Staff Picks for December 2024

After the Monkees proved to the world (and themselves) they could make a strong album while playing their own instruments with 1967's Headquarters, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. (released the same year) combined their confident musical imagination and some top-shelf studio musicians and a batch of superb songs (including "Pleasant Valley Sunday," "Words," "Cuddly Toy," and "The Door Into Summer"). The result? The Monkees' best and most satisfying album, among the best pop LPs of the 1960s.
- Mark Deming

A-1-A, released 50 years ago this month, may be Buffett's most autobiographical album, as he sings about making music on his own terms in the opening up-tempo "Makin' Music for Money" and tells stories of his idyllic childhood in "Life Is Just a Tire Swing." As with most of Buffett's work, his stories convey the importance of enjoying life, living free, and doing as you please. This is one of Jimmy Buffett's classic '70s albums that established his persona, and it is a perfect introduction to his music.
- Vik Iyengar

Holidaydream: Sounds of the Holidays, Vol. 1 The Polyphonic Spree During this time of the year, holiday music is an unavoidable fact of life, but The Polyphonic Spree are here to let you take your musical destiny into your own hands with an album of psychedelic Christmas songs that'll satisfy your prerequisites for cheesy holiday standards while being freaked out enough that you'll hardly notice that you're listening to "Let it Snow" for the millionth time.
- Gregory Heaney

Welcome in the season with Laufey's latest EP. Bursting with the whimsical allure of the holiday season, Laufey's woody, rich alto adds the perfect nuance to her takes on the classic Christmas songs "The Christmas Waltz" and "Love to Keep Me Warm." Vibrant, warm strings and thrumming guitar infuse songs with a gentle sway, while warbling, wandering piano sets a soft, refreshing tone. Even amidst a season fraught with singles from numerous other accomplished artists, this Christmas collection twinkles brightly, glowing with a special warmth and heart Laufey captures wonderfully.
- Bryndís Davis

Upon its arrival, one of things that made this film feel markedly different from the slew of other popular films with comic-book origins was its simmering, relatively minimalist score. While she relied primarily on the traditional orchestral instrumentation of John Williams, Danny Elfman, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Icelander's take was more intimate and internal. In fact, most of the time, a whole 90-piece orchestra is performing the score, but it was mixed to push many components into the background -- often to the point of being inaudible, something she referred to as a ghostly presence within the recording.
- Marcy Donelson

The co-founders of the dB's reunited eight years after Chris Stamey left the group to cut a low-key duo LP. Dominated by acoustic instruments, Mavericks was quieter and more thoughtful than the dB's edgy pop, the work of two older and wiser men who still wrote great songs (and chose inspired covers), harmonized with grace and precision, and even threw in some sardonic wit on "I Want To Break Your Heart." A modest masterpiece.
- Mark Deming

Though it's DMX's third album in two years, ...And Then There Was X, released 25 years ago today, doesn't show much sign of burnout. And the productions by Swizz Beats, P. Killer Trackz, and Shok -- all part of Ruff Ryders -- are heavily synthesized and occasionally melodramatic, just like both of his previous albums.
- John Bush

Big beat is probably due for a revival by now (sure, why not?), and the first Fatboy Slim album still holds up as one of the style's best records. Owing a bit more to Utah Saints and (obviously) the Chemical Brothers than his later efforts, the former Housemartin perfected his cheeky, build-and-build formula with tracks like "Going Out of My Head" and "Everybody Needs a 303." Major bonus points for basing one of the album's hardest songs around samples from Negativland's "Michael Jackson."
- Paul Simpson

Dark, throaty vocals overlay distorted waves of guitar and a driving drumline in Sir Chloe's breakout album. Packed with threads of edgy punk and wailing pop, the album weaves romance and sorrow into a gut-wrenching punch of emotion with incredibly catchy tracks, embodied in "Salivate" and "Know Better." Grimy, screeching riffs and the explosive chorus of "Should I" perhaps best encapsulate this album's themes, serving as a proper introduction to this artist's growling, erratic world
- Bryndís Davis

While Detroit's garage rock scene had the spotlight as the '90s bled into the 2000s, Outrageous Cherry was creating some of the city's best songs in more of a psychedelic bubblegum pop style. Their 1999 album Out There In The Dark is perhaps their finest hour, with unshakable melodies, vintage production, and a lifetime supply of reverb all swirling into a cracked masterpiece.
- Fred Thomas

The 20-year anniversaries keep coming, this time with the Killers debut. A perfect record back to front, this set features their most enduring hit ("Mr. Brightside") but also a collection of dark, new wave/post-punk revival highlights from this angular-groove era, the likes of which would not be heard again in their ever-evolving catalog. Before the Springsteen influence really kicked in, there was "Jenny," "Andy," and "Natalie," as well as the frantic "Midnight Show." You know the big singles already, but it's the gems in between that really make this timeless.
- Neil Z. Yeung

A compilation of singles and b-sides, Japanese Whispers marked a deviation into dreamy, almost eclectic electro-pop. Maintaining their signature dark atmosphere, the tracks follow Robert Smith and Lol Tolhurst as a synth-pop duo, delving into an odd niche of upbeat musicianship, the most notable singles including "Let's Go to Bed," "The Walk," and of course, "The Lovecats."
- Bryndís Davis

A little less chaotic than its predecessor, the third album from this Norwegian noise pop supergroup revels in its mesh of swimmy effects, melodicism, and crunchy hooks. Trippy album highlight "Interlopers" features beats that skitter, guitars that shimmer, and hummable lead vocals shared by Stereo 21's Richard Mykleburst and the Low Frequency in Stereo's Linn Frøkedal. With production by Jørgen Træen (Jaga Jazzist, Datarock), the album went on to win a Spelleman Award (Norway's Grammys) for best in the indie category.
- Marcy Donelson

Released 50 years ago today, most of the nine tracks on So What feature solos of unquestionable quality in his usual style. The classic rock genre that the man so well defined with his earlier albums is present here throughout, and it is pulled off with the usual unparalleled Joe Walsh ability.
- Ben Davies

Though still raw in nature, Cohen's fourth album introduces a more robust production style, denser arrangements and a greater focus on his singing. It's also home to some of his best songs including "Who By Fire" and "Chelsea Hotel No. 2."
- Timothy Monger

This 1977 album from Japanese soft rock/city pop artist Hiroshi Sato is a compact party, sometimes sentimental, sometimes goofy, but always fun and just a little bit over the top. Sato tries on several hats over the course of the album, moving from Steely Dan-styled plastic pop perfection to quasi-Islander fare in a Jimmy Buffet vein, all of it propelled by tight percussion and wiggly analog synth sounds.
- Fred Thomas

A hidden gem of Astralwerks' '90s catalogue, Daum Bentley's continuously sequenced second album is a dark, dystopian electro-techno suite which clearly must have been too strange for fans of the label's other, more commercially successful acts at the time. Listening now, it sounds closer to the gritty, industrial-influenced side of Detroit techno than anything that received airplay on MTV's late-night electronica showcase AMP. One track on here contains an uncredited spoken appearance by Curve's Toni Halliday, who sang on Freaky Chakra's more hippie-ish 1995 debut.
- Paul Simpson

The Marías sophomore album Submarine marks their rise in popular culture, maturing their jazzy, psychedelic sound with deep themes of isolation and heartache. Funky basslines punctuate Zadoya's ethereal vocals, the album's waves of jazzed guitar and sonic blends reminiscent of an underwater world. Tracks like the melancholy "Sienna" and alluring "Ay No Puedo" pull listeners in, enveloping them in the group's unique blend of alternative dream pop.
- Bryndís Davis

Brights Lights may be their definitive release, but Antics could be Interpol at its most perfect. Building upon their shadowy, dramatic debut, this sophomore set ups the ante with perfectly crafted songs, better choruses, and a laser-focused intent. Beyond mainstream hits "Evil" and "Slow Hands," aching highlights "Narc" and "Take You on a Cruise" are two of the most beautiful songs they ever wrote, while "C'mere" and "Length of Love" groove and sway in ways that they've yet to recapture. Happy 20th birthday to a classic.
- Neil Z. Yeung

The self-sufficient X Clan should've made a bigger splash one the group's debut album, but name-dropping Nat Turner and Marcus Garvey and dressing in red, black, and green instead of black and silver didn't exactly lend itself to marketability in 1990, but there's no evidence to the contrary that this Afrocentric group released one of the best rap records that year — which is saying a great deal. X Clan relentlessly pushes its pro-black motives and beliefs, and though the points are vague at times, at no point does it ever grow tiring. This isn't just a testament to the skills of the MCs — it also stands as a testament to the group members as producers.
- Andy Kellman

Although comparisons to Neneh Cherry are inevitable, she does carve out a niche for herself, armed with undeniable talent. Kaleidoscope, released 25 years ago today, starts out strongly enough with standouts such as "Caught out There," "Get Along with You," and "In the Morning."
- Jaime Sunao Ikeda

Bright pops of color and nostalgic 70s psychedelia coat an album fraught with striking bass lines and splashes of electro-pop. Frankie Cosmos pushes and pulls, lulling listeners into a soft lo-fi vibe that swells and molds with waves of emotion and introspection. Don't let the group's whispering lyrics fool you—songs like "Aftershock" and "Empty Head" pack punches you won't forget.
- Bryndís Davis

Texas had a surprisingly fertile music scene at the dawn of the psychedelic era, and some of the Lone Star State's wildest music was documented by International Artists Records. Lelan Rogers (Kenny's brother) produced some of the label's most visionary artists, and he assembled this compilation that features rare gems and total obscurities from the AI vaults, including the Red Krayola, the 13th Floor Elevators, and Thursday's Children.
- Mark Deming

Top ten stars in the United Kingdom and respectable indie footnote holders in the States, the Housemartins had a mix of Smiths-esque melodic delivery, Motown fixation akin to the Jam or the Style Council, and just a hint of sophistipop tenderness by the time of their second and final outing, 1987's The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death. Not every song is essential, but the highlights are energetic, fun, and in many cases better than better-remembered acts of the band's era.
- Fred Thomas

It feels like just yesterday that this young pop-punk upstart crashed the boy's club with "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi" from her excellent debut. This sophomore follow-up, which turned 20 (!!!) this year, dug deeper into Lavigne's darker, more tormented side, resulting in her "realest" expression from her peak period. Angry and angsty, it matured her catalog with heartbreaking drama ("Nobody's Home" and "Slipped Away") and scuffed up her sound with some heavier riffs (as on the Evanescence-lite "Forgotten").
- Neil Z. Yeung

The second and final album from New York's Love Child sounded almost nothing like the quirky, short-attention-span indie rock of their debut. Instead, they went for a more focused noise pop sound, sometimes bordering on shoegaze, and with some truly searing guitar work. Imagine Beat Happening somehow turning into Th' Faith Healers on their second album and you have this. An anthology of the band's work recently came out on 12XU, and the group's catalog is available digitally.
- Paul Simpson

After his consequential firing from the Clash, Mick Jones one-upped his former partner Joe Strummer with 1985's pioneering This is Big Audio Dynamite. After making amends, Jones invited Strummer to co-produce the band's follow-up. While No. 10, Upping St. doesn't quite hit the same highs as their debut, it has some fantastic songs and is notable for reuniting one of rock's most potent duos for what would be the last time on record.
- Timothy Monger