#Mabe Fratti | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

rabbitechoes · 7 months ago

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june felt like a relatively uneventful month for new records despite some big names dropping. that could just be because i was just obsessed with that one green album everyone was talking about, but idk. anyways, here are all of the albums, EPs, and mixtapes i wrote about this month!! to check out my thoughts on some of the songs that dropped this month click here!!! also feel free to follow me on rate your music and twitter <3

BRAT - Charli XCX

🥇 BEST ALBUM OF THE MONTH

◇ released: June 7, 2024 ◇ genres: electropop, electronic dance music, bubblegum bass, electro house

Ever since her landmark Vroom Vroom EP from 2016, Charli XCX has gained a reputation for making “pop music from the future.” Every project she released coming into this current decade was boundary-pushing, it sounded so far ahead of nearly all of her contemporaries. In many cases, those projects still do, and those said contemporaries are still playing catch-up all these years later. That sound was captured not only by her own artistic sensibilities and knack for off-the-wall pop songwriting but also through her collaborations with likewise boundary-pushing producers like A.G. Cook and the late SOPHIE. Following a relatively disappointing release in the form of 2022’s CRASH, a record made with the primary goal of fulfilling her deal with the Asylum label, many were left uncertain about what the future might look like for her. She clearly harbored some frustration with the label, but maybe things would be different from now on. BRAT is certainly something different, a very unique record. One that strikes an impressive balance between nostalgia and that forward-thinking experimentation she became known for. It blends a love for 2000s club/dance music with some of the most nuanced songwriting of her career. BRAT is an album that only Charli XCX could make and it’s a testament to her various talents that it works as well as it does.

The album’s minimalist, crunchy album art was met with some derision when first revealed, even from myself, but Charli’s reasoning for the art ties into some crucial themes on the record. She rejects the dominant image of pop music and its adherence to the squeaky clean – the vulnerable in the most acceptable ways. Charli wants to be messy and this album revels in it. Her writing here is real, confrontational, and occasionally very touching. She pokes fun at her undeniable influence despite not being your typical pop star on tracks like “360” and “Von dutch.” On the track “Girl, so confusing” she takes aim at an unnamed woman in the music industry she’s had a contentious relationship with. “So I” is the most poignant moment on the record as Charli eulogizes SOPHIE in a touching way, while also recognizing her shortcomings and regrets when it comes to their friendship. Many cuts on the album have Charli waxing romantic over her new fiancé, George Daniel of The 1975, and it puts her in a very different light than we’re used to seeing her in – it seems to even catch her off guard. Her writing here is all over the place, but it’s all uniquely her. BRAT offers a messy portrait of the artist and it just feels so refreshing. It sounds like it’s meant to be off-putting and inaccessible, but it’s just entrancing. The fact the record is breaking her streaming numbers further proves that.

The songs themselves are also excellent. I’m eating some massive crow because as this rollout was happening, I was admittedly a bit underwhelmed by some of the singles. However, hearing them in the context of the full album, it’s some of her best work to date. I don’t know how I didn’t immediately connect with the soaring, red-hot synths on “Von dutch” paired with those explosive hooks. “Club classics” and “B2b” were my favorite singles heading into the album, but they shine even brighter here. They’re just straight-up club anthems. The orchestral production of “Everything is romantic” caught me off guard at first, but the way it bleeds into this jittery electronic beat is just mesmerizing. There is just something so addicting about the production across this album. Even on the more subtle tracks like “I might say something stupid” and “I think about it all the time,” I’m just locked in. The record rarely ever loses its momentum. Charli, A.G. Cook, and a revolving door of some of the most interesting producers have crafted such a distinctive album.

I love BRAT. I think it’s one of Charli’s best projects to date and it further cements her status as one of pop music’s biggest visionaries. Despite being a “get back to your roots” kind of album, it still sounds so fresh and new. To put it simply, no one is doing it like Charli XCX. None of her contemporaries could make an album as nuanced as this while also keeping the “Club classics” coming. It’s just a mess by design and it works incredibly well. This is, without a doubt, one of the best pop albums of the year.

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Sentir Que no Sabes - Mabe Fratti

◇ released: June 28, 2024 ◇ genres: art pop, avant-folk, art rock, chamber jazz

The only Mabe Fratti project I’d heard prior to this record was her debut, Pies sobre la tierra. I’m sure she’s had a nice, steady evolution leading up to this record – and I hope to go back through her catalog soon – but jumping from the debut to Sentir Que no Sabes was truly shocking. Coming from an art pop album with folk stylings to art pop with folk stylings AND jazz instrumentation throughout was a shift I wasn’t expecting. Fratti structures these songs like ambient pieces, which I find truly fascinating and unique. The instrumentation is layered and complex, deeply striking too. She captures mood so incredibly well. Hearing the booming upright bass thumps on the opener “Kravitz” was already a lot to take in, but then her vocals coming in with that unreal horn section soon to follow made me know I was about to hear a very special album – and that it is.

The instrumentation on this album is so inspired. Just as soon as you think you have it figured out, the album does something you could never have anticipated. “Pantalla azul” is one of the more straightforward songs on the record, leaning heavily into the folkier sound, but then it throws these weird synth parts at you. It manages to work incredibly well too, very rarely does a risk not pay off. Fratti sounds incredibly confident in these songs, it comes through in her vocals just as much as it does the instrumentation. She knows when to lay out and let the music do the talking. Like on the “Elastica” songs – in which “Elastica II” comes before “Elastica I” – two instrumental pieces that are so strange. One with these chaotic, dissonant cello leads that make you feel on edge, and the other is just a serene ambient piece. Both are some of my favorite moments on the record.

Her lyricism across this album also deals with some strange concepts, to the best of my understanding and translating capabilities. Like on “Kravitz” where she sings of “ears in the ceiling” or “Enfrente” where she sings of people lying in order to sleep peacefully. There’s a lot of anxiety on the record and it’s matched in both her lyrics and the music, it’s so fascinating. There’s so much to uncover on this record, I’m still piecing things together after multiple listens. I’m very enamored with this.

Sentir Que no Sabes is one of the most unique albums I’ve heard all year. A massive leap forward for Fratti who ideally can build off of this sound for years and years. It’s such an incredibly fruitful framework that can be molded into so many different shapes. Her range as a composer is on full display here too. These songs are weird, dense, beautiful, and frightening. She revels in all of those feelings. Please do yourself a favor and dive into this album. Despite my adoring this record, I have a feeling Fratti’s best is yet to come which is extremely exciting.

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Impossible Light - Uboa

◇ released: June 28, 2024 ◇ genres: death industrial, dark ambient

Xandra Metcalfe, under the moniker of Uboa, created one of the most visceral and disturbing albums in recent memory with 2019’s The Origin of My Depression. Having finally ventured through that record not too long before diving into this new one, I thought I would be at least a little prepared for Impossible Light – I was dead wrong. There is no way to prepare for a Uboa album. Given the recurring themes both lyrically and musically in her work, you can anticipate what she might throw at you, but you will not be ready for it. I’m very familiar with the “primal scream” songwriting technique, but Metcalfe takes it to an extreme new level that is both captivating and deeply upsetting. Her words are often buried beneath these scorching soundscapes making it hard to discern what she’s saying without reading a transcription of the lyrics. Even without reading the lyrics, these songs crush you, but deciphering Metcalfe’s words makes it hit that much harder. It doesn’t sound like she’s conducting these random bursts of noise and other upsetting sounds, it’s as if she’s running from them – sometimes even resigning herself to them. That choice makes the themes of the album that much more impactful.

A lot of the same themes from The Origin of My Depression and Impossible Light overlap, but this record dives deeper into them while also providing new layers to Metcalfe’s songwriting. This album kind of picks up where the former left off, I couldn’t imagine experiencing one without the other. She reckons with the traumas of her youth and by extension the struggles she’s faced being trans. This record feels a lot more current, divulging the fluctuating feelings she’s faced over the last few years. She fiercely dissects her own feelings and usually buries them beneath dizzying, disgusting noise in an attempt to drown them out.

“Endocrine Disruptor” is a scathing and brutal attack on those who wrongfully believe trans people are “unnatural.” She proclaims, after some of her most fiery lyricism, that “If we are unnatural like they say / Then we will take their precious nature away.” It’s chilling and made all the more viscous with the ramshackle percussion and suffocating synth work throughout. “A Puzzle” is one of the most viscerally uncomfortable songs I’ve ever listened to. The sonic shift a little over a minute in throughout the middle portion of the track makes my skin crawl, I genuinely felt a little sick to my stomach for a moment. This album is just unrelenting. Even in the more serene moments, there’s this looming dread that shakes you to your very core. Perhaps the only exception is the closing track, “Impossible Light / Golden Flower,” featuring otay:onii and Liturgy’s Haela Raveena Hunt-Hendrix, which ends the album on a surprisingly optimistic note. For that reason, it’s one of the most striking songs in her catalog. The instrumentation is a lot more light, still overwhelming, but it reminds me of the elation present in a lot of the arrangements on Bj��rk’s Vespertine. She sings of a “light at the end of infinity,” seemingly hoping to find some recovery from all of the trauma she’s dealt with. It’s an emotional moment and ends the album in a much different place than its predecessor.

I believe Impossible Light is Metcalfe’s strongest record yet. It’s one of those albums where words can’t do it justice, you just have to experience it and see how it makes you feel. My first listen to this album took a lot out of me. I typically can handle heavy albums, but this made me feel like I’d been to hell and back. This is not my lived experience, yet I felt everything to my very core. Incredibly potent album.

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Resort - Skee Mask

◇ released: June 13, 2024 ◇ genres: idm, ambient techno

German ambient techno producer Skee Mask has crafted an immersive and warm collection of tracks on his new album Resort. I usually find IDM stuff feels sort of cold, or wintery, but Resort is firmly a summer album. No doubt influenced by the fact that it’s currently summer where I live, but these songs all sound like summer. The hot pavement beneath your feet, sitting outside bathing in the sunlight, the cool breeze that occasionally blows past you for shorter than you would like, or sitting inside as the air conditioning saves your life, this album covers all of those feelings. It’s weirdly visceral. I find myself being unable to “zone out” to it, whenever I listen it has my full attention. I just end up getting lost in these tracks.

Despite all of these pieces being very atmospheric and ambient, there’s usually something wild or crazy thrown in to shake things up. Like the jittering drum beats on “Reminiscrmx” interspersed alongside the sunny synth foundation. “Daytime Gamer” is one of the best songs I’ve heard all year, it’s so well-crafted. The song’s bridge is just otherworldly, he has such a good understanding of how to keep the listener engaged both with the sounds he implements and how these songs are structured. One of the wildest moments on the record comes with “Schneiders Paradox” which has the kind of rhythm you can’t sink into, it keeps you on your toes. I love all of the weird sounds on this cut. I also love the weird reversed percussion used on tracks like “BB Care” and “7AM At The Rodeo” it all just sounds so unreal yet it circles back to feeling very real. Most of the songs here are absolutely striking in some way.

There are so many cool little details spread across this album, some obvious and some that only reveal themselves on repeat listens. Resort definitely feels like one of those records that begs to be experienced more than once and the music justifies that. This album was the first time I’d ever listened to Skee Mask’s music and it was a damn good experience. I’m not super well-versed in the IDM world, outside of a few of the “important” artists, but it’s records like this that make me want to do a deep dive into the genre.

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Dissection Maps - Old Saw

◇ released: June 21, 2024 ◇ genres: ambient americana, drone, american primitivism

Dissection Maps is like a roadmap for a place that’s completely out of time. Not in the sense that its days are numbered, but there is no context of time. This place is of both every time and no time at all. The one thing that’s for certain is that it’s all uniquely American, almost disturbingly so. Old Saw’s work feels both small-scale and sprawling. There’s this deep organic intimacy to it all, no doubt due largely to the implementation of a lot of traditional folk instruments, but it also feels all-encompassing. It captures a specific setting so well and without words. The music just guides you along and tells you all you need to know. It’s like a spiritual dissection of rural America's nooks and crannies – I don’t consider myself to be a spiritual person, but these songs feel almost religious. The instrumentation lifts you up to the clouds, surveying the sites beneath you. The trees, the plains, the long roads that lead you into town – however, it also feels like you’re completely grounded, looking up at the trees and out to the plains as you drive down that long road into town. Such a unique listening experience, at least for me.

The feelings it conjures up usually aren’t serene or peaceful, they’re often desolate and hopeless. Like the drone towards the end of “Dealt in Silver” with the church bells ringing out of time without warning. It’s like you’re looking up at these bells shaking and rattling, making so much noise, as the hot sun beats on your face. “Revival Hearing” breaks things up a bit with the jaunty banjo and subdued bells that open the track, but then the drone comes in. It’s like even in the more joyful moments there’s a looming feeling of dread. It’s both captivating and frightening, an impressive display of the band’s abilities. I was a little let down by Old Saw’s last record, especially after how great their debut was, but they more than made up for it on Dissection Maps. It’s concise and effective, perhaps their strongest record to date. I encourage everyone to experience this.

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NO HANDS - Joey Valence & Brae

◇ released: June 7, 2024 ◇ genres: hardcore hip hop, east coast hip hop

We’re only about halfway through the year and NO HANDS might have secured the spot for the most fun hip hop album of the year. Pennsylvania hip hop duo Joey Valence and Brae have created a short, concise, and frenetic sophomore album. Full of amazing beats, courtesy of Valence, and some of the best hooks in rap I’ve heard all year. They have that bratty edge of the Beastie Boys, but the kind of humor that strictly sets them in the current day with references to things like Omnitrixes from Ben 10 and Beyblade. It’s very referential humor, which I’m usually not a fan of, but it just works for me here. Probably because, sigh, I am a Zoomer. There’s such an infectious energy to this record. It’s nothing world-changing, and it doesn’t need to be, it’s just two guys making a super enjoyable rap record.

At just a little over 31 minutes, NO HANDS rarely wastes any time. The duo keeps up the energy the entire time. That Beastie Boys influence shines through especially on the first track with the opening call-and-response vocals and they do it very well. It never comes off as a parody despite the unserious tone of the record. That beat is just incredible too, pure hardcore hip hop goodness. “PACKAPUNCH” is even better with amazing performances from the duo and a hilarious Danny Brown verse. “Have your face fucked up like a 2K skin” has been in my head for days. The album throws a curveball at you in the form of the title track which has a great jazz rap beat. The verses from the pair are also among my favorites on the album. They have this kind of irony-tinged nostalgia, making them so much fun to listen to. “THE BADDEST” is their best attempt at a crunk song and it’s so much fun. The way they deliver the line “I’m the baddest bitch in this club” with so much force is so good. Like yeah, you guys are the baddest bitches in this club! This album just sounds like two friends making music solely for the fun of it. They have incredible chemistry too. They always bring the same energy to these songs, they’re always on the same page. It can be easy to view this album as a joke, but Joey Valence & Brae have genuine talent. They have a good understanding of rap songwriting, especially in the hooks department. Valence’s beats are also incredible and I need to hear him produce more stuff this instant. Not every song is a heater, although most are, but they all sound like they’re trying to be. More often than not, they knock it out of the park. I learned afterward that these guys are big on TikTok, which makes a ton of sense. I usually try to steer clear of TikTok stuff, but I’ll definitely keep an eye out for these two. If you’re looking for a good time, definitely give NO HANDS a listen.

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One Hand Clapping - Paul McCartney & Wings

◇ released: June 14, 2024 ◇ genres: pop rock, power pop

It feels crazy to say this nowadays, but in the early 1970s, Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles output left many fans disappointed. He had a string of big-hit singles, but critically he was fighting an uphill battle. Especially with this new band Wings. Band on the Run marked a slow, but sure shift in McCartney’s favor and he was seemingly looking to bolster this band for stardom. In the summer of 1974, McCartney and crew retreated to Abbey Road Studios to bang out some tunes both new and old. Adding drummer Geoff Britton and young guitarist Jimmy McCulloch to the lineup as well. This lineup would carry them through the preceding Venus and Mars album, with Britton leaving the band during the recording of that album. One Hand Clapping was meant to be a documentary film, but it was abandoned as was the live album recorded for it. The film and the songs themselves have been drip-fed to us through various deluxe editions, bonus tracks, box sets, and whatever else has come out over the last 50 years, but this is the first time we’re getting a full version. This is a pretty fascinating album that features some of the most vibrant versions of these songs ever put to record. There’s this uneasy energy to the recording like everyone is still feeling each other out, but these songs just sound destined to be played in arenas.

A hallmark of Wings’ live performances was how Linda McCartney would absolutely drench these songs in synthesizers and One Hand Clapping certainly doesn’t let you down in that regard. Hear the opening of “Jet” from this record which features said synths taking the place of the horns on the studio version. Despite that sound certainly not aging well, I kind of like it. It’s a little cheesy, but it does make this album feel a bit more intimate. Stripping away some of the pomp and circumstance while still embracing that schmaltz McCartney became notorious for. Some songs here implement some strings and brass – because many absolutely call for them, Wings did not make very intimate music – but I think it’s interesting to just hear the band on their own from time to time. This isn’t the most consistent or exciting live record, but it does reach some crazy highs. The three-track run of “Band on the Run,” “Live and Let Die,” and “Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five” is absolutely electric. Everyone in the band is giving it their all, but it also speaks to how well-written those songs are to begin with. The version of “Junior’s Farm” here is also a standout and might be my favorite version of the song ever. It really showcases McCulloch’s guitar skills too. As does “Wild Life,” which breathes some much-needed life into that cut. When the band goes into that next gear, they sound like superstars, ready to prove everyone wrong. McCartney especially sounds determined to make this thing succeed and the band pulled it off in the end. As I mentioned earlier, this record is full of some decent, sort of unessential songs mixed with some absolute heaters. Hearing Macca meander his way through Tin Pan Alley jazz cuts, “Blue Moon of Kentucky,” or whatever other small ditties he’s come up with has kind of lost its novelty to me after hearing so many outtakes and demos from his more creatively fruitful periods. Still, One Hand Clapping is a good listen if you’re a fan of McCartney and Wings.

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MEGAN - Megan Thee Stallion

◇ released: June 28, 2024 ◇ genres: southern hip hop, trap

On her third full-length album, Megan Thee Stallion takes absolutely no prisoners as she celebrates herself along the way. The aptly self-titled MEGAN is a bold look at one of the biggest stars in music today. I’ve always enjoyed a lot of Megan’s work over the years simply because she just has “it.” She has this undeniable energy and fire in her delivery that just makes her captivating. Made all the more powerful by the slandering she’s faced from hip hop media and her contemporaries in the wake of the whole Tory Lanez situation, which many used as an attempt to attack her for some reason I’m still confused about. I won’t harp on that long, but a lot of artists will express sentiments like “Everyone is talking about me and hating on me!” and it usually falls kind of flat, but in Megan’s case, it absolutely doesn’t. The coverage she’s faced over the last few years has hardly been music-related, it’s been drama and others using her name for clout. She puts her naysayers dead to rights on this album right from the get-go. Opening the album with “HISS” was a fantastic decision. One of the most decisive and effective takedowns of the year. Starts the record off very strong.

This is one of the few times being self-indulgent pays off. Megan rhapsodizes herself across the album over some unabashed Southern – specifically Texas – hip hop. She teams up with frequent collaborator and Texan LilJujuMadeDaBeat among other predominantly southern producers across the record to pretty good effect – although I do think it’s time for a bit of a shift after this record. The first half of the album is full of heaters, but most of my favorite tracks come from the middle section. “Otaku Hot Girl” borders on corny with the intro vocal sample of Adam McArthur, voice actor for Itadori Yuji from the Jujutsu Kaisen English dub, and Megan’s various anime references, but it’s just so much fun that it’s hard to get upset with it. “BOA” was a great single leading up to this record and it still maintains its fire on the record. It’s also an earworm, the repeated “womp, womps” in the hook stick with me for some reason. The latter half of the record sees features from a variety of Southern rappers, most notably UGK – one of the most iconic Southern rap duos. Their feature is nice, but they could’ve phoned it in and it still have been a cool moment. “Accent” has Megan teaming up with GloRilla for their second collab of the year and these two just have so much chemistry.

Megan wanted to fit herself and what she loves on this project, this is all about her. It’s a joy to listen to, even if every song doesn’t end up leaving too much of a lasting impression. This is a statement record, Megan Thee Stallion is here to stay. You certainly haven’t heard the last of her yet. She sounds ready to take on the world.

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The Tw*ts - bar italia

◇ released: June 5, 2024 ◇ genres: slacker rock, post-punk

Everything about bar italia just feels so effortlessly cool and this new EP, The Tw*ts, showcases that very well. Even though I am relatively unfamiliar with the band’s past material, I just get their whole vibe from these four tracks alone. These songs all have an undeniable groove anchoring them, meanwhile the vocalists and the guitars just sort of play along within that groove in often weird, noisy ways. Everything feels so rigid, but also free-flowing. I have a difficult time believing the clashing instrumentation of something like “Sarcoustica” was heavily rehearsed, it sounds so off the cuff. The band just sounds like they have concrete chemistry, knowing how to get the best they can out of these songs while sounding like they are putting in the least amount of effort in the coolest way possible. Like the dreamy, drawn-out closer “sounds like you had to be there.” It’s like a nonchalant attempt at an end credits song. Nothing sounds like a grand statement of any kind on this EP, it’s just a band playing some kickass tunes. These near-12 minutes alone have made me a fan of bar italia, I can’t wait to dive into the rest of their stuff very soon. Doing further research leads me to believe this might be a bit of a “leftovers” EP from stuff made during the recording of their last album, The Twits. Which does make this a weird entry point for the band, but I hope to fill the gaps soon enough.

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HEAT - Tove Lo & SG Lewis

◇ released: June 14, 2024 ◇ genres: dance-pop, euro house

In all honesty, I haven’t been too impressed with Tove Lo’s music over the years. I often find it just doesn’t click with me, although I do have some nostalgia for that “Habits (Stay High)” song because it was one of the wildest things I’d ever heard at the age of 11. Also, it was a free iTunes Single of the Week so I had it on my iPod! However, HEAT is the most I’ve enjoyed a project of hers yet. She teams up with house and disco producer SG Lewis for a collection of club bangers that all fly by while inviting you back for more. The groove of the title track is intoxicating, it is just one of those songs you turn your brain off to and enjoy. The hook is so amazing too, it’s such a well-crafted Euro house track. The other songs are good too, although they don’t reach the heights of that song. Aside from the closing track “Desire” which has both artists working to the best of their abilities. The EP is worth hearing for those two songs alone. One of my biggest takeaways from this EP is how great of a producer SG Lewis is. His production really shines here on all of these cuts. Even when some of the songwriting on the two middle songs leaves something to be desired, it sure as hell sounds good. If you’re in the mood for a quick fix of house bangers, certainly give HEAT a try.

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Samurai - Lupe Fiasco

◇ released: June 28, 2024 ◇ genres: jazz rap, abstract hip hop, boom bap

I had very high hopes upon hearing the title track leading up to this record. It was another great example of Lupe Fiasco’s lyricism as well as his ear for good, jazzy beats. I was excited to hear where he would go on the rest of the album, but I never could’ve predicted what this album was going to be about. Samurai is a concept album and tribute to the late Amy Winehouse. Lupe set out to answer the question, “What would it be like if she was a battle rapper?” It’s a fascinating concept – a unique one to be sure. Unfortunately, despite the intrigue, the music here leaves a lot of potential on the table. Lupe’s lyrical prowess is on full display, but the album often feels unfocused on both the lyrical front and the musical front. He’ll have these elaborate complicated bars and the beat will be very good, but it just isn’t as impactful as I would like it to be. I was more so just impressed by his rapping rather than actively enjoying it.

What makes songs like the title track and the following “Mumble Rap” great is that they both have hooks that sort of anchor them. Lupe does his lyrical thing, but those hooks elevate the songs to higher levels. The chorus in the latter has him almost mumbling the words playing into the name of the song, which I thought was clever – also helps that the song isn’t just another track dogging on “mumble rap” and instead plays into the concept of the record. “Palaces” and “No. 1 Headband” are also highlights in that regard, but his verses lack a sense of urgency that grabs you. At a brisk 31 minutes, The album’s lasting impression leaves a lot to be desired. These tracks are not bad by any means, many are pretty good, but the bulk of the songs on the album never hit that next level they have the potential to. Samurai has an interesting concept, but the execution just could’ve been a bit stronger.

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Born in the Wild - Tems

◇ released: June 7, 2024 ◇ genres: alté, contemporary r&b

Tems has been making some waves throughout the hip hop and R&B world over the last six years or so. The Nigerian singer-songwriter has released a bunch of singles, two EPs, and has had some notable performances on albums from artists like Drake and Future. Now we finally have Born in the Wild, her debut album, and it’s just as promising as it is disappointing. There are many moments on here where she shines, like on “Burning” or “Love Me JeJe,” but this record only scratches the surface of what I think she is capable of. She seamlessly switches between Alté and neo-soul throughout the album which gives it a good bit of depth, but I can’t help but feel it would be a much stronger project had it been a bit more concise. I do love the production across this album. Tems handles production on multiple tracks here, but it also features contributions from notable Afrobeats producers like GuiltyBeatz, Spax, and P2J. Afrobeats have been making an impact across the world and I don’t think we’re too far off from it being one of the dominant sounds in pop music – we might already be there actually – but I would much rather an artist like Tems be at the forefront of that rather than someone like Selena Gomez.

I adore the two tracks I mentioned earlier. The smooth neo-soul of “Burning” perfectly showcases Tems’ ability as a vocalist and songwriter. The chorus is simple, yet effective, which I unfortunately can’t say about some of the cuts here. She has such a commanding presence vocally, I just wish some of the songwriting here matched that same energy. The subtle Afrobeats stylings of “Love Me JeJe” are so satisfying. The song interpolates and shares the same name as a 1997 song from Seyi Sodimu. It’s one of those songs that should be a big hit, but I fear the window has already closed a bit. “Ready” is also a brilliant song, I love the way the sort of jagged percussion juxtaposes both the soft synths beneath and her gorgeous vocals. There’s no shortage of really good stuff here, nothing on this album is bad by any stretch, it just has the potential to be much better. The songwriting leaves a bit to be desired on some of the songs here and it really makes you feel the album’s length. Like the sustained “Oh boy, oh boy …” chorus of “Boy O Boy,” it just feels like a song that isn’t fully finished yet.

As it stands, Born in the Wild offers a pretty decent showcase for Tems’ various talents, but her best is definitely yet to come. With some spruced-up, more focused songwriting I could see her being a force to be reckoned with. Mark my words, Tems will have a big global hit within the next few years. If I’m wrong, I’ll be surprised!

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Bad Cameo - James Blake & Lil Yachty

◇ released: June 28, 2024 ◇ genres: art pop, alternative r&b, neo-psychedelia, electronic

I’ll fully admit that I went into Bad Cameo feeling jaded at both of the artists involved in this project. I’ve never been a massive fan of James Blake’s work on his own and his comments on “erasing” the saxophone and its contributions to music, even if they were in jest, rubbed me the wrong way. Lil Yachty’s novel shift away from trap with Let’s Start Here and his subsequent shading of the genre that he made a name for himself in has also irritated me despite liking a good bit of that record. So, yeah, I wasn’t exactly excited to hear from these two. Bad Cameo is an awkward, decently crafted record with a couple of bright spots and a whole lot of snoozers.

Yachty and Blake have the kind of chemistry that suits neither of them. Both of them sound lost on these largely atmospheric tracks. Blake’s vocal style is the same as it’s always been and Yachty’s haven’t adapted well to this style all that well, but I guess I admire the effort. Yachty’s unwieldy singing here has a bit more feeling than Blake’s at the very least. Everything he does sounds so pristine that it makes me feel like if I get too comfortable I might end up knocking some kind of expensive vase over. Like on “Midnight” where Yachty tees up Blake for the most washed-out vocal handoff I’ve heard in a while. Very rarely do these two strike a perfect balance on the record, it often ranges from decent to tolerable to “y’all have no clue what you’re doing and it’s obvious.” I do enjoy some of the production on this record, that’s always been one of Blake’s strongest assets. I adore how “In Grey” sounds, definitely my favorite track on the record. Bad Cameo is ok at best. It offers some decent surprises sometimes, but it often just feels far too aimless and clumsy for its own good.

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Dopamine - Normani

◇ released: June 14, 2024 ◇ genres: contemporary r&b, pop

Gaining prominence as a member of Fifth Harmony, everyone’s favorite girl group, and through her breakout solo single “Motivation” in 2019, the anticipation has always been decently high for Normani’s full-length solo debut. Well, after all this time, we finally have Dopamine. I enjoyed “Movement” a decent amount, but I would never call it a favorite. Still, I was hopeful to see what she could do on a full album. Unfortunately, Dopamine is a very middling debut when it should be a very exciting one. She falls into all of the R&B cliches and in the process removes almost all of her individuality as an artist. What should be a mind-blowing step forward for a young artist just ends up feeling like … another album. Dopamine’s biggest crime isn’t being bad, although some moments prove to be rough, it’s just painfully generic. Most songs warrant nothing more than a shoulder shrug.

Normani carries herself well, but these tracks fail her, I feel like there’s so much more she’s capable of. The music here shifts between pop rap, R&B, and some dance pop which should give her the chance to show what she can do, but they leave a lot to be desired. The amalgamation of these established pop songwriters and producers doesn’t help matters either. It means everything is competently executed, but it lacks that flair that should make a debut so special. Still, there are some relative gems here. “Take My Time” is a sugary-sweet jam, one of the few songs where everything just works. Normani sounds like a star on this track. “Tantrums” with James Blake is another one of her strongest performances and Blake’s signature ghastly vocals fit well. She teams up with Cardi B on the closing track and lead single “Wild Side,” and it’s decent. Normani sounds like she’s having fun here and Cardi’s exaggerated lyricism provides a good foil. Strange choice for a closer though. Dopamine isn’t a bad album, but it’s held down by generic songs that don’t showcase Normani in the best light. The majority of the tracks here just don’t excite me. Despite it all, Dopamine is the best solo album from a Fifth Harmony member!

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C,XOXO - Camila Cabello

◇ released: June 28, 2024 ◇ genres: alt-pop, contemporary r&b

This new Camila Cabello album was one of my most anticipated of the month because every sign pointed to it being a trainwreck. The shift in sound displayed on the album’s singles and snippets – which many have rightfully called out for being a hodgepodge of much more interesting and subversive pop aesthetics – did not suit Cabello well at all. C,XOXO is a deeply vacant album that also happens to be embarrassingly honest. It’s like a fish out of water that’s hastily reading their diary entries in front of everyone. Cabello sounds desperate to be taken seriously, but not too seriously as to allow for some moments of levity. The end result is just a mess, a boring mess – the worst kind.

Much has already been said about the lead single “I LUV IT” with its blatant, on the verge of plagiaristic, Charli XCX influence and weird Playboi Carti feature, but that is hardly among the most bizarre choices she makes here. The core of this album is Cabello trying her hand at a variety of pop sounds to varying, often boring, levels of success. Amidst these sterile tracks, we get an interlude featuring BLP Kosher where he starts talking about how Cabello’s music was there for him when he was going through a period of heartbreak. What? Why is this here? It feels like ego-stroking, also who the hell is BLP Kosher? This is a 32-minute album with like three different interludes, she doesn’t manage the time on this album well at all. Perhaps the most bizarre moment on the album comes with “HOT UPTOWN” with Drake – who famously hasn’t been doing too much lately – where the pair stumble their way through a dancehall track. This leads into the song “Uuugly” which, I kid you not, is a Drake solo track. A solo Drake song in the midst of a Camila Cabello album? Not even a good one either, it’s just a baffling decision. I guess Drake’s feature rate has gone down drastically over the last two months. It also takes the focus away from Cabello on her own album. She isn’t doing much to set herself apart either, none of this album sounds uniquely her own. It’s like she’s having a 32-minute identity crisis.

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Timeless - Meghan Trainor

◇ released: June 7, 2024 ◇ genres: pop, dance-pop

Some albums you just listen to out of complete morbid curiosity and Timeless from Meghan Trainor is definitely one of those. The “All About That Bass” singer had a bit of a comeback a few years ago through some big, very irritating, hits on TikTok leading up to her last record Takin’ It Back. That album wasn’t very good, pretty much none of Trainor’s output has been that stellar. The follow-up, Timeless, is perhaps her best album yet and I’m only saying that because I think the opening track “To the Moon” is pretty decent. Trainor makes commercial music. You could imagine pretty much any of the tracks here in a bright and colorful Vitaminwater commercial or something. In fact, the music video for the song “Whoops” features an extended section of Trainor showing off and enjoying a cherry limeade-flavored Sparkling Ice drink during the song’s bridge. She’s brand-friendly in pretty much every aspect. It’s music more obsessed with image and commercial viability than forming a genuine connection with an audience. Her lyrics are all feel-good and empowering which makes you feel like a total asshole for not celebrating it, but my cynical anti-capitalist heart just can’t stomach it all. It’s so impersonal and commercial – money is the motive. The music across this album ranges from either unremarkable to irritating, which is to be expected. Trainor’s blend of doo-wop with current pop sensibilities is more often than not a recipe for disaster and that proves to be the case here as well. T-Pain pops up occasionally to breathe some life into this thing, but it doesn’t do much. Timeless didn’t surprise me, I knew what I was going to get coming into it. The only thing I learned is that I should probably start managing my time better. I could’ve gone for a nice walk in the sun instead of listening to this, I just didn’t need it.

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The Secret of Us - Gracie Abrams

◇ released: June 21, 2024 ◇ genres: singer-songwriter, folk pop, alt-pop

As I’m writing this review, The Secret of Us is predicted to debut at number 2 on the Billboard 200 chart. Now I don’t care about charts, but hearing just how creatively bankrupt this album is, I’m just shocked. I know music is subjective, but this is such a transparently empty record. Gracie Abrams, daughter of film director J.J. Abrams, seems to be the hand-picked apprentice of one Taylor Swift – don’t know if you guys have heard of her. She makes music in a similar vein, that corporately confessional verbose heartache riddled in these songs. Alongside Swift herself, many people from her “camp” are also here – so much so that it feels sort of like a pet project. The National’s Aaron Dessner co-writes most of the songs on the record alongside Abrams. Jack Antonoff obviously produces on the song “us.” – the duet with Swift. Even Justin Vernon, who seems to be wrapped up in this vortex, appears throughout the record. These are all competent artists in their own right, especially Vernon (please get back in the studio, i need another Bon Iver album), but no one is bringing their best here it seems. The album stays in that middle ground of sometimes bad, but mostly just … nothing. None of this makes me feel anything. It’s total in-one-ear-and-out-the-other singer-songwriter music. That kind of breathy folk mixed with the occasional art pop production either doesn’t suit Abrams well at all, or it’s been beaten to the point of exhaustion over the last few years.

I hesitate to say Abrams is a bad songwriter, she just seems painfully average. These songs are all deeply personal, yet have no distinct personality to them. They sound like heartbreak songs that could be shipped out to a number of different artists. They’re also very unadventurous musically. No surprises are thrown at you, once you press play on a song you know where it’s gonna go. Start subdued, go up an octave in the chorus, bring it back down again, rinse, and repeat. I guess it’s just a basic songwriting formula, but when nothing about this album is unique or interesting it wears thin quickly. The best song here is, in fact, the duet with Swift entitled “us.” It opens with this Carrie & Lowell-esque fingerpicked acoustic guitar, but thrown through that pop filter that sucks out the rawness of what makes that sound so special. Despite that, it’s still the most interesting song here musically at least. Everything else about it is fine. Whatever. Who even cares? This isn’t a good album.

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psssst. i made a discord server called COSMIACORD ... if u wanna join and have fun, talk about music, play fortnite, or whatever here's the invite :3 https://discord.gg/rsHMenTU

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voodoochili · 1 month ago

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My Favorite Songs of 2024

2024 is winding down, and as turbulent as it was a year in politics in the culture at large, it was another big year for tunes. It feels like I write something like that every year–I think we're finished with non-turbulent times. But one thing that I am grateful for is the sheer volume of excellent music that is instantly available at our fingertips. It's a daunting volume, but if you dig, you will find gems.

In 2024, I didn't feel like I had to dig very deep. I vibed with a lot of hits this year, whether they were chart-conquering #1s or viral favorites, and I felt more in step with the critical consensus than I have in years. In past years, I might have interrogated my taste to figure out why I was following the crowd. But as a new dad, I figure I should celebrate being "with it," before "it" becomes something else!

Below are my 100 favorite songs of the year, plus blurbs that explain why I think my top 25 are so special. There are 4000 words ahead, so I will stop talking for now, and just say: happy listening, I hope you find something you love!

Scroll down to the bottom of the blurbs to find my full playlist in Spotify form, plus a curated, sequenced 2024 sampler featuring many of the year's best songs. And now, the 25 best songs of 2024, plus 75 more.

25. El Snappo - “Back2Serve’n”: I am an absolute sucker for slinky, twangy Southern rap that borrows its groove from blaxploitation soundtracks (as filtered through UGK, Three 6, and 8Ball & MJG). PNutt’s palm-muted guitar scritches and walking bassline deliver that feeling in spades on “Back2Serve’n,” providing a red carpet for Broward County emcee El Snappo to waltz down. Wielding a sing-songy flow reminiscent of his fellow Floridian Trapland Pat, El Snappo makes the most of his moment, shouting out his heroes and establishing his hustler bonafides with a charmingly sly drawl.

24. Pa Salieu - “Dece (Heavy)”: Pa Salieu would never let something as small as a two-year prison sentence get in the way of his run as the UK’s most exciting rapper. He emerged from the pen this year on a ridiculous tear, wielding a book of lyrics he compiled while inside and retaining the lockstep timing and percussive flow that makes him special. “Dece (Heavy),” the highlight from Pa’s new album Afrikan Alien, is a virtuosic display, as he deftly navigates a tricky polyrhythm with thudding monosyllables (first verse), toe-tagging precision (hook), and, (during the song’s mind-spinning second verse) rapidfire flourishes that slice through the intricate percussion with ease.

23. Arooj Aftab - “Raat Ki Rani”: On her breakout, Grammy-nominated 2021 album Vulture Prince, Pakistani singer and composer Arooj Aftab drew from influences that ranged from Billie Holliday to Mariah Carey to Rumi, the 13th century Sufi poet. “Raat Ki Rani” adds another muse to that considerable collection: Sade Adu. Soothing as a balm, but still stinging with the pain of regret, “Raat Ki Rani” ripples like a cloudy night sky. Aftab smolders atop majestic harps, mournful pianos, and a galloping rhythm, singing of a “queen of the night” who seductively approaches, perhaps in a dream. She aches with the pain of unfulfilled expectation, longing for a love that remains just out of reach.

22. Fabiana Palladino - “Stay With Me Through The Night”: The scion of a musical family–her father is the legendary session bassist Pino Palladino–Fabiana Palladino effortlessly compresses sounds and sensibilities from several eras and genres, filtering them into a style of her own. Unlike her mentor and frequent collaborator Jai Paul (who executive-produced her album and contributed to this track), Fabiana feels no need to hide behind cultivated mystique or lo-fi murk. She synthesizes grooves that move, imbuing them with emotions that last. “Stay With Me Through The Night,” the best song on her excellent self-titled debut album, is an impassioned attempt to forge ahead in love with a clean slate. Adorned by classy, reverbed piano chords and propelled by a halting and deeply funky drum & bass groove by Steve Ferrone and Pino himself, the song somehow triangulates the sweet spot between Silk Degrees, The Seeds of Love, and The Velvet Rope. As the song progresses, Fabiana’s breathy pleas grow more impassioned, and the question of staying the night grows more and more rhetorical.

21. BossMan Dlow - “Get In With Me”: BossMan Dlow writes rhymes designed to be shouted back at him at full volume. On “Get In With Me,” the first and best real deal viral rap hit of the year, Dlow makes use of pregnant pauses to structure each of his lines as a call-and-response: “Left wrist on froze…look like a bag of ice/I’m driving the Bentley Bentayga…like I don’t love my life.” I, for one, think that BossMan Dlow should be a bit more careful when whipping his luxury cars, but I can’t get enough of his tales of his bottomless budget for shoes and watches.

20. NLE Choppa - “Slut Me Out 2”: Since emerging onto the scene as a teenager with the “Shotta Flow” series, NLE Choppa has become one of hip-hop’s most colorful characters. He’s a vegan, chakra-pilled, “wellness” enthusiast with a winning smile, who is full of himself, but doesn’t take himself too seriously. The gleefully raunchy “Slut Me Out” series (which, along with the three main installments, includes a country remix with J.P. and the hit offshoot “Or What” featuring 41) has been his greatest accomplishment, injecting a much-needed dose of camp into the modern rap landscape. Over a beat powered by sucky-sucky synth bass and insistent club percussion, Choppa doesn’t rap as much as he sashays, his explicit come-ons echoing the sprechgesang delivery of a ballroom house diva more than standard rap machismo. Whether or not he’s aware of his auto-homoerotic undertones (“There’s nothing freaky I wouldn’t do to me, to me”), "Slut Me Out 2" is a blast, an “I’m Too Sexy” for the brainrot generation.

19. Kendrick Lamar - “Not Like Us”: Enough ink has been spilled about "Not Like Us," which we will be hearing for the rest of our lives, but here’s one of many things I appreciate about Kendrick Lamar’s 2024: he illustrated the arbitrariness of the dividing lines that fans and journalists draw between scenes, sub-genres, and artistic approaches. In 2014, it would’ve been easy to imagine Kendrick’s cerebral, hyperlocal storytelling and Mustard’s post-ratchet pop wave existing in separate universes. That was never true: they’re simply different flavors of L.A. shit, with a shared lineage that stretches back to World Class Wrecking Cru and DJ Quik. The West Coast, united, can never be defeated.

18. Nia Archives - “Crowded Roomz”: Behold, the shy DJ. In this voyeuristic Boiler Room era, being a DJ increasingly involves surrendering yourself to the watchful eyes of spectators, who scrutinize your every move. Nia Archives spends a lot of time in packed clubs, and on “Crowded Roomz,” she dramatizes the intense alienation that can come from being the center of attention. As a devoted junglist, however, she doesn’t let her self doubt stand in the way of a banger: she complements punishing drums and space-age sound effects with plaintive guitar and her own yearning vocals, creating a going out anthem for introverts.

17. Astrid Sonne - “Give my all”: Astrid Sonne is a master of building anticipation–she stacks unresolved chords to the stratosphere until her left hand descends upon her piano like the hammer of Thor. On “Give my all,” Sonne lays everything on the line, as she dramatizes her longing for a departed lover with an entrancing, haunting theme, first brought to life with new age synths (complete with strings and panpipe sounds that spring straight from the CD section of a 90s nature store), before it repeats towards the end of the song with pizzicato strings and jaunty woodwinds. As “Give my all” continues, Sonne’s narration grows more unreliable, and her romantic longing seems to curdle into a dangerous obsession. The song’s disparate elements don’t so much blend as they uneasily exist beside one another, like letters torn out of a magazine for a ransom note.

16. Good Looks - “If It’s Gone”: A breakup song both sardonic and kind, Good Looks frontman Tyler Jordan wrote “If It’s Gone” when his longtime girlfriend left him on the first day of the pandemic (we all know exactly what day that is; for me it felt really real when they canceled the Big Ten and NCAA Basketball tournaments). Though there is plenty of venom, the lyrics betray a residual fondness that lingers even after sudden heartbreak, and showcase a good sense of humor that convinces me that there’s no hardship Jordan can’t weather (“And I don't believe in Jеsus, God, or Buddha, or beyond/Okay, a little bit in Buddha—trying to keep from hanging on,” he sings). Adorning the song with gently jangling guitars, tinged with just the right amount of melancholy, Jordan’s bandmates accompany him with a friendly, ramshackle groove that makes the song’s five-and-a-half minutes glide by. By the end of the song, Jordan has earned his revenge by living well, but he still can’t resist the urge to pen one last kiss off: “I hope you find true love and money, many orgasms, and fame/And if you're somehow still unhappy, find somebody else to blame.”

15. Mk.gee - “Alesis”: Year-end time inspires me to dig deep into the songs I’ve enjoyed most, but truth be told, I am not really a lyrics guy. I forget the words to many of my favorite songs, and I can count on my fingers and toes the number of songs with lyrics I know by heart. But the melodies…the melodies, I remember. Such is the power of a great melody: I am moved by mouth sounds, entranced by intervals, caught off guard by unusual syncopation. I’ve listened to “Alesis” a couple dozen times this year, but until now, it has never occurred to me to look up what Mk.gee is on about. Even now, after listening closely to this song for this blurb, I couldn’t recite one lyric. I’ve decided to let the mystery be. I don’t want language to disturb the reverie the artist induces with his muddy, chorus-laden bass and an organ humming in the distance. I can tell you my favorite syllable though: it recurs each chorus, probably around the third line, when the melody leaps up an octave, and it sounds something like this (bolded for emphasis): “Why beeee/Weh we wo HA too.”

14. Nourished by Time - “Hell Of A Ride”: Since releasing Erotic Probiotic 2 (my top album of 2023), Nourished By Time's bedroom symphonies have grown more ambitious and confident. Buoyed by a bigger budget courtesy of XL Recordings, Marcus Brown (who goes by they/them pronouns) is able to flesh out their soundscapes without sacrificing any DIY charm. Kicking off with a guitar riff worthy of a sports movie montage, “Hell Of A Ride” settles into a propulsive keyboard-driven groove, deepened by buzzing synth strings and wailing guitars. Over this bed of controlled chaos, Brown rages against the dying of the light, attempting to reconcile their personal triumphs and increasingly happy life with the horrors unfolding in the world around us: “Young breathin' in them toxins/Used to have a third place, now they got no options/And I don't see that shit stoppin'.” In the end, Brown takes a position of hopeful defiance: if the world is gonna end sooner rather than later, we might as well go out with a bang.

13. J.P. - “Bad Bitty”: The biggest hit of Milwaukee’s current rap wave, and the catchiest 99 seconds of 2024, came courtesy of an erstwhile small forward at UW-Stevens Point, a 20-year-old who radiates an unnatural amount of “unc energy.” “Bad Bitty” benefits from J.P.’s “aw shucks” delivery and supreme vocal talent, as he layers his harmonies like an R&B heartthrob, scats like Ella Fitzgerald, and unspools melodious syllables as easy as he breathes. He may not ever score a hit as big as this again but no matter what, he will still be J.P.

12. Cassandra Jenkins - “Delphinium Blue”: Channeling Laurie Anderson and Emily Brontë in equal measure, Cassandra Jenkins explores the thin line between the transcendent and mundane in “Delphinium Blue.” Her narrator works at a flower shop, surrounded by beauty, and performs the necessary grunt work to maintain that earthly Garden of Eden. The colors of the flowers remind her of her beloved, and like the flowers, love requires constant maintenance to preserve its vibrance. “Cut the stems,” she intones, “to make them last.”

11. Star Bandz - “Yea Yea”: I first heard Ahmad Jamal’s “Pastures” as a sample in Jay-Z’s “Feelin’ It,” which turned a two-chord loop from the jazz classic into one of the most easy-going songs on Reasonable Doubt. 28 years later, Chicago native Star Bandz (who was…negative-12 when “Feelin’ It” came out) and producer CyrusXO! took “Pastures” in a very different direction with “Yea Yea,” turning Jamal’s rippling arpeggios into menacing reflections of Star’s chaotic energy. Easily navigating the busy instrumental, Star lives up to her name, making it very clear that she’s already lived several lives at 16. Never feeling the need to raise her voice to get her point across, she establishes herself with one of the most striking introductions in recent rap history: “What's up? How are you doing?/I'm the man, my name is Star/I'm 16 doin' shows, and I rock out like a guitar”

10. Tashi Wada - “Grand Trine” ft. Julia Holter: Titled after a rare astrological phenomenon that occurs when three planets exist in symmetrical harmony, “Grand Trine” is a product of a similarly harmonious union between experimental musicians and life partners Tashi Wada and Julia Holter, written in celebration of their daughter’s birth. It is at once a triumphant bit of chamber pop and a meditative new age dreamscape, the elements alternating seemingly at random in a manner that mimics the joy and chaos of parenting a young child. The spritely fanfare of a chorus is designed to hit you deep in your soul, while Wada’s harpsichord fantasias and Holter’s wordless incantations combine to inspire an overwhelming tidal wave of emotion, especially in new parents like yours truly.

9. Hannah Frances - “Bronwyn”: On the cover of her album Keeper of the Shepherd, Hannah Frances lays prostrate in the throes of mourning upon red clay soil, a bracing image that prepares you for the emotional power of “Bronwyn,” the album’s opening track. “Bronwyn” opens with Frances’s acoustic guitar as she picks out suspended chords, unresolved as she waits for her lover to return. It quickly becomes clear that Frances is hoping against hope–the atmosphere grows more turbulent, with distorted drums and violent electric guitar, and she sings of her incomprehensible grief: “The heart swells to loosen the ribs/Loosen the ribs.” While the rest of the album didn’t really move me, “Bronwyn,” achieves Frances’s lofty aims, reaching the celestial heights of folk classics like Joni’s Hejira and Joanna Newsom’s Ys.

8. Ka - “Borrowed Time”: When Ka passed away earlier this year at the age of 52, it came as a shock. The Brownsville, Brooklyn native and firefighter by trade was a paragon of independent integrity, existing outside the mainstream rap apparatus, working nights and weekends to perfect his grimy sound and lyrical koans. It seemed like he could keep making albums like this year’s The Thief Next To Jesus for decades to come. However, as I’ve listened back to Ka’s discography over the past two months, I realized that the person who would’ve been least surprised about his untimely fate is Ka himself: his lyrics frequently focus on the inevitability of his eventual end, and stress the importance of setting things straight with your people and your higher power before it’s too late. Built around a bluesy guitar sample and sirenic organ, “Borrowed Time” is a typically excellent Ka song, defined by the rapper’s gravelly delivery and his pearls of jagged wisdom. Ka speaks of a life lived without compromise, recounting numerous hardships but never expressing regret–it’s all part-and-parcel of escaping the circumstances of his birth: “Must admit it's some vicious pictures in this tapestry.” Ka’s two line hook was powerful at first listen, but is now almost too devastating to bear: “I hope it's borrowed time when my time come/'Cause all my time wasn't kind, son.” Ka might have viewed the last few decades of his life as borrowed time, but I wish he could’ve borrowed a bit more.

7. Vampire Weekend - “Connect”: Fifteen years after bursting onto the indie scene in a cloud of controversy, Vampire Weekend have settled into a comfortable middle age as one of the tightest and best-arranged bands around. They’ve always packed their songs with musical bits that hook just as deeply as their vocal choruses, but their 2024 album, Only God Was Above Us, establishes a new compositional frontier for the group. “Connect” is the flashiest, and proggiest, song on the album, powered by Chris Baio’s melodic bass and frontman Ezra Koenig’s (truly impressive) baroque piano. Koenig’s lyrics are as abstract as ever, but they seem to mourn his loss of his sense of childlike wonder, as he is increasingly unable to find joy in the little things that used to occupy his curiosity. His piano unspools like his inner child dancing out of frame, on the backs of ascending diminished sevenths and dancing arpeggios.

6. MCVERTT - “Hate The Real” ft. 41: Rap trio 41 (Jenn Carter, Kyle Richh, and TaTa) consistently pushes the boundaries of New York drill, avoiding the sinister sliding 808s that have gone stale and finding sounds from further afield. Their most fruitful creative partner is Newark producer MCVERTT, who redefined the sound of Jersey via his club rap collaborations with Bandmanrill, and has consistently provided 41 with his most inventive productions, including the trio’s breakout hit “Bent.” My favorite rap song of 2024, “Hate The Real” is the perfect “Bent” follow-up, complementing the trio’s speaker-knocking energy with what might be the chillest beat in Jersey club history. The most cerebral of the group, Jenn Carter, takes the mellow instrumental as an opportunity for introspection about her trauma and mollifying drug use: “Roll up a blunt, not expressin' my pain/Like fuck, this shit hurt every day.” Kyle and TaTa, on the other hand, see no reason to change up their usual steez; Kyle describes his bachelor revelries, while TaTa watches TikToks in the club. A confluence of unexpected sounds and colorful personalities bouncing off each other, “Hate The Real” is invigorating, relaxing, and endlessly replayable.

5. Burial - “Dreamfear”/“Boy Sent From Above”: Still shrouded in mystery after all these years, club legend Burial made a brief return in 2024 with two of his finest ever tracks. On “Dreamfear” and “Boy Sent From Above,” released as a 2-track EP, Burial decides to stop messing around with the ambient and atmospheric textures characteristic of his recent work. Instead, he creates a pair of unrepentant bangers, as ferocious as any in his formidable discography. Opening with an ominous line reading from the Assassin’s Creed video game series, “Dreamfear” is a punishing taste of The Prodigy-esque hardstyle rave, as Burial wields “Amen” breaks like blunt force weapons, inserting vocal samples that lighten the mood with their sheer goofiness (“Back from the dead, fucked in the head”; “I am the lord of ecstasy!”). I prefer the B-Side, “Boy Sent From Above,” which hasn’t gotten nearly as much love on year-end lists, but offers a much purer pleasure. It’s a shameless take on happy house, layering major key synth fanfares over skittering Miami bass percussion. As the cherry on top, Burial makes a point to use the Euro-trashiest lead sound he can find to bash away charming melodies that echo both “Axel F” and Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin’ Bout You."

4. MJ Lenderman - “She’s Leaving You”: At first, I didn’t understand the hype behind Indie rock hero du jour MJ Lenderman. He has a way with plaintive melodies and a slacker’s sense of humor, kind of like Stephen Malkmus, combined with a ramshackle rowdiness that evokes Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Or at least he did in theory–as much as he emulated those legends, I felt there was a big piece missing: their sui generis songwriting talent. A simple, but powerful ballad, “She’s Leaving You” is the song that won me a seat on the Lenderman bandwagon. “She’s Leaving You” has it all: Economical, devastating lyrics that hint at a deep-seated sadness (“It falls apart, we all have work to do”); dueling guitar riffs that sound vaguely familiar, but only because their melodies are so instinctual and satisfying; a climactic, J Mascis-lite guitar solo that screams the chorus melody. Add it to the canon of rock’s great self-pitying masculine tearjerkers, next to modern classics like The Hold Steady’s “Lord, I’m Discouraged,” and classic classics like Thin Lizzy’s “Fight Or Fail,” Elvis Costello’s “Alison,” and the Stones’ “Let It Loose.”

3. Tinashe - “Nasty”: Tinashe’s long-overdue mainstream comeback continues a noble pop tradition of deeply sensual songs that get the point across without using explicit language. Each line is sexually frank enough that it barely qualifies as innuendo, but there’s nothing on there that TV or radio can object to! (Another song that does this, albeit in a sillier and even filthier way: “Milkshake” by Kelis) Beyond that clever gamesmanship, “Nasty” is a brilliant bit of songwriting, mixing hearing test keyboards with ultra-crisp 808s and an inventive bassline that plays off the unusual minor key substitution in the verse (the verse’s C Minor chord leads into an A Flat Minor chord, when you would expect A Flat Major in the song’s C Minor key!) Tinashe’s tone is pure and playful, her delivery toe-tagging each handclap and bass bounce in a way that is fun to imitate, but hard to replicate. Her freak, it turns out, is not so easily matched.

2. Mabe Fratti - “Enfrente”: Experimental cellist Mabe Fratti uses her instrument as a springboard to new worlds. At times, she plucks the cello like a bass, and at others, her sweeping bow adds cinematic grandeur to her innovative compositions. Shining with a crystalline intimacy that reminds me of Bjørk’s Vespertine, “Enfrente” boasts the coolest collection of sounds I heard all year, with ice cavern synths, prominent breakbeats, and Fratti's supremely funky pizzicato cello. To Fratti's credit, she fashions an incredible, shapeshifting destroyer of a song around these elements–like so many songs on this list, “Enfrente” chronicles a search for connection in an increasingly hostile world. The conclusion sounds like an avalanche, as the love and warmth she's been searching for tumble hopelessly away.

1. Geordie Greep - “Holy, Holy!”: I first heard the band Black Midi on YouTube and didn’t think much of it. I was impressed by their musicianship at such a young age, and amused by their devotion to once-uncool influences like the aggressive prog of Van Der Graaf Generator and 1980s King Crimson, but never compelled to return to their songs after an initial listen. The lead singer, Geordie Greep, sang in an exaggerated, throaty manner that reminded me at times of the cartoonish snarl of Cameo’s Larry Blackmon. So when Greep released his debut solo single over the summer, I didn’t expect my mind to be so thoroughly blown. Exhilarating and blood-curdling, “Holy, Holy!” grabs you by the throat from its first roaring guitar riff. The opening groove is immense, with a muscular rhythm section and guitar that purrs like an unmuffled Ferrari. It sounds like 80s Earth, Wind, and Fire and Eno-era Roxy Music, if they entered the machine that turned Jeff Goldblum into The Fly. Crooning like Cronenberg Bing Crosby (or Donald Fagen from the Black Lodge), Greep knocks us off balance with his first line, accompanied by syncopated guitar stabs: “I could tell you were lonely, from the moment you walked in.” As the song progresses, the Afro-Latin and orchestral Brazilian influences grow more and more apparent, and the song’s narrator grows more and more deranged–you can practically smell the gin on his breath as he brags of his virility and his sterling reputation with the “revolutionaries” and “Jihadis” who stretch from Havana to Tokyo. The bottom falls out when the song’s driving bass is replaced by a cascading piano and a heavenly choir–Greep matches the beauty of the arrangement with skin-crawling skeeviness. He unloads his deepest desires to his object of affection, who, as it is now clear, is a sex worker whom he has bribed to reassure him of his misplaced sense of confidence: “And I want you to tell me I'm a perfect dancer/And I want you to tell me I smell great/I want you to make me look taller/Could you kneel down the whole time?/How much will that cost?” Sometimes when I choose my favorite song of the year, I consider how it deeply affected my life, and mirrored what I’ve been going through (c.f. 2020 or 2023). Other times (like in 2021), I have no choice but to pick the most undeniable banger. I’m happy to say that the grandly ambitious steamroller that is “Holy, Holy!” fits squarely in the latter category.

Find the playlist HERE

Listen to my Best of 2024 Mix HERE (for best results, set crossfade to 12 seconds)

The Full List:

Geordie Greep - "Holy, Holy!"

Mabe Fratti - "Enfrente"

Tinashe - "Nasty"

MJ Lenderman - "She's Leaving You"

Burial - "Dreamfear" / "Boy Sent From Above"

MCVERTT - "Hate The Real" ft. 41

Vampire Weekend - "Connect"

Ka - "Borrowed Time"

Hannah Frances - "Bronwyn"

Tashi Wada - "Grand Trine" ft. Julia Holter

Star Bandz - "Yea Yea" (Prod. by CYRUSXO!)

Cassandra Jenkins - "Delphinium Blue"

J.P. - "Bad Bitty" (Prod. by J.P. & P The Producer)

Nourished By Time - "Hell Of A Ride"

Mk.gee - "Alesis"

Good Looks - "If It's Gone"

Astrid Sonne - "Give my all"

Nia Archives - "Crowded Roomz"

Kendrick Lamar - "Not Like Us" (Prod. by Mustard)

NLE Choppa - "SLUT ME OUT 2" (Prod. by EMRLD BEATS & Synthetic)

BossMan Dlow - "Get In With Me" (Prod. by DonteMadeIt)

Fabiana Palladino - "Stay With Me Through The Night"

Arooj Aftab - "Raat Ki Rani"

Pa Salieu - "Dece (Heavy)" (Prod. by AoD, Felix Joseph & Tudor Monroe)

El Snappo - "Back2Serve'n" (Prod. by Pnutt)

Nilufer Yanya - “Mutations”

Jessica Pratt - “Life Is”

Anysia Kim - “#71 (Again & Again)” (Prod. by Anysia Kim)

Kelly Moran - “Butterfly Phase”

Magdalena Bay - “Cry For Me”

Rema - “OZEBA” (Prod. by Rema & ThisIzLondon)

Djrum - “Crawl”

Floating Points - “Vocoder (Club Mix)”

Cash Cobain - “Fisherrr” ft. Bay Swag (Prod. by Cash Cobain)

TitoM, Yuppe, S.N.E. & Eeque - “Tshwala Bam” (Prod. by TitoM & Yuppe)

Shawny Binladen & Baby Gates - “Crazy Day” (Prod. by Jet Stanley)

Church Chords - “Warriors of Playtime”

Loe Shimmy - “Pray For Peace” (Prod. by Bailey Sample & Jordan Michael Davis)

Helado Negro - “Best For You and Me”

Chanel Beads - “Embarrassed Dog”

Nadine Shah - “Topless Mother”

Chuck Johnson - “Broken Spectre”

FLO - “Check”

Xavi - “La Diabla”

upsammy - “Aqualizing”

Mike & Tony Seltzer - “Pinball” (Prod. by Tony Seltzer & Mikey Fleece)

WizKid - “Karamo” (Prod. by P2J)

Chief Keef - “Believe” (Prod. by Chief Keef & Bobby Raps)

Hana Vu - “Dreams”

Empress Of - “What Type of Girl Am I?”

Halo Maud - “Catch The Wave”

Kanii, Riovaz & Nimstarr - “Tell Me” (Prod. by Gray Toomey & Zetra)

Mach-Hommy - “Sur Le Pont d’Avignon” (Prod. by Conductor Williams & Sam Gendel)

Clairo - “Juna”

Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - “Empty Trainload of Sky”

Los and Nutty - “THE REASON” (Prod. by 28MadeThisOne & Vinxia)

Johnny Blue Skies - “If The Sun Never Rises Again”

Caxtrinho - “Vó Jura”

Elucid - “IN THE SHADOW OF IF” (Prod. by Jon Nellen)

Christopher Owens - “Beautiful Horses”

Belong - “AM / PM”

Rachel Chinouriri - “The Hills”

Erika De Casier - “Lucky”

Myaap - “Smackin” (Prod. by Azcaviar)

Mary Timony - “No Thirds”

ScHoolboy Q - “THank god 4 me” (Prod. by Kal Banx, DJ Fu & J.LBS)

Fantastic Cat - “So Glad You Made It”

Tems - “You In My Face” (Prod. by GuiltyBeatz)

BabyChiefDoit - “Doit The Best” (Prod. by DrakoMade, FoxWhyYouSoGodly & JATEK ONE)

HiTECH - “DETROIT MONEY PHONE” ft. G.T. (Prod. by HiTECH)

Maxo Kream - “Bang The Bus” (Prod. by Evilgiane)

The Cure - “And Nothing Is Forever”

oso oso - “all of my love”

MESSIAH - “burden of truth” ft. Malaya (Prod. by TwoTone)

Loidis - “Wait & See”

Chicken P - “People’s Favorite” (Remix) ft. 42 Dugg (Prod. by Niizzy)

Sexyy Red - “Get It Sexyy” (Prod. by Tay Keith & Jake Fridkis)

Future - “MJ” (Prod. by Wheezy, Romil Hemnani, Bryan Yepes & 2forwOyNE)

Tapir! - “Hallelujah Bruv!”

Eem Triplin - “stephanie” (Prod. by Sauron & Imitation Therapy)

Lupe Fiasco - “Samurai” (Prod. by Soundtrakk)

Little Simz - “Far Away” (Prod. by Jakwob)

Durand Bernarr - “GPS”

Ovrkast - “CUT UP” (Prod. by Ovrkast)

The Smile - “Eyes & Mouth”

Beyoncé - “RIIVERDANCE” (Prod. by Beyoncé & The-Dream)

Big Boogie - “Left, Right” (Prod. by Yung Dee & DMacTooBangin)

BigXThaPlug - “Meet The 6ixers” ft. Ro$ama & Yung Hood (Prod. by Tony Coles)

Rels B & Junior H - “Un Desperdicio” (Prod. by Krizous, Omar Alcaide, Andres Yuma & Cesar Posada)

Pablo Skywalkin - “Dress Shoes” (Prod. by ???)

Hiatus Kaiyote - “Cinnamon Temple”

The Narcotix - “The Lamb”

Sinkane - “Everything Is Everything” ft. Tru Osbourne

Papo 2oo4 & Subjxct 5 - “Ooo” (Prod. by Subjxct 5)

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso - “El Único” (Prod. by Federico Vindver & Felipe “Pipe” Bernal)

Popstar Benny - “Wiz” ft. Vayda & SadBoy (Prod. by Popstar Benny)

Kareen Lomax - “Remedy”

Goat - “Ouroboros”

Kelly Lee Owens - “Time To”

Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - “Challengers: Match Point”

#pa salieu #kendrick lamar #geordie greep #mabe fratti #tinashe #burial #mj lenderman #julia holter #star bandz #mk.gee #bossman dlow

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