Oh dear, this was hard! Even without live albums and reissues and only counting what I own as a physical copy there were something over eighty albums to chose my favorites from. At least seventy of those I would respect in any AOTY list. And in my personal TOP 24? I guess I must have considered more than twice than that as worthy of ending up here at some point.
The end of the story is that I just can't do it. I won't compile a full ranking of two dozen albums. That would immediately after publishing it feel incorrect and incomplete.
Instead I'm only giving you the podium of my TOP 3 albums of the year - and leading up to those twenty-one other favorites, chopped into three questionably categorized, each alphabetically ordered selections. Sounds too complicated? Just read on and it will explain itself!
But before we start let me honourably mention just a few of the many artists who undeservedly didn't make it onto this list! Especially the first and largest category still misses many great names like Aluk Todolo, Chat Pile, Julie Christmas, Knoll, Lucifer, Mono, Monovoth, Schneider Thisquietarmy, Syk or - to my own biggest surprise - even Blood Incantation, which was a very close call, where I basically decided on the base that the album already gets enough love everywhere. And I just didn't know what to drop off the list in its favour.
Papangu and Agusa would grace the Jazz / Fusion / Psych / Prog selection as well as Causa Sui, Cazayoux, Dope Purple & Berserk, Goat, Human Teorema, Kanaan & Ævestaden , PainKiller or Work Money Death. And even after that are still Midwife, Lethe, The Necks, Yīn Yīn and of course bazillions of fantastic albums I just don't own or I am not even aware of... So as always: Please don't start with "But THAT ONE is missing!" and just take this as the selection of warmest recommendations it ultimately is!
But before we start let me honourably mention just a few of the many artists who undeservedly didn't make it onto this list! Especially the first and largest category still misses many great names like Aluk Todolo, Chat Pile, Julie Christmas, Knoll, Lucifer, Mono, Monovoth, Schneider Thisquietarmy, Syk or - to my own biggest surprise - even Blood Incantation, which was a very close call, where I basically decided on the base that the album already gets enough love everywhere. And I just didn't know what to drop off the list in its favour.
Papangu and Agusa would grace the Jazz / Fusion / Psych / Prog selection as well as Causa Sui, Cazayoux, Dope Purple & Berserk, Goat, Human Teorema, Kanaan & Ævestaden , PainKiller or Work Money Death. And even after that are still Midwife, Lethe, The Necks, Yīn Yīn and of course bazillions of fantastic albums I just don't own or I am not even aware of... So as always: Please don't start with "But THAT ONE is missing!" and just take this as the selection of warmest recommendations it ultimately is!
9 x METAL & OTHER NOISES highlights 2024:
- INSECT ARK - Raw Blood SingingGodflesh slowed down to the pace of Earth, sprinkled with lap steel guitar, synths and piano. On top Dana Schechter now sings, putting what could already be felt on previous albums into words. This adds a new strong dimension to the bleak beauty of Insect Ark's signature kind of hopeless Doom.
- MITOCHONDRION - VitriseptomeOver eighty mind-melting minutes of virtuous apocalyptic dissonance and hyper-brutality brought the Canadians' comeback "Vitriseptime" very close to my personal top three. Without a doubt however this incomprehensible hellscape is my favorite Death Metal album of the year.
- ORANSSI PAZUZU - MuuntautujaIt's hard to fathom what musical psychosis has led to the existence of Oranssi Pazuzu's unsettling blend of Black Metal aggression and Psychedelic atmosphere, as the Finns now add more Electronic glitches, cold Industrial and sheer Noise to the spiraling angularity of their misanthropic madness.
- OTTONE PESANTE - Scrolls of WarBlackened Death / Doom / Post Metal, but with trombone and trumpet instead of bass and guitars, that's the shtick. Its execution by Ottone Pesante however has always been so much more than you would expect. And the Italians' new concept album elevates it to new heights. A Metal must-buy of 2024.
- P/O MASSACRE - Sonic OblivionTwo hours of destruction against war - with four more harrowing, but satisfying Noise attacks from the exile Russians Anton Ponomarev (sax, pocket trumpet, electronics) and Anton Obrazeena (guitar, effects, samples, synths) - each with a scope and story worth its own EP or even full album.
- SENYAWA - VajranalaThe Experimental duo of Wukir Suryadi and Rully Shabara strikes again with a heavy and transcendent masterpiece of unique Southeast Asian Folkloristic Drone on self-made instruments. Narrated by a vocal performance not from this world we're taken on a cosmic spiritual trip through Javanese mythology.
- SINISTRO - VérticeWho would have expected such a strong comeback? Portugal's finest finally returned, introducing their new singer Priscilla Da Costa (from Judasz & Nahimana) and bringing us an irresistable collection of beautifully crushing, mightily melancholic hymns of Doom and Post Metal with that special Mediterranean touch.
- SLIFT - IlionYes, I also could have filed this under Psychedelic Rock further below, but then the French trio's double album is so huge and heavy that it dwarfs our little planet and all that lives on it. Slift's "Ilion" is Kraut on steroids, a titanic cosmic steamroller grinding us to a tiny pebble lost in the void of space.
- SUMAC - The HealerFor an album called "The Healer" this unpredictably twisted sludgy mammoth chunk from Aaron Turner, Brian Cook and Nick Yacyshyn is made of some remarkably sick shit. Sumac pummel us with a creative hammer that is both a radically abstract deconstruction and a flooring hyperbole of the whole idea of Metal.
6 x JAZZ / FUSION / PSYCH / PROG highlights 2024:
Complex, colourful and catchy. Knowing their genre's past, but not shying away from incorporating modern influences. The Southern Germans Carpet are doing it all with seemingly effortless natural ease on this wonderfully light-filled Psychedelic Prog Rock kaleidoscope.- IVAN THE TOLERABLE TRIO - Infinite PeaceMulti-instrumentalist Oli Heffernan aka Ivan The Tolerable has been almost intolerably prolific this year. Even worse his twelve releases are all worthwhile stuff between Ambient, experimental Krautrock and Jazz. However this dreamy double album, which mostly displays his Spiritual Jazz side is my undisputed personal favorite.
- JAUBI - A Sound HeartSpeaking of Spiritual Jazz: Building bridges between Pakistan and London Jaubi unite this Jazz tradition with both Middle Eastern Classical and Folk influences as well as funky Fusion. While instruments like sarangi, flutes and tablas stand out immediately, every single performance of this whole ensemble is nothing but spectacular.
- MOHAMA SAZ - Máquina De GuerraMohama Saz are collectors of worldwide Folk influences, yet the three Spaniards, who utilize a bağlama (traditional long-necked lute) instead of a guitar, mostly enhance their vivid Psychedelic Rock with ideas and sounds from their home country, Turkey and Northern Africa.
- SEAN ONO LENNON - AsterismsAn earwormy instrumental mixture of his proggiest Space Rock tendencies and all kinds of smooth Zorn and electric Miles worship. "Asterisms" certainly is a surprising release from the son of John and Yoko. This marvellous album almost made it onto my podium.
- THE VERGE - The VergeAt times similar to Lennon's work, yet mostly coming from the wilder and heavier side of Jazz Fusion with the special trademark of Ingvald Vassbø's (Kanaan) drum madness the energetic self-titled debut of The Verge from Norway is another banger constantly living rent-free in my head.
6 x GOTHELECTROSINGERSONGWRITER* highlights 2024:
* You could also say everything which didn't fit into the other two categories - and this just happened to be the direction of this selection.
- At this point I feel like I should begin to tire from praising Contemporary Gothic Queen Chelsea Wolfe, who also impressed live and with two great EPs this year. On the other hand despite being released back in February, her latest album, which draws from all her past albums' sounds, still keeps growing on me.
- EYE - Dark LightSelf-described as Electro-Gothic-Doom this new trio with Jessica Ball (MWWB) on ethereal vocals and guitar could theoretically sound just like Chelsea. Eye's blend of Shoegaze, Dream Pop and Post Rock however is its very own angelic beast - but just as utterly mesmerizing and compelling. Wonderful!
- LOUSIE LEMÓN - Lifetime Of TearsWith an enchanting, sultry and soulful performance Swedish singer Louise Lémon brought us ten new hymns of love, hurt, heartbreak and healing. The concept remains simple, the musical realization couldn't be more addictive. Certainly one of my most played albums of the year.
- NICK HUDSON - Kanda Teenage HoneyIn over seventy excellent minutes the Englishman residing in Georgia, armed with a sharp poetic quill and matching skills as singer, songwriter and instrumentalist, masterfully delivered a multi-faceted spectrum of sixteen songs from Chamber Pop ballads to most unpredictable Post Punk Avantgarde.
- OTAY:ONII - True Faith Ain't BlindOn her latest album, which combines new songs with alternative versions of older material, Chinese-American Avantgarde artist Lane Shi Otay:onii limits her tools of expression to piano and voice. The result couldn't be more impressive and certainly is among the most breathtaking and profoundly touching music released this year.
- TUSKS - GoldLondon singer / Electronic artist Emily Underhill aka Tusks has released a versatile album between dreamy synths and strings Art Pop and Post Rock grandeur, with majestic hits, which sound as if they could have come from artists as different as A.A. Williams, Angel Olsen, Björk or Janelle Monáe. Earworm gold!
And now finally some fodder for you hungry ranking maniacs out there! Here are *drrrrrrumroll*...
My TOP 3 ALBUMS of 2024:
It didn't even click with me immediately, but boy, I cannot tell you how often I must have listened to Dool's new mighty Goth Rock masterpiece since then! More personal and emotional than ever, the Dutch group led by the charismatic presence of Raven van Dorst moves from strength to strength on "The Shape Of Fluidity", delivering yet another highly addictive selection of mighty, sweaty and catchy hymns. The phenomenal live band stays true to its established sound, while resisting the reasonable temptation to just rehash the greatest hits from previous releases.- SILVER (2nd place):
KAMASI WASHINGTON - Fearless Movement
Californian Spiritual Jazz maximalist Kamasi Washington and his band scaled down from the ridiculously large format of his previous albums and released "only" an almost ninety minutes long double record. He also forgoes the familiar overflow of choirs and strings, but compensates that with effective guest appearances and action-packed arrangements including sounds from Funk, Afro-Beat, Hip Hop, but also Tango and Ambient (of course with André 3000 on flute). Washington's own emotional, rattling and roaring saxophone solos are highlights, yet also only a small fragment of what makes this very varied, splendidly produced "Fearless Movement" as awesome as it is. The Jazz Fusion competition of 2024 was strong, yet Kamasi stands out. 
"This album is a giant, who stomps his foot on the ground right in front of you, while butterflies are fluttering around his light-flooded hair. The kinetic power of his movements crashes the king tide into the fjord, breaks the cliff off the coast and blows every ballast which is not Rock’n’Roll bliss out of your head."
Full Earth, who also played my favorite festival show of the year, are a Norwegian quintet featuring all three members of Kanaan. On "Cloud Sculptors" they perform monumental compositions by drummer Ingvald (therefore the only musician appearing in this TOP 24 twice), combining heaviest Stoner, Psychedelic and Progressive Rock with Modern Classical inspirations. In a very powerful, warm and natural production enormous riffs clash with hypnotically swirling and pulsating organs, mellotron and synth.
From the first time I heard them I knew that these eighty-five minutes of elemental monumentalism were very likely to become my favorite Album of the Year 2024. And that impression never wavered. Congratulations on this deeply satisfying masterwork!
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