Rockford, IL’s Frail Body released one of this year’s best screamo albums with Artificial Bouquet, and they also put on an intense, sensory-overload set when I saw them open the NYC stop of Pianos Become the Teeth’s Keep You 10th anniversary tour at TV Eye earlier this year. They have one more show before 2024 wraps up, opening one of the Chicago stops (12/22) of The Blood Brothers’ reunion tour.
Frail Body’s new LP ended up on fellow screamo band / Deathwish labelmates State Faults‘ 10 favorite albums of 2024, with guitarist Michael Weldon calling it “some of the fastest, heaviest, and most heartfelt music I’ve heard in a while,” and Frail Body have now made us a list of their 10 favorite albums of the year, with State Faults’ Children of the Moon coming in as their joint band pick (otherwise the three members each gave us their own picks). Their other picks include Nails, Knocked Loose, Full of Hell & Andrew Nolan, Blood Incantation, The Cure, and more, and they had interesting things to say about each one. Read on for their list.
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Frail Body’s 10 Favorite Albums of 2024
Nicholas Clemenson’s (drums) picks:
Nails – Every Bridge Burning
Nails is back with their first record since 2016, and it doesn’t disappoint. Blisteringly fast drumming along with some really thick guitar riffs made this a repeat listen for me.
Full of Hell & Andrew Nolan – Scraping the Divine
A perfect blend of industrial, noise, and grind. Full of Hell continues to experiment and push new ground with each new release. This record is full of interesting grooves and disorienting electronic elements.
Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
What can I say about this record that hasn’t already been said? It’s a quick album with zero filler. It opens up with an instant punch to the face and doesn’t let up for a half hour. It’s a modern classic for metalcore.
Lowell Shaffer’s (guitar, vocals) picks:
Dan Spencer – Return to Your Dark Master
Great production and fun songwriting combining a Nashville sound with elements of shoegaze and rock and roll. It’s a country album with a blast beat snuck in; need I say more?
Joey Valence & Brae – NO HANDS
A well-executed throwback hip-hop record that takes its base notes from old-school styles of Beastie Boys and East Coast boom bap and infuses other nostalgic genre-crossing sounds of ’00s dub and DnB.
Soft Kill – Escape Forever
Another instant classic record from our Chicago Post Punk heroes. This was a summer soundtrack record for sure.
Nic Kuczynski’s (bass) picks:
Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere
I’ve loved everything this band has done, but this record is probably my favorite so far. They took everything I enjoyed about death metal, prog, and krautrock and added a healthy dose of sci-fi influence to create a sound that is uniquely their own.
Oranssi Pazuzu – Muuntautuja
I’m not sure how to classify this record. It’s black metal, it’s psychedelic. It’s bass- and synth-heavy. Basically, everything I love about music wrapped into one.
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
I think this record is a high point in The Cure’s 40+ year career. It’s a beautiful thing to see a band this far into their discography still releasing interesting art. Robert Smith’s passionate vocal delivery, along with the dreamy synth and crushing bass tones, made this my favorite record of the year.
Our band pick:
State Faults – Children of the Moon
Children of the Moon is State Faults doing what they do best. This record has some of our favorite guitar shredding in modern post-hardcore, along with some absolutely killer vocals. It’s melodic, emotional, and harsh all at once.