The Top 20 Albums of 2025 (Part Two 10-1)

 

Last year, I expanded what was once the Top 10 Albums of the Year to the Top 20. The Top 10  was limiting, considering there are now 20 best-of-genre lists.  a Top 10 often left off ten albums that captured the top spot for their respective genres.  So we are continuing the countdown here in this second part to the top 10 albums. These are the albums I listened to most. When you take into consideration the fact that I listened to over 900 albums this year, it's impressive for these albums to have endured the influx of new music that hit my inbox every morning and made me want to hear them again and again. Yes, this is the culmination of all the other lists done up to this point for other blogs and was refined down to this master list of all genres.; So here ya go...

10-HAIM- "I quit" 

The Haim sisters came back after five years, which in pop music is an eternity, given how attention spans and trends cycle out. In being generous and taking things like touring into consideration, we can say they had 3 years to follow "Women in Music pt 3" which was a career-defining album, that elevated the band's status. This time the focus was on playing their instruments and busting out guitar solos rather than pop hooks, but they packed a few of those as well. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/haim-i-quit.html

 

9-Patriarchy -"Manual for Dying." 

The steamiest batch of bumping grinders since the golden years of Lords of Acid, certainly, is enough to give this duo the number one spot. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2023/08/patriarchy-forcefully-rearranged.html

8-Sanguisugabogg -"Hideous Divinity." 

 This is an album I have been looking forward to, so expectations were high. Halfway into the first song, I  heard the needed tweaks I wanted from these guys in terms of production have been made, and it is rocking fucking hard. There is more attention to detail in songwriting as riffs have purpose and are not just shifting into the next heaviest chug possible. Songwriting is storytelling, telling, and the message is coming through with a more mature and perfected vision. Devin still does what he does, though his phrasing is refined and more articulate without sacrificing brutality. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/sanguisugabogg-hideous-divntiy.html

7- Coroner - "Dissonance Theory."

The band's first album in 32 years. Things are different in many ways, though they do not sound like they are in their 60s. Weirdly, Marquis Marky is not behind the kit, leaving Ron Royce and Tommy Baron as the only original members who feel more pronounced as a trio. Their new drummer, Diego, certainly pulls it all off. This is not them trying to recapture their 80s sound. Nor should they. A big difference lies in how forward Royce's vocals are in the mix, as he used to sit back in the guitars more, certainly having grown more confident in what he does.  You can hear how they influence bands like Meshuggah. This album grew on me with each listen, and it's clear they are more vital now than ever. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/coroner-dissonance-theory.html

 

6-Heartworms - "Glutton For Punishment."

Why is this album taking the top spot, you ask?  There are organic qualities blended with a chamber-pop sound that brings Dresden Dolls to mind in equal doses as Rasputina .. Helmed by Jojo Orme, this project is mroe organic and capable of rocking out than your average darkwave band, with songs like "Jacked' falling on the more post-punk side of the equation. The guitars are capable of delivering the needed jagged tension. The album spends a great deal of time juggling the more electronic elements against a jangle of guitar that leans left of center into a moodier indie rock. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-heartworms-glutton-for.html

 

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5-Freeze the Fall - "The Red Garden." 

Big radio rock that hits with an infectious bite. Their anthemic choruses are balanced by the brooding atmosphere that is dark enough to keep me interested, despite the more hopeful mood they build. This young Canadian trio is great songwriters who sometimes find their overall sound following a 90s formula, which proves highly effective as it puts them in the number one spot, beating out veteran acts, so the future clearly holds big things for them. If you have not heard this album yet, do yourself a favor and give it a listen.    

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/freeze-fall-red-garden.html

 

4-Taylor Swift- "the Life of a Showgirl" 

At the end of the day, she can whip out songs that sit effortlessly next to the other classics in her discography with no effort. Even Tay Tay dialing it in is better than what most can do with two dozen producers and co-writers. This album grew on me, and makes it clear she is the dominant force in not just pop music, but songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/taylor-swift-life-of-showgirl.html

 

3-Hangman's Chair- "Saddiction" 

The modern kings of gloom bring a sonic pounding counterbalanced by the trademark passion of the vocals, and things ebb down into a more depressive introspection as the rollercoaster of the album's dynamic sets in motion. Some interesting production choices in this often reverb-heavy recording are best appreciated when played loudly through headphones. It's a band whose songwriting continues to exceed expectations and put them at the top of the heap, not just when it comes to doom or metal, but all artists making music today. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/02/hangmans-chair-saddiction.html

 

2-Spiritbox- "Tsunami Sea." 

It's the band's pop lean that helps separate them from their peers, as Courtney is better at vocal hooks than the singer for Jinger or Infected Rain, who work in similar sonic circles. She has continued to grow as a singer to further distance herself from her peers. Even with the pop hooks in play, the dynamics pack a heavy enough punch to have the metallic impact to take the top spot here. Their drummer has really stepped up on this album as he fills the spaces with interesting playing that they build off of. At the end of the day, it's the top-tier songwriting that wins out.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/03/spiritbox-tsunami-sea.html

1-Ethel Cain-  "Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You."

Not only the best shoegaze/post-rock album of the year,  the best album of the year. I don't think she set out to make a shoegaze album, which is what makes it so effective; the ethereal atmosphere just organically came about thanks to the hypnotic drones that also incorporate pop and country music into the mix. Unlike Wednesday, who takes a jarring turn between the two genres, on this album, you can't tell where one ends and the other begins as they are woven with such sonic beauty. As stated, these albums are ranked according to how much I actually listened to them, and I listened to this album more than any other this year.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/ethel-cain-willoughby-tucker-ill-always.html

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Top 40 Songs of 2025 (Part 4 10-1 )

This is the final installment of the Top 40 songs of 2025. It's a list of the 40 catchiest songs that got the most airplay from me this year. These are the songs that I kept on repeat and got stuck in my head, which certainly factored in when ranking these albums in the big picture, only one artist on this list delivered an album that was underwhelming with the single as one of the only memorable songs on the album, but a great deal lies in how that was hyped leading up to the album's release. 

I have split this up into four more digestable play lists of 10 songs, each I think these songs all speak for themselves, so there is no need for me to wax poetic about what makes them great as their hooks will do that for them so take a listen and maybe these will be the melodies that haunt you when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so lets continue into the top 10 songs of 2025.

10-HEALTH- "YOU DIED." 

 

9-Heartworms - "Mad Catch." 

8. Freeze the Fall - "Rot." 

7-Turnstille-"Never Enough." 

6-Taylor Swift- "Cancelled."

 

5-Ethel Cain- "Janine."

>

4-Sleep Token- "Emergence." 

3-Hangman's Chair - "Kowloon Lights." 

2-Spiritbox- "Keep Sweet." 

  

1-Ethel Cain-"Dust Bowl." 

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The Top 40 Songs of 2025 (Part 3 : 20-11)

 

This is part three of the Top 40 songs of 2025. It's a list of the 40 catchiest songs that got the most airplay from me this year. These are the songs that I kept on repeat and got stuck in my head, which certainly factored in when ranking these albums in the big picture, only one artist on this list delivered an album that was underwhelming with the single as one of the only memorable songs on the album, but a great deal lies in how that was hyped leading up to the album's release. 

I have split this up into four more digestable play lists of 10 songs, each I think these songs all speak for themselves, so there is no need for me to wax poetic about what makes them great as their hooks will do that for them so take a listen and maybe these will be the melodies that haunt you when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so lets continue into the top 20 songs of 2025.

20-Scorpion Milk- 'Will to Live.'

19-Noah Cyrus - "What's it all For." 

18-Taylor- Swift- "Eldest Daughter."

 

17-Lord Huron- "Bag of Bones."

16-Pixel Grip-"Stamina." 

 

 

 

15- Ethel Cain- "Fuck Me Eyes." 

14-Bush - "I Beat Loneliness." 

13-Viagra Boys- 'Bog Body

12-Street Sex- "Turn Blue." 

1-HAIM- "All Over Me." 

pst636

The Top 40 Songs of 2025 (Part 2: 30-21)

 

This is part two of the Top 40 songs of 2025. It's a list of the 40 catchiest songs that got the most airplay from me this year. These are the songs that I kept on repeat and got stuck in my head, which certainly factored in when ranking these albums in the big picture, only one artist on this list delivered an album that was underwhelming with the single as one of the only memorable songs on the album, but a great deal lies in how that was hyped leading up to the album's release. 

I have split this up into four more digestable play lists of 10 songs, each I think these songs all speak for themselves, so there is no need for me to wax poetic about what makes them great as their hooks will do that for them so take a listen and maybe these will be the melodies that haunt you when you get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night so lets continue into the top 30 songs of 2025.

30-Miley Cyrus - "More to Lose."

29-Freeze the Fall- "VHS" 

28-HEALTH- "Darkage" 

27-Sanguisugabogg- "Repulsive Demise" 

 

26-Author & Punisher - "Mute Swan." 

25-Patriarchy -"New Way." 

 

 24-Spiritbox- "Tsunami Sea." 

 

 23-Taylor Swift- "Wi$h Li$t" 

22-Callous Daoboys- ''Schizophrenia Legacy" 

21-Coroner- "the Law" 

pst628

The Top 10 Pop Albums of 2025

 

Pop does not have to be a bad word. Sadly the music industry takes it down a deeper hole of vapid capitalism, by pumping out products rather than music with anything to say.  Unlike their more mainstream counterparts, these albums were not rolled from the same assembly line and did not need the teams of songwriters and producers to create for them, they generally did this themselves.  Here are albums that stand shoulder to shoulder with other genres, proving pop does not have to be trash, despite being that more often than not these days. 

 After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of 2025 The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Pop albums of 2025

10-Jane Remover- "Revengeseekerz" 

What the kids are calling digicore. The auto-tuned vocals are not unlike those heard from more mainstream trap rappers, such as Future. Lyrically, aside from being presented chaotically, with typically vapid radio friendly lyrics that are  more tolerable when presented in this fashion. At times dub-step at others harsher barrage of noise the beats keep things moving.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/jane-remover-revengeseekerz.html

9-yeule- "Evangelic Girl is a Gun" 

This weird little singer from Singapore was a new find for me,. Her fourth album at times embraces an almost trip-hop sound that features some subtle guitar elements as it progresses. In other moments, there is more of a 90s alternative feel, bringing to mind bands like Elastica or Lush. The pop grooves put her on a sonic footing closer to  Grimes or early Charli XCX, which balance out the glitchy atmosphere in the periphery.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/yeule-evangelic-girl-is-gun.html

 

8-President -"King of Terrors" 

Anonymity creates quite a buzz, as they had a huge online presence despite only having one single out and a Download performance under their belt. It is the songs from that performance that are given the studio treatment, with the first single opening the EP. Sonically similar in many ways to Sleep Token, they blend djenty metal guitars with technical drumming and multiple layers of soulfully harmonized vocals. If AI was told to create a band in the vein of Sleep Token and Bad Omens, the results would be similar, though the pop hooks here make it endearing. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/president-king-of-terrors.html

7-The Beaches - "No, Hard Feelings" 

 This band's last album, "Blame My Ex" found them taking the number two spot in our Top 10 Pop Albums of 2023. They have raised the bar for themselves. They move in a marginally more indie rock direction for this album, while e trying to still dish out a comparable level of hooky choruses. The  more pop stabs reflects back on what worked on the last album, though perhaps not as hard-hitting, but still highly effective. Working well enough to earn the number 7 spot.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/08/the-beaches-no-hard-feelings.html

6-Miley Cyrus- "Something Beautiful" 

Miley's 9th album is pretty ambitious. It's framed with preludes and interludes to create a more immersive experience than your average pop album. Ranging from soulful lounge ballads to oddly experimental bursts of sound.  Her voice sounds great, this seems to blend her pop sheen with the more rock-inflected moments of albums like "Plastic Hearts". She claims this album is inspired by "The Wall", the saxophone wailing in the background brings a "Diamond Dogs" styled chaos to the fringes of its sound. 

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/miley-cyrus-something-beautiful.html

5-Wu- Tang Clan - "Black Samson , the Bastard Swordsman" 

The legendary New York rap collective dropped this album for a limited vinyl release on Record Store Day, and now it's receiving a wider release. This is the first full-length release since the 2017 compilation "The Saga Continues," which was released as simply Wu-Tang due to the absence of U-God. It's also the first album since 2015's "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" to feature all 9 living members of the group. This album is a collaboration with producer Mathematics, who effectively captures the feel of the group's classic work, proving why they are one of the only hip-hop acts that matter.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/06/wu-tang-clan-black-samson-bastard.html

4-Deathbyromy-"Hollywood Forever" 

Pop music marketed to the "vvitches" of Tiktok, who are the new generation of Hot Topic kids. Her image contrasts with the otherwise upbeat grooves that open the new album. Her voice is what you expect from a pop singer in 2025. At the end of the day, the strong songwriting won me over. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/09/deathbyromy-hollywood-forever.html

 

3-Sleep Token- "Even in Arcadia" 

I like pop music; this album is a great pop album. I don't feel so guilty about liking it.  If he just came out, life would be so much easier, but denial has become a part of his identity. There was maybe 20 seconds of nu-metal guitar, and a scream that needed every bit of post-production effects on it in the first three songs. The beats and hooks that would make Sam Smith jealous, this is the kind of music Justin Timberlake wishes he was making. Justin Bieber, rinse off the baby oil and get these guys to write your next album. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/sleep-token.html

  2-Pixel Grip-  "Perceptide the Death of Reality" 

 This interesting electronic band was circling my radar to glad for the chance to check them out. They open things with an atmospheric pop song that simmers in introspection. The alluring vocals of Rita Lukea, give everything a sex dripping sheen, as they jump into dark 90s techno. The darkest album on this list which gives it the edge over Sleep Token. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/05/pixel-grip-perceptide-death-of-reality.html

 

1-Taylor Swift- "the Life of a Showgirl" 

At the end of the day, she can whip out songs that sit effortlessly next to the other classics in her discography with no effort. Even Tay Tay dialing it in is better than what most can do with two dozen producers and a co-writers This album grew on me, and makes it clear she is the dominant force in not just pop music, but songwriting. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/taylor-swift-life-of-showgirl.html

Thanks for reading. Please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst596

October's Top 10 Albums

It's time for October's top 10 albums. Staying abreast of the month's highlights may help casual readers catch up on what they missed and explore these artists. I am not writing brief summaries of them; I am simply linking to the reviews. Inclusion here does not mean that these albums have been released this month, but it is a list of new or upcoming albums I have enjoyed the most. I have albums in my inbox that are not coming out til 2026, so I am normally way ahead of the curve in this regard. They are ranked in order of what I have listened to the most. This month it ranges from big pop bangers to various shades of electronic goth darkness. Obviously, with Halloween upon us this only makes more sense after al,l I dedicate the entire month to covering goth, but perhaps you will find your new favorite among them. Here are the Top 10 albums of  October. 

10-Testament - " Para Bellum" 

Thrash 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/testament-para-bellum.html

9-male// gaze - "Too Late Now" 

Shoe-gaze 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/malegaze-too-late-now.html

8-Biohazard- "Divided We Fall" 

Hard-core 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/biohazard-divided-we-fall.html

7-the Tear Garden - "Astral Elevator" 

Industrial 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-tear-garden-astral-elevator.html

 6-Perturbator-"Age Of Aquarius" 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-perturbator-age-of-aquarius.html

5-Black Cross Hotel - "Songs For Switches" 

Industrial Rock

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-black-cross-hotel-songs-for.html

4-Spiritual Cramp-"Rude"

post-punk 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/spiritual-cramp-rude.html

3-Cold In Berlin -"Wounds" 

Doom

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-cold-in-berlin-wounds.html

2-Patriarchy - "Manual For Dying" 

Electronic

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/gothtober-patriarchy-manual-for-dying.html

1-Taylor Swift - "The Life of a Showgirl" 

Pop

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2025/10/taylor-swift-life-of-showgirl.html

pst528

Taylor Swift : "the Life of a Showgirl"

 

We take a break from Gothtober's regularly scheduled programming to cover the new Taylor Swift album, because well, this is my blog and I do what I want to do. There was no lead single released leading up to the album, so fearless Swifties are relying on her reputation to maintain her momentum. I can see how the group think of today's public perception could switch on her as angsty pop breakup songs coming from a billionaire might sour the sensibilities of the very people who took her up as a feminist champion when the other side was complaining about her being on the sports ball games, but I think she is smart enough to not care about the fickle masses and is just going to do here thing, so let me press play and speak now about what really matters the music.

First things first, this is not a concept album as the teasers for the album were pointing to. She starts things off with a slinky pop beat on "The Fate of Ophelia". Maybe it's going to inspire teenagers to put down Tiktok, and read "Hamlet". My first thought is that she has been keeping closer to the radio trends, which is a little redundant since the producers are cranking out artists like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter have been trying to replicate Taylor's sound, so it's kinda like when Toni Iommi started trying to write Alice In Chains sounding riffs when Alice in Chains would not exist without Black Sabbath. 

"Elizabeth Taylor" hits from a more authentic place and is lyrically pretty brilliant as she sings in character while making a comment about what her actual life is like at the top of the game. There is a more organic feel to "Opalite". Slight tinge of pop country guitar on the chorus. Her harmonies are immaculate in places, so she has ingested Beach Boys albums at some point. "Father Figure" is not a George Michael cover. But it hits pretty hard in terms of what she does, though I think some of the commentary worked in could get criticized as being "woke" if you want to hear that way, though her reference to her dick being bigger could be a clue for the Reddit "Gaylor" cult. I think the song is her middle finger to the music industry, and is referencing her re-recording her albums. 

"Eldest Daughter" starts with the best line of the year: "Everyone's so punk on the internet." She then unpacks a social commentary that goes harder than the lyrics of Agnostic Front's entire new album. I had to listen to "Ruin the Friendship" a few times for it to click. The arrangement moves kinda like a Kacey Musgraves song, someone is playing a bass plugged into an amp on it, rather than just being pulled from a Digital Audio Workstation. The guitar going into "Actually Romantic" winks back in the direction of the "RED" era.  Though I am not sure the song is really about Travis, as it feels more full of clues for the Gaylors. 

"Wi$h Li$t" is one of the more interesting songs. It further solidifies this album as her best work lyrically, as it's a commentary on who she is now, surrounded by, and the life she could have had. "Wood" starts off funky and familiar, like it's her take on the Jackson Five. Her vocals do what she does and fall solidly in her wheelhouse. "CANCELLED!" is an unexpected commentary that finds her admitting to having an underworld where it gets quite dark, and further proves my theory that she is in a place where she no longer has to give a fuck. She wisely states If you can't be good to be better at it. 

"Honey" is typical pop-Taylor gets the job done. You hear a bit of her country roots on the title track that closes the album.  Sabrina Carpenter guest stars on the song and takes the second verse, though it sounds like it was intended for Kacey Musgraves. I will give this one a 10. There are a couple of songs that might have to grow on me, but the overall album is balanced out by the strongest songs, which are instant Taylor classics, thanks to her continued growth lyrically

Thanks for reading, give a listen to the song below, and  please "like" and share on social media to give music a voice 

https://www.facebook.com/abysmalhymns

Check out our Podcast here ... https://www.youtube.com/@abysmalhymns666

pst490

The Top 20 Albums of 2024 : 10 to 1

 

This year I expanded what was once the Top 10 Albums of the Year to the Top 20. The Top 10  was limiting considering there are now 20 best-of-genre lists.  a Top 10 often left off ten albums that captured the top spot for their respective genres.  So we are continuing the countdown here in this second part to the top 10 albums  These are the albums I listened to most. When you take into consideration the fact I listened to over 900 albums this year, it's impressive for these albums to have endured the influx of new music that hit My inbox every morning and made me want to hear them again and again. Yes, this is the culmination of all the other lists done up to this point for other blogs and was refined down to this master list of all genres.; So here ya go...

10- Weston Super Maim- "See You Tomorrow Baby"

This band is out to crush you with their industrial-strength metal, possessed by chaotic outbursts of jarring mathematics like a grind-core version of Meshuggah. This album proves you can go to the extremes of heaviness while still having a huge sound. At times electronic sounds enter the fray. Impressive guitar work does not hinder the sheer weight this album hits you with while writing memorable songs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/08/weston-super-maim-see-you-tomorrow-baby.html

 

 

 

9-O Zorn !- "Vermillion Haze" 

On the darker side of 90s grunge reviving, these guys kept the anthemic slant minimal, and instead cut themselves and allowed the songs to bleed from it. It is heavy with mood rather than hammering at you. This album took me by surprise and exceeded any hopes I had for it, It grew on me more than any other album becoming a staple of my weekly listening due to the honest melancholy that seeps from its pores. If you like grunge, but not the kind for jocks then this will be up your alley. Really can not sing its praises enough. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/o-zorn-vermillion-haze.html

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8-200 Stab Wounds - "Manual Manic Procedures" 

. Less than a year after the previous release, the guys have worked hard to perfect their craft, as this is more nuanced and dynamic songwriting. My only complaint about the first album was that it was so straightforward that there was little to separate it from veterans like Cannibal Corpses. Now they are really bringing it hard this time around. They give the oppressive pounding. Plenty of syncopated punches and little nuances make it clear that this operation is meticulous. Perfect blend of creepy melodic parts, and aggressive hooky riffs. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/death-is-june-200-stab-wounds-manual.html

 

             

7-DEHD - "Poetry" 

Over the years this band continued to grow on me until with this album everything clicked into pace. Their finely tuned garage pop is hookier than most pop on the radio. Some of the songs feel like long-lost classics from the early days of California garage rock, despite this band not being from California. At times this finds Beach Boys sounds colliding with the Velvet Underground. The hooks kept me listening which secured them at the top spot. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/dehd-poetry.html

  

6-Snow Strippers -"Night Killaz 2" 

Producer Graham Perez, and singer Tatiana Schwaninger. have totally killed it here, sonically it's almost like a cross between Charli XCX and Grimes, but on old-school techno drugs. This glitched-out more experimental take on electronica finds the emphasis is on the beats and soundscapes being woven here. Tatiana is not the greatest singer, but the secret to this album lies in how her voice is presented. She has her own charisma in her persona. An infectious listen that got as much playtime as faves like the Cure and Taylor Swift. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/snow-strippers-night-killaz-vol-2.html

 

 

5-Sleepytime Gorilla Museum - "Of the Last Human Being" 

When I place one of my favorite bands on the pedestal of what other bands should aspire to, said band must then meet these exalted expectations. If they are one of the best bands I have ever seen live then expectations are even higher. If they are coming back 17 years later, after you lived thinking their last album was the final chapter, then you can only hope for the best album ever. Sleepytime Gorilla Museum reopened in an attempt to make their best album yet. 2007's "In Glorious Times" is a perfect album, so they were wise not to take it head on but in a more mature step forward, emphasizing more of the chamber music side, while employing all the creepy dissonance they are known for. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/sleepytime-gorilla-museum-of-last-human.html

 

 

4- Crippling Alcoholism - "With Love From a Padded Room" 

This band beautifully captures a darkly honest misery. The singer's raspy voice makes you imagine what it might sound like if Tom Waits fronted Interpol. It took the top spot because the songs are uniquely engaging and this album can be played countless times without getting tired of it. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/crippling-alcoholism-with-love-from.html

 

3-Taylor Swift - "The Tortured Poets Department" 

She managed to beat Crippling Alcoholism, based on this album just being marginally more dynamic and a little hookier, as lyrically the two albums were neck and neck.  There is a reason she has a fantastical cult of fans. If we weigh her other albums again this one there might be more debate, but that is where she is as an artist, Swift only has her own work to measure things against. I think this is at least as strong as her more recent work.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html

2-Glassing-"From the Other Side of the Mirror" 

 This band has a history of ruling, and it's not stopping. This album was darker and more melodic, giving me more of what I wanted from them. At times, the screamed vocals offset what might otherwise be creepy bass-driven shoegaze. They get feral and deface your eardrums with their tangible sense of anguish. Though none of this is contrived or thought out from a marketing perspective by a record label this is just where they are, perhaps even angrier than the previous album though there is a wide range of emotional colors being used here making them the best metal album of the year with the inner apocalypse they project outwardly. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/glassing-from-other-side-of-mirror.html

 

 

1-The Cure - "Songs Of a Lost World" 

It's no secret these guys are one of my favorite bands, but that means my expectations were higher. While Smith and friends claiming the top spot will not be a surprise to regular readers or people who know me, they earned this one.  This album sounds like they picked up where they left off on "Wish". Amazingly, they are still inspired to create something so perfect 14 albums later. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-cure-songs-of-lost-world.html

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The Top 10 Pop Albums of 2024

Pop does not have to be a bad word. Sadly the music industry takes it down a deeper hole of vapid capitalism, by pumping out products rather than music with anything to say.  Unlike their more mainstream counterparts, these albums were not rolled from the same assembly line and did not need the teams of songwriters and producers to create for them, they generally did this themselves.  Here are albums that stand shoulder to shoulder with other genres, proving pop does not have to be trash, despite being that more often than not these days. 

 After I sort through the top 10 albums of all the respective genres, I use those lists to compile the top 10 albums of the year for 2024. The very fact these bands made it on the list speaks to how great these albums are, so it's not a slight that the number 8 album is above the 9th album, there is something that just gives it an edge that makes me want to listen to it more. After all, we can try to look cool and pick the hippest bands for a list, but at the end of the day what makes an album the best is that it makes you want more, you look forward to listening to it again. Perhaps you can find your next favorite on this list; and have included links to reviews of these albums if you want to check out the audio on these guys. Anyway here are the top 10 Pop albums of 2024.

10- Little Hag -"Not That's What I Call Little Hag" 

Clever indie pop occupies a needed void in this kind of pop music. She sings about her vibrator, and adds quirky touches of actual instruments, more larger artists need to take notes from here.  

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/little-hag-now-thats-what-i-call-little.html

9-Lauren Mayberry - "Vicious Creature" 

Here first solo album might not be on the level of  Chvrches but does allow you to hear some different sides of her, though her vocal approach is not wildly different. Solid song diverted my thoughts from obsessing about the fact this could have been studio time invested in a new album from her band, but she seems pretty earnest in her efforts here.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/12/lauren-mayberry-vicious-creature.html

 

8-Eminem -" The Death of  Slim Shady"  

The opening track to Marshall Mathers' 12th album is a minute and a half, making it more of an intro to remind you who he is without having to knock on your TV set. This album might be s better than most pop music on the radio these days, even if it's not his best album. I am glad he did not censor himself and went for it on this one, which is actually this album's strength. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/07/eminem-death-of-slim-shady.html

 

7-Allie X - "Girl With No Face" 

She has always created a more thoughtful take on pop music, however, once she thinks too deeply into things the more she drifts in a dark wave direction. The 80s hint of it can certainly be heard on this album. This album is pretty infectious and another act that proves you do not have to have a whole team of songwriters and producers to make pop music.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/allie-x-girl-with-no-face.html

6-Denzel Curry -" The King of the Mischievous South" 

When it comes to Hip-hop this year there seems to be a Bone Thugs N Harmony theme when it comes to what is resonating with me. . While the phrase of lyrics being spat here, does share a similar cadence to Bone, there is more of a trap feel than what $uicide Boy$ were doing,.This much like their Louisiana peers, care about songwriting, and there is a darker vibe to what they are doing. For me to download a hip-hop album these days they have to be doing something right and care about writing songs, even if it is only to gain the kind of clout they rap about

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/denzel-curry-king-of-mischievous-south.html

5-Poppy- "Negative Spaces" 

I think Poppy is pretty sincere in what she does, but she also blurs the lines in what she does. This album is not "Suffocate". This album has nothing to do with Knocked Loose. Just because there is a distorted guitar on some songs does not mean this is not a pop album. It's a little over-produced and relies on her charisma, but it's fun which is what pop should be. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/11/poppy-negative-spaces.html

4 -Mothica -"Kissing Death" 

The third album by this dark pop singer finds a mix of post-millennial dark-wave sounds with thoughtful hooks in a concept album theme of romancing the death as personified as the Grim Reaper. As someone who has a worshipful adoration of death myself, I can appreciate this, as well as an artist who steers clear of the normal pop tropes.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/09/mothica-kissing-death.html

3-$uicide Boy$ - "New World Depression" 

Since Hip-hop does not have its own list just know this was the best hip-hop album of the year by a long shot. This is the fourth album by the New Orleans-based duo. The production value of their albums continues to improve, now finding the raw lo-fi quality that marked their early days as the first wave of Soundcloud rappers gone and it's not unlike when Bone Thugs N Harmony was at their peak in the 90s.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/uicideboy-new-world-depression.html

 2-Charli XCX -"BRAT" 

If you strip away the cultural marketing tactics that put her in the spotlight this year, she already has released an album of Strong Bangers, but she was not letting it just be a great album. It's the nature of the beast she is in the belly of, but that aside, these songs bump seriously, and I have been a fan of hers for some time now, so glad to see she is getting the recognition she deserves. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/charli-xcx-brat.html

1-Taylor Swift - "The Tortured Poets Department" 

She had pretty decent competition, but at the end of the day, it's her songwriting and lyrical ability that continues to dominate pop music. There is a reason she has a fantastical cult of fans. If we weigh her other albums again this one there might be more debate, but that is where she is as an artist, Swift only has her own work to measure things against. I think this is at least as strong as her more recent work, which is enough to put her over the artists like Charli XCX, who made a great album by pop standards, Swift is just head and shoulders above those standards, as she is not as much of a product. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html

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The Top 10 Pop Albums of 2024 ...so far

That time of year again. These lists serve as a decent snapshot of where the year is heading in terms of music. I have already received promos for albums dropping as far out as August in my inbox, so they are really going to need to bring it to compete with the top five albums on this list. When it comes to pop what you are not going to see much of are big mainstream radio artists that are part of the music industry machine that spits bullshit out on an assembly line with two dozen producers and even more songwriters making a product for the sheep to consume. Only two artists on this list come from that machine and both have risen above it, unlike the bulk of their peers. 

What I want from my pop is catchy songs that have actual instruments being played, rather than just empty calories being pumped into my ears. My people refer to this sort of thing as their guilty pleasures, and I do not use that term as anyone on this list is better than vapid shit kids on Tik Tok are dancing to. Hip Hop has pretty much been garbage this year, so don't hold your breath for much of that to appear, there are links to full reviews if you want to check these out and with all that said here are the top 10 pop albums of 2024 so far. 

10-Nadine Shah -"Filthy Underneath" 

Shah's voice her voice still sounds great and overall everything typically works certainly better than most of the pop music on the radio, this is comparable to her other albums.  

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/nadine-shah-filthy-underneath.html

9-St. Vincent - "All Born Screaming" 

You never know what to expect from her,  Clark who produced this album herself calls it post-plague pop. That makes more sense than not. Not her hookiest album, but it does have something to say and covers a great deal of stylistic ground while staying true to a theme. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/st-vincent-all-born-screaming.html

8-$uicideboy$ : "New World Depression" 

This is the fourth album by the New Orleans-based duo. The production value of their albums continues to improve, now finding the raw lo-fi quality that marked their early days as the first wave of Soundcloud rappers gone and it's not unlike when Bone Thugs N Harmony was at their peak in the 90s.I am happy to hear a hip-hop album with this mood and mindset coming out it's a relief. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/uicideboy-new-world-depression.html

7-Allie X - "Girl With No Face" 

She has always created a more thoughtful take on pop music, however, once she thinks too deeply into things the more she drifts in a dark wave direction. This hint of the  80s can be heard throughout the album, as the 38-year-old singer continues to stay on brand even when it glides into more of a slick pop groove .

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/02/allie-x-girl-with-no-face.html

 

6-Faye Webster- "Underdressed at the Symphony" 

In the 70s there was a genre called adult contemporary. It was the kind of organic loungy music that was not the bubble gum of pop but found artists in the middle of country and jazz. There was none of the country twang, nor the complex excursions in jamming that jazz ventures off into. More produced than folk, but many former folk artists would cross over into this for radio play. Mellow is certainly a fitting word to describe it.

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/03/faye-webster-underdressed-at-symphony.html

5-Snow Strippers - "Night Killaz Vol 2" 

This duo is the epitome of the Soundcloud generation, they are more experimental than your average pop album. It crosses over into electronica more often than not since the emphasis is on the beats and soundscapes being woven here. Tatiana is not the greatest singer, but the secret to this album lies in how her voice is presented. She works more off the charisma of her persona. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/snow-strippers-night-killaz-vol-2.html

 

4-Middle Kids-"Faith Crisis" 

This Australian band is moving in a poppier direction, which is still effective as they are writing pop songs with a great deal of heart and thought invested in them. Unlike most actual pop artists, they do not have a team of producers and songwriters but hash things out as a band, with the guitar still at the forefront of what they are doing, though the sugar-coated vocals of Hannah Joy are pushed further into the spotlight.

 https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/01/middle-kids-faith-crisis.html

 3-DEHD - "Poetry" 

This album continued to grow on me thanks to infectious songs like "Mood Ring". The poppy indie rock jangle grooves better than most pop on the radio in 2024.  It feels like the days of  California punk

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/05/dehd-poetry.html

2- Charli XCX- "Brat" 

On her 6th album, there are 12 co-writers on 15 tracks and only 4 additional producers, which means she is doing better than the bulk of artists on the radio, though she falls on the more fringe side of pop, with only one foot on the mainstream despite having shared the bill on some high profile tours. This album is so good, that it had me wrestling with whether this should take the number one spot, as it has more infectious energy than the more reflective album that took the number one spot, the only thing holding her back is the fact she uses her voice to form a relentless stream of club hooks but does not have the depth to her vocal lines here that can be heard on the number one album, but this is a ton of fun, and who knows by the time I make my end of the year spot it might mange to knock the queen from her throne. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/06/charli-xcx-brat.html

1- Taylor Swift - "Dead Poets Department" 

While other pop artists have to grab your attention by putting on cowboy cats or trying on new personas their record labels want to convince you are breaking new ground, Taylor Swift has less to prove and is content just being herself. She captured the top spot despite artists like Charli XCX  delivering some of their best work, because at this point even when Swift comes closer to dialing it in she writes with more sonic breadth, and lyrical depth than what other artists are doing on their best day. 

https://abysmalhymns.blogspot.com/2024/04/taylor-swift-tortured-poets-department.html

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