You can't always know that it's a great year for new music while it's happening, but there was a sense from the very start of 2024 that we were in for a ride. A springtime gauntlet of weekly album drops by the industry's biggest stars was regularly interrupted by wildly inventive newcomers arriving out of nowhere, underground favorites reaching new heights and elders making vital statements. (For the record, just one of those reigning champions made our final list.