25. Deep Sage by Gouge Away
It took six years for Florida hardcore punk rocker Gouge Away to release their third album. Christina Michelle gets things started fast screaming out the refrain of opener “Stuck in a Dream” off the hammering twin guitars of Dylan Downey and Mick Forward. “Maybe Blue” fuzzes things up a bit but maintains the raw energy Gouge Away is best known for. The band may cite Nirvana and the Pixies as inspirations, but on “Maybe Blue,” it’s hard to imagine they are not channeling early hardcore bands like the Slits as well.
The Nirvana link is clear on the grungy closer “Dallas,” which shows Gouge’s ability to be both melodious and messy at the same time. Gouge is one of many bands who saw some early momentum stunted by the pandemic. With Deep Sage, they show that unlike so many that fell by the wayside, they are resilient, and have a lot more to say.
24. Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves is still being classified as a country artist, and that has led to some trouble in evaluating her recent work. To be sure, country touches remain in some of the tracks on her sixth album, Deeper Well. But this is a singer-songwriter/pop album. There is nothing remotely related to country music on the album opener “Cardinal” apart from Musgraves’ name. It is just a lovely, slow-burn pop song. Taken as such, the song, like the entire album, is a delight.
The title track is much closer to Musgraves' brand of country, although it’s really just a sweet melody more aligned with the folk-pop of Brandi Carlile than something from Lainey Wilson or Megan Moroney. Whatever you call it, Musgraves remains a writer of great detail and a singer whose soft voice can’t hide a steely interior that takes hard looks, life, and love. The wistfully poignant “Dinner with Friends” may come the closest to country, and that’s largely because it references Texas. “The Architect” is simply a beautiful song and sentiment regardless of genre.
23. Weird Faith by Maddy Diaz
Maddy Diaz has the rare ability to sing sweet, melodious songs without ever sounding the least bit saccharine. It’s evident from the opening track, “Same Risk” which examines the pitfalls of a new relationship through the closer “Obsessive Thoughts,” a trundling rocker that builds in surprising ways.
In between, there is the insanely sweet pop of “Everything Almost” and a piano ballad (“Hurting You”) that is far tougher-minded than similar fare from other young singer-songwriters. She even teams up with Kacey Musgraves for another strong ballad, “Don’t Do Me Good.” Her strong – dare I say – introspective songwriting skills are on full display in “Kiss the Wall,” a somber yet hopeful meditation of small things that make up small lives, and yet, as she constantly reminds us ‘’nothing is a waste of time.”
22. King of the Mischievous South, Vol 2 by Denzell Curry
It may seem strange to lament stagnation within mainstream hip-hop and then suggest a mixtape-style throwback to an album more than a decade old is among the best hip-hop albums of the year. But that’s part of the magic of Denzell Curry, and it just proves that artistry transcends labels. Besides, even if this revisiting of the King mixtape recalls the past, Curry has never really been one to chase popular trends. He usually manages to sound authentic.
The new King of the Mischievous South album/tape is a big, wide-ranging project, bringing in many of the very best of southern rappers, from the intro featuring Memphis’ Kingpin Skinny Pimp to the likes of 2 Chainz and Kenny Mason. Of course, he doesn’t restrict himself to Southern support. He has lots of friends helping out – the main requirement seems to be having a unique voice.
Curry slides effortlessly from one entrancing track to another. It can be in your face and intense, like “G’Z UP,” with 2 Chainz and Mike Dimes, or it can be downright sweet, like “Cole Pimp,” which features help from Ty Dolla Sign and Juicy J. Or he can still just deliver a simple freestyle like “Black Flag Freestyle” and sound more interesting than almost everyone else out there.
21. The Collective by Kim Gordon
For fans of guitar-based post-punk, no album in 2024 was more satisfying than Kim Gordon’s second solo album. The legendary bass player from Sonic Youth turned 70 in 2023, but her sense of creative noise was not diminished in the least. Her distorted guitar on “Bye Bye” kicks things off in high gear. Then she goes even further on the hypnotic "The Candy House." All of the tracks, primarily written by producer Justin Raisen with lyrics coming from Gordon, maintain that same sense of high drama.
Gordon’s songs aren’t melodious but they are always engaging. The gloriously sludgy, in-your-face “I’m a Man” and cacophonous “Tree House” somehow manage to stay hummable despite having virtually nothing that can be even remotely called a tune. That was part of the beauty of Sonic Youth and if anything, Gordon makes it even more palatable without dimming the noise at all.
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