Game/Album of the year 2024
Game of the Year: Another Crab's Treasure by Aggro Crab
I'm still thinking about this half a year later. I still remember its touch, the way it takes visual inspiration from Spongebob and folds it into a more directed aesthetic, the way its story unfolds in a genuine way with a protagonist I still love. The boss designs! The environments packed with detail and verisimilar trash. The brilliant design of equippable shells to give you flavorful, archetypal combat playstyles that you can "unlock" by simply finding them in the environment and equip or discard, which ties in perfectly with the themes of trash. The emotional, tragic beauty of an area like [redacted] being created and caused by greater beings’ negligence towards their planet! The voice acting, especially for Kril, which plays the part of the cartoon while harnessing its extremes as tensions in the character. I just have to point to my prior review here for more effusive praise, too. These folks made a fucking video game.
Album of the Year:
Somehow, not the Tigran Hamasyan album, which I felt was just too large for its own good. That doesn't stop me from considering him the greatest living musician, just y'know, could have used an editing pass. But my favorite was:
See You Tomorrow Baby by Weston Super Maim
Just a solid fucking album, man. They've found a nearly optimal blend of math, riffage, and death evocation for my tastes. The direct lyrics delight me, especially the revenge fantasy of "Autistic Kill Trance" and the frank optimism of "Perfect Meadows in Every Direction". It leans into the character I see as "digital metal" a la Car Bomb and Frontierer, but with a strong sense for emotion and pacing.
It's close, though:
- Opeth's new album is phenomenal,
- Zeitgeber released a new gorgeous audio journey,
- Alora Crucible made a new world of lush, beautiful thoughts,
- ANNEX VOID's debut EP is a delectable taste of new Contortionist-style constructions,
- there was new Krallice,
- Maj Kavšek, Nubya Garcia, and Richard Spaven put out some soul-reinforcing new jazz,
- and Wormed put out some fucking devious stuff on OMEGON.
And that's not even counting the things I missed until finally watching Calder Hannan's year wrap-up last week, like the amazing perdurance by convulsing and Ontology of Nought by Ingurgitating Oblivion. Good music. Love music. Beauty in the world.
Good luck in 2025, y'all.