Soundtrack for the year

This is not a "best of" list--just a tally of this year's favourites.

This is not a “best of 2024” because I’m not even trying to keep up with everything that is released, let alone attempt to rank them. But with the frequent discussion of, “does anyone even listen to albums anymore?” I feel like this is a good opportunity to say: yes. Some of us do.

Nilüfer Yanya - My Method Actor

I listened to Yanya on and off before this year—primarily cycling between Stabilise and Midnight Sun, two songs that aren’t catchy but are somewhat hypnotizing. The same applies to the album: you’re not going to be hooked into repeat plays, but you might be compelled to listen again and again because there’s something there that needs to be untangled.

I’ve seen her sound described as Radiohead-ish with droning, heavy guitar drops and distorted sounds overlaid with Yanya’s mostly mumbled vocals. The titular track, Method Actor is a great encapsulation of this particular approach.

I was incredibly fortunate to be able to see her live on this tour, and it was the type of show that put the album on heavy rotation afterwards. I would definitely recommend catching her if you have the opportunity.

Lola Young - This Wasn’t Meant For You Anyway

Lola Young is earmarked for greatness. An alumna of the Brit School, just like Adele and Amy Winehouse, she has something else in common with them: she’s being managed by their former managers.

This type of backing is usually a turn-off for me, but I found the music before I knew about all that, and I really, really like it. She’ll probably get a big mainstream push at some point in the future (next year? next album?) and I’ll probably have to drop out at that point, but this album will always remain in my repeat folder.

I tend not to like the big singles that are pushed (as you’ll see below with The Beaches…) but Conceited and Messy really hit the mark. Because of my aversion for the big splash, I semi-expected the album not to deliver, but it does. It really does.

I got to see her live as well, and the crowd was very invested, so if she keeps trucking along she’ll do well.

Goldie Boutilier - The Actress EP

Boutilier’s sultry The Angel and the Saint was my first exposure to her music. It made the playlist quickly, but I didn’t expect to find the depth I did when I dug into her catalogue, and this year’s EP release.

The EP gains another layer once you’re familiar with Boutilier’s backstory and her experience in the music business, being pressured into escorting to make ends meet while shelved by her label. I’ve said before that I’m a sucker for an underdog story, but the music still needs to be good, and I think she really delivers. Completely independent and unaffiliated with labels—after her experience, who can blame her?—I’m very happy the algorithm served me up her music.

There’s a twang of country in her general oeuvre, which typically is not up my alley at all, but maybe it’s mild enough that it works for me, or maybe country is in my future…

Future Islands - People Who Aren’t There Anymore

Oh, Future Islands. A trusted band with a reliable sound and delivery. It’s not their best album by any means, yet it’s still so cohesive and flows so well that it still makes me want to dance with abandon, just as their earlier work does.

I also got to see them live for the first time this year, and they did not disappoint. If you have the chance to see Sam T. Herring’s dancing in person, you should absolutely do yourself a favour and do it. The classic Letterman performance of Seasons (Waiting on You) from 10 years ago does not do justice to how devoted he is to feeling the music and letting it take over. He’s said that he was holding back in that performance, and I can confirm that for my show, at least, that was definitely the case. The final form is a sight to behold, and it’ll have you on your feet in no time.

Louis Tomlinson - LIVE

In case you’ve somehow missed it, I fucking love live music. My writing soundtrack consists of full concert videos, because the energy just hits different from studio albums.

That said, I don’t normally love live albums. I’ve bought my fair share, but they don’t usually end up on repeat. So I was actually surprised that I loved this album so much. It’s done something I haven’t seen before, which is stitching together performances from different shows. Compiled from the two back-to-back world tours Tomlinson went on post-pandemic, somehow it flows as if it were all from the same show.

I can’t help but think it’s a wink to the fans, because I’ve seen a lot of people excited that “their show” has been immortalized in this format, and if you can get away with stitching multiple shows together, why not?

Tomlinson said upon the release of his last studio album that it was written specifically for live performances, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that he and the band really shine in this. The breathing room given for the instrumental solos exemplifies exactly why the live format is such a favourite of mine. And the bridges! I’ve recently read a few complaints about how bridges are disappearing from songs, but they are well represented here.

My one complaint would be that it’s not long enough. A standard set-list of his is 20-22 songs. If nothing else, it would’ve been great to include one of the live only songs that he regularly performs, like Copy of a Copy of a Copy. There are some tracks from both of his studio albums that I wish would’ve been on there too, just to have a record of songs that will inevitably be cycled out of future tour setlists, but alas.

The Beaches - Blame My Ex

Technically released last year, I think it’s fair to say The Beaches really blew up this year. This was in great part thanks to the lead single, Blame Brett.

That song happens to be my least favourite. It’s incredibly catchy, there’s no denying that. But it’s also flat, and seems to rely on the break-up story behind it. Free publicity, great for the gossip-mongers. It obviously works, but it’s boring in my book, and suggests little faith in the actual product.

I share that negativity because I am as surprised as anyone that I ended up loving the rest of the album so much. I wasn’t planning on listening to it, but I randomly came across more of their songs that had a bit more edge to them that made me curious. Starting with Edge of the Earth, and then Me & Me, Kismet, and then What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid, and then… well, the full album.

There’s an 80s pop sensibility with a lot of attitude. They remind me of early Sahara Hotnights, slightly less angry, but still irreverent and going all out, especially in live performances. I didn’t catch them on this tour, but I’ve seen them at a few festivals many moons ago.

Ha Vay - Baby I’m The Wolf

Ha Vay was an incredibly random YouTube discovery, and the lo-fi, camcorder quality of her music videos is part of what intrigued me. There is a charm to it, and because the music isn’t amateurish at all, it suggests an undercurrent of something darker. As the titular track says, “You think you’ve caught a lamb / But baby, I’m the wolf.” The flowery, innocent facade that is presented may very well be just a facade.

I’ve heard people say she reminds them of Kate Bush, but since I’m from the Florence Welch generation, I see more of her in Vay’s work. She also has a slight country vibe on some of her songs that normally would be off-putting, but I guess I’m warming up to that sound.

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I was a bit surprised at how little rock there was on this year’s playlist, which just means I’ll have to be more diligent in looking for it next year. And of course, I’m sure there will be plenty of albums from this year that I’ll finally catch up on, and might make next year’s favourite list.

I might come back and edit this post to include my standalone songs playlist just to have it all in one place. However, it’s still a work in progress at this point because I tend to prefer doing my yearly playlist tied to my birthday rather than the new year—I highly recommend this practice, because then you have your yearly playlists all the more personalized and tied to your actual life.