This year had a flood of good music in rock, metal, alternative, punk, etc. So what was the best? This video looks at the Top 10 BEST Albums of 2024. Watch the video below for a full breakdown of each entry, or scroll below to read an excerpt from the video for each album.
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10 TRASH Rock Cover Songs!
10.) Poppy Negative Spaces
You want the angry aggressive side of Poppy, that opens the album. You want the hyperpop bubbly side of Poppy, that comes in Negative Spaces also. Everything from the guitars to the polished synth work is well done and Poppy proves she can work with anything she’s given. 2024 was a stellar year for Poppy and I hope that continues next year. Poppy’s latest is the most accessible so if you’ve never been able to jump into what Poppy offers, Negative Spaces might be the easiest to take in.
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9.) Job For A Cowboy Moon Healer
Job For A Cowboy returned to finish the job after 10 years. Just like 10 years ago, this is an onslaught to your ears and you will have to take a step back during a full playthrough to take it all in. Moon Healer was the follow up that I don’t think many metal fans ever would have expected but once we received it back in February, we were all praising the tech death combo. It’s vicious, it’s replayable, and it is a great help if you are wanting something angry sounding at the gym. Just don’t play it on a speaker, you’ll get kicked out of the YMCA for that.
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8.) Better Lovers Highly Irresponsible
This is that rare merging of bands that form an audio gut punch every time they are together. It’s the best dose of chaotic glory you can find in heavy music right now. Everyone involved is as ridiculous as they are talented. It’s fierce and combines all those elements of Dillinger and Every Time I Die and a gritty club venue about to get destroyed, all that presented in a hostile but still pleasant and lively package. It sounds furious, but you have a smile on your face when you listen. Better Lovers are the masters of mixed emotions.
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7.) Fontaines D.C. Romance
Romance is the album that takes Fontaines D.C. to the verge of an arena rock sound and in turn makes Fontaines D.C. sound like a big deal again. Fontaines D. C. have combined the GOOD elements of Blur and 2000’s Coldplay, why fusing that with their own style. So much of this album works as a captivating, energizing form of indie rock, magnified into something bigger. The endless grooves of this album stick with you and in a subgenre with so many people TRYING to make this style, Fontaines showed how it’s done.
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6.) Jack White No Name
13 tracks that are filled with hooks. It’s not high end, polished production and post-mixing, it’s a strong well layered mix with White sounding bold and clear. Everything is dripping with attitude and charisma and White is still performing like he’s in his 20’s. Everyone raves about jack White live and how great of a performer he is, and I think No Name should get a lot of time at his upcoming tours because all this music would work perfectly for a moving audience. This is music that’s well-crafted with great writing and energy. You know, like rock and roll used to always have.
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5.) Chelsea Wolfe She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She
Wolfe has spent years walking the line between unnerving calm and dark anger. In She Reaches Out, Wolfe gives into the anger and in turn becomes a force of nature. Everything is tinted dark but it’s never miserable or too bleak to make you want to stop. With the endless distortion and thick mixing to make that mood and setting, Chelsea Wolfe sounds like she’s in her natural environment. That constant pull to keep listening is comforting after a while. As if Wolfe is using subconscious bewitching to make sure you return to the cycle. I mean if that’s true, then it worked.
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4.) Ekko Astral Pink Balloons
It took one listen to the song “Baethoven” that made me jump in head first. After a short listening experience, even shorter than Better Lovers, I realized Pink Balloons was a special album. It takes massive talent to somehow bring in Molly Shannon as a lyric and somehow still feel every bit as punk as the rest of the album, but Ekko Astral make it all work. The fuzz and distortion, the swagger in the vocal delivery makes this incredible dynamic that punk hasn’t seen in quite a while, or at least not executed as well as Ekko Astral has made here.
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3.) Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds Wild God
Tragedy can lead to great works of art. It’s tragic that so many truly terrible events have happened to Nick Cave over the years, even recently, but somehow Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds found a way to push forward and create Wild God, and in turn make one of the best albums of 2024 with little sounding like it. This is an album that might be able to help you look at something a bit brighter. And it comes from Nick Cave of all people, a man known for his darkness. Wild God is amazing.
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2.) Blood Incantation Absolute Elsewhere
This is the proggy, death metal, science fiction space soundtrack that scratched such a perfect itch that it’s going to be difficult to describe to everyone who hasn’t heard it. The death growl from Paul Reidl echos and reverberates into your bones. Absolute Elsewhere is how you get lost in listening to an album as it’s a big black hole time warp. If the idea of being in space has ever terrified you, then listen to Absolute Elsewhere. Space will still be terrifying, but the soundtrack will make it sound huge and amazing.
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1.) The Cure Songs Of A Lost World
Only eight songs, running just under 50 minutes. In eight tracks, The Cure used every second to make the thickest, sonically rich while still dark and moody tone I’ve heard in years. All of Songs Of A Lost World was written by Robert Smith. At age 65, that man still has more talent and vision than most rock and alternative musicians in their 20’s. Combined. That’s not an exaggeration either. Whether live or in studio, Robert Smith is still crushing it along with The Cure. What The Cure made in 2024 is something that everyone can get behind. The fourteenth album from The Cure stands on it’s own as an album and is another feather in The Cure’s massive hat that no one else can wear.
Check out more of our videos below:
Top 5 WORST Albums Of 2024 = https://youtu.be/nSSpORi6_6E
10 CRAZY Rock & Metal Stories In 2024 = https://youtu.be/XXpMO4WzTRE
The Downfall Of TRAPT = https://youtu.be/60AIeLF1UT0
10 INSANE Rock Star Meltdowns On Stage = https://youtu.be/dK4zcgTc-cw
“2024 saw the release of several groundbreaking rock, metal, and alternative albums that pushed genre boundaries and captivated audiences worldwide. The Cure’s Songs of a Lost World, their first studio album in 16 years, marked a triumphant return to form, channeling the dark, atmospheric sound of their classic Disintegration era. Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere further cemented their status as innovators in the death metal scene, with its two epic tracks blending progressive elements and cosmic themes into a cohesive, mind-bending journey. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Wild God continued their late-career renaissance with poignant songwriting and haunting melodies. These albums demonstrate that rock and metal continue to evolve and push creative boundaries in 2024, offering fans a diverse range of sounds and experiences.” (Perplexity)
