This was the seventy-ninth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It's an outstanding piece of music, definitely one of the best from 2024.

I have never listened to Black Midi (although, after hearing this masterpiece, I will be exploring their discography as well), but I know that Geordie Greep was a member of Black Midi, and that the band broke up sometime before this album was recorded. In fact, a couple of the songs on this album were unreleased Black ... read more

This was the seventy-eighth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. I didn't really like it, but I commend this band's creativity.

I can't really think of a time I'd want to listen to "13" Frank Beltrame Italian Stiletto with Bison Horn Grips." It's got some clubbier, house elements to it, but I wouldn't want to dance to it. It's got some moaning, sad-sounding vocals, but I don't think I'd want to listen ... read more

This was the seventy-seventh album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It's a solid addition to this band's discography, even though it doesn't have many surprises within.

This band captures the aggressive, Aussie party vibe so well. Delivering a consistently good sound, "Cartoon Darkness" fits snugly in with the rest of Amyl and The Sniffers' discography thus far. There are some catchy riffs and chord progressions, pumping marathon ... read more

This was the seventy-sixth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was pretty good, even though it's a bit lacking in consistency.

I'm a newcomer to Mannequin Pussy, but "I Got Heaven" was a good introduction to this band's sound. I was surprised by how many times this album would oscillate between a soft Indie Rock sound (something akin to Phoebe Bridgers, or perhaps Soccer Mommy) and screaming, saturated, distorted noise punk. Perhaps ... read more

This was the seventy-fifth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. To say I enjoyed listening to it wouldn't be entirely accurate because of how harsh it is, but I'm so happy that I experienced this album, and I am looking forward to doing so again.

I'd put this one towards the top of my "albums I wouldn't want to listen to on acid" list. It was a truly nightmarish experience. The cover art is a perfect visual representation of the ... read more

This was the seventy-fourth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was one of my favorites, and one of the most unique albums I've heard in a long time.

Ever wondered what it would be like if you combined the playful synthscapes of Mort Garson's "Plantasia" with orchestral jazz? I never knew how much I was craving that particular sound until I listened to "Endlessness." This is a very special album. It's reflective and ... read more

This was the seventy-third album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was great, and I am now a fan of The Jesus Lizard.

This was my first time listening to The Jesus Lizard, and I'm disappointed that I hadn't discovered this band earlier. They have some fantastic energy, and this was a no-skip album for me. The guitar melodies are intriguing, the song structures will keep you guessing, the noisy texture pumps me up, and the vocals are sick. The ... read more

This was the seventy-second album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was pretty good. There was nothing that surprised me on this album other than the fact that The Cure still sounds this good after all these years.

I dig The Cure's goth rock sound. Robert Smith has a nice voice, and I enjoy their usage of chorus in their guitar tones. They consistently deliver all of that on "Songs of a Lost World." But, depending on your perspective, this is ... read more

This was the seventy-first album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was thought provoking, had a couple great singles, but some parts were a bit too poppy for my tastes.

If you had described the way "Where's My Utopia?" sounds before I had actually heard it, I would have hated it on paper. It's got punk roots, but the production style is more akin to a pop-disco record. There are four-on-the-floor house beats, but there are still distorted ... read more

This was the seventieth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It's really good, and these musicians continue to inspire after so many years of music.

I wound up listening to "Wall of Eyes" at a pretty bad time. In the middle of reviewing all of these "Must Hear" albums, I came across some news about The Smile playing at some event in Israel. Before the event, a nonviolent protest group sent them a letter explaining that the very ... read more

This was the sixty-ninth (hehe) album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was one of my favorites so far.

There's a reason that samlrc wound up on the "Must Hear" list twice. It's a testament to just how much this artist is resonating with this community, and I'm really glad I get to exist at the same time as music like this. I couldn't believe this album was only twelve minutes long, because it felt like I had experienced a whole ... read more

This was the sixty-eighth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. I loved it, and I can't wait to listen to it again!

MJ Lenderman is far from being the first artist to combine the 2010 indie rock sound with a country twang, but after listening to "Manning Fireworks," I'm convinced he's doing it better than anybody else out there. He absolutely nailed the vibe on this one, and the songs underneath the vibe are fantastic. The pedal steel ... read more

This was the sixty-seventh album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It's a brutal experience that features some pretty creative songwriting. But, there are some elements that sound so synthetic that it broke the immersion for me.

When I say that there's some creative songwriting on display here, I mean it. The way that the band flows seamlessly between the two vocalists is inspiring to hear, and every song had some sort of rhythmic breakdown that ... read more

This was the sixty-sixth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It's pretty good! Jack White remains a consistent artist who reliably delivers his specific sound.

I really enjoyed listening to the White Stripes back when I was a young lad. That iconic duo wrote a lot of generation-defining music. There's a simplicity to Jack White's songwriting that feels timeless, and his vocal style pairs so well with a distorted, overdriven guitar. I was a bit ... read more

This was the sixty-fifth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was one of the better indie rock albums I heard from this year, and I recommend at least one listen!

A few songs into English Teacher's debut album, "This Could Be Texas," a potent thought popped up into my head. This band is like Life Without Buildings, but if they were less silly and had more serious social commentary. I can't say for a fact that this band was inspired by ... read more

This was the sixty-fourth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. I thought it was pretty mediocre for an art rock album, with a couple of cool moments here and there.

This was my first time listening to Elbow, and I haven't experienced any of their other records. The first thing that stood out to me was how aged the vocalist sounded. I was surprised when I looked into it and found out he's only 50. His voice sounds considerably older than that. But, I ... read more

This was the sixty-third album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. I did not enjoy this one. But I never really understood the appeal of trap music, so I'm biased. For people who are fans of this type of music, I won't have much of substance to say about this record. So, I won't linger too long on it.

I was actually looking forward to listening to this record initially because when I listened to JPEGMAFIA's album from this year, there was a song ... read more

This was the sixty-second album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. It was alright, but I think this would have been better as an EP.

After hearing the first couple of songs on "Letter To Self," I was excited. There are some very catchy guitar riffs, pumping drums, the vocals are great, and it's got some punk attitude to it. After the conclusion to "Heavy," I was looking forward to hearing where they were going to take things next. ... read more

This was the sixty-first album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. I wasn't that into it. There's a genuine voice and some creative production on display, but I just don't think it sound very good.

This album combines contemporary pop production with aggressive noise and abrasive textures. I'm generally a fan of noisier music, and I like when artists create contrast in their music. So, on paper, I would have preferred this to a typical pop ... read more

This was the sixtieth album I listened to from AOTY's "Must Hear" 2024 list. I really liked one of the songs, but was otherwise left feeling like I missed something. However, I'm very encouraged to discover that this artist is only sixteen years old, as that means they still have so much time to discover their voice as an artist. Though I wasn't into it for the most part, I was still deeply intrigued the whole time, and I will be keeping an eye out for future releases ... read more