Editor in Chief Graeme counts down his album of the year contenders, crowning the very best that has passed through these pages this year.
By Graeme Smith
Feature photo: Eric Schroeder
There were eight albums that I reviewed this year that I described as an “album of the year contender” in my write up, so that’s the shortlist that I’ll be working from. It’s a phrase I don’t throw about lightly; I’ve reviewed literally hundreds of albums this year. So, you can be sure every album on this list deserves to be there.
I’m going to attempt to put them into a countdown, though it difficult. Each album on this list has brought some kind of innovation, and they are all quite different from one another. There’s a hair’s breadth between eight and one, but a countdown is slightly more interesting than naming them all joint first.
8. Eric Schroeder – Turned on the Stereo
A San Diego, USA-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Eric impressed me with personal album that modernised the best of classic rock and folk. I even compared him to Bob Dylan. He takes eighth place on this list purely for the reason that the others stuck with me a little more.
7. Seán R. McLaughlin & The Wind-up Crows – Goodnight, Lad
If this was a countdown for single of the year, Seán’s track Wishing Well would be right up there. In a way, it overshadows the rest of the album as I frequently find myself humming it, but not so much the other nine songs. That takes nothing away from the fact that Goodnight, Lad is a folksy delight, perfectly presenting Seán’s Shetland Island hometown to us.
6. Wifey – The Butcherbird
Sydney, Australia’s Wifey’s album The Butcherbird may benefit somewhat from the recency effect since I only reviewed it earlier this month, but that takes nothing away from it’s well-deserved place here. Their Rilo Kiley-esque twin vocals and the entire concept of an album named for a beautiful but grotesque Australasian bird really make them stand out from the crowd.
5. The Black Holes Philosophy – Self-Titled
I found this to be such an innovative record, it breaks my heart to be placing it at only fifth in this countdown. It’s a testament to those who rank higher. The project of Italy’s Luca De Lellis impressed me with his mastery of classic rock from the ’70s and ’90s as well as being able to fold a love of physics and philosophy into his music. It’s a stunning debut.
4. Mighty Jupiter & The Mooncake Band – Forced Fun For The Just OK Life
If I were going on band names and album names alone, this would be number one. The Riga, Latvia-based band showed us a lot of originality with their debut album, inventing the genre of “shoehaze” in the process. Forced Fun For The Just OK Life gave us texture, diversity and bombast in abundance. And, of course, a lot of fun.
3. Madison Taylor – Lady of Arbor Hill
A lot of people’s album of the year was Taylor Swift’s THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT and if you’re a fan of that Taylor, you may want to check out another. Madison Taylor, like Seán R. McLaughlin, wrote her debut album about her rural roots, in her case being in New Jersey, USA. Her poetry across its ten tracks is what really enamoured me with her effort, drawing from the biblical, the mythical and the literal.
2. Sour Blood – SUAS
There are two reasons why Tipperary, Ireland’s Sour Blood ranks so highly on this list. One is that the project of Kevin Gleeson is one of the most innovative I’ve heard, carrying the baton for alternative trailblazers like Radiohead and Animal Collective. The second is that it’s a truly memorable album. Mysterious Creature in particular is a track that’s made a fine home for itself in my head since I first heard it in August.
And the winner is… Small Black Arrows – The British Museum
It’s a little depressing that Small Black Arrows’ main claim to fame still seems to be that the character of Maeve wore one of their t-shirts on the Netflix show Sex Education, such is the quality of their 2024 effort The British Museum. An exploration of the human condition in the age of AI, it blends experimental pop and soulful rock with absorbing spoken word vignettes. It absolutely stood alone this year for me and is a deserving album of the year.
