Our popular music critics pick some of the standout albums and performances of 2024.

Scott McLennan

Many of the 2024 albums that ended up in heavy rotation came from bands that had also made a lasting impression on the concert stage.

Sierra Ferrell’s Trail of Flowers is flush with imagination, deft playing, and rich songwriting. Ferrell is part of a new school of traditionalists who blend bluegrass, country, and other folk stylings. Yet their sound is as modern as it is timeless. The album clicks at every turn, from the melodic “American Dreaming” to the frenetic “Fox Hunt.” Her show at the Roadrunner in Brighton was equal parts rowdy country dust-up and euphoric soul searching.

Sturgill Simpson came back this year, sort of. Simpson released the lush-sounding Passage du Desir under the name Johnny Blue Skies — perhaps the most overt attempt by this shape-shifting artist to declare his stubborn independence from expectations. Whoever is responsible for Passage du Desir deserves heaps of credit. The album’s melancholy and wistful pieces are maintained with a steady hand that keeps things emotionally resonant while avoiding missteps into maudlin pitfalls. Simpson’s marathon concert at MGM Music Hall was a raw and glorious celebration of the power of live music unbothered by genre limitations or commercial calculations.

Throughout its career, Blood Incantation has explored the sweet spot where science fiction, progressive rock, and extreme metal meet. On Absolute Elsewhere, the Denver quartet presents its most compelling sonic infused universe yet. On this disc, listeners are thrust through the “stargate,” led through seamless shifts from brutal death metal to homages to Pink Floyd. Live at Brighton Music Hall, Blood Incantation recreated Absolute Elsewhere with a steely seriousness that elevated these sounds from the metal underground to cosmic highs.

In his latest album, Highway Prayers, Billy Strings continued to create a truly fresh and uncompromised “new traditional” style. In contrast to those artists who filter pop through a twang lens, Strings builds on traditional bluegrass to reach for familiar touchstones of rock ’n’ roll. Frankly, this strategy comes off as more organic. Strings and his stellar band introduced material from the album when visiting the DCU Center in Worcester this summer. The new studio recording ably grasps Strings’s vision of psychedelic sprawl meets folksy hoedown. Strings delivered from the stage, and bonus points to the musician for also releasing Live Vol. 1 this year, which offers a nice snapshot of his concert experience.

Opeth blew open the possibilities of merging prog rock and heavy metal in the early ’00s with a run of albums that made the Swedish band a global phenomenon in heavy music. The troupe’s continued experimentation didn’t always click; on top of that, some swerves into more mainstream sounds were also met with a lukewarm response. But the new album Last Will and Testament testifies to Opeth’s staying power and creative prowess. The album is a rock opera about family secrets and power with narration and occasional flute contributions from Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson. Opeth included a couple of the new songs when the band hit The Palladium in Worcester prior to the album’s release. It would be interesting to hear the band cover the entire song cycle in concert.

Chuck Prophet’s Wake the Dead is all about being alive. Prophet made the record following successful cancer treatments, and Wake the Dead works through the complex emotions arising from that period. But the record comes at the dread with a joyful bounce. For starters, Prophet recorded the album with the traditional cumbia band ¿Qiensave?. Prophet wrote in his own style — clever, provocative lyrics and songs full of vivid scenes and memorable characters — but fit the material into a framework that was primarily shaped by Mexican dance music, accented by his own trademark alt-twang. It’s a bold and uplifting record, even when Prophet is staring down mortality or examining the scary social divides in our country.

With its debut album, Highly Irresponsible, Better Lovers arrives with a bang. The group builds on the eclectic approach to heavy music that members were involved in experimenting with in early projects such Dillinger Escape Plan and Every Time I Die. This album represents a notable step in the evolution of metalcore, a successful effort by musicians who were among the initial architects intrigued with merging hardcore punk and heavy metal.

Shellac released To All Trains, its first album in a decade, 10 days after founding member Steve Albini died from a heart attack. The shock of the loss was deepened by the fierce power of the recording. Albini’s noisy, antagonistic, and blunt approach to making music is crystallized in this surprise disc, which he made with band mates Bob Weston and Todd Trainer.

Twenty-seven albums in, and the Melvins continue to impress. This staple of underground rock produced another essential release with this year’s Tarantula Heart. The trio brought in a second drummer, Ray Mayorga, to pound alongside Dale Crover. The dual percussion feeds the epic “Pain Equals Funny,” a 19-minute excursion that sets up the cracked odyssey the Melvins take on this recording.

Revolution in Motion by Disco Biscuits makes my favorites list because last year’s list prematurely christened the EP version of this song cycle as among 2023’s best releases. This funky jam rock space opera deserves your attention; it is every bit as engaging and colorful as the early tracks suggested. With Revolution in Motion, Disco Biscuits proved that the seemingly impossible is indeed doable — namely, that a jam band can make a great studio album.

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Blake Maddux

One of the best things about being a freelance arts journalist is all of the free stuff that you get. Be it album downloads, guest list inclusion, or books, freelancing amounts to one heck of a gig.

My inbox is overstuffed with the first of these. Generous publicists send me music by artists whom I otherwise would never have known existed. And while it might be presumptuous to say so, my sense is that this is true of many other music fans. (Yes, I know that is presumptuous.)

The list that follows includes a dozen of my favorite releases of the past 12 months. Specifically, there are ones recorded by the artists whom I described in the previous paragraph (with one exception). Since I have neither the ability nor the inclination to order them from most to least favorite, I have presented them chronologically.

Note: This list is not exhaustive. That these albums and not others appear is the result of multiple factors: I had heard the artist before and like them, I had not heard the artist and was curious, I liked what I read about the album, the artist had a show at a venue that I am fond of, etc. I undoubtedly missed at least a dozen more that I might have deemed worthy of inclusion, thus the Very Honorable Mentions portion.

(PS: Expect to encounter the words “jangle” and “jangly” — as in “reminiscent of what one hears in the music of The Byrds, Big Star, R.E.M., etc. — several times.

My Twelve Favorites

The Umbrellas: Fairweather Friend (Slumberland).

This jangle rock/pop quartet is — how to say it — magnificent. Their eponymous 2021 debut and this year’s follow-up, Fairweather Friend (both released by the ever-reliable Slumberland label), are two of my favorite records of the 2020s. Moreover, the show they put on in a movie theater in Arlington was one of the best concerts that I saw this year. Highly recommended for fans of K Records, Sarah Records, C-86, twee, and everyone who has no idea what I am talking about.

Ducks Ltd.: Harm’s Way (Carpark)

At the risk of repeating myself a bit soon, this Toronto duo is also spectacular. Their first two LPs — 2021’s Modern Fiction and this year’s Harm’s Way — are also two of my favorite releases of this decade, and the 2021 EP Get Bleak is just as good and only slightly shorter. (The former LP was released by Slumberland, the latter by Carpark.) The band has also been beneficent in releasing singles in between albums, including two since May. RIYL The Feelies, R.E.M., Orange Juice, and the myriad jangle pop bands from Down Under. (My Arts Fuse review is on this page.)

Real Estate: Daniel (Domino)

I had been an admittedly casual fan of the four records Real Estate released between 2009 and 2017. Alas, I had fallen out of the loop by 2020 and totally missed that year’s The Main Thing, which had the unfortunate release date of February 28, 2020. Thankfully, Daniel appeared in my inbox early this year and made me more a far more active follower than I had been before. Their 2024 tour name, Infinite Jangle, should give you an idea of the album’s sound and the kind of music that I have enjoyed this year. Real Estate is far and away the “oldest” band on this list, but I still feel that Daniel reflects the spirit of the past 12 months.

Friko: Where we’ve been, Where we go from here (ATO)

Chicago-based duo Friko released this LP, their debut, in February. Beginning with the relatively gentle and acoustic “Where We’ve Been,” the record shifts gears among the pulverizing (“Crashing Through,” “Chemical”), pensive (“For Ella,” “Until I’m with You Again,” “Cardinal”), poppy (“Statues,” “Get Numb to It!”), and hard-rocking (“Crimson to Chrome”). In short, there’s something here for everyone.

Cindy Lee: Diamond Jubilee (Realistik/Superior Viaduct)

I don’t think that I can describe this mesmerizing, mysterious, and uttering fascinating 2-1/2-hour double album better than my Arts Fuse colleague Matt Hanson did. In his review, he described Diamond Jubilee thusly: “Hard to describe a record that seduces the listener so abstractly with its delicate enigmas. It’s like songs played for a slow dance at a secret prom held under the sea, with a disco ball spinning over a mostly empty room.” Who am I to disagree? From the inescapably hypnotic and awe-inspiring guitar riff of the opening track to the closer 31 songs later, Diamond Jubilee grabs you from the start and never lets go. Thus, it seems only appropriate that Wikipedia uses a term that I’ve never heard to categorize it: hypnagogic pop.

English Teacher: This Could Be Texas (Island)

This Leeds, UK, quartet made an instant splash with its April debut. The obviousness of that splash was apparent when This Could Be Texas won the British Mercury Prize for Album of the Year, the judges of which praised it for its “winning lyrical mix of surrealism and social observation.” Moreover, I was correct when I wrote in my preview of their June 12 show at Sonia that they wouldn’t be playing venues of that size for long. Sure enough, they opened for Idles at Roadrunner on September 24.

Lightheaded: Combustible Gems (Slumberland)

With a mere eight tracks, Combustible Gems is right up there among this year’s most consistent and satisfying 25 minutes of music. Given that the New Jersey quartet is another member of the never-erring Slumberland roster, this is not a surprise. Indie/power/jangle pop is — as you can see from this list — having quite a moment. With its elements of dream pop and smart use of synths, Combustible Gems is one of the finest examples of why.

Lunchbox: Pop and Circumstance (Slumberland)

Oakland quartet Lunchbox returned in 2014, releasing two albums and taking 12 years off from the band. Although their output has been intermittent (three LPs and an EP in the past decade), the material remains so good that fans will happily accept whatever they put out whenever they do so. The shared or swapped vocals of Donna McKean and Tim Brown remain as spirited as ever, and the guitars zig, zag, and arpeggiate beautifully. But what distinguishes Pop and Circumstance from previous Lunchbox releases is the generous use of organ and trumpet, which creates a musical bed that sounds both soulful and retro (think game shows, film scores, and prime-time dramas of the 70s.) Here’s hoping that Lunchbox returns sooner rather than later with another serving of their jangly, layered pop.

Hana Vu: Romanticism (Ghostly International)

Singer-songwriter Hana Vu’s latest album is the first that I have heard of the four she has released in the past six years. The quality of this LP tells me, as a newcomer, that at least one of two things is true: the sonorously voiced and musically multifaceted 24-year-old has demonstrated extraordinary growth since 2018’s How Many Times Have You Driven By, or she has been spectacularly talented all along and continues to reach new peaks. I haven’t investigated further yet, but my bet is that it’s the latter.

Fake Fruit: Mucho Mistrust (Carpark)

Combining Gang of Four’s angular post-punk, Sonic Youth’s noisy alternative, Pavement’s skewed indie, and units of whichever genre(s) The Feelies are properly categorized as, Mucho Mistrust is a horn of plenty. (And yes, that title comes from a Blondie lyric.) The band hits its stride on track #1, from which point it fully demonstrates its zippy instrumentation (“Gotta Meet You” features cowbell and saxophone) and singer/songwriter Hannah D’Amato’s self-perceptive lyrics (e.g., “I decided to assert myself/After I lost all my sense of self”) and forceful, self-assured, hurried but intelligible vocals. Ample parts raucous and melodic, Mucho Mistrust makes Fake Fruit a band to keep an ear and eye on.

Being Dead: EELS (Bayonet)

Gosh darn the great albums just kept coming this year. On Being Dead’s EELS, the Austin trio serves up challenging samples of indie rock that are simultaneously immediate and accessible. And there’s plenty to savor among the record’s 16 entries, 11 of which clock in at less than three minutes. Much of what makes other albums on this list great also does so for EELS: shared or alternating gender singing, jangly and fuzzy guitars, a foot-stomp-inspiring rhythm section, and bite-size-length songs. Throw in deviating arrangements and pop smarts, mix, and you’ve got a collection of high-carat gems that repeated spins could not possibly dull.

2nd Grade: Scheduled Explosions (Double Double Whammy)

Philadelphia’s 2nd Grade is the project of Peter Gill, and Scheduled Explosions is his third full-length release since 2022. Presumably taking Guided by Voices as a point de départ, Gill favors exceedingly brief, intoxicatingly catchy numbers. His latest effort’s 39 minutes cram in 23 songs, only four of which pass the two-minute mark and each of which proffer unique lyrical and instrumental dynamics. Musically, most of the observations made about the previous entries on this list apply here.

12 Very Honorable Mentions (also in order of release date)

Torres: What an enormous room (Merge)

Chelsea Wolfe: She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (Loma Vista)

Yard Act: Where’s My Utopia? (Island)

The Reds, Pinks & Purples: Unwishing Well (Slumberland)

Swiftumz: Simply the Best (Empty Cellar)

Cloud Nothings: Final Summer (Carpark)

Chanel Beads: Your Day Will Come (Jagjaguwar)

Neutrals: New Town Dream (Slumberland)

Good Looks: Lived Here for a While (Keeled Scales)

Hayes Noble: As It Was, As We Were (221 Press)

Chime School: The Boy Who Ran the Paisley Hotel (Slumberland);

MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks (ANTI-)

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Paul Robicheau

In a banner year for what we can broadly construe as popular music, here are my top 10 picks for experiences on record or stage.

Brat, Charli XCX. Once known primarily for her collaborations, this British electro-pop maven breaks her own party wide open on a commanding sixth album that throbs with thick-toned club bangers and introspective honesty.

PJ Harvey, MGM Music Hall, Sept. 18. As much keenly choreographed play as edgy rock show, the English singer/songwriter’s rare return to Boston cast a spell that was split between solemn new material and brooding, bracing older tunes.

Here in the Pitch, Jessica Pratt. This L.A. songstress harkens back to another time and place. Pratt’s haunting voice seems filtered through a gauzy veil even as her fragile folk-pop brightens into bossa nova with echoes of Petula Clark.

Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé. Queen Bey nods to country with a slick, sprawling cross-genre romp that’s ultimately hers. Guests span pop stars (Miley Cyrus, Post Malone) and Black country movers (Linda Martell, Shaboozey), as well as narrators Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, all integrated into Beyoncé’s world.

Wilco, Solid Sound, June 28-29. New England’s most unique biennial music festival spanned rock, folk, avant-jazz, and African music at MASS MoCA in the Berkshires, but host group Wilco stole its own fest with conceptual coups. The first night nailed fan-voted deep cuts, half not played live for a decade. The second dipped into a new EP as well as a surprise 20th-anniversary run through the band’s seminal album A Ghost Is Born in the rain-skirting still air.

The Past Is Still Alive, Hurray for the Riff Raff. Singer/songwriter Alynda Segarra hones resonant Americana in travelogue-style tales that champion outsiders from fellow queer associates to a friend facing addiction. “Nothing will stop me now!” Segarra declares, summing up their conviction.

Not God, Finom – Formerly named OHMME, the Chicago indie-pop duo of Sima Cunningham and Macie Stewart mash intuitive vocal harmonies and minimalist sonic surprises on a Jeff Tweedy–produced record that blends melody and tension in turns both cleverly catchy and artfully abrasive. And the group transferred its synergy to a small crowd at the Rockwell in Somerville last month.

Beat, Lynn Memorial Auditorium, Dec. 6. Adrian Belew and Tony Levin recast their ’80s King Crimson catalog with virtuoso ringers Steve Vai and Tool’s Danny Carey in place of prog legends Robert Fripp and Bill Bruford. They may not match the original quartet’s innovations but proved more entertaining. By the time they hit Lynn, they bent the music to their own mixed personalities. Too bad that, because this is a repertory unit, the band isn’t likely to record, but that would be a dream.

Trail of Flowers, Sierra Ferrell. The Appalachian-honed singer/songwriter weaves old-timey country, bluegrass, jazz, and gospel within her fiddle-iced palette. But it’s her honey-voiced way with ballads that seals the deal. The colorfully flamboyant Ferrell slayed at the Newport Folk Festival and Roadrunner.

Mark Sandman Memorial Concert, the Cut, Gloucester, July 5. Comrades of Mark Sandman honored the Morphine leader at the North Shore’s coolest new club for the 25th anniversary of his death. Morphine saxman Dana Colley and original drummer Jerome Deupree were aided by Russ Gershon, Laurie Sargent, Christian McNeill, and Mike Rivard, while Jimmy Ryan and Sandman’s former partner Sabine Hrechdakian added starkly emotive cameos. A snare drum also stood onstage in tribute to the late Billy Conway of Morphine.

In memoriam, this time of year reminds me of swapping top 10s in the Boston Globe with my mentor Steve Morse, who died suddenly from cancer in October. A kindhearted chronicler of rock stars and local musicians alike, he told me to take time at every concert to view it not only as a critic but as a fan. I’ve never forgotten that and won’t forget him.