Helloooo everyone! Welcome to INAUDIBLE’s 15th (almost) annual BEST OF list. Perhaps a bit more abbreviated than years gone by, but brevity is the soul of wit.
So please, grab your headphones, hit your vape, and have a lil listen…
TOP 25 ALBUMS of 2024 (in random order)
(click on artist and album title to sample some tunes)
Soela – Dark Portrait (Scissor & Thread)
Less late-night dancefloor, more rainy day introspection, Dark Portrait is Elina Shorokova aka Soela’s most accomplished album to date. After solid releases on Kompakt, Dial, and Shall Not Fade, she joins the Scissor & Thread family and pushes her sound into exciting new territory.
Featuring her own haunting vocals, beautiful production, and stalwart guests like Lawrence, Module One, and label head Francis Harris, this is definitely one to get lost in after dark and during the colder months.
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Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor (Ninja Tune)
I hadn’t listened to any of her earlier records, but My Method Actor by London-based musician, Nilüfer Yanya was an instant crush for me, with its Sade meets radio friendly 90’s light grunge feel.
I’ve returned to this one again and again, it continues to sound fresh after repeat listens, plays out super well as a full album, and I’m constantly impressed by her great songwriting and effortless guitar hooks.
Fave song: “Ready For Sun (touch)”
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Oddisee – And Yet Still EP (Outer Note)
Prolific rapper/producer, and darling of the DMV, Oddisee, just does not quit. He’s been hustling for twenty years now and keeps on getting better. Seeing his live Christmas show in D.C. with his band Good Compny was fantastic.
He called up local artists in the crowd to come on stage and do a track, and the concert played out like a history lesson of who’s who in the D.C. hip hop scene. Loved the live show and this breezy EP builds off of last year’s excellent album, To What End, with a focus on R&B tinged hip hop to great success.
Check out: “Had To Improve”
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Tinashe – Quantum Baby (Tinashe Music/Nice Life)
She’s been in the game for way more than a minute, but thanks to TikTok, Tinashe landed the song of the year with “Nasty”, and saw her underrated star finally catapult into the major leagues. Quantum Baby is a victory lap, building off her equally great BB/ANG3L from last year. It features a tight 30 minutes of her signature evocative R&B smooth jam stylings, once again tapping Nosaj Thing among others to provide fantastic production with tons of low end bass.
I saw her in a Ray Ban commercial with James Blake and Anderson .Paak a few months ago, and then I saw her do her thang in Vegas on New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, so you know it’s only up and up up up from here on out for Nashy.
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Fontaines D.C. – Romance (XL Recordings)
The Dublin boys shoot for the stars and go BIG and glossy with their fourth full-length, Romance. I really liked early single “Starburster”, with that crazy inhale moment during the chorus from Grian, but I resisted the whole album once it dropped and didn’t listen to it until the fall. On the first couple of spins, I couldn’t believe how “nice” it sounded, the edges were so soft, the vibe was super melodic, it had some Oasis feels, and I wasn’t sure what to make of it all – but then it became a sort of soundtrack to our move from Montreal to Washington, D.C. and I became obsessed with it, as with all their previous releases.
I saw them on their Skinty Fia tour and I have tickets for when they come back to D.C. this spring, so I am excited to see this further evolution of their sound live. Keep goin’, lads!
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Vince Staples – Dark Times (Def Jam)
Vince Staples’ newest record, Dark Times, treads down the same low-key but super introspective path of his last two releases, but for one reason or another, this is the first album of his that’s caught my complete attention since 2017’s Big Fish Theory. It’s an immersive, personal listen that I have returned to again and again, and I feel like his flow is starting to sound more like Devin the Dude the older he gets, which is definitely not a bad thing.
Another one of my most jogged to and shout aloud hooks of the year comes from standout jam “Little Homies”, when Vince crows: “Life hard but I go harder!”
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This is Lorelei – Box for Buddy, Box for Star (Double Double Whammy)
Nate Amos, one half of indie royalty, Water From Your Eyes, records solo stuff as This is Lorelei, and put out a grab bag of catchy lo-fi songs this year on Double Double Whammy, that are super fun and earwormy and at times remind me a lot of Alex G.
I bought tickets for his show in January but lamely skipped it because it was on a Monday and I was cold and tired and had to work early the next day. Oh well. He seems to be maximizing all that youthful energy because he tours a ton and records even more. I’ll go see him next time, and hopefully his creative streak doesn’t end anytime soon! Great stuff.
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Loidis – One Day (Incienso)
Founder of the great West Mineral Ltd. imprint, Brian Leeds aka Huerco S. aka Pendant aka Royal Crown of Sweden revives his Loidis alias for an early oughts throwback LP of patient, shimmering minimal and dub techno and it absolutely slays.
Leeds has shown us time and time again that he’s of the absolute best in the electronic scene, no matter what moniker he’s using. Soooo good.
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Skee Mask – Resort (Ilian Tape)
Mr. Prolific, Bryan Müller aka Skee Mask puts out so much gosh darn new music it’s hard to keep up.
And holy cow, I don’t know how the heck he does it, because it’s pretty much all amazing, whether it’s random hard drive dumps, short EPs, or full-length propers. And with Resort, we get the full spread: blissed-out breakbeats, lucid-dream techno, ambient haze, and gauzy downtempo, all easy enough to put on as background or get completely immersed in. The choice is yours, it’ll be great either way.
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Idles – Tangk (Partisan Records)
IDLES’ track “Mother” from their debut, Brutalism, is one of my favourite songs to jog to. I like to put it on in the last kilometre or so of the run for that extra boost of bombastic fuck you fuck yeah energy to help keep me going. I also really like to scream out the lyrics to the chorus on the street lol.
With Tangk, their fifth studio album, we see the blokes following a pattern I have seen time and time again with UK bands that put out a heavy as fuck first record: slowly shift their sound to something more palatable and dare I say, radio friendly. Foals, Fontaines DC, and Shame (just to name a few), all veered more melodic with each release, and IDLES have followed suit.
But it doesn’t matter, because I love it. This is my fave album by them and my most listened to record of the year. It’s still got all the grit and grime even though the edges are a bit polished, and I’m fine with that.
Blast “Gratitude” at your next family dinner.
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Jasmine Myra – Rising (Gondwana Records)
Elevating, uplifting and beautifully arranged, alto-saxophonist, Jasmine Myra‘s sophomore album Rising, builds on the success of her breakthrough Horizons, but kicks it all up a subtle notch.
Produced by Gondwana label head Matthew Halsall, Rising strikes a similar chord to Halsall’s Journey-era Alice Coltrane aesthetic, and it’s an album I just keep going back to. Super smoooove.
Fave track: “Glimmers”
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Tyla – TYLA (Fax/Epic)
Infused with hip hop, Afrobeat and polished amapiano drums, South African star Tyla’s debut record is pure pop novocaine. This album makes pop music sound exciting to me again – even the overplayed, Grammy winning, “Water”, a song so ubiquitous you’ll hear it at the pharmacy and then again playing in the car next to you at the red light. Definitely one of my most jogged to albums of the year.
My fave tracks are “Breathe Me” and “No.1” ft Tems and “PUSH 2 START”, but it’s all good vibes and I am all ears for it.
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Cindy Lee – Diamond Jubilee (Realistik Studios)
Diamond Jubilee plays out like a fever dream – disparate fragments of melodies and memories all mashing together to create one truly dazzled sensation. This whole album feels timeless. It could have easily been a lost classic discovered in the archives of some defunct studio from 1976.
At 32 tracks, and two hours long, it’s a lot, and I am still getting to know this record myself, but every damn time I put it on, I feel relaxed, and I feel nostalgic for things just outside of my grasp. It’s weird, but I feel like I’m a handsome teen again, listening to a CD I got in the mail from Columbia House in 1992 that wildly exceeds my expectations.
This is Pat Flegel aka Cindy Lee’s magnum opus and swan song, their mic drop record, which originally was only available to download on Geocities or via a junky YouTube stream. After the non-stop praise, it’s finally been pressed on vinyl and available on streaming services.
If I had to pick one absolute AOTY on my list, I think it’s this one. So much to get lost in over and over. Scroll through the comments on the YouTube link and see all the praise for your self. It’s wild.
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Helado Negro – Phasor (4AD)
Robert Carlos Lange’s Helado Negro project has been floating on a cloud since his slow-burn masterpiece This is How You Smile came out in 2019. 2021’s Far In saw him expanding his songwriting to ever groovier heights, and Phasor sees him somewhere in the middle of those two records, and the end result is an effortless listen of subtle yet addictive electronic pop.
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Mount Kimbie – The Sunset Violent (Warp Records)
Well, I sure listened to this one a lot. Dom and Kai go shoegaze post-rock with The Sunset Violent, and it ticks off a ton of aural boxes in both of my clogged ears. Adding two new members to the group, they have now effectively become a band, and left behind the “post dubstep” sound they helped carve out 100 years ago.
Some fans are still asking for the Mount Kimbie of old, but I think this album has some fantastic songwriting, gritty guitar hooks, and great vocals, including two hot takes from King Krule.
Please tour the U.S. and Canada in 2025!
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Four Tet – Three (Text Records)
The ever consistent Kieran Hebden, releases his 12th album under the lauded Four Tet moniker, and quietly reminds us he’s a GOAT with his quirky knack for melody, texture, and intricate rhythms on a record that plays to all of his strengths, which by now, are many and multi. Album opener, “Loved” should be enough to hook you with its classic electronic BOC drum pads and lush synth lines.
Whether he’s putting his ear to the dancefloor or way up into the blue sky, Four Tet is always pure class and always worth a listen…
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K-LONE – Swells (Wisdom Teeth)
This is actually a 2023 release, but I didn’t start listening to it until January 2024. Doesn’t matter because Swells went on ultra-heavy rotation on my morning commutes basically until the spring thaw. So many bangers on here, as well as, really wonderful songwriting. “Love Me A Little” may be the kitchen dancefloor jam of the year.
What makes this album sing, is that K-LONE doesn’t just focus on loops to build his tracks, so they feel a bit more complex – a song can completely shift mood halfway through, but it only makes his music stronger overall.
Bottom line: Swells is an expansive record that looks to deep house, synthpop, and leftfield R&B for a winning collection of melodic electronica.
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Common & Pete Rock – The Auditorium Vol. 1 (Loma Vista)
Wow, what an effortless flex from two hip-hop legends that already had nothing left to prove. Reminds me of the post-Phife Tribe record, We Got It from Here, and how surprised and impressed I was at how goddamn good of an album it is.
Common and Pete Rock give us hip hop in its absolute purest form. Check it toute de suite.
Try this hitter: “All Kinds of Ideas”
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VERY HONORABLE AUDIBLES (click title to sample a song)
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Bullion – Affection (Ghostly International)
Think pleasant Dntel-esque poptronica with great vocals and storytelling.
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Fields of Mist – Biospore Farmers (Ilian Tape)
Moody and melodic downtempo and deep house stunners from Ilian Tape.
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Floating Points – Cascade (Ninja Tune)
All in 4/4 on the dancefloor for Sam Shepherd with a set of total heaters.
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Fennesz – Mosaic (Touch)
The ambient drone master, Fennesz, returns with another excellent suite of uber-processed guitar and synth like only he can.
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Shinichi Atobe – Discipline (DDS)
Discipline didn’t drop until December, otherwise this collection of burners from the legend would have been high up on my list.
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Nala Sinephro – Endlessness (Warp Records)
Another fantastic, entrancing suite of ambient jazz from the lauded Warp darling, Nala Sinephro.
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Svaneborg Kardyb – Superkilen (Gondwana Records)
Saccahrine and groovy post-rock jazz from the Danish duo courtesy of Gondwana.
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All right then, friends! We made it to the end! Yesssss! Miss you and love you all. Happy 2025. Be good. Be honest. Be vulnerable. Keep sifting through all the muck, and keep your ears wide open.
xoxo,
ml
INAUDIBLE 