Armand Hammer – “Doves“

In the wake of their critically acclaimed 2023 release We Buy Diabetic Test Strips, despite both of their unrepentant proliferation, I don’t think anyone was expecting further work under the Armand Hammer name anytime soon. Both artists, Billy Woods and ELUCID, would likely return to their bustling and increasingly demanding solo careers. However, many listeners found that at the end of February, an 8 minute 45 second song was released. Now, I think that the culture surrounding ‘bonus tracks’ is a general regard for them being throwaways. Songs that didn’t make the final cut tacked onto the end for the fans. That being said, Armand Hammer is no average group, and this is no average bonus track.

In conversation with Armand Hammer, you wouldn’t think it to be the staggering composition it is, with easy humbleness from the two veteran MC’s simply seeing it as business as usual. However, the product is unprecedented. Beginning with an eerie, echoing sample of throat singing buried under a haze of vinyl crackle, the track patiently develops with weary guitar lines, then echoing piano meandering like staircases to nowhere. Then complimented by contemporary blues artist Benjamin Booker’s whispered rasps, the song expands, crackles, and wavers in the cold air. Blasts of harmonic noise appear and decay, stabbing through and then collapsing in on themselves.

When Billy Woods finally appears, he is reticent, yet remorseful from his decrepit hideaway. He easily delivers one of his weightiest and brooding verses from an album of weighty and brooding verses. By the time ELUCID’s echoing vocals enter, the stabs of noise have returned, gathering for a moment behind his harmonies before the entire song begins to fall inwards, accompanied by increasingly panicked cries of “Great day!” “Doves” is undoubtedly a peak in a career of towering achievements and one of the most evocative compositions I have heard in my life.  

-Evan Raefield, Training Director

Charli xcx, Lorde – “Girl, so confusing featuring lorde“

If you haven’t heard of the album brat by Charli xcx it is likely that you have been living under a rock for all of 2024. The electronic dance pop album went viral with its minimalist album cover and unorthodox promotional tactics, essentially revitalizing mainstream pop music. While the album is loaded with hits from front to back, there was one track in particular that stood above the rest of the pack.  

That song was “Girl, so confusing” centered around a tumultuous relationship with another singer. This song highlighted one of the biggest flaws in mainstream music that starts with industry politics and often trickles down into obsessive fanbases. For some unknown reason, there always has to be a particular “it girl” in pop music. Some people would argue that it’s Charli xcx, others will make arguments for stars like Beyonce or Chappell Roan. To a casual fan like myself, it feels strange that an industry rooted in feminism thrives from pitting its biggest stars against one another.  

This is perhaps why the “Girl, so confusing remix featuring lorde” feels like the most monumental moment of pop music in a long time. This remix version of the song not only answers the questions posed by the original, but also adds perspective with Lorde’s stellar guest verse which addresses the toxic effects that industry politics has on artists and subtly pleads for unity amongst women in music. One can only hope this song serves as a turning point where pop stars and labels realize that there is enough money and critical acclaim to support multiple superstars and create an environment where the new norm for artists is to lift each other up instead of tearing each other down. 

-Maurice Crawford, Editorial Staff

Cosmo’s Midnight, Franc Moody – “Fantasy“

A match made in nu disco heaven, Australian electronic duo Cosmo’s Midnight teamed up with British dance duo Franc Moody for their groovy single “Fantasy”. Released in February 2024, “Fantasy” continues to be in heavy rotation for me ten months later, making it a clear choice for my song of the year. Why? Well, there’s the sonically perfect opening, with a space laser giving way to funky drums, bass, guitar, and falsettos.

There’s the infectiously flirty chorus: “You’re my all night safari/You keep gettin’ me wild.” Then there’s the perfect instrumental pause for the start of the second chorus: “Joyride,” they harmonize before the instruments kick back in, “we can take it slow/Exhale, unwind, enjoy your time.” The song’s brilliant music video, featuring trains, chain mail, and a bath full of oranges, further exaggerates the carefree vibes. Glossy, upbeat, and above all else danceable, “Fantasy” is the ideal song to blast during a ride at “Cali sunset time.”

-Glenn Houlihan, Editorial Staff

gabby start – “Boys“

I genuinely can’t stop listening to this song. gabby start is an artist that I’ve been a fan of for a while, but something about this one is different. I really like lyrics that are kind of vague, and the only thing I truly know about this song’s content is that it references Interpol and hooking up in a car, and that’s really all I need. The line “I’m obsessed with the boys, but it’s not like that, it’s never been like that,” has rattled around in my brain ever since I heard it.  

“Boys” begins with a slow build up that feels like you’ve stepped into something new. I’m pretty sure gabby start writes all their songs to take place in a fictional world, which adds to that feeling even more. The synths of this song are absolutely insane; sharp, metallic, and peppered with spaceship noises, exactly as music should be. This bass tone could easily be part of a Skrillex song, also exactly how music should be. I’m glad that I live in a world where “future bass” is a term used to refer to music, and that one of those songs references Interpol and hooking up in a car and makes me think about gender a bit too much. 

-Sidney Bakker, Music Staff

Ikkimel – “KETA UND KRAWALL“

Summer 2024 was defined by one hyperpop artist, and that was Ikkimel. I first came across her music at the Euro 2024 Fanzone in Berlin, which was right in front of the Reichstag, on a day when there were no matches being played. Instead of showing games they had musicians playing on a stage. When I walked in, she was performing. Ikkimel had the wooden pallets placed over the muddied ground bouncing with pseudo techno beats and clashing electro synth sounds, all in a magnetic allure. Every single body was moving, caught up in the vivaciousness of her music.  

After one song, it ended. I got there late. What followed was some wannabe Drake style rapper singing in English that sucked all the energy from everyone who then just lingered there listless. The one song I did get to hear from Ikkimel though was “KET UND KRAWALL” that came out ahead of her HAT SIE NICH GESAGT EP, which defined much of the remaining year. Her style is very provocative and assertive, with a patronizing attitude to everything around her, often making fun of macho culture. She has popularity in Germany, but it feels like she belongs as an icon in the global zeitgeist. “KETA UND KRAWALL” will insert life into anything in whatever place it’s played. 

-John Glab, Editor-In-Chief

Joost Klein – “Europapa“

In short, “Europapa” by Joost Klein is an absolute bop. It is the most fun dance tune to come out of this year, but there are bigger reasons why it should be on a list of the best songs of 2024. The song was written in tribute to Joost’s parents, particularly his father, both of whom he had lost by the age of 13. It is also an ode to the European Union, speaking to the freedom of movement and personal experiences Joost has had. 

Europapa was the Netherlands’ submission to the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest which has significant impacts in terms of international relations. However, Joost was unprecedentedly disqualified from Eurovision hours before the final competition due to later dropped allegations from Israel. Europapa was projected to be the winner before Joost was disqualified, and his removal from the contest sparked a massive discussion around Israel being permitted to participate in Eurovision, as well as wider discourse around the genocide in Palestine and Gaza. People protested in person outside the contest, on social media with #FreeJoostKlein, and even inside the contest, booing and singing Europapa over Israeli contestant Eden Golan’s song. 

When asked to think of the best song of 2024, for me it had to be Europapa. Not only is it a fantastic and meaningful song, but it was one of the most politically powerful songs to come out of 2024 that sparked genuine discussion. 

-Amanda Moy, Editorial Staff

Kim Gordon – “BYE BYE“

Sonic Youth vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Kim Gordon proves boomers still got juice in them with her genre bending release The Collective. Exploring trap and hip-hop styles through the lens of her industrial noise rock background, she creates a truly novel and badass experience. Specifically, its opening track left me in awe the movement I heard it and continues to stay in rotation.  

Structurally she contrasts huge wailing guitars and walls of sound around her deadpan vocals that feels like she’s seemingly just reading off a to-do list before her upcoming flight, hence the title “BYE BYE”. This track is the definition of hard and the fact an artist in their 70s is dropping mosh worthy bangers to compete with the likes of Death Grips and Soul Glo should serve as some kind of inspiration. 

-Amman Hassan, News Director

Objekt, DjRUM – “Ganzfeld (DjRUM Remix)“

As a way to showcase his new label, the Berlin based producer Objekt calls some of his favorite fellow producers to remix a re-release of one of his most acclaimed tracks, “Ganzfeld”. DjRUM is on the list. The extraordinary musician from the United Kingdom is characterized by his intricate productions and DJing. The resulting track we received can be described as a sonic, dreamlike odyssey, one that begins like any other great story.  

Echoing snares and stunning tambourines follow with an incredible piano progression over the wonderful percussion that characterized the original track by Objekt. The track then falls apart into a chilling half-time percussive section, that then becomes increasingly convoluted and frightening, yet doesn’t lose any of its engaging sound design. The track reassembles, combining those frigid sections with beautiful ones, creating a contrasting image on the story and resolving its conflicts into the finishing string and piano chords that formed the beginning. This remix is a masterpiece of electronic music composition, one that shows complexity and story building like none other.

-Andrés Mora Mata, Music Director

Sabrina Carpenter – “Bed Chem“

While I originally wanted to give my spot for top song to Amyl and the Sniffers’ “Going Somewhere”, I couldn’t let Sabrina Carpenter’s success this year go untalked about. Her album Short n’ Sweet made a difference in my year for the better, especially the song “Bed Chem”. The song’s bright chords and grooves are unforgettable to me. The storytelling ability of the track and its early 2000s R&B influences make this one of the best pop songs of the year, if not the best. There’s just something about “Bed Chem” that is irresistible to dance along to. 

-Lee Nienhaus, Editorial Staff

Tom Cardy – “Transcendental Cha Cha Cha“

On particularly bad days, being asked to dance at the club fills me with a crippling fear of the expansiveness of the universe. It’s then that I listen to this song. Cardy steps out of his usual lane, musical comedy about flipping people off and the seminal 2009 classic film Human Centipede, to deliver this well produced ode to classic cha-cha and existential dread.  

Though he maintains his signature sense of humor, he dials down the funny to turn up the chaos, layering in a dense electro pop backing track with several unique percussive and piano features. His freewheeling lyricism adds to the madness, spinning the listener into an alternate universe where a lone human clubber in an intergalactic discotheque puts aside their existential fear and joins the room in a dance. Optimistic in its dread, “Transcendental Cha Cha Cha” is a certified club banger, club destroyer, club rebuilder, and every other reality in between. 

-Bailey Vergara, Music Staff

Verraco – “Godspeed >“

Once again Verraco, the Colombian who co-founded the label TraTraTrax, appears on my favorite tracks of the year, this time on his residency at Timedance, the UK label lead by Batu. As part of his Breathe… Godspeed EP, that includes tracks that also deserve to be in this list, especially “Sí, idealízame”. “Godspeed >” is an exhilarating piece of music that is made to be heard on large speakers at full volume with a crowd surrounding you.  

The track starts rather minimalistic with a dembow rhythm, and a vocal sample taken out of Dj Babatr’s notebook modified to sound other-worldly. A sliding bass comes in not too long after, teasing the party goer, to then be blown out of proportions with an organ like synth that calls for battle, and percussive elements to bring it all together. Truly a party starter, front to back. 

-Andrés Mora Mata, Music Director

Zookraught – “Red Hot Summer“

For the past few months, I’ve had Red Hot Summer — particularly, the attack of its syncopated main riff — stuck in my head. Released as a single ahead of their debut LP Vida Violet, this track is an all-hands-on-deck effort from each member of the Seattle dance punk trio. Featuring Baylee Harper’s electrifying drumming, Sami Frederick and Steph Jones’ full-force vocals, along with their respective guitar and bass to boot, all give everything in a steamy five minutes.  

The lyrics’ passion infected me with an energy best suited in the basement of a house show, much like the one they played in Iowa City last fall. The switch ups, especially towards the bridge, are to die for, and the chorus alone gives a brilliant payoff. If I died right now and went to punk heaven, Zookraught’s “Red Hot Summer” better be playing in the mosh pit. 

-Harry Ginsberg, Music Staff

The post KRUI Staff Favorite Songs of 2024 appeared first on KRUI Radio.

AJRadico – “WRANGLER“

“WRANGLER” is a song that has consistently been on repeat since it dropped in September. With the perfect mix of ambiance and infectious beat, three minutes isn’t long enough. I love the different vocal tones AJRadico uses to contrast each verse. His matter-of-fact tone pairs perfectly with a synth background punctuated by isolated claps in the chorus, causing it to be impossible not to make each listen through a performance. This song is one to dance to and one to rap along with, and when it comes on, I’m always down. 

-Sofia Muñoz, Music Staff

Baby Rose, Smino – “I Won’t Tell“

Funky and almost futuristic, Baby Rose and Smino’s “I Won’t Tell” seems to come to us from another time. Old funk music is one of my favorite music genres and any artist that successfully emulates that same upbeat groovy feeling gets a thumbs up from me. Baby Rose’s unique voice pairs perfectly with the infectious funky beat that backs the song. Baby Rose’s smooth vocals and Smino’s laid-back yet speedy rap verses create a relaxed yet captivating atmosphere. It’s a fun and energetic track that never fails to put me in a good mood. 

-Preston Venable, Programming Staff

The Crane Wives – “The Well“

Following their successful Foxlore and Coyote Stories albums, 2023 saw the release of a new single from The Crane Wives titled “The Well”. The Crane Wives have a knack for making folk music with the rock edge I adore, and this song perfectly exemplifies that. It also showcases the emotional weight inherent to almost all of their tracks, something which has led them to become a very popular choice of music for AMV creators.  

“The Well” is a microcosm of what makes the Crane Wives so beloved to me, and that’s only enhanced by the knowledge that going into 2024, the band is planning a full album release for the first time since 2016. In a year filled with many tiny moments of suffering, The Crane Wives helped me find a few that weren’t so terrible, and this song was a huge part of that. 

-Harry Epstein, Online Content Staff

Faerybabyy – “I Could Never Stay Mad at You“

Every year needs its definitive song of the summer, and this year Faerybabyy provided that for all of us with “I Could Never Stay Mad at You”. Payton Morse, the artist behind the project, typically creates new-wave style tracks, but dropped this fast-paced indie surf rock jam back in June. The track opens up with a shimmery guitar riff backed by light airy drums before a countdown kicks it off in a swathe of fuzzy radiating energy. This makes up the extremely infective chorus with Morse’s fed-up lyrics and vocal delivery. 

The song fits the category of dark themes clouded by jovial instrumentation. Between the three chorus sections are more moody sections of emotional distress. This gives the entire runtime great dynamism, but also elevates and uplifts the chorus. This amplifies the hair-blowing-in-wind feeling of freedom conveyed on the track. Perfect for flying past vegetated cliffs while abandoning any deep seeded tumultuousness. 

-John Glab, Editor-In-Chief

julie – “catalogue“

Following their single from the previous year entitled “pg.4 a picture of three hedges/through your window”, California based band julie put out another single this September called “catalogue”. Here, the song allows grunge and shoegaze to join forces, creating edgy stretches of restless vocals and richly sustained muff. The song emits a certain feel for dull numbness, expressing this sensation within complex utterances of mellow thought and washed-out observations.  

As the song kicks off with a pulsing, gradually oscillating guitar, the ringing drums create anticipation and suspense toward the listener. Alongside, bass timbres strike and cut through the thick, vacuumed waves of frequency. The pieces form a rhythmic melody that is haunting, as if in an ill-lit room with a bunch of flashing drone lights. What “catalogue” evokes is the sentiment of loud emptiness, as it takes one into a void full of chaos and intense voluminosity. 

-Anika Maculangan, Online Content Staff

Laufey – “Lovesick“

In September, Laufey released her wonderful new album Bewitched, filled to the brim with jazz age inspired vocals, but also modern lyricism that culminated into one of my favorite releases of the year. The standout song from the album for me is “Lovesick” with its marvelously fresh chord progression.  

The lyrics go from an intimate reflection on love to a bombastic proclamation of rose-tinted memories. Reflecting the switch in lyrics between verses and choruses, the soundscape goes from an intimate feeling, to an ethereal beauty, which grabs me every time. If you ever needed any suggestion for a Laufey song to start with, this is a great one for its sheer and utter beauty. 

-John Mumm, Online Content Staff

Lil Yachty – “the BLACK seminole.“

Lil Yachty, a forerunner of the mumble rap scene, made a massive stylistic u-turn and released Let’s Start Here, a psychedelic rock album, and a great one at that. Its intro track, “the BLACK seminole.”, sounds like if you locked thirty producers in a room and told them to mush every idea Pink Floyd ever had into one track. That sounds like an absolute mess, but still this track is a banger. It’s audacious, tasteful, grand, and gorgeous, rivaling the progressive rock greats with a single song. 

-Amman Hassan, News Staff

Mitsubishi Suicide – “Shooting Myself with an Amazonian Blowgun“

A music box twinkles, a guitar slams, someone screams. The sound builds until it’s almost too loud to bear. You want to dance, but your whole body feels like it’s made of rust. The noise parts, the drums slow, and the melody begins to clean. Boiling down “Shooting Myself with an Amazonian Blowgun” to a simple review would never do it justice. Instead, I offer the following anecdote: 

I put on my headphones while driving home from a family Christmas party, skeptical at their ability to drown out my sister’s music: Drake’s album More Life. To my surprise, the song succeeded in turning Drake’s grating semantics into nothing more than a memory. If these screams and metallic guitar riffs can defeat Audrey Grant himself, what other power might they hold? 

-Casper Bakker, Marketing Staff

Sluice – “Acts 9:3“

“Acts 9:3″ is a slow-building folk-rock track from the Winston-Salem, North Carolina band Sluice’s second full-length release Radial Gate. The instrumentals slowly groan upwards before simmering in a murmuring of slide guitar. It’s reminiscent of a Trace Mountains song, but with more western stylings, and a greater emphasis on the traditional country sound. The song describes the possible analogization by Justin Morris, lead singer and songwriter of the band, of Saul’s travels to Damascus.  While Saul’s journey initiates his conversion to Christianity, Morris’s journey culminates in a meeting with a pickup-driving, gun-toting Jesus who offers him beer and oxycodone after spitting out his dip.  

-Brian Wrobel, Music Staff

UNIVERSITY – “Notre Dame Made Out of Flesh“

UNVIERSITY, a punk-rock trio from Crewe, England, released “Notre Dame Made Out of Flesh” in early September to announce their signing with Transgressive Records. The label’s name fits their ferocity. The band’s sound is self-described as “getting punched in the face by a gorilla but then being cuddled afterwards.” Their vulnerable intensity likens to being smothered, not cuddled. “Notre Dame Made Out of Flesh” is a furious five minute frenzy led by a catchy riff and dense drums. 

Lyrically, the rebellious track centers on a loner alienated from his town. “I don’t want to be my dad, or anybody from the past,” vocalist and guitarist Zak screams. Verses erupt over the spidery guitar. Drummer Joel delivers furious fills at a rapid-fire pace. The lead singer lacks the nasal tone of Midwest emo, nearing the style tied with punk and post-hardcore groups from the ‘90s. 

Keep an eye on UNIVERSITY. Their first EP Title Track has jagged guitars with the edge of early emo.  

-Nick Layeux, Training Director

Verraco – “Esc​á​ndaloo“

Throughout the summer everybody knew the track, knew the label, knew the artist, but not its name until late August when everything came together. “Escándaloo” was the name of the EP, and the title track is my song of the year. The combination of rolling percussion, dembow rhythms, and scattered kick drums accompanied by horn stabs and robotic bleeps build uncommon tension throughout the intro. Everything is brought together when the track starts rolling, almost literally, going back and forth in speed causing nothing other than frenzy when the kick drum is fully incorporated.  

Verraco comes out once again with triumphant sound design that can only be described as frenetic. The rest of the EP is well balanced, with “jajaja” referencing bass music roots with alien like voices calling out the techno purists. “How is this even possible?” adds a melodic touch within the same sound palette. 

-Andrés Mora Mata, Music Director

Westside Gunn – “Kostas“

I might catch some flak for this one. “Kostas” wasn’t objectively the best song on And Then You Pray for Me but it was one of my favorites. Tay Keith produced a beat for it that hits as hard as one of his typical trap beats would. It features verses from Benny the Butcher and Conway the Machine, who humorously announces he just left the hospital, and his anesthesia hadn’t worn off yet. While it is not a boom bap track that many have come to expect from Westside Gunn, it is still a Griselda Records masterclass.

-Mason Dunn, Programming Director

Wilco – “A Bowl and a Pudding“

The song starts with satisfying arpeggios of acoustic guitar, a common formula to frontman Jeff Tweedy’s songs. The slight reverb leads to the soft drum beat that then later introduces Tweedy’s vocals. “Not saying anything,” is the first line we hear, and it echoes delicately. Yet again, another classic move that Tweedy makes on other Wilco albums and his solo records. The line that follows, “Says a lot,” can tell us the song is about heartbreak.  

The repetition of this gentle track gives it the emotional depth that Wilco revisits occasionally within past albums. Though the reason that this sad song is so powerful is because of the simple yet affecting lyrics that the band builds on once again. 

-Tatum D’Emanuele, Music Staff

Zella Day, BROODS – “Hand as My Arrow“

Zella Day is no stranger to creating instrumentals that transport listeners into vivid scenes and fantastical worlds. “Hand as my Arrow”, which was released in July, is an understated and emotional passage into the inner workings of an intimate relationship. The narrator of the song takes a step back to let their lover guide them onwards through a harshness that ultimately is meaningless when the two are together. The song’s shortness is addictive as many of Zella Day’s songs are, making the listener want to go through it all again. This song sits as another work of her raw talent. 

-Amelia Johnson, Music Staff

Cover image by Anna Kritz.

The post KRUI Staff Favorite Songs of 2023 appeared first on KRUI Radio.