Some year-end lists started trickling out in November, but now December is here and we’re in for a flood of major lists. NPR put up their list of the 50 Best Albums of 2024, and as always, it has one of the widest ranges of all the major music publications’ lists. As they mention in the intro, only one already-established A-list pop star made the list, but plenty of the “wildly inventive newcomers arriving out of nowhere, underground favorites reaching new heights and elders making vital statements” did. It has two pop stars who will probably soon be considered established A-listers (Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter), familiar faces in indie (Waxahatchee, MJ Lenderman, Jessica Pratt, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Kim Gordon, Nilüfer Yanya, Beth Gibbons) and hip hop (Tyler the Creator, Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Doechii, JPEGMAFIA, GloRilla, BigXthaPlug), as well as reggaeton, jazz, Afrobeats, modern classical, alt-country, progressive death metal, and much more.
NPR didn’t rank the list (it’s in chronological order) but they did crown a top 13. See their full list below (with the top 13 noted by asterisks) and read commentary on each pick at NPR.
NPR’s 50 Best Albums of 2024
Kali Uchis – ORQUÍDEAS
Vijay Iyer, Linda May Han Oh, Tyshawn Sorey – Compassion
Mk.gee – Two Star & The Dream Police*
Madi Diaz – Weird Faith
Hurray For The Riff Raff – The Past Is Still Alive*
ScHoolboy Q – Blue Lips
Experiential Orchestra – American Counterpoints
Kim Gordon – The Collective
Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood*
Tyla – Tyla
Rosie Tucker – UTOPIA NOW!
Amaia Miranda – Mientras vivas brillas
Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
Fabiana Palladino – Fabiana Palladino
Maya Beiser – Maya Beiser x Terry Riley: In C
Ekko Astral – pink balloons
claire rousay – sentiment
Luiza Brina – Prece
Jessica Pratt – Here in the Pitch*
Beth Gibbons – Lives Outgrown*
Angelica Garcia – Gemelo*
Kaytranada – TIMELESS
Charli xcx – brat*
Tems – Born in the Wild
Gabriela Ortiz – Revolución Diamantina*
Rema – HEIS*
Cassandra Jenkins – My Light, My Destroyer
Remi Wolf – Big Ideas
JPEGMAFIA – I Lay Down My Life For You*
Meshell Ndegeocello – No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin
Rae Khalil – CRYBABY
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – Woodland
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
Doechii – Alligator Bites Never Heal*
Emily D’Angelo – Freezing
Patricia Brennan Septet – Breaking Stretch
Nala Sinephro – Endlessness
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
Nilüfer Yanya – My Method Actor
Mustafa – Dunya
Yasmin Williams – Acadia
Blood Incantation – Absolute Elsewhere
Immanuel Wilkins – Blues Blood*
BigXthaPlug – Take Care
GloRilla – GLORIOUS
Roy Hargrove’s Crisol – Grande-Terre
Latin Mafia – Todos los días todo el día
Tyler, The Creator – CHROMAKOPIA*
The Cure – Songs of a Lost World
Kendrick Lamar – GNX