By Joshua Gutierrez - Editor
For the first time ever (I'm pretty sure), I did not fall in "Love" with an album by an artist/band with over 1 Million monthly listeners on Spotify. This rare occurrence feels that much more glaring considering just how much stellar music we have been given by some of our biggest artists/bands in 2024.
Obviously, the two noticeable absentees were Katy Perry's "143" and Lady Gaga's companion album to the latest "Joker" movie, "Harlequin." TBH, I didn't hate Katy's latest album... but I was nowhere near "Love" to post about it. And while I always love to hear Lady Gaga's iconic vocals, "Harlequin" very much felt like a covers project of classic standards that I could not fully get behind.
Yet, September felt incredibly replete with music for me.
MJ Lenderman's "Manning Fireworks" could be a Top 5 AOTY in my Below Radar category, with Naima Bock, Efterklang and Kaeto providing depth in this category which has been pretty quiet.
But my biggest buzz came from my non-vocal, ambient category. Three of the albums I posted about this month will most likely be Top 10 AOTY's in this category, with Nala Sinephro's "Endlessness" becoming my clear frontrunner.
From a personal standpoint, the music year feels concluded enough to start compiling my year-end favorites. Not that I won't keep posting about new music releases, but it feels like the first AOTY posts will be coming sooner rather than later lol.
Below Radar Albums of the Month
Artists With Between 1M-100K Monthly Listens On Spotify
Hidden Gem Albums of the Month
Artists With Below 100K Monthly Listens On Spotify
Ambient & Instrumental Albums of the Month
Regardless of Monthly Listens On Spotify
