Brittany Howard
Because there are as many moods in a day as there are days in a year, this list has a little bit of everything for everyone.

1. Brittany Howard | What Now (Island Records)
There was a period in 2024 when this was all I wanted to play—and not just because I was so excited for her tour. This album is a triumphant relationship post-mortem. “What Now” is the angry goodbye, and “Red Flags” answers the introspective question ‘how did we get here?’ Her voice is at times huge and glorious, other times intimate inner thoughts. The sound-healing interludes provide grounding between deep dives. As a whole, it feels like personal growth, a learning opportunity made good.

2. Ezra Collective | Dance, No One’s Watching (Partisan Records)
This album wins my Earworm of the Year award. When I need a pick-me-up, “God Gave Me Feet for Dancing” is there for me. I would dare you to try to sit still while listening, but where’s the fun in that? No restraint, freely embracing joy in playing and singing music together is the whole life-giving vibe. It’s got compelling afrobeat rhythms, punchy brass, and some traces of live audience participation in the studio. Queue this up to get to stepping.

3. Shannon & the Clams | The Moon is in the Wrong Place (Easy Eye Sound)
Yet another 2024 triumph, this album finds Shannon Shaw and her mates admirably chasing the light in the wake of a heart-wrenching personal tragedy. These songs are bursting with joy in spite of loss. “So Lucky” makes a convincing case that it is better to have had and lost a soul mate than to never have known such a thing truly existed. “Real or Magic” brings tears to my eyes every damn time, it’s so beautiful—the sound as much as the sentiment. “Bean Fields” moves the beauty of memories into the path forward. Really, there’s not a wasted moment in the whole 42 minutes, it’s just so full of heart and healing.

4. Osees | SORCS 80 (Castle Face Records)
And now for something completely different—it’s John Dwyer barking and gear-shifting at breakneck speed! This officially makes five years in a row of John Dwyer projects on my end-of-year lists, and what can I say for myself? He’s captured the tenor of my heartbeat. The CAN influence persists as a feat with two drummers producing splendidly clattery and entrancingly minimalist grooves. Dwyer’s vocals feel cold and crisp, stark and staccatoed, over Tomas Dolas’ buzzy synth. Songs like “Plastics” make this great driving music, as long as you remember to check your speed from time to time.

5. GUM, Ambrose Kenny-Smith | Ill Times (KGLW – pdoom)
Imagine my joy upon learning two of my fave members of two of my fave bands combined their Aussie powers to create an album just for me! At least I sure felt like I manifested a dream with this collaboration of GUM (a.k.a. Tame Impala and Pond’s Jay Watson) alongside Ambrose Kenny-Smith of King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard and The Murlocs. “Minor Setback” is a great example of Watson’s spacey, layered foundation narrated by Amby’s trademark conversational vocal style. This is the partnership we all wanted to see, and it exceeded expectations.

6. High on Fire | Cometh the Storm (MNRK Heavy)
This lucky lady got to see High on Fire not once, not twice, but three times in 2024, and each time they played a track from this new album was a thrilling confirmation that, oh yes, they’ve still got it. The original three-piece was finally altered with the departure of Des Kensel in 2019, and you couldn’t help but worry it would affect the band’s sound and performance. Fear not, because Coady Willis stepped in with exhilarating fire that, combined with the fury that sobriety seems to have ignited in Matt Pike, make this one of their most impressive albums in years. Produced by Kurt Ballou, with guitarist Jeff Matz flexing the Turkish folk instruments he honed during Covid times, this album is pure, churning sludge beauty. You can almost see the pit that churns with “Trismegistus.”

7. Chicano Batman | Notebook Fantasy (ATO Records)
At another end of a spectrum, Chicano Batman brought us the tender album Notebook Fantasy. Like High on Fire, they also lost a drummer when Gabriel Villas went on hiatus following their 2020 album Invisible People. In his absence, the sound is a little brighter and trippier, toying with yacht rock and disco vibes, while the lyrics are sentimental and optimistic. “Parallels” and “Beautiful Daughter” reflect on the lessons a parent learns in trying to raise a little. You don’t need to understand every Spanish word in “Era Primavera” to feel the nostalgic longing of unrequited love.

8. Boogarins | Bacuri (ONErpm)
Arriving in the 11th hour of the year, the Brazilian psych band Boogarins released this sweet little treasure in November, following a tour with some rare US stops. Their sound is Tropicalia gone down a reverb rabbit hole, and this album continues down that path. Without any knowledge of Portuguese, or the Tupi-Guarani language for that matter, I can glean that bacuri is a fruit with thick skin like a papaya and sweet/sour/sticky flesh, that falls to the ground when fully ripened, from a tree at risk of extinction due to the value of its wood. I can only imagine this has some reference to the long wait since 2019’s Sombrou Dúvida. It was worth the investment for this beautifully constructed work, with cosmic strings and soothing vocals. “Chuva dos Olhos” is classic delivery of their dreamy harmonies and spaced-out guitars.

9. Kali Uchis | Orquídeas (Geffen)
I learned of Kali Uchis in 2024 via a round of Music League. I can’t recall the prompt, but someone’s answer was her song “After the Storm” from her 2018 album Isolation, featuring Tyler, The Creator and Bootsy Collins. Just as I was digging in, Kali Uchis released her fourth studio album, Orquídeas, and I was hooked. This is her second album primarily in Spanish, featuring Spanish-speaking guests such as El Alfa from the Dominican Republic, Peso Pluma from Mexico, KAROL G from Colombia, and JT from Miami. The vocals are liquid, the melodies are infectious, the beats are subliminal, and the styles are varied. “Pensamientos Intrusivos” rolled around incessantly in my head for days. “Muñekita” has that reggaeton rhythm that will make even your littlest toe get up and shake it. “Te Mata” is a classic romantic drama begging for something like a tango.

10. Bernie Worrell | Wave from the WOOniverse (Org Music)
Speaking of Bootsy, this double album is composed of unfinished songs by keyboardist and founding member of Funkadelic, Bernie Worrell. He was 72 years young when the universe lost his shining light in 2016. We weren’t ready to say goodbye, and neither was he done creating legendary funk. Worrell’s decades-long career included partnership with Talking Heads, Pharoah Sanders, and Les Claypool. This album sees many of his past collaborators extrapolate his unfinished works, resulting in a delightful collection that highlights Worrell’s diverse appeal across a spectrum of genres. “Soldiers of the Stars” with Daru Jones and Eric McFadden satisfies like a brand new Funkadelic production, and “Re-enter Black Light (Phase II)” with Sean Ono Lennon could pass as a Gorillaz tune.

11. Hiatus Kaiyote | Love Heart Cheat Code (Brainfeeder)
The latest release from the progressive R&B/jazz band from Melbourne is full of passion and fire. It’s confident, ebullient, and delightfully topsy-turvy. The prog metal fan in me adores their use of time-signature changes and distortion to chunk up the mellow jazz vibe. Where 2021’s Mood Valiant did a lot of luxuriating in a velvety lounge, Love Heart Cheat Code thrills in skipping down the sidewalk and smiling at the neighbors. Upon hearing “Make Friends” for the first time, I immediately shared it with some of my closest people, declaring “so much this.” Start to finish, this album is a short but intense treat, right down to their deconstruction of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.”

12. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats | Nell’ ora blu (Rise Above Records)
Remarkable in so many ways, this album was described by Uncle Acid’s Kevin Starrs as “a radio play with music.” Nell’ ora blu is a complete story and soundtrack, an original composition written primarily by Starrs and bandmate Vaughn Stokes, with original dialogue recordings from famous Italian actors in the 1960s and ’70s Giallo/Poliziotteschi movement, including Edwige Fenech and Franco Nero. It’s dark and suspenseful, mostly instrumental, with dialogue mostly in the form of discreet or antagonistic phone calls between songs. While knowledge of Italian language would certainly help one follow the twists and turns in the story, it’s not essential to enjoy the ambience. We spent many a summer night listening to this on the back porch, with dim lights and intrigue in the shadows. The more traditional format of “La Vipera” makes it a great introduction to this encompassing mood music, and a few English-language checkpoints, such as “Pomeriggio di novembre nel parco” (“Afternoon in the park”), help connect the dots for those of us who don’t speak Italian.

13. Cedric Burnside | Hill Country Love (Mascot Label Group)
Another one for back porch summers, Burnside’s latest album carries the torch of hill country blues played by his grandfather, the late, great R. L. Burnside, with fresh contributions of optimism and encouragement. Cedric follows the hill country playbook with simple instrumentation—repetitious, rhythmic boogie guitar, runs following the vocals, and a little slap or stomp box incorporated for percussion—and introspective lyrics. “Toll on They Life” is one of the more classics in the style. But Cedric’s take on the style often veers more into affirmation than sadness, with songs about spreading love, smiling when life tries to get you down, and like giving thanks. When you’re blue, “You Got to Move” will remind you that you’re not alone, and when you need a gentle pick-me-up, “Strong” will convince you that you’ve got this.

14. Whores | War (WHORES.)
Pro-tip: add the word ‘band’ when internet searching this group. The name is an indictment of late-stage capitalism, ok, and the album is self-released. It’s brutally judgmental and uncompromising—all the things that make my early-’90s DIY heart sing with biting condemnation. Whores are pointing fingers at everyone including themselves and demanding we reject the status quo. The riffs are stern and pounding, akin to glory days of Helmet. At just 33 minutes for ten songs, it’s a powerful and intense kick in the pants. “Every Day is Leg Day” is an anthem for our dystopian now.

15. Helado Negro | Phasor (4AD)
Finishing out the list is this delightful little work from Roberto Carlos Lange, a.k.a. Helado Negro. Phasor was created post-move from New York to North Carolina, and the sound is appropriately soft and rolling. The vibe is taking it all in and giving it all its due. “Colores Del Mar” feels like journaling at a picnic table or lingering in bed on vacation, with no aim or purpose but to be present with a feeling. As is his custom, Helado Negro sings in both Spanish and English, with sentimentality and longing layered over electronic beats and acoustic guitar. It’s so soothing and airy that it’s been a frequent backdrop to my yoga practice.
Honorable Mention:
Two related and unconventional albums that received regular play in my world:

Damu the Fudgemunk | Peace of Action (Def Pressé (Def Pressé Editions)
I found this artist via Pan Amsterdam via Black Thought. (Check his partnership with the former in “Rigatoni” for a taste of MF Doom’s legacy.) Damu aka Earl Davis situates his style in the boom-bap sounds of early ’90s hip-hop, and this album features samples of jazz percussion plus synth beats and brass accents and the occasional turntable scratch. It feels like a soundtrack, with each song setting a new scene, and is a perfect companion to in-the-zone pursuits, like cooking and spreadsheet organizing. “Sparks” had me grooving in the kitchen while baking Christmas cookies, now transitioning to New Year meal prepping.

Raw Poetic | Wayward Skies (Def Pressé)
Raw Poetic is a collaboration between Earl Davis, Jason Moore, and Patrick Fritz. This unique album is a new presentation of compositions previously released on different albums. Each of five songs is performed in live and acoustic versions in addition to the standard recording. It’s conscious hip-hop with live instrumentation hearkening back to early work from The Roots. If you listen from start to finish, the arrangement plays each song in its studio live, then acoustic, then recorded version, and I never get tired of them. Songs like “Rehab” are life-affirmations to get you out of bed and ready to make a difference in your world. | Courtney Dowdall