August has proven to be yet another incredible month for music. With albums from Sabrina Carpenter, Magdalena Bay, Ka, and Tinashe, so many of my most anticipated releases of the year dropped in a matter of weeks. Although not every project lived up to my expectations, the month has shaken up my year-end list with an overwhelming number of exciting and inventive albums.
Magdalena Bay – Imaginal Disk (2024) [Synthpop]
Three years ago, when Magdalena Bay released Mercurial World, my outlook on pop music changed. Never had I heard pop so lush, deliberate, and detailed, with recurring motifs and slick transitions binding together each track into one unified masterpiece. Years on, Imaginal Disk is a grandiose evolution of that sound.
Much in the same fashion as Mercurial World, the album is littered with motifs that bring the album together. Unlike their last effort, however, Imaginal Disk takes the listener on a voyage through a dozen different styles. The funky synthpop of “Killing Time” gives way to the spacey psychedelia of “Image”, and only a few tracks later, the duo dive into progressive rock, creating a musical elixir of synths and guitar on “Tunnel Vision”. Mica’s vocals are soft and dreamy, working in perfect contrast to the blaring synths and roaring guitar of Matt’s production. Her singing acts as the only constant on the record while Matt forces the listener through a storm of sounds elegant and nightmarish.
Imaginal Disk is a clear contender for the best album of 2024. Like Mercurial World, the duo build an enchanting soundscape so vibrant and hypnotic that, the moment the album ends, to run it back feels mandatory. With each new listen, new layers in the production pop out; new motifs become clear, echoing across the LP; the nuance of Mica’s haunting vocals grows more and more vivid. Imaginal Disk perfectly encapsulates the joy, dread, and imagination that makes Magdalena Bay so incredible.
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet (2024) [Pop]
From the moment Sabrina Carpenter released “Espresso”, I knew I would like Short n’ Sweet far more than any of her previous efforts. However, the album is more than just an improvement: it’s an artistic milestone for Carpenter where her unique voice as an artist shines through. She sings about romance with a wit and charm few of her contemporaries could match, injecting dark comedy and outrageous one-liners into her glamorous pop tunes.
Going further, Short n’ Sweet is a testament to Carpenter’s versatility. From the country-infused intimacy of “Slim Pickins” to the explosive pop rock of “Taste”, she takes all her influences and mixes them together into a smooth, cleanly-produced amalgamation of pop crossovers. Not every tune quite hits the mark, however. The strong vocals on “Dumb & Poetic” aren’t enough to save the scant and uneventful production; likewise, the flashy beat and whispery vocals on “Good Graces” come off as derivative compared to the rest of the LP, lacking the same musical flavour and personality Carpenter has made her sound. That being said, Short n’ Sweet remains a huge improvement upon the singer’s earlier work, harbouring some of the best pop music of 2024.
Tinashe – Quantum Baby (2024) [R&B]
Despite “Nasty” being a contender for best R&B song of the year, the rest of Quantum Baby doesn’t quite live up to the quality of its lead single. The majority of the album is comprised of quiet, subtly sensual tracks with stripped back production and Tinashe’s signature understated, almost conversational delivery. “Getting No Sleep” is the perfect example: a laidback tune where the singer whispers over a jittery percussion loop and a droning synth. In isolation, the track is fine, but beside songs like “Thirsty” and “Cross That Line”, the similarities are obvious.
Rather than building a cohesive soundscape, the lack of variety on Quantum Baby creates a musical blur, with few tracks standing out. “Nasty” and “When I Get You Alone” are the definite highlights, but after that, the album is over. Like BB/ANG3L last year, Quantum Baby is a swift 20 minutes in length. However, what made BB/ANGEL so compelling was its variety: no two tracks sounded alike, with an hour’s worth of ideas crammed into seven concise highlights. Unfortunately, the runtime works against Quantum Baby, since there is so little room for Tinashe’s ideas to fully blossom.
JPEGMAFIA – I LAY DOWN MY LIFE FOR YOU (2024) [Experimental Hip Hop]
The latest JPEGMAFIA album does not see the rapper/producer break new ground, but rather, improve upon the sound he has made his brand. The glitchy, often industrial flourish of Peggy’s music is as prominent as ever, this time accompanied by a thunderous backing of electric guitar and grungy drum-work.
The intro pulls the listener in with an uncompromisingly loud bombardment of guitar and hi-hats, over which the rapper employs a dozen different flows, hopping from spoken word to punk-adjacent screaming. The rest of the LP is just as intense. “SIN MIEDO” is a brutal patchwork of roughly-chopped samples, echoing over some earthquaking bass. “Exmilitary” sees Peggy blend classic hip hop with metal and rage, screaming through the ever-changing mess of crossbred genres.
Denzel Curry and Vince Staples offer standout performances on their respective tracks, but it’s Peggy himself who steals the show, proving himself yet again as one of the most innovative and unique voices in hip hop. His loud, angsty style might not be for everyone, but I can’t help but marvel at his seamless ability to turn disjointed samples into unforgettable rap songs.
Stevie Wonder – Music of My Mind (1972) [Soul]
Kicking off a monumental run of classic albums, Music of My Mind is a masterpiece in soul and belongs to be mentioned in the same breath as Innervisions and Songs in the Key of Life. Stevie masters his sound on this LP, bringing colourful vocals and irresistibly funky instrumentation to every track. Highlights like “Keep On Running” and “Love Having You Around” capture that upbeat, danceable soul Stevie is known for, but it’s in the bolder, more dramatic cuts where the album shines most.
“Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)” is up there with Stevie’s best songs ever. The tune begins with a languid passage of keys and warm backing vocals, but halfway through, it all falls away into silence, and from that quiet rises a new, colder sound. Stevie’s balladry is accompanied by a harrowing rush of high-pitched synths, encapsulating the newfound dread in the singer. Standouts like “Evil” and “Happier Than the Morning Sun” reach similar heights, but “Superwoman” remains the defining song on Music of My Mind.
Danny Brown – Quaranta (2023) [Alternative Hip Hop]
A year on from Quaranta, I love the album so much more than when I first heard it. Danny’s lyricism is at its most vulnerable, dedicating entire tracks to his lingering regret and guilt at decisions he made in his past. Unlike Atrocity Exhibition where the rapper embraced his more chaotic and animated side, Quaranta showcases Brown at his most laidback, allowing the lyrics to speak for themselves as he recites each verse with the icy, almost monotone delivery of a man who wishes he could change his past.
However, not every song is so despairing. “Jen’s Terrific Vacation” is a clever commentary on the rise of gentrification in the US; “Tantor” is a classic Danny Brown banger crammed full of ridiculous one-liners and yelped adlibs. My favourite track, “Dark Sword Angel”, sounds like it was recorded inside a cave, with all the cold, echoing instruments adding a sense of terror to Brown’s performance. Quaranta may not have the hits of Old or the cohesion of Atrocity Exhibition, but for its vulnerability, variety, and consistency, it stands as one of my favourite Danny Brown albums.
xhef & MILLENIUM – ADHD (2024) [Experimental Hip Hop]
ADHD is the most brutal rap album I’ve heard in 2024. To even describe it as a rap album feels reductive, with many of xhef’s performances resembling the terrified ramblings of someone in a panic attack rather than the bars of a written verse. His breathy, wandering vocals drown in a nightmarish cacophony of noise devised by producer MILLENIUM.
Although it may sound counter-intuitive, ADHD doesn’t sound like it was made to be listened to, but instead, to be experienced. The beats are harsh and manic, working to engulf the listener in an atmosphere of terror and anxiety rather than to make them bob their head. On the mic, xhef also seems disinterested in entertaining the listener.
On the title track, he offers a spoken word passage while a choir of ear-shattering strings try to interrupt him. On “RememberForgetReliveConfess”, the rapper’s vocals are hardly even audible, lost in a din of formless, deafening noise. “spit.” is perhaps the least accessible cut – a distorted minute of xhef reciting poetry over a horrifying swell of violin, climaxing with a haunting chant from the rapper where he screams so loud the mic peaks and crackles. ADHD is not your average album. It’s 20 minutes of sonic psychosis, torturing the listener with all the worries that plague xhef’s every day.
KNOWITALL & Mourning Run – Magic N Bird (2024) [Hip Hop]
To put it plainly, if you consider yourself a hip hop fan, you must hear Magic N Bird. The album sees Queens native KNOWITALL team up with rap duo Mourning Run for a half hour of pure rhyming glory. The three MCs have electric chemistry, bringing out the best in one another as they compete for the wittiest and most animated verse.
KNOWITALL brings his signature swagger, offering an onslaught of clever one-liners and subtle wordplay in his meticulous bars. Mourning Run are equally brilliant, with the pair trading swift rhymes while they amplify one another’s energy. Hooks take a backseat to expansive verses, with the varied production serving as an arena for the trio to battle it out and sharpen their lyrical skills. With instrumentals from Owlkast, Happy Art, Zilly900 and more, Magic N Bird is a quickfire highlight reel of some of the best beatmakers in the underground, gathered together by sample-flipping mastermind Skip the Kid. Skip offers a few beats of his own in "Mournitall" and the title track "Magic N Bird" -- a pair of hypnotic, abstract bangers where the trio of rappers bask in Skip's vocal-chopping madness. Every verse, down to the last bar, makes Magic N Bird a hip hop essential for 2024.
K.J. – The Sun Don’t Chill (2024) [Hip Hop]
The sheer quality of rapping on The Sun Don’t Chill is enough to rank it amongst the finest hip hop records of the year. K.J. is a formidable MC, tearing up every instrumental with varied flows, an impassioned delivery, and a razor-sharp pen game to bless each track with quotables.
Beyond K.J.’s rapping, The Sun Don’t Chill sounds beautiful. The production borrows from the worlds of funk, soul, and rock, painting a warm soundscape with a hard edge that perfectly encapsulates the dichotomy of beauty and carnage displayed on the album cover. From the lush string progressions on “FIST OF THE NORTH STAR” to the grimy core of “INFERNAL SHOWDOWN”, every tune packs a punch. For its consistency alone, The Sun Don’t Chill is a must-listen.
Alma 16 – De La Alma (2024) [Alternative Hip Hop]
De La Alma is a jazz-infused love letter to the hip hop underground. Rapper/producer Alma 16 invites on a myriad of talented guests to bask in the cool atmosphere of the LP, capturing the laidback ambience of classic jazz and fusing it with the hard-hitting punch of modern rap music. The end-result is an expertly cohesive project from the MC, whose relaxed style harkens back to the soulful days of Slum Village and the Soulquarians.
The closer, “Serotonin”, sums up all the strengths of the album. Alma, joined by both halves of Mourning Run, spills out all his deepest thoughts over a spiritual network of woodwind samples. The smooth, relaxed atmosphere adds prominence to the vocals, adding power to every bar and impact to every revelation.
Dad Bodi & Tommyxboi – No Hard Feelings (2024) [Trap]
Above all else, what makes No Hard Feelings compelling is the chemistry between Dad Bodi and Tommyxboi. Rather than taking turns to deliver verses, the MCs often trade bars for entire tracks, proving their tightknit connection as lyricists as they go back and forth, feeding one another’s energy. The hard-hitting trap production amplifies that feeling even more, with the duo juggling rhymes while hi-hats sizzle and the bassline grumbles beneath their voices.
Hedonistic bars and braggadocious rhymes are the foundation of No Hard Feelings. The album has no greater concept or overarching theme, but that’s not the point; instead, the duo set off to make the most hypnotic record possible, and that goal was undoubtedly achieved.
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