2024 studio album releases

This is not multiple votes.

I took the top 12 albums of 2024 from PA's album chart, and then added my top 12 at Awesome Prog's album chart -- plus one since The Smile (Radiohead-related) have two albums from this year that I really like. My list, which starts with Beth Gibbons, does not limit itself to prog per se or what is in PA, please just vote for the album you like most from these 24 options or choose or your own favourite not in the list.

The only album I have now heard from PA's top 12 is Present's, but that album may take time to grown on me.

Here is a playlist of my top albums here, and maybe share a track of your album choice. Actually, rather than making anew playlist here's one I made some time back with a track from various ones I have listened to:



One other that might get more than one mention is Sleepytime Gorilla Museum's Of the Last Human Being. I should give that another spin. Time is running out on the AOTY event (not sure how many active forum/ PA users have not put up lists yet, but the more who participate the better, imo).

Edited by Logan - Yesterday at 11:27

I've only heard one... so Focus 12 it is!!  

Thanks guys. And to anyone voting other, please do say what album you are choosing, otherwise not sure the point of voting (list twenty others if you want... or a hundred). Sharing is caring. :) I am more of a details oriented than some. I just noticed one other vote without comment. Maybe that person will post later talking about their choices. Love to hear some of it if one has a track to link to.

King of Loss wrote: Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere. Yes, I picked a progressive death metal release. It is absolutely a banger!

I checked out some of it's music, hugely accomplished. The death metal aspect appeals to my ears. It's an eclectic and actually quite light to these ears sound. I was expecting something heavier. By the way, while I don't tend to listen to lots of metal, Boris and Neurosis are faves of mine in the metal categories at PA.

Jared wrote: I've only heard one... so Focus 12 it is!!

The latest Focus album I have heard is X in 2012, and the last one I bought was Focus 9 / New Skin in 2006. I love 70's Focus music, and it is one of the Prog bands that I first fell for (with the meaty masterpiece that is Hamburger Concerto).

I like to try to keep up with newer releases, although I have done more of that over the last few years than before. I love lots of contemporary music, as well as so much from every decade especially form the 60s up (other than "classical music" to use the broad term, there's not much pre-late 50s music that I am very into.

rushfan4 wrote: From the list I've only heard Ritual, Opeth, and The Smile.  Only Ritual made my top 20 and it came in at 16.  My number 1 for 2024 is Big Big Train's The Likes of Us.

I was expecting to see that BBT album in PA's top 12, it's at 18 there. I have not hear it but did appre ciate some of BBT's earlier albums.

At Awesome prog for it's AOTY thing that Mike is hosting, it's at number 2. Sleepytime... being at one, and Greep being in third. I regret not doing this poll like I had planned to at first which was to make a portion of the top albums the top ones at Awesome Prog. That's a more interesting to me list than the top ones in the PA chart, but then so is the RYM top chart. I opted not to when I had troubles making the AP chart include all for 2024 (including those not in PA and not tagged prog or prog-adjacent at AP). In other words, I wanted the "other" chart as part of it, plus PA and AP Prog. While this is Prog polls, I prefer the polls that go beyond prog genres....

And I have literally not listened to a single one.

Edited by Lights Faces - Yesterday at 12:55

IncogNeato wrote: From the list, I am choosing Ritual as it's one of the only ones I have heard. Not on the list, for me: The Chronicles Of Father Robin - The Songs & Tales of Airoea: Book 3 Zeal & Ardor - Grief Slift - Ilion Lowrider/ Elephant Tree - The Long Forever Weather Systems - Ocean Without A Shore

I definitely have seen many very positive comments about that Father Robin album.

Lights Faces wrote: And I have literally not listened to a single one. Wait, I just realized that within the list is... a new album of Believe!! I need to go listen to that.

You better Believe it! ;) I have not heard it.

I commonly have been a little "behind the times" one might say, but now as I want to be going to more concerts I especially want to be that much more up-to-date. Well, I went to a lot of concerts in my 20s (especially my early 20s) and quite a few in my teens, but now in my later years I want to be doing that kind of stuff more again, be more active, even if the body is slowing down a bit.

There is so much good music for so many tastes to discover from so, so many years. :)

Teunis wrote: Not on this list. My choise is Kingcrow - Hopium with Leprous - Melodies Of Atonement close second.

Thanks. Both on the metal-side as I recall.


Edited by Logan - Yesterday at 13:05

I am pulling an Opeth on this one.

^ and ^^ I do hopeth to heareth that album at some time.

Lights Faces wrote: "You better Believe it! ;) I have not heard it." The reviews are super laudative, so I can't help but expect a lot from it. That being said, I also expected from Pendragon's last, and it happens to be the one with the best notes on Prog Archives, and yet I was really disappointed by it. But we'll see! There's also gonna be a new one from IQ, and given this band's consistency, I have very little fear, they're gonna deliver as usual.</span>

Welcome to the site by the way. Good to heave more new blood. Neo-Prog is something that I have come to appreciate more over the years, but it was mostly discovering so many things like Zeuhl, RIO/Avant Prog, Progressive Electronic, Canterbury Scene, Krautrock, certain jazz-Rock Fusion, then Post-Rock that really got me going. Nowadays I especially listen to Indie Rock, Art Pop/Folk/Rock, kinds of post-punk, and stuff associated with Hipsters, I guess. LOL. Been obsessed with Sufjan Stevens albums of late. I love atmospheric music.. The album (from a band in PA) that I am most anticipating this year is Swans with Birthing, but Birthing would be a painful labour to most here, I expect.

It always amazes me in a way me how much good music (I mean good for one's interests) there is to discover and how many new music avenues can be opened with discovering new-to-oneself music, and how new obsessions lead to other obsessions.... There are endless depths to plumb and discover, and it's always an adventure. And for me often what's greatest at one time gets replaced with something else... But I babble, I do that.   

Edited by Logan - Yesterday at 13:58

Heart of the Matter wrote: All I can say is I want to listen to Solaris, and... oh yeah, Focus 12 is good, that too.

I like classic Solaris and classic Focus.

BrufordFreak wrote: Favorite (not best, right)? For me it's been a tie all year long between: Bent Knee Twenty Pills without Water and plantoid Terrapath

The poll question is "What is your favourite 2024 studio album?" meaning your preference, what you particularly appreciate and enjoy, what is "best for you" from what you know. Asking what is best from a global perspective does not make early as much sense to me as asking, "What is an album from 2014 that you particularly enjoy?" I mean it is so subjective and none of us have heard every release of the year. While I am not one of those who claims it's all subjective as I have seen from some at this forum, and that there is no way to determine better in music (I think intent matters, expectations can matter, one can judge performance / aptitude, there are conventions and one can determine quality to whatever extent within specific frameworks), I think some go too far in thinking that they can be the arbiters of what is good and has merit when there are so many ways to appreciate music. Taste is subjective, people have biases, some value their own assessments, methodology and analyses too highly, one can approach music from different angles. Suffice to say, I prefer to talk about preference/ taste/ what one enjoys and what excites one. :) I care about what people are passionate about commonly.

I like Bent Knee, but I have not listened to that album yet.

someone_else wrote: The twin peaks of this year: Alejandro Matos - Carnaval de las Victimas Arnaud Bukwald - Moondragore Somewhat but not far behind: The Tangent (for One) - To Follow Polaris

Not familiar with those releases, but since you mentioned "twin peaks", RIP David Lynch and RIP FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole. Fire walk with me...

My "other" is Drifting Sun - Veil