2024 Q2 Review and Analysis
Half the numbers are in!
We’ve finally caught up with all of the reviews through the end of June, so 2024 is, more or less, half over. Of course, that does not include any albums by smaller artists which have eluded my notice; generally, I end up finding a few albums in my review toward the end of the year which, technically, should be counted amongst the Q1 & Q2 releases. But, for the sake of efficiency (and my sanity), those will have to wait.
Volume
To date, I’ve scored 56 albums this year, through the end of June. Historically, looking at the last three years (small sample size, but still), the reviews through the end of June have been between about 35-45% of the year-end total. This is due to a few factors:
It’s harder to be aware of smaller releases when they happen, so many of those aren’t found until I do my year-end checks and masterlist update in November
There are often other releases that release in the first half of the year that I don’t learn about until later
September and October are usually STACKED with releases, sometimes 5-6 on my radar each week (though this balances out a bit since literally nothing releases in December most years)
2024 is, thus far, on pace to fall somewhere between my 2022 and 2023 totals (138 and 162 albums, respectively).
Quality
I approach all music with the mentality that it’s likely to be good, which is noted in my scoring system with the Green bucket and a score range of 6.5-8/10. I actively try to convince myself that anything better isn’t really that good, or anything worse just needs more consideration, which helps to maintain a solid Bell Curve; so when I rate an album toward either extreme, it’s because the album managed to overrule my attempt at self-moderation.
And there have been a lot of albums which have succeeded at that this year.
We’re already up to three Purple (9.5-10) albums, which equals 2023’s total in that tier, with one more sitting in Lavender as a solid possibility. This time last year, there was only one — Sleep Token’s Take Me Back to Eden, which ended up going on to be my AOTY. Going by percentages, the current numbers look like this:
These fall right into the expected ranges, comparatively speaking (with the notable exception of the Red bucket). Below are the year-end percentages for the last three years:
Mostly, this is just a comfort to me in knowing that I haven’t gone overboard or been too lenient in my standards this year.
In Case You Missed It…
Below, I’m including links to all of those albums which I have rated as Blue (8+) and higher. Feel free to drop your thoughts on any or all of these below.
Purple
Lavender
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
Blue
Judas Priest - Invincible Shield Kacey Musgraves - Deeper Well Caravan Palace - Gangbusters Melody Club Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department Accept - Humanoid Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement Pallbearer - Mind Burns Alive Jess Glynne - Jess Twenty One Pilots - Clancy Rhapsody of Fire - Challenge the Wind L’Imperatrice - Pulsar The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again Alcest - Les Chants de l’Aurore
Looking Forward
The forecast through the end of the year is far from set. There should be a ton of announcements throughout July and August which will flesh out the run to the end of the year. I update the Release Radar monthly, so make certain to check there regularly; note that I only include albums that I intend to review there, and there are always a literal ton of albums that I don’t include. And if you don’t see something that you’re anticipating there, I do take recommendations.
I did do a two-part Most Wanted Albums of 2024 list at the start of the year (Part 1; Part 2) with 24 artists featured, twelve in each set, hinging on how long it’s been since they dropped their last album. The image below contains the names of all the artists:
The three with darker shading are the ones being fulfilled (as of the beginning of August; I don’t check for these daily). The Kamasi Washington release already happened (a link to that one is included above, as it was rated Blue). Release dates for the other two, along with other notables, are listed below:
August 23: Simone Simons1
And Sabrina Carpenter2
August 30: Leprous
September 13: Oceans of Slumber3
September 20: Nightwish4
October 11: Opeth5
November 1: Vola6
I’m hoping for more, of course. Vienna Teng has hinted that she’s been working on an album; Run The Jewels like to release albums in Presidential Election years, and there’s an article that’s over a year old now saying that RTJ5 is practically done; Karnivool have been slowly building something up for a few years now; Brad Paisley has an album that was supposed to be out in Q1 of this year; and Spiritbox have been very active lately. More is coming. It’s just a question of what and who.
As a reminder, you can follow along with the annual playlists of new albums, including just the highest-rated albums, and the top new songs as the year progresses.
That’s all for now! I should have reviews for Windwaker, Eminem, Highly Suspect, and Ice Spice out within a week (and that will cover damn near everything on my list that came out in July).
Epica’s lead vocalist is well-loved in Symphonic Metal circles. This release is especially exciting for me because Simons has hired on Arjen Lucassen and Lori Linstruth as producers, which means the album’s vibes will lean towards Ayreon’s style.
Carpenter has finally broken out this year with the single “Espresso”, following her stint on Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. I’ve been a fan of Carpenter for a while, but she has yet to really put it all together on an album, with her last few feeling very exploratory. I’m hoping this is finally it.
Oceans of Slumber pivoted hard with their last release, and it was only bested by Taylor Swift’s Midnights and Porcupine Tree’s Closure/Continuation for 2022’s AOTY. They are, typically, best defined as a Doom Metal act with elements of Prog, Death, Sludge, and Gothic, but 2022’s Starlight and Ash saw them lean into Southern Gothic, which is a genre focused more on substance than sound, and toe the line between Metal and Rock in the neighborhood of Gothic Doom. The band’s statements on this new album indicate it should be a concept album which swings for the fences. I have very high hopes.
What is there to say about Nightwish? They’re an exceptional Symphonic act with a strong legacy, and when they release an album, it is in the conversation almost by default. Anything below a Blue is considered disappointing for them.
Opeth’s transition from a foundational Prog Death band to a more mellow, almost Prog Rock, act was definitely complete as of their last album, In Caude Venenum, which released in 2019. Even as they have mellowed with age, Opeth have remained masterfully technical, and Mikael Akerfeldt’s clean vocals are angelic. I know many fans long for the days when Opeth was frequently harsh and heavy, but I have enjoyed the transition.
Vola are a Danish Prog Metal group which I discovered in 2021, the year they released their third album, Witness, which ended up third in that year’s Top 40 (behind Soen’s Imperial and Mastodon’s Hushed and Grim. There’s a wild inventiveness to their sound, and I’m really excited to see what they’ve come up with for their new album.