Another year is almost in the books, and with that, it’s time for year-end wrap-up things. As I introduced you lovely readers to last year, my music nerd listserv does an annual Top 10 albums poll, and I figured it’d be fun to post my list here, along with a few other music things I liked. As always, I can’t possibly listen to everything (though my 6-days-a-week commutes are a good time for listening) and I’m eager to hear what y’all enjoyed this year that I might have missed - drop a comment if you have recs. Let’s go!
Best reissue: As a general principle, I don’t put reissues or remasters on my overall top 10 list. Something newly released this year just isn’t fair to compare to an improved version of something I’ve been listening to for years or decades. But there was no way I could do this writeup without talking about “Tim (Let It Bleed Edition)” by The Replacements. Tim probably had the best songs of any album by The Replacements. The original, at times, also sounds like it was recorded at the bottom of a well. The 2023 remasters were just what the doctor ordered, letting the songs shine through as they were always meant to be heard. “Bastards of Young” and “Left of the Dial” (two of my all-time favorite songs) are absolute gems when remastered, but every song sounds better. The alternate mixes and live versions are fun too, but the 2023 remasters are the real stars.
Best live album: I’m a big fan of John Moreland - seen him live 3 times, most recently in 2022, and listened to all his albums. The most recent couple of albums, though, didn’t connect with me quite as much as his others - his earlier work was largely just him and a guitar, letting each word of his brilliant lyric writing breathe, but in an effort to break out of that mold, his most recent albums have been a little overproduced for my taste and leaned too heavily on a drum machine. His live album this year Live at Third Man Records, though, is much more stripped-down, and really got me to pay attention to how good the songwriting is on the newer records. “When My Fever Breaks” is the highlight for me - it suffers from overproduction on the original on Birds in the Ceiling last year, but my God, the live version is something truly special.
Best 2023 song from a 2024 album: I’ve been obsessively listening to “Alibi” by Hurray for the Riff Raff ever since Alynda Segarra released it last month. Counting the minutes until The Past Is Still Alive comes out in February - I’m very much looking forward to it.
The Top 10:
boygenius - the recordI knew this would be my #1 as soon as I listened at the end of March. This album is my happy place, even if that’s a slightly odd feeling to have about a supergroup when two of the three members (Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker) are among my go-tos when I need a good cry. Plenty has been written about how together the three of them are greater than the sum of their parts and making something really special. But what strikes me the most, whether I’m listening to their songs, reading an interview, or watching them perform live, is just how much fun they have together. I love the celebration of female friendship and I hope they have fun playing together for a long, long time.
Lydia Loveless - Nothing’s Gonna Stand In My Way AgainIn another boygenius-less year, this could easily have been my #1. I’ve been listening to Lydia for a decade at this point, and her early albums Indestructible Machine and Somewhere Else hold a special place in my heart as the soundtrack to my early-to-mid 20s…often the most drunken and self-destructive parts of it. But I’ve grown up some, and so has Lydia. This album feels like she’s found her musical identity, with a delightful pop-country blend and some excellent piano in the mix, and shows emotional maturity while sorting out the wreckage of a long-term relationship ending and a return from North Carolina to Ohio. It’s a beauty and well worth your time.
Margo Cilker - Valley of Heart’s DelightI hadn’t spent much time with Margo Cilker’s previous work before coming across this album, but my goodness, it’s a classic country gem. Her songwriting is clever and thoughtful all at once, the instrumentals are lush without getting in the way, and I adore her voice that wears its emotions on its sleeve.
Olivia Rodrigo - GUTSI’m a little older than the target demo, maybe, but half of this album is pop-punk bliss, a throwback to the likes of Avril Lavigne that I grew up on. The ballads are stellar, too. Olivia is a remarkable songwriting talent and the hooks on this album are absolute earworms. Best mainstream pop of the year by a country mile.
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - WeathervanesWhen your past repertoire includes albums like Southeastern and The Nashville Sound, you’ve given yourself a lot to live up to. Weathervanes doesn’t quite reach those heights for me, but after I was disappointed in Jason’s last release Reunions, this was a return to form. The most delightful thing is the variety and bite to the musical arrangements, after more than a few on the aforementioned music nerd listserv felt he’d settleed into an “adult contemporary” rut. Isbell gets to work with some truly superb musicians in the 400 Unit and I feel like this album is the best so far at showcasing what they can do and add to his immense singing and songwriting talent.
Will Johnson - No Ordinary CrownI’m normally very much a lyrics person. However, with Will’s former band Centro-Matic, the lyrics were an afterthought and often barely coherent - there’s not much point trying to make sense of it, you just throw it on and vibe to the sound. (And vibe I did - Love You Just The Same is a classic album I love.) Though his solo sound is different than Centro-Matic, but it’s the first time in Will’s solo work that I feel the sound is right to hit the same “who cares what the lyrics are or if they make sense, let’s just throw it on and vibe” mood. Love this.
Blondshell - self-titledGen Z grunge revival. Need I say more? It didn’t quite have the staying power with me that I’d hoped, but I spent an entire month in June thoroughly obsessed, which is good enough for a top 10 spot.
Deer Tick - Emotional ContractsThe Rhode Island boys! They’ve been around for quite some time and I really loved their older albums Divine Providence and Born on Flag Day. This one is their classic sound, not breaking much in the way of new ground but not messing with what works, and it’s great fun as driving music. Plus, I listened to it on the way to my contracts final and got an A-, so that’s got to count for something.
Jess Williamson - Time Ain’t AccidentalI totally slept on this album until I started seeing it on year-end lists of others whose taste matches mine, and it’s entirely possible that in a year I’ll come back to this list and say “Crap, I put that one way too low,” but deadlines are deadlines. It’s twang with a bit of rock and the soul of a poet, and I love it dearly already.
Andrew Bryant - ProdigalAnother one falling into the camp of “beloved artist sticking to what works.” Andrew Bryant is a fantastic songwriter and always worth your time, and this newest album of his is no exception.
And that’s the list! Happy New Year to all, and may your 2024 be filled with good times and good music.