As you might know, most years I make a list of my favourite albums of the year. Sometimes there are 10, other times over 100. This year, I’ve tried to keep it to a manageable Top 20. To do that, I decided on three key criteria:

I think they are great recordsI really enjoy listening to themI would like to (or already) own them on vinyl

That last point is key to this list. I listen to an awful lot of new music, mostly while out walking the dogs or in the car on my way somewhere. The shortlist of new release records I liked in 2024 was over 300 albums long. However, one of my favourite things to do is to sit down on the sofa, put a record on the turntable and just listen to side one, followed by side two.

That requires a different sort of album. It has something to do with how interesting they are, how personal, how much they work in that private space, or perhaps how much they warrant full attention.

The list

Here are the records that fulfilled all three of those criteria (and while ranking is always spurious, I’m pretty happy with the order they’ve ended up in here).

As usual, my answer to why your favourite album isn’t included is that I missed it or didn’t like it as much as you did. And that’s fine.

Titles all link directly to the album on Spotify in each case – not because that’s what I use (I’m about 90% Qobuz) but because it’s probably what you use. Bandcamp [BC] links are included, where available, for the virtuous.

Daughter of a Temple – Ganavya [BC]Sonido Cósmico – Hermanos Gutierrez [BC]The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions – Vegyn [BC]LAFANDAR – Heems [BC]Odyssey – Nubya Garcia [BC]Triage – Erik Honoré [BC]Novela – Céu Meaning’s Edge – Djrum [BC]Rising – Jasmine Myra [BC]Night Reign – Arooj Aftab Suite – Dan San [BC]Confidenza (Original Soundtrack) – Thom Yorke [BC]Unusual Object – Josh Johnson [BC]Piano Reverb – Jasmine Wood [BC]Wusul – Shay Hazan [BC]Mer Tan Itev – Tigran Tatevosyan [BC]Echoes of Becoming – Canberk Ulaş [BC]Mount Matsu – YĪN YĪN [BC]Passacaglia – Adam Baldych & Leszek Możdżer [BC]Touch of Time – Arve HenriksenBonus recommendations

There were, of course, quite a few albums that only met one or two of those criteria. For instance, here are some records from 2024 that I enjoy listening to. I don’t happen to think they are great albums, necessarily, but I do like them a lot.

Freak the Speaker – The Allergies [BC]Sunbörn – Sunbörn [BC]Loopholes – Bruk Rogers [BC]Painting with John – John Lurie [BC]On the Lips – Molly Lewis [BC]

Then there are the ones that I think are great records that I admire and respect, but in all honesty, I don’t actually enjoy listening to them all that much. Either the effort/reward ratio is off, or it’s just not my cup of tea. Your mileage may vary, of course. They’re not for me, but they are excellent:

Silence is Loud – Nia ArchivesLetter to Yu – Bolis Pupul [BC]Toitū to Pūoro – Alistair FraserVou Ficar Neste Quadrado – Ana Lua Caiano [BC]Y’Y – Amaro Freitas [BC]

Then there are some that I happen to think are great records, AND I very much enjoy listening to them, but I don’t want to sit down and listen to them on vinyl at home, paying close attention. These are more for driving or walking the dogs. I don’t have a particular explanation for that other than that they tend to be more upbeat and pop-leaning, on average. They’re great but just intuitively fell outside the list.

BRAT – Charli XCXNotes – Nathan Haines [BC]YHWH is Love – Jahari Massamba Unit [BC]Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino [BC]Tourist – Why Kai [BC]

And finally, my favourite song of the year, which was not on any of these albums:

What Now – Brittany Howard

Brittany Howard is being compared (positively, because how else?) to Prince quite regularly these days. I can sort of see that. The greatest thing about this song is that she’s essentially invented what immediately became my new favourite guitar sound. That is such a Prince thing to do. The album was, for me, just okay, but the song is pretty spectacular.

Here’s a Spotify playlist of songs representing all these records, plus one or two other bits and pieces that I thought warranted a spin. Hope you’ve had a great 2024, both musically and in general – and, whether or not that’s the case, that 2025 is better.

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