Best Albums of December 2024

Best Albums of December 2024 arrives with a surprising mix of archival treasures, experimental leaps, and veteran bands refining their craft. December's releases offered a compact but rich snapshot of late-year ambition, where box sets sat beside bold studio statements and live documents that reframed familiar catalogs.

Standout releases included Out Of/Into's Motion I, which topped the critical consensus at 90/100 from one review for its immersive textures, and the comprehensive Laura Nyro box set Hear My Song: The Collection 1966-1995 [Box Set], earning an 89/100 across four reviews for its archival depth. Contemporary highlights ranged from White Denim's groove-driven 12 (79.6/100, five reviews) to The National's live record Rome [Live] (79.2/100, five reviews), signaling both new creative risks and confident retrospection. The aggregated critical consensus across these releases suggests reviewers rewarded careful curation and adventurous sound design this month.

December's pattern favored established artists revisiting their strengths alongside experimental newcomers staking bold claims - expect the ranked list below to move from definitive box sets and live snapshots to intimate, genre-blurring studio efforts that defined the month's top albums and best new music.