I don’t want to be the person who only listens to the music they discovered at 15. In a vain attempt to not become that particular cliche at least, I try to listen to a newly-released album each week so I end up on around 50 each year.
Don’t get me wrong – I still listen to that and have my own personal daily music nostalgia-fest – I just didn’t want to only do that. I didn’t want to be the ‘they don’t make good music anymore’ person without having actually done the research. So I pick through recent releases, give them a full play-through, use my totally scientific and objective scoring system to give them a rating, and seek out other all-too-soon-to-be-middle-aged album nerds to talk about the picks for that year.
It’s been great – some recent years have been exceptional, and it’s helped me discover some new favourites. Take 2022 – a banger of a year. Feast your eyes on this absolute killer list of albums. 2023, not so much. I’ll spare you me going any further back.
Rather than store it all up until the end of the year where I usually dump a list on people, I’d thought I’d share my thoughts on recent releases as I go along. Here’s the top picks from the first set of 10.
2024 | 1-10 | Top Picks
So far the standouts for me are easy. TANGK, Idles’s latest offering is stunning and is easily their best outing since the breakthrough Joy as an Act of Resistance. It’s been on repeat since it came out, and it’s easily one I’ll dip back into in future years. The singles ‘Grace’ and ‘Dancer’ are belters, but ‘Roy’ and ‘Hall & Oates’ are killer too. The pace of the album is immaculate. It delivers the raw power you want from Idles, but throws in some slower more melodic numbers too. Best avoided if you like your music a bit lighter or poppier though.
Pick Up Full of Pink Carnations is simply brilliant. Sorry NME, you’re wrong. If The Vaccines latest is more of the same, then I’m fine with that. If you’re a one trick pony, it’d better be a good trick. The Vaccines have a fantastic trick. I started out thinking ‘ok, this is decent, solid album’, and yet the more and more spins I give it, the better it gets. I love it: vintage 00s indie feel, easy listening, catchy rifts, insightful yet fun lyrics (“You’re so sad, so what, wе’re all sad” print that shit on a t-shirt, damn). You’re in for a treat. I don’t get why The Vaccines aren’t bigger.
People Who Aren’t There Any More is a bit more mellow. It doesn’t have the same hit as the other two, and is probably up there because I have a soft spot for Future Islands since they broke onto the scene with Singles and that Jools performance. But ‘King of Sweden’ is decent, but even if the album has powerful moments, it’s mellow vibe probably left it a little more forgettable for me than the other two mentioned.
Top Picks
- TANGK – Idles – 9/10
- Pick Up Full of Pink Carnations – The Vaccines – 9/10
- People Who Aren’t There Any More – Future Islands – 7.5/10
Left Me Cold / Overrated
- Filthy Underneath – Nadine Shah – 6/10
- Ieychyd Da – Bill Ryder-Jones – 6/10
Full List So Far – listen here.
- Pick Up Full of Pink Carnations – The Vaccines – 9/10
- Letter to Self – SPRINTS – 6.5/10
- Saviours – Green Day – 7/10
- New Last Name – Courting – 6.5/10
- Prelude to Ecstasy – Last Dinner Party – 7/10
- People Who Aren’t There Any More – Future Islands – 7.5/10
- TANGK – Idles – 9/10
- Filthy Underneath – Nadine Shah – 6/10
- Ieychyd Da – Bill Ryder-Jones – 6/10
- Venus – Zara Larsson – 7/10
Gin Lane 