The Finish Line

The music of 2024 rode shotgun to another doozy of a personal year for me. More change than a guy can handle sometimes. And even as me and the fam crashed landed into 2025, amongst the boxes and suitcases, I kept music in my ear and used it to both protect and heal me. This year has some depth IMO. Looking back it would seem the folkier side dominated, but I also love my weird, and there's just some talent that can't be ignored. Music , I believe, has truly become untethered from genre in the era of streaming and it gets harder and harder to classify. That's ok. Maybe this is just the musical UN we all need.

I listened to some of these more than others, but there's a ton of amazing music out there. Sorry about the tardy nature of the list but if you know, you know. If you don't, reach out and let's get caught up. For now, here's the music. Hope you find something hear.

Bonny Light Horsemen - Keep Me On your Mind/Set Me Free

This was a year where I feel like I leaned on comfort first. And there’s very little more comfortable than talent, harmony and heart felt connection. The combined talents of Anaïs Mitchell, Eric D. Johnson of the Fruit Bats, and Josh Kaufman have moved beyond the English folk model that have brought them together and created moving and more accessible songs that touched me and found their occasion in a variety of situations. It’s not my most critical choice of the year, but I’m far from doing this list to impress. It’s my album of the year and I’m pretty sure you’ll find something on here that you’ll love to. Key Tracks: Keep Me On Your Mind, When I Was Younger, Waiting and Waiting, Lover Take it Easy

2. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

Here we are, 16 years since the first release, and Vampire Weekend has closed the circle. This album is the sum total of all that came before and completes in my mind the five album test for this band. What’s new this time are some skonks and edges, some sonic flotsam and the sound that makes you instant recognize this is Vampire Weekend. Ezra’s lyrics allow you to connect to a theme and not a moment. It makes the music yours too.

Key Tracks: Capricorn, Mary Boone, Hope, Classical

3. The Smile -Wall of Eyes (also Cutouts)

Yep, 3 picks in and I'm doubling up already. But when viewed in the larger context, spectacular output by this unit this year. Listen everyone, I have some bad news. I don’t think Radiohead is coming back. Nor do I think that Thom Yorke goes a day in his life without writing a song. The good news is, his primary co-conspirators are the second most essential component of Radiohead in Jonny Greenwood and an incredibly virstile drummer in Tom Skinner. Two albums from these unit this year. The first - Wall of Eye - was in my mind the most complete effort and most accessible version of this band to date. I rushed to the record store to buy it on vinyl the second I heard it. The second - Cutouts - has the spirit of something that I would have come to expect from a Thom solo album, more electronic, but has some grooves that really sneak up on you. The Smile may be the future and I can handle the change.

Wall of Eyes Key Tracks: Wall of Eyes, Read the Room, Friend of a Friend

Cutouts: Zero Sum, Instant Pslam

4. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

Ok, ok. I give in. I give in to the vibe, I give in to the slacker swagger. I give in to the loose guitars. But most of all, I give in to MJ Lenderman and his earnest take on rock and roll. Anytime you keep reaching for something despite knowing why, there must be something there. It’s a testament to a current work when listening to it enough makes the back catalogue open up to you (esp. last years live outing) because now you get it. Hope this kid can keep up the pace.

Key Tracks: Wristwatch, Joker Lips, She's Leaving You,

5. Father John Misty - Mahashmashana

And then there’s those who were the wunderkind and then fell out as he turned his back on expectation and scratched the musical influences that tickled his fancy. While it was always Josh Tillman’s wit and lyricism that rode on top, what often makes or breaks his music for me is how interested in it I am what lies beneath. And wow, this time I’m thrilled. Big ass sound, vast instrumentation, even groove. This is a multiple play return journey for sure. Recency bias aside, this one is great album for one of his generations best songwriters.

Key Tracks: I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All, She Cleans Up, Josh Tillman and the Accidental Dose

6. Ducks Ltd - Harm’s Way

What do a couple dudes from new zealand and have any busy making music this catchy in my home province (and why won’t they come to London? Or anyone anymore for that matter?) Catchy, infectious, jangly, 80’s style pop, with this energy that kept me coming back for more. And at a brisk 28 minutes, fits the busy dad life to a tee

Key Tracks: Hollowed Out, The Main Thing, Train Full of Gasoline

7. Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties -In Lieu of Flowers

I love a good series. And as much as I hate to start a series on the third episode, I was thrilled to discover this heartfelt and heart wrenching effort from the lead singer of The Wonder Years, Dan Campbell. In part 3 of this trilogy we find our fictitious band leader struggling with the thought of going back on the road and his sobriety. This unlocked the trilogy of raw storytelling in a sound that's raw and rocky and folky. Best disgusted in one sitting and make sure to check out part 1 and 2 in the forms of the previous albums to get the whole story. If this is the last chapter, it's going out on all the right notes

Key Tracks: Smoking Rooms, Roman Candles, In Lieu of Flowers

8. Brittany Howard - What Now

Whilst we wait for the Alabama Shakes reunion, Brittany Howard continues the journey into the sonic weird land, and is so talented and interesting as she does it. I find something new everytime I listen to this album and turns out, I do more than even I expected.

Key Tracks: Every Colour in Blue, I Don't, What Now

9. Cindy Lee - Diamond Jubliee

This album suffers from an accessibility issue for a guy like me. I need my music on my phone or on my record player. Seeking it out on YouTube is not ideal for multiple listening. And yet, pushing play on this and just letting it run in the background isn’t the worst way to experience it. It’s like a radio station from a different but familiar dimension. Hazy, harmonic, familiar even beautiful, the songs aren’t as important as the sum of its total parts. Patrick Flegel created something special here that should be experienced at least once.

Key Tracks (from a Youtube rip)Kingdom Come 36:05, Always Dreaming 24:01 Diamond Jubilee , Gayblevision

10. Adrienne Lecker- Bright Future -

This was our Sunday morning fav. I know it’s kind of reductive to call it a big Thief lite, but it kinda is. A rough day start to 2024 had me clinging to Sadness is a Gift. Very consistantly accesses me on a deeper level.

Key Tracks: Sadness is a Gift, Fool, Vampire Empire

Songs I really loved from albums I liked less

Modesto - Pedro the Lion

Sadness Sets Me Free - Gruff Rhys

I Know That It's Like This (Baby) - Bill Ryder-Jones

All in My Head - Middle Kids with Dave Le'aupepe from Gang of Youths

Back for the Funeral - Donovan Woods

God Person - Madi Diaz

All in Good Time - Iron and Wine and Fiona Apple

Lego Ring - Faye Webster and Lil Yachty

Devotion - Cassandra Jenkins

Panther City - Leon Bridges

SPEYSIDE - Bon Iver

Million Dollar Baby - Tommy Richman (for Elliott)

The Rest of the Albums I Really Liked

11. The Hard Quartet - Malkmus. That is all. Feel like this one got memory holed but I listened to it a ton. Great songs from all sides of this self proclaimed supergroup but lots to love if you love Malkmus. Key Tracks: Rio's Song, Hometown Boy

12. Muriel Grossman - Devotion - Favourite jazz album of the year. Thanks to the Beyond the Pond lads for turning me on to this one. Key Tracks; Absolute Truth, Calm

13. Geordie Greep - The New Sound -The most relistenable from a "new discovery every time you listen" standpoint - very unexpected and much more Latin based rhythm than I excepted from this Black Midi alum -Key Tracks- Blues, Holy Holy

14. Wild Pink - Dulling the Horns - now becoming a consistent "like his stuff" every time, the sound got bigger while expanding that Midwest art sound: Key Tracks - Fences of Stonehenge, St Catherine St, Disintegrate

15. Sturgill Simpson aka Johnny Blue Skies - Passage du Desir - Sturgill seems to be happy being Sturgill again so much so he’s Jonny blue Skies now- this album adds to the catalogue but it was his live work and bootlegs (thank you Nugs.net) that put Sturgill back in the saddle for me again this year Key Tracks : Who I am, Jupiter's Faeires, Mint Tea

16. King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard - Flight B741 - A straight up 70's swagger rock rager that fueled my Mondegreen weekend and rocked my patio. Best Concert I Saw in 2024 taboot. And the *checks notes* the only album they put out this year (although I listened to a ton of live Gizz as they released all shows on youtube and some bangers on Nugs.net) Key Tracks: Mirage City, Field of Vision

17. Jon McKiel - Hex - New Brunswick weirdo folk with a hypontic first track that pulls you right in - Key Tracks - Hex, String

18. Liam Gallagher and John Squire - Liam Gallagher and John Squire - While we wait for the second coming of Oasis, let's bask in the sneer of Gallagher and the more Second Coming leanings of the Stone Roses John Squire while we wait. There's no such thing as guilty pleasures Key Tracks: Just Another Rainbow, Mars To Liverpool

18. Nilufer Yanya - My Method Actor - The sonic experimentations continue for Yanya. This was a great head phone listen Key Tracks: Like I Say (I runaway), Mutations

19. The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - What do you get when you combine the reminder of Fugazi and one of the hottest sax players on the planet? This. Challenge yourself. You won't be disappointed. Key Tracks: L' Orso, The Time is the Place

20. Rosali - Bite Down - She really leans into the Neil Young here and I am here for it Key Tracks: On Tonight, My Kind, Bite Down

Live Release of the Year - The War on Drugs - Live Drugs Again - This live album really really brings to life the tracks from the last album and was comfort food for me. Key Tracks; Harmonia's Dream, Nothing to Find

Also good stuff from these artists!

Bill Ryder Jones ,Cassandra Jenkins, Eggy, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Khrungbin, Yard Act , Pedro the Lion, Jack White, Fearless Flyers, Billy Strings, Phish

Thanks for reading everyone! As usual, leave your thoughts, recommendations, and critiques in the comments.

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