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Welcome to RARB Picks of the Year, 2024 Edition!
Reviewers who published at least seven reviews in 2024 were asked to select one Pick of the Year and one Honorable Mention from albums that they personally reviewed for RARB. Reviewers with fewer published reviews could choose only a Pick of the Year. (Albums chosen in both categories are listed as Picks only; the full listing may be found under individual reviewers.) Reviewers could submit descriptions of their picks, but were not required to.
Reviewers were also asked to select Tracks of the Year on a similar principle, again restricted to the tracks that they personally reviewed for RARB. Reviewers could also abstain from making selections in any or all categories.
Finally, our singles reviewers and editorial staff jointly chose one Single of the Year and one Honorable Mention.
All-Night Yahtzee (Florida State University) – Snakeskin / G.U.Y.
Our Single of the Year sounds and feels like audible cinema. As a track that seems ever-expanding, Snakeskin / G.U.Y. is dramatic, sexy, and resplendent through its vocal intensity. The song has everything you'd want from music: it's thematic, it's energetic, it has great soloists and musicality — all within a mash-up that almost doesn't feel like one. Like a cobra about to strike, it slithered its way into the top spot with power.
Fundamentally Sound (University of Wisconsin — Madison) – Welcome to My Parents' House
Fundamentally Sound's take on Zennial life is quite sound indeed and stands out for its buoyancy and humor without ever dipping in energy. The absurdity of the song is legit funny and will surely make you laugh. With fantastic singing the whole way through, Welcome to My Parents' House encapsulates Fundamentally Sound as a group and perfectly captures young adulthood. It's a cappella theater.
Vocal rock and roll has to be all-in on the sounds and clever enough to write songs that stand up. Five O'Clock Shadow has made the most of its Time and is well worth yours.
Maybebop's new album is a performance, not just a collection of songs. Each individual track is well-crafted, well-sung, and presented as a top-tier studio recording. The album's full picture emerges from the full set.
Time is a victory lap. It's original, powerful, and true to the group's roots. It's something brand-spankin' new that will still take fans right back to the sound that's been turning heads since the '90s.
Wholly original, exceptionally musical, pointedly insightful, and thoroughly enjoyable — Maybebop adds yet another fantastically catchy release to its list of killer albums.
The year's fattest, funkiest baseline meets the kind of classic-rock, super-tenor wall of sound that gets the crowd going. All on a newly minted original from a veteran group that can still lay it down.
Voices in Your Head is no longer producing albums; they are creating experiences for their listeners. I was mesmerized from the first listen, and now my love and awe has only grown as time has passed. I get enveloped in the ViYH soundscapes and the pictures the group paints in my ears, on my mind, and under my skin. This is music and I’m constantly breathing it in.
Whenever I want to be as ghey as I can be, I’m running to this album pretending I’m running to a Yahtzee-esque house party 30 years ago. Though the sounds and styles are different, this is the epitome of '70s Bette Midler belting out tunes in a NYC bathhouse. This is the experience, the essence, the exuberance wrapped up in a 30-minute dance fest.
Max. Oh, Max. You of the Hyannis Sound royalty. There was no other song that I could choose for my top spot this year. Unless it was going to be The Scientist and the falling gliss on “start”. So there’s that. But as a nod and ode to my beloved Grandmother Ida Mae, Somewhere Over the Rainbow is my theme song and anthem of the year.
There were three songs vying for this #2 spot on my list from three of my favorite albums this year. One had a low alto that made me feel good, another created a world that I wanted to live in. But who the F@%$ would have thought that a cover of the David Lynch song running an errand done a cappella would capture the absurdity of 2024 with such aplomb.
Sonic storytellers from Voices in Your Head have arrived to take us on a walkabout with World We Created. In nineteen minutes, you'll shed your skin, "breathe in the exhale of the desert", somehow listen to the sun rise, ponder the sky, ponder your place, and know when it's all over for them, and you.
TAG has really outdone itself with There's a Light. The production quality, arrangement difficulty, thematic elements, and polished ensemble sound work together to offer a sophisticated, professional release.
OneVoice went there: a cover of the already incredibly-covered Hallelujah. This is a marked departure from previous OneVoice pieces, which are often well-known hits but never complete staples in the a cappella community. Lucky for us, because the technical proficiency demonstrated on Hallelujah is other-worldly, in a league of its own.
The way the arrangement for Fire and Rain opens up into a beautifully grand, enveloping sound in the second verse is just right. The lead, Philip DiMeglio, sounds earnest and authentic, like he's lived the life James Taylor wrote about. The audio work is crisp and clear, giving a nice update to the classic. Frankly, this could be the right "a cappella gateway song" for those standing at the edge of our genre, waiting for their invitation to join us.
If you’ve been here long enough, you know that RARB historically loves TAG, and There’s a Light is no different. It’s a really fantastic album in the group’s discography: excellent leads, wonderful (and wonderfully-delivered) arrangements, and a fantastic original song in Risky Business. Recent TAG albums have really settled into predictable repertoire, and There’s a Light expands on that, with the delightful Hit ‘Em Up Style and a stunning trio of harmonies on Movie Star. That RARB loves TAG is not a surprise, but TAG’s ability to take its performance and repertoire up a notch here makes There’s a Light a particularly awesome album from a group that always gives us great ones.
An excellent lead can make a performance, as soloist Dylan Markey shows us on Writing's On The Wall. His voice soars when it needs to, pulls back when the song requires it, and overall just captures so much of the essence of this song. But he can’t make an excellent performance all on his own, and the rest of SoundProof delivers a fantastic arrangement here, with all the right pacing and dynamics to make an unforgettable performance.
Wouldn’t Come Back is a great example of a treble arrangement that doesn’t have to be a banger of a belter to be one of the best songs of the year. Note-Oriety takes on this paced Trousdale cover with so much emotion and so many gorgeous harmonies. It’s a real stunner.
There is something so purely authentic when you listen to In The Crowd by The Harvard Opportunes. The group's artistry in transforming songs gives listeners an unpredictable audible experience that is ripe with emotion and pleasure. Whether your affinity is high-intensity or tranquility from a softer selection, The Opportunes deliver with a project that feels modern and completely them!
XXV may just be one of the most theatrical and energy-charged albums released in a cappella in the last 10 years. I love projects that offer me new experiences and All-Night Yahtzee gives the listener so many, and in a way that does not feel gimmicky. There are multiple tracks on the album that are deserving of individual awards and one pass-through will help you easily understand why.
Snakeskin / G.U.Y. is a track that needs to be studied by arrangers, engineers, and a cappella aficionados everywhere! How All-Night Yahtzee masterfully balances such immaculate storytelling and vocal power into one track is jaw-dropping. And everything flows fluidly with no gaps in intensity or execution. I have lost count of how many times I have listened to this track, but I am sure that count will steady climb in the months and years ahead.
Sometimes with the advancements in music and editing capabilities, it can be easy to forget that music should simply elicit a feeling from you. Well, how about a track brimming with feel-good vibes that still sounds captivating? Don't Lose Sight from Case in Point has all of that and more! The song is a bit gospel, at times raw in its sound, but most importantly ... is all heart. What I love most about this track is that while it is polished, I get the feeling that Case in Point could deliver a similarly sounding performance live. The group delivers a joyful performance while still executing a rather complex arrangement. It is too fun of a song to pass up!
In what is surely a first for me, my pick for Album of the Year is a holiday album, but Maybebop is just that good. Pin this for your next holiday season or when you need a mid-year pick-me-up.
Leaning on one of my favorite facets of this group's releases over the past decade, OneVoice delivers the hits with its classic-heavy album, Free Fallin. The smooth arrangements and clean solo vocals are a must-listen for music lovers everywhere.
Books could be written on the ingenuity of Maybebop through its entire storied output, but what stands out is a uniquely constructed Carol of the Bells. Breaking down form for the sake of the journey with the original Ukrainian tune’s impact intact, this rendition is sure to spice up your holidays.
Tracks with a clear focal point always leave me thrilled, and the intentional trade-off between background and soloist is spectacular here. From the subtle to the exuberant, Bella Coe nails each vocal moment and displays excellent dexterity and range.
I can't help but fall in love with TAG a little more every time an album of theirs comes across my queue. This album is bursting at the seams with fun and infectious rhythms while balancing that with palpable emotions and vulnerability. It's another welcome addition to any a cappella playlist.
I'm a huge fan of classic rock and the scholastic contemporary a cappella scene, so this album might be tailor-made to be one of my favorite albums. It's full of so many emotional moments and incredibly clever arrangements. It's a breath of fresh air for some very storied songs.
Strangely, my favorite track of the year is from the same group as the album of the year, but not the same release. This track is one of the best encapsulations I have seen of TAG, utilizing so many fun rhythms and colorful chords to tell the story. It's a masterpiece.
Matt Goldstein took a piece that is well-known and cherished to the point of being nearly untouchable and made into something brand new and spectacular. A piece where I would normally find myself listening and sucked into the nostalgia of it has been replaced with captivation and enchantment, demanding a listen for its intrigue and standalone beauty.
When a group has had as amazing and consistent a run as The Hyannis Sound, it opens itself up to scrutiny and higher standards that come with the sky-high expectations. Back to Back never lets those standards get the better of it, however. The album simply stays excellent, musical, engaging, and gripping through its entire runtime. Gentle lows are handled just as beautifully as the moments of grandeur that are handled with epic power. The biggest piece of criticism I could give the group this time around was that the grandeur went a bit too far in a few places. When that's the most one can say, and the album is otherwise near-impeccable, it makes a critic chuckle in defeat. The Hyannis Sound remains simply unparalleled amongst its peers.
I knew my song of the year would be one of the final four songs on Back to Back, but picking between them is a challenge in itself. Do I pick the almost cinematic Livin' on a Prayer, the airy and somber The Scientist, or one of the two odes to The Hyannis Sound's fleeting time together every summer? Ultimately I picked The Scientist for being the perfect song at the perfect time, providing a release from the grandeur of the surrounding songs right when the album needs it. The album can arguably still function amazingly if you cut one of the other three fantastic songs, but The Scientist is indispensable to the back half.
This album features my favorite things in a cappella: innovative and distinctive covers, jaw-dropping soloists, and exquisite musicality. You can tell these singers are pros who know how to arrange for and sing with each other.
I could have chosen several fantastic tracks from this album, but I love arrangements with arcs. And the soloist, GK Kay, sings phenomenally while also emotionally anchoring this heart-wrenching song.
What do you think? Mouth off in the RARB/CASA Forums!
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