Music & Films for
Common People
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This is quite a way to force us to look at the Burkina Faso music scene. It's impossible to remain unmoved by the frenetic energy of Talikatum.
Best tracks: Lago, Tanvusse, Talitakum
50
talitakum
avalanche kaito
Showcasing a different kind of "brat", Amyl and the Sniffers are excelling at irreverence and giving zero fucks with their raw punk energy.
Best tracks: U Should Not Be Doing That, Chewing Gum, Jerkin'
49
cartoon darkness
amyl and the sniffers
On her fourth album, Japanese singer Yuga blends her accessible indie pop with elements of jazz and house, making for a refreshing experience.
Best tracks: Love Deluxe, Tōi Asa, Waiting
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love deluxe
優河 (yuga)
Black Midi's disbandment was one of the saddest music news of the year, but, luckily, Greep's new sound is not really that dissimilar to his band's.
Best tracks: Holy Holy, Blues, The Magician
47
the new sound
geordie greep
Camp maximalism with a fixation on 80's latin pop. Gattas was already an icon with Miranda!, but now she's ready to make an impression on her own,
Best tracks: Maquillada en la Cama, Borracha en un Baño Ajeno, Emocionalmente Tuya
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maquillada en la cama
juliana gattas
If their debut was far superior, Yard Act's sophomore still lands many effective punches with their vibrant energy and smart instrumentation.
Best track: Dream Job, We Make Hits, When the Laughter Stops
45
where's my utopia?
yard act
She could work harder on the cohesion of the album, but this is a collection of outstanding tracks that show the many facets of who Eilish could be.
Best track: Birds of a Feather, Lunch, Chihiro
44
hit me hard and soft
billie eilish
Although it could have done with a trimming length-wise, there are moments of infinite beauty that are worthy of the whole experience.
Best track: Bad News, Meant, Bubba
43
hovvdy
hovvdy
Listening to a Laura Marling album is a safe bet for top notch folk music and a very strong lyricism that will surely touch emotional strings inside us.
Best track: Patterns, No One's Gonna Love You Like I Can, Caroline
42
patterns in repeat
laura marling
Sometimes to find something truly fresh, we just need to look out at different places, and the Estonian indie rock of Ouu is certainly quite stimulating.
Best track: Mäed, Hääl Mu Taga, Värvides
41
värvides
ouu
The biggest strength of Porridge Radio is how their mordent lyrics are matched by a dark sound that potentiates their anxiety and their angst.
Best tracks: Sick of the Blues, God of Everything Else, A Hole in the Ground
40
clouds in the sky they will always be there for me
porridge radio
Hitting the 40 years of career mark, Nick Cave is still one of the most accomplished songwriters, and just made one of his most luminous albums.
Best tracks: Wild God, Joy, Conversion
39
wild god
nick cave & the bad seeds
Although it's far from their greatest album, Tangk still is an incendiary and politically incorrect album that won't hurt their new status of rockstars.
Best tracks: Gift Horse, Grace, Dancer
38
tangk
idles
A debut album that gained them the Mercury Prize, this is a record that finds confidence in the instrumental delivery and the strength of the lyrics.
Best tracks: The World's Biggest Paving Slab, Nearly Daffodils, Albert Road
37
this could be texas
english teacher
The collective of female African superstars shows the power of collaboration to potentiate each other's strengths in these infinite cascade of creativity.
Best tracks: Kuma Fo, Flaws, Musow Danse
36
musow danse
les amazones d'afrique
The enigmatic South Korean producer keeps on a roll of fantastic maximalist noise productions that is evocative of a frenetic montage of feelings.
Best Tracks: Hwang-Geumbich Gang, Jumadeung, Sigye
35
sky hundred
파란노을 (parannoul)
Although he plays with many genres and styles, 1010benja's most achieved moments are when he explodes on emotional R&B of the finest quality.
Best tracks: Waterworks, I Can, Twin
34
ten total
1010benja
Part of the trendy alternative country trend of 2024, Waxahatchee looked to Americana music to expand her catalogue of things that she can do well.
Best tracks: Right Back to it, Lone Star Lake, Three Sisters
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tigers blood
waxahatchee
Not happy with giving us already one superb album in 2024, Yorke and co. released Cutouts, which is as complex and rich as one has come to expect.
Best tracks: Zero Sum, Don't Get me Started, Bodies Laughing
32
cutouts
the smile
Possibly the best indie band in Poland right now, Coals keep exploring the dark side of intimate electronics with very worthy discoveries on the process.
Best tracks: Dzwony, Nowy Swiat, Plaza
31
sanatorium
coals
Taking everything that made her predecessor such a breakthrough, Jenkins keeps expanding her poetic and mood palette of soothing art pop.
Best tracks: Only One, Delphinium Blue, Petco
30
my light, my destroyer
cassandra jenkins
Bringing amapiano, South Africa's invention of percussive deep house, to global stage, Tyla's debut is better enjoyed on a hot day with little clothing,
Best tracks: Water, Truth or Dare, Safer
29
tyla
tyla
If still not at the height of his White Stripes prowesses, No Name could very well rival 'Blunderbuss' to the top slot on his solo discography.
Best tracks: That's What I'm Feeling, Old Scratch Blues, What's the Rumpus?
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no name
jack white
Only 26 and Clairo is crafting such and intimate and elegant bedroom pop that we could easily mistake her for someone with decades of experience.
Best tracks: Sexy to Someone, Juna, Nomad
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charm
clairo
If we thought that Gordon would always be known as "the Sonic Youth bassist", The Collective proves that she can have a very successful solo act.
Best tracks: Bye Bye, I'm a Man, Psychedelic Orgasm
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the collective
kim gordon
Yanya strikes for the third time in a row with a superb album of indie rock that is not afraid to put out there visceral dirty riffs that emphasize the emotional turmoils that has been masterfully been writing about.
Best tracks: Like I Say (I Run Away), Method Actor, Mutations
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my method actor
nilüfer yanya
Butu opens with the bustling city noise of Kinshasa, and soon it's clear that what the albums aims for is capturing the vibrant feeling of an African metropoli, where industrial and traditional blend in unique ways.
Best tracks: Mokili, Bazo Banga, Butu Ezo Ya
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butu
kokoko!
Jumping on the train of talented young women crafting top notch indie rock this decade, the British band is audacious and confident on their delivery, so it's quite exciting to think that this is only their debut.
Best tracks: Nothing Matter, Sinner, Burn Alive
23
prelude to ecstasy
the last dinner party
Nine years after 'In Colour', Jamie XX comes back with a new collection of dance bangers that conform he is one of the most creative individuals in electronic music. He also brought over the coolest friends.
Best tracks: Life, All Your Children, Waited all Night
22
in waves
jamie xx
A hommage to 80's pop-rock, but with a murky DIY production that infuses these tracks with raw emotion. It'll certainly be exciting to see where he takes the project from this outstanding breakthrough point.
Best tracks: Alesis, Dream Police, Candy
21
two star & the dream police
mk.gee
The became viral through TikTok videos that used them to soundtrack the soviet underground party scene. With 'Belaya Polosa' they prove that beyond the meme, they are indeed masters of the dark post-punk.
Best tracks: Ty Zhe Ne Znaesh Kto Ya, Son, Belaya Polosa
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belaya polosa
molchat doma
We're only half-way through the 20's and Lenker has already secured her place as one of the essential songwriters of the decade. Now, bringing a country tint to her folk sound, she's widening her range.
Best tracks: Ruined, Sadness as a Gift, Free Treasure
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bright future
adrianne lenker
Beyoncé had the wits to announce that 2024 was going to be the year of country, but it was not hers the best crossover to the genre, but MJ Lenderman's collection of emotional songwriting and skillful guitar.
Best tracks: Wristwatch, She's Leaving You, Joker Lips
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manning fireworks
mj lenderman
What a treat is to have the Portishead's singer back, specially when she delivers such a brilliant album full of orchestral arrangements that evoke the eeriness of a frank conversation with the darkest parts of ourselves.
Best tracks: Floating on a Moment, Reaching Out, Rewind
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lives outgrown
beth gibbons
Annie Clarke heard our collective plead of making another guitar-fueled album, and gifted us a new collection of ferocious riffs that confirm that she is one of the most gifted guitar players in the world.
Best tracks: Broken Man, Flea, Big Time Nothing
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all born screaming
st. vincent
'Wall of Eyes' is proving that The Smile can have legs on its own rather than a mere experimental Radiohead side-project. There's new explorations on sound landscapes by mixing very dissimilar genres.
Best tracks: Bending Hectic, Friend of a Friend, Wall of Eyes
15
wall of eyes
the smile
It's thrilling to see such a comback from a band that if always was very correct, it failed (until now) to make a lasting impact in indie music. Now, with gained maturity they come to make their legacy be heard.
Best tracks: Feast of Tongues, The Coin-Up Guillotine, 0898 Heartache
14
all hell
los campesinos!
The fact that Fratti has decided to incorporate more accessible pop structures to her songs doesn't means that she stopped seeking thrilling experimentations to her avant-garde sound led by her cello.
Best tracks: Enfrente, Kravitz, Pantalla Azul
13
sentir que no sabes
mabe fratti
Pure Y2K nostalgia! Yes, Internet came and revolutionize the world, but what we have is not what we expected in the verge of the year 2000. Magdalena Bay gives us that fantasy world of digital retro-futurism.
Best tracks: Death & Romance, Image, That's my Floor
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imaginal disk
magdalena bay
This band could very well be the love child of Arcade Fire and Radiohead. With one of the best debuts of the year, the band excels in their multi-instrumental rendition of 00's indie rock.
Best tracks: Where we've Been, Crimsom to Chrome, For Ella
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where we've been, where we go from here
friko
There's an aura to Josh Tillman of a fallen prophet, a mix of hipster Jesus and hippie highway preacher. It's not only his physical appeareance, but mostly how much his music is driven by the existential diatribes that jump from the mundane to the spiritual. In 'Mahashmashana' he keeps giving us food for thought, while expanding his sound to new unchartered territories and styles that blend in a complex way.
Best tracks: I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All, Screamland, Mahashmashana
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mahashmashana
father john misty
The instrumental arrangements in 'Night Reign' are of such elegance and depth that they achieve a hypnotizing effect that almost resembles a rapturous experience. The use of harp is now the most emblematic element of Aftab's sound, and when paired with the piano, flute and percussions, each of them finding new ways to blend jazz with traditional Pakistani music, we're in for a sensorial treat.
Best tracks: Raat ki Rani, Aey Nehin, Na Gul
9
night reign
arooj aftab
A comeback to form from one of the very few bands that still bears proudly the hipster flag of an indie rock sound that was essential for the last two decades of music. As it is expected, Koenig and co. are back with new existential meditations, now mostly focused on the pass of time: the decay of our loved cities, the loss of generational idealism, the nostalgia for the days of youth. Smart has never been so enjoyable.
Best tracks: Classical, Capricorn, Gen-X Cops
8
only god was above us
vampire weekend
The last time a true legend of music (Bowie) staged a comeback of this quality, he died within days of putting out his final masterpiece. Luckily, Robert Smith is still alive, and we hope he still has many years ahead for creating music as good as The Cure's latest. There's a sense of epicness in the instrumentation and the arrangements, a new addition to the already exceptional discography of the gods of gothic rock.
Best tracks: Alone, A Fragile Thing, I can Never say Goodbye
7
songs of a lost world
the cure
The riffs that Mahamadou Souleymane is able to produce are other-worldly, able to rival those of any western proclaimed top rockstar. This electrifying experience is a new call to look towards the many injustices happening in Africa that have been inherited from Colonial times while celebrating the richness of sounds and rhythms found in the Saharan desert, one of the most fertile regions for rock music.
Best tracks: Funeral for Justice, Imouhar, Sousoume Tamacheq
6
funeral for justice
mdou moctar
By now, it's very clear that Fontaines D.C. is among the most important rock bands in active, and it wouldn't be a surprise if 'Romance' finally propels them to festival headliners status. This is an album that expands their sound, but preserves the "we're not taking this too seriously" attitude, making for an arresting experience that grabs you immediately with guitar power, and won't let go of you long after the last track ends.
Best tracks: Starbuster, Favourite, Here's the Thing
5
romance
fontaines d.c.
There has been a constant evolution to Mannequin Pussy's sound, and their newest album is their most achieve piece, one that shows the wide emotional and sonic ranges they can achieve without compromising their punk ethos. Throughout the 10 tracks they are defiant to social conventions, making this feminist statement on womanhood against patriarchy and also as a balm for those who are oppressed.
Best tracks: I Got Heaven, Loud Bark, I Don't Know You
4
i got heaven
mannequin pussy
Pratt had already stablished herself as a voice that matters in the singer-songwriting world, but what 'Here in the Pitch' achieves is showing her full artistry scope, with a sound that blends many references (from folk and motown to even Mùsica Popular Brasileira), in order to achieve a personal sound with one eye in the fading past and the other in the bright infinite cosmos.
Best tracks: Life Is, The Last Year, World on a String
3
here in the pitch
jessica pratt
We're not sure if anyone has already introduced Patrick Flegel and David Lynch, as Diamond Jubilee seems ready to soundtrack a spectral oneiric film Twin Peaks style. This mix of motown with DIY garage rock and dream pop is also a political statement in many ways, from its poetics of queer heartbreak to its performativity on 50's femininity and Flegel's rejection to conform to the rules of streaming services.
Best tracks: Kingdom Come, All I Want Is You, Dracula
2
diamond jubilee
cindy lee
Let's forget for a second that Brat was THE defining pop culture event of the year, that the four-letters title was named "word of the year", that the green colour of the cover became iconic and was everywhere, that the middle part of 2024 was declared "Brat summer". Let's focus for a second on the music itself, on these collection of bangers that explode with pop maximalism and are an intoxicating cocktail of nostalgia for many different club styles of the last three decades, but adjusted and repurposed with the producing methods of PC music's hyperpop.
Brat is Charli's self-reflection, or perhaps marketing analysis, of what make her stand-out from the pool of alternative pop female musicians that somehow she wasn't able to get a clear distinction from, in spite of her best efforts. Brat recollects and synthesizes everything that was great about Charli in the past: there's the ironic attitude of don't give a fuck of 'I Love it', the need to revive a glorified past she only experienced as a child of '1999', the deconstructed beats of everything that A.G. Cook has produced for her. It all was potentiated in order to finally achieve the last stage of her 'persona', the party girl that is reckless and never goes unnoticed, it all perfectly summarized as Brat. It was Charli's year, in all the possible ways.
Best tracks: Von Dutch, 360, Club Classics, Girl so Confusing, Sympathy is a Knife
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brat
charli xcx