Hi and hello, everyone. Anthony Fantano here, the internet's busiest music nerd. What's going on? What's the idea here, Anthony? Why are you doing a video? What's happening? Please tell me. I don't know. I mean, well, you should know you clicked on the darn thing, didn't you?

W're at about the halfway point of 2024, which means we are another six months closer to the total and utter destruction of the world, something I'm sure a lot of you out there are very excited for. But that's not the only thing it means. It also means that I get to talk about my favorite albums of the year so far.

Basically, list out the records that up until this point have really been sticking with me, not mentioning every album I have mentioned in a positive fashion thus far this year, what I have done is I've whittled it down to 15 picks. So in no particular order saying that explicitly, these are my 15 favorite albums of 2024 so far.

Yes, it will be likely that you will see some of these albums riding high on my year-end list for this year, especially this new one over here from Cindy Lee, the current main musical persona of singer, songwriter, producer, Vancouver native, Patrick Flegal, who on this very lengthy double album has delivered to us this really hypnagogic, nostalgic portrayal, lofi portrayal of a bunch of old-school garage rock, psychedelic and sunshine pop, girl group type stuff as well.

The songs are very raw, they're very messy, they're very rough around the edges, but still incredibly catchy and captivating. And many of them sound as if they're coming from a dream state or like there are some fuzzy memory, something along those lines. It is a very hooky and evocative and surreal experience. Again, that is Cindy Lee's Diamond Jubilee. Excellent record, in my opinion.

Moving on next in the list, that would be none other than Kim Gordon with The Collective. Songwriter, bassist of Sonic Youth fame, Kim Gordon has come through with another solo release, and The Collective is a unique, daring, and thrilling record, especially for somebody who is as much of a veteran to the underground music scene as Kim is.

I mean, a lot of people of her generation have more or less stuck to their guns over the years or are feeding into the expectations set by their classic material over the years. But Kim, not her, she's doing a lot of experimental, harsh noise pieces, spoken word pieces, semi-rap songs as well that are quite trap-influenced on this new record, The Collective. This album is incredibly dense, incredibly heavy, not just sonically, but emotionally at points as well, which is why toward the end of the year, I'm going to have no problem for them, remembering this record and the impact it had on me, which I could also say is the case for this debut Last Dinner Party album.

This UK art pop and art rock band, in my opinion, has really killed it with this whimsical, beautiful, catchy, somewhat bubbly, and highly theatrical and dramatic set of songs on this new album over here. Tracks that are super well written, passionately performed, very well-produced and arranged, too. The lyrics are quite sticky as well. There are a few debuts that have come across as strong as the last dinner parties over here for me in 2024, that's for sure.

Moving on next along the list, not a debut, a record from an artist who is quite seasoned and pretty much a heavyweight on the goth scene at this point. That would be Chelsea Wolfe. She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She is the name of the album. And look, before, Chelsea has made made works along the course of her discography, some of which are a bit more spacy, folky, subtle, nuanced, others are heavier, more metal influence, maybe even a slight a bit industrial. This is more along that side of the spectrum. This is definitely Chelsea's most industrial-leaning record yet so far, I would say, borrowing not only nods from nine-inch nails here and there, but also some notes of, I would say to a degree, Portishead, too, because there are some bits of trip hop crossover here and there.

Droney, beat-centric and vivid listen with beckoning vocals that are quite haunting. Just thick, thick, thick, thick, thick walls of sound that can be harsh. Overall, it's a very immense album. I would argue the most immense record so far that Chelsea has delivered to us, which is why it's a high point for me in her catalog and for sure this year as well.

Moving on from there, also enjoying this new one from Quadeca, Scrapeyard. Singer, rapper, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, Ben Lasky, who is a bit off cycle on this new project over here as a post the release of his last proper full length record, which was quite conceptual. He's been dropping some loose singles here and there, some B-sides, and some extras, which among his fans have been pretty well received. So he's pretty much decided to expand that that whole release concept onto a full album-length project where, yeah, he's giving us some tracks that are a little rough around the edges, maybe wouldn't have fit onto either his previous record or maybe a future album that is seeking to be as narrative or conceptual. So a lot of the tunes on this thing are very focused and individual and atomized a bit.

So a bit of an easier listen in a way than his last record, even the one before that, too, which had its moments that were trying to be really epic. I know I'm almost pitching this record as being less ambitious than Ben's other works, but I actually do have a lot of love and praise for this project because I think the album features a really well-executed and wholly unique blend of elements of emo and singer-songwriter music and bedroom pop and hip hop.

The song structures are super solid. The vocal performances are great and very emotionally captivating. And not to mention that I feel like Ben is really growing as a producer and making better use of things like alternate mix techniques and texture. And if this is how his music comes out when he's futtling about a little bit and not overthinking the big picture of things, I'm pretty excited to hear how things are going to come out when he decides to really try to go above and beyond once again. But yes, Quadeca Scrapeyard. Excellent record, in my opinion.

Moving on from there. Loving also the new MGMT album, Loss of Life. It's a very moody, melancholic public record, that is for sure. But that doesn't mean it's not one of the best records the boys have made to date, as I think a lot of the very sad and abstract commentary on the current day state of the world throughout this LP is quite moving and compelling. But you also do get some weird and slightly tongue-and-cheek moments as well, like "Bubblegum Dog". And it's refreshing, too, to hear the duo embracing some different stylistic and musical modes, for example, on "Dancing in Babylon", where they almost a bit of an adult, contemporary duet power rock ballad type thing, and it goes over incredibly.

So yeah, there's a lot of new ground, esthetically and emotionally, being broken for MGMT on this album. And while there are pockets of it that I wish were maybe developed a bit further or expanded upon, it's still a great album all around, and certainly one that I found myself going back to repeatedly throughout the year so far.

I'm also enjoying quite a bit this new Moor Mother record, The Great Bailout, which is part abstract experimental music and drone piece, part history lesson, as the various songs on this record try to retell the story of Britain's elimination, as it were, the slave trade, which historically in modern times typically is portrayed as this very thoughtful, moral, benevolent move, when in actuality, when you look at the way it was implemented, it was essentially a bailout to slaveholders who were seen as being robbed of property as a result of this significant legal change.

So of course, they were made whole. Meanwhile, those individuals who had been enslaved, whose ancestors had been enslaved for years and years and years and years, they were essentially left with nothing but the short end of the stick. And yes, Moor Mother goes over exactly that injustice in a way that is heavy impact and quite harrowing at points, which is why I do not hesitate at all to recommend this incredible record to you as well.

Moving further down the list, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter. Yes Beyoncé went country. She killed it. There's not a whole lot more to say. There are some moments where I think she's trying maybe a bit too much to overcome the misconceptions of haters who think doesn't deserve and doesn't have the right to be making country music, which, of course, is obviously ridiculous on its face and unfair and probably is coming from a root of racism. But try to ignore and delete as much of that noise from your mind as you can, and just simply enjoy the fact that there are a lot of really great, quality, passionate, and incredibly produced country songs and ballads on this album, as well as fun and unlikely tracks that have some weird quirky features and funny little country fusions that bring in elements of pop music and dance music and even hip hop.

And yet somehow it all still works without sounding like a complete mess. So yes, Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter, incredibly commendable record over here, and a very good second installment in this trilogy she is currently in the midst of.

Also enjoying this new album from death metal outfit, Civerous, Maze Envy. If you're looking for something that is incredibly dense, heavy, thick, low-ended, and doomy, you are going to want to give this thing a spin. But that is not all. You're not only getting that thickness and some great killer riffs across this record, but Civerous is also quite versatile in the sonic palettes on this album and bring forward a lot of harmonious and beautiful music passages that contrast with the death metal bits very well, especially with some of the string work toward the end. And when you dive into the lyrics, too, there really is a whole narrative concept going on about a maize and maize envy. I mean, ultimately, it's all really like symbolic, but still, this record really does appeal and function on multiple layers, which I'm really still peeling back each time I listen to it. But incredible, entertaining, very intriguing metal album that is most definitely worth your time.

Let's keep going, getting toward the tail end here. Vampire Weekend, Only God Was Above Us. The boys are back, and sounding incredible with, I think, what is their best batch of songs and most consistent batch of songs yet. Maybe it's not quite as hooky as Modern Vampires, but I think the song writing is still great. The production has gotten back to a place where we had this cool, quirky, mixed fidelity, mixed genre, collection of sounds. It's almost collagey in some respects.

But yes, very fun, very interesting album from Vampy Weeks. I have been enjoying this one a lot, too.

Also digging the new Knocked Loose album. God, the riffs. God, the density. God, the everything on this album. The blasphemy as well. I mean, for anything that is hardcore or metalcore adjacent, this has taken the cake for me. This record is truly a banger. This album is just firing on all cylinders, and it's grabbing a bunch of other cylinders and having those cylinders cylinned while the other cylinders are cylinding at the same time. I'm sorry, I know that makes no sense, but that's just how special this album is. It just crushes my brain so bad that after I'm done listening to it, my head turns to gobbledygook.

Also enjoying the new Beth Gibbons album, Lives Outgrown. Portishead's leading lady is back with a solo LP, one that has been in the works for a while now, and it's an incredible one. The vibes and the emotions and the sadness of this record is profound, really cuts deep. Beth's vocals are incredible and dynamic, and the arranged instrumentation that builds up behind her on most of the tracks to this thing are just immense and just compliments her lyricism and compliments her songwriting very well. It's a stunning album. It's an enchanting album. Don't put this one on unless you're ready to get in your feels.

Moving on to the new Vince Staples album, Dark Times, another favorite for me this year. I would say this is one of Vince's catchiest works to date. I would say it's one of his most philosophically profound works to date, as well as I feel like he does try to dig a bit deeper than some of the commentary around inequity and bigotry, and obviously, how lopsided socially America and American culture tends to be. But now I feel like he's really trying to extend that into discussions around philosophy and bettering yourself and so on and so forth.

Toxic cycles of violence and jealousy and destruction, which he does over a really creative and consistent round of instrumentals. A few danceable tracks, too, and just one killer hook after the next, with a lot of very great but subtle rapping, quality flows as well. Then, yeah, at this point, I feel like this is truly one of Vince's best records to date, if not his best record.

Moving on from there, a couple more. Brat, Charlie XCX. Brat!! Yeah, I mean, what else do you want me to say? It's a 10. I gave it a 10. It's an amazing record, amazing pop record. It's just pretty much everything that has made Charlie's music incredible up until this point, but instead this time diving a lot more into feelings of emotional anguish, a lot of introspective thought, and really bringing it back to the glory days of club-centric pop music from the 2000s, and doing it in a way that's just well-executed, mature, endlessly catchy and replayable, and I just could not seem to get enough.

We have one more over here, and that would be this new Joanna Wong record, Hotel La Rut. Singer, songwriter, arranger, multi-instrumentalist, Joanna Wong has absolutely killed it on this smash of a record that for me personally, has been a really good intro to her catalog and her music, generally.

If you're looking for something that is very quirky and versatile all over the place, sonically, instrumentally, and topically, this is a very fun and entertaining record as each song focuses on a different persona, a different narrative, a different vignette, another perspective. Meanwhile, the instrumentals behind these tracks are just as all over the place. You have bits of weird jazz fusion. You have country tracks, you have ska tracks, you have indie rock tracks, you have vocal jazz, and sometimes genre fusions that are just beyond description.

The tunes are entertaining, the writing is chock-full of personality, and each track feels like A weird, fun little episode in an ongoing series of sorts. Very unique record, very special record.

And yeah, those are my 15 favorite albums of 2024 so far. Hopefully you got some good recommendations out of this video. I appreciate you watching. Remember, reviews for all of those records will be linked down below, so you could check them out for yourselves, anything that you may have missed at some point in the year.

And yeah, you guys are the best. Again, thank you for coming through, commenting, subscribing, and all that. Over here next to my head is another video you can check out. Hit that up or the link to subscribe to the channel. Anthony Fantano, Favorite albums, 2024 of Forever.