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2024 In Review
BY IAN SHERRY
1/1/2025
When I started The Culture Gyre more than a year ago now, it was in hopes that I'd get to cover years like this.
Enjoy!
Animal Cheer - Big Search
Here is the definition of a solid record. Animal Cheer is made by and for music fans, and that’s evident on every track. Big Search is the solo outfit of Matthew Popieluch and this was a true solo undertaking, which only speaks to his artistic vision. Each song, in addition to the seemingly guaranteed warmth and familiarity, has the solid bones and decisive musical palette needed to create a status quo just waiting to be elevated. That elevation can be found in his applied influences, the most encompassing being George Harrison - but if you listen you’ll hear hints of a Rubin-ized Johnny Cash, Pink Floyd, King Krule, and perhaps a variety of your personal favorites.
Big Search’s newest result is a 8.
18
Here In The Pitch - Jessica Pratt
Jessica Pratt has mastered the art of simplicity. Her songbird voice floats through the thin but palpable atmosphere of her music alongside her washy acoustic guitar, and that tandem remains undefeated on her latest release. As an artist with what some might consider limited tools, Pratt has spoken about her fear of being pigeonholed, and in some ways that’s what this record addresses. In comparison to her other equally short n’ safe LPs, her 2024 effort does a better job of spanning the spectrum of her stylistic abilities. Whether it be a subtly rising synth here, or the rare if not singular background vocal there, Pratt’s excellence in the details -particularly when crafting the sonic backdrop - allowed her to guide each song on this album in whatever direction she pleased. Also - if Pitchfork listened through all 27 minutes they’d have “The Last Year” at no. 2 on The 100 Best Songs of 2024, not “Life Is” - just saying.
Here In The Pitch is a 8.2.
17
Alligator Bites Never Heal - Doechii
Of all the year’s rap releases, this may be the most intriguing. While it had been four years since Doechii released an album, it’s clear now she’d been building to something, because after consistently releasing singles over that gap she finally struck the charts in May of 2023 with “What It Is (Block Boy)”. A little over a year after that warning shot she dropped this ambitious 19-track LP. Like many other artists who found their beginnings on the internet, Doechii’s talent for entertainment has never been in doubt - that remains true through this entire tracklist. She raps with as much confidence and bubbly performative energy as ever while delivering her most cutting lyrical performances to date. Additionally, she included several vocally impressive cuts that showcase her take on contemporary pop/r&b. It’s the kind of song collection that can draw endless comparisons, from the obvious Doja Cat to the legendary Missy Elliot - neither of which ever ventured into boom bap, which Doechii does on more than one occasion here. Alligator Bites Never Heal, while not perfect, seems to cover as many bases as the late Rickey Henderson - though with a 2% lower rate of success (yes I’ll do math for music and baseball) - making it a true showcase album. Whether it be the lyrical content, which I mostly found compelling, the cultivation of emotion, or the musical stylings themselves, variety was the name of the game for Doechii this year, and she played the game very well.
Alligator Bites Never Heal is a 8.3.
16
Imaginal Disk - Magdalena Bay
While I wasn’t previously familiar with the Magdalena Bay beyond a small handful of tracks and bits of internet chatter, the Floridian pop duo will have a hard time escaping my attention after this 2024 LP. Music makers of the future - this record feels like an exploration of the many corners of pop they felt were within reach, from borderline-retro synth pop to the unmistakable elements of indie and hyperpop on each track. This sound is their own, and despite the insistence of their growing fanbase that Magdalena Bay has long been A-List-ready, this has the feel of a true breakthrough album. Does that mean they’ve reached maximum speed in their lane? Absolutely not. The borders of pop music broaden every year, opening endless opportunities for a group with this level of ingenuity to become even more prolific. Their versatility and song-making ability are on display throughout this 2024 product, but some tracks undeniably stand above the rest and consistent replication of that elevating ‘it factor’ would vault them to the pinnacle of any given year in music.
Imaginal Disk is a 8.3.
15
CHROMAKOPIA - Tyler The Creator
For the fourth time in a row, Tyler The Creator released an album that perfectly met the moment. Settling somewhere in between Igor and Call Me If You Get Lost, he continued to hone his own pop/alt hip-hop sound with yet another noticeable increase in maturity and production quality. Tyler covers every corner of the sound he’s spent a decade zeroing in on, which makes for a wide musical range that allows him to address anything on his mind and lean into whatever stylistic tropes he wishes. My favorite trope from this particular record was his brilliant song progressions. While he adheres to portions of traditional song structure, Tyler has cultivated this unique ability to make songs with a definite directional vision minus the limiting aspects of typical song design. Much like Igor, most tracks feel more concerned with the build and payoff than creating the literary definition of ‘song’. The difference is that CHROMAKOPIA has years of realized talent and acquired skill aiding its ambitious track-by-track undertakings. It’s clean, and while not groundbreaking, singularly focused, or conceptually compelling, it feels personal and complete.
Tyler’s most recent success is a 8.4.
14
Manning Firewords - MJ Lenderman
I’ve seen and spoken to folks who hail this record as the year’s best. I understand the appeal - besides his strengths as an artist, MJ Lenderman’s music simply feels good. Lenderman has an earthy genuine way about him and it leaks all through his music. From his chest-voice vocals to his recognizably pleasant guitar, there’s no mistaking the Wednesday guitarist for any other day of the week. Speaking of his main gig, the North Carolinian group does a lot of bridging their folk-rock influences with the world of alt-noise, and while it can result in an occasionally elevated sound, it’s been a treat to hear Lenderman get so much solo exposure this year. Some things don’t need elevating, although I suspect his best work has yet to come.
Manning Fireworks is a 8.4.
13
GNX - Kendrick Lamar
Well yeah. Between his triumphant feud with Drake and this chart-topping record, Lamar reached heights of celebrity this year that no rapper has quite seen since Travis Scott dropped Astroworld (‘19). His reinvigoration of the West Coast sound he emerged and, for a time, separated from is largely responsible for this album’s success, and while the record will likely go down as the release that followed “Not Like Us”, I believe it may one day receive credit for establishing the sound the next generation of Kendrick Lamar fans grew up with.
Kendrick’s victory lap is a 8.5.
12
Underdressed At The Symphony - Faye Webster
If you haven’t heard Faye Webster you’ve been missing out - all she does is make good music. Her mellow indie-rock often relies on breezy instrumentals and the pureness of her voice but ultimately focuses on simply finding catchy grooves, which she does with ease. On Underdressed At The Symphony the 27-year-old upheld that standard and included some more active listens for fans who may want more than to float beside her for 10 songs. Whether you came for the Lil Yachty feature or to find the next Faye Webster fixtures on a playlist of yours (that’s me), you’ll be pleased with this record.
Faye’s most recent people-pleaser is a 8.6.
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11
I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU - JPEGMAFIA
By this point, if you’ve heard JPEGMAFIA you’ve got an opinion. He is the foremost artist in his field of - let’s say ‘abstract’ rap. Known for his hyper hodgepodge instrumentals, loose performances, and goofy lyrics, assessments of his music range from ‘he’s the best rapper ever’ to ‘this isn’t music’, but I’ve always found his records to be mixed bags. Last year, with the help of Danny Brown, he released his most coordinated and listenable album at the time, and now he’s done it again. This 2024 LP reaches new heights of sonic palatability over a quality tracklist with perhaps the most stylistic and contextual range he’s ever shown, strongly displaying some of his most digestibly emotional songwriting ever, without compromising his signature nonsensical internet humor. His ability to seamlessly accommodate his features - namely Vince Staples and Denzel Curry - resulted in some of the best tracks on the record, and his production-based execution of increasingly ambitious song concepts is getting better and better. Peggy has always had all the tools he needs and I couldn’t be happier to see them come together in such a thorough and diverse offering.
I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU is a 8.7.
10
Bright Future - Adrianne Lenker
There are few things I love more than supplementing a great album with a related Wikipedia scroll, and the latest LP from Big Thief’s timid leader Adrianne Lenker sent me to my favorite internet encyclopedia faster than any other record. I’ve always felt as though her pointedly midwestern blend of folk and alternative must’ve come from somewhere other than New York - her band’s home base. Turns out I was right (what else is new?). Much like her music, the sheer amount of life Lenker lived before recording her first album at the age of 13 lands somewhere between incredible and unnerving. For the length of Bright Future she toes that line, effortlessly communicating both the messages and moods she intends with the musical equivalent of comfort food for her fans. It’s yet another well-executed project from a woman who was born to be an artist, and while it may not touch the heights that certain Big Thief tracks do or have the pent-up energy of Songs (‘20), you’ll be hard-pressed to poke many holes in this safely stellar project.
Bright Future is a 8.7
9
Dark Times - Vince Staples
Vince Staples seems to have secured a solid B+ reputation across his first 7 studio albums, with The Big Fish Theory widely considered his masterpiece. That’s the status he’s been awarded, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the now 31-year-old never saw an upgrade in that respect. That’s what consistent coordinated releases do for an artist like Vince, and to me that’s a travesty. Vince Staples is one of the best artists in the rap game right now, and while he won’t throw it in your face, I will. Dark Times marks his third consecutive album-to-album improvement in terms of artistic and stylistic maturity. From the well-written songs throughout the record to the sonic palette which is the very best of the year, bar none, Vince is in complete control. His music feels calculated yet genuine, smooth yet rigid, laid back yet cutting, and you can only produce that kind of product if the product itself is your ultimate focus. This record, while not stylistically groundbreaking maximizes the sound he’s been working to perfect. If he chooses to move on to something new and does so with the same level of artistic execution he brought this year, everyone else better watch the hell out.
Vince Staples’ best record yet is a 8.8
8
Almighty So 2 - Chief Keef
Chief Keef struck again! Any year where the patron saint of the Southside sits atop the ranks of hip-hop albums is a good year in my book. Keef has been releasing generally solid projects in the 12 years following his emergence on, or rather creation of the drill rap scene we know today at the age of 16. Now, with the follow-up to his decade-old sophomore release Sosa’s struck gold again. As an artist whose reputation was staked and secured 4 minutes into his debut record, Chief Keef’s artistic development has gone severely underrated. So, if you haven’t been paying attention, he now is the near sole producer of his music, and that happens to be the greatest strength of this record. The production in question is by far the strongest I’ve heard on any drill record - he commands a massive energetic atmosphere on most of the songs which is nothing new to the drill formula, but with greater sonic depth and cleanliness than ever. His generally organic instrumentals only further legitimize the production effort, and he displays a greater understanding of the instruments themselves than producers pushing a similar envelope in the trap scene (Metro). The fact is, Chief Keef built this sound from the ground up while learning and developing his skills as a musician along the way and maintaining the performative stylings that won the hearts of his fans in the beginning. Now, the result is a new high water mark for not only himself but the drill scene at large.
Almighty So 2 is a 8.9.
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7
Wall Of Eyes - The Smile
The Smile is what you might call a perfect spinoff, and their third release (the first of two this year) is the perfect proof. When an established artist (or in this case three) embarks on a side project there is a key balance to be struck. First, in order to justify the spinoff in the first place the product ought to vary from their usual work, however straying too far opens up the risk of losing the original audience. If you’re wondering exactly how someone might go about striking that balance, give Wall Of Eyes a listen. Thom Yorke and co. brought the best elements of Radiohead to their 2024 record. Despite lacking the sonic brawn a 5-man band like Radiohead possesses, The Smile did a great job of cultivating similarly fantastic atmospheres, and I think it’s fair to say the thinner cast of musicians opened up greater stylistic flexibility. In a true example of doing more with less, the added air allowed for them to lean further into spacey psychedelic sounds as well as some of Skinner’s jazz inclinations and Yorke's more abstract vocal stylings. It’s a record made by true professionals with complete awareness of the tools in front of them and the collaborative mojo to execute some of the more difficult and conceptually loose tracks of their collective discographies.
Wall Of Eyes is a 9.
6
Mahashmashana - Father John Misty
I’d like to say this is Father John Misty’s best album. A bold claim perhaps, especially for such an established artist with the dedicated fanbase he has, but one that can be easily backed up. While Mahashmashana may not prove to be loaded with signature tracks to the level of his 2012 debut, for instance, this 8-track 50-minute LP is packed front to back with significant undertakings. With 2 songs in the 4-minute range and the rest spanning 5-9 minutes each, Father John bit off as much as he ever has and executed at a new level. There are zero skips across a decently wide variety of songs, from his spiritual balladry to rambling rock and all the alternative space that he occupies so effortlessly in between. To me, it sounds as though the high-potential 43-year-old has reached a new level of comfortability within his music, and frankly, it shouldn’t be so easy to write and execute lengthy yet captivating songs in unwavering succession. That’s why as of right now, I’m placing Father John Misty on ‘perfect 10 watch’ - just wait.
Father John Misty’s most complete effort to date is a 9.
5
Diamond Jubilee - Cindy Lee
Cindy Lee is a fairly massive talent. The music industry vet has performed in different groups, under different names, and in different genres, and all that seems to have led to the sort of indiscriminate ‘screw-you-attitude’ that can only be properly expressed by someone who’s either highly skilled, highly pissed off, or both. I know this because the murky abrasive nature of this music is exactly the sonic palette one might choose if they wished to avoid the underqualified attention of mainstream audiences. That approach has kept Cindy Lee in that perfect grey area where fantastic music can exist untouched and unbothered, which is no small feat. Unfortunately for Cindy, they might have blown that window wide open with their latest release Diamond Jubilee. The 2-hour 32-track triple record is a peak indie album (available for download on Bandcamp). Lee floats through genre-various influences with ease, challenging the listener on nearly every song while thriving in the tantalizing minimal complexity that makes this gaudy listen bearable. Rock, alternative, indie, folk, and psychedelic are no strangers to one another, but combined with the dual vocal deliveries, highly skilled and uniquely restrained guitar technique, and unwavering intention behind each track, this sound can be contained under just one umbrella: Diamond Jubilee.
Cindy Lee’s odyssey LP is 9.1.
4
Tigers Blood - Waxahatchee
This was perhaps the best album referral I’ve ever received. Thanks Joe. Tigers Blood is not only my favorite record of the year - it’s also home to some of the most well-written and emotionally performed songs of the year, the most productive feature of the year in MJ Lenderman, and what I consider the best collection of vocal performances as well. Waxahatchee is a one-woman music machine who, with the help of a backing band can move you to tears with one song and out of your seat with the next. I found myself hanging on her every word, even considering the cost of a move to Alabama, because each track on this album somehow feels like home. She effortlessly combines elements of rock, alternative, folk, country, even a tasteful tinge of 2010s pop, and it all comes together in a sound I feel as though I’ve always known. I went back and listened to all of Kathryn Critfield’s other work, both under this outfit and in her previous band P.S. Elliot, and I can safely say that while all of her music prominently displays her strengths in one way or another Tigers Blood is simply another gear. I cannot wait to see what comes next.
My personal favorite release of 2024 is a 9.2.
3
Cowboy Carter - Beyonce
Well, it’s official Beyonce has broken music. For the second release in a row, she arrived on the album cover on horseback in full pop-star regalia and released the most bombastic project of the year. Why would a veteran pop star with nothing left to prove coming off an unnecessarily adventurous but brilliantly executed electronic pop/r&b album choose to backtrack and release her first ‘country’ album - because she felt her roots have been neglected, because there’s always more to prove, or simply because she can? While my best bet is all of the above, there’s only one person who can answer that question, after all, Beyonce answered every other question with her latest success. Cowboy Carter covers all the bases. It ranges stylistically through her bread and butter, back to Renaissance, and forward to a brand new fusion of pop, r&b, and country that she can call her own. While the album's most potent country tendencies are found in the content and tone rather than the musical stylings, Queen B’s ability to meld whichever genre tropes she pleases is on par with some of contemporary music’s most venerable names. The vocal onslaught was as strong and sustained as ever as she glided through a lengthy record packed with big-name features, gutsy covers, and statement after statement in the form of standout tracks and calculated lyrical presentations. She has mastered the art of the album (it’s like she’s seen my scoring system), from the rollout to the song placement and what I can only assume was a massive collaborative effort behind the scenes.
Beyonce’s country takeover is a 9.3.
2
Brat - Charli XCX
Well, this should be no surprise. Charli XCX first emerged from the London party scene and entered the pop charts more than a decade ago. Since then she’s carved out a niche of her own somewhere between pop and dance/electronic, become one of the driving forces in the ever-developing hyperpop scene, and secured a reputation as a sort of all-around-icon by the age of 32. Her playful partygirl aesthetic goes just as far towards wrangling new fans as it does towing her most veteran supporters along her musical journey, and with her stunning 2024 release it's safe to say she’s done fans of every kind a service. Brat is a pure hyperpop record, a career-best undertaking of innovation, and the kind of record that cements an artist's legacy, but most of all it is a movement. ‘Brat Summer’, Brat for Halloween, Brat as an adjective - when was the last time you heard the name of an album take on such a socially verbose nature? Never is my answer, and it's for good reason. It’s a perfectly digestible, near-perfect 15 songs over 41 minutes. Each one is danceable, means something to someone, and stays perfectly within the abstract but contagiously understandable world that is Brat. Each time I listen to this album, whether in the car, on my audiophile stereo setup, or in my noise-canceling world-blocking headphones I discover something new in the mix, something that makes a song better, something that further cements Brat as the album of the year.
2024’s best record is a 9.4.
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