December is one of the best times of the year celebrating so many different holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Years, Spotify Wrapped and Apple Music Replay. If you enjoy music and stream it on Spotify or Apple Music, you most likely countdown the days each year for your yearly recap to come out.
The day that Replay and Wrapped releases it is always a chaotic day on social media. Everyone debates which streaming platform has the best wrapped, hiding the musical soundtrack that sneaked itself into your top 5 and your guilty pleasure band that you do not want to share. My top 5 albums for this year were very expected, and I am going to share them with a few stand-out songs from each album.
Starting with number 5 is Hozier’s debut album “Hozier.” Released in 2014, Irish singer-songwriter Hozier released his first studio album that resonated with music lovers worldwide. His debut single, “Take Me To Church,” ended up being the first song on the debut album becoming the most streamed song on Spotify in 2014 with 87 million streams. Although his least cohesive album, it still remains one of my favorite albums of all time. Since I heard “Take Me To Church” in 2014 I was enthralled with his sound and voice and immediately bought the album when it came out.
Tracks like “Jackie and Wilson,” “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” and “In the Woods Somewhere” brought classic rock and blues back into the mainstream. Hozier’s clever lyricism and mostly simple production make his debut a certified classic.
My favorite song off of his debut is “To Be Alone.” This song is about being in a relationship with someone that has deep-seated sexual trauma. He explains that he will support his partner no matter what and will do whatever he can to try and heal them from their scarred past.
“But I don’t know what else that I would do / Than try to kiss the skin that crawls from you / Than feel your weight in arms I’d never use / It’s the god that heroin prays to,” sings Hozier.
My 4th most listened to album is “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish. This album is a complete stroke of genius by Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell. HMHAS does exactly as the title states, hitting the listeners with classic Eilish soft vocals and then practically smashing a song hard over your head back-to-back.
My favorite song off of the record that ended up being my most streamed song this year is “WILDFLOWER.” This track is heartbreaking on its own, but when given the alleged story behind it, the song is ten times more emotional. Eilish allegedly wrote this song about her friendship with Devon Lee Carlson and betraying her by dating Carlson’s ex-boyfriend Jesse Rutherford. Eilish and Rutherford ended up breaking up months later, and Eilish sits in the bed she made of losing them both. She named the song “WILDFLOWER” as a nod to Carlson’s phone case brand named “Wildflower Cases.” This song guts me because of Eilish’s self-awareness and how much she thought of Carlson during their relationship. She knows that she crossed a very visible line in their friendship and is constantly thinking about how betrayed Carlson must have felt.
“I see her in the back of my mind / All the time / Feels like a fever, like I’m burning alive / Like a sign / Did I cross the line? / You say no one knows you so well / But every time you touch me, I just wonder how she felt,” belts Eilish.
My 3rd most listened to album is another Hozier record, his sophomore album “Wasteland, Baby!” Released in 2018, his second studio record blew his first out of the water. There is not a single track on this album that I skip and is my absolute favorite Hozier album.
He mixes themes of activism, justice, love, yearning and loss in one packed album. Lyrics and thematics aside, the production of this record is very unique to his other works. There is a ton of soul, jazz, R&B and blues inspiration including artists Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra. He features Mavis Staples, famous singer and civil rights activist, on the opening track “Nina Cried Power.” That track is one of my favorites on the record with Staples’ booming vocals and powerful lyrics. He paid homage to some of the greatest jazz musicians in the second track “Almost (Sweet Music).” Including Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Ray Charles, Chet Baker, Fitzgerald, Sinatra and so many more.
My favorite track on this record is the final title track “Wasteland, Baby!” Hozier wrote this song after looking at the Doomsday Clock and started to think about the world’s inevitable collapse. He used the end of the world as a metaphor for a love that is so devastating and all-consuming you feel the world is going to end. It is so genius and is one of the most depressing yet beautiful songs I have ever heard. The angelic guitar and effortless production is incredibly satisfying and almost lulls me to sleep.
“And when the stench of the sea and the absence of green / Are the death of all things that are seen and unseen / Not an end, but the start of all things that are left to do / Wasteland, baby / I’m in love / I’m in love with you,” sings Hozier.
My 2nd most listened to album this year is Twenty One Pilots’ newest “Clancy.” This record is simply perfect in every way imaginable. The additional world building to their universe, smashing drums and exquisite vocals make “Clancy” stand out from the rest of their work. This album is very reminiscent of their older discography yet very unique. Songs like “Next Semester,” “Backslide,” “Vignette” and “Lavish” were successful test runs of the band’s newer electronic-rock sound and more complex production. This album was completely snubbed for best rock album at the Grammys this year and Twenty One Pilots deserve so much more than they got for this record.
The 2nd track “Next Semester” is my favorite off the record and possibly one of my favorites in their entire discography. A song about crippling anxiety and depression is completely overshadowed by the impressive drum patterns and hard-hitting guitar chords. Tyler Joseph wrote this song with long-time fans in mind and it was delivered with overwhelming emotion. The ukulele and acapella section at the end of the track never fails to make me tear up.
“I remember certain things / What I was wearing, the yellow dashes in the street / I prayed those lights would take me home / Then I heard, ‘Hey, kid, get out of the road!’ / Can’t change what you’ve done / Start fresh next semester,” Joseph sings.
My most listened to album in 2024 was “Preacher’s Daughter” by Ethel Cain. As discussed in a previous Cassette I believe this is one of the best albums of the century. From the story of Cain herself to the meticulous production and impressive writing this album genuinely changed my entire outlook on music as a whole. When I listen to an album I always go back to this one as a reference or “perfect” example.
Choosing a favorite song off of this record feels like choosing a favorite child, but if I had to choose one it would be “Family Tree.” It perfectly encapsulates the entire theme of this album and is objectively one of the best guitar performances in the record. The certain production choices she made like adding some slight whirring, wah-wah, twang and a beep sample on the outro on top of a deep bass line is one of my favorite parts of the album. The outro completely sets you up for the horrific journey the listener is about to embark upon.
“I’ve killed before and I’ll kill again / Take the noose off, wrap it tight around my hand / They say, ‘Heaven hath no fury like a woman scorned’ / And baby, Hell don’t scare me, I’ve been times before,” sings Cain.
Most of my wrapped was very expected, but I was still ecstatic when it came out. 2024 has been an exceptional year for music and I cannot wait to listen to the expected releases for this next year.
