Words by Brian LaBenne
Brian James is a former co-host of the Best Song Ever podcast, Feats.(/Bar None) columnist, and contributor to Off Shelf along with other music publications. As a lifelong enthusiast, he has been a fan of hip-hop and r&b since middle school and now enjoys keeping up with mainstream and underground releases, and diving deep on the sampled and influencing sub-genres.
Honorable Mentions: I’m going to cheat right off the bat and quickly list five albums that at one point existed on my top 10 list as I was finalizing it. It was so painful to make these cuts and I wanted to call special attention to some really special albums (in alphabetical order):
E L U C I D – REVELATOR (Fat Possum)
FLO – Access All Areas (Island Records)
Mabe Fratti – Sentir Que No Sabes (Unheard of Hope)
One Step Closer – All You Embrace (Run for Cover)
skaiwater – #gigi (GoodTalk)
10. Mach-Hommy – #RICHAXXHAITIAN (self-released)
For some reason I didn’t truly connect with this album until the end of the year. It could be because Mach’s cultivated persona is about mystery and exclusiveness, which can feel a little more like being pushed away than being brought in. Whatever the reason, I’m sad I slept on this one because it is a great album that feels like it could be instant classic in the rap world. If someone told me this was a lost Mos Def (aka Yasiin Bey) album from his heyday I think I’d probably believe them. It’s more than just a similar singing style, Mach has a strong pen game and delivers bar after bar of intricate rapping over murky production that somehow threads the needle between the classic boom bap, modern lofi indie, and mainstream rap worlds. I’m not quite sure how Mach-Hommy pulled it all together but I’m glad he did and that I finally got my head right enough to realize it.
9. Gouge Away – Deep Sage (Deathwish)
Deep Sage is the album I turned on when I felt overwhelmed, anxious, depressed, or exhausted. Unfortunately, it got a lot of air time in my ears because, you know, 2024 reasons… but I’m so happy it was there for me. Gouge Away perfectly translates the chaos, uncertainty, and ferocious anger that is the reality of living in this moment. Just listen to “Stuck in a Dream” and tell me it doesn’t feel like the band tapped deep into your psyche to perfectly translate the fears, frustrations, and futility you feel day-to-day. Maybe you’re more well-adjusted than I am and, if you are, don’t worry there’s still a lot to love here. This album is a ripper of a rock record from front to back with no skippable tracks, the type of album you want to start over again the moment it ends.
8. Denzel Curry – KING OF THE MISCHIEVOUS SOUTH (Loma Vista Recordings)
Denzel Curry pivots like no other artist around. Go back and listen to the trajectory he takes from the new-style-a-minute mania of TA1300 to locked in dopeness on ZUU to jazzy boom bap classicism of Melt My Eyez See Your Future and finally arriving at tough as hell rap for the streets on KING OF THE MISCHIEVOUS SOUTH. At first I thought this was a step back from Melt My Eyez See Your Future because I tend to enjoy rap that leans into the jazzy realm more than tough street rap, but after spending a lot of time with this album it is definitely a step forward for Denzel. He simply raps his ass off over hard beats for 50+ minutes with the help from similarly minded MCs like Maxo Kream, That Mexican OT, FERG, and tons more. KOTMS also does something that a lot of the more indie facing rap music neglects: it bumps the subwoofers hard. Knowing Denzel he won’t stay here for long and as much as I enjoyed this stop along the journey, I’m even more excited to see where he takes me next.
7. Nala Sinephro – Endlessness (Warp)
While Gouge Away captured the chaos of my current state of existence for much of the year, Nala Sinephro offered a healing balm for my soul and hope for better days with her album Endlessness. Where Gouge Away allowed me to rage, Nala offered a space to cry and recover. And did I ever cry! Nala Sinephro is a jazz musician, making ambient jazz with modular synths, pedal harp, piano, and keyboards and Endlessness is the follow up to her also very great debut album Space 1.8. It’s honestly hard to put into words what is so special about this album, partly because it’s a genre I don’t spend too much time with, but also because it feels like it exists outside of space and time in a way. I guess that’s to say it’s transportive and easy to get lost in. It’s also hard to separate one track from another, not because they all sound the same or are hard to differentiate between them, but because it’s truly an album that exists best as a whole. Thus, I cheated and posted the full album in the YouTube link above. You’re welcome!
6. Rosie Lowe – Lover, Other (Blue Flowers Music)
Listening to Rosie Lowe’s album Lover, Other is like standing in a long hallway where each song represents a new door waiting to be opened and explored. As you move down, opening each one, the listener experiences some fresh, fascinating and refined deconstruction of R&B music. Every room exploring a different aspect of the genre in unique ways; which, taken as a whole, is kaleidoscopic and beautiful. Not only is the album an interesting exercise, it’s also full of some really great songs. Where you may normally have around eight different layers in a standard R&B song, Lowe refines this down to three or four aspects in such a thoughtful way that transforms what could be a solid song into a great song with a fascinating perspective. It’s an album that shines because of the breadth, variety, and execution and really needs to be listened to all the way through to appreciate fully.
5. Kendrick Lamar – GNX (pgLang)
On November 22nd I left my normal Friday therapy appointment, picked up my phone and was met by a flurry of texts alerting me that there was an unexpected new Kendrick Lamar album out in the world. This was the drop event of the year, where everyone was simultaneously trying to organize their thoughts on the latest release from the best rapper alive. When Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers came out in 2022 I set an alarm to wake up extra early, went for a walk around my neighborhood and listened to it as the world woke up around me. I left that session feeling that, of course Kendrick is an all-time talent, but the album felt bloated, a bit like concept and “artistry” was starting to get in the way making really good music. Enter GNX, the least conceptual Kendrick has ever been and the most interested he has seemed in just making tracks that spit hot fire over modern bumping production. For me, it’s a welcome change and dense enough that I’m still trying to figure out how much I love it. I’m excited to spend more time with it over the coming months leading up to Kung-Fu Kenny’s Super Bowl halftime performance, which may coincide with my Detroit Lions finally making a Super Bowl for the first time? I couldn’t ask for more.
4. Mannequin Pussy – I Got Heaven (Epitaph)
I Got Heaven marks the third album in a row that Mannequin Pussy has made my top 10 list. Romantic may be the album that got me back into listening to heavier rock music again. Patience tore my heart out, broke me down, and built me back up again. And now, Mannequin Pussy arrives at probably their best album yet with I Got Heaven. All of their powers are on full display here. Vacillating from angry indie rock to beautiful atmospheric passages to shoved down your throat aggressive punk jams, it’s a fun journey of an album! Of course, this all succeeds to such a great degree because of Marisa Dabice’s vocals; which capture each moment perfectly with snarls one moment, beautiful vulnerability the next, and flat out guttural screaming after that. It’s a truly virtuosic performance by the absolute best rock band around right now.
3. Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal (Top Dawg Entertainment)
I’ve been waiting on Doechii’s full length debut since hearing her amazing run of singles back in 2022 and Alligator Bites Never Heal delivers so much more than I could have ever hoped for. Doechii’s vocal variety is a weapon, slicing through and delivering fatal blows in so many different ways. Exhibit A: the fast as hell hardness of NISSAN ULTIMA. Exhibit B: the theatricality of DENIAL IS A RIVER. Exhibit C: the jazzy smoothness of WAIT where Doechii acts as her own R&B featured artist. I could honestly present every song as evidence, but you get the point. This isn’t just an album or mixtape or whatever, it’s a statement of intent letting everyone know there is a new voice who is declaring war on the whole rap game. And she’s only getting started.
2. Ravyn Lenae – Bird’s Eye (Atlantic Records)
Ravyn Lenae is one of the most exciting R&B artists operating at the moment and Bird’s Eye is a stunning showcase of her talent. It’s another album where it’s strength is the breadth of ground it covers. There are lots of different styles of R&B going on here, executed to perfection by Ravyn Lenae and her so airy it may just blow away vocals. Bird’s Eye is incredibly comforting as a whole, so very cozy, like warm-blanket-on-your-favorite-couch cozy. It’s also an amazing album to listen to in the fall, which surprised me as I had never really thought about listening to R&B music during the fall. And that’s what I think the best new albums do: teach you new things about the types of music you love and make you think differently.
1. Charli XCX – Brat (Atlantic Records)
I know, I know … everyone loves Brat. But I can’t help it, ok? It’s just too good not to be here. Also, I’ve been one of Charli’s angels for a long ass time now so this oddly feels like watching someone I’ve known and loved for a long time finally get their flowers. I still remember having my mind blown when I heard the song Nuclear Seasons back in 2011. I went to the movie theater to see The Fault in Our Stars solely because of the Boom Clap tie-in/music video. During the early days of COVID, Charli invited fans to have a say in the album how i’m feeling now through Instagram live sessions where she played different beats and drafts of songs for input. It’s probably the longest running and definitely the most rewarding music fandom I’ve ever been a part of. And then there’s Brat; which is, without a doubt, Charli’s best album. She has long been the most forward-thinking pop star around, but she goes next level Charli here and simply delivers the kind of music she wants to hear when partying. Brat really is unlike any pop album you’ll hear, made by an artist who loves her fans so much and has been pushing for a breakthrough for so long, it’s almost impossible not to love it. And to all the Brat haters out there who feel like Brat season was oversaturated I have seven words for you: “Let’s work it out on the remix.”