By The Spinning Platters Team
Yes. I know everyone else had their lists finalized and posted in, what, May? Sheesh. Spinning Platters is meticulous and democratic about our process; sometimes, that takes longer. (We’ve also been hard at work on a nice new logo, and I hope you like it!) But you will see some names that are not on anyone else’s lists. And some names that are on everyone else’s because you know what? There have been some solid, instant releases this year that hold up on repeated listenings. So, without further adieu, here it is- the Spinning Platters Top 10 of 2024!
10.) What Happened To The Heart? / Aurora
9.) Audio Vertigo / Elbow
Elbow’s Audio Vertigo is a sonic surprise from a band seemingly stuck in a rut. Sure, this rut consisted of attempting to make the most lush and beautiful songs they possibly could, but something about the band’s music had become tiresome, as if even they themselves were bored of it. But then, wham! Audio Vertigo comes along to remind us all that they can be a real rock band, with crunchy riffs, actual dance grooves, filthy baselines, and, well, some lush moments. It is an Elbow album, after all. (Gordon Elgart)
8.) Only God Was Above Us / Vampire Weekend
Only God Was Above Us is a musical journey through New York that only Vampire Weekend could conjure up. Mature in themes and joyful in melodies, Only God Was Above Us represents a new level of songwriting ability by Ezra Koenig and the first time the band has recorded as a trio (after the departure of keyboardist Rostam Batmanglij). Standout songs include “Classical” and “Gen-X Cops,” two explorations of generational socioeconomic challenges, “Mary Boone,” a surreal portrait of succumbing to the New York art scene, inspired by a real-life art dealer who ultimately went to prison for fraud, and “Hope,” an ultimatum on the duality of hope versus hopelessness that we all must confront. (Chad Liffman)
7.) TANGK / IDLES
As things get harder, where is there a place for expressions of love? Of hope? Of joy?
As a band, Bristol’s Idles made their album TANGK to insist on forcibly making that space for empathic expressions of love despite — and also in light of — things being difficult.
The idea of “freudenfreude”—of finding joy in the joy of others—fills this album and spills through speakers as the platter is spun. TANGK’s sharp rock sounds and head-turning beats translate directly from the ears to one’s hips, as best expatiated in their first single, “Dancer.”
But why? Because: “TANGK. I needed love. So I made it. I gave love out to the world, and it feels like magic. This is our album of gratitude and power. All love songs. All is love.” said frontman Joe Talbot in a statement.
TANGK is love to and for Joe Talbot. TANGK is the love from Joe Talbot for and towards everyone. TANGK is a compassionate gratitude to a new day’s dawn spoken through snarling, gritted teeth. TANGK is remembering that as Joe says: “Love… love is the fing.” (Christopher Rogers)
6.) Lives Outgrown / Beth Gibbons
If you thought you had to wait a long time between Portishead records, try waiting twenty-one years for Beth Gibbons’s second solo effort. Seemingly having outgrown the assistance of Rustin Man (Paul Webb of Talk Talk), she slowly wrote these over the span of a decade while discovering and realizing the concoction of overwhelming emotions that arise from getting older, living life, and experiencing the loss that naturally comes with time. Engrossingly beautiful, unhurried melodies, empathetic, heart-wrenching vocals, and achingly poignant lyrics are the experience if you take the time to allow them to envelop you. Repeated listens will reward you with a bit of comfort, especially if you’ve had any form of difficult experiences in recent times. You may shed a few tears. I know I have. (Raffi Youssoufian)
5.) Carrier Pigeon / Odie Leigh
I’ve listened to Carrier Pigeon more than pretty much any other record that’s come out this year. It’s remarkable in that way that is hard to pin down other than it’s just plain GOOD! Leigh is an expert songwriter, making the most specific life events infinitely relatable. The humanity of longing and the complexity of dating as a performer (“My Name On A T-Shirt” explores the awkwardness of breaking up with a musician in a way that I’ve never expected.) I haven’t found new folk music I’ve enjoyed in years, and I’m glad it’s as addictive as this one. (Dakin Hardwick)
4.) HIT ME HARD AND SOFT / Billie Eilish
Billie Eilish returned in May with her third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT. Over the years since Eilish’s debut, I’ve heard (or read) things where she talks about embracing or even loving change, and it definitely rings true when you follow the evolution of her music. While this album may lack some of the in-your-face teenage ferocity of “Bad Guy” or “You Should See Me in a Crown,” it showcases a more reserved, mature, and, dare I say, intimate side of Eilish that I truly enjoy. (“Lunch,” in particular, still gets stuck in my head for days.) And incidentally, I must note that while Sabrina Carpenter may have finished in a slightly higher position on our Top Ten for the year, it was Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather” that nabbed the honor of being Spotify’s most-streamed song of 2024 (narrowly edging out Carpenter’s “Espresso”). (Stacy Scales)
3.) Short n’ Sweet / Sabrina Carpenter
In a year of war, climate change, and Hawk Tuah, Sabrina Carpenter came along to turn our depresso into espresso. Carpenter’s wit, charm, and reliability as a long-time performer, writer, and public figure are undeniable. As exemplified in Short n’ Sweet, she is a musician who balances catchy, feel-good melodies with inventive, bittersweet lyrics. These lyrics are so idiosyncratic and disarmingly naughty that on first listening, you can’t help but immediately play the album all over again to catch the references and jokes you may have missed the first time. No artist in recent years has been able to deploy wordplay and innuendo as effectively, and the fact that such comedic wit is combined with killer pop riffs and production makes this album an absolute pleasure to listen to. Please, please, please let Sabrina Carpenter make us Juno soon with her next album.
Wink, wink, wink. (Sahar Yousefi and Edward Mulryne)
2.) Songs of a Lost World / The Cure
1.) brat / Charli xcx
I’ve been waiting 13 years for brat to happen. Charli xcx has been consistently putting out inventive, interesting pop records for this long, working hard and trying harder and harder to break with each album. What’s great about brat is not that it was a continuation of the working harder, but is actually a “fuck it” record, and “I’m just gonna push everything out that I’m feeling right now.” And the entire universe felt it. It is a record that explores some very complex and real emotions, and, honestly, brat could go down in history as the ultimate time capsule of what it’s like to be an “elder millennial” in 2024 and all of the weight and struggles that come along with a life lived on social media, fraught with political and social unrest, and existing and finding joy in chaos without undermining the real threat of the chaos. This is probably the first “dance” record to put me to tears when I finally dug into the lyrics. I also get why the last song is essentially an ode to cocaine because, really, a quick hit of energy and confidence makes a lot of sense after that emotional journey. (Dakin Hardwick)
