The Nicsperiment's Favorite Albums of 2024
Maybe it was my dedication to 1999 throughout 2024, maybe it was that my
wife of 18 years asked for a divorce three months into the year, maybe it's
because I'm getting older, or maybe it's just because this wasn't a great year
for music, but I had a really hard to finding full length albums that I liked,
let alone loved in 2024. However, there were a few that stuck...not even nine as
per my usual top nine yearly list, but there were at least seven I found I could
list here that I liked well enough to listen to on repeat. The top three here I
easily listened to a dozen times or more. So here are my seven favorite albums of
2024.
7. Sunnata - Chasing Shadows
Sunnata are a spacey, stoner doom, experimental Polish rock band, whose work I have found very hit and miss. When they hit, like 2018's Outlands, I really, really like them. I don't enjoy 2024's Chasing Shadows as much as I do Outlands. In truth, Chasing Shadows drags a bit and I feel like it could be a bit snappier. However, Chasing Shadows is still a fun doom album that strikes that shamanic/spiritual itch that some of the bands in this genre do well, and there are some standout, stunning songs here, particularly the desert highway cool of "Torn" and the row, row, row your boat, but pitch dark, yet strangely uplifting doom of "The Tide." (Also, that is some HAUNTING artwork!)
6. Spaceslug - Out of Water
Speaking of Polish stoner doom bands (I mean stoner as the metal/rock genre, not that you've got to do drugs when you listen), Spaceslug have held down the spaced out, melancholy, laid back end of the genre for nearly the last decade. For whatever reason, they decided to try for a more straightforward sound for this year's Out of Water, meaning it's only five tracks and 32 minutes long, instead of exploring the lengthier, ten-minute structures of songs on albums past. The result is less of a singular sound, and quite possibly some of the band's weakest work, and yet still a decent album, which only betrays just how stellar Spaceslug's burgeoning discography has been.
5. Iress - Sleep Now, In Reverse
Iress is the only new band I discovered in 2024 that I liked. They also play a bit of a doomy rock sound, with elements of shoegaze. Michelle Malley's vocals ride a fine line between seductive and melancholy, and sometimes raging when she lets loose. Sleep Now, In Reverse does get a little bogged down in midtempo sometimes, but overall, it is a fun, dynamic ride, featuring some great textures and magnificent peaks.
4. REZN -- Burden
Strangely, albums #7.-4. on this list could all fall into the stoner/doom/experimental hard rock/metal descriptors (not so much my top three). I have been into REZN for about as long as I have Sunnata and Spaceslug, and like the latter, I find just about every album in their catalogue to be stellar. Each REZN album will often explore a certain facet of nature, whether it's the Lovecraftian ocean depths of Calm Black Water, the vast and alien desert plains of Chaotic Divine, or the lofty, isolated peaks of Solace. The album cover is often a hint for where the band are going to go, and the one for 2024's Burden betrays the volcanic chasms of the album's sound. Employing plenty of keyboard for glowing atmosphere, while featuring a little less saxophone than previous albums (yes, this stoner doom band loves the sax!), and showcasing guitar lines that alternate from meditating and textured to thick and crunchy riffs, Burden satisfies from start to finish. Can't wait for the next one.
3. P.O.D. - Veritas
Throughout their now long career, P.O.D. have dabbled in reggae, Latin rock, and many other genres, but now one thing has become consistent: if the band are missing a member, in this case longtime drummer, Wuv Bernardo (his replacement is no slouch), they default to straightforward hard rock music with a little rap thrown in. That's now happened twice, and both times, it's resulted in a cohesive, consistent, and satisfying album. Featuring a few tasteful guest spots, 2024's Veritas gets in and out in 35 rocking minutes. The songwriting is tight, the riffs shred, and 50 year-old vocalist, Sonny Sandoval, confidently metes out well-earned, stripped-down wisdom. The album's centerpiece, "Lay Me Down (Roo's Song)," features all of Veritas' best elements, from Marcos Curiel's razor sharp riffs and soulful solos, to soaring, powerful choruses from Sandoval. These old guys rock..
2. Chelsea Wolfe -- She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Over the years, I've enjoyed some of Chelsea Wolfe's songs, and particularly her work with Converge, but so far none of her full-lengths have held my attention from start to finish...until 2024's stunning She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She. In a rare case of, "Nicsperiment, here is exactly what you need," Wolfe has released a cohesive set of songs featuring an incredible emotional flow of pain and healing. This album feels like a dark journey through a broken gothic landscape to some kind of magical place of wholeness that I badly needed last year. Former TV on the Radio mastermind, Dave Sitek, guides these songs from a production standpoint, and there's a meticulous attention to detail, cohesion, and driving consistency that Wolfe's previous longform work lacked. An absolutely killer album, both anchored and buoyed by Wolfe's incredibly transportive vocals, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out To She is probably the best thing I've heard from 2024, as my number one choice below is, while quite good, a more subjective pick.
1. Drug Church -- Prude
The artwork is dumb. There's a stupid song about the frontman's cousin kidnapping himself to try to get money for drugs halfway through, but I guess even that song has a deeper meaning about how you're a hostage to yourself. At some point in 2022, Spotify made a rare brilliant suggestion that I listen to the band Drug Church. I immediately found that the vocalist's everyman lyrical sensibility and conversational style was something I could easily connect with. Drug Church play a brand of slightly punk-tinged rock music. Both their music and lyrics exude a distinctly middle American, man on the street, line cook wisdom that's hard to define. Prude refines that sound down to its absolute essentials, ten songs that clock in at just under 30 sublime minutes. I listened to Prude more than I did any other album in 2024. I connected to it more than any other album in 2024. It's probably not as artistically excellent as Chelsea Wolfe's incredible She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, but my Spotify stats do not lie. I listened to Prude so much, its songs are essentially my top ten for the year. I love this oddly named band. I love this album.
7. Sunnata - Chasing Shadows
Sunnata are a spacey, stoner doom, experimental Polish rock band, whose work I have found very hit and miss. When they hit, like 2018's Outlands, I really, really like them. I don't enjoy 2024's Chasing Shadows as much as I do Outlands. In truth, Chasing Shadows drags a bit and I feel like it could be a bit snappier. However, Chasing Shadows is still a fun doom album that strikes that shamanic/spiritual itch that some of the bands in this genre do well, and there are some standout, stunning songs here, particularly the desert highway cool of "Torn" and the row, row, row your boat, but pitch dark, yet strangely uplifting doom of "The Tide." (Also, that is some HAUNTING artwork!)
6. Spaceslug - Out of Water
Speaking of Polish stoner doom bands (I mean stoner as the metal/rock genre, not that you've got to do drugs when you listen), Spaceslug have held down the spaced out, melancholy, laid back end of the genre for nearly the last decade. For whatever reason, they decided to try for a more straightforward sound for this year's Out of Water, meaning it's only five tracks and 32 minutes long, instead of exploring the lengthier, ten-minute structures of songs on albums past. The result is less of a singular sound, and quite possibly some of the band's weakest work, and yet still a decent album, which only betrays just how stellar Spaceslug's burgeoning discography has been.
5. Iress - Sleep Now, In Reverse
Iress is the only new band I discovered in 2024 that I liked. They also play a bit of a doomy rock sound, with elements of shoegaze. Michelle Malley's vocals ride a fine line between seductive and melancholy, and sometimes raging when she lets loose. Sleep Now, In Reverse does get a little bogged down in midtempo sometimes, but overall, it is a fun, dynamic ride, featuring some great textures and magnificent peaks.
4. REZN -- Burden
Strangely, albums #7.-4. on this list could all fall into the stoner/doom/experimental hard rock/metal descriptors (not so much my top three). I have been into REZN for about as long as I have Sunnata and Spaceslug, and like the latter, I find just about every album in their catalogue to be stellar. Each REZN album will often explore a certain facet of nature, whether it's the Lovecraftian ocean depths of Calm Black Water, the vast and alien desert plains of Chaotic Divine, or the lofty, isolated peaks of Solace. The album cover is often a hint for where the band are going to go, and the one for 2024's Burden betrays the volcanic chasms of the album's sound. Employing plenty of keyboard for glowing atmosphere, while featuring a little less saxophone than previous albums (yes, this stoner doom band loves the sax!), and showcasing guitar lines that alternate from meditating and textured to thick and crunchy riffs, Burden satisfies from start to finish. Can't wait for the next one.
3. P.O.D. - Veritas
Throughout their now long career, P.O.D. have dabbled in reggae, Latin rock, and many other genres, but now one thing has become consistent: if the band are missing a member, in this case longtime drummer, Wuv Bernardo (his replacement is no slouch), they default to straightforward hard rock music with a little rap thrown in. That's now happened twice, and both times, it's resulted in a cohesive, consistent, and satisfying album. Featuring a few tasteful guest spots, 2024's Veritas gets in and out in 35 rocking minutes. The songwriting is tight, the riffs shred, and 50 year-old vocalist, Sonny Sandoval, confidently metes out well-earned, stripped-down wisdom. The album's centerpiece, "Lay Me Down (Roo's Song)," features all of Veritas' best elements, from Marcos Curiel's razor sharp riffs and soulful solos, to soaring, powerful choruses from Sandoval. These old guys rock..
2. Chelsea Wolfe -- She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She
Over the years, I've enjoyed some of Chelsea Wolfe's songs, and particularly her work with Converge, but so far none of her full-lengths have held my attention from start to finish...until 2024's stunning She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She. In a rare case of, "Nicsperiment, here is exactly what you need," Wolfe has released a cohesive set of songs featuring an incredible emotional flow of pain and healing. This album feels like a dark journey through a broken gothic landscape to some kind of magical place of wholeness that I badly needed last year. Former TV on the Radio mastermind, Dave Sitek, guides these songs from a production standpoint, and there's a meticulous attention to detail, cohesion, and driving consistency that Wolfe's previous longform work lacked. An absolutely killer album, both anchored and buoyed by Wolfe's incredibly transportive vocals, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out To She is probably the best thing I've heard from 2024, as my number one choice below is, while quite good, a more subjective pick.
1. Drug Church -- Prude
The artwork is dumb. There's a stupid song about the frontman's cousin kidnapping himself to try to get money for drugs halfway through, but I guess even that song has a deeper meaning about how you're a hostage to yourself. At some point in 2022, Spotify made a rare brilliant suggestion that I listen to the band Drug Church. I immediately found that the vocalist's everyman lyrical sensibility and conversational style was something I could easily connect with. Drug Church play a brand of slightly punk-tinged rock music. Both their music and lyrics exude a distinctly middle American, man on the street, line cook wisdom that's hard to define. Prude refines that sound down to its absolute essentials, ten songs that clock in at just under 30 sublime minutes. I listened to Prude more than I did any other album in 2024. I connected to it more than any other album in 2024. It's probably not as artistically excellent as Chelsea Wolfe's incredible She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She, but my Spotify stats do not lie. I listened to Prude so much, its songs are essentially my top ten for the year. I love this oddly named band. I love this album.
Goodbye, 2024.
Hopefully, I enjoy more music in 2025. If not, at least there are still a few
bands out there making music I genuinely enjoy and connect with. Now here's
the song from 2024 I listened to the most. Have a great weekend.
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