2024 Albums of the Year - #20-16

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, for me that is. In this series, we’ll explore the 2024 albums of the year, a list of 25 records I believe to be the year’s finest. I love doing this annually for Phenixx Gaming and I appreciate when people reach out on Instagram asking about where new releases will land come time to write these end-of-year articles. Up next, we have albums #20-16. After you read through these, let us know in the comments if any of these records were on your albums of the year list!

20 – Claire Rousay, sentiment

Autotuned slowcore? In the words of David Letterman, “I’ll take all of that you’ve got.” Claire Rousay’s album sentiment captures the ambient nature of her past projects with plenty of ideas worth revisiting as you enjoy your moody winter playlists. While artists like Ethel Cain have captured the new wave of non-punk emo and made it a genre in itself, Rousay feels right at home here in a wholly original way.

Whether it’s acoustic guitar or humming synths, sentiment allows Rousay’s keen sense of lyricism to breathe a full breath. There are no uniquely complex concepts being investigated here, just complexly human ones. We’re all finding ourselves from time to time pretending we’re something we’re not; happy, calm, and collected, or maybe even the identity we present. Rousay’s art makes it feel okay to take time to figure all of that out in a way that protects one’s self and sense of care.

19 – Kamasi Washington, Fearless Movement

I’m usually finding myself telling people they’ll like jazz albums if they give them a fair shot. Apart from Robert Glasper, Kamasi Washington is the artist I have the most success in introducing to a friend and seeing the lightbulb go off. Trading in the epic nature of his past records, Fearless Movement embodies the fun and celebration of jazz’s rich history. It works even if it feels less profound, mostly because Washington is just that good.

With help from the likes of Andre 3000, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Young Jazz Giants bandmate Thundercat, Washington provides nearly 90 minutes of great jazz that (at another time) would be the talk of the town. I recommend anyone to see the saxophonist live if possible, mostly because we’ll look back on his career as a highlight in a time when jazz, as it always does and will, experienced extreme transformation.

18 – Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown

It feels funny to say this is a debut album for artist Beth Gibbons, but as a solo act, it is. The voice of Portishead is well-known by now, and on her own, she creates a fantastic array of tracks that highlight the vocalist’s strengths. This record is rooted in folk sensibilities but feels as if it explores variations of that form at every possible opportunity. Still, the space left for percussion-focused instrumentation is an excellent variation of the Portishead formula.

The chilling effect of Lives Outgrown is that this album sounds like someone who has experienced chapters of a life where lessons were learned, and now they’re being delivered as a warning to the rest of us. It’s not explicitly directive, but even the unnerving lyrics sometimes feel like a cautionary tale. For Gibbons, there are signs that plenty of incredible music exists in her solo career, but that it’ll be accompanied by all that her career experienced before, for better or worse.

17 – Dehd, Poetry

Album #3 for the Chicago trio Dehd is exactly what you’d want to hear from a band with two strong albums to start their career. The melodies and harmonies are stronger, the songs are more fun, and there’s a real sense that this group not only knows its identity but is damn proud of it. Singer Emily Kempf has been one of my favorite vocalists in alternative rock since the 2020s kicked off, and no guitarist sounds like Jason Balla.

The binding agent, however, is drummer Eric McGrady. McGrady has played his role well for Dehd, which is to be the engine for a single guitar and a single bass. The fullness of their sound is rooted in McGrady’s drive as a percussionist. Dehd’s tight cohesion makes them so much fun because, without it, we might mistake the smile-inducing melodies for carefree. In reality, this is purposeful joy in music form.

16 – English Teacher, This Could Be Texas

There’s so much to digest on This Could Be Texas, the debut record from English Teacher. The experimentation we’ve come to love about Black Country, New Road is here, but with a fun shade of math rock and indie-prog. A popular trend for U.K. indie right now is the mix of spoken lyrics and sung lyrics, a balance that vocalist Lily Fontaine delivers well. While the instrumentation isn’t as viscous as BCNR, that’s good.

There’s a delicacy to prog-rock that many post-punk bands like to destroy in the name of artistry. I enjoy that methodology, but I also enjoy English Teacher’s approach to aficionado indie, a makeshift term for mixing various influences. Wonky time signatures and jangly lead guitar make this sound English Teacher embodies feel familiar, but there’s nothing quite like them. As a debut record, it’s one of 2024’s best showings from a new act.