, a fantastic collaboration with singer/songwriter Jess Williamson under the moniker Plains. Tigers Blood features a collab as well: MJ Lenderman (don’t worry, we’re getting to him) is on lead guitar for most tracks and provides occasional backing vocals, including on “Right Back To It”, my favorite song of the year. It’s a very effective colliding of worlds. Lenderman gives the record a slightly different dimension to help distinguish it from the sonically-similar Saint Cloud. As for Crutchfield, she is just really good at this. From the vocals to the songwriting to the album’s overall atmosphere, she’s proves again she’s one of the best in the business.
Shades of: Lucinda Williams, Kacey Musgraves, a cold glass of lemonade
Must Listen Tracks: 3 Sisters, Right Back to It, Bored
3. Foxing – Foxing
Foxing didn’t make it big with 2018’s incredible, soaring Nearer My God. They didn’t make it big with 2021’s poppier, blog rock inspired Draw Down the Moon either. In response, the band decided to go full DIY for their fifth studio album, Foxing, released in September this year. The results were astonishing. This is Nearer My God turned up until the volume knob breaks off. It’s taking a boulder, tossing it in a calm pond, and watching as the splash ripples outward and distorts the reflection of the sky. Murphy and the band go full skramz on “Secret History” and “Hell 99”, the latter of which is an all-time, atomic banger. I audibly cackled with joy at the “Carson MTV / Bizkit NYE / fuck, fuck, FUCK” that punctuates “Hell 99″‘s chorus, but the the song’s first verse is the album’s thesis statement: “Throw out all the joy and show me metrics for my failures…There has to be fatigue worthy of something but there‘s nothing”. How do you handle smashing up against the perceived limits of your potential? Do you quietly accept your fate? Claw with fury at your personal glass ceiling? How long can you hold on to that rage before running out of will?
These are big, eternal questions. Foxing‘s answer seems to be to never stop growing, changing, and evolving, no matter the circumstances. Foxing may never make it “big”, by whatever standards you want to apply to that term. That’s clearly never going to stop them from pushing their boundaries and creating visceral, one-of-one music.
Shades of: Refused’s “New Noise” (aka Carmy’s theme song in The Bear), American Football, Brand New, The Cure
Must Listen Tracks: Hell 99, Greyhound, Gratitude
2. Johnny Blueskies (a.k.a Sturgill Simpson) – Passage Du Desir
“They don’t ask you what your name is when you get up to heaven / and thank God, I couldn’t tell her if I had to who I am” sings Sturgill Simpson on “Who I Am”, the fifth track on Passage Du Desir. It’s technically Simpson’s 6th studio album (not including either Cuttin’ Grass volumes, which essentially serve as a greatest hits compilation). It’s his first, however, as Johnny Blueskies. For Simpson, the record serves as a reckoning: Who IS Sturgill Simpson (or Johnny Blueskies, for that matter) anyway? Passage is a return to form for the Jackson, KY native. It sounds a lot like the spiritual sequel to 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music and 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide To Earth, while possession its own distinct sound.
That Simpson has found his way back to his “core” sound after 8 years of digressions (including an angry synth-rock album and a bluegrass concept album) is a testament to his creativity and versatility as an artist. The album itself is a testament to Simpson’s sheer, herculean ability. The whole record is seamless, whether Simpson is launching into solos on “If The Sun Never Rises Again”, reveling in anonymity on Margaritaville-esque “Scooter Blues”, or mourning lost friends on “Jupiter’s Faerie”. It all leads to closer “One For The Road”, a near nine minute epic that stands as one of the best songs in Simpson’s catalog. I guess it doesn’t matter, then, what Sturgill Simpson wants us to call him. He’s most comfortable and at his best when he’s being himself, whoever that is at the moment.
*Editor’s Note: I can’t promise that this ranking wasn’t influenced by seeing Sturgill live on his Why Not? tour in October, in which Simpson and his band rolled into Forest Hills Stadium in Queens and proceeded to kick ass relentlessly for three hours on the dot. He did this basically every night all year across the country (you can find recordings on nugs.net). What a gem.
Shades of: Sturgill Simpson’s 2nd and 3rd albums, Steely Dan, My Morning Jacket, having a mid-life identity crisis while on vacation
Must Listen Tracks: If The Sun Never Rises Again, Scooter Blues, One For The Road
A Quick Digression
If you know anything about me you likely know where we’re headed for #1 on this list. You may also realize that means Charli XCX’s brat will not be included. My deepest, sincerest apologies to all of Charli’s Angels. Please don’t come for me. Or do, I don’t care. No such thing as bad press!
Besides, that album has gotten plenty of love over the last month. You’ll all be fine. “360” and “Apple” are heaters, for whatever that’s worth.
1. MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
I think it’s important to note that the songs that make up MJ Lenderman’s Manning Fireworks are not actually about MJ Lenderman. But they could be. At least the way MJ sings them, they could be. Lenderman crafts an impressive assortment of losers, slackers, rogues, and douchebags on his sterling fourth solo album. While, yes, none of these characters are autobiographical, his sharp pen and droll delivery make them feel real enough so that, even if they aren’t the guy writing and performing the songs, they feel like someone you know.
Manning Fireworks strips away some of the buzzy charm of 2022’s Boat Songs and drags Lenderman’s voice to the forefront. This ends up being a brilliant choice. Listen, I won’t try to convince you that MJ Lenderman is re-inventing the wheel. What he’s doing isn’t that far off from what Jason Molina did, or what Nada Surf did, or what Neil Young is technically still doing. But his flavor of it is so unique, specific, and tailor-made to my taste that this album was almost guaranteed the top spot the moment it was released. When Lenderman sings “Kahlúa shooter / DUI scooter”, on “Joker Lips”, an entire story blooms from four words. When the houseboat docks at the Himbo Dome on “Wristwatch”…heard, chef. We’re talking about milkshakes and smoothies on “Rip Torn”, or John Travolta’s bald head on “On My Knees”? Sure, why not.
If you want to tell me that MJ Lenderman’s magical three year run (seriously, look at this: Boat Songs in 2022, lead guitar on Wednesday’s Rat Saw God along with killer live album Live and Loose in in 2023, and now collaborating with Waxahatchee while releasing Manning Fireworks in 2024) culminates in the timeless, record-defining “She’s Leaving You”, I’d buy that too. But only to a point. I have a feeling we’re still at the beginning of MJ Lenderman’s journey. And we’ve all got work to do still.
Shades of: Neil Young, Pavement, Jason Molina, Warren Zevon, drinking a six-pack of Miller Lite with the fellas and remembering some dudes
Must Listen Tracks: Joker Lips, Wristwatch, She’s Leaving You
For The Love 
One reply on “Annual Playlist: The Best Albums of 2024”
congrats to everyone who made the cut this year!!
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