Here are my thoughts on the top 20 of P4K's top 50 of 2024
I'm pretty curious about this, I see some albums I recognize, but many that I never heard of. Too bad it's almost 2025 and I didn't get a lot of time to sit with some of these. Onto newer and better.
20: Mabe Fratti: Sentir que no sabes
- I liked parts of this album. Wished I understood Spanish. I don't think it's top 20 worthy, though. Didn't push things forward enough for top 20. 3.4/5
19: Magdalena Bay: Imaginal Disk
- I am surprised that this is at 19. I thought this was a great album, and a great step forward for MB. Really excited to see where this band goes. Would love them to come to MTL. I thought the lyrics were great, I liked the production, and I liked the vibe this album was going for. Definitely one I will go back to in years ahead. Have been listening to this consistently since it was released. 4.25/5
18: Mk.gee: Two Star & the Dream Police
- AB has been on me to listen to this for months. Finally did. I really loved this album. The vibe reminded me of parts of classic 80s songs (Africa, In the air tonight, etc.), and Frank Ocean. However, it was something entirely new and pretty relevant I think. I'm a zoomer. I found this addictive. I think this will be big in retrospective reviews going forward. 4.25/5
17: Arooj Aftab: Night Reign
- Enjoyable, but didn't blow me away. If you like vocal jazz this may be your thing. Had nice moments, but a bit inconsistent. Started to drag halfway through. Not position 17. 3.5/5
16: DORIS: Ultimate Love Songs Collection
- Great moments, but way too long. Not a fan of long albums that could have benefited from being edited more heavily. I think this is a potential problem with the digital age of music distribution. Sometimes limits on content puts the kind of pressure that is needed to make artists better. 2.5/5
15: Still House Plants: If I don't make it, I love u
- Wow this was annoying. Save yourself the trouble and skip, as I did. Unrated.
14: Rafael Toral: Spectral Evolution
- Love the album art. Got bored. Unrated.
13: Nilüfer Yanya: My Method Actor
- Better than alright, but not by much. 3.5/5
12: skaiwater: #gigi
- My first impression was that it was Not super original, reminds me of carti + uzi. However, I liked it better with each listen. The beats are good. Wish I spent more time with this over the year. 3/5
11: Mannequin Pussy: I Got Heaven
- I think a lot of bands wished they sounded like this. Very solid album. 3.75/5
10: Kim Gordon: The Collective
- Made 41 minutes feel a lot longer than 41 minutes. 3/5
9: Astrid Sonne: Great Doubt
- I like the length. Short and sweet (maybe I would have liked Sabrina Carpenter's album better if it was this short). Did not blow me away though. Some of the production sounded like it was done on GarageBand. Might be cool live. 3/5
8: Bladee: Cold Visions
- I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this album. Nice production, good 808s. Some of the lyrics are a bit bleak, hope the guy is ok. 3.5/5
7: Mount Eerie: Night Palace
- I am a big fan of the microphones, but never really got into Mount Eerie. This album was a really nice release, though. I loved it. I loved the song about being a broom that is worn to bits and then swept away. Like the glow pt. 2, this album reminds me of the woods, the feeling of looking up at the sky, and smelling pine trees. The glow pt. 2 will always remind me of one thanksgiving where my buddy came with my family to the rural Ontario countryside, and this album had a similar vibe. I heard some nice pavement influences. Pavement seems to have had a strong grip on indie rock. 3.9/5
6: Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood
- This album came out right before I left for Pittsburgh. I listened to it a lot in the spring, as I prepared for a lot of changes to my life. It definitely feels like a spring album, because there is a sense of renewal, but also of nostalgia (for summers past, in anticipation of the oncoming one). I forgot about it for a few months (I was busy listening to the Dead to comfort me while I lived in the Hill District). I rediscovered it in late August, and it has been on heavy rotation since then. Something about this album gives me the sensation of flying. The songs are well written, and her voice really cuts deep. It's made even better by the fact that MJ Lenderman played guitar on it. 4.25/5
5: Nala Sinephro: Endlessness
- I enjoyed this. I will sit with it longer. It has the elements of many things I like in electronic and jazz music. I don't feel comfortable properly rating it yet. My gut tells me it will be 3.8/5
4: MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks
- This may become one of my favourite albums of all time. This album came out in early September, when I was getting ready to leave Pittsburgh and return to Montreal. It was a time of personal growth for me, and the end of the summer. I remember having this on repeat as I was walking around for a whole Saturday afternoon trying to find a store that sold beer (this was an issue because PA liquor laws are weird). For some reason that activity felt like something MJ would have written about. The lyrics seemed so prescient and timely for some things I had going on. I think that was the case for many people, which is why this album is so good. I loved the way the guitars sound, I hear the drive-by truckers, the sonic youth, the pavement, and the silver jews influence, but this is its own thing entirely. His lyrics are smart and self-deprecating (+ hilarious). His pop culture references are weird, but apt. A nice addition to an impressive catalogue. Seeing him in October (in MTL) was one of the best concerts of my life. Bought tickets to see him in Vermont this May. Both shows sold out. 4.75/5
3: Jessica Pratt: Here in the Pitch
This did not do it for me, but mostly because of its position in the list. Has all the makings for a good album. Definitely not a #3 pick. Definitely not above MJ or Waxa. Still good, but not here. Was surprised Geordie Greep did not make it up here. 3.5/5
2: Charli XCX: BRAT
- I might get some flak on this one, but I didn't think it was THAT great. I was surprised pop culture ate this up as much as it did. It was a solid album with some good moments, and I think it will be influential (not sure if I think thats a good thing). I think that copycats are going to go for this, and they won't be able to channel what Charli XCX can do. I found some of the lyrical content uncomfortable, which I think was the point. I think there were too many lyrics though. I would have preferred more instrumentals. Curious to see what her next album will sound like, because I think if it's too similar people will pan it. Did not like billie's verse in the redux of guess. Never craved listening to this album. 3.5/5
1: Cindy Lee: Diamond Jubilee
- An achievement Canadians can feel proud of: getting the #1 place on Pitchfork's albums of the year list. This album checks a lot of sonic boxes for me. It reminds me a bit of Candy Claws Ceres & Calypso, but it also reminds me of David Lynch movies. I also get some fleet foxes. For some reason, this album reminds me of music my dad liked when I was a kid. I wish I realized this was free to stream on Bandcamp much earlier, because I saw this album climb the charts on RYM over the summer. I will be giving this some good air time over the next month, to properly decide if it's better than Manning Fireworks (which is what I would put at #1). I will hold off rating it until I have listened to it more.
Yes, I listened to all the albums on the pitchfork top 50, so that you don't have to. I kind of regret it, but I learned some things along the way. I also gained exposure to things I would not have found otherwise.
Stay tuned for a weekend post including some albums that friends have asked me to review.
Ev
Comments
Post a Comment