Catching Up on 10 Album of the Year Contenders

Japanese neo-psychedelia, avant-rock from Mexico, French melodic black metal, and everything in between.

As I scramble to wrap up my 100 Best Records of 2024 list (here’s the 2023 list for reference), I’ve been on a mad dash to cram in as many albums as humanly possible — and let me tell you, I’ve uncovered 10 absolute gems that are too good not to share immediately. There’s a little something for everyone here, with genres galore. One thing I’ll guarantee: none of these are snoozers, so get ready to give your ears a seriously heady workout.