Best Of 2024: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Giving my biggest category its due with over 100 releases covered, including 60+ new reviews. What a year 2024 was!
Many is the time I questioned my sanity as I pursued this massive roundup of the best “Rock, Folk, Etc.” releases from 2024, a year rapidly receding into the rearview. But that’s precisely why I persisted. If for no one else but myself, I wanted to give these singles, EPs, and LPs their due so I could at least look back in ten years and say these albums were important to me. Maybe you’ll nod your head in agreement. Or maybe you’ll be introduced to something you missed from last year and love it. Then, my work will truly be done! And, yes, it is too goddamned long for email, so please click through to read the whole post!
Listen along here or below as you read.
A Song For Friday
Olivia Chaney - Circus Of Desire “The results are stunning, foregrounding Chaney’s exquisite voice against a backdrop of resonant finger-picked guitar.”
Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt “will surely introduce this protean artist to a bigger audience, a well-deserved reward for taking steps in a new direction.”
Laney Jones - Stay At Home “…most of the meaning of the song comes from how GOOD it makes me feel while it’s playing, which is a core truth about a lot of rock & roll.
Tyler Meacham - dream house “With the simplicity and solidity of a hymn (or an Iron & Wine classic), Meacham attempts to parse grief through the lens of real estate…” Later included on the sad girl summer EP, dream house found itself in good company with four more songs by an artist coming into her own at a rapid clip.
Golden Drag - Twin Paradise “…a commanding art-rock statement, with noise, melody, and pulsating rhythms deployed with variety and style.”
John Cale - Shark-Shark “With a clattering beat, grinding guitars, and a hypnotic, chanted vocal, Shark-Shark feels like a serrated blast against anything that might prevent you from engaging with life.” Note: The whole album, Poptical Illusion, is as good as this song promised it would be.
This Is Lorelei - A Box For Buddy, A Box For Star “…shows off some different, often warmer sides of his music-making…”
Wilco - Hot Sun, Cool Shroud “…gnarly rockers that combine the band’s more straightforward side and their more outré tendencies with organic ease…”
Wishy - Triple Seven “…the sound is shiny and crunchy, and the songs are instantly satisfying but also distinctive…”
Fake Fruit - Mucho Mistrust “A huge key to their sound is how D’Amato and Post craft their guitar sounds, exploring differing shades of nervous tension and primal power.”
Bon Iver- Speyside “Joined on the track by longtime collaborator Rob Moose, who adds viola, Speyside is one of the most direct and vulnerable songs Bon Iver has ever released.” The rest of the SABLE, EP was equally glorious, and we learned in 2025 what that mysterious comma was for when it was issued with a new album as SABLE, fABLE.
Flying Needle - Bronze Age “The songs are postcards from realms of queer love, politicized aggression towards LGBTQ+ people, late capitalism, the halls of memory, including the day of Griffith’s birth, as recounted by a recording of his father, and more existential places.” The well was far from dry, too, as evidenced by the Animal EP released later in the year.
Elana Low - Datura Moon “The glitchy vocals are a perfect complement to the soundscape - and the season.”
Caroline Says - The Lucky One “Her finger-picked guitar is more exquisite than ever and her production choices are incredibly assured, with layered backing vocals, touches of percussion, keyboards, electronics, and other instruments decorating these autumnal songs.”
John Luther Adams
Porridge Radio - Clouds In The Sky They Will Always Be There For Me “…the London-based post-punk band returns to the passion and assurance of their brilliant second album…”
Nap Eyes - The Neon Gate “…their richest album yet.”
Soccer Mommy - Evergreen “Evergreen is still dealing with grief and loss, but shafts of sunlight are present in every song, with the melodies carrying an infectious optimism.”
Amyl & The Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness “…this Aussie scuzz-rock band will rock your world. Unironically.”
Christopher Trapani
Thus Love - All Pleasure “A sleek and sensual second album from the Brattleboro, VT post-punk band.”
Night Court - $hit Machine “A blast and a half as the Vancouver-based…band burns through 17 songs in 26 minutes.”
Raoul Vignal - Shadow Bands “…once again showcasing Vignal’s autumnal songwriting, luminous acoustic playing, Lucien Chatin’s sensitive drumming, and other perfectly chosen accompaniments, from French horn and strings to pedal steel and bells.”
Alice Phoebe Lou - Better “Charming and melancholy, another piece of perfect pop…”
Historian - Mirrored World “Chris Karman’s art-chamber-pop project only grows more captivating, adding an epic sweep to this latest album.”
Chimers - Through Today A series of short, sharp shocks - eight songs in 25 minutes - from Australia.
Cavalier & Child Actor
Adelyn Strei - Original Spring “Her clarinet playing shines along with her vocals as she creates a new form of chamber music before your ears.”
PFFU - Ghostass “…playful synth-pop and shoegaze…”
Father John Misty
Warhaus - Karaoke Moon “…a fourth album of witty rock’n’cabaret which finds him more comfortable in his own skin…”
Various Artists - TRAИƧA “This sprawling collection from the Red Hot Org…comes from the heart, and each listener will find themselves in here somewhere.”
Boogarins
Kill Symbols - Gonzo Activism “…supremely smart synth pop with the dark edge of Manchester circa 1980.” Note: See also Brief Encounters With Blue Dahlias
Xzavier Stone - Rainfall “…creates a sleek space for dreaming while you move or moving while you dream.”
Vines - come thou fount of every blessing “Yet another wondrous track of ambient song-smithing from Cassie Wieland.”
Hamilton Leithauser - This Side Of The Island “The rolling drums, splashy cymbals, arpeggiated guitar, and organ give the song the appropriate sense of occasion.”
Kassie Krut - s/t “Some of Palm’s sparkle has been exchanged for heavy distortion, but behind it all is that distinctive melodic sense…”
Angel Olsen - Cosmic Waves, Vol. 1 “…it’s almost unfair how jaw-droppingly beautiful the five tracks Olsen sings are.”
Cameron Winter - Heavy Metal “…fans of his main project, Geese, will lap up these ten tracks, which reveal Winter to be even more eccentric than the highways and byways of that wonderful band would suggest.”
Andy Jenkins - Leaving Before “…a new song from this wise and witty master of melody is something to cheer about.”
TV Girl & George Clanton - Fauxllenium “…nonstop party of a collab with Clanton…”
Julia Jacklin Feat. Faye Webster - Good Guy “Having the two of them on a song together is the coming true of a dream I didn’t even know I had.”
Nation Of Language - Auld Lang Sine Wave “The vibe is more Raymond Scott than Scottish folk…”
Best Of 2024 (So Far)
Crumb - Amama "There’s nothing better than hearing a band you’ve loved for a long time reach its full potential, which is exactly what we have here.”
Record Roundup: 2024 Rock, Folk, Etc. In Focus
Guitar-Focused
Finnogun’s Wake - Stay Young “A blistering blast of pure Aussie rock celebration…”
Levitation Room - Strange Weather “This fifth album finds the East LA psych-rockers dreamier on the dreamy songs and more intense on the intense songs.”
Starcleaner Reunion - Café Life “…sounds so assured on this second EP that you would be forgiven for thinking they were much further along in their career.”
Mary Timony - Untame The Tiger “There’s also an elegance to the proceedings, with crystal-clear production, rich string arrangements, and the crisp propulsion of Brit-folk legend Dave Mattacks on drums.”
Robber Robber - Wild Guess They “…satisfy all needs for jabbing guitars, over-driven vocals, and inexorable rhythms.”
Winged Wheel - Big Hotel “All the guitar firepower is well deployed, not only for volume but also for starward layers sometimes reminiscent of the Velvets live in 1969.”
Singing And Songwriting
Jackie West - Close To The Mystery “The songs and settings fit the voice like a glove, locating her in a timeless musical space where Julie London and Julee Cruise would be equally welcome.”
Annie Williams - Visitor “…well-crafted and emotionally connected songs...”
Anika Pyle - Four Corners “…these four songs are more outgoing, with Arizona especially sounding like an instant classic.”
Laika Songs - Slowly Spiraling Toward The Light “The first thing that impressed me was the sound, a richly layered indie rock that can be gently enveloping or energetic as the songs demand.”
Tara Jane O’Neil - The Cool Cloud Of Okayness “Often meditative and hypnotic, the effect is one of delicate strength.”
Camp Saint Helene - Of Earth And Its Timely Delights “It was something to witness this band at Baby’s All Right, even if a woodland clearing by the light of the full moon may be a more natural setting for them.”
Minor Moon - The Light-Up Waltz “Rather than the angular post-punk of so many Chicago bands, Cantor leans towards a gentle Americana with brief flashes of fireworks…”
Reichenbach Falls - Wayfarer Beware “…this collection of novelistic, windswept folk-rock based on the songs of Abe Davies feels intimate enough that all space between its sentiments and the listener’s heart is erased.”
Taking Chances
Magana - Teeth “…an album of what she calls “witchy rock,” a dusky blend of folk and chamber-pop that casts a sweet spell.”
Climax Landers - Zenith No Effects “…manages to channel the DIY ethic of early Rough Trade bands while sounding completely contemporary.”
Chanel Beads - Your Day Will Come “The sound world Shane Lavery assembles here is so powerfully distinctive, with rhythms often drawn from hip-hop, spare electronics, and his high-pitched voice…”
Mope Grooves - Box Of Dark Roses “You can pick any song and just marvel at production choices that are utterly original and unexpected, but sound and feel so right.”
R.J.F. - Strange Going “…perfects a hypnotic sonic landscape, driven by his rich, exploratory bass playing, which supports all manner of synths, guitars, and moody vocals.”
New Reviews
Love’Em Live
Fleet Foxes - Live On Boston Harbor The Shore tour sailed into the Boston Calling Festival in 2022 and led to this triple-live victory lap for one of the century’s great bands. Covering songs from across their discography, plus a velvet-voiced cover of Judee Sill’s The Kiss, accompanied by horns and piano, and a breezy take on The Bee Gees’ In The Morning, the expanded band gives a spirited performance matched by the boisterous crowd. Amidst great beauty, lead Fox Robin Pecknold always makes things fun, a quality some might not associate with the band. Listen, and you will believe. And if Pecknold isn’t yet tired of singing White Winter Hymnal, neither am I tired of hearing it.
Fruit Bats - Starry Eyed In Stereo Rather than presenting a single concert from their “awe-inspiring” live shows from 2022-23, Eric D. Johnson decided to select 20 “choice cuts.” There were no dull moments either time I saw them, so that must have been a painstaking process. However we got here, this is a wonderful document of a long-running band that has only improved with age. While there are a few songs from their last two albums, the catalog is well-plumbed, and a cover of Hummer by Smashing Pumpkins has me thinking there’s something beyond 1979 to that band. Fruit Bats have been on a tear these last few years, and this is some delicious icing on the cake.
Frankie and the Witch Fingers - Live At Levitation I still need to see these monsters of punked-up psych-prog (or is that progged-out psych-punk?) in concert, so I was mighty happy to see this rip-roaring show make it into my feed. While losing none of their riff-tastic, stop-start precision, they manage to crank the energy and edge to 11. The recording is great, too, giving a clear picture of what each guitar is doing within the dense arrangements. Anyone needing a FATWF crash course needs to look no further.
Geese - Alive and in Person This mighty Brooklyn band coalesced ever further for me when I saw them live, so it’s very cool to have this eight-song romp, recorded live at Diamond Mine studios in Hempstead, Long Island. As they blaze through songs from their last album and its accompanying EP, their dynamism, commitment, and charisma come through loud and clear even without the visuals. While Geese has been quiet recently, you can catch lead singer Cameron Winter touring behind his fantastic solo album, Heavy Metal.
Hiss Golden Messenger - Sanctuary Songs: Live In Omaha, Nebraska, December 2023, and Jesus Is Bored And Other Favorites Two smoking sets from one of the great live bands of our time. Sanctuary Songs was released to benefit Hurricane Helene relief, and 50% of the proceeds from Jesus Is Bored go to help the hungry in Toronto. The set lists overlap, but MC Taylor and his band of road warriors don’t play things the same way twice, so either pick your favorite cause or get both!
Father John Misty - Live at Pappy + Harriet’s, Pioneer Town, 9/25/24 and Live at Sunset Cultural Center, Carmel-By-The Sea, 12/7/24 If you never seen Josh Tillman and band on stage, these first of these two captivating shows give an idea of what a celebration of song and style his shows can be. He always gives his all from the first word of the first song straight through to the end, and the people playing with him are the best around. David Vandervelde, who’s responsible for guitars, lap steel, and keyboards, has been with him for a while and is in spectacular form on the Pappy’s show. Some of the solos may be the work of Chris Dixie Darley, so kudos to whoever is scrawling those electric emotions across the sky. The second release captures a stripped-down benefit concert for the Big Sur Park School, with Tillman joined only by John Titterington, who contributes guitar, trumpet, and vocals. One highlight is the title track to his recently released sixth album, Mahashmashana, before which he confesses that the opening lick was borrowed not from Leonard Cohen but Keith Jarrett. Both of those legends would likely tip their hats to the broken tenderness with which he sings “Do the corpse dance with these arms.” No doubt this was a magical night for those in the room, and I’m grateful for the whiff of stardust the recording provides.
Angular Anthems
julie - my anti-aircraft friend This trio of Keyan Pourzand (vocals, guitar), Alexandria Elizabeth (vocals, bass), and Dillon Lee (drums) is that rarest of things in the 2020s: A rock band signed to a major label (Atlantic) that’s good. Even better, they’re great! I guess 30 million streams of their debut single was enough of a calling card to get the label interested. While their sound is not unfamiliar to anyone listening to “college” rock in the 80s or “alternative” rock in the 90s, it’s the sheer enthusiasm and noise with which they put over their dynamic songs that lifts them above other punk and shoegaze wannabes. Like a jazz trio, the songs seem to arise from listening deeply to each other. Watching them on a livestream from Coachella and seeing the absolute freedom they each had in the structures confirmed this. Grab the chance to see them live as tickets are nearly impossible to get.
Her New Knife - chrome is lullaby My son was one of the lucky ones to catch julie on the fall tour last year and told me about this band, which opened the show. Their name is perfect, too, as they have honed their guitar-based sound to a razor’s edge, with some interesting colors added in. They are also expert dealers in space, leaving a lot of air around the instruments. The vocals are often menacing and buried in the mix, adding to the sleekness of their sound. See also: Nightcore+++.
Chaepter - Naked Era Even for a second album, this Chicago post-punk band sounds remarkably assured, with a two-guitar blend (one dry, the other colorfully chorused) that never seems to get old. Mostly the work of one Chaepter Negro, who plays and sings mostly everything except drums (John Golden), these ten songs don’t take long to feel like old friends.
Crumbs - You’re Just Jealous Hailing from Leeds, UK, but connecting dots between the lower Manhattan grime of the Bush Tetras and the Australian punk of Amyl & The Sniffers, Crumbs effectively deploy driving bass (Stuart), slashing guitar (Jamie), and pushy drums (Gem) to foreground Ruth’s bright voice and relatable lyrics. In 12 songs over 27 minutes, including a cover of Too Many Creeps, You’re Just Jealous is a surgical strike of post-punk pleasure.
Blood - Loving You Backwards Angst may not be making Blood rich, but anyone bored and/or old will get a jolt from the hot-wired dynamism of the ten songs on this debut album. Bold and bright guitars are the focus of the sound, often employed in repetitive patterns for singer and lyricist Tim O’Brien to ruminate over, with any internal arguments often silenced by volume. With a sound like theirs, it’s no surprise that a move from Austin to Philly helped them find a focus, and likely a community.
Font - Strange Burden This brief blast of a debut from an Austin band that has been putting in work onstage and off for a couple of years proves that time was well spent. The quintet of Thom Waddill (guitar/synth/vocals), Jack Owens (drums), Anthony Laurence (guitar/synth/sampler), Logan Wagner (percussion/sampler), and Roman Parnell (bass/synth), Font have designed a post-punk variant that puts all those guitars, synths, and samplers on level ground, with Waddill’s quavering vocals goosing things along.
{@} - Are You There God, It’s Me, {@} From the Laurel Canyon sound of their debut, Mind Palace Music, the Baltimore duo of Victoria Rose and Stone Filipczak have embraced electronics and proggy song structures. As the title implies, it’s all a little wacky, but that there’s a method to their madness is not in doubt.
Rearranged Face - Far Green Arcade It’s remarkable how much detail and specificity this LA-based post-punk can cram into 11 songs over 19 minutes. The sounds, featuring thick bass, barbed guitars, and rich drums, are carefully calibrated and curated, then blended in a Vitamix with urgent, yelping vocals. What a rush!
Idles - Tangk I’m an admittedly fair-weather fan of this band from Bristol, UK. After praising the “powerful consistency” of their second album in 2018, I found diminishing returns on the next two releases. I’d given this one a cursory listen, noting a new variety to the sound, but it wasn’t until I won tickets to see them in Forest Hills, with The Walkmen opening, that I got fully on board. It didn’t hurt that lead singer Joe Talbot led us in a chant of “Viva Palestina!” and related how discovering The Walkmen at a dark time helped save his life. Now, that I can relate to! Idles also put on a show where the furious energy never ceased, coming off as nasty, brutish, and smart in all the best ways. So, if you’ve put Idles in a narrow box, check out this album, which features much I wouldn’t have expected, like the moody and elegiac Grace, or see them on stage, a realm in which they are truly undeniable.
Webb Chapel - World Cup Philly guitar bands are one of America’s great natural resources right now, and this quartet of Christian Mailoux, Josh Lesser, Rachel Gordon, and Zack Claxton is another reason why. Guitars jangle and clash, bass and drums march implacably on, and the vocals sometimes shout and sometimes soar, for a fine collection that makes excellent use of minimal elements.
2nd Grade - Scheduled Explosions Peter Gill’s irrepressible font of songs continues to shower us in glory and confirms that 2022’s Easy Listening was no fluke. The blend of his tunesmithing with Catherine Dwyer’s co-vocalizing also continues to be surefire. Uncontrollably Cool serves as a perfect advertisement for the album, especially when they sing: “You’re effervescently on/My head’s spinning faster than a gravitron/The feeling’s here, then the feeling is gone/And everybody’s addicted to a lonely sound.” My head kept spinning even when the album ended.
Folk Friendly
Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free On their third album, the trio of Eric D. Johnson, Josh Kaufman, and Anais Mitchell, feels more like a band than ever. Mitchell and Johnson trade vocals or harmonize in a seasoned fashion, and Kaufman, who also produced the album, uses his arranging and multi-instrumental skills to lend a variety of textures to the songs while following their emotional contours perfectly. A perfect example is the rousing end of Old Dutch, where ringing guitars soar alongside a harmonica, while Johnson proclaims, “I’ve got a feeling.” When I Was Younger is another highlight, with Kaufman’s incendiary solo laying waste to the song’s emotional core. While I certainly wouldn’t complain if they recorded more ancient songs, as they did on their astonishing debut. However, the fact that they can write songs like Hare and Hound that capture that essence perfectly may be even more impressive. BLH continues to be a defining element of folk rock (alongside Johnson’s Fruit Bats) in the 2020s, and my only complaint is that I have yet to see them in concert. Hopefully, that will happen soon.
Amy Helm - Silver City There’s as American as apple pie, and then there’s as American as Sun Records, the label of Elvis, Jerry Lee, and other rock’n’roll bedrock. It’s all too appropriate that it’s now Helm’s label, as she is connected to that bedrock through her father. But on this follow-up to 2021’s brilliant breakthrough, All That The Flood Leaves Behind (which hit my Top 25), she continues laying a foundation of great American music on her own. Working again with Josh Kaufman, who played on and produced the album, as well as co-wrote some of the songs, Helm digs deep into her frantic early days as a single parent and working musician, the legacy of Levon Helm, and the people and places those two themes conspired to deliver her to along the way. The music is evocative, blending gospel, country, and folk, and Helm’s voice is as rich as ever. I almost missed this gorgeous album by an American treasure. Don’t make the same mistake.
Josh Kaufman - What Do The People In Your Head Say To Each Other? For the first album under his name, this production magus, multi-instrumentalist, and member of Bonny Light Horseman gives us a series of pastoral instrumentals consolidating much of his prior work for that band and the many others he’s worked with (Hiss Golden Messenger, Amy Helm, Richard Aufrichtig, etc.). Filled with evocative chord structures, layers of guitars, keyboards, and percussion, there’s something boat masterful and self-effacing about the collection. Collaborating with a group of musicians assembled for a film-scoring session that went awry, Kaufman then edited and enhanced the tracks, arriving at something now soundtracking my own story. And yours.
Julia Beth Napolin - Only The Void Lies Between Us On her first release since 2012, Napolin has bequeathed us an extraordinary tapestry of song and sound. Bejeweled skeins of guitars, synths, and the occasional bass, flute, or violin (but never drums) create a luxuriant underpinning for her ancient melodies and hypnotic vocals. Only The Void is a rare entry into the pantheon of unique and deeply connected albums like Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks, Tim Buckley’s Starsailor, or Popol Vuh’s On The Way To A Little Way. While the album has received high praise, 72 Monthly Listeners on Spotify suggest it may not have reached you yet. Fix that fast.
Paper Jays - s/t Blending the acoustic, electric, and resonator guitars of Jesse Cohen and Justin Hubbard with the subtle shuffle of Matt Crane’s percussion, this trio taps into an elemental sound that seems to emanate from the sun-dappled clearing of an early American settlement. Spooky and obsessive, it’s almost as if they’re daring you to turn it off. You won’t.
Allegra Krieger - Art Of The Unseen Infinity Machine This gorgeous album of singing and songwriting is Krieger’s fifth full-length since 2020, but the first one I’ve fully connected with. She possesses a poet’s ear for lyrics and an art-song composer’s understanding of structure and surprise. When you combine those with folk-rock passion, a versatile voice, and intricate guitar interplay from Krieger and her longtime collaborator Jacob Matheus, you have a winning collection, rich in emotion and mystery.
Haley Heynderickx - Seed Of A Seed Following up her lovely 2018 debut, I Need To Start A Garden, Heynderickx takes her cool-water voice and finger-picked guitar into some new realms here, adding strings and brass. Ever a keen observer of nature, she fills these ten songs with arresting imagery, as when she sings in Mouth Of A Flower: “The hummingbird waits/Guarding his morsel/As he takes and he takes and he takes.”
John Calvin Abney - Shortwaving That this latest EP from one of our most dependably excellent singer-songwriters is a pure cosmic country mood piece was confirmed this year, when he released Awful Quiet, an instrumental companion reimagining all the songs with only piano and strings. Pick your pleasure.
Babehoven - Water’s Here In You Hailing from the Hudson Valley, this duo of Maya Bon and Ryan Albert offers a perfectly dreamy collection of folk rock, with gentle strumming and swaying rhythms that let Bon’s pure voice shine. They may have saved the best for last, too, as the final track, Ella’s From Somewhere Else, is a total knockout. You won’t soon forget its indelible melody and the repeated line, “You’re my brother, you’re my family, you are everything to me…” at the end of the song.
Jeffrey Silverstein - Roseway The Oregonian continues his cosmic Americana project on this latest EP, anchored by the instant open-road classic, Gassed Up. “You’re gassed up / You gotta go / You’re not lonely / You’re just alone,” Silverstein sings before pedal steel maverick Connor Gallaher takes you into the fast lane.
The Dead Tongues - Body Of Light / I Am A Cloud Ryan Gustafson’s sixth album is in two distinct halves, with the first nine songs focusing on his finely detailed guitar picking and haunted voice, and the final seven tracks an explorative and collaborative journey into near psychedelia. Your mind will be altered when those overlapping voices repeat “I am a cloud now” in the title track. Considering that I first saw Gustafson as a solo performer opening for Phil Cook, this is a marvelous consolidation of all that makes him such a special artist.
Loma - How Can I Live Without A Body If you were as captivated by Crush Me by Cross Record as I was, I hope you didn’t miss this latest from the trio of Emily Cross, Dan Duszynski, and Jonathan Meiburg (of Shearwater), which is as full of mystery and invention as 2020’s Don’t Shy Away. While the immersive production feels more organic than the electronic edge of that last album, it can still threaten to swallow you whole.
Indie Inventions
The Softies - The Bed I Made Not every unexpected thing that happened in 2024 was bad, as proven by this blissful return to active duty by the duo of Rose Melberg and Jen Sbragia, whose last album came out 24 years ago. Using nothing more than their voices and guitars, they show an unerring knack for writing breezy, bittersweet songs that could cause Alasdair MacLean of The Clientele to down his tools in awe.
Margaux - Inside The Marble This assured debut album could easily be tagged as “singer-songwriter indie rock” and may fool you at first with its humble opening songs. But when Margaux Bouchegnies reveals her ambition on Sadie Something, a sweeping track that would have Lennon and McCartney nodding along, and follows it up with the lush chamber-folk of Ships, you know you’re in the presence of a real talent. While she does have help, mostly from Sahil Ansari, who produces and contributes drums, percussion, tape loops, sequencing, and congas, Margaux can nearly do it all, playing acoustic, 12-string, and nylon string guitars, electric and upright basses, Mellotron, piano, glockenspiel, Farfisa, Wurlitzer, Moog, and percussion as each song requires. Her lyrics are plainspoken and poetic, revealing and universal. As she sings at the end of Ships, “I was an only child/I’m still on my own/Kiss me and watch me smile/There’s more you don’t know.” I’m looking forward to getting to know Margaux better.
Laika Songs - Slowly Spiraling Toward The Light There’s an almost tactile softness to the production on this expansive album, perfectly matching Evan Brock’s warm voice and comforting songs. Rather than spiraling, listening feels like slowly sinking into a favorite and forgiving chair. It will hold you.
Jennifer Castle - Camelot A dozen years after her debut, Toronto’s Castle has made the richest, most inevitable album of her career. Everything sounds locked in, from her high-flying melodies and singing to Owen Pallet’s string and sax arrangements and the Dylanesque groove of the rhythm section. A loose concept album about accepting middle age, with a wink towards the Camelot of the Early Middle Ages, Castle seems to revel in the lyrical possibilities all of that implies. That revelry comes to a head in the uptempo highlight, Full Moon In Leo, where she sings: “i solemnly swear/that forever more/i’ll remain bare naked/underneath my chores/i push my broom/in my underwear and my attitude/and nothing more.” Let the full moon return soon for Jennifer Castle.
Evelyn - Someday We Will Eat A Feast Of Light I encountered Dani Lencioni, who performs and records as Evelyn, in 2016 when she opened for Richard Aufrichtig’s band Ocean Music. Her crystalline voice and reflective songwriting immediately struck me, but until this richly produced set, all I had to remember that experience was a four-song EP from 2018 and a COVID-era single. So hearing these finely crafted songs presented so lovingly is the fulfillment of a rain check I’ve been holding for eight years. Art doesn’t operate on a schedule, but I’m happy to have this collection in my life without further delay. A feast, indeed.
Sour Widows - Revival Of A Friend Focusing on the guitar and vocal interplay of Susanna Thomson and Maia Sinaiko, this long-running Bay Area band shows the power of restraint, as they deliberately weave their way through their songs, and the power of, well, POWER, when they explode into shrieks and slashing guitars. The time Sour Widows took getting to this debut full-length has lent them a true clarity of purpose, which will reward the time you spend with them.
Ben Seretan - Allora Recorded in three days in 2019, at a stone farmhouse in Italy, this is one of the great guitar albums of the 21st century. Whether channeling fury or sorrow, Seretan’s lead lines always feel pulled directly from his soul. On top of that, you get expressive singing, intriguing songwriting, and an invitation to join Seretan’s spiritual quest, which includes rock albums like this one, collections of deliriously beautiful ambient music, and My Big Break, an essential newsletter.
Zero Point Energy - Tilted Planet The band name is a feint for this NYC duo of Genesis Edenfield and Ben Jackson, as there is phenomenal energy to the way their guitars trade propulsive chords and sparkling melodies. The vocals may take a back seat at times, but with a smashing rhythm section and those guitars, that was probably a sensible choice.
Bananagun - Why Is The Colour Of The Sky? When I reviewed this Aussie band’s I called them “pranksters” because they were having so much fun. I almost expected their ultimate prank to be disappearing. I’m glad to say that didn’t happen and that they overcame many COVID and post-pandemic difficulties to deliver more playful tunes, with their spirits slightly dampened but also deepened by life experience.
Pop Smarts
Fun Facts - Apartment Rock Any band with Ethan Woods and Matt Evans in it would automatically be a super-group. Evans, one of the best drummers alive, is also a fascinating composer and producer whose New Topographics hit my Top 25 in 2020. Woods, a singer, songwriter, composer, and improviser, can traverse the space between folk and the avant-garde with stunning facility. On this album, they’re joined by Suzie Kim (synth and vocals) and Mike Powers (bass), and the quartet has created a lapidary collision of art and pop. The sound is colorful, the melodies are unconventional but often sumptuous, and one senses they’re embracing the idea of accessibility like it’s a new thrill. And that makes for a quietly thrilling listen.
Rui Gabriel - Compassion There’s a laid-back quality to Gabriel’s vocals and the casually strummed guitar that leads many of these songs, which only makes their hooks hit harder. A perfect example is Target, which features Kate Teague, and features a layered arrangement that practically has catchy bits fighting for attention from other catchy bits. And then there’s Summertime Tiger, which rides the coattails of Brimful Of Asha to glory. Gabriel, now based in Indiana, has a story that spans from Venezuela to Nicaragua, and then to New Orleans, where he honed his craft in Lawn, which released its first angular single in 2017. The fact that they just released a tough new single in May 2025 only shows how broad Gabriel’s talents are. Whether you’re a Lawn fan or not, you need some of his Compassion in your life.
Fantasy Of A Broken Heart - Feats Of Engineering After years of off-and-on collaborations and applying their instrumental skills to backing up killer indie/art rock bands like Sloppy Jane, Water From Your Eyes, and This Is Lorelei, Al Nardo and Bailey Wollowitz have imperiled their day jobs with this burst of bright, fun, and slightly theatrical songs.
Dummy - Free Energy Mandatory Enjoyment, the 2021 debut by this L.A. band, was a delightful and “remarkably assured” surprise. I’m happy to report that this fine follow-up doubles down on their combo of synths and guitars, sleekness and noise, and danceable rhythms.
Fleur - Fille Sauvage After enjoying her debut, which updated the French Yé-Yé sound to fine effect, I missed album deux. Quel domage! But I’m back on board with this one, which adds some rougher edges and a touch of abandon. The scrappy guitars and pounding drums contrast wonderfully with her breathy voice, keeping her from falling into a rut. It will do the same for you.
Julia-Sophie - forgive too slow. Julia Sophie Heslop has already had a career many would envy, with success on major labels and tours opening for artists like Blondie and Supergrass. That was during her time in the band Little Fish 2006-2012, which was caught up in Linda Perry’s pop machinations, leading to artistic compromises. Re-emerging as a solo artist, Heslop has found her voice with a debut solo album of danceable, electronic pop that puts Anglo cool and French romanticism into a fun package that nonetheless draws on deep emotions.
fanclubwallet - Our Bodies Paint Traffic Lines Hannah Judge’s bedroom Casio-pop project, which launched with perhaps the best version ever of This Must Be The Place in 2020, is now a full band. But fans need not worry, as having Miki, Nat, and Eric on drums, bass, and guitar has done nothing to reduce the charms of her initial conception. The five songs on this EP go by with a wonderful breeziness that can lift the cares from the most world-weighted shoulders. If it doesn’t work the first time, press PLAY again. Satisfaction guaranteed!
Orion Sun - Orion I could have easily included this second album on the Hip Hop, R&B, and Reggae list, but her pop sensibility makes her an interesting addition to this realm. Juxtaposing her and Clairo, for example, reveals how much the culture of those genres has infiltrated pop music to its benefit. No matter what box you try to put Orion Sun into, her gift for melody and attraction to production techniques that both catch the ear and serve the song make her a standout artist. A perfect example is Already Gone, which already has you involved before the electric sitar enters as the chorus begins, telling its tale of lost love alongside the tack-sharp drums and Orion Sun’s rhapsodic vocals. Her last album was in 2020, but the gap was worthwhile, resulting in her best album yet.
Clairo - Charm After her dalliance with Mr. Big Pop Producer Jack Antonoff, which led to sometimes middling results, Clairo could have returned to her bedroom, where she made her earliest recordings. Instead, she made the canny and unexpected decision to collaborate with Leon Michels, known for his gritty take on funk and soul with his band the El Michels Affair and Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, among others. Clairo’s dreamy strut is perfectly matched by the grooves that Michels and Co. cooked up, lending a new dimension to her singing and songs, which are also collaborations with the band. Rather than belting it out, Clairo’s featherweight vocals fit right in and sound more true to themselves than ever. Recording live to tape with soulful specialists was exactly the right move, and the addition of Dylan Nowik from Camp Saint Helene on several songs only adds to the languid atmosphere. Charm? For days and days.
Let It Rawk
Pond - Stung! For their 10th album, these Aussie rockers have conjured up something big, bold, and undeniable. Filled with color and power, these 14 songs find them donning many guises, from IMAX-scale psych (Edge Of The World, Pt. 3) to candy-colored electro pop (Sunrise For The Lonely) and brittle funk (So Lo). Most other bands would come off as dilettantes, but the enthusiasm and expertise Pond bring to everything they touch make everything sound fresh, new, and completely their own.
A Place To Bury Strangers - Synthesizer It’s always a little odd to jump into the discography of a band that’s been around for a couple of decades, like these dark perpetrators of noise from Brooklyn. But the combination of glass-shattering guitars, buzzing electronics, and careening rhythms is tough to argue with on this seventh album. The sheer aggression on display would part the hair on Trent Reznor’s head, and he’s probably also jealous of the packaging, which includes a working circuit board for those wanting to replicate some of the sounds.
Black Ends - Psychotic Spew The Seattle trio of Nicolle Swims, Ben Swanson, and Billie Jessica Paine has made a distinctive debut here with an album that rocks with abandon while enriching its string-laden sound with oud, Baroque guitar, and the cello of Lori Goldston, who played with Nirvana. A song like Suppin’ On Strange shows off their methods with post-rock repetition, metallic riffing, and a sequence that cleverly harkens back to I Need Somebody by Iggy & The Stooges. The vocals by Swims are also unusual, an almost Bolan-esque bray that conveys a relatable astonishment at the depradations of modern life, such as in Bent, when they sing: “Can't keep up with the times/Can’t stare in my own mind's eye/Talkin’ to myself again, it's all bent/Craving propaganda/Wasted my whole mind for it/Screamin’ out the window cuz it's all bent/Bent!” I feel that. It’s just the beginning for Black Ends.
The Thing - The Thing Is As on their excellent 2023 debut, this quartet of true believers from Brooklyn play tightly wound rock & roll that finds all kinds of fresh ways to put two guitars next to each other while bass and drums set the pace behind them. All that structure is in service of songs that are fun and don’t take things too seriously, even when they get a little menacing on Neptunne, one highlight of the album. I finally got to see them live, and it was a blast. Bookmark this so you don’t miss’em.
Wine Lips - Super Mega Ultra The Elvis Presley who said, “Let’s get real, real gone for a change,” would be a big fan of this Toronto band, who have been plying their explosive trade since 2019. I was pitifully unaware of their wild majesty until I caught them at Mercury Lounge when The Thing opened. Cam Hillborn is the main architect of their sound, writing the songs, playing guitar, producing the records, and braying the lyrics in a hilarious, reverb-drenched approximation of singing. But drummer Aurora Evans and bassist Simon Larochette are key members, driving things along on the razor’s edge of controlled chaos.
Believe it or not, there’s more where this came from. Get into it with this archived playlist and make sure to keep up with what 2025 is giving us.
From the archives:
Best Of 2023: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2022: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2021: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2020: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2019: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2018: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2017: Rock, Folk, Etc.
Best Of 2016: Rock, Folk, Etc.