What a year. From “Brat Summer” to Kendrick Lamar’s utter dominance of October’s very own, we were nothing if not entertained by it all. There wasn’t a dull moment at the Moose, either; we added almost 150 different albums to our rotation, providing listeners like you with countless hours of fresh, indie, and most importantly, new music with our New Music Pioneers. As the year winds to a close, we voted amongst ourselves to bring you our official nominations for our best of the best. Before 2025, we present to you our Top 25 Albums of the Year for 2024.
25. Final Summer by Cloud Nothings
With their latest release Final Summer, Cloud Nothings continues their tradition of making albums that sound nothing like Cloud Nothings. Unlike some of their earlier work, this record seems to have had a budget of more than $20, and the album makes good use of this while still retaining some hint of indie roughness. Final Summer feels like the end of a long winter (maybe purposefully coinciding with an April release), full of hope and promise of what is to come. Tracks like the title track and “Daggers of Light” promise leaves on trees, a warm breeze before rain, and all the other vestments of April and May that Morgantown needs during our bleak winters. – James Paci, New Music Pioneer
24. Feeling Not Found by Origami Angel
Washington, D.C. duo Origami Angel’s latest album “Feeling Not Found” is a testament to their ability to make complex and heavy songs that are still listenable. The band continues their signature dichotomy of segmenting their songs into crazy heavy metal parts and fun, sing-along pop parts, especially prominent on “Dirty Mirror Selfie.” Though “Feeling Not Found” lacks some of the math-rock complexity of previous albums, there’s still plenty of it to be found on tracks like “AP Revisionist History.” The title track “Feeling Not Found” is by far the most anthemic, with wonderfully hopeful lyrics and a poppy guitar solo at the end. Origami Angel crafted an emo album that’s complex and heavy yet still accessible and a joy to listen to. – James Paci, New Music Pioneer
23. For the Rest of Your Life by Twikipedia…