We here at KCRW Music are here to help. Embarrassed by your Wrapped? We can fix your algo. Overwhelmed by your feed? Let us help you digest. In a year of labels clamoring to go viral on TikTok, having certain *ahem* songs forced down our throats, and not enough play for smaller artists who are out there truly doing their own thing, we’re here to push back as ~human curators with subjective taste~. Think of our ragtag crew of DJs and curators as your personal vibes concierge. We wade through the deluge of genres and releases to handpick stuff that’ll take you to the astral plane, help you hold it together on the dance floor, impress your crush, or just get a moment of sweet release (and maybe some stuff you disagree with us about — we wanna hear back from you about that too!).
These 30 albums scratch the surface of all of the incredible music we screamed, cried, danced, and caught feels to throughout the year… but, you gotta start somewhere, right?
Best Albums
Honorable Mention
GNX
Kendrick Lamar
Normally we have a hard cut-off on late-year releases that come out after our voting deadline. This is out of respect to both the time our team takes to listen to and advocate for all the year’s other great releases, and respect for the works that were actually around long enough to make a ripple in the fabric of said year. But, given that, we had to make an exception for K. Dot, whose surprise late November release of GNX felt more like a culmination than an attempt at a buzzer-beater. However you feel about it, Kendrick’s feud with Drake managed to spill over from the margins of the hip-hop cognoscenti and pop-culture lurkers and suffuse the zeitgeist, sparking existential conversations about hip-hop, the commodification of music, and even the nature of evil
Anyway, none of those songs from this summer are on this album. Between its 12-track, 44-minute runtime (Kendrick’s shortest album to date) and *internet theories,* it’s also not not-possible we’ve got part two on the way before year’s end. But putting the beef and double album rumors aside, this is a hard, deliciously West Coast album, from its production, to its samples (2Pac, YG, Monk Higgins), to its local features (Dody6, Peysoh, AzChika, HittaJ3). It’s fun. You want to replay it as soon as it’s over. It’s not opus therapy Kendrick, but there’s plenty of marrow in its lean bones. Something to make stock and take stock for a reset. And maybe that’s enough.
— Andrea Domanick (Digital Editorial Manager)
Honorable Mention
New Blue Sun
André 3000
Speaking of those late breaking November releases, at about the same time last year we were grappling with the surprise release of New Blue Sun. Not only was this André 3000’s debut solo album(!) and his first full length output since the 2006 release of Outkast’s (final??) album Idlewild — New Blue Sun was a complete sonic departure: eight tracks of improvisatory, flute-centric ambient soundscapes, clocking in at roughly an hour-and-a-half. Didn’t see that one coming, but we were immediately enthralled. It topped our final Top 30 Chart of 2023. Concocted via deep collaboration with LA music stalwarts like Carlos Niño, Nate Mercereau, Mia Doi Todd, and deep-cut luminaries like Shabaka Hutchings (to name just a few), New Blue Sun stuck with us as we moved into 2024.
And we’re not alone — just last month it snagged three Grammy nominations, including for Album Of The Year. Amid the record’s ambient, meditative backdrop, André’s trademark weirdo-wit is still front and center on tracks like (*deep breath*) “I Swear, I Really Wanted to Make a 'Rap' Album but This Is Literally the Way the Wind Blew Me This Time” and “That Night in Hawaii When I Turned into a Panther and Started Making These Low Register Purring Tones That I Couldn't Control ... Shit Was Wild.”
Perhaps the loveliest of the many lovely things about this album is how it reflects the cohesion of some of LA’s most far-flung aural adventurers. In addition to those mentioned above, the enlisted personnel extends to local avant-garde greats like Matthewdavid and Diego Gaeta (seriously, peep the list). New Blue Sun, it turns out, landed right on time as the album that helped us get through 2024.
— Marion Hodges (Digital Producer, Music & Culture)
30
Mum Does The Washing
Joshua Idehen
“In these days of social media trending, vapid homogeny, and the dual meaning of ‘viral infectiousness,’ anyone beaming with hope and radical authenticity is a beacon for us all. UK-born Nigerian Joshua Idehen is that one-of-one poet. His latest EP Mum Does The Washing exudes a hopeful realism so rare and needed today. In the title track, Idehen riffs on various forms of societal ideologies through an extended metaphor we can all relate to. The cover of Talking Heads' "Once In A Lifetime" with The Social Singing Choir warmly strums even the coldest heart-strings. Every song on this offering is "brilliant" in both senses of the word — luminosity and insight.
— Jeremy Sole (KCRW DJ)
29
Underdressed at the Symphony
Faye Webster
Over a decade-plus of making music professionally, Atlanta singer-songwriter Faye Webster has combined her love of Southern roots music, indie-folk, hip-hop, and R&B into an ascendant pop sound all her own — all filtered through dryly confessional wit. On her acclaimed new LP Underdressed at the Symphony, Webster grapples with going viral via her previous records I Know I’m Funny Haha (2021) and Atlanta Millionaires Club (2019), and makes the experience somehow universal — her lyrics vocalize what so many of us think, but rarely say out loud. “I’m good at making shit negative,” she sings on “Wanna Quit All the Time.” “Right now I hate the color of my house…” That ability to dissect the mundanity of daily life through her understated-yet-distinct vocal twang, combined with a genre-omnivorous grit tailored to serve each song, add up to an album-album that hits straight to the gut.
— Marion Hodges (Digital Producer, Music & Culture)
28
I Hear You
Peggy Gou
When South Korean-born, Berlin-based DJ-producer Peggy Gou finally released her long-simmering debut album I Hear You, it was hard to believe it was her first full-length output. After all, Gou has been something of a staple in the dance scene since stepping out in 2016, stoking the build-up to the album with seven EPs, countless singles, and playing more than 100 gigs around the world every year. I Hear You bridges that range into a single cohesive flex, starting with the minimal house music of "Lobster Telephone", into dance pop with "I Believe I Love Again" (feat. Lenny Kravtiz), and extending to a blend of traditional, organic sounds mixed with hints of drum ‘n’ bass for "Seoulsi Peggygou (서울시페기구)". After years of buzz, Gou makes some real noise with her debut body of work, an album colored in vibrant hues from start to finish. The question is, where will she take us next?
— SiLVA (KCRW DJ)
27
ORQUÍDEAS
Kali Uchis
In the heart of winter, Kali Uchis gifted us a glimpse of spring with her luminous album Orquídeas, released on January 12, 2024. Almost a year later, this bouquet of lush melodies and vibrant narratives continues to bloom, proving timeless in its artistry and resonance. Orquídeas is a lush garden of sound — a rich blend of tropical soul, and modern pop, where each track blossoms and unfurls like its titular orchid. The Colombian-American artist’s latest album weaves cumbia, reggaeton, and jazz into a tapestry of intimate, transformative storytelling. Orquídeas is both a personal journey and a cultural statement, reflecting Kali’s evolution from a rising star to a multifaceted icon. At its core, Orquídeas is also a meditation on evolution, both personally and creatively. Her exploration of love, creation, and transformation creates a space where vulnerability and strength coexist, where beauty blooms in unexpected ways. The album is a breath of fresh air, as dynamic as it is intimate — an invitation to slow down, listen deeply, and let the petals of Kali Uchis’ vision unfold. Whether you’re a young dreamer or a seasoned soul, Orquídeas speaks to the heart.
— Ro “Wyldeflower” Contreras (KCRW DJ)
26
Wild God
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
There’s no medicine in the world that heals quite as effectively as time + music. Australian singer-songwriter/father of goth-rock Nick Cave knows this all too well, as he’s endured unspeakable tragedy in recent years. Ghosteen, his 2019 LP with long-time band The Bad Seeds addressed the pain head-on in the form of dispatches from a well of sorrow. Now, five years later, he’s moved into a new stage of catharsis and, dare we say, joy via his 2024 LP Wild God — a layered and heart-rending song cycle which contains equal parts triumph and tragedy.
Wild God is a front-to-back listen, best experienced over repeat listens. Its power is equal parts uplifting and gut wrenching, with storytelling harkening back to characters and conditions from Cave’s past body of work.
“The whole record seems to be sort of filled with spirits, but they’re animated and their condition is quite ok,” Cave told KCRW in a lengthy and profound chat this year.
The spirits are indeed ok. And so are ours.
— Anne Litt (KCRW DJ) & Marion Hodges (Digital Producer)
More: Interview: Nick Cave on ‘Wild God,’ ‘Shrek 2,’ & ‘The Red Hand Files’
25
I've Never Been Here Before
Erick the Architect
Erick the Architect, longtime member of hip-hop outfit Flatbush Zombies, finally takes a full-length solo expedition with I've Never Been Here Before. On a record with a dizzying amount of featured companions, ranging from Joey Bada$$ & Channel Tres to Baby Rose & George Clinton, Erick sits firmly in the driver's seat, avoiding the middle-of-the-road and careening in and out of hip-hop into bubbly dancehall, low-key house, and straight-up soul. He may not have been here before, but with an album this eclectic, deep, and far-reaching, it's about the journey not the destination.
— Dan Wilcox (KCRW DJ)
More: Erick the Architect is no longer denying his truth on new solo album
24
All Born Screaming
St. Vincent
The first time I saw Annie Clark, the musician we've come to love as St. Vincent, was around a music conference I attended in NYC after the release of Marry Me, an album that I have been obsessed with since its release in 2007. Three-time Grammy Award-winning artist St. Vincent’s albums make my Best Of pretty much everytime Annie Clark puts out a new collection of songs. But today, I've been asked to tell you why you should take note of this particular recording. Seven albums in, I feel no different about All Born Screaming: It's Clark’s first album to be self-produced, and in my opinion that alone created the space needed to unleash her creativity and feminine power, using her voice to tackle the push and pull of her heart, to unravel emotion, and share her mind at this point in time. I imagine St Vincent as a very private and exacting person, so when an album like All Born Screaming takes such a personal turn, and then gets translated in its entirety to Spanish, you know it’s very important to the artist to be heard.
— Ariana Morgenstern (Executive Producer, KCRW Music)
23
Pointy Heights
Fousheé
2024 has been an interesting year. Rap battles, surprise drops, award show snubs, and several album-of-the-year contenders have kept music lovers on our toes. Through it all, the release of Pointy Heights, the third project from New Jersey-born, LA-based Fousheé, has been an undoubted highlight. When I first heard the album’s lead single “War,” I was struck with how timeless its reggae groove felt. Digging further, the project’s title comes from land that Fousheé’s grandfather purchased in Jamaica for the family to build their homes on. Fousheé harnesses the energy of her grandfather’s vision into a ten-song album that’s an homage to her past and a deliberate nod to the present and future.
Pointy Heights feels vintage yet modern, colorful yet sepia-toned. Songs like “loversland” and “still around” have a raucous energy reminding us of Fousheé’s badass R&B punk roots, while songs like “feel like home” have a dreamier, more laid-back vibe. The project spans varying concepts, textures, and feels, tied together by her unique vocals and compelling lyrics.
If you’re craving an album that balks at the rigidity of genre, showcases an artist committed to finding new ways to express the different versions of themselves, and is an all-around good time, look no further than Fousheé’s Pointy Heights.
— Francesca Harding (KCRW DJ)
20
Two Star & The Dream Police
Mk.gee
In 12 songs totalling around 30 minutes, Mk.gee’s Two Star & The Dream Police weaves indie, lo-fi, pop, and R&B into one yearning melody over a collage of sultry textures. It’s unlike any love record I’ve heard before. Sure, there are some common elements — the sensitive hero (named Two Star), the passion to love and be loved (by his muses Rylee and “Candy”), the embrace of the push and the surrender to the pull — but what stirs my soul, listen after listen, is the way that Mk.gee’s vocals and guitar manifest the burning desire of a true loverboy.
On some songs, the LA-based artist is crooning into the mic, softly pouring his love while his guitar glides along (“Breakthespell”); in other moments, he’s roaring from his guts, fiercely strumming heavy reverberations (“Alesis”). His compositions are layered with innovative soundscapes and vulnerable lyrics, which sporadically twist and turn on a haunting piano or horn riff. It all feels so raw. By the time you’ve made your way from the opening frenzy of “New Low” down to the misty shores of “Dream Police,” you’ll have indulged in an incredibly sexy record from an artist full of calm confidence.
— Tyler Boudreaux (KCRW DJ)
21
Nandakke?
Aili
The first time I heard Aili Maruyama’s voice on her Aili & Transistorcake single “Dansu” (2020), I was hooked: Electric dance beats, endless synths, cinematic soundscapes, and hypnotic Japanese vocals that fluctuate between ethereal and quirky — it was everything I loved. Fast forward to her latest project Aili — the Japanese-Belgian duo of Aili Maruyama and Orson Wouters — and I’m knocked out.
Nandakke? (Japanese slang for "Well, what was it?") retains all the impeccable production, layered synths, fluctuating bpms, and cinematic vibes of Aili’s past work, but adds a warming layer of storytelling. The title track explores her roots in Japan, a subsequent life spent far from it, and the feeling of being an outsider — of not belonging, and not always knowing the right words in Japanese. As Aili puts it, “It’s something you say when you’re looking for a word, like you know it but forgot how to say it. That’s how I communicate with my dad. These lyrics come from that 7-year-old trying to speak Japanese.”
Like synth-pop, electric dance, ‘80s video games, and the Lost in Translation soundtrack all thrown into a blender with stunning Japanese vocals, Nandakke? is a hypnotic, nostalgic, and "beautifully belonging" masterpiece. You’ll love it.
— Valida (KCRW DJ)
20
brat
Charli xcx
To anyone claiming that “brat summer” has come and gone, we’re hitting you back with: “Lalalalala, can’t hear ya” (to the tune of “I’m so Julia-uh-ah-uh” from “360”).
Charli XCX’s brat landed in early June and so thoroughly captured the discourse that even CNN panels were left with no choice but to weigh in (and that was before it was officially co-opted by a certain political campaign). Brat made language fun, providing a template in “brat and it's the same, but…” that is still being used to exquisite effect in the latest meme cycles. Let’s also never forget that brief, shining, (healing??) moment when we all seriously considered with whom we might need to “work it out on the remix.”
In musical terms, we’re dealing with an album of wall-to-wall bangers. The beats are crisp, the melodies endlessly hummable, and the lyrics vacillate from partying-as-artform, to raw reflections on fame, aging, and womanhood as a Capital-C Concept. Or, in other words, dancing through yr existential crisis is brat.
— Marion Hodges (Digital Producer, Music & Culture)
19
the 8th cumming
cumgirl8
There are few better feelings than when a rising band you’ve been rooting for just nails their debut album. Since multimedia collective-cum-art rock project Cumgirl8 squelched out of a floppy drive somewhere in New York around 2019, they’ve felt like a welcome tear in the irl-url fabric: The self-described "sex-positive alien amoeba entity" wields the milieu of modern media — and all of the utopian fantasies and grotesque distortions therein — as both unhinged creative playground and call to action. If their name makes you uncomfortable, that’s the point. And now, the band’s first release on 4AD proves that it was all more than good memeplay: The 8th Cumming is an album for the post-punk, postmodern present: an (8th wave?) feminist emission from the id of the internet, baptized in the spit of Viv Albertine and blessed by the doctrine (and synths) of Devolution.
— Andrea Domanick (Digital Editorial Manager)
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18
Slang Spirituals
Lady Blackbird
Following recent collaborations with Moby, Nitin Sawhney, and Trevor Horn, LA's own Lady Blackbird comes into her own on her sophomore album Slang Spirituals. Her acclaimed 2021 debut Black Acid Soul was musically ravishing, if populated by characters who felt perpetually suspended in a state of haunted desolation. (It was also mostly covers of other folks' songs.)
But the title of her second album nails her vibe so perfectly that she ought to claim it as a genre unto itself. Almost entirely comprised of (wonderful) original material, Slang Spirituals marks the arrival of a more personal testament. In Lady Blackbird's world, the times may be just as hard, but every tribulation contains within it the seeds of hope. Like all great works of art, Slang Spirituals speaks to its moment in time, but also offers plenty of spiritual nourishment to feed us in the future. Its message could not be more perfectly timed.
— Myke Dodge Weiskopf (Senior Producer, KCRW Music)
17
CHROMAKOPIA
Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA is a vivid sonic journey, where the haunting rhythms of artists like Zamrock icons Ngozi Family (sampled on “Noid”) anchor a blend of Black Sabbath-esque heaviness and serene beauty. Written, arranged, and produced entirely by Tyler, it’s an album of intention — no spliced sample, distorted tempo, or flourish of left-field instrumentation exists without purpose. Tyler is mask-on, mask-off here, in conversation with himself as both the artist-character that defined past albums and, now, as Tyler Okonma, the guy (referred to on the album as “T.”).
It’s an inward-facing record, plumbing a psyche in search of context, all too aware of its own mortality — not just growing up, but aging — and even more aware that that’s something worth exploring, even if there’s no resolution. With hypnotic beats and intricate textures, Tyler pushes his creative boundaries, crafting a sound that feels both timeless and fresh, a reflection of his evolving artistry and an inspiration to all who experience it.
— Ro “Wyldeflower” Contreras (KCRW DJ)
16
Portals, Volume 2: Returning
Caroline Davis
Wisdom is a knowledge and being that sometimes takes a lifetime to amass. Usually possessed by our elders who through love, spirit, and a great concern for our health, wealth, protection, and wellbeing, impart this upon us through life lessons. Caroline Davis, quite the youthful spirit herself, has focused on family now-departed and transitioned into wisdom, which she sonically expresses as she remains in this earthly realm.
For all of us, these personal life lessons are moments on a timeline that stay with us, ones that we can always reflect on. This beautiful expression of reflection allows me to feel, listen, understand, and reflect upon my own cerebral connection to the shining stars that look down and spiritually guide from above. Through Davis’ compositions, spoken word poetry, tender and tenacious saxophone expressions, and a cast of extraordinary sonic storytellers, she stops time and moves us into the peaceful center of a turbulent world, allowing us to contemplate as the world’s velocity increases.
An adventurous reflection into self, grieving departed souls as we honor the wisdom and let new light creatively shine through us: a returning, a reclamation, and transcribed blessings is the gift.
— LeRoy Downs (KCRW DJ, Just Jazz)
15
Pink Balloons
Ekko Astral
My favorite album of the year is Pink Balloons by Ekko Astral. A great Washington, DC area band. As far as a succinct description of their album, the one on their Bandcamp page sums it up very well: “‘pink balloons’ is about disruption. But it’s also about Washington, DC, queerness, partying, money, violence, difference, irony, and religion. And also: fuck you.” The lyrics on Pink Balloons are a smart and excellent blend of anger, vulnerability, and astute observation. My favorite song on the album is “On Brand.” This is an excerpt: “on brand / that’s so soooo so so so so sooo on braaaand that’s so soooooo so so so so so on brand/she’s got a pair of cheetah print pink pumps / made by federal prisoners / she likes to wear ‘em to the seventies club / wax nostalgic about racism and sexual listeners / she's got her eyes on a guy in a green polo /she’s lefty loosey but the right guy could make her swing right tho / she’s so bored.” The sounds, textures, and production points on Pink Balloons are relentlessly innovative. Each song is an individual assault of cool. This is an excellent album.
— Henry Rollins (KCRW DJ)
14
Macro
Brijean
Oakland-bred, LA-based duo Brijean have made a splash in recent years with their unique miscibility of liquid-y disco and juiced-up bossa nova underneath singer Brijean Murphy's cool, delicate Astrud Gilberto-esque delivery. Their fourth full-length, however, really ups the boogie factor, particularly on second half, which will bob the heads of Hot Chip or Tom Tom Club fans; elsewhere, the album expands into blissfully trippy Broadcast terrain. And if that latter bands' late singer Trish Keenan had ever been tasked with crafting a record for the purpose of making me dance, I bet it would sound a lot like Macro.
— Dan Wilcox (KCRW DJ)
More: Brijean: KCRW Live From HQ
13
Songs Of A Lost World
The Cure
It's been 16 years since The Cure’s last album, and we were starting to think we might never hear from them again. Then, on Nov. 1, Robert Smith and the crew hit us with this powerful and dark brilliance. There's an interesting comfort that comes from the long and slower intros here that are reminiscent of early Cure work. And when Smith's impeccable vocals kick in, it's like a cozy blanket that you didn't know you needed. There’s also beauty in how this — The Cure’s 14th(!) album — doesn't feel like late career work, maintaining a freshness and a connection to what we’ve loved about the band since the 1970s: that hunger for a bit of light amid the melancholy. While lyrically it tackles deeper subjects that parallel the world we live in today, the album still delivers that mysterious optimism we've come to expect from these icons, landing perfectly on the emotional spectrum of what music continues to do for us all.
— Raul Campos (KCRW DJ, host of Global Beat)
12
Leon
Leon Bridges
Vulnerable and visual on Leon, Leon Bridges lays his whole heart on the table trusting that we’ll pick it up, respect it, hear his stories, and hold them close to our own hearts. When the album dropped in August, I compared it to one of the searingly personal greats of 2023, Killer Mike’s Michael. Both LPs unapologetically share their whole selves, every piece. When an artist does that, I can’t help but fall for them. Hard. Bridges has done that from the beginning of his career on his 2015 debut Coming Home.
In the tradition of the true Texas troubadours — Willie Nelson, Willis Alan Ramsey, and Townes Van Zandt, to name a few — Bridges has beautifully broken and mended my heart more than a few times. On Leon, he also paints stunning pictures of his home: the Rio Grande, Panther City, Trinity River, a GTO down a four lane road, crossing railroad tracks just to get to school.
In August I saw him play six or seven songs in an intimate studio. The tracks’ honesty is breathtaking and real. From the opening of “That’s What It Sounds Like When A Man Cries” to the closing moments of “God Loves Everyone,” each spin of this record helps me sink deeper into my “Peaceful Place.”
— Anne Litt (KCRW DJ)
More: Leon Bridges: KCRW Live From the basement (MBE, 2015)
11
Baggy$$
Fcukers
Throw Fcukers’ Baggy$$ on your speakers at any time of day to transport into the packed basement of a thumping DIY club in Brooklyn. After all, that is quite literally how it started for members Shannon Wise and Jackson Walker Lewis just earlier this year. But if you're wondering how it's going... the answer is: real good. In less than 12 months, the duo have moved from the underground scene to arguably the biggest stage in the world, with an upcoming slot at Coachella ’25.
The explanation for their meteoric rise is simple: their sound is fresh, fun, and extremely danceable. Adding to the appeal is their you-had-to-be-there live shows and Y2K-flavored style. Wise’s ethereal voice floats effortlessly atop Walker's addictive house beats and flawless production, like a modern Everything But The Girl. Album opener "Bon Bon" is, in my opinion, 2024's dance floor anthem and the ear-wormiest of them all, but “Homie Don’t Shake” comes in close second. “I Don’t Wanna” is a slinky, slower-tempo groove to palette cleanse before closing track “Tommy” takes the party home. Hop on the Fcukers rocket and blast off into their unstoppable future!
— Anna Chang (Senior Producer, Morning Becomes Eclectic)
More: Fcukers: KCRW interview backstage at Portola Festival
10
History of House
Soweto Gospel Choir x Groove Terminator
There’s a classic house record from 1997 by West Coast artist Eddie Amador that repeats, “Not everyone understands house music. It’s a spiritual thing. A body thing. A soul thing.” There’s a lot of truth to that, which is why Eddie's record has been a club staple since its release. House music is an understanding of the power of music to bring people together and elevate consciousness. Which is not to say that other music genres don’t have nuance and power, but house is something special. If you know, you know.
Everyone has their own personal history of house music, aside from its formal origin story in the underground clubs of Chicago and New York in the mid-’80s. New music technology became accessible to underground artists, who then drafted a bold sonic palette for clubs and warehouse parties, and along with pioneering DJs, inadvertently launched a global music phenomenon. Fast forward 40 years, and the house music universe has branched out into countless variations and sub-genres, and the kaleidoscope of sound shows no signs of slowing. Beneath that vast canopy, everyone has those “special" records that define a time and place where the music meant everything. I’ll mention a few of mine: Raze’s “Break 4 Love,” A Guy Called Gerald’s “Voodoo Ray,” and Joe Smooth’s “Promised Land” would all be at the top of my list. But there are so many more, and I have a room full of vinyl to prove it
More: Latroit + History of House: KCRW Live from HQ
Enter veteran dance music producer Dennis White, whose credentials include touring keyboardist for Inner City’s first live shows, as well as prolific work as Latroit and Static Revenger. White, along with Australian producer Groove Terminator, took on the near-impossible task of picking a few house classics for a bold reinterpretation of some of the genre’s greatest songs. It wouldn’t be enough to simply record covers of these enduring tracks; instead, they collaborated with South Africa’s Soweto Gospel Choir to cross borders, language, and cultures, and amplify the universal truth in the music. The results are profound. Inner City’s foundational 1988 smash “Good Life”, Bob Sinclar’s poignant 2006 release “World Hold On,” and Rozalla's 1992 rave anthem “Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good)” are just a few of their picks that really resonate when cast in the light of a global sophistication beyond the dance floor — a unique highlight of the year where a joy for music is palpable.
— Jason Bentley (KCRW DJ, host of Metropolis)
9
TANGK
IDLES
When asked about my favorite type of music, I often reply, "soul music," but I mean that more as a feeling than a genre. When an artist creates truthfully from that place — the soul — you can feel it. IDLES deliver right from there on their fifth studio album TANGK, sharing an ability and willingness to be more vulnerable and melodic than ever. Lead singer Joe Talbot, known for his punchy, chesty punk-rock vocal style, showcases the range of his beautiful singing voice this time around with the tender, airy, introspective sweetness of prime Bono or Sting and the sweaty "baby, baby please" grit of retro R&B begging. Whatever the mood of the moment, all members of IDLES lock in to complement each other, and the well-considered approach to space, sonic elements, and dynamics in tandem with seasoned producers Nigel Godrich (Radiohead) and Kenny Beats (Vince Staples, Denzel Curry) solidifies TANGK as a thoroughly soulful, captivating, and cohesive ride.
— Novena Carmel (KCRW DJ, host of Morning Becomes Eclectic)
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8
Diamond Jubilee
Cindy Lee
Even though Diamond Jubilee sounds like an album that could’ve been recorded anytime in the past 60 years, it’s the kind of record that rarely gets made these days. It’s a true “album experience” that’s at its most potent when you allow yourself to melt into it and float along with that trip that Cindy Lee (aka Patrick Flegel, formerly of Women) is taking you on. The double album offers 32 tracks of hypnagogic, lo-fi indie rock, equally suited for soundtracking a late night drive or a hungover Sunday morning at home.
All the more remarkable is the fact that this album broke through in spite of Flegel refusing to do…well… anything artists are expected to do to promote a record release in 2024. Diamond Jubilee dropped in April on just two channels: as a free/pay-what-you-want download on Flegel’s Geocities website, and as an ad-free stream YouTube. No Spotify, Apple Music, etc. (though you can now listen via Bandcamp, see below), and you’ll still find no trace of Cindy Lee across any social media platforms. Nonetheless, it was a shortlisted finalist for the Polaris Music Prize, nabbed Pitchfork’s highest score in four years, and is set to be released on CD and vinyl in February. Hold this one close — there’s hope yet.
— Travis Holcombe (KCRW DJ, host of FREAKS ONLY)
7
Dance, No One's Watching
Ezra Collective
This London collective’s previous album Where I’m Meant to Be won the Mercury Prize, honoring it as the UK album of the year 2022 — the first time the honor was bestowed upon a jazz project in the Merc’s 30+ year history. Dance, No One’s Watching is the followup.
From the moment you press play, Dance, No One's Watching fits neatly into any small party environment. Play it at your next lively cocktail or dinner party and observe how the chatter of your gathering blends seamlessly with the chatter that begins this colorful album odyssey. And once we get to what, for me, is the album’s signature tune, “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing,” it’s apparent we’re once again in the presence of greatness.
— Chris Douridas (KCRW DJ)
More: Ezra Collective: KCRW Live From HQ
6
HIT ME HARD AND SOFT.
Billie Eilish
The rise of Billie Eilish in this day and age could not have been written believably as fiction. The immediacy of her commercial and cool-factor critical success, and the consistency of her output, is unmatched. The collective story of Billie and brother Finneas, her co-writer and producer, now includes three massively-acclaimed albums, arm-loads of Grammys, and two Oscars for Best Song Written for a Motion Picture.
Her story continues on her latest album HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, which at press time is up for Grammys in seven categories, including Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year. The album does the next-to-impossible, yielding career-high songwriting and production — the infectious romp of “LUNCH” and “THE GREATEST,” the mainstream flight of "BIRDS OF A FEATHER," and the uber-cool "THE DINER" — and their most cohesive project to date.
— Chris Douridas (KCRW DJ)
5
Romance
Fontaines D.C.
Fontaines D.C. (short for Dublin City) has had a hell of an ascent in the indie music world over the last five years. Gaining prominence in 2019 as a straight-ahead post-punk/garage-rock outfit, they maneuvered their way through incessant touring and an Irish Folk-inspired album (2022’s Skinty Fia) before nabbing three Grammy nominations, including a nod for Best Rock Album at the upcoming 2025 awards.
With Romance, the band’s fourth album in five years, they’ve seized upon their newfound popularity and struck the perfect balance of musical growth without sacrificing their core essence.
The album is a juxtaposition of moody sounds; heavy with bittersweet emotion, strident guitars, and even some upbeat pop elements for good measure. It all congeals nicely around singer-lyricist Grian Chatten’s gruff croon of a vocal delivery. The LP is by far the band’s most palatable record to date, while still attempting to create futuristic sounds.
With lyrical influences ranging from Welsh poet Dylan Thomas to the cyberpunk manga classic Akira, Fontaines D.C.'s Romance makes for the perfect soundtrack to a dystopian future.
— José Galván (KCRW DJ)
More: Fontaines D.C.: KCRW Live From HQ
4
Charm
Clairo
You might know Clairo as one of the internet’s most revered crafters of Sad Girl songs, but the “Nomad(ic)” singer-songwriter shows some serious range on her third LP Charm. By enlisting Leon Michels for production — an artist in his own right and widely sought for his crisp, clean, soul-hip-hop-infused techniques — Clairo emerges with a bold, new sophisti-pop sound. See: the album’s first single/calling card “Sexy to Someone,” a jaunty, alluring number that pinpoints the feeling of needing somebody, any one person, in the whole wide world to really see you. Consider investing in a physical copy: Charm is just the thing to soundtrack every intimate gathering of friends that you assemble over the course of the rest of your life.
— Marion Hodges (Digital Producer, Music & Culture)
3
In Waves
Jamie xx
I dare you not to enjoy your life while listening to the dance floor sound bath that is In Waves by Jamie xx. It will make you kiss your parking ticket. The entire record feels like a mixtape for an all-time night out, mixing genres with driving beats, leftfield production, catchy samples, inspiring sound bites, and seamless sequencing — while landing back on the tarmac to process the journey we’ve just taken together. With one banger after another, we hit halftime on the LP with “Still Summer,” which is precisely what it feels like listening to this record in December. Pack the following track “Life,” featuring Swedish pop star Robyn, into your New Year’s Eve party bag and “Breather” as the spiritual awakening to start any morning practice. After holding space, it’s time for letting go on the perfect album closer, “Falling Together,” featuring a monologue from rising contemporary choreographer Oona Doherty, and her vivid description of the loss of self in the transcendence of dance.
— Nassir Nassirzadeh (KCRW DJ)
2
Here in the Pitch
Jessica Pratt
Jessica Pratt's Here in the Pitch feels like the culmination of so many sounds and musicians from Los Angeles that we’ve been celebrating and championing for so long. This is an album that we love not only because of her, and her music, but for how it represents our community and what many of us have been dreaming of but couldn't put into words until we heard this collection of songs. Pratt’s mastery of songwriting and production reaches new heights on Here in the Pitch, and although the lyrics may hint at the uncertainty of life and the meaning of it all, her sound is all but uncertain. We think this album is just what the world needed in 2024.
— Alejandro Cohen (KCRW Music Director)
More: Jessica Pratt: KCRW Live From HQ
1
Hyperdrama
Justice
Some words and phrases not generally associated with electronic dance music: gritty, swing, dirty, yacht rock, The White Stripes, melancholy.
Words usually associated with electronic dance music: precision, elegance, digital perfection, clean, synth-something-something.
Justice’s sonic lexicon pulls from both, a rich, genre-agnostic vocabulary sourced from both music history and visceral experience. That’s the beauty of the duo as artists, and of their Grammy-nominated fourth album, Hyperdrama. Every molecule of Hyperdrama is beautifully intentional, from the production of Miguel’s vocals on “Saturnine” to Thundercat’s on “The End.” Then there’s the subtle homage to Brian Wilson and Alan Braxe on “Dear Alan,” and the surprise contrast in the soft-rock intro of “Incognito” that gives way to the pummeling, arpeggiated bassline leading the rest of the track.
Something that comes up in the French duo’s interviews — including their luscious turn on Morning Becomes Eclectic (in between Coachella weekends, and the week before Hyperdrama dropped) — is friendship. The two began as friends; they are each other’s sounding board and producer. They laugh at the same jokes and they dissect music, instrumentation, and production in the same way. And this is not to say there is anything at all same-y about their music. They’re almost like an old married couple who are wonderfully in sync, but also embrace the dissonance. They use the studio as an instrument, they finish each other's sentences. Their influences are ESG, The White Stripes, Trevor Horn and Brian Eno, Led Zeppelin, Vangelis… and we’re just getting started.
A couple other words that come up for Justice are “melancholy” and “darkness.” There is an edge to the pop-leaning work on Hyperdrama, and that is what makes the album work in its painstakingly constructed sequence; the last four tracks give side two of The Beatles’ Abbey Road a solid run for its money. Justice received by far the most votes for KCRW Music’s album of the year, and deservedly so. We all have been patiently waiting for eight years.
— Anne Litt (KCRW DJ)
More: Justice: KCRW Guest DJ Set
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