50. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (ANTI-)
Here is a list of my favorite albums of 2024 presented in order but without supporting evidence. I compiled the list differently this year so read the bit at the bottom if you're curious.
49. 2nd Grade - Scheduled Explosions (Double Double Whammy)
48. The Cheap Cassettes - They'll Never Forgive You for Pop (Rum Bar Records / Cassettes on Records Records)
47. Bad Moves - Wearing Out the Refrain (Don Giovanni)
46. Chime School - The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel (Slumberland)
45. Shehehe - Namedroppers (SAY-10 Records)
44. Trust Fund - Has It Been a While? (Tapete Records)
43. Still Animals - Still Animals (Slovenly)
42. Personal Trainer - Still Willing (Bella Union)
41. Ben Lee - This One's For The Old Headz (self-released / Weirder Together)
40. Onsloow - Full Speed Anywhere Else (Tiny Engines)
39. Karate - Make It Fit (Numero Group)
38. The BV's - Taking Pictures of Taking Pictures (Shelflife / Kleine Untergrund Schallplatten)
37. Class - A Healthy Alternative (Feel It Records)
36. Jr. Juggernaut - Another Big Explosion (Mindpower Records)
35. Public Opinion - Painted On Smile (Convulse Records)
34. Young Scum - Lighter Blue (Jigsaw Reocrds / Pretty Olivia)
33. The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Unwishing Well (Slumberland)
32. Hoverborg - The Good Stuff (self-released)
31. The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (self-released)
30. The Peawees - One Ride (Spaghetty Town / Wild Honey Records)
29. Wut - Mingling With The Thorns (HHBTM Records)
28. Best Bets - The Hollow Husk Of Feeling (Meritorio Records)
27. 45 Adapters - Unstoppable (Pirate Press Records)
26. Mean Jeans - Blasted (Fat Wreck Chords)
25. The Roseline - Keystone of the Heart (self-released)
24. Tamar Berk - Good Times for a Change (self-released)
23. Still Ill - Rituals (self-released)
22. Paul Kelly - Fever Longing Still (Universal)
21. The Chisel - What A Fucking Nightmare (Pure Noise Records)
20. Daniel Romano's Outfit - Too Hot To Sleep (You've Changed Records)
19. The Umbrellas - Fairweather Friend (Slumberland)
18. Nick Piunti & The Complicated Men - Up and Out of It (Jem Records)
17. Cock Sparrer - Hand On Heart (Pirate Press Records)
16. Sharp Class - Welcome To The Matinee Show (Of The End Of The World) (self-released)
15. Guidon Bear - Internal Systems (Antiquated Future)
14. Zatopeks - Loitering and Sauntering (Stardumb Records)
13. Artificial Go - Hopscotch Fever (Feel It Records)
12. Loose Articles - Scream If You Wanna Go Faster (Alcopop! Records)
11. Extra Arms - Radar (Setterwind)
10. Gimp Fist - Losing Streak (Sunny Bastards)
09. Dreamist - Shouldn't Be (self-released)
08. Vicious Dreams - Turn Off My Brain (Dirt Cult Records)
07. Shellac - To All Trains (Touch & Go)
06. The Soundcarriers - Through Other Reflection (Phosphonic)
05. Amyl and the Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness (Virgin Music International)
04. The Reflectors - Going out of Fashion (Neon Nile)
03. Fred Thomas - Window in the Rhythm (Polyvinyl Record Co.)
02. Early Riser - Big Life (Asbestos Records)
01. The Cure - Sons of a Lost World (Universal)
BONUS: EPs
5. Wifey - Just a Tease (Mt Crushmore Records)
4. Gene Champagne - Let's Get (Yeah Right / Rum Bar Records)
3. Visual Learner - 2024 Demo (self-released)
2. Civil Rats - Don't Get It (self-released / Dummest Records)
1. Hasty - e.p. (Bloated Kat)
BONUS: FAVORITE DIGITAL-ONLY (for now?) RELEASE
Arson Class - Expansion Plan (self-released)
So is this list useful? I'm not sure. To make my list in Decembers past I relistened to every album. It was a HUGE undertaking. I liked the results but not the process. This year I wrote a program that read my assigned ratings of songs to generate this list. The result is not my favorite albums today, but rather represents how I felt about the album in the weeks after I got it. That's a different thing, but still useful and a lot less stressful. Looking at the list I see a few albums that I evidently loved when I got but now don't do as much for me, while I don't see a few others I've grown to love. So YMMV.
Finally, for those who want the math, this year I added 328 releases to my library. That's 328 items I bought either physically or downloaded through Bandcamp or another service. I don't use streaming services. 145 of those were full-length albums, released physically, in 2024, weren't re-releases or compilations of already released tracks, tribute albums, or Christmas albums. It's that subset that was ranked above.
For a run down of my favorite songs of 2024 visit Top Songs of 2024 or my Favorite Local Releases of 2024.
