Best of 2024 | Albums | Songs | Irish albums | Irish songs | Best Of Podcasts | Guest lists |
Graham plays hip-hop tunes every second Friday in the Workmans at Exit Music. You can also catch him DJing in Love Tempo, The Big Romance, Fidelity and beyond. When not buying €20 7” bootleg represses of rap records that he already owns on 12” he can be found lamenting the cost of two bed apartments in Dublin 8.
See Graham’s lists from 2023, 2022, 2017.
See all of the guestlist choices.
Pleasurewood – Off The Wall
No-one really needs to hear a vintage synth cover of a Michael Jackson song in 2024. But just because no-one really needs to hear it, that doesn’t mean that no-one really wants to hear it. Hook it up to my veins.
Baby Rose & BADBADNOTGOOD – One Last Dance
I could have done a whole list comprised solely of tracks by female vocalists with a slightly hazy, dreamy, warm 1960’s glow. Beth Gibbons, Clairo, the phenomenal Jessica Pratt……
But Baby Rose narrowly missed out on making my top 10 last year for her collab with Smino so this time around she get‘s the nod, even if she does cram in the letter H when she sings the word “Still” like she’s Ronan Keating.
Common & Pete Rock – Dreamin’
One of the themes of the year has been legendary MCs releasing albums produced solely by one equally legendary producer. LL Cool J teamed up with Q-Tip. Snoop Dogg reunited with Dr. Dre. The pick of the bunch was this excellent collaboration between Chicago’s finest and the chocolate boy wonder. The whole album is butter.
Mach-Hommy feat. Kaytranada & 03 Greedo – #RICHAXXHAITIAN
While I do love the extended ever changing family of Griselda MCs, I can’t help but feel that the in house production can get a little bit samey after a while. I often find myself wondering how these rappers would sound over a track that isn’t from the Daringer/Conductor Williams school of grimy lo-fi production. Now I know.
Lupe Fiasco – Samurai
I’m not going to lie. I haven’t kept up with Lupe’s output for years, but this track is as good as anything off Food & Liquor. Rock solid classic jazzy boom bap. Keep it coming.
Yours – Love Might Make Me Better
Never in a millions years would I have guessed that a project that includes Maverick Sabre among its members was going to end up on my end of year list, but I can’t get enough of this.
Joy Orbison feat. Lil Yachty, Future, Playboi Carti – flex fm (freddit)
Historically the practice of adding vocals to an already well loved instrumental dance track is a risky business. If it goes well, like Groovejet, you can have a number one pop classic. But for every one of those there’s a dozen house tracks that were re-released with dodgy tacked on vocals from Slarta John. However the decision to re-release Flight FM with added raps from three of Atlanta’s biggest MC’s elevated a solid track into an absolute banger.
Nourished By Time – Hell Of A Ride
How am I even supposed to describe what this sounds like? Talk Talk jamming with TV On The Radio? A more jaunty Q Lazarus? It’s catchy as hell and contains more hooks in one song than some bands manage in a whole album.
Tommy Richman – Million Dollar Baby
Every era needs a R&B white boy with a falsetto. Color Me Badd. Justin Timberlake. We could mention that sleaze merchant Robin Thicke or yer man out of Another Level who wants to get freaky with you, but we won’t. Not since ‘Pony’ by Ginuwine has a song conned so many out of shape creeps into believing that they are capable of dancing seductively.
Doechii – Nissan Altima
Only one artist was going to be my number one pick this year. The only question was which one of her songs would claim top spot. I could have gone with her stellar live performance of Spooky Coochie at Camp Gnaw. Or her amazing rendition of Denial Is A River on Stephen Colbert. Or any moment from her instant classic Tiny Desk. In the end I opted for this. A perfect midpoint between She’s A Bitch by Missy Elliott and 1991 by Azealia Banks but with a tongue twisting lyrical dexterity that neither of her forbearers possess.
Best of 2024 | Albums | Songs | Irish albums | Irish songs | Best Of Podcasts | Guest lists |
