List

2024 Staff Picks: Music

By Skokie Staff Advisory Services

Our expert staff members look back at the year and share their favorite titles.

  • Brat

    2024 by Charli XCX

    Brat summer may be over, but I still can’t stop listening to this album. Its infamously cool façade is complicated by a vulnerable lyricism, making it the perfect listen in the club or alone in your room. And when you just need more of Brat, there’s an extended version and entirely new remix album waiting for you to stream on Hoopla. Suggested by Lill.

    Get this item

  • Mestizx

    2024 by Ferragutti, Ibelisse Guardia

    Gleefully embracing their Bolivian, Brazilian, and Puerto Rican roots, married duo Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly create lively, varied rhythm beds accompanied by a stirring variety of instrumentation and occasional vocals. We especially love how this album's foundation in improvisatory jazz rounded is rounded off by electronic and post-rock embellishments. Suggested by Adam and Chris.

    Get this item

  • What Now

    2024 by Howard, Brittany

    We’ve been a fan of Brittany Howard since her Alabama Shakes days and always look forward to anything new by her. We love her voice, power, and creative turns. Put this one on repeat. Suggested by Chris and Sharon.

    Get this item

  • What a Devastating Turn of Events

    2024 by Chinouriri, Rachel

    I loved this album because it was such an emotional rollercoaster. I've never gravitated toward indie-pop, but the themes were relatable. I appreciated the fact that, despite many of the songs being very sad, the storytelling felt like a warm hug. Suggested by Amber I.

    Get this item

  • To All Trains

    2024 by Shellac (Musical group)

    Chicago-based recording engineer, musician, poker champion, cat lover, gourmand, and, most importantly, charity worker, Steve Albini, passed away suddenly earlier this year. In addition to the thousands of albums he engineered (including those by PJ Harvey, Nirvana, The Breeders, Robbie Fulks, etc.), his last band, Shellac, made some stunning records. While not intended to be their final album, this one is, sadly, that. It is as direct, brilliant, and thoughtful as all the rest. Suggested by Adam.

    Get this item

  • Deeper Well

    2024 by Musgraves, Kacey

    Country singer/songwriter Musgraves has no trouble pushing borders, blurring genres, and asking some big questions via her music. Very thoughtful, conversational, and also tender, we felt in a good place and appreciated her beautiful storytelling. Suggested by Chris and Sharon.

    Get this item

  • A La Sala

    2024 by Khruangbin (Musical group)

    We love the laid-back, less-is-more approach of the newest Khruangbin record. Their use of space really is brilliant, and you can hear each instrument shine. Suggested by Chris and Paul.

    Get this item

  • Resurrection

    2024 by Lonely Boys (1996- )

    Eleven years since their last album! It’s certainly a welcome return from the three Garza brothers. I grooved to all the songs, loving their blend of rock, blues, Latin, and country. Suggested by Sharon.

    Get this item

  • Light Verse

    2024 by Iron & Wine

    It’s easy to take Sam Beam for granted. As Iron & Wine, he’s been consistently releasing impeccably crafted downhome-acoustic sleepy jams for a couple decades now. This album continues Sam’s move toward a fuller, more widescreen sound. A string-swooning duet with Fiona Apple is one of the album's highlights for me. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • Night Reign

    2024 by Aftab, Arooj

    Pakistani singer and composer Arooj Aftab’s fourth album is acquainted with the night. It’s an album of soft palettes and delicate acoustics–-a gentle flow of harps, acoustic guitars, muted horns, hushed strings, brushed snares, and Arooj’s own magnificent voice. Gracefully stirring music. Suggested by Chris and Sharon.

    Get this item

  • Charm

    2024 by Clairo

    I love this album because of its strong songwriting, feathery vocals, and warm tones. I played this one front to back many times during the summer. Suggested by Paul.

    Get this item

  • Louis in London

    2024 by Armstrong, Louis

    A terrific and spirited late-career performance from Louis Armstrong and his band, recorded in 1968 in London at the BBC Studios. According to the liner notes, this was one of Louis’ favorite performances, one he returned to and made copies of for friends. It served as a source of strength and inspiration during his final months, when he longed to get the band back together. His signature pieces appear alongside deeper cuts, and the whole performance unfurls seamlessly. Suggested by Sharon.

    Get this item

  • Here in the Pitch

    2024 by Pratt, Jessica

    One of my favorite albums of the year, this deepens Jessica Pratt’s ethereal style while expanding it to include more 1960’s inspired retro-orchestral pop influences. It’s haunted by Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, bossa nova, wistful dream pop, Hollywood noir, and Jessica's own timeless vocals and minimal guitar strumming. A quiet, immersive classic. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • Only God Was Above Us

    2024 by Vampire Weekend (Musical group)

    I’ve always found Vampire Weekend to be sonically overstuffed, too busy, a touch manic. And yet, that excitability is also what makes them so compelling. This album has a baggy feel to it, loose and carefree and yet meticulous, too, with moments of sudden grandeur, like a tiny firework in your peripheral. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • All Born Screaming

    2024 by St. Vincent

    OK, I was surprised at how impressed and affected I was listening to St. Vincent’s latest. But then again, considering her seemingly boundless creativity, I should have known. Each track leaves you wanting to hear what she has next to offer. Suggested by Sharon.

    Get this item

  • Souvenirs

    2024 by Gebru, Emahoy Tsege Mariam

    Emahoy Tsege Mariam Gebru’s album is made up of a collection of archival piano home recordings made in Addis Ababa between 1977 and 1985 on a boombox. Posthumously released this year, these low-fidelity pieces, recorded during a time of political upheaval, have a homespun, melancholy feel, with circling arpeggios, hints of the blues and his own, plaintive vocals. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • Orquídeas

    2024 by Uchis, Kali

    Singing in both Spanish and English throughout, this beguiling album quietly shimmers as it inventively blends R&B, reggaeton, bolero, salsa and late night club sheen into a sonic landscape made for getting hips to ripple and feet to shuffle. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • Phasor

    2024 by Helado Negro (Musical group)

    I’ve always felt there was something charmingly diaphanous about Carlos Lange’s Helgado Negro project. The music is all gauzy texture, subtle organic grooves, and Carlos’s own soothing vocals. He describes the album as “9 songs about the mountain, the sky and echo,” and layers his spacious melodies with warmth and quiet contemplation. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • Daniel

    2024 by Real Estate (Musical group)

    Listening to Real Estate is always reliable, offering your ears premium jangle pop gems, with pristine guitar lines, propulsive drums, surprisingly thick bass lines and lead singer Martin Courtney’s yearning vocals. This album takes one small step away from the band’s golden hour suburban-modern melancholy sound and offers flourishes of tidy countrypolitan twang. I’m here for it. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • Sonido Cósmico

    2024 by Hermanos Gutiérrez (Musical Group)

    This collection of rootsy, reverb-drenched instrumentals made by the Ecuadorian-Swiss band Hermanos Gutiérrez snuck up on me. It’s unassuming, a little moody, with gorgeously played guitars drenched in wah-wah and backed by organs, synths, gentle percussion and real production depth. It tips its hat to cumbia, late-'60s western-inspired psychedelia and cosmic expanses. Suggested by Chris.

    Get this item

  • The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess

    2023 by Roan, Chappell

    I love this album because Roan Chappell's music highlights how it feels to be queer in your early 20s, navigating relationships and identity. Each song is totally unique and tells a story…but Pink Pony Club is my favorite! Suggested by Aubree.

    Get this item

  • Absolute Elsewhere

    2024 by Blood Incantation (Musical group)

    If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if Pink Floyd merged with a pummeling Death Metal band, Denver’s Blood Incantation is the answer. While not for everyone, this deeply ambitious album is a thrilling amalgamation of prog and metal threaded throughout with a heavy science fiction-based concept. The sidelong suites move between genres with ease, and the tempo shifts will surprise anew with each listen. "Absolute Elsewhere" is an affectionate throwback to the lost art of album craft. Suggested by Adam.

    Get this item