Sorry I’m a few days late on this post this year. I got sick right after I wrote the song of the year list then I was spending some time with my family for the holidays. Now I’m finally able to take some time to focus on this task, one of my absolute favorite things to do as a curator. These are the albums that captured my heart and soul in 2024. I hope you’ll consider this music for your own collections.
10) Jed and the Valentine – Awake!
-From the first time I heard Jed and the Valentine, I’ve been charmed by the sweet harmonies on every track. The easy comparison for them would be the folk duos of the early 2000s folk revival, but really they deserve to stand on their own. The layered harmonies are often more than duo, including band group vocals that absolutely invite the listener into the song. The title track “Awake!” has a lot of energy and captures the listener’s attention right at the beginning. If you only have time for a track or two, I recommend the title track “Awake!” or the song of the year nominee for us, “Mineral.” But if I’m honest, there are no “skip” tracks on this album.
9) LULLANAS – pretty lies and time machines
-If the title of this album looks familiar, it’s because the title track was one of our song of the year nominees. This is some of the most beautiful chill pop folk music I heard all year. The harmonies are delicate. The lyrics are inviting and relatable. This type of music might be more for fans of The Harmaleighs rather than the grittier folk we sometimes feature (like David Ramirez). Nevertheless, the colorful chords and accessible lyrics make it the kind of music that can have broad appeal. If you only have time for one or two, I’d recommend “pretty lies and time machines” or “out of breath.” This is a wonderful pop folk album that I hope gets some much deserved attention.
8) Jonah Kagen – Black Dress EP
-Every year an artist comes out of seemingly nowhere (to me, at least) and absolutely wrecks my world. Jonah Kagen was that person for me this year, writing with incisive wit and some scathing lyrical elements that stopped me in my tracks. Kagen reminds me of artists like Jake Etheridge and Noah Gundersen who have this ability to speak to deep emotional moments with this raw, expressive folk energy. The track “God Needs the Devil” is a theologically complicated reflection on the need for opposition to define direction; it’s sort of a romantic song, but it’s also scathing and fascinating. I appreciate the color balance between different tracks with “Don’t You Give Up on Me” with brighter chords, yet it’s nevertheless an emotionally wrought piece of writing. “Matches” is a song of the year nominee for us, so it’s probably the class of an incredible album. There are no skip tracks here; this is an album about coming of age, self definition, and barely holding on. It’s gripping.
7) Vulfmon – Dot
-Okay, now for something totally different. Fans of pop funk music are going to absolutely love this album. This is also a unique album choice for this top list because I didn’t find it in our usual submission process; I found this due to a few recommendations on YouTube that absolutely won my heart over. The opener “Got To Be Mine” is a delightfully infectious song that keeps me coming back over and over. It’ll make even the most stoic music writer dance in his chair (allegedly). It’s also worth noting that Vulfmon has collaborators on literally every track of this album, so each track takes on a truly unique character. I love the variety of styles and sounds represented here, all with a unique soulful energy to them. If you only have time for a few tracks, definitely “Got To Be Mine” is the must listen track. If you have a few more minutes, I’d encourage you to check out “Tokyo Night” and “Too Hot in LA.” It’s the most eclectic album on this list and I hope you’ll give it a shot.
6) Sierra Ferrell – Trail of Flowers
-I imagine this album is probably on all the country and Americana lists this year. Sierra Ferrell is very clearly the “next one” when it comes to the emerging new country artists. There’s a soft, gentle charm to Ferrell’s songwriting that juxtaposes her sometimes gritty lyrical content. In other words, Ferrell writes with beautiful melodies while writing about some of the rough aspects of life in the 21st century. It’s not an overstatement to say that she’s carrying a torch once lit by Kitty Wells, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton. Ferrell’s evocative vocal is the core of every track on the album and the classic country instrumentation conveys that message with depth and conviction. This is a tricky album to pick the one or two must-listen tracks because they are all so good and related. “Dollar Bill Bar” is great for the classic mid-century country sound and clever songwriting. “Fox Hunt” conveys Old World and certainly deep Appalachian ancestral music with a haunting and meaningful sound; how could I ever pick one of the other? The heartfelt “Wish You Well” has some of Ferrell’s best vocal work on the album. I just can’t pick, y’all. Listen to the whole dang thing, please.
5) Lawrence – Acoustic-ish: An Album-ish
-I’ll be honest; Lawrence came on fast and hot for me this year. There are a lot of folks who already have been following this NYC-based pop funk sibling band, but they really emerged for me in 2024. The combination of Gracie Lawrence’s soaring lead vocals with Clyde Lawrence’s saucy vocal delivery on his lines, these two work together for a sound that feels like a beautiful alchemy of a half dozen genres for something that is distinctly situated for our moment in the 21st century. There’s brightness and joy, laughing and clapping, some gospel truth telling, and a bit of saucy sensuality at times. They are the sound of a full, vibrant life. Hits like “Whatcha Want” and “Guy I Used To Be” were the tracks that hooked me on YouTube, but every track on this album is worth your time. If you love vocal harmonies like I do, “The Weather” might just steal your heart. I would say it’s not just good-ish, it’s great-ish. 😉
4) The Red Clay Strays – Made By These Moments
-I would be remiss not to include these rising darlings of Americana, the Red Clay Strays. Combining a colorful elements of southern rock with gospel, these guys look and feel like they were preserved in Sun Studios in the early 60s just for us to discover them anew currently. The sounds are sometimes classic rock, sometimes rocking southern church music, and quite often bluesy goodness. Brandon Coleman’s lead vocals give that timeless sound while the instrumentation feels appropriately vintage. Fans of bands like the Allman Brothers or Creedence Clearwater Revival will enjoy this sound and be surprised that it’s from 2024 and not 1964. If you only have time for one track, “No One Else Like Me” is a personal favorite. If you’re looking for something with a bit more southern rock jump to it, you can’t go wrong with “Ramblin’.” This is an album that, frankly, I can’t believe exists and I’m incredibly glad that it does.
3) Vaultboy – everything and nothing
-I’ve been writing about vaultboy since before he was vaultboy and, honestly, I think this album is some of his best writing in his career. It’s a sound that is almost entirely pop, but it really works for me. Dealing with lyrical themes about mental health and romance, the album feels incredibly relatable for listeners. Some of the soundscapes feel like they are influenced by genres like K-pop and hip hop, using some production elements that accent the bassline and make the vocal sound really resonate. At the end of the day, though, genre be danged; I just love this sound and the way this album makes me feel. The track “everything is getting better” was a song of the year nominee for me, so I would say that’s my favorite on the album, but several tracks are really good. “Everything hits me at once” and “Take the hit” are also excellent. Honestly, this is the kind of album you should just put on, crank the volume, and vibe out. It has absolutely immaculate vibes.
2) Andrea von Kampen – Sister Moon
-If you’ve been following my writing about folk music for the past few years, you’ve seen Andrea von Kampen’s name several times. (NOTE: Last year’s album of the year list included AVK’s Cedar Street, but this album Sister Moon is the full version with some of the same songs). I love this new album from Andrea von Kampen. It carries all of her characteristic charming writing with beautiful vocals that we’ve come to appreciate, but there’s a through-line to this album that I find particularly moving. To use the word “poetic” feels like a bit of an understatement, but I do think that’s what connects these songs. They are the expression of desires, fears, appreciations, and contemplations. In a folk world that appreciates “gritty” and “raw,” it’s nice to have an album that is so delightfully polished and flowing. Because “Juniper” came out in 2023, it was actually a song of the year for me last year so obviously it’s one of the “must listen” tracks for me on this album. If you only have time for a few, I would nudge you to listen to “Mimas” and “A Fox, A Bird.” I feel like I’ve said all the things and made all the comparisons I can for von Kampen’s wonderful music. Please, just listen.
1) Lizzy McAlpine – Older
-To the surprise of absolutely no one, my album of the year is Lizzy McAlpine’s Older. I’ve known this would be my album of the year since my first or second listen of the album. It stopped me in my tracks and has defined my 2024 unlike any other album has connected with a specific year. If you read the song of the year list, you know that the title track “Older” was a top five song and “Staying” won the song of the year. McAlpine has tapped into something that I honestly struggle to put into words; it resonates with me in that deep, soulful way that only the best art truly can. There are these little twists and turns in the melodies on this album that feel so delicate and sweet. Having followed Lizzy’s work on YouTube diligently this past year, I am not at all surprised to know that artists like Joni Mitchell and ABBA are formative artists for her. These delicate melodic turns make the songs so enjoyable, but of course it’s McAlpine’s beautiful vocal work that wins the day. I cannot put into words how many hours of this album I listened to this year and I know that it will be part of my personal canon for the rest of my life.
Discover more from Ear To The Ground Music
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
