BPL's Favorite Albums of 2024: Review by William Anthony
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One of the best things about the end of any year is reminiscing on all the books, movies, and music that spoke to you. It helps us hold on to some of our favorite memories and experiences.
The hardest part of any “best of” list is determining which selections will most likely stand the test of time. These chosen entries can hopefully introduce you to other great albums released within the past year.
Here are William Anthony of the Birmingham Public Library’s favorite albums of 2024:
1. Brat by Charli XCX
Brat kicked down the front door and stormed the entire building this past summer. Charli XCX is the Queen of 2024, not Beyoncé, not Sabrina Carpenter, not even Taylor Swift. Her sixth album is her strongest and most iconic album yet. Each song has its own distinct style and personality, but they all still complement and support each other. She explores every mood both confrontationally and conversationally throughout Brat. Each subgenre of electronic dance music comes to life from standard but still euphoric house music to hard-hitting, acidic techno. This is truly authentic 21st century pop music. She has eclipsed some of the most revved up, adrenaline-boosting nightclub hits of the 2000s and the 2010s.
Singles like "360" and "Apple" assure us that 2024 is a year drenched in lime green. Their bubbly, fuzzy choruses are addictively catchy and can put anyone in a good mood. These standouts even wink at 1980s new wave music when they burst through the speakers. Charli XCX never copycats or replicates a notable 80s act such as Depeche Mode or Eurythmics on these examples. We will most likely still be humming these hits or singing them on karaoke night several years from now.
Tracks like "Sympathy Is a Knife," "Von Dutch," and the closing song, "365," carry a sharp, biting fierceness with its rave-friendly bravado. These are the hits that truly resonate with me whenever I revisit Brat, especially Von Dutch. This song makes me feel like I could run through a brick wall as she calls out any haters for their insecure, bitter envy over her well-earned success. "I Might Say Something Stupid" and "I Think About It All the Time" are confessional diary entries that slow down the onslaught of dance club energy just a little bit.
They give you a moment to rest your body after running all around the room. She opens up about her personal concerns and uncertainties. What I love the most about Brat is that there is a theme, a story, and an attitude for virtually every listener, including people who might not really listen to pop and techno music.
Each beat, each melody surges in a surprisingly different direction, but all the tracks still build each other up with a forward-thinking mindset. Nothing wanders off into totally random left-field territory. I am sure that Charli XCX is already carefully planning her next career move. Well, the stakes are high if she wants to emulate this lightning bolt of an album.
Brat makes electronic dance music compatible with the most important lessons and milestones in our lives. That is why Brat is the most fun record of the year.
If you are a fan of Dua Lipa, Troye Sivan, A.G. Cook, and Daft Punk, you will enjoy Charli XCX’s music.
As a fun, highly rewarding bonus, Charli XCX remixed all of her songs on Brat with the equally exceptional album, "Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat." She rearranges her beats and lyrics, but the party vibe maintains its resilience and confidence. Guests appearances range from Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande to Lorde and Bon Iver.
2. Manning Fireworks by MJ Lenderman
Manning Fireworks shares some of the best and most honest songwriting that I have listened to within the past several years. MJ Lenderman borrows a lot of the Southern Gothic literature-inspired lyricism from the alternative rock band, Wednesday, who he plays the guitar for. On a side note, Wednesday's fifth record, Rat Saw God, is one of my favorite albums of 2023.
He molds those established tales into much more personable and amusing anecdotes that will paint clear, precise images in your head. Mr. Lenderman sings about heartbreak, inner turmoil, playing video games, and his valuable wristwatch with such conviction that he reminds us how ordinary things in a small town can still leave a huge impact on all of us.
At least that is my interpretation of some of the songs after listening to this wonderful, intriguing record several times. As random and bizarre as these lyrics are, they leave an indelible impression on you. His approach to songwriting makes you want to learn more about him.
The guitar work and storytelling take their time pace-wise. Nothing feels rushed and hurried. He sounds jaded and burdened while singing, but you can detect profound moments of inspiration once you spend time studying the words. The guitar solos are as thick as molasses and bring out more urgency to his musings and observations. Splashes of soothing violins and banjo picking occasionally show up, which remind us that this multi-instrumentalist and wunderkind from Asheville, North Carolina has a background in alternative country music. This unusual song structure allows us to immerse ourselves more in the quick but brilliant mind of MJ Lenderman.
My personal favorite is the 10-minute finale, "Bark at the Moon." The minimal but poignant lyrics and the humming, lazy-river guitar work keep you mesmerized until the very last second of this record.
If you're a fan of Kurt Vile, Dawes, The War on Drugs, and Neil Young, you will enjoy the music of MJ Lenderman.
3. You Won't Go Before You're Supposed To by Knocked Loose
I hate to use this play on words, but Knocked Loose will knock you out. The terrifying, tortured screeching on "Thirst" will thrust you against a wall and not slow down anytime soon with its metalcore heaviness. Once you drop to the floor, there will be a noticeably big hole in that wall. The blast beat drumming and crunchy guitar riffs are ruthlessly punishing and riveting throughout the short runtime of You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To.
Although Knocked Loose’s third album is roughly 27 minutes long, the brevity of each song still packs in plenty of headbanging aggression. Most of the tracks effortlessly veer off into territory associated with other subgenres such as death metal, black metal, and even nu metal.
At heart, these guys from Kentucky are still a powerhouse hybrid of metalcore and hardcore punk even when they fearlessly wade into the daunting gauntlet that enshrouds most death metal and black metal groups. These harrowing moments pop out of nowhere.
Amidst the primal growls and bone-crushing, down-tuned guitars, there are briefs moments where You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To gives you a moment to catch your breath and relax for literally a few seconds. However, after such a brief break, Knocked Loose reels you back into the chaotic madness.
Songs like "Take Me Home" and "Slaughterhouse 2" exemplify this excellent technique. Another standout song is "The Calm That Keeps You Awake" because of its tribal drumming and chainsaw riffage. Similarly, "Blinding Faith" picks up the pace just a few more notches with its frantic, pummeling thrash metal breakdowns.
Even if heavy metal music in general is not your cup of tea, the latest offering from Knocked Loose can help you vent and blow steam after a long, stressful day at the office. Towards the end of the year, we all need a cathartic release sometimes, and You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To can help you get the job done.
If you are a fan of Converge, Turnstile, Drain, and Code Orange, you will enjoy the music of Knocked Loose.
4. Prelude to Ecstasy by The Last Dinner Party
Prelude to Ecstasy is one of the most confident debut albums of the 2020s that I have listened to so far. The Last Dinner Party is starting off their career with a strong, lasting first impression. The mysterious, ghostly vocals carry a theatrical weight that serves as a potent ripple effect on all the other musical elements such as the windchime-like but sturdy strings and playful, revelatory ballads.
When I heard the following lyrics in the song, "Burn Alive": “There is candle wax melting in my veins. So I keep myself standing in your flames,” I knew that the rest of album was going to be just as strong and memorable. Such words haunt and challenge me to pay closer attention to the narratives unveiled on Prelude to Ecstasy.
It was always tantalizing to hear the hypnotizing hit single, "The Feminine Urge," play on Birmingham Mountain Radio, especially during the summertime. The following chorus can grab any listener’s attention with its sharp vulnerability: “I am a dark red liver stretched out on the rocks. All the poison, I convert it and I turn it to love. Here comes the feminine urge, I know it so well. To nurture the wounds my mother held.”
This song deserves all the airplay that it has received. It is one of those songs that addresses the ongoing cycle of generational trauma with a honey-coated melody. Now that’s rock and roll!
The chirpy new guitar and harmonies on "Sinner" could not help but make me think about the sonic influence that artists like Queen and David Bowie had on the ladies of The Last Dinner Party.
"My Lady of Mercy" possesses a similar stomp that also recalls 1970s glam rock. Every track wears its inspirations on its sleeve, but none of the songs’ overall vibe feels derivative or contrived. The Last Dinner Party successfully extends its baroque pop approach into new cultural territory by tightening the production of their initial stage as rock stars.
If you are a fan of Fleetwood Mac, Kate Bush, Florence and the Machine, and Lana Del Rey, you will enjoy the music of The Last Dinner Party.
5. Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend
Vampire Weekend continue their streak of strong, unbreakable albums with their fifth output, Only God Was Above Us. What has always fascinated me about Vampire Weekend is their innate ability to be whimsical, peppy, technically skilled, and empowering all at once. These gifts come together into one concept. Although Father of the Bride is not relatively a bad record, Only God Was Above Us is a huge improvement compared to the previous double album.
This chapter in Vampire Weekend’s career renovates the group’s experimental tendencies. Everything flows together more easily. There are no fillers that muddy the waters. Father of the Bride could have shaved off at least four or five songs. It is also just too laid-back and, consequently, becomes boring after a while.
This is luckily not a problem on Only God Was Above Us. This LP’s name is quite fitting and appropriate because it makes you feel like that you are floating in the clouds. A celestial aura seeps itself through each song and makes itself at home. Those zipper-sounding guitars scream psychedelic rock and chamber pop that made Vampire Weekend a household name towards the end of the aughties (2000s).
The use of piano and horns is as infectious as ever. Once "Classical" starts playing, I feel like that I am dancing and playing on a massive playground with some of my favorite cartoon characters from my childhood. That is how happy this specific track makes me.
It proves that you have nothing to worry about while grooving and listening to Only God Was Above Us. The swirling piano and murky bass on a track like "Connect" remind me why Vampire Weekend is one of the most inventive alternative rock bands of the past 20 years. I find myself getting lost in songs like this example.
Only God Was Above Us is a delightful album from beginning to end. However, Vampire Weekend thematically reckons with their stature as a well-established, modern-day rock band. They face what they have learned from past records and what might await them in their next phase as artists.
These afro-pop-adoring indie rockers are aware of the mileage that they have accumulated as a band. Tracks like "Gen-X Cops" and the eight-minute closure, "Hope," address these matters head-on.
If you are a fan of Talking Heads, Paul Simon, Arcade Fire, and Fleet Foxes, you will enjoy the music of Vampire Weekend.
If you want to check out more great music from this past year, here are some honorable mentions:
Yard Act sharpen their hooks more on their sophomore album. They successfully merge disco, art rock, and punk rock together. It is quite a surprise considering how different these three genres are from each other. Yard Act ends up right in the middle of this Venn diagram.
This record’s sound is self-explanatory based on its name. The Lemon Twigs step up their distinct, dreamy, jingly pop-rock that comes straight out of the book of 1960s rock.
She is a member of the legendary alternative rock band, Sonic Youth. It is an unnerving record, but her second solo album should grow on you over time with her observational, poetry-recital lyrics and trap/hip-hop beats.
The Irish post-punkers deliver another slickly produced and well-written album as a part of their steady discography. Standout songs are "Starburster" and "In the Modern World."
Ka’s swan song album tackles the crossroads between race and religion. The underground hip-hop veteran passed away this past year.
You can check out these albums from one of the many members of the Jefferson County Library Cooperative, including all Birmingham Public Library locations. There is also the option to stream these albums through Hoopla, Spotify, or Apple Music.
By William Anthony, Librarian I| Citizen Services Central Library
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