Tonnes of music released this year, blink and you’d have missed some good stuff. Alas, we all have to blink.. Fortunately for you i’ve done my best to keep my eyes and ears open as long as i physically could all year round, in order to provide you with this list of essentials to review below. At it's core these are just personal favourites of one man as this is indeed a one man shop, there has been no roundtable discussion. I have tried to account for some that proved popular in store and online though to reflect the wider SBT collective taste..

Picking a top 20 is tricky, ranking them is a headache, but I have tried to do that this year, a 1 to 20, or 20 to 1 as it will read. Enjoy, I await and welcome all slander for inevitable omissions and blunders.

 20: Sunstack Jones - Luminous Hands (AV8 Records)

'Scraped into the top 20' wouldn't quite be the appropriate thing to say, but if feels that way due to me finding out about these a bit last minute, one that i don't think even got a shout on the newsletter at the time. Much respect to shop regular Chris for requesting this one be stocked at the shop. They've been around a little while now with this their 5th album, but this is my first encounter. How are more people talking about these? A really great scouse band, you'd think the music press would be swooning. Solid start to finish, jangly, psych, borderline shoegaze moments, catchy choruses, a gem. 'Upstream' then 'Dear Lord', followed by 'Useless Saying' in the middle of the album was a highlight for me, really good. 

19: Hawksmoor - Oneironautics (Soul Jazz Records)

Really popular amongst the regulars this one. It can be hard to give an honourable nod to influences without the resulting music sounding too much like a tribute or cheap copy, but this record succeeds in taking the best bits from the 70s/80's German electronic groups to fuse with sounds closer to home from Eno, Fripp and Durutti Column.

18: Bill Ryder-Jones - Iechyd Da (Domino)

This felt like a big break through for Bill Ryder-Jones. He's obviously not an unknown with The Coral involvement, but on the solo side it's seemed like a gradual build up until this album, where it was immediately warmly received all across the board. From what I read 'Iechyd Da' is Welsh for 'good health', a toast, the album does have that kind of feel, the understated celebration of a man at the top of his game.

17: Caoilfhionn Rose - Constellation (Gondwana Records)

Number 17, you know its competitive when this record is down at number 17, I really loved this one. Manchester native Caoilfhionn (pronounced Keelin i think) Rose's 3rd album is one that needs people to shout about it, as it probably won't itself. Understated and assured with an array of soothing layers wrapped around the tracks throughout, they provide the perfect blanket for a voice that would cure any hangover. Track 'Simple' is the stand out for me, that piano sound is brilliant.

16: Sababa 5 & Yurika - Kokoro (Batov Records) 

5 records in and we finally have our first record from other shores. This one is a meeting of groovy middle eastern instrumentals and japanese vocals that sound soundtrack ready for the best film we haven't seen yet. Love the backstory on this one, Yurika isn't even a singer (in professional terms), she's a belly dancer from Japan that by chance Sababa 5 bumped into in Tel Aviv, they jokingly suggested she'd be a great singer for the band - and what do you know she is. It is music that is well suited to belly dancing, not that i've tried....!

15: Lime Garden - One More Thing (So Young Records)

15 on the album list with this debut from the all female Brighton band, but their gig in Manchester was comfortably in my top 5 - see them if you get the chance, they were so good that I bought the socks they were selling at their merch table. Onto the music.. This is a fun album. They already had a great set of singles behind them before this release which they haven't included on here, but why bother with this fresh crop up their collective sleeve. They sound like if Julian Casablancas and Peaches had daughters, maybe the first successful musical children born of 2000's influence.

 14: Dina Ogon - Orion (Playground Music)

Last years top dogs fall outside of the top 10, but it's still good. My favourites, my dearest Swedes, the best band in all of Scand.... There are less 'out there' moments on this one compared to say their debut that was un-genre-able, flicking between an eclectic mix of influence from Turkish psych and funk, to hip hop artists such as Erik B and Rakim, then Fleetwood Mac also to name a few. This one is a lot more rooted in soul and pop. You still get tracks like 'Glitter' where the beat prevails, but tracks such as the opener 'Jag vill ha allt' see them set the scene for a smoother ride.

13: The Lemon Twigs - A Dream Is All We Know (Captured Tracks)

My Golden Years, what an opening track, you can't not be hooked, and these guys have hooks for days. They went back to the seventies and found the secret ingredient. Kings of the harmony blending the best sounds of bands like The Beach Boys, and some Harry Nilsson for good measure, i'm not saying anything that hasn't already said a million times about them, but they do indeed do nostalgia right.

12: Jessica Pratt - Here In The Pitch (City Slang)

Pratt is back. This was her first in five years and was a fine return. Wary of saying this record is a 'fuller sound' compared to her previous records, as there is still so much space, but opening track 'Life Is' is a stunner and introduces us to a new setting for her vocals accompanied by a catchy bit of drums, very reminiscent of a beach boys/ glen miller collab... (linked) . With such a distinct voice, this is what often comes to the forefront as the main attraction, and rightly so, but this latest album shows how much there is still to sonically explore in the spaces between.

11: Angelo Outlaw - Axis Of Time (Eraserhood Sound)

For those familiar with the monthly pop up the shop does at The Snug, this is definitely a Snug Selectors essential, had many a spin. Angelo Outlaw is a Philadelphia based mallet percussionist who has treated us to a gem of record blending the grooviest funk, soul, and r&b sounds. Shades of Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd, and many other favourites. 

10: Fontaines DC - Romance (XL Recordings)

Will be lots of you asking what that zero is doing next to the one i think.. It's good, but it's not number 1 good - don't shoot me yet it's still made the top 10. Track  'Starbuster' in particular sees them stride forward with their sound just when at the 4th album mark you may have asked where could they go from here, it is arguably the single of the year. I hate to say 'arena ready' but i have to say 'arena ready', this is the album where they have proved beyond doubt they are unrivalled in that sense. 

9: Amyl & The Sniffers - Cartoon Darkness (Rough Trade)

The australian punk scene seems abundant at the moment, but Amyl & The Sniffers have have transcended this. There's not a more iconic front woman in the world right now than Amy Taylor, and this band carry on making hits. 'Jerkin' and 'U Should Not Be Doing That' show the rawness isn't going anywhere, it just keeps getting refined into better and better songs, though on this album there are some changes of paces with tracks like 'Big Dreams'.

8: Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future (4AD)

Adrianne Lenker is a song machine, an endless fountain of words. I hope for our sake her inspiration never wavers. Just her and the guitar getting right to the source of it all. She's Nick Drake level, her catalogue was already astounding, but tracks off this album such as 'Sadness As A Gift' prove once again she is one of this generations best.

7: Fabiano Do Nascimento & Sam Gendel - The Room (Real World Records)

Fabiano.. love the guy, can't make a bad record, but on this collaboration with Sam Gendel, the bar is set even higher. Guitar and saxophone in harmony. It feels like music that could have already existed for a very long time. Just give it a listen.

 6: Jasmine Myra - Rising (Gondwana Records)

6th on the list, but potentially my most played record of the year, great one to have on both in the background and for a considered listen. An assured follow up to the saxophonists 2022 debut 'Horizons'. The natural tag is spiritual jazz, though it's interesting that she has said the genre isn't really a conscious influence or something she listens to much. All apart from one track is over 6 minutes, it's like a collection of short stories to make one big movie. Really rewarding listen.

 5: Nala Sinephro - Endlessness (Warp Records)

Endlessness is an album you could leave on your turntable forever, pretty appropriate given the title. A 45 minute ultra cosmic / zen jazz odyssey, essential listening that should be prescribed to anyone needing a bit of a mental cleanse. At 28 years old Nala Sinephro has the world, and cosmos, at her feet.

4: Charli XCX - BRAT (Atlantic)

The album that claimed summer for itself. This is a great pop album, an already iconic album. Maybe a curveball amongst the other selections on this SBT list and those of the past, but this is pop pushing forward, and it is undeniably massive.. One of the best sellers here this year. There seems to be less big 'cultural moments' now as we all tuck in to our personalised playlists and algorithms, but this album has been quoted in all corners of culture, and it has found its way there through - catchy songs. More than any other genre (arguably), pop can be consumed by marketing, pushed down our throats, but this album came with a simple and bold presentation knowing that the songs were enough.

3: Geordie Greep - The New Sound (Rough Trade)

The truest individual on this list, the inimitable Geordie Greep. This record could have been absent of music and it would have ranked highly, he could have just read out his lyrics, they are insane (ly good), but why it ranks on the podium at bronze medal position this year is because it hits that sweet spot ultimate combo of both immense lyrics AND music. The obvious thing to reference back to will be 'if you like Zappa / if you like Fripp' etc, but this doesn't need any of that sign posting, it is 'The New Sound'. Recorded between London and Brazil with the help of some of the finest studio musicians Greep could get his hands on, it lives up to the title as he departs Black Midi and sets the scene for what hopefully looks like an exciting run of solo releases ahead. 

2: Thee Marloes - Perak (Big Crown Records)

Thee's damn Marloes.... What an album. Solid soul from Indonesia. An album that maybe has no interest in being this high up the list, but it just had to be. So so good. Having been drip feeding us with singles since 2020, they finally blessed us with their debut album back in August. Solid start to finish, seamlessly switching between Indonesian and English vocal tracks, this is a sweet listen that sounds like Sunday afternoon in a bottle, something I would drink regularly if I could, fortunately we have it in record form.

1: Mabe Fratti - Sentir Que No Sabes (Unheard Of Hope)

SBT album of the year 2024, the ultimate accolade… I got progressively more and more into this since its release, Mabe Fratti is great. What stands out to me most about her is the versatility, she can make the most tranquil relaxing sounds, but can then completely turn something on it's head to something ultra abrasive, she can live at either end of the spectrum. It is indeed 'avant garde' and 'experimental' in places, there are more than a few moments of tension on the record, but that doesn't mean it is inaccessible, there is plenty of melody provided. With her being a cellist, there are frequent comparisons to Arthur Russell, but I think bands like Talk Talk, who she has cited, are more pertinent. The opening track 'Kravitz' is backed by slow heavy drums and a sludgy bass tone, whilst the next track 'Pantalla Azul' is almost a bit of a Peter Gabriel / Kate Bush, 80's assorted kind of sound, this pair prime you for how quickly the feel can change from track to track, though elsewhere it can happen within one song. 'Margen Del Indice' on side two shows how naturally juxtapositions comes to her as it flickers effortlessly between the ominous and auspicious. Without sounding to music nerdy, it is a really exciting album to listen to. Throughout all of this, her voice is the constant, though sang in Spanish with her being from Guatemala (now based in Mexico City), it is compelling, and a quick google translate will leave you satisfied that you are indeed listening to a poet. It's not all language barrier though, one of my favourite things about the vinyl release is the bio provided by Mabe on the front:

'I started to think about the verb 'superimpose', and the implications this verb has in moments of intense work in dialogue with another and how ideas overlap. I also think about that moment when you feel you don't know anything and you are soft like jello and any fork can go through you. And ideas change and grow on that soft spot where there's a question mark. Feeling like you don't know makes you soft, feeling like you don't know makes you confused, maybe feeling like you don't know will transform you into a better person? Or not? At the moment i'm pro confusion, or maybe not'.

It's an interesting insight into her frame of mind at the time. It sounds to me though that from confusion came clarity, on an album which is sure to be looked back on fondly in the years to come.