OK, so after all these years commenting on music, I will concede that the list below does not REALLY represent the Best Songs of 2024 -- but rather the songs that most spoke to me. I'd rather not head into the new year standing accused of being aggressively arrogant about musical taste and such. After all, subjectivity is nothing if not subjective.
So here are the songs I most enjoyed in 2024. As always, I hope some of them connect with you as well.
Song of the Year
"Favourite" - Fontaines D.C.
This may sound really pretentious -- or at least gratuitously Gen X -- but Irish post-punk had a moment in 2024. And it was headlined by these Dublin lads (the D.C. stands for Dublin City, after all). Their album Romance was also my favorite (favourite?) of the year. The record is dystopian and haunting at times, but it culminates in this triumph, with its irresistible guitar riff. I've got my tickets for their show this Spring. And this won't be the only Fontaines entry on this list. Highly, highly recommend.
The Rest
"Right Back To It" - Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman
This is one of several songs that could have ranked as my song of the year. Alabama-born Katie Crutchfield teams up with Wednesday guitarist MJ Lenderman (who had a heck of a year for himself) on this achingly beautiful slow burn about what it means to be in a relationship. Emotionally, sonically and spiritually, this song connects on every level.
"Docket" - Blondshell featuring Bully
Another cracking collaboration between two alt music rising stars: LA's Sabrina Teitelbaum records as Blondshell, while Nashville's Bully is the brainchild of Alicia Bognanno. Together, they're voices complement each other so well on this banger of a track. And that riff just before the bridge? 80s glory.
"Common Blue" - Warpaint
Hard to believe the LA four piece Warpaint have been around for 20 (!) years. This lush slice of heaven is equal parts dream pop and Sadé. And for me, it was hard to resist from the moment I first heard it.
"A Fragile Thing" - The Cure
Comeback story of the year for sure. Rock and Roll Hall of Famers The Cure released their 14th album Songs of a Lost World this year -- a full 48 years into their storied and glorious career. I grew up with this band, but lost touch with them some three decades ago. This track perfectly exemplifies the band at its older, wiser best: alienated, a tad overwrought, but magnificent and undoubtedly beautiful nonetheless.
"X Ray Eyes" - LCD Soundsystem
If the Cure were the sublime, this track begins my annual foray into the ridiculous. I'm a glutton for absurdity, and also bands that pay homage to The Fall. And James Murphy comes correct on both counts on this track, with its goofy synth bleeps and stupid lyrics. But the whole package? I can't get enough.
"Lonsdale Slipons" - The Bug Club
Let the absurdity continue. The Welsh trio pays tribute to perhaps the most unloved (and frankly ugly) trainer in the British Isles: The Lonsdale Slip-on. (I actually fell down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what Lonsdale Slipons are -- I discovered they're a rather chavvy style of footwear that I can't believe anyone would wear.) But musically, I'd paraphrase Yoda and say The Fall is strong with this one. That's a win in my book.
"Annihilation" - Wilco
Just a wonderful track by the longtime Chicago band and alt country luminaries. It's reminiscent of some of their absolute best work, like 2001's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. And what's more? Frontman Jeff Tweedy is the father of Waxahatchee drummer Spencer Tweedy. Time flies. And we're all getting old!
"She's Leaving You" - MJ Lenderman
Remember when I said MJ Lenderman had a good year? Here he is again, doing what he does best: Honest, well-crafted, country-tinged alt-rock, this time about a breakup. His layered guitar work on this heartbreaker is something to behold.
"In the Modern World" - Fontaines D.C.
We've had two now from MJ Lenderman, so it's time for another from Fontaines D.C. Far more brooding than "Favourite" but no less lovely, this is the song I most frequently reached for in the past two months of the year. I particular love the chorus on this track.
"Supersad" - Suki Waterhouse
A banger about mental health? Let's have it! London's Suki Waterhouse started out as a model and an actor (and is engaged to The Twilight Saga's Robert Pattinson). But with this track, she makes no secret of her musical chops. Powered by a motorik drumbeat, she tells us what she really thinks: "I feel so much better when I don't care!" Amen.
"Espresso" - Wallows
OK. I like the Sabrina Carpenter version of this song. I really do. (I especially like the fact that it launched a linguistic cottage industry -- what does "That's that me Espresso" mean anyway?) But when I heard this low-key, acoustic take by LA's Wallows, I realized how good a song it truly is. Because if you can strip a song back to its bare essence and have it hold up, you've got a good one. And I especially appreciate the lyrical nod to New Order at the end of the song. Listen for it.
"Second Skin" - Nada Surf
This hooky gem fell largely under the radar. And it's hard to believe this is the same band that did 90s angst anthem "Popular" 28 years ago. Their sound has evolved beautifully, capturing a wiser, mature sense of what it means to live in the moment.
"Funeral for Justice" - Mdou Moctar
Like Tinariwen, file this under Tuareg rock, that unique guitar sound hailing from the deserts of Northern Africa. The fury of those guitars drives home an urgent call for human rights, and a screed against the corrupt leaders on the continent and the powers that enable them. This is powerful rock and roll music with a very powerful message.
"We Make Hits" - Yard Act
Leeds has given us a string of great artists and a range of amazing sounds: The edgy post-punk of Gang of Four, the dark goth rock of The Sisters of Mercy, the indie anthems of Kaiser Chiefs. Add to that list Yard Act, whose infectious dance groove on "We Make Hits" makes good on its title. Check the Fall reference in the first verse.
"Better Way to Live" - Kneecap featuring Grian Chatten
Hardcore rappers from West Belfast who largely rhyme in Gaelic, and want the British out of Northern Ireland. (Great profile piece in the New Yorker here.) This irresistible track features vocals from Fontaines D.C. frontman Grian Chatten -- and a must-see video.
"Burial Ground" - The Decemberists featuring James Mercer
This macabre end-of-life sing along perfectly channels The Beach Boys. No surprise given the influence of the Shins' Mercer. (I hear "Sloop John B" for some reason.) But despite its rather depressing content, it's an uplifting and happy song: "This world's all wrong, so let's go where we belong, contract malaria, meet at the burial ground." OK then.
Thanks to all the artists who made great music in 2024 -- looking forward to hearing what comes next in 2025!
