I will admit, most of my listening in 2024 was live Grateful Dead, as I make my way through all of their officially-released live recordings as well as the hundreds of soundboards on the Relisten app. As such, there wasn't a great deal of time to listen to much new music. That said, there was some great records to come out this year and a good handful that really perked up my ears. Of course, this list is subjective, and I'm sure that if I heard every single 2024 album that was in my wheelhouse, this would have been a much different list. But this is the list we have and every single one of these albums deserves to be here.
So, without further adieu, here is my Top Pick Of 2024:
Norway’s
immense Motorpsycho celebrated their 35th year as a band in 2024.
While there wasn’t any grand statement, or big celebration, there was still
reason to raise a glass to the magnificent Neigh!! Following up on last
year’s mostly-acoustic Yay!, this new release finds the band trawling
their recent archive for songs that, for one reason or another, did not fit on
the albums for which they were originally recorded. So, the band dusted those
tracks off, gave them a once-over, and compiled them into an album that
honestly blows their last few records out of the water. For the most part, this
album stays away from the heavy epics but songs like “Psycholab” and “This Is
Your Captain” are clearly in the Motorpsycho wheelhouse while their cover of
Skip Spence’s “All My Life (I Love You)” shows that they can do poppier material
just as well as the heavy stuff. With another new album on the way, Motorpsycho
continues to push forward and, as always, completely nails it.
Since I totally hate ranking music, the rest of the list is presented in alphabetical order. Every last one of them is a banger.
While
Yes continues to record and perform without him, former vocalist Jon Anderson
continues on his own, recently enlisting The Band Geeks to back him up and
basically play the part of “Yes”, which they do quite adeptly. As such, a lot
of what can be found on this album is squarely in the Classic Yes mold,
especially tracks like “True Messenger”, “Counties And Countries”, and the epic
“Once Upon A Dream”, while “Shine On” could have appeared on Big Generator.
Other songs like “Still A Friend” and “Thank God” are more in line with what
you would expect from a Jon Anderson album, but they are delivered with all the
vigor that the Geeks are capable of. By far, this is Anderson’s best solo album
in decades.
After
a twelve-year recording hiatus, Beachwood Sparks have returned with their
signature brand of cosmic alt.country. Brevity is the order of the day here,
with this album’s nine songs clocking in at a lean 28 minutes, but that does
not detract from the album at all. Parts of this remind me of the Byrds, some
of it makes me think of the Meat Puppets. Sadly, this album comes after the
passing of both Neal Casal as well as Josh Schwartz, but their spirit lives on
in these expansive numbers.
Blitzen Trapper: 100s of 1000s, Millions of Billions
Blitzen
Trapper have never made a bad album. The closest, I think, may have been 2020’s
Holy Smokes Future Jokes, which is pretty weird in places, but even that
album had more highs than lows. While that album found Eric Earley in a more
experimental mode, this latest release is just full of killer songs. The kind
that reminds you that Earley is one of the greatest living songwriters. This
shows up in the classic BT vibes of album opener, “Ain’t Got Time To Fight”,
the reflective “Planetarium”, the rockin’ “Hello Hallelujah”, and the killer
single, “Cosmic Backseat Education”, which is one of the best songs here.
The
Church: Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars
The
Church’s 27th studio album follows hot on the heels of last year’s The
Hypnogogue, existing as a sort of companion to that impressive installment.
Similar themes carry over to this release, but it also stands on its own as a
solid, late-career offering. Much of this album is very atmospheric but
occasionally they pick up the pace, like on songs such as “Amanita” and the
Modern Lovers vibe of “Manifesto”.
When
you are a classic group with a consistently strong back catalogue, and you take
16 years to make a new album – especially when your leader has, over the years,
promised that up to six albums were in the works and “almost done” – you better
be able to deliver. Where so many artists fall flat, The Cure actually managed
to not only buck that trend, but they managed to come out with their best
album, possibly since Disintegration. This album has its dark and weird
moments, and is very ethereal in places, but also very accessible and that is
its strong point, and the reason why this album shot straight to #1.
Not
a lot of bands make it to their 23rd studio album. Many of those who
do are basically phoning it in by that point. Or, at least, they are coasting.
Deep Purple, on the other hand, continues pushing forward, consistently
releasing solid albums. This is the first album to feature Simon McBride on
guitar, after Steve Morse’s 2022 exit, and his expansive playing fills out this
album’s sonic palette while Ian Gillan sounds thirty years younger than his 79
years would otherwise suggest. Musically, this continues along DP’s hard rock
path, and it doesn’t deviate from that too much. But that is not to trivialize
the material, which totally rocks. This is some of Deep Purple’s most engaging
work in years, and it gets better with every spin.
Elephant
Stone: Back Into The Dream
Montreal
psychsters Elephant Stone may have named themselves after a Stone Roses single
but they are very much in their own category. On their sixth album, the tabla
drums may be dialed back a bit but the songs are as jangly and as trippy as
ever. Songs like “The Spark” and “Lost In A Dream” could have been released in
1967 while others like “History Repeating” and “BAE” combine more modern
elements to create a sound that takes a familiar vibe and turns it on its side.
Noel
Gallagher started his career as a roadie for The Stone Roses, and it was their
sound that was the initial blueprint for Oasis, so it should stand to reason
that an album by the younger Gallagher and Roses axe-man John Squire should be
pretty incredible. While I would stop just short of that designation, the
resultant album is one hell of a ride. All of the songs were written by John
Squire and, while this does not necessarily sound like The Stone Roses, it does
make me wonder how many of these songs were originally destined for that band’s
ill-fated reunion album. It’s been twenty years since we’ve heard any
significant writing from Squire, so that’s very refreshing, especially because
these songs are so much better than the two Stone Roses reunion tracks. With the
Oasis regroup actually happening, this collaboration appears to be a
one-and-done. Fortunately the songs here are strong enough to make this album
stand out.
Strut
Of Kings
may be the only GbV album to come out in 2024 but it is the 40th GbV
album, and the 17th to feature the current lineup of Bob Pollard,
Doug Gillard, Bobby Bare Jr, Mark Shue, & Kevin March. This album features
a lot of the same stuff that we’ve come to expect from a GbV album, with a
particular focus on the prog side of the band, with songs such as “Leaving
Umbrella” and “Olympus Cock In Radiana” exploring the weirder side of the band
while others like “Serene King”, “Dear Onion”, and “Bicycle Garden” deliver the
melodic, anthemic vibe that Pollard has been so revered for. While this may
come across as just another day at the office for the band, this is yet another
significant cog in that machine, and should not be missed.
Ashley
Frangipane often gets lumped in with other pop singers of this day, but her
music has always transcended pop convention, and is often achingly beautiful.
Her latest offering comes after a lupus diagnosis (and a few other serious
health issues) and, at least at one point, she approached this album as if it
were to be her final. Interestingly, she approached every song on the album
while thinking of her various influences. As such, the songs on this album take
inspiration from artists as diverse as Stevie Nicks, Bruce Springsteen, Amy
Lee, Kate Bush, Dolly Parton, and Fiona Apple (among others), but nothing on
this album necessarily sounds like those influences. They all sound like
Halsey. That is the mark of a great artist – they know exactly how to channel
their influences in a way that still sounds original.
I
don’t know what’s harder to believe – that Judas Priest has been making albums
for 50 years or the fact that this latest offering is so incredible. Seriously,
this band does not age. “Panic Attack” opens the album with all the power that
this band has ever been known for. Rob Halford’s voice has barely aged a day
and, in fact, here he sounds better than ever. While some of the band’s more
recent work has been almost prog influenced, this album finds Priest just going
balls to the wall, delivering an album that can sit perfectly among their most
classic works.
Australia’s
answer to Bob Dylan returns with his first album of all-new songs in six years,
and he comes out on top. When you’ve made 29 albums, it may seem like you don’t
have anything left to say, but that is not the case here. Kelly delivers his
signature jangly folk-rock over the course of 12 songs that explore the human
condition as well as a lifetime of experiences, good and bad. My favorite Paul
Kelly moments have always been his snarkier numbers, and we get a good dose of
that here, especially on “Love Has Made A Fool Of Me” and “Hello Melancholy,
Hello Joy”. That he has not enjoyed
massive success Stateside is one of those head-scratchers that will never make
sense (same goes with Bruce Cockburn), but it’s obviously not stopping him. May
he continue to make records forever.
This
band is totally nuts, but we all know that. 26 albums in 12 years, and almost
every one of them is totally different. This latest release finds the Gizz in a
more accessible, more melodic mode (their last two albums were epic metal and extended
electro jams, respectively). Fans of Fishing For Fishies and Paper
Mache Dream Balloon will find a lot to love on this set, which is just a
solid collection of songs that further prove Stu Mackenzie’s genius.
British
psych combo Kula Shaker return with their 7th studio album and, just
like every one of their albums, it is a total banger. Kicking off with the
blast known as “Gaslighting” this album does not let up, as they move through
the sitar-laden “Waves”, with its infectious “sha na na na” chorus. This album
marks a return of Jay Darlington which reunites the original lineup for the
first time in over a quarter century. Perhaps that is the reason that, while
this album is clearly contemporary, it immediately conjures images of the
mid-‘90s, back when I heard this band for the first time.
It
totally trips me out that the Linda Lindas are onto their third release and ¾
of the band is still in high school. Of course, they prove that age means
nothing, because they rock so fucking hard. Musically, they continue a path
that takes them from punk to power pop, and all the crunch that comes between.
As usual, each of the four members of the band contribute songs and vocals and
that give the album variety and flow. Writing and performing the album
completely on their own, they are otherwise joined on one song by none other
than “Weird Al” Yankovic, who lays down some nasty accordion on “Yo Me
Estreso”. Given their age, this band could really go the distance. Let’s hope
they do.
For
over 45 years, Magnum remained one of the most reliably consistent hard rock
bands around. They never really found the pitfalls that so many bands of their
ilk suffer from, and their music has always been a bit smarter than your
average hard rock band. This year began with the release of Magnum’s 23rd
studio album, Here Comes The Rain, an exquisite tour-de-force that is
every bit as solid as the best of their catalogue. Sadly, this was also to be
their final offering, as guitarist/songwriter/producer Tony Clarkin passed away
suddenly, five days before this album’s release, and (singer) Bob Catley has
since announced that, without Tony, the band just cannot continue. (there will
be some tribute shows hosted by the band next year but this is it, otherwise).
The good thing, if a silver lining can be found, is that this album is a most
excellent exclamation point on their long, rich career.
The
last few years have been interesting ones for Phish. Guitarist Trey Anastasio
released a pair of digital-only solo albums – Lonely Trip and the
acoustic Mercy - as well as a groundbreaking collaboration with
keyboardist Page McConnell, titled January. While all of those records
have their high points, and their own identities, what they really did was
provide a vast well of potential new Phish songs. And that’s what we have here,
on the band’s 16th studio release, as seven of the thirteen songs on
this album originally came from those projects, while a further five were
originally debuted on the band’s summer tour in 2023. The only one that was brand new to all ears, is
bassist Mike Gordon’s delightfully groovy “Human Nature”, which is one of his
better offerings. Utilizing both Bryce Goggin and Vance Powell behind the
board, this album has a rich production and is neither flimsy nor slick. It’s
just perfect, one of the most rewarding of Phish’s sixteen studio albums.
One
of the greatest of the shoegazer bands, Ride kicked off their career with four
of the strongest EPs any band has ever released. 34 years later, they are
dropping their 7th album (their third since reuniting in 2014) and
it is a fantastic, fresh, contemporary take, one of their best albums ever.
Taking inspiration from ‘80s synthpop, these songs are immediate, upbeat, and
catchy. Were this a better world, this would be the massive breakthrough that
it deserves to be.
On
her fourth album with the Disarmers, River Shook takes the ups and downs of her
past and comes out with a mature collection of songs that are light years away
from the lonesome whiskey-soaked numbers of her early years. In the meantime,
Shook has gotten sober, changed her name to River, and made an album with her
alt.rock side project, Mightmare. This all coalesces into the grooves of this
record, where the songs are strong and her voice is even stronger. Any record
with a song called “Motherfucker” is a win in my book.
Following
the return of James Iha & Jimmy Chamberlin in 2017, the Pumpkins quickly
knocked out Shiny And Oh So Bright before embarking on two long,
sprawling album projects – 2020’s electro double album, Cyr, as well as
the triple-album-rock-opera, ATUM. After those complexities, it was time
to get back to basics, just a little. And so we get Aghori Mhori Mei, a
no-bullshit, back-to-basics, classic Smashing Pumpkins record, full of just as
many big guitars as sweeping, cinematic flourishes. If they had put this album
out in 1997, no one would have batted an eye. And, yet, this album and feels
contemporary.
This
year saw DC’s wonderful Mary Timony delivering her first solo album in 19
years, the last one being 2005’s Ex Hex (which later provided the name
of Timony’s current band). In the years since, Mary has worked with a variety
of different projects, musical and otherwise, including Ex Hex, Wild Flag, and
Hammered Hulls, where she plays bass. Her latest finds her signature guitar
tone and her exquisite whisper of a voice taking the lead on nine new songs
that are a little more upbeat and less weird than her previous solo work (note:
Mountains is one of my favorite albums of all time), but the album is
every bit as rewarding as the best of her work.
I
debated including this album, since it is really a collection of outtakes from
2004’s How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, but most of this album is
previously unreleased and it really plays like a new U2 album, albeit one that
was made two decades ago. Several of the songs had been heard before, in one
context or another, such as “Are You Gonna Wait Forever?” and “Picture Of You”,
which was previously known as “Xanax & Wine” (and rewritten as “Fast Cars”),
as well as “The Luckiest Man In The World”, which was previously titled “Mercy”
when it was a leaked outtake from the album (and huge fan fave). That track
alone is worth the cost of the record. Of course, the most exciting parts are
the never-heard songs, from deep within the U2 vault, the best of which is
“Country Mile” and “Happiness” is also a solid one. “Treason” is really weird
but that’s what makes it great, and “Evidence Of Life” just rocks. This just
goes to show that there is gold in that vault. All they gotta do is mine for it
every now and then.
It’s been eight years since we’ve gotten any new music from Widespread Panic and then, boom, two albums in one year. Of course, to call them “albums” is a bit of a stretch, as there are only 11 songs between these two releases (hence, them getting one entry), but whatever. What we have here is WSP doing that they do best on a collection of originals and a few covers. We get a beautiful rendition of Warren Zevon’s farewell song, “Keep Me In Your Heart”, and of course there is the requisite Bloodkin cover (the rockin’ live favorite, “Trashy”), as well as two songs written by the band in conjunction with Jerry Joseph. Throughout these tracks, what we hear is a rejuvenated Widespread Panic, one that you would never imagine would be entering their 40th year.
So there you have it. Another musical year in the books. Before we go, we need to pay tribute to all the great players we lost this year: Quincy Jones, Dickey Betts, Kris Kristofferson, JD Souther, Frankie Beverly, Sergio Mendes, Herbie Flowers, John Mayall, Francoise Hardy, John Barbata, Steve Albini, Duane Eddy, Mike Pinder, Karl Wallinger, Eric Carmen, Damo Suzuki, Mojo Nixon, Toby Keith, Wayne Kramer, the beautiful Melanie, and the late, great Phil Lesh. Rest in peace and play forever.
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