Another month has come and gone! Time to pick some faves:

1) Crush by @smolrock

• This is such a tightly-made song, it's got a clean energy to it and some addictive progression. The song plays with lots of different instruments without feeling schizophrenic. I don't have too much to say here, this is just a well-made song with an addictive beat.

2) Limitless Departure [GDLT Original] by @oksuu

• Very pumping and atmospheric song. The melodies have an aura of mystery to them and the drop is just divine. Don't get caught speeding to this one.

3) Second Rate Town - Acoustic by @GoodKidBand

• This might seem like an unusual choice for my Top 10, but this is absolutely sublime pop-punk. Simple, melancholic melody, a clean acoustic mix, and great vocals. The lyrical content makes me reflect on my hometown and the state of rural decay in my own country. I think the singer does a good job capturing the bleakness of a small town that has lost its soul.

4) Guessing Games by @Candle

• My favorite songs are the ones where I immediately start imagining vocals that could go alongside the melodies. This song has such a catchy progression in its chorus, and the beat is intense without being obnoxious. Love the climbing progression.

5) D4004 by @KawaiSprite

• I've said in the past that it's hard to resist putting KawaiSprite songs on my lists, but I try to avoid going nuts with it since he seems to drop every month and has a hearty fanbase to prop him up. That said, I can't resist the pull of this beat, as someone who used to listen INTENSELY to How It's Made music as a kid. This song channels the likes of Auscultation and Foans very well, with its simple chords, bright melodies, and deep, ambient layered tracks that are drenched in effects. KS has lots of versatility as a producer, and this track is demonstrative of that.

6) lazuli by @korewakosu

• This is such a dreamy trance track. Excellent layering of synths and some nice elements from Y2K-style music. Vocal samples are frenetic but complement the song's tempo very well.

7) Stargirl by @TriangleReality

• This song has such a chill, intense drop. The percussion here is top-notch and the mix feels so spacey and dreamlike. This would be good in a game of some kind, but it's also just good music for hitting 80 on the freeway on a Saturday night.

8) NeedleDrive by @baryiscool

• This is some mean DnB. The bass hits like a chainsaw and it goes absolutely pants-on-head crazy during the drop. Definitely a pretty minimal track, but it has the right balance of ambience and dryness to give the song space to cook during the buildup, and to cool down after the drop.

9) Strawberry by @Chiru-san

• The track title here is appropriate, as this is a very saccharine song, like flying through stars made of sugar crystals. Some great vocal chopping here and a wonderful sense of ascension throughout. Great for dancing to.

10) Interstellar Hyperfunk Synthdrive by @Soultrek

• Another very appropriately-named song. The funk here is absolutely infectious, and the synths are just so groovy. Check the page for this song and you can see a small video of this artist solo-ing on the keyboard, it's so mesmerizing. In this age of sample manipulation and pre-placed MIDI notes, it's easy to forget that sometimes all a song needs to be great is an experienced human playing live improv.

There's my 10 for the last month of 2024! Check out the playlist here. Be sure to check these artists out and give them a rating and a comment if you like their stuff! I was late getting this out due to my ongoing participation in Jamuary, but next month's should turn around a little quicker.