Here’s some of my favorite releases from 2024, remember, don’t look back. Dig in!
- Better Lovers “Highly irresponsible” - maybe my favorite live set from the year, and I saw them twice, talked to Greg (singer) after a show and he is just a dynamo, from his pedigree to his showmanship - this is what hardcore/metalcore has been missing imo
- Caribou “Honey”
- Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds “Wild God” - going to see the master again in a few months, this is a great album
- The Cure “Songs Of A Lost World” - no idea how he does it, this brings me back to Disintegration, which is a great thing
- Floating Witch’s Head “Fuzzy Details” - brilliant openers for Built to Spill, with a Philip Glass movie (Koyaanisqatsi) projected behind them. A nod to the Velvets?
- Four Tet “Three”
- IDLES “TANGK” - maybe my other favorite live set of the year, they constantly bring it. H/T to English Teacher (see below) for a great opening set
- The Jesus and Mary Chain “Glasgow Eyes” - always wanted to see them, they did not disappoint, top 5 live set of the year
- Les Savy Fav “OUI,LSF”
- The Messthetics “The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis” - featuring Joe and Brendan, better known as the rhythm section of Fugazi
- Personal Trainer “Still Willing” - from The Netherlands, I saw them in Copenhagen at a small Christiana concert venue, which I now love
- Shellac “To All Trains” RIP Steve Albini - they’ll never be anyone like him. What a huge impact he had on music that I love, from PJ to Weddos and beyond, not to mention Shellac, who I was lucky to see a few times.
- The Smile “Wall of Eyes”
- Soup Activists “Mummy What are Flowers For?” - a Saint Louis band that floored me when they opened for Sweeping Promises last year, then they actually recorded this in Kansas with Sweeping Promises. Sharp stuff this
- Superposition “II” - more awesome modern jazz from Finland, thanks We Jazz, hope to attend your fest soon!
- Tube Alloys “Evil Angels” - great rock and roll from LA
- Touché Amoré “Spiral in a Straight Line” - well they didn’t stand on ceremony with this release, wow
- Gillian Welch & David Rawlings “Woodland” - a great return to form from these legends of the (modern) genre
Honerable Mentions
Things I think are worth checking out, who knows, maybe they’ll catch fire later.
- Adrianne Lenker “Bright Future”
- DIIV “Frog in Boiling Water”
- English Teacher “This Could Be Texas”
- Godspeed You! Black Emperor “NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD”
- Fontaines D.C. “Romance” - I never hear a bad song from these folks
- Kim Gordon “The Collective” - still don’t love her solo stuff, but I’m giving it time
- Jamie XX “In Waves” - from the beats/music creator of The xx
- Lip Critic “Hex Dealer”
- Mk.gee “Two Star & the Dream Police” - what?
- The Smile “Cutouts”