The best folk albums of 2024

	One of the most unique voices ever created can go a long way, but Jessica Pratt is also a gifted multi-instrumentalist and composer, as she proves again on Here in the Pitch . With timpani, trumpet, harpsichord, and glockenspiels (glockenspiels?), she colors her whispery songs with beautiful autumnal colors. CD / LP
	The ordinary is extraordinary in the world of Cassandra Jenkins . The New York singer-songwriter frames her heavenly songs (for fans of Laura Marling and Soccer Mommy) with recorded conversations and instrumental glimpses of tiny moments of magic. Whatever ails you, Jenkins can cure it—even if only for a short time. CD / LP
	Few artists can switch as easily as Adrianne Lenker (Big Thief) between warmth and comfort on the one hand and vulnerability and intimacy on the other. Her latest effort, Bright Future, contains the most soul-crushing and perhaps even the most intense song she's ever written: "Real House" and "Vampire Empire," respectively. CD / LP

The best reissues of 2024

	The Velvet Underground & Nico 's "success" stemmed from the friction between pop and avant-garde. A new archival release, Why Don't You Smile Now: Lou Reed At Pickwick Records 1964-1965 , reveals how this friction arose. Reed spent a year writing countless songs—from pastiche to proto-Velvet—inspired by artists like The Ronettes and The Beach Boys .
	"One Hand Clapping" is Paul McCartney at the height of his Wings era ( Band On The Run just reached number one) in the playground of all playgrounds: Abbey Road Studios. We hear a band so in tune that they can really let loose on "Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five" and "Maybe I'm Amazed." CD / LP
	With a debut like this and a monster hit like 'Psycho Killer', Talking Heads The band quickly outgrew the New York punk scene. Outtakes and demos on the deluxe reissue of Talking Heads: 77 reveal that the band was destined to leave CBGB's behind. The band's final show at the infamous venue is also included. CD / LP