Top 50 Albums OF 2024: 50-41

It's time to start the countdown!!!

Here we are. The day has finally come! I’m diving into my countdown of the Top 50 albums of 2024.

Remember, these are MY selections. These are the albums I listened to the most and liked best throughout the year. I may not include albums that other Substack authors added to their own lists. I may not include one or more of your favorites. I may, in fact, include an album by an artist with whom you are not familiar. I spent the year seeking new music and new bands. It makes sense there will be a few outliers.

Albums 50-41

Let’s dive right in!

NUMBER 50: She Said by Roscoe Ford

This is one of many albums that I discovered as part of the thriving and always interesting #MusicThreads community on Threads. Roscoe is an active member in the community and when his album came out, I was thrilled to give it a listen!

What might be seen as a pretty straightforward rock and roll album by many, I was struck by the honesty and wisdom of the lyrics. You believe that Roscoe has lived the life he’s singing about. It isn’t contrived. There’s no fake it until I make it with the stories told. It’s honest, relatable, and pleasing to the ear.

There’s a familiarity to the sound, but each song is different enough to keep any single track from becoming background noise.

Standout Tracks: “She Said,” “Won’t Be The One (Not Sorry),” and “Mystery”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/she-said/1762644460

NUMBER 49: Tigers Blood by Waxahatchee

I’ve been a fan of the sisters Crutchfield (identical twins) for a long time. Years before Waxahatchee became a reality, I was listening to P.S. Eliot and then Swearin’, Allison Crutchfield’s band. I fell in love with the first Waxahatchee record, American Weekend, especially the plaintive and simple “Grass Stains.”

I kept listening, first to Cerulean Salt and Ivy Tripp. And then, well, Waxahatchee pretty much fell off my radar. I didn’t pay a lot of attention to Out In The Storm or any of the following releases. In fact, it was the Threads music community and the community here on Substack that got me listening again this year.

“Ice Cold” immediately reminded me of the Waxahatchee of old. The plaintive, yipping delivery of the vocals reminded me of my early love. While I still prefer the first three albums, this 2024 release got me digging back into Katie’s discography, and prompted me to listen, and to dive into the previous releases that had passed me by.

Standout Tracks: “Ice Cold,” “Bored,” “Crimes Of The Heart,” and “Crowbar”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/tigers-blood/1772253426

NUMBER 48: Arches by Illiterate Light

I love a peppy, poppy tune as much as I love a deep, dark, angsty one. Depending on my mood I may seek out a bit of bubblegum and pretty over brooding and murky. In one of those peppy pop moods, I came across this album through its opening track.

Don’t let the bouncy music fool you. There’s nothing “illiterate” or vapid about this album. There’s also plenty of angst when you look for it. I love the driving guitar licks that break out from the more straightforward power pop on “Payphone.”

The longer you listen to the album, the more genres and influences you hear. I like an album that takes big swings. Sure, sometimes there’s a miss, but when a song hits it’s well worth it. That’s what Arches delivers.

You’ll hear folk, blues, and psychadelic influences, as well as some driving guitar-driven indie rock. Enjoy!

Standout Tracks: “Payphone,” “Montauk,” and “Norfolk Southern”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/arches/1756969277

NUMBER 47: Before I Die by Footballhead

I stumbled upon Footballhead in 2023 while doing a bit of music discovery via Spotify artist radio stations. I can’t tell you which artist’s station I was listening to, but I can tell you that I paid attention to each single the band released throughout 2024 and then got pretty excited when I realized they’d released an album.

I’m a big fan of angsty, emotional emo-fueled power pop and that’s what this band consistently delivers. Crunchy, distorted guitars and boyish vocal delivery always work for me.

Listening to this album takes me back years to memories of listening to The Julian Theory and Texas Is The Reason. Nostalgia often plays a key role in my music discovery, especially as someone who enjoys looking backward as much as I love looking forward to new releases and artists.

Standout Tracks: “Crushing Me,” “Stupefied,” and “Before I Die”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/before-i-die/1753180289

NUMBER 46: The Last Flight by Public Broadcast Service

This was the year I started to pay attention to the resurrection of dark wave and synth wave music again.

My husband, a bass player whose band focuses on metal and heavy alternative rock, loves to play around in his office/music room, which he’s renamed “The Beat Lab,” and I’ve been introduced to a lot of new sounds in this genre.

I’m only scratching the surface, and I’m looking forward to digging deeper into the genre in 2025.

All that to say, I’ve recently started listening to Public Service Broadcast. And I’m digging it. Maybe the history major in me appreciates their use of archived news broadcasts. Maybe it’s the synth sound. Or maybe it’s simply damn good listening!

Standout Tracks: “Towards The Dawn,” “Electra,” and “Monsoons”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-last-flight/1753907618

NUMBER 45: Meltdown by Twin Atlantic

It should shock no one but the newest of readers that there are SEVERAL Scottish bands featured as part of this countdown. Starting with Twin Atlantic. I was immediately enamored with Sam McTrusty’s thick brogue and nuanced pronunciation when I heard their debut album, Vivarium.

They’ve changed their sound quite a bit over the last fifteen years, but it’s still all about Sam’s vocals for me. The vocals are, more often than not, what gets me interested in a band. And there’s something about a Scottish burr that immediately sings to my soul.

This album incorporates the harder, faster, more straightforward rock sound they’ve been leaning into for the last five years or more. But there are slower moments when you can simply soak in the sound of Sam’s voice, like on “I Couldn’t Miss You Much More.”

Standout Tracks: “Stuck In A Car With You,” “Get Out,” and “Meltdown”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/meltdown/1731161583

NUMBER 44: State Of Disarray by Attendant

Fun. It’s the first word that comes to mind when I hear “State Of Disarray,” the song that leads off the album. The vocals jump and dance along with the music and it’s mesmerizing. The delivery doesn’t necessarily match the seriousness of the lyrics and I love the dichotomy.

That same fun permeates the album even when the music gets a bit heavier, a bit darker. As a lover of words, I couldn’t help but be impressed with some of the song titles. I mean, it’s not all that often you hear a song about a luddite! And I have to give them extra props for titling a song with one of my favorite German words, schadenfreude.

Metal lovers, the final track is calling your name!

The album is a delightful listen from beginning to end, full of twists and turns, unexpectedly deep lyrics. The album keeps me on my toes each time I listen. And I love it!

Standout Tracks: “State Of Disarray,” “Blackball,” and “Schadenfreude”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/state-of-disarray/1726565721

NUMBER 43: House Of Commando by Bird’s View

Do you like energetic, fast, and loud? If so, you’ll like this! Bird’s View self-describes themselves with those words, and they’re a snug and perfect fit.

I love the way the songs change up, quiet to loud, melodic to pacey and driven, slow to fast. I love songs that change things up throughout, and these songs deliver.

This is one of those times when I love the sound, but can’t pinpoint exactly why I love it. And that’s okay. We don’t always have to break things down in order to enjoy them. Sometimes we can simply enjoy without the need to dissect the why.

Standout Tracks: “Vienna,” “Pin Drop,” and “Promise Everything”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/house-of-commando/1741320563

NUMBER 42: Dangerous by Dog Party

I love family-focused music. Not family-friendly music, which is often stripped of the reals and the feels I want from music. No, I’m talking about bands full of family members. Sisters like Katie & Allison Crutchfield, Tegan and Sara, and the Haden triplets rate pretty high with me.

Dog Party shines a light on the Giles sisters, Gwendolyn and Lucy.

I also love the vibe of the 60s girl band, and the Giles sisters deliver. It’s punky power pop with girl band groove. It’s innocence and sarcasm in equal measure. It’s sassy and sweet, but never saccharine. There are even a few well-placed hand claps!

It’s an incredibly fun listen mixed with just enough pace and attitude to keep you listening. It’s the kind of nostalgic sound I seek when I’m feeling reflective or contemplative. This is a Sunday morning on the couch listen I’ll be digging into on repeat!

Standout Tracks: “Do It All The Time,” “Last Night,” and “Forget About Him”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/dangerous/1733342616

NUMBER 41: Versus by Dave Hause

I stumbled upon Dave Hause when I was listening to Brian Fallon’s Local Honey. Dave fits the same bill. Working class rock and roll with an American lean. These are storytelling songs at their very best. If you like the Boss, I think you should give Dave a listen.

His voice is a little less gritty, a bit more emotive than either Bruce or Brian, which adds a touch of fragility to the hard fighting sound. I could listen to him all day.

In a year that saw the deaths of my first husband and my beloved cat (R.I.P Jeff and Turkey Trot), as well as me getting “unjobbed” in July, it’s been a rough one for me. But there have been many little lights that buoyed me when I was feeling a little down or dejected. This album was one of those lights.

“3rd Shift” is incredibly haunting and somber. It’s the kind of song I play on repeat so you can feel all of the feels it deals out. If you only listen to one song from this list, make it this one!

Standout Tracks: “Pretty Good Year,” “Brittle Heart,” “3rd Shift,” and “Benson and Hedges”

Apple Music Album Link:
https://music.apple.com/us/album/versus/1707424563

Those are the first ten albums in my Top 50 Albums of 2024 countdown. Were any of them on your top album lists? Did any of these surprise you? Did any make think, “Of course Mallie chose this one?”

I’d love to hear what you think! Pop into my comments and let’s have a fun endo of year music discussion!