This is a personal choice of course, and I am certain that most of you will have completely different musical highlights from the past 12 months. But here we go....
I haven't done a musical review of the year in blog form for a couple of years or so. Partly, well probably mainly, because I couldn't be bothered and but also to some extent because I felt I'd not heard enough music to be able to undertake a balanced overview. Which was probably not true, as I was, as I had always been, continuing to listen to and champion new music, be it brand new or something older that I'd not heard before. Anybody who says there is no good music out there is talking rubbish; like the best things generally it may just take a bit of searching for. And of course some people prefer just to stick with what's familiar, for them repetition is comfort, whereas as I get ever older I continue to actively seek out new bands, artists, and musical experiences.
Before I run through my top albums and tunes of 2024 I feel we should acknowledge some of those we have lost from the world of music in the past 12 months. Among those who have passed this year are several major influences on the way music has evolved over the past decades; legendary musician and producer Quincy Jones, twanging guitarist Duane Eddy, and British blues musician John Mayall. Another big name we lost was country musician-turned-actor Kris Kristofferson, whilst the tragic incident in Buenos Aires that took the life of One Direction singer Liam Payne was a sobering reminder that it wasn't just elderly music industry grandees that left us. Others to depart include Tito Jackson of that famous family (who of course worked with Quincy Jones), French chanteuse Francoise Hardy, legendary engineer Steve Albini who worked with the likes of Nirvana, the Pixies, Low, and PJ Harvey, Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh, ELO keyboard player Richard Tandy, hip-hop MC Fatman Scoop, jazz drummer Roy Haynes, and session musician Herbie Flowers, who worked with such as Elton John, Cat Stevens, David Bowie, Paul McCartney, and Bryan Ferry, and the man who created the famous opening bass line on Lou Reed's Walk on the Wild Side, later sampled by A Tribe Called Quest on Can I Kick It?
The Best of 2024
Favourite Gigs
In no particular order....
English Teacher - Crescent, York (opening image)
Wave Pictures - Grayston Unity, Halifax
Fat Dog - Trades Club, Hebden Bridge
Underworld - Piece Hall, Halifax
PJ Harvey - Piece Hall, Halifax
Lovely Eggs - Parish, Huddersfield
Loose Articles - Grayston Unity, Halifax
Dilettante - Grayston Unity, Halifax
Felice Brothers - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
Been Stellar/ The Cardinals - Brudenell Social Club, Leeds
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| Fat Dog, Hebden Bridge Trades Club |
Top 30 Singles
In some semblance of order....
1. Fontaines DC - Starburster
2. Naima Bock - Feed My Release
3. Amyl & The Sniffers - U Should Not Be Doin' That
4. Adrianne Lenker - Sadness As A Gift
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
6. Fat Dog - Peace Song
7. Arab Strap - Bliss
8. Amyl & The Sniffers - Doin' In My Head
9. Anna Erhard - Botanical Garden
10. Fontaines DC - Favourite
11. Adrianne Lenker - Ruined
12. Porridge Radio - God Of Everything Else
13. Waxahatchee (featuring MJ Lenderman) - Right Back To It
14. Beth Gibbons - Floating On A Moment
15. clipping. - Run It
16. Lambrini Girls - Company Culture
17. Lovely Eggs - Nothing/Everything
18. Big Special - Black Dog/White Horse
19. Fat Dog - I Am The King
20. Been Stellar - Sweet
21. Jack White - Archbishop Harold Holmes
22. Joy Orbison - Flight FM
23. Self Esteem/Moonchild Sanelly - Big Man
24. Kneecap - Parful
25. A Certain Ratio - It All Comes Down To This
26. WH Lung - How To Walk
27. Tunde Adebimpe - Magnetic
28. Yannis & The Yaw (featuring Tony Allen) - Walk Through Fire
29. Gurriers - Top Of The Bill
30. Dilettante - Fun
Top 10 Albums
In no specific order....
English Teacher - This Could Be Texas
After releasing a string of excellent, well-received singles during 2023, such as Nearly Daffodils and The World's Biggest Paving Slab, Leeds-based band English Teacher finally released their debut album in early 2024. The cover featured a depiction of the Cow and Calf rocks on Ilkley Moor by singer Lily Fontaine's mum, and then when the sleeve was removed and the album placed on the turntable, it revealed a host of intelligent, well-crafted songs from this highly musically-literate band who'd met when they were students at Leeds Conservatoire. Media-savvy and independent in spirit, we should be able to look forward to even better music from the band in the future. Favourite Track - Broken Biscuits
Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
This album was quite a revelation. I'd loved Beth Gibbons' earlier work as singer with Portishead, but this collection of songs about growing older, motherhood, grief, and anxiety was a reflection of her life as a near 60 year old. Grown-up and cathartic, these are beautiful chamber pop songs with an eclectic range of musical references. One critic described it thus "A dispatch from the darker moments of middle age, Lives Outgrown is occasionally challenging, frequently beautiful and invariably gripping." Which sums it up perfectly. Favourite Track - Floating On A Moment
Jack White - No Name
You can never write off Jack White. From his earlier work with the highly-influential White Stripes through the Raconteurs to his solo work, his record label and store brand Third Man Records, he has continued to surprise and delight. Such as when earlier this year shoppers at the Third Man stores were surprised to get home and find an extra free item amongst their purchases. It had no name, no artist, and no track listing, only a listen to the album itself with its collection of gritty but radio-friendly slabs of blues-rock suggested the identity of their creator. And when it was officially released as No Name, it was, not surprisingly, greeted with much critical acclaim. Favourite Track - Archbishop Harold Holmes
Big Special - Post Industrial Hometown Blues
A rollercoaster of an album from this Black Country duo taking in punk, blues, soul, and various other musical influences as they bemoan the state of the world whilst at the same time finding beauty in the everyday. Some great lyrics which offer some hope of a sort - "I'm a septic tank half-full kind of guy", some cracking tunes, and a presentational style which veers between real beauty through to ranting fire and brimstone, all delivered in singer Joe Hicklin's strong Black Country accent. An album that warrants repeated listening, loudly. Favourite Track - Shithouse
Fat Dog - Woof
There seemed to be a bit of a dog theme running through 2024. Not only did Big Special feature a dog on their album cover, there were good tunes out from the likes of Dog Unit and Dog Race. And then there was Fat Dog. A band like no other. One of the most exhilarating and exciting bands I have ever seen live. Which made me wonder if their full-on-everything-including-the-kitchen-sink blend of dance, punk, and klezmer would translate well to an album. I needn't have worried, it did so with bells on. A delicious romp which always seems to end too soon. And it doesn't even include their 6th single, the wonderful Peace Song that came out very recently and suggests that Fat Dog are simply going to get better and better. Favourite Track - I Am The King
Waxahatchee - Tiger's Blood
Another great album from Katie Crutchfield aka Waxahatchee following on from her stupendous 2020 album Saint Cloud. A chilled-out easy going feel of a record which has as its strength some finely-crafted songs. Featuring country guitarist and singer MJ Lenderman on all the tracks, it is an album that gets better with every listen, and if you allow yourself to get drawn into its spell, you will almost certainly feel better by the time the needle comes to the end of the record. Favourite Track - Right Back To It
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God
The arrival of a new Nick Cave album is always something of an event, as most of the time you can expect to be captivated and drawn in to the songs within. But whilst the last few albums have had a serious, almost religious tone to them, Wild God is almost that rare thing, an upbeat Nick Cave album. There is certainly a more positive feeling amongst the 10 tracks here, indeed there is even a song called Joy. Mr Cave's singing is rapturous at times, whilst keeping the songs chugging along in the background, the Bad Seeds playing is exuberant. Another great Nick Cave album but something of a change in tone! Favourite Track - Wild God
Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future
There are few people around at the moment who can write a better tune than Big Thief's Adrianne Lenker, and that was demonstrated a-plenty on this, her 6th solo album. With often deeply personal lyrics set to a gentle blend of folk and country, on songs such as Sadness As A Gift and the especially poignant Ruined, her skill as a songwriter shone through, every listen to the album revealing something new in its wake. Favourite Track - Sadness As A Gift
Cartoon Darkness - Amyl & The Sniffers
It's been a great 2024 for these Aussie tearaways. Led by the irrepressible Amy Taylor, their raucous Bondi punk got them heard in all the right places and plenty of others too. This was their 3rd album and whilst punk stormers like U Should Not Be Doin' That, Doin' In My Head, and Jerkin' dominated the record with their driving riffs, Aussie slang, and Amy's shouty vocals, the quieter, more reflective Big Dreams showed another side to the band. There were few better ways to spend 33 minutes and 48 seconds in 2024 than giving this record a spin. Favourite Track - U Should Not Be Doin' That
And so, out of the 10 albums, there was one favourite. And so, this is in my opinion the best album of 2024....
Fontaines DC - Romance
This was the album the Dublin 5-piece had been threatening to make ever since they first burst on the scene back in 2018 with the single Chequeless Reckless which I first heard on Steve Lamacq's teatime show on 6 Music. There was a raw energy about the band which was further captured when they released their debut album, Dogrel, in 2019, but there was also a keen intelligence to their writing. A 2nd album, A Hero's Death, followed a year later, but felt very much like a holding album, lacking the excitement of the first. In 2022, the band released their 3rd album, Skinty Fia, which was a return to form and some, with great songs like I Love You and Jackie Down The Line showing the band bringing a greater maturity to their music. And so when they released the killer first single from the album, Starburster, in early 2024 there was a great sense of anticipation about the next album, Romance, which was released in August. Further tracks like Favourite, In The Modern World, and the title song displayed a greater variety than on previous albums, with the band increasingly confident about trying different things, but with Grian Chatten's distinctive vocals on top it still sounded like the Fontaines. Just better. Favourite Track - Starburster
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Great list as always, always enjoy reading your pubs and music of the year - you've got far better choice of gigs and beers than I do in Aberdeen though! Beth Gibbons and Amyl & The Sniffers both in my top 10 this year without a doubt, though Goat and Jane Weaver take the 1 and 2 spots. Cheers!
ReplyDeleteI wish I still lived in Leeds so I could go to gigs at The Brudnell -a lot of my folkie favourites play there.I am open to all types of music & like you I enjoy Jack White & Amyl & the Sniffers are very uplifting. As I write this I am listening to the New Year concert form Vienna.I always enjoy finding a new band to listen to.We saw Rick Wakeman a couple of times last year -he can still do the business !
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