We’re asking artists we love for their Best of 2024 lists and here’s one from Montreal duo Bibi Club (Adèle Trottier-Rivard and Nicolas Basque of Plants & Animals), whose sublime new album Feu de garde is one of this writer’s favorites from this year. Their list includes albums from Cindy Lee, Shabaka, Beak>, Moor Mother, and Unessential Oils (aka Nicolas’ Plants & Animals bandmate Warren Spicer). Check out their Top 10 and commentary below.
If you haven’t checked out Feu de garde yet, it’s melancholic and atmospheric but danceable, falling somewhere between Blonde Redhead and early New Order. You can listen to that below.
BIBI CLUB – TOP 10 ALBUMS OF 2024
És Pregunta – Tarta Relena
Minimalism at the service of complex polyphonic vocal melodies that weirdly feel familiar
Diamond Jubilee – Cindy Lee
It’s exciting, creative, inspiring, catchy, challenging at times and you need to make a little effort to have access to it which is refreshing.
Mayday – Myriam Gendron
Myriam wrote songs with a lot of depth and surrounded herself with musicians that bring their unique personality to her music. It’s comforting and dense. An intimate album, with a certain darkness balanced with hope.
>>>> – Beak>
We listened to this album for the first time on tour driving in the south of France. It worked so well with the epic landscapes surrounding us. It’s a coherent album, but it makes you feel like you’re sitting in the room with the musicians and that they are discovering the music in front of you.
Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace – Shabaka
A transcendent record, with a confident and strong vision. Lots of guests enhancing Shabaka’s unique approach to music and always evolving musical language.
Great Doubt – Astrid Sonne
A recent discovery. We always feel quite connected to artists that approach music with a direct honesty. Astrid’s compositions are strong, sensitive, no bullshit.
The Great Bailout – Moor Mother
We had the chance to see her perform with Irreversible Entanglements — a memorable, visceral and unapologetic performance. The Great Bailout feels like a necessary album now, about traumas from colonialism. It’s sometimes atmospheric, expressionist, experimental, always visceral and inviting.
Piedras 1 & 2 – Nicolas Jaar
We’ve been following Jaar’s work for quite a while now. There’s warmth to his music. It brings us deep into the earth. It’s about mourning, traumas, the truths that find their way between the cracks, between radio frequencies.
Here in the Pitch – Jessica Pratt
There is some light over this album, some hope. It feels familiar and yet inventive, calming and beautiful.
Unessential Oils – Unessential Oils
Warren is Nico’s bandmate in Plants and Animals. It’s his first solo album. It feels like him, moist music inspired by his deep love for Jorge Ben. It’s been described as jazz or Tropicalía, it’s bath music and an album about connecting with people you love.
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We caught Bibi Club’s fantastic set at M for Montreal in November, and they have a couple 2025 dates lined up: February 20 at Les Diffusions Pointe-Valaine in Otterburn Park, QC, and they’ll be in NYC for the New Colossus Festival in March.