2024 was another excellent year for new music, and there was no shortage of great material from artists old and new. Classic alternative acts like Pet Shop Boys, Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, The Cure, and solo outings from Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Portishead’s Beth Gibbons, and The Breeders’ Kim Deal all scored highly among critics and fans alike. Pink Floyd fans will likely never get more music from that band, but guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour returned with another great set. New Wave lifers They Might Be Giants released Beast of Horns, a great live collection showcasing their ace horn section. There were also notable solo offerings from John Cale and Nick Lowe. Psychedelia continued to stretch into country on the debut LP from Johnny Blue Skies (a pseudonym for Sturgill Simpson) and bluegrass on the latest offering from the great Billy Strings.
Hip hop saw yet another strong album from Kendrick Lamar, another creative adventure with Tyler, the Creator, and potentially a retirement LP from Eminem (though he’s made a few others in the past). Singer-songwriters like Father John Misty, Maggie Rogers, and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes delighted their fanbases and critics alike. 2024 also saw notable alternative rock albums from The Smashing Pumpkins, Vampire Weekend, St. Vincent, Waxahatchee, the always bizarre Melt Banana, the returns of Nada Surf and Jamie XX, and a strong sophomore effort from the female punk quartet, The Linda Lindas, following their stint as openers on Green Day’s gigantic summer tour. While many anxiously await the possibility of new music from Oasis, the feuding brothers market saw a great album from The Black Crowes, their first in 14 years.
In addition to these releases, five albums stood out as the year’s very best.
5. The Smile-Cutouts
The third LP by The Smile, a side project from Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood, expanded on their experimental alternative rock sound, incorporating more keys and electronic elements than their previous releases, including the acoustic-leaning Wall of Eyes, also released in 2024. While many of the tracks on both albums are quiet or slower in tempo, the dizzying tones of funkier, dance-based numbers on Cutouts, like “Zero Sum,” “Don’t Get Me Started,“ and “The Slip,” make it a more engaging listen than its predecessor and leave the group with many potential options for where they may wish to take their music next.
4.
MGMT-Loss of Life
Returning from a six-year hiatus, psychedelic alternative duo MGMT delivered a surprising blend of songs that reflect their own maturity without abandoning the creative perspective that gained them a large following of fans since their major label debut 17 years ago. A blend of quiet atmospheric sounds and acoustic guitars match up with electronic tones and crisp vocal and drum production throughout. Standout tracks like “People in the Streets” and the crunchier “Bubblegum Dog” offer introspective lyrics over music that captures feelings of regret and sometimes even guilt over choices from earlier in life now being seen from middle age. While the group’s first releases celebrated excess and living for the moment, they now seem to feel somewhat embarrassed by some of those sentiments and actions. Loss of Life laments wasted time and former relationships more than the passing of family or friends, but MGMT does it in their own creative and unique style.
3.
Pearl Jam-Dark Matter
The highly anticipated 12th album by Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Pearl Jam, Dark Matter, released in April, delivers a strong collection of heartbreaking songs that mostly center on the theme of a relationship in the process of ending. While not quite a next-gen Blood on the Tracks by any means, this is the first time the grunge legends have focused the majority of an LP on tones and moods of classics like “Black” and “Nothing as It Seems” repeatedly in various ways rather than just touching on them once or twice among other topics. The mid-tempo and slower ballads are balanced out with a few rockers, “Dark Matter” and “Running,” that aim anger at political and social frustrations, very similar to the bands many other excellent albums from the last 34 years(!) Strong singles like “Scared of Fear,” “Wreckage,” and “Waiting for Stevie” have already become live favorites and fit in well among Pearl Jam’s vast back catalog. While the signature production of upstart Andrew Watt muddies the drums and other elements at times, the songwriting and performances by the group shine through across the entire track list.
2. Green Day-'Saviors'
It’s hard to believe Green Day have made it to their 14th LP, but these hall of fame punks have been at it for 35 years and counting and have never sounded so tight and focused. Following a string of albums with stand-out moments that didn’t feel as strong all the way through, 'Saviors' is not just their strongest release in over a decade, it hones what the band does best: reflecting and commenting on modern times through a jaded but personal gen-x filter. The strong opening run of six songs in about 16 minutes, including five singles, establishes the tone for the rest of the album, and while speedy punk numbers make up the majority, a few mid-tempo rockers and ballads are sprinkled in to balance things out. Unlike Green Days’ prior recent releases, however, they don’t weigh things down or take away from the momentum of the rest of the tracks. “The American Dream Is Killing Me,” “Look Ma, No Brains!” and “One Eyed Bastard” became live favorites throughout the band’s massive summer stadium tour, and “Bobby Sox” and “Dilemma” became hits on on rock and alternative radio. “Strange Days Are Here to Stay” and “Living in the ‘20s” most directly comment on the melancholy of modern life better than almost anything all year.
1. Jack
White-No Name
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