Top 20 Albums of 2024 (So Far...)

[@RhymeSignatures]

Oh I am HERE for the Bellum II jumpscare :D

[@NathanOnShuffle]

@@RhymeSignatures I’ve gotta throw some curveballs in there 😉

[@NotesReviews]

Great list! So much great music from this year so far, I can't wait for the rest of 2024!

[@AudioAl5195]

Really enjoyed your video. A few new things to sample.

[@MattOLearyMusic]

Loving Willow! I’d heard symptom of life on Rick Beato’s channel but this got me to listen. I’ve also placed a number of these on my “to go back to” playlist 🎉

[@DonGregory-pe8lf]

Hey Nathan great list. Always enjoy finding out what’s on your favorites list. Hope you do a top 50 list at the end of the year. You could always break that up into two shows. Just a thought. Keep up the good work 🔥🎶🎼🎹🎵🎸

[@lawrenceheadrick]

Nathan, I forgot that Barock project came out a month ago... I immediately went on to listen to it.... At first I liked it then I had to stop as I wasn't in the right frame of mind (🍺) then I went back to it.... I'm really dialed in and it's really growing on me... I can see you moving this one up in the rankings at the end of the year! ✌️

[@andrewhamer2512]

Thanks Nathan! You put so much hard work into this. I've now got all The Lemon Twigs' albums. Great band!

[@cal7957]

#1 hearts and hand grenades- where I begin #2 blooming discord- memories from the future #3 Scott stapp- higher power #4 mick mars- other side of Mars #5 lift the curse- overtake #6 the gems- phoenix #7 the warning- keep me feed #8 raising ravens- motivesEP #9 Devilskin- surfacingEP

[@bbchronicles736]

Great List! We have many of the same albums on our lists (some I discovered through you), but several differences as well. I've listened to everything on your list except for Willow and Aquilus, and all are good, even those that did not make my own top 20. Great first half to the year, many more very good releases beyond the top 20! A couple that ranked high on my list but didn't make yours is Rick Miller and Albion, which I really enjoyed. But Big Big Train and Barock Project (was completely blown away by the is Barock Project album-fantastic were for me the best prog of the year so far. But my current new favorite album of the year (so far, it changes all the time) is not prog at all. It is the brand new album from Guster - Ooh La La, a fantastic album of beautiful songs, melodies, and arrangements, a low-key masterpiece that is a real grower. Anyway, here is my list of top 20 favorites so far this year: 20. Karfagen - Messages From Afar-2nd Nature 19. Sykofant - s/t 18. Returned to the Earth - Stalagmite Steeple 17. Dirt Poor Robins - Firebird 16. the Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again 15. Emerald City Council - Motion Carries 14. Azure - Fym 13. Kyros - Mannequin 12. Airbag - The Century of the Self 11. Kaipa - Sommargryningsljus 10. Steve Hackett - The Circus and the Nightwhale 9. The Pineapple Thief - It Leads To This 8. Mandoki Soulmates - The Memory of Our Future 7. Rick Miller - One of the Many 6. IZZ - Collapse the Wave 5. Bend Sinister - Mostly Great Things 4. Albion - Lakesongs of the Elbid 3. Big Big Train - The Likes of Us 2. Barock Project - Time Voyager 1. Guster - Ooh La La (Not Prog at all, but my new current fave, fantastic songs, vocals, and arrangements. Low-key, but wonderful songs that build into joyous evocative gems).

[@andrewlongshaw2128]

Thanks Nathan. A good summary of your favourites so far.

[@TheProgCorner]

👍👍👍

[@Ericmeredith3209]

Azure is my favorite album of the year! I do not know why. But this album is just an adventure! And hits all the right notes for me throughout its run time. Dirt poor robins album is fantastic! As is IZZ. Surprised of no mention of Almo’s reconciliation. One of the gems this year for me! Thanks for the video❤

[@NathanOnShuffle]

Almo would probably be album number 21…just barely missed the cut, but no doubt a great album!

[@stephenhaunch3468]

Interested to check out Aquilis as I have been getting into Agalloch recently.

[@Ericmeredith3209]

Also Sleepsmakeswaves is in my top 5 for sure! Such a great record!

[@lawrenceheadrick]

My only complaint about the list, and it's only because I like them it's the Pineapple thief album it leads to this. I just think it's a solid album... It's not their best, but it's right up there!

[@NathanOnShuffle]

@@lawrenceheadrick I’m a fan, I think it is solid too! Would have been in the mix if I expanded to 25…

[@jamescurnick1637]

I cant stop playing it...something about it draws me back like weekly at least. Im on about my 20th play I think...its like in the goldylocks zone...not too happy and satisfyingly sad! My car luckily has a built in Mark Levinson Cd system which is the best sound system I own and I get home on the drive and just stay in the car until this album is done...nothing has done that to me for years so this album must be very good as I have over a thousand cds in the rock and prog genre and keep reaching for it...another one that hit me like this is This winter machines..Kites...thats got me on a mad replay too!!

[@AudioAl5195]

I just received my vinyl copy of Airbag's new album "The Century of the Self". While I will admit that it is an extension of what they did on the previous release "A Day at the Beach" it sounds incredible. This band should be so much more popular with the Prog community. Highly recommended.

[@NathanOnShuffle]

Great album, I agree!

[@arnaudb.7669]

Kaipa Urskog is more focused than the new one. Great record nonetheless.

[@lspiegel807]

So glad you have BBT close to the top , (unlike some of your fellow KZbinrs who I’m assuming must have received bad copies of it? 😉what a brilliant record. 😊

[@lawrenceheadrick]

Indeed it is! It's going to be hard to find a better live act then BBT!

[@NathanOnShuffle]

@@lspiegel807 Yeah, not sure what is wrong with some of my colleagues’ ears… 😉

[@mikereiss4216]

The Tangent without the s at the end.

[@lorryriff6613]

Thanks a bunch for this list, very fun and informative video. I really enjoyed listening to The Lemon Twigs, even though they're far from being what you could call a real prog band, but, yeah, very enjoyable nonetheless. I do have one slight regret about the list you came up with, I was hoping to hear about a couple new heavy prog bands (not prog metal, but rather stuff like Riverside, PT, and the likes) but couldn't find anything in that particular genre (I already own and love Caligula's horse latest album which....unfortunately, leans a little more towards the metal side than their back catalogue) So, if you have any suggestions, I'm more than interested !! Thx once again. 👍

[@NathanOnShuffle]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Just outside of my top 20, I do have a few heavier albums, but many would certainly be considered prog metal (Almo's debut record 'Reconciliation' which has a bit of harsh vocals and a prog metal sound not unlike a band like Haken; Turbulence's 'Binary Dream' has a bit of a Haken/DT vibe and Wheel's 'Charismatic Leaders' has a lot in common with Tool...). An album I liked that might be skirting the line between heavy Prog and Prog metal was 'Messenger's Quest' by Triton Project, containing many great epic length proggy tracks. I also really liked Quantum's 'Down The Mountainside'...maybe a bit raw and less polished since it is a debut but I think it might qualify the most with the 'heavy prog' style that you might be looking for... those are the ones that came to mind in that vein. Some honorable mentions would be Monkey3's 'Welcome To The Machine' which is an instrumental heavy psychedelic/stoner rock album and the debut album from the band Sykofant, which maybe has a bit more of an older, classic rock style sound... Hope that gives you something to check out!

[@lorryriff6613]

​@@NathanOnShuffle Awesome ! I've never heard about any of these bands, but I'm definitely gonna check them out. Thanks for the suggestions.

[@jamescurnick1637]

Nathan I so wish I had your ability to get concepts of albums...maybe its because I am a musician and write and record but apart from the music...unless its obvious I never get what albums are about or story lines or anything...im always trying to follow the bass line or honing in ona particular player to see what they are doing...you are blessed that you can just enjoy the music and pay attention to the plot...I just cant do it!! 🤔😬🙄

[@brianoakley980]

Ive got one that you missed Nathan its a Super Deluxe..by a band called YES? They call it Fragile...I think its pretty good😅

[@NathanOnShuffle]

@@brianoakley980 will have to check it out 😂

[@noneya237]

Awful list Izz is only one of these in top 10 I agree with. No Darwin on list isildirs bane. Hasse froberg. The new tangent and Kaipa are top 10 for me. Big big train is awful so is calogulas horse and new Neal Morse those are 3 worst prog alblums of 2024 hands down imho

[@NathanOnShuffle]

@@noneya237 it seems we just have different taste, which is totally fine. I’m pretty happy with those albums and legitimately feel they are great quality, even if they don’t connect with you. Will have to check out Darwin and Isildurs Bane though!

[@rhayader8169]

I'm so happy I found your channel. I tend to mostly listen to progressive rock but I like other genres too and after watching your vidoe I know that I will visit this place becuase you showed me a cople of bands I was not familiar with and that aren't proggy in the strict sense of this word but I like them so much now. Thank you Nathan!!! Keep up the good work! You rock!

[@NathanOnShuffle]

@@rhayader8169 thank you so much! Sharing great new music is what it’s all about!

[@noneya237]

Isildirs bane is my number one of 2024 it like rush alblum from 80s good stuff second fave is new alblum has Roine stolt on lady merrit something it on his website called mother earth forever