Favorite Albums of 2024: Proof You Don't Need the Music Industry to be Successful 2

 2024 was an incredible year, especially for music. Not only did I release my music for the first time, first single in February, first EP in June, and a second EP in October, but so many fellow independent artists released incredible music in a wide variety of sound. I'll list my top 5 albums of the year with short descriptions of each and a link to my favorite song, and then the rest of what I loved!

 Denis Pauna

 Rust in Peace Type O Negative Style

Denis Pauna is a Croatian guitarist, bassist, and vocalist that's been creating some of my favorite metal in various kinds of this decade. While also making his own originals under the name Planleft, he's most known for his covers of classic songs and albums in different styles. Though calling them covers is almost a disservice, as if it wasn't for the lyrics, listening to this you'd never be able to tell that Rust in Peace was originally a Megadeth album. He makes this album completely his own, and even exceeding beyond the Type O Negative style he wrote it in. Not being a fan of Type O Negative personally, I was amazed to hear this as not Type O Negative style, but completely Denis's own unique sound bringing doom metal, grunge, and thrash under a goth atmosphere with some of the most beautiful vocal melodies, harmonies, and even synths that remind me of 80's Rush. His version of the underrated Lucretia on the Megadeth album, is pure beauty with him harmonizing his vocals in a way I haven't heard anywhere else outside of Kevin Moore of Chroma Key/OSI. Such a beautiful album and his music continues to be a huge inspiration to me and learning how to do my own covers in different styles that transcend the idea of a cover.

Favorite song: Lucretia (funnily enough my favorite on the Megadeth album as well)

Listen to the full album here on Youtube

 

 Elyse G. Rogers

 Feel the Love

A new artist this year for me, Elyse G. Rogers is a vocalist whose been active since back in the 90's with Eurodance group MAXX. She started creating solo music in the 2010's and learning about different frequencies and the different healing powers/qualities they have. I've long known of and sometimes listened to binaural beats tuned to different frequencies, but her music is the first time I've been aware of full songs in those frequencies. I can feel and hear the differences of other frequencies, and after learning started experimenting with alternate tunings/frequencies myself (Most of my music so far has been played on a 5 string bass tuned to 444 or 432.) I first expected something more pop, but was happy to hear the wide variety of classic electronic music on this album. Her vocals are beautiful, and the music sometimes reminds me of deadmau5 or Ozric Tentacles melodies and other times out of a classic Ultramarine album. It's such an easy full album to listen to and feel so much lighter. It's so joyous, and some of my favorite electronic music of the decade so far.

Favorite track: Shine Your Light (639 HZ)

 

 Vargskelethor

Blasted Residuals

 

I've already talked about Vargskelethor and a bit of this EP in a post last year, but to continue from there, this EP is total thrash fun and proudly displays everything I love about it and Vargskelethor Joel keeps honing and expanding his sound. Technical Difficulties has my favorite melodies of his so far, reminding me of classic Anvil, Vomit in the Ball Pit is a doom-thrash stomp, but my favorite and favorite thrash song of the decade so far is the masterpiece Wrestling Stone Cold. It's like a Ludichrist/Scatterbrain song but with gargantuan crushing riffs and even goofier. When there's no record label attached, thrash metal still kicks ass.

Favorite track: Wrestling Stone Cold

 

 Ursula's Cartridges

Molten Glass Soup 5000

 

 One of my favorite, if not favorite, electronic artists of the past decade and onward is Finnish musician Ursula's Cartridges. Releasing his first album back in 2014, as the years go by Ursula's Cartridges has shifted his sound from the ambient vaporwave space to an explosion of sounds from just about every style of electronic music throughout it's history. Like Roy Lichtenstein's paintings that display an art history book's worth of styles but done in his own, Ursula's Cartridges does similar with electronic music. No matter if it's vaporwave, breakbeat, trip hop, retro video game music, funk, drum and bass, big beat, techno, ambient, or anything in-between, it's all part of his distinct sound. Molten Glass Soup 5000 goes through so many different sections in the same song, with a catchy hook to begin and then a bridge or ending breakdown of a different kind. The nu jazz bridge in Four Days Old Gas Station Sushi gets so many repeats from me, and the sped up 16-bit era video game dance of Circus Came to Sapporo into an intense display of big beats is another favorite. This whole EP is amazing, maybe my overall most listened to of the year. Despite being released on April Fools Day, it's anything but!

 

 Favorite track: Four Days Old Gas Station Sushi (Free download on his Bandcamp, but there's also a link to a cassette copy of both this and his Ice Queen's Prom album on the main EP page, which I highly recommend)

 

Evaleigh

 Lift

 Creating my favorite metal album from last year, and of the whole decade so far in Crush, vocalist/guitarist Evaleigh returns with a compilation of some new songs, as well as done for other independent creative's projects, podcasts, etc. Despite being a compilation of music of all different kinds/styles as well as intent, Lift still sounds like an album and has an amazing flow from song to song. A lot of the songs are short due to them being themes, but the switching of track to track never feels abrupt. Though I'd be lying if I said I didn't wish some weren't longer, especially the chiptune metal of Angel War Rondo. While still kicking ass at only 38 seconds, I'd love to hear more. His vocals and guitar harmonies are always beautiful, be it In Flames-esque melodic death metal, chiptune metal, power metal, or any of the other styles thrown in the mix. The chill downtempo electronic towards the end were a nice surprise, Well man and Overcast are two of my favorites on the whole compilation.

Favorite track: Either Power or Overcast

 

Other albums from this year I loved:

 Ursula's Cartridges - An Invitation to the Ice Queen's Prom

 Denis Pauna - Ride the Lightning Death Metal Style
Buckethead - Sea of the Subconscious

Havok - New Eyes

Otu - Nub From Hell 

Gene on Earth - The Velvet Edge 

Xploding Plastix - Thus EP

deadmau5 - Some EP
Buckethead - Architect of the Inner Garden
Buckethead - Sea Serpent
Buckethead - Polaris
Buckethead - Angels Awaken a Slumbering Alchemist
Buckethead - Quieting the Thoughts That Don't Serve

Almost all of these albums have been independently released, and proof that a new independent creative renaissance is here. Here's to another creatively prosperous 2025! New music and comics coming soon!

Check out my EP's from 2024, Flags & Arrowways and Tail Thyme, from any of the links Here