When it comes to this yearly exercise in listing musical favorites, I sometimes agonize over the order and sometimes tally them up with dead certainty about the rankings. This time, I found myself placing the albums according to gut feelings, and the procession from one to ten just looked right to me. If there’s a commonality to these favorites, it’s a sense that the creators uniformly asked more of themselves. They didn’t want to settle for what they knew they could do or what was broadly expected. They dug into themselves and found more.

1. Wednesday, Bleeds — This is a massive blast of proper rock ‘n’ roll from the North Carolina band that’s grown stronger with each release. Frontwoman Karly Hartzman remains the undeniable center of gravity for the group, but part of the thrill of Bleeds is the way it sounds like it’s been informed by the fierce give and take of a band: a set of perspectives, aligned yet divergent, cohering into one resonant statement that could only happen now and still carries the tinge of timelessness. Track by track, Wednesday proves they can stand among the greats.

2. Horsegirl, Phonetics On and On — On their sophomore full-length, the trio Horsegirl continues and strengthens their collective exploration of all the sonic contours that indie rock will allow. The songs are modest and crisply efficient, using burrowing hooks and singalong lyrics to backwards skate from one idea to the next. There’s a jubilant spirit to Phonetics On and On that makes the album feel endlessly fresh, as if the songs are being discovered as they are played even as the meticulous craft is abundantly evident.

3. Neko Case, Neon Grey Midnight Green — In a different pop ecosystem Neko Case would be justly venerated as one of the unquestioned greats. Almost thirty years into her recording career as a solo artist, Case retains the capacity to jolt with the strength of her songwriting and the insinuating power of her performances. Neon Grey Midnight Grey is filled with more instant classics, and Case, producing herself all on her own for the first time, deploys different musical textures with an ingenuity that rivals Fiona Apple.

4. Turnstile, NEVER ENOUGH — On NEVER ENOUGH, Turnstile keep their hardcore heart pumping double-time but also argue that few things are more punk than ignoring artificial boundaries. The album employs slithery synth, jazzy dapplings, and enough pop sidebars to arch eyebrows in the mosh pit. Every choice is purposeful and, it gradually becomes clear, firmly necessary. I can imagine the faithful having trouble warming to it, but the album sticks like roof tar.

5. Water from Your Eyes, It’s a Beautiful Place — I’ve rarely encountered an album that is so freely experimental and laser-focused at the same time. Comprised of Nate Amos and Rachel Brown, Water from Your Eyes make intimate music with aspirations towards vastness. That contradiction informs all of It’s a Beautiful Place, which is built with lyrics that go at big, existential ideas.

6. Wet Leg, Moisturizer — The blazing thrills of Wet Leg’s 2022 debut were always going to be difficult to replicate. On Moisturizer, their sophomore release, the band (with a notably expanded lineup) gets pricklier and craftier at once and succeed in holding on to the best of their established sound while moving forward. Each track lands like a pop hand grenade.

7. Hotline TNT, Raspberry Moon — Will Anderson added some collaborators to Hotline TNT, his previously insular music project, and came up with an album that is rewardingly full. The overall sound tours through shoegaze, power pop, and pre-grunge college rock to wind up with a modern, engaging hybrid of all those influences.

8. Julien Baker and Torres, Send a Prayer My Way — Torres asked Julien Baker if she would like to partner on a country album. Baker said she would. Send a Prayer My Way is the warm, winsome, wonderful result. The songwriting is exemplary, and the performances are infused with the right level of lovely ache.

9. Deep Sea Diver, Billboard Heart — Jessica Dobson leads her band through a rich, ravishing set of indie rock songs. The tracks soar and swoop, always capturing a familiar mood, whether of strength or dissatisfaction. Billboard Heart is dazzling and potent.

10. Lifeguard, Ripped and Torn — Sometimes all I need is a album filled with rock ‘n’ roll songs that burn hot enough to make it seem like the amplifiers should be covered with scorch marks. Ripped and Torn is that kind of album.

Previously…

—Top Ten Albums of 2011
—Top Ten Albums of 2012
—Top Ten Albums of 2013
—Top Ten Albums of 2014
—Top Ten Albums of 2015
—Top Ten Albums of 2016
—Top Ten Albums of 2017
—Top Ten Albums of 2018
—Top Ten Albums of 2019
—Top Ten Albums of 2020
—Top Ten Albums of 2021
—Top Ten Albums of 2022
—Top Ten Albums of 2023
—Top Ten Albums of 2024