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In Search of the 24 Best Albums of 2024: May

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Once upon a time there was a guy named Chris. Having spent years backfilling on decades gone past, in 2021 he set out on a quest to catch up on newer music. He listened to the critics choices for the best albums of the 2010s, and picked his favorites. He did the same for 2020, picking his top 20 from the critics most highly rated albums. And he listened to new releases monthly in 2021, eventually picking the 21 best albums of 2021. That was so much fun he decided to do it again in 2022 and 2023, listening each month and picking out the 22 best albums of 2022 and the 23 best albums of 2023. He is me!

There are links to the albums in the posts cited above, but if you’d like a one-stop playlist, I’ve got that set up in YouTube Music:

Also, do you want to know a secret? The review is still going on! Here are the previous editions of the 2024 monthly review if you missed them:

( January February March April )

A quick word on the “yes” and “maybe” categories I’ve sorted things into, before we get going with the latest:

Yes– This isn’t a guarantee, but it represents the albums that, upon first listen, I think could definitely be in the running for best of the year.

Maybe– These albums have something to recommend them, but also something that gives me pause. I’m putting them in their own category, because I have found “maybes” sometimes linger and eventually become “yeses”.

Now let’s get on with my top picks from 124 May new releases that I listened to!

Adeem the Artist, Anniversary– It’s country, but with a sheen reminiscent of 70s AM radio, and just the tiniest hit of electronic as well. Mostly, it’s good hooks, lyrical clarity, and emotional honesty. And songs describing same sex love, advocating for trans rights, mentioning Palestine, and discussing the historic legacy of racism tell you how out of country mainstream this North Carolina by way of New York artist is.

Amen Dunes, Death Jokes– Combining a sometimes-dark psychedelia with electronic music in a very evocative way. And sure enough, AMG subsequently told me that, “The project of Damon McMahon, Amen Dunes unites folk, psych-rock, electronic, and industrial elements into an intuitive, searching whole. ” Along the way there are samples from Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, and J Dilla, which gives you an idea of the scope of what the music and lyrics are going for here.

Anastasia Coope, Darning Woman– The vocal and musical loops and layers, the echoes, the stark voice, intelligent lyrics, and hint of the unearthly all steal one’s breath. Whatever it is this 21-year-old musician and painter is doing, it’s both beautiful and unsettling.

Belly, 96 Miles From Bethlehem– Spare and powerful hip hop based on the unrest in Palestine from this Palestinian-Canadian artist. In many ways, it sounds like a typical (though very good) socially conscious hip hop album in production and themes- family, faith, odes to one’s love. But in this case the family is in Palestine, the faith is Islam, and the lost love is Gaza and the West Bank. Powerful and timely.

Blitzen Trapper, 100’s of 1000’s, Millions of Billions– Warm, fuzzy pop with elements of singer-songwriter, psychedelia, and Neil Young-style ragged edges. Altogether, it brings to mind 70s AM radio, which is not to say that this Portland, Oregon band doesn’t feel fresh and vital. Well done Portland, Oregon band!

Crimeapple & Big Ghost Ltd, Bazuko– This collaboration between Colombian-born Crimeapple and anonymous blogger, hip hop writer and music producer Big Ghost is from another era, in several ways. Its stark mix, flow, and stories of the street feel like they belong to the late 90s/early 00s, and the subject matter largely revolves around the crack epidemic of the eighties. It doesn’t feel lost in time for all this, though, more like a great album that we all somehow missed.

F.U.N, Slum Village– J Dilla’s old group demonstrating that their excellence never was all about J Dilla. The mix is varied, metallic and urgent, the flow dynamic, and the lyrics interesting and positive. The whole thing feels redolent of the best of 00s hip hop. This Detroit group has been through a lot of changes, but they still know how to bring it!

Girl and Girl, Call a Doctor– Well, holy shit. The opening reminds me of one of Lou Reed’s story-poem songs. What follows carries on with that literate wordiness and uncomfortable emotional openness and marries it with a spare nervy rock as it sketches out the inner life of a troubled youth confronting some sort of medical crisis. An actual story arc! Delivered with equal helpings of wryness and sincerity. I’m keeping my eye on this Australian band!

Gyasi, Rock’N Roll Swordfight– Rock ‘n’ Roll Swordfight is a live album stitched together from three concerts in 2023. You could be forgiven for thinking that the concerts were by some kind of amalgam of Led Zeppelin and glam-era superstars like T Rex and David Bowie, which is to say, it is delightfully over the top rock in the best seventies fashion. Gyasi has me sold!

Hannah Vu, Romanticism– This second album from Los Angeles-based songwriter Hannah Vu certainly lives up to the title, it’s full of lush romanticism, though it serves equal parts darkness and difficulty with the sweetness. AKA it tells the truth about romance in a way that’s musically and lyrically compelling.

Ibibio Sound Machine, Pull the Rope– Such a joyful mix of multiple different strains of dance/electronic music! Fronted by London-born Nigerian singer Eno Williams, it is not a surprise that it’s redolent with Eurodance and Afrobeat. But what is, if not a surprise, a welcome find, is its knack for musical and lyrical hooks amidst the energy and fun.

King Hannah, Big Swimmer– Between hypnotically plainspoken vocals, poetic lyrics, and slow spare arrangements with a distorted feedback-laden guitar wall in the background, the songs here are arresting. This second album from singer Hannah Merrick has a lot to recommend it.

La Luz, News of the Universe– I’ve liked other things by La Luz, and how could I not? Their synthesis of surf music, reverb-drenched garage rock, and the sixties girl group sound is fuzzy, warm, and dark all at the same time. On this album the Seattle band is in top form, and the songs are informed by lead songwriter Shana Cleveland’s experience with cancer. It all adds up to a deep and powerful album.

Version 1.0.0

Lenny Kravitz, Blue Electric Light– Lenny Kravitz is in fine form here- 90s guitar god rock, funk, R&B, and electronic dance music all get their due, and never feel like they don’t fit together. It may not be especially new or different per his usual, but there’s genuine tenderness and vulnerability here, and musically it can’t be faulted.

Of Montreal, Lady on the Cusp– It starts off with a song declaring rock is dead, then transitions into another lamenting being too depressed to f&^%, and goes on in this lyrical arch vein supported by weary vocals, and a lively off kilter musical mix bridging the asynchronity of post-rock, impossibly stirring melodies, and the kaleidoscope mix style of electronic. Now I don’t want rock to be dead, but this 19th studio album from this Athens GA band at least gives us some hope that, if so, something interesting might replace it.

Shannon and the Clams, The Moon is in the Wrong Place– Shannon and the Clams have always been a great band, and I really love their retro garage rock/60s girl group feeling. But there’s no denying their music here is lent a terrible additional power and focus through lead singer Shannon Shaw’s wrestling with the untimely passing of her partner.

Shellac, To All Trains– While it definitely gets an added layer of import from being Steve Albini’s final album, honestly it does very well on its own even without that. This reminds me of the playful, more inventive side of 80s hardcore, and is full of clever surprises. All the way around, a fitting epitaph for one of noise rock’s greatest champions.

Sisso & Maiko, Singeli Ya Maajabu– Hello glitchy beats, over the top low-bit video game sound effects, and afro-pop exuberance! Tanzanian producer Sisso’s eponymous Dar es Salaam studio represents the forefront of the East African singeli genre. Singeli’s relentless speeds of over 200 BPM provide ample room for experimentation, which is taken further by collaboration with avant garde keyboardist Maiko. This is how the new is born.

The Courettes, Hold On, We’re Comin’– Potent garage punk combo featuring a Brazilian guitarist, a Danish drummer, and lots of cool rock & roll stomp. Amen. And an incredible set of covers ranging from early sixties pop rock to the New York Dolls to Taylor Swift. Really. Nothing but solid fun!

Willie Nelson, The Border– His 75th Album! And my goodness he’s in fine form here. A border patrol agent, a dream about being Hank Williams’s guitar, a passel of sweet love songs. Not thematic unity, but it sounds and feels like it belongs together and has a powerful intro and a sweet outro.

Willow, Empathogen– Willow has ended up on my Honorable mention list in two previous years, and for good reason- her music is inventive, brash and as smart as it is fun. She’s pushing her previous boundaries again here, with a glitchy electronic approach joined to something more like jazz, torch songs, and R&B crooning.

Young Jesus, The Fool– It feels like an anguished indie folk acoustic kind of thing, but sharper and darker than the typical outing in that oeuvre, and with surprising (and haunting, unsettling) music and vocal effects along the way. This Chicago band currently located in L.A. is on my watchlist now!

Maybe

  • Arab Strap, I’m Totally Fine With It Don’t Give a Fuck Anymore– As Days Get Dark was on my Honorable Mention list for 2021, and this has the same things going for it- heavy shimmering wall of guitar, sometimes even slightly upbeat lyrics, and a vocal and lyrical commitment to tales of burned out bitter darkness. It doesn’t sound as fresh to me now, but it’s still a compelling combination.

  • Axolotes Mexicanos, 4ever– Of all the female lead vocalist poppy melodic fun Mexican punk bands, Axolotes Mexicanos are my favorite! Okay, they’re also the only example I know of, but I always love this band when it’s American, so I can’t help loving the Mexican version too, even if it isn’t the newest thing in the world.

  • Connie Smith, Love, Prison, Wisdom and Heartaches– Well my, my, my! Between her personal bona-fides- she was a hit-charting country singer in the 60s and 70s- and a smart selection of classics from a variety of country greats, this whole album sounds like a bygone school of country music living again. And if it’s frozen in time in that sense, it is a reminder of how grand a time that was for the genre.

  • Crumbs, You’re Just Jealous– I loved this album in the eighties! It was just the right amount of pop new wave edge on genuine punk exuberance. Now, my sources tell me this was recorded by a quartet from Leeds in 2024, so I’m not sure how I loved it in the eighties. But I know I did!

  • Dehd, Poetry– Is there room in your heart for slightly snotty, straightforwardly rocking indie rock? Then this Chicago trio might be for you! It’s solidly fun and energetic the whole way through.

  • Dua Lipa, Radical Optimism– Not quite the consistent level and energy of her 2020 big splash album, but her charms are still high, and the tracks never work less than well.

  • I.Jordan, I Am Jordan– This album brings in elements of dubstep, old school house, acid house, and is musically pure fun. As an often-instrumental piece I’m not sure if it gets in its hooks enough to be great, but it’s solidly good!

  • Joywave, Permanent Pleasure– Since my dear wife hails from Rochester NY, I always pay special attention when I run across a band from there. And this album is worth the attention- it has a bit of sleazy garage rock revival sound, a bit of EDM production/disco revival feel, a bit of 00s indie, and a bit of hazy and heavy guitar seventies. The bits all add up to a solidly enjoyable album, even if it isn’t the freshest or newest thing ever.

  • Mandy, Lawn Girl– This album has an appealing combination of 90s inspirations including grunge-pop, noise rock, and more introspective indie rock. It’s not a new thing under the sun, but it’s like sinking into a warm bath of 90s guitar-powered alt rock.

  • Mo Troper, Svengali– They were on my list in 2021, and darned if they’re not threatening to do it again! The music here is so sweetly melodic and delivered with such sincerity. Along the way you’ll hear sixties chiming, jangly eighties alt, and even electronic, and it all fits together. It would have been straight to yes, but I’m not sure about the multi-part abstract theme it ends with.

  • Pokey LaFarge, Rhumba Country– Pokey LaFarge’s blend of old school rock, swing, and dash of polka and rumba had me won over on his 2021 album In the Blossom of Their Shade, and I’m feeling it again here. Inherently not new, but damn well done and with a sincerity that makes it sound fresh.

  • Rapsody, Please Don’t Cry– Her album Eve was one of my favorites, and the poetry and power on display in that album is present here, with an extra bit of verve via wrestling with increased fame. The production tends a little often toward contemporary hip hop standard though, and the guest appearances don’t always serve the flow.

  • Shaboozey, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going– There’s something to be said for traditionalism in country music, I certainly am a fan. But there is also, in any genre, a need for artists who seek the new, and push themselves to evolve. Musician, producer, and film maker Shaboozey has my attention with this take on country informed by EDM and hip-hop. It sometimes is a little too production slick for my tastes, but also holds the various sources in reverence, and I’m a sucker for the beats and minor chords.

  • Slash, Orgy of the Damned– You throw together Slash, covers of blues and soul standards, and an array of well-chosen and well deployed guests, and you’ll get me to go along! It’s not blazingly original, but solid good fun at what it does.

  • Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross, Challengers (Original Score)– The Nine Inch Nails’ veteran provided a techno-driven score to Luca Guadagnino’s love-triangle tennis dramedy, and producer Atticus Ross then remixed it into a pumping megamix. I expect soundtracks to be abstract and orchestral, and also long- both are not true here! It has moments like that, but is a fine and dynamic electronic mix, which feels not surprisingly like the nineties. And even seems to tell a story!

  • Various Artists, I Saw the TV Glow (Original Soundtrack)– In keeping with the film’s surreal take on nostalgia, a crew of indie pop musician, including Caroline Polachek, Bartees Strange, Jay Som, yeul pay tribute to the ’90s. Between the varied choices, their individual excellence, and how well they understood the assignment, the results are pretty excellent, and cohesive without being all the same. I have some concerns about length and relative fizzling out toward the end, but still, a solid contender.

  • Yaya Bey, Ten Fold– The range is a little narrow in the neo-soul direction, but there are places it gets livened, and regardless her voice and sharp lyrical wit are pure gold.

And there we are, May out. June should follow soon! And, since I’m about to start listening to September, July and August review notes are complete and those postings should be out before too long…

In Search of the 23 Best Albums of 2023: May

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All right, not quite before the end of June, but we’re getting May out in early July. We’re catching up to real time! But catching up on what, you ask? Well, we’re on a journey to find the 23 best albums of 2023 by listening to new albums as they come out each month and sorting them into “yes” and “maybe”. Join us!

Okay, you say. I’m intrigued. But how did this come about? In 2021, in a quest to get familiar with newer music, I listened to the critics choices for the best albums of the 2010s, and picked my own favorites. I did the same for 2020, picking my top 20. And I started off listening to new releases each month, eventually finding the 21 best albums of 2021. I had so much fun in the process that I decided to do it again in 2022, listening each month and discovering the 22 best albums of 2022.

There are links to the 2021 and 2022 albums in the posts, but if you’d like a one-stop playlist, I’ve set that up on Spotify:

And if you need to catch up our voyage through 2023, the earlier posts for this year are here:

( January/February/March April )

Did I mention “yes” and “maybe” above? I did! As I listen to the new releases for each month, I sort the ones that are in contention for best of the year into two categories:

Yes– This represents the albums that, upon first listen, I think could definitely be in running for best of the year.

Maybe– These albums have something to recommend them, but also something that gives me pause. I put them in their own category, because I’ve found “maybes” sometimes linger and eventually become “yeses”.

Got it? Good. Now let’s get on with my picks for the most promising albums from the 105 May new releases I listened to!

Alice Longyu Gao, Let’s Hope Heteros Fail, Learn and Retire– The title lets you know there’s a point of view, which is great. But even better is the mix of energetic, wacky, and experimental on display here as it combines electronic, sing-song, noise rock, and high-octane dance music. This Chinese-born American singer, songwriter, DJ, and performance artist has it going on! (Note this is not actually a May release, it’s from Pitchfork’s Spring list of “33 albums you might have missed”. As you know, we miss NOTHING.)

Arlo Parks, My Soft Machine– Her album Collapsed in Sunbeams was in my top 21 list for 2021. Compared to that, this album smoother in some ways due to a lusher more pop-oriented production. But lyrically it’s more directly personal and the vocals often have an uncloaked sense of vulnerability. So, its strengths are different, but she is no less powerful here for it.

Charlotte Cornfield, Could Have Done Anything– One of my picks for 2021 honorable mention was her album Highs in the Minuses, and it remains a sentimental favorite of mine. This has the same plain-spoken honesty of lyrics and vocals, warm presence, and music with an acoustic base but enough production polish and melody that moves it along nicely.

Dave Matthews Band, Walk Around the Moon– Nobody is more surprised than me to find myself liking this! After the freshness of his initial intro in the 90s Dave Matthews has been, well, very Dave Matthews. Reliably, dependably, relentlessly Dave Matthews. This, however, finds him in a darker and more pensive mood, and a musically rich one- there are hints of grunge, 60s psychedelic pop, and various other soundscapes along the way, and a less sunny, more interior dive than we have come to expect from him.

Foyer Red, Yarn the Hours Away– A weird nervy, jerky, rock, multi-layered, sing-songy, with gonzo synths. If more people were as inventive with pop rock as this Brooklyn band, it would be a grand world!

Galen Ayers/Paul Simonon, Can We Do Tomorrow Another Day?– In a way, it is no surprise to have a member of the Clash on a musical venture that mixes up ska, Latin, and retro-rock influences. Former Clash bassist Simonon worked out these songs while riding out COVID in Spain. He has actually mostly been creating as a well-regarded painter in recent decades, but the experience of street playing got him interested in his first musical venture in five years. When he returned to London after the pandemic receded, he partnered with singer/songwriter Galen Ayers to bring his new songs out as this album. It legitimately delights, retaining the feeling of warmth and relaxed spontaneity from the set’s origin.

Kassa Overall, Animals– “Equally adept as a jazz drummer, rapper, and producer, Seattle’s Kassa Overall makes records whose approach to musical modernism is informed amply by beat consciousness.” That’s the description, and it’s a great mix! Wildly variable jazz, experimental electronic, left field hip hop all at once.

Kesha, Gag Order– Wow! I did not know a lot about Kesha beyond some vague sense she was dance-related. Which she is, but also raw, ragged, angry, powerful, spiritual, musically varied, and given to unusual production choices. Compelling all the way through!

Olivia Jean, Raving Ghost– Olivia Jean is the lead of the “garage goth” band the Black Belles and, somewhere incidentally along the way, Jack White’s newest wife. I mention those only because both factors, maybe, give you a clue to what her musical POV is. Swinging, retro, and vaguely sinister on the first track, slightly punky power pop new wave on the second, a metal feeling on the third. And later, there is the version of “Orinoco Flow” that turns it into a girl-group/punk number. It may all be a little formulaic, but damn it’s a good formula- Olivia Jean is a cool rocking righteous chick, and I am here for it!

Peter One, Come Back to Me– A good story: The U.S. debut at age 67 of a Nashville musician from Côte d’Ivoire who found fame in Africa as a folk musician in the 90s before emigrating to the U.S. in the 90s and doing just regular life for decades. Even better: It’s a lovely album that delivers an intriguing hybrid of acoustic Afro-pop, jazz, blues, and American folk. From these disparate parts comes a unique whole. And how often these days do you hear something that doesn’t sound like anything but itself?

Rosa Pistola, Cumbiaton Total– Well this was delightful! Such lively, varied, and over the top hip-hop and dance music glee. Per Bandcamp: “Cumbiaton Total is a headfirst dive into Mexico City’s raw and unique take on the reggaeton sound, and its rising recognition. Compiled by NTS with Rosa Pistola (a central figure at the heart of the scene), the release coincides with a mini-documentary that explores the community spirit around the scene, with interviews and footage of the artists that feature on the release.”  It is entirely in Spanish, but so fun I don’t care that I can barely understand a single lyric. (Note this is not actually a May release, it’s from Pitchfork’s Spring list of “33 albums you might have missed”. As you know, we miss NOTHING.)

Seán Barna, An Evening at Macri Park– I really like this! Singer/songwriter Barna bases this cycle of songs around Macri Park, a local bar that is a historical anchor for the Queer community in Brooklyn. So, we’ve got that going in for concept, and then new wave/Bowiesque arty melodrama, vivid literary storytelling, and a strong feeling for 70s chords and melodies to top it off.

Maybe

  • Alex Lahey, The Answer Is Always Yes– This is snarky, a little nervy, with just the right edge of power pop 90s and noisier rock. It’s not the newest, freshest thing ever, and is designedly simple and straightforward musically. But darned if this Australian singer-songwriter isn’t doing a classic sound well!

  • bar italia, Tracy Denim– A guitar-driven post-punk sound, redolent of the Cure, Siouxsie, Echo & the Bunnymen, the Church, et al, but also with a hint of the 90s to come. The sound is in all wise a little dated and derivative, but darn is it sincere and well done.

  • billy woods & Kenny Segal, Maps– Billy Woods has made several albums that caught my attention in the last few years, but this collaboration with LA producer Segal takes that to a whole other level. It sounds and feels very DIY and is so delightfully varied in terms of the mix. The flow is a little more low key, and it sometimes feels a little incoherent because of it’s very variety, but I can’t fault it for that. Much.

  • Brandy Clark, Brandy Clark– It begins with a murder song, delivered so plain and simply vocally you can’t help but love it, and on the musical side it goes from spare to rocking. There are a variety of musical approaches and subject matter that follow, all informed by the same spare story-telling with just the right dose of pop refrains. It may play a little too conventionally sometimes, and pacing/speed is an issue, but for this strong songwriter I will give another listen.

  • Conway the Machine, Won’t He Do It– There’s a glower and a swagger to this, as well as a muscular mix. If the subject matter isn’t the freshest ever, the flow and personality are strong.

  • Cusp, You Can Do It All– The hushed opening gave me pause, but I liked the slightly-off guitar rhythm and phrasing of the second track. It goes from there to a fuzzy 90s kind of sound, but retains being slightly off kilter, mixed with sweet melodies. In parts familiar, in parts feeling fresh.

  • Graham Day & the Gaolers, Reflections in the Glass– Now that’s some good old-fashioned 60s garage rock! It’s not the most original sound in the world, but Graham’s been plying this trade, both in a variety of UK bands and solo, since the 80s, and as a result, it feels like an original example of it. Too fun and well done not to consider!

  • Immaterial Possession, Mercy of the Crane Folk– Nervy music, jangly and unnerving. There are hints of post-punk, the Doors, the medieval trippy bazaar side of psychedelia, and horror aspects of goth and industrial. It doesn’t sound totally coherent, sometimes the flow is a little off, but this Georgia quartet has something interesting going on!

  • Jonas Brothers, The Album– I semi-despise myself for even doing this, but I think it’s a gosh-darn maybe! The thing is, I listened through to the end, because each song had enough charm and 2020s peak pop perfection to keep me going. A little pre-packaged? Yes. But a package with a powerfully efficient design!

  • Masego, Masego– His mix of soul, house, hip-hop, and jazz is winning. It’s musically and vocally interesting, and if not lyrically profound, what’s going on fits the sunny mellow whole. I’m not sure it comes together as an album with enough energy to sustain it, but worth another listen. (Note this is not actually a May release, it’s from Pitchfork’s Spring list of “33 albums you might have missed”. As you know, we miss NOTHING.)

  • Panic Pocket, Mad Half Hour– This London duo lands somewhere between heavy crunching guitar and poppy melody, with multi-layered female-lead vocals, i.e. it could have come straight from the 90s. The references and concerns are thoroughly contemporary though, and tilt toward a welcome snarky feminism even if the lyrics are sometimes a little too on the nose.

  • Radiator Hospital, Can’t Make Any Promises– This Detroit by way of Michigan indie rock band is somewhere between 80s jangle rock, 90s lo-fi, and 00s garage. Not groundbreaking, but sounds I love and so very solidly done.

  • Rhoda Dakar, Version Girl– I know her from being a key figure in the 70s/80s U.K. ska scene, and singing one of the most harrowing songs I have ever heard, “The Boiler”. So, she’s coming in here with a lot of credibility, and this is a covers album, which always tickles my fancy. And indeed these are great versions, delivered in relaxed and easy ska.

  • Rodney Crowell, The Chicago Sessions– In 2020, Rodney Crowell happened to meet Jeff Tweedy of Wilco at a festival they were both playing at, and Tweedy suggested Crowell should come to Chicago sometime and record at Wilco’s rehearsal space and private studio there. The result is this album, and it’s a great example of fit between the sensibilities of artist and producer. If it’s not the newest sound in the world, darn is it a good one.

  • RP Boo, Legacy Volume 2– The spare excellence, stuttered pop culture sampling, and driving repetition of these DJ mixes reminds me of the 90s heyday of this kind of music. And indeed, Kavain Space, aka RP Boo, had gotten his start DJing in the Chicago house music scene of the 90s and was already legendary for developing the “footwork” style before he began finally publicly releasing his mixes in the 2010s. This sample collects mixes from the 00s, but it’s new to us. And excellent!

  • The Murlocs, Calm Ya Farm– An exuberant sound with country and southern rock flavors. Weirdly for the very American sound they are channeling, they’re from Melbourne. It’s not the most original formulation ever, but a thoroughly enjoyable one.

And there you have the May review, out in the first week of July! Can we get June out before the end of the month? Stay tuned…