Top Twenty Albums of 2024
1. Fontaines D.C. Romance. Ireland's best band's fourth album took them to another level. Huge. Enormous. Big.
2. MJ Lenderman. Manning Fireworks. Anticipation couldn't have been higher for this album from this rising Americana star, who has a solo career, plays guitar for Wednesday with his ex-partner Karly Hartzman, is currently working with Ben Kweller, and was a prominent guest artist on....
3. Waxahatchee Tigers Blood. Americana at its best. "Get Right Back To It" with MJ Lenderman, one of the best singles of the year.
4. Bright Eyes. Five Dice, All Threes. New release from Conor Oberst & Friends, a return to form.
5. The Hard Quartet. The Hard Quartet. Fantastic debut from the latest indie supergroup to grace our shores, The Hard Quartet, featuring Stephen Malkmus (from Pavement), as well as Matt Sweeney, Emmett Kelly, and Jim White, who have played with musicians such as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, Ty Segall, and The Dirty Three.
6. Beth Gibbons. Lives Outgrown. Very ambitious debut solo album for the singer from Portishead. Swings for the fences. Successfully.
7. Shellac. To All Trains. Very strong album, featuring the late, great super-producer Steve Albini on guitar and vocals. We were looking forward to the band's first new release in ten years, and were shocked by Albini's sudden death on May 7, 2024, only a week before the album's scheduled release. We added this album to classics produced by Albini for The Pixies, PJ Harvey, and Nirvana to create a Steve Albini Memorial Playlist.
8. St. Vincent. All Born Screaming. Sometimes she is a bit much, but I am grateful for her role in saving the guitar and rock n roll. (Check out the wild title song, feat Cate Le Bon...) There's also a cool Spanish language version, Todos Nacen Gritando.
9. The Libertines. All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade. The boys are back in town.
10. Jack White. No Name. Surprise release, originally only available as a bootleg online or vinyl-only hand-given to customers at Third Man Records in Nashville. Many comparing it to The White Stripes.
11. David Rawlings & Gillian Welch. Woodland. Very satisfying Americana.
12. Liam Gallagher & John Squire. Liam Gallagher & John Squire. Liked it.
13. Hurray For The Riff Raff! The Past Is Still Alive. Instant classic.
14. Idles. Tangk. Something different from them. More production but still powerful.
15. Ty Segall. Three Bells. An old fave. Always reliable.
16. J Mascis. What Do We Do Now. Love him.
17. The Pixies. The Night The Zombies Came. Return to form with a new bass player who sings... and, at the same time, a release from their original bass player Kim Deal called Nobody Loves You More. Also great.
18. Elias Rønnenfelt. Heavy Glory. Iceage frontman's cool solo project. Think Dylan and Conor.
19. Sleater-Kinney. Little Rope. Another return to form. My favorite trend of 2024.
20. The Decemberists. As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again. Very strong double album of Americana gypsy country magic. Compare and contrast with The Felice Brothers. Valley Of Abandoned Songs. Both very, very good.
HONORABLE MENTION: Ride, Yard Act, Oneida, X, Arab Strap, Blitzen Trapper, DIIV, Fat White Family, The Cure, Mdou Moctar, Friko, T-Bone Burnett, Cedric Burnside, The Jesus Lizard, Porridge Radio, High Vis.
SPECIAL NOTE: Meshell Ndegeocello's No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin.
Top Twenty Singles of 2024
(Links to YouTube)
Amyl & The Sniffers. "U Should Not Be Doing That"
Bright Eyes. "Bells And Whistles".
The Dandy Warhols. "I Will Never Stop Loving You" (feat Debbie Harry)
Elias Rønnenfelt. "Worm Grew A Spine" Iceage singer goes solo.
Elvin Bishop & Los Lobos. "What The Hell Is Going On" (anti-Trump song)
Fontaines D.C. "Favourite"
Gary Clark, Jr. "What About The Children" (feat Stevie Wonder)
George Harrison. "Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)" (Take 18)
Maxim Ludwig & Angel Olsen "I Can't Stand It" (Lou Reed cover)
Orville Peck & Willie Nelson. "Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond Of Each Other".
Ray LaMontagne. "Step Into Your Power"
Redd Kross. "Candy Coloured Catastrophe". Psychedelic retro fun.
Stevie Wonder. "Can We Fix Our Nation's Broken Heart"
Waxahatchee. "Right Back To It" (feat MJ Lenderman)
HONORABLE MENTION:
Charles Moothart. "Black Holes Don't Choke".
Peter Garrett. "Meltdown".
Nick Lowe & Los Straitjackets. "Went To A Party"
Dry Cleaning "Sit Down Meal"
Tabla Master Zakir Hussain
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Laura Jane Grace. "Hole In My Head".
Mannequin Pussy. "I Got Heaven"
Suzanne Vega. "Rats".
Father John Misty. "Mahashmashana".
Jeff Tweedy. "America" (Simon & Garfunkel cover)
Justin Townes Earle. "Graceland" (Paul Simon cover)
Top Twenty Archival Albums (Re-Issues) of 2024
The Beatles. Beatles '64. To accompany the new Martin Scorsese-produced documentary.
Buckingham Nicks. Buckingham Nicks (1973). Lindsay Buckingham and Stevie Nicks, at the time a couple and partners in a duo, released this album which so impressed Mick Fleetwood that he invited them to join Fleetwood Mac and the rest is pop history. Hadn't really heard this album before, but, inspired by Andrew Bird's 2024 re-interpretation of the album, I decided to give them both a listen. Bird, along with his collaborator Madison Cunningham, brings new life to the old album, inspiring looking back while at the same time looking forward. Both albums are amazing and land up sounding very different.
Bob Dylan. At The Bonnie Beecher's Apartment (Live) (1961). Priceless. And also, The 1974 Live Recordings. Massive 27-CD boxset documenting each iteration of the infamous 1974 national tour of Dylan and The Band. Classic.
David Bowie.Rock 'n' Roll Star! box set (5 CD, 1 Blu-Ray Audio) Ziggy-era outtakes, alternate versions, and live performances with Bowie and Mick Ronson at their creative peak circa 1972. Mega-Classic.
The Faces. Faces At The BBC - Complete BBC Concert & Session Recordings 1970-1973.[Rhino]. Boxset comprised of 8 CDs and one Blu-ray Disc of the legendary Faces feat Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Ronnie Laine, Kenney Jones, and Ian McLagan. Perhaps the most under-appreciated of the truly great rock bands.
Gene Clark. Back Street Mirror - Revisited. Gene Clark (1944 - 1991) co-founded The Byrds, writing some of their best originals, such as "I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better" and "Eight Miles High", and harmonizing with Roger McGuinn and David Crosby on iconic covers like "Mr. Tambourine Man" and "Turn! Turn! Turn!", that veritably epitomize the 1960s for many. His solo career was also amazing but under-appreciated at the time.This essential collection of rarities includes songs from 1965 - 1970.
George Harrison. Living In The Material World (50th anniversary 2 CD). A joy to listen to again. Became even more poignant after the passing of tabla master Zakir Hussain (who added a very nice touch to this album) on December 20, 2024. He was the son of Alla Rakha, who often played tablas with Ravi Shankar, including at The Concert for Bangladesh. Zahir also collaborated with Mickey Hart, Bela Fleck, and many others.
Georgia Sea Island Singers feat Bessie Jones, Ed Davis, Mississippi Fred McDowell & Ed Young. The Complete Friend Of Old Time Music Concert hosted by Alan Lomax in 1965 featuring the unique Gullah Geechee singers as well as the guitar (and singing) of the incomparable Fred McDowell.
Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels. The Last Roundup: Live From The Bijou Cafe In Philadelphia, March 16, 1973. Been waiting for this to come out on CD or digital for a while now. Finally found a copy. Priceless.
Jimmie Dale Gilmore & The Flatlanders. All American Music. A 1972 classic also featuring Joe Ely and Butch Hancock.
Neil Young & Crazy Horse. Early Daze. Recorded in 1969 with original guitarist Danny Whitten. I'm kind of over Neil Young, but this is some great stuff. Also, Neil's Archives Vol. 3 Takes. Worth checking out if only for the Devo collaboration on "Hey, Hey, My, My (Into The Black).
Paul McCartney & Wings. Band on the Run (Underdubbed Mixes). Macca's 1973 classic seen (or more precisely, heard) in a new light. And also, One Hand Clapping. Recorded live in the studio in 1974 while the band was filming a documentary. Often bootlegged, never previously released, it consists of songs by The Beatles, Wings, "Blue Moon Of Kentucky", and others. Nice.
Pavement. Cautionary Tales: Jukebox Classiques. The singles and B-sides. Great to hear Malkmus and Crew in top form.
The Ramones. The 1975 Sire Demos (RSD 2024 Vinyl). Very cool. I'd never heard these demos before.
Stevie Wonder. The Wonder Of Stevie. From Audible.com. Any excuse to listen to Stevie classics from the 70s is a good excuse. And also, Live in Berkeley 1973. Yes!
Talking Heads. Stop Making Sense. They've never sounded better. There's a couple of live albums out there too that are worth checking out, such as Falling Upwards (Live '79) and Live at WCOZ 77. And also, Talking Heads:77 (Super Deluxe Edition 3 CD). Great!
Thin Lizzy. 1976. Love Phil.
Van Morrison. Marin, San Francisco, Sept '71. He was still good. Very, very good. Also been listening a lot to his live 1973 cover of Fred Neil's classic "Everybody's Talking". Circa 1964 - 1972, Van Morrison was on a roll, churning out classics. Since then, it's been hit or miss. I'll never quite forget the spectacle of seeing him at Glastonbury in 1982, putting on a listless, lackluster performance. He even made "Gloria" boring (compared to The Doors and Patti Smith) and he wrote it! Afterwards I saw him sitting in the back of a Mercedes being driven off the festival grounds, smirking smugly. I was struck by the old comments by manager Jerry Heller, who worked with several troublesome clients, including NWA and Easy E, who said Van was the biggest prick he ever worked with in show business. Then there's Van's COVID bullshit. I've really completely written him off at this point. I did enjoy seeing him do Astral Weeks in Berkeley in 2009, and I did like his skiffle album with Lonnie Donegan (1998's The Shuffle Sessions) but c'mon, COVID denial? And as a public figure that people listen to, all the worse to be advocating dangerous and unhealthy positions. Plus his attitude. Smugness and mediocrity make bad bedfellows and his releases since 1972 are extremely hit or miss. I am essentially boycotting Van at this point, although I might make an exception for his 1964 - 1972 period. And I guess I'd throw this song in there too, from a small club performance in Northern California (The Lion's Share, San Anselmo, California, February 15, 1973). I've always loved this song. Love Fred Neil. Love Harry Nilsson. Love Midnight Cowboy. Don't love what Jon Voight and Van Morrison have both become similar, as Ezra Pound said of Winston Churchill, to "a sputtering tank of nicotine and stake whiskey".
Various Artists. The New Demesne. Field Recordings by Alan Lomax, Ireland 1951.
Various Artists. The Concert for Bangladesh. Many are giving this a fresh listen as it is now available on streaming services for the first time. The historic concert (later an album and a film) took place at Madison Square Garden on August 1, 1971, with an afternoon show, followed by another in the evening. Featured artists included: George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jesse Ed Davis, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Leon Russell, Badfinger, Billy Preston, Jim Keltner, and Ravi Shankar. It was the first of the big rock benefit shows for a cause.
The Velvet Underground. 1969 Velvet Underground Live With Lou Reed. Need a good excuse to listen to Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground? Ok, I'll give you one.
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