Indie Basketball 2024 Album Standings
It’s that time of year again—everyone’s favorite, whether you like it or not. Music opinions are flying at you from every corner of the internet: Spotify Wrapped playlists, top-ten lists from big-name publications, and hot takes from your Instagram friends. Well, here's one more at the buzzer.
Indie Basketball certainly has 'indie" in the title, but the general listening habits stretches the elasticity of that word quite a bit. So when creating a list to encapsulate all the subgenres, it's hard to figure out how to rank these albums properly. But seeing as this is the first year I am digging my heels in on publishing an official list, I decided it's time to do my damndest.
There are a few things I noticed overall looking at this list. Shoegaze and dream pop have made a strong comeback in newer artists like Dummy, Wishy, and Crumb. Some hip hop heavy hitters put out strong albums. And while not present on this list, I full acknowledge what a huge year it has been for pop music. You won't find Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, or Charli XCX on this list, but their impact of this year of music was certainly felt. But the real winner? A surge in alt-country twangy goodness.
On that note, I feel it is important to distinguish that these final album standings for the year are a criteria of my listening enjoyment. It is a representation of what came through my speakers most frequently this year. While there is certainly some overlap in best vs. favorite, today I land with these albums as favorites. And hey, going into 2025 you might end up seeing more album review like pieces from me.
Without further ado, let's tip off and get to the final standings for 2024.
50. Mister Goblin - Frog Poems
49. Childish Gambino - Bando Stone & The New World
48. Dummy - Free Energy
47. Tasha - All This And So Much More
46. Conor Lynch - Slow Country
45. Empty Heaven - Laughing
44. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
43. Crumb - AMAMA
42. Hemlock - 444
41. Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan's Slingshot
40. STRFKR - Parallel Realms
39. Godspeed You! Black Emperor - "No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,340 Dead"
38. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future
37. Wishy - Triple Seven
36. Merce Lemon - Watch Me Drive Them Dogs Wild
35. Touché Amoré - Spiral In A Straight Line
34. Oso Oso - life till bones
33. sunshy - I don't care what comes next
32. Soccer Mommy - Evergreen
31. Allegra Krieger - Art of the Unseen Infinity Machine
30. Southtowne Lanes - Take Care
29. Little Kid - A Million Easy Payments
28. Foxing - Foxing
27. From Indian Lakes - Head Void
26. Katy Kirby - Blue Raspberry
25. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven
Without a doubt, one of the most thrilling performances I was lucky to see at Best Friends Forever Fest this year, and it accompanied one of my favorite albums of theirs to date. They way they hit you with the most intense punk songs with straining vocals while somehow infusing elements of nostalgic alternative pop is an incredible balancing act.
24. Faye Webster - Underdressed at the Symphony
Underdressed at the Symphony managed to fly under my radar until recently, but once it hit, it hit hard. The album, propelled by Webster's reliably velvet vocals, finds its backbone in a series of eclectic, jazz-inflected guitar flourishes that wrap around tracks like “But Not Kiss.” There’s a loose, jammy energy that seeps through the record, a sound both fluid and deliberate, as if each note is unfurling in real-time. The surprise appearance of longtime middle school friend Lil Yachty on “Lego Ring” feels like one of the year’s most delightfully unexpected features—a curveball that works better than it has any right to. It is also one of the few albums that I immediately started over after the first listen.
23. Bnny - One Million Love Songs
The songs on Bnny's sophomore album are soft spoken and bursting with love, as the title of the album is not ironic. There's something beautiful about writing romantic songs in a subdued, minimalist way that makes it all the more enchanting when you dig in and listen deeper. Hope to see a bigger break out from the band, as they are certainly worthy of it.
22. Kendrick Lamar - GNX
Let me start by saying that GNX might be one of my least favorite Kendrick albums. "Not Like Us" as a diss track was fascinating, but I never understand what made it catchy to become a top song of the year. GNX to me feels like a Kendrick taking that song and parodying himself with it. But that's the thing, bottom tier Kendrick is still incredible and tracks like "luther" and "heart pt. 6" stand out and give me that old Kendrick feeling.
21. Spun Out - Dream Noise
The debut album from Spun Out, formed of members of Chicago's NE-HI, brings the much needed indie sleaze come back that we've been missing. Some really classic indie rock style hooks and grooving bass lines create something new yet familiar I can look forward to coming back to again and again.
20. San Fermin - Arms
Was lucky enough to have San Fermin deliver a wonderful Half Court Session early in 2024 for this album, and the result was proof that the honest songs of heartbreak in Arms are just plain good songs that can be played with as little or as much instrumentation as they want.
19. Young Jesus - The Fool
John Rossiter is always always always changing things up with Young Jesus, and on The Fool he brings in a yearning and nostalgic 80s with some really stretched and emotive operatic vocals leading the way. The opening track and single "Brenda & Diane" feels like an anthem worthy of Bruce Springsteen, and this specific level of storytelling is something you can expect all over this album.
18. Being Dead - EELS
It would be very easy to convince someone that EELS came out in the late 1960's. Their retro song is such a welcome throwback when everyone is going for a 90's sound and coming in at 16 tracks deep, there is plenty to go around.
17. Bloomsday - Heart of the Artichoke
Bloomsday's Heart of the Artichoke saw them take a huge leap in complete songwriting. Songs like the album-titled "Artichoke" and "Dollar Slice and delightfully airy folk songs and "Night Swim" even feels like slowcore from early Death Cab For Cutie work.
16. Sam Evian - Plunge
Another year, another quality release by Sam Evian, this time featuring irresistible bass lines and a feelgood classic "rock and roll™" sound that feels like it's impossible to place in time. It also comes with the benefit of having his talented friends (and some of my favorites) perform on it, including the likes of Liam Kazar, El Kepmner, and Adrianne Lenker.
15. Darryl Rahn - Dusk
I first heard Darryl Rahn through the song on this album "Company", which features Half Court Session alum Sofia Jensen of Free Range. After loving the song, I dove in to quickly realize the reason wasn't just because of Sofia. Every song has a classic folk-country vibe with and Rahn's vocals often veer into sounding Lennon-like.
14. Peel Dream Magazine - Rose Main Reading Room
Discovering Peel Dream Magazine late in the year was a revelation for me. Rose Main Reading Room is sure to fill the void that Sufjan Steven's Illinoise era have have left in your heart, with swirling synth and woodwind arpeggios, there are layers upon layers to notice every listen. "Central Park West" is the right combination of instruments to send off major endorphin signals into my brain.
13. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch
Without a doubt one of the most memorable concert experiences of 2024 was seeing Jessica Pratt play in a Chicago cemetery. And the reason why that was so perfect is her music on this album is the perfect accompaniment to that setting. On Here in the Pitch, Pratt's vocals echo for eons and send chills down your spine. Each song feels grandiose and lost in time, especially with "Life Is" and "World on a String". It's the perfect album to sink into the couch and let her vocals reverberate in your skull.
12. Clairo - Charm
Clairo has forever had immense hype around her name. Charm feels the hype realized, as I had always enjoyed her music, but only in doses of singles as the TikTok generation prefers. But Charm isn't necessarily for that. It plays as an album, and brings forward a revival of a soulful daptone sound for the modern era.
11. Wild Pink - Dulling The Horns
Wild Pink is a constant appearance towards the top of my years end lists, and as expected, here he is again. One thing I specifically love about this album, is the specificity in the lyrics. "Eating the Egg Whole" feels like a rushed manifesto of memories, including details leading off the song that are much appreciated here referencing Michael Jordan and the Washington Wizards.
10. Good Looks - Lived Here For A While
I'm 100% a Good Looks late bloomer. I had only gotten into Bummer Year early in the year, just in time for their followup Lived Here For A While. Their lyrics are always saying something of substance and definitely fall in the category of happy songs with sad lyrics.
09. Hovvdy - Hovvdy
At 19 tracks deep, the self-titled Hovvdy album certainly delivers a lot but the keyword in that being deliver. There's a lot to unpack in the album as you discover small sonic details such as embedded field recordings. Their songs feel like memories. Songs like "Jean" always take me back to this 90's pop rock sound and scream summertime making this album one that I'm sure I will revisit when the Chicago winter thaws again.
08. Ducks Ltd. - Harm's Way
The jangly boys of Ducks Ltd. followed up their promising album Modern Fiction with track after track of fast paced anthems. Add to the fact that singer Tom McGreevy is a certified ball-knower makes sure that Harm's Way found it's way into the top 10.
07. This Is Lorelei - Box for Buddy, Box for Star
Box for Buddy, Box for Star was a huge surprise for me this year. One of Nate Amos' other projects, My Idea, showed up in my year end list for 2022 and promisingly he is back with this new project in what is naturally the Year of the Twang. It's such a surprising blend of said twang and electronic, with his vocal shifting octaves in what almost emulates two completely different singers.
06. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
I know this is the year of MJ Lenderman for many, and I am not here to disagree with this. It's still #6 on this list. Such an original voice in indie rock right now, and with him really leaning into the hooper vibes on this album cycle, it's hard for me not to like him. As I previously said, this is the Year of the Twang and Manning Fireworks is a major reason for that. To have somewhat hilarious lyrics and shred guitar solos is a true gift. Safe to say, there is nobody like MJ right now.
05. Real Estate - Daniel
Daniel was a very early standout in the year for me. Definitely one of the more infectious albums of the year, with the single "Water Underground" getting stuck in my head for days at a time this entire year. It's that's twinkly sound that takes me back to early 2010's indie rock that really drew me in and kept me here.
04. Good Morning - Good Morning Seven
I had previously said that This is Lorelei was one of the biggest surprises of 2024, but the winner of that title is without a doubt Good Morning. I was able to catch them open for Waxahatchee on their tour this year, and having never heard them before was blown away. With a deep tracklist, I loved every song. I was often reminded of Wilco in the tamber of the vocals, and at times Dr. Dog or Delta Spirit in the instrumentation. Looking forward to what's next for Good Morning.
03. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
People seem to have a strong feeling about pre versus post Rostam-era Vampire Weekend. I personally have enjoyed all of their albums to some degree, but with Only God Was Above Us there is an enhanced aura that we haven't felt in some time. I absolutely love how there are so many moments of layered strings, rampant piano parts, and distorted instrumentation. It's just a unique combination of genres you can't often find elsewhere, and OGWAU jumps up to one of their very best.
02. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
Yet another entry in our Year of the Twang 2024, Waxahatchee follows up my #1 album of 2020 with Tigers Blood– one of her strongest works to date. Every single track a memorable one and a true celebration of Kate Crutchfield herself. This is usually as country as I go, and I love every second of it.
01. Friko - Where we've been, Where we go from here
Go figure that a Chicago breakout band ends up as my top album of the year. I had followed Friko for a few years now and after hearing their previous EP, I anxiously awaited the day for their debut album to come out because there was such a strong feeling that they were poised to breakout fast. Well, 2024 came and that turned out to be accurate. There is so much rawness in the vocals of Niko Kapetan drawing comparisons to a young Conor Oberst, but what I hear a lot is taking that early Bright Eyes emotion and pouring into intense indie rock riffs that harken back to an emerging Strokes. Knowing where Friko has been, where we go from here I have to believe is an exciting place.
