Ten of the of the year, as chosen by Associated Press Music Writer Maria Sherman.
鈥淐owboy Carter,鈥 Beyonc茅
She rode in on a white horse, in patriotic chaps and wielding an American flag. She declared, this 鈥渁in鈥檛 a Country album鈥 but 鈥渁 鈥楤eyonc茅鈥 album鈥 鈥 positioning herself in opposition to the genre鈥檚 rigid power structures. And yet, she made the year鈥檚 best country (and then some) release: Beyonc茅鈥檚 a 78-minute, 27-track masterclass in inherited and uncelebrated histories, pulling from the Black and brown performers at the core of country鈥檚 canon, and providing visibility to oft-overlooked progenitors. It鈥檚 heard in the inclusion of Linda Martell, the first Black woman to play the Grand Ole Opry. And it鈥檚 heard in Beyonc茅鈥檚 natural twang, a return to form for the Texas native 鈥 at times, a vibrato that pulls directly from the earth. It may only be 2024, but it鈥檚 hard to imagine this record not being considered one of the decade鈥檚 best.
鈥淏RAT,鈥 Charli XCX
It wasn鈥檛 just babes, but a brat movement: English singer-songwriter Charli XCX鈥檚 sixth album altered the language of 2024. The music oscillates between hedonism and anxiety 鈥 鈥渢he euphoria of a late night on the dancefloor and the creeping disquietude of the morning after,鈥 鈥 but also manages to bring the underground鈥檚 pop queen into the mainstream without compromising her vision. There was a period where Charli XCX鈥檚 collaborations with the future-seeking PC Music collective and producer A .G. Cook seemed too progressive for everyday ears. But 鈥淏rat,鈥 and its vomit-chartreuse iconography, resonated. Listeners were ready to return to the rave 鈥 or attend for the very first time 鈥 and dance-pop music is far more interesting for it.
鈥淎lligator Bites Never Heal,鈥 Doechii
When alligators kill, they do what is known as a 鈥渄eath roll鈥: They sink their teeth into their prey and spin rapidly, flipping their bodies in and out of the water, drowning, disorienting and dismembering whatever was unlucky enough to get in its way. Florida rapper Doechii鈥檚 breakout mixtape, 鈥淎lligator Bites Never Heal,鈥 embodies that kind of intensity 鈥 not in aggression, per se, but in acuity 鈥 for a versatile album that teeters from the romance of her smooth R&B and the particularity of her flows. Single 鈥淏oom Bap鈥 made her greatness known. Tracks like 鈥淐atfish鈥 confirm it.
鈥淢anning Fireworks,鈥 MJ Lenderman
Last year, AP named 鈥淩at Saw God,鈥 the album from Asheville alt-country indie rockers Wednesday, . The band features MJ Lenderman, whose 鈥淢anning Fireworks鈥 is almost frustratingly addictive. It鈥檚 a record of hilariously evocative moments from pathetic people (or is it pathetic moments from hilariously evocative people?) atop purposeful, easy slacker rock melodies. From there, it鈥檚 a kaleidoscope of brilliant lyrical short stories. (An oft-quoted favorite of his cult following? 鈥淜ahl煤a shooter / DUI scooter鈥 from 鈥淛oker Lips.鈥) For fans of alternative music, it is an immediate classic. We鈥檇 suggest placing 鈥淢anning Fireworks鈥 on your record shelf, but it鈥檚 unlikely to leave your turntable.
鈥淥rqu铆deas,鈥 Kali Uchis
When Amy Winehouse first emerged, she was celebrated for being a once-in-a-generation voice, an old soul in a modern world 鈥 not overly sentimental or stuck, but an artist willing to communicate with the past to make art in the future. In many ways, the same can be said about Kali Uchis and her Her superpower is her syrupy voice, which feels in time and out of it 鈥 classically and effortlessly smoothing over and disrupting her lush sonic worlds. If 2024 is about fluidity 鈥 of genre, language, love, loss and divination 鈥 Uchis provides a roadmap from restrained reggaeton to alt-R&B.
鈥淕NX,鈥 Kendrick Lamar
The holidays arrived early this year when Pulitzer Prize-winning rapper Kendrick Lamar surprise released . It is his first album since 2022鈥檚 鈥淢r. Morale & the Big Steppers鈥 鈥 and perhaps more tellingly, his first since his victory lap over Drake that inspired one of the year鈥檚 best songs, 鈥淣ot Like Us.鈥 In full, 鈥淕NX鈥 builds off the promise of his blockbuster single 鈥 West Coast hip-hop showboating from one of the greatest living rappers anywhere. But it鈥檚 Lamar鈥檚 performance that makes this one of the year鈥檚 best. it is his effortless ability to 鈥渟witch cadences and lyrical perspectives mid-song鈥 and seemingly limitless breath control that stand out.
鈥淗it Me Hard and Soft,鈥 Billie Eilish
It often seems like there is no record Billie Eilish can鈥檛 break, no accomplishment she cannot summit. So where was she to go, at just 22, with her third studio album? Up, as it turns out. is a 10-track testament to her own ambition. It fuses insights pulled from her first two records 鈥 the gothic humor and unusual production of and the classist detours 鈥 but wizened. There are the fan favorites of 鈥淟unch鈥 and 鈥淏irds of a Feather,鈥 but also standouts like 鈥淐hihiro,鈥 with its delicate promise and techno-house crescendo at its coda. No one is doing it like her.
鈥淭wo Star & The Dream Police,鈥 Mk.gee
Upon first listen, if New Jersey confounds, do not worry. He is a 2024 success story who emerged fully formed and completely unusual, only to make fans of everyone from Justin Bieber to Eric Clapton 鈥 and their influence is heard throughout 鈥淭wo Star & The Dream Police.鈥 The record is gauzy, ripe for a 鈥渓o-fi music to study to鈥 playlist, but also commands attention for its spaced-out production and sparkling pop, all reliant on the malleability of his guitar compositions. Those range from sticky staccato to a kind of soulful 鈥80s melodicism.
鈥淭he Past Is Still Alive,鈥 Hurray for the Riff Raff
Hurray for the Riff Raff, the musical moniker of Alynda Segarra, has long studied Americana, blues, and folk punk, perfecting their craft with each new release. On the narrative 鈥淭he Past Is Still Alive,鈥 their eighth studio album, Segarra pulls from their background as a hitchhiker, train hopper and outsider artist to document the kind of life-altering adventures 鈥 ugly and rejuvenating 鈥 that can only happen far from home. It鈥檚 a beautiful portrayal of the U.S. 鈥 all big skies, starry nights and idiosyncratic people 鈥 as well as dumpster diving, shoplifting, addiction, politics, queer bars and poetry. In a word: America.
鈥淧hasor,鈥 Helado Negro
Nearly a decade ago, Helado Negro 鈥 the bilingual musical project of Roberto Carlos Lange 鈥 released the single 鈥淵oung, Latin and Proud,鈥 a celebratory exploration of Latino identity that became a rallying cry for indie kids with similar heritage. It doubles as a kind of framework in which to think about all of his art, in particular, the inventive, breezy, The album, recorded in English and Spanish, uses electronic sounds to express inspirations pulled from nature. It鈥檚 a wide-ranging release, effervescent and ambitious, easy to listen to and joy to dissect.
