2024 Albums of the Year - #10-6

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 #10-6. For this round, let us know in the comments if any of these records were on your albums of the year list. Here goes nothing!

10 – Hannah Frances, Keeper of the Shepherd

Hannah Frances is a folk artist who continues to follow in the footsteps of the greats who came before but tread new paths. As a musical artist, her interests in dance, movement, and the Earth inform her approach to songwriting. There’s a connectedness that is hard to replicate but always identifiable in artists like Frances. The Joni Mitchell comparisons are abundant, but in Keeper of the Shepherd, Frances indeed extends herself into another realm.

The titular track to Frances’ 2024 album has a Western-style 1-2 beat that keeps a steady heartbeat for the longest song on the record. Other tracks play with tempo and instrumentation more, but the heart of Frances’ talent has always been her finger-style guitar. There’s such simplicity in an acoustic guitar, but Frances explores the depths of the instrument and genre as a whole in a way that makes it feel brand new.

9 – Fontaines D.C., Romance

Fontaines D.C. has always embodied a post-punk identity with heart, but on Romance, we hear a much more radio-friendly rock sound that feels 20 years too late. That’s not to say it’s not wonderful, but this record would have done gangbusters in 2004. In 2024, there’s a less mainstream taste for stadium rock, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. The shock of the band’s pivot in this direction after its first three records is one of the year’s most pleasant surprises.

The Dublin-based band isn’t devoid of influence from other Irish rock outfits that came before them. Still, these influences are simply shades used in the band’s canvas, not the point of the art itself. The message, instead, is the same as it always has been: energy is king. The energy here might be transmitted under new waves, but it is still the band’s signature tone. Showing an ability to switch styles effortlessly always bodes well for a band’s longevity.

8 – The Marias, Submarine

A submarine exists for most of its purpose underwater. It’s not simply down there to hide away from the surface but to achieve things unreachable above the sea. The Marías utilize this underwater theming to produce a stellar set of groovy but subdued tracks. For a band that felt like it had something to prove on their sophomore effort, they did so in the coolest way possible: by acting like it wasn’t a big deal at all.

The current indie scene across the globe seems to be trending to a much more beat-conscious, quiet pop that I’m a fan of. There’s always a tendency to look at music or art where less is happening and wonder why they don’t push the form. In actuality, achieving a reigned in sound with depth and replayability is way harder to replicate. The Marías could have a collection of these tracks come out every few years and be more impactful than most bands today.

7 – The Smile, Wall of Eyes

If this were a Radiohead record, we’d be trying to find room for it in the rankings between the likes of the band’s greatest releases. As the story from the band goes, guitarist Johnny Greenwood wanted a project that wasn’t so stadium-rock focused. Bringing along vocalist Thom Yorke for the ride as well as Sons of Kmet drummer Tom Skinner, the jazz-influenced indie rock sound was a breath of fresh air. On Wall of Eyes, the band is in its finest form.

A song like “Read the Room” would be among my favorite Radiohead tracks in their discography, but Radiohead wouldn’t make a track like it. This sound and cavalcade of musical ideas is achieved through space from a project that has its confines, even for being a band that defies them. There are a lot of ideas in Wall of Eyes’ 46-minute runtime. Across 8 tracks, we are shown why Greenwood and Yorke are such revolutionaries, a fact we know well now.

6 – Faye Webster, Undressed at the Symphony

Accolades are now pouring in for 2024 album releases from all big outlets. I’ve been disappointed in how little attention and love Undressed at the Symphony is getting. Faye Webster is an artist who drives along her tire tracks, but this 2024 release is the most substantial of her career. From perfecting motifs to bringing new tools to the table, it’s a joy. For an artist who has a healthy fandom on social media, critics should pay closer attention.

There are a lot of Faye Webster-isms on Undressed at the Symphony, but similar to the Kurt Vile’s and Mac DeMarco’s of the world, having a signature sound doesn’t mean you’re not making great music. Tracks like “Lego Ring” and “He Loves Me Yeah!” are gorgeous variations on Webster’s stripped sound. Because it’s a breakup album, you might expect sorrow, but Undressed is actually, and beautifully, the manifestation of just plugging along until the waters quiet. Sooner than later, they always do.