The 100 Best Recordings of 2024 (Part 2 of 2)

All genres, all styles, all geographies

Over the last year, I’ve devoted hours each day to my obsessive search for outstanding new music. The list below is the result of this ongoing commitment to deep listening.

This is always my biggest project of the year. During the last decade, I’ve listened to more than ten thousand new releases.

Does that sound crazy? Maybe it is.

But this daily immersion into new music lies at the core of my vocation—which is to promote creativity and vitality in the face of the institutional stagnation that’s so damaging to the music business right now (as to so many sectors of the culture).

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This project is inevitably filled with equal doses of excitement and disappointment. But, once again in 2024, I came away from it with tremendous optimism about the state of contemporary music.

Even if record labels and streaming platforms falter, the musicians won’t let us down.

I found so many creative recordings along the way—many in hidden and unexpected places—and I’ve been looking forward to sharing this body of work with you.

This is the second (and final) installment of the my top 100 recordings of 2024—all genres, all styles, all geographies. (For part one of this survey, click here.)

I’ve included a link to audio or video for each album. I encourage you to ramble and sample.

Happy listening!

P.S. My best-of-year lists for previous years (going back to 2011) are available to premium subscribers in The Vault, which also includes more than 400 essays from my archive.

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The 100 Best Recordings of 2024 (Part 2 of 2)

In alphabetical order.

Slobodan Mandić
U Prozoru
Dark Acoustic Guitar Blues instrumentals from Serbia

Matteo Mela & Lorenzo Micheli
Scarlatti: 12 Sonatas
Scarlatti Sonatas Performed on Two Guitars

Amina Mezaache and Maracuja
Vortex
Brazilian Flute for Dancing

Mildlife
Chorus
Australian Psychedelic Funk (with a Tinge of Steely Dan)