The 50 best albums of 2024
Topped with Charli xcx’s swaggering yet vulnerable Brat, here are the year’s finest LPs as decided by 26 Guardian music writers
TV on the Radio review – US indie rockers roll back the years
Celebrating the 20th anniversary reissue of their debut album, the New Yorkers remain masters of delayed gratification in a cracking set of hits past
Lauren Mayberry: Vicious Creature review – a solo statement of intent
The Chvrches singer’s debut album skips from punk to pop, wilfully unbothered about current notions of cool
Angel Olsen: Cosmic Waves Vol 1 review – intriguing half compilation, half covers
Five rising artists each perform one of their songs, then the US singer-songwriter covers another one of their tracks in a set of woebegone elegance
‘God Save the King makes me sick’: Bobby Gillespie’s honest playlist
The Primal Scream man is resolutely unromantic and really dislikes the royals, but what does he put on at a party when ‘everyone’s had a few’?
The 20 best songs of 2024
Here are the year’s most outstanding tracks – from Fontaines DC to Beyoncé via Kendrick Lamar – as voted for by 26 Guardian music writers
Ambitious and acid-powered, Olivia Tremor Control’s Will Cullen Hart was a genius of lo-fi
The US musician from the Elephant 6 collective, who has died aged 53, was adored for his LSD-spiked artistry – before an MS diagnosis and the death of his bandmate stalled a final album
Papa M: Ballads of Harry Houdini review – committed to evolution
Cult American musician David Pajo’s latest solo outing reflects his recent troubles but also his restless desire to change things up
The Innocence Mission: Midwinter Swimmers review – lo-fi soft focus on the beauty of everyday life
The married duo’s 13th album was made to evoke ‘the half-remembered singalongs of our 1970s childhoods’, and is full of rich sensory songwriting
I set up my own indie label. From Brexit’s brutality to the joy of DIY music, here’s what I learned
After becoming disenchanted by pricey but middling gigs, I rediscovered the underground and became determined to champion it. But the obstacles are considerable
James McMahon obituary
Other lives: Music journalist who was full of enthusiasm for new bands, wrote for the NME and edited Kerrang!
Elmiene, Good Neighbours and Myles Smith make up all-male Brits Rising Star shortlist
The last male artist to win the prize, which tips British acts for pop success, was Sam Fender in 2019
MJ Lenderman review – a shooting star from the American south
Showcasing new album Manning Fireworks, the North Carolina indie rising star seals his reputation as a slacker guitar hero who knows exactly what he’s doing
Michael Kiwanuka: Small Changes review – an exquisite return
Five years on from his self-titled Mercury winner, the singer-songwriter scales things down to potent effect
‘We didn’t intend to create outrage’: Huggy Bear on radical politics, riot grrrl – and causing chaos on live TV
They said they’d exist for three years, then split. And that’s what the British punks did, winning love and notoriety for their feminist, queer worldview. Thirty years on, a new book tells their story