1. (=)

One of the most iconic death metal albums of our generation. And, depending on the mood, it may not even be their best work. [First added to this chart: 06/17/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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163

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2. (=)

Is it wrong to say these last 2 Colin Stetson albums are his best solo works? They're not exactly polar opposites, but When We Were That What Wept For The Sea had several collabs, was tightly structured, had spoken word parts, some of his brightest and also some of his darkest music to date. Which makes sense, it's a tribute to his late father. I adore it. The Love It Took To Leave You, on the other hand, is almost exclusively abrasive, ethereal, haunting and dark. Perhaps the most important thing is that, unlike the predecessor, it's a stripped down, almost exclusive one man show. Only Stetson, his sax and a bunch of effects. Both are some of the best music of this decade. [First added to this chart: 09/13/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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43

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3. (=)

This is anti-How I'm Feeling Now, but it's just as stacked with incredible tunes. [First added to this chart: 03/27/2025]

Year of Release:

2024

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58

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4. (=)

Jungle and hardcore with an emphasis on jungle. The perfect blend for my taste. Fantastic samples, great melodies, memorable tunes, great live show. [First added to this chart: 09/13/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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13

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5. (=)

I've finally completely fallen in love with Alcest. [First added to this chart: 06/23/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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38

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6. (=)

Kali Malone continues to be right at the top of the minimalistic drone world. [First added to this chart: 02/28/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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38

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7. (=)

Just when I thought Peggy couldn't get any crazier, dude starts using metal riffs instead of beats. Like, it's not the first time he's done that, but there's a great riff on almost every song here for some fucking reason. And I'm here for it since this might genuinely be the best record he's released. It doesn't have his craziest and/or best production (that's probably All My Heroes Are Cornballs), doesn't have his best lyrics (that's Veteran, I guess?), doesn't feature Danny Brown and I'm also generally not too keen on rap rock. Despite all that, I Lay Down My Life For You is in my rotation all the time because of its consistency and incredible highlights. Swear I'm not trying to be a contrarian, and it's not just hype either (this was probably the least hyped Peggy album post-Veteran) - it's simply the crazy instrumentals, 3 perfect features and Peggy's peak songwriting. [First added to this chart: 08/09/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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Rank Score:

266

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8. (=)

A.G. Cook builds upon the massive 7G with another (much less) lengthy record. This one's bass, dream pop and IDM-inspired and more cohesive during its 1 hour, 40 minutes runtime. To put it bluntly, this isn't as unhinged as 7G, which ultimately works in its favor (and I was a fan of the messy setup of 7G). There are three discs.

The first disc is futuristic, rave-like alien music. Probably the best, and definitely the most appealing (to me) music A.G. Cook has done. It rarely goes into post-club, fully pop, or raging break mode, but keeps the intensity and ethereal-ness (is that even a word?). It's neither pop nor rave, and it still combines good elements of both. All the sweet, sour, dreamy, and ecstatic vocal performances are still here, but they are delivered with a chopped-up IDM and trancey quality. It's hard to describe this disc, but the style is everything I love: excellent music that can be enjoyed at home, but most of it could be played in a DJ set as well. Although, no sooner than 2054.

Starting with Serenade, the second part is more atmospheric, far more laid-back, and much more poppy. The same futuristic bass sounds are still present, but they mostly build the background textures. Atop the incredible instrumentals lay those "British" and "pop" vocals. And this truly is some of the best pop, twisted retro alt rock, and dreamy music he or anyone else has written. At times, it's even better than the first disc.

Never have the synths sounded as good as on the opening of Soulbreaker. Rarely has the bass sounded as "right" as on Equine. The third part of the story is the most unpredictable and sinister of the bunch. Like with disc 2, in certain moods this could be my favourite. The post-club and IDM elements are often brought to the forefront, but are again accompanied by the heavily distorted and autotuned vocals, as is tradition. It's everything we've heard on the first 2 parts an more.

Like the name suggests, all of this is British pop in 2024. A.G. Cook shows us the possibilities of retrofuturistic music. In an alternate reality where all musicians are mad scientists, this is how the future, past, and present of pop sounds like. I am beyond impressed with this one, even more so than with the monumental 7G. And that's a monumental achievement by itself - to shock more than those 3 hours of messy genius.

RIP PC Music.

I also hear there's a comprehensive lore, video material and the sites Witchfork, Wandcamp, and Wheatport. Haven't delved into any of the additional material or the Cookverse (I hope the fans called it Cookverse).

Best songs: Silver Thread Golden Needle, Britpop, You Know Me, Heartache, Luddite Factory Operator, Nice To Meet You, The Weave, Bewitched, Without, Soulbreaker, Equine, WWW, Pink Mask, Out Of Time

Year of Release:

2024

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Rank Score:

53

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9. (=)

An improvement on the (already excellent) Carnage. Nick brings back the choirs as well - wise move. Excellent tour, yet again. Although he is noticabely more forgetful and older than when I first saw him live ~10 years ago. Sometimes I wonder how many great albums and tours he still has in him, which is sad. For now, let's celebrate one of the best artists of the last 45+ years who's still somehow releasing top tier music. [First added to this chart: 09/05/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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589

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10. (=)

Moor Mother's poetry stuff, especially with jazz background (Circuit City, the Irreversible Entanglements works, etc.) has never been my thing. Like, it's obv great, but not my fave style she does. Enter The Great Bailout - spoken word over various experimental and electroacoustic instrumentals. Shouldn't work for me, but it does. Big time. It genuinely might be the 2nd best work she's ever done, which is a huge statement for such an excellent and prolific artist. The deluxe version is even better, and I hate deluxe versions. [First added to this chart: 04/08/2024]

Year of Release:

2024

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Rank Score:

63

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