Year in Review: Music
I think Weeknotes might go on vacation for a little bit while I enjoy some holiday downtime. But it’s the end of the year and I do love a good wrap-up list. Featured below are a handful of records I had the privilege of reviewing in 2024 along with some I love, but didn’t review. I’ve included links to my AllMusic reviews along with buying/streaming links to support these artists.
Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
“Although more experimental and stylistically varied, My Light, My Destroyer plays like an emotional sequel to An Overview on Phenomenal Nature, exploring similar human themes from different angles.” (Read full review here)
Dina Ögon - Orion
“One of the many aspects that sets Dina Ögon apart is their devotion to feel and musicianship. Their parts intertwine and complement each other in a way that can't be manufactured simply by studio layering.” (Read full review here)
St. Lenox - Ten Modern American Work Songs
“Andrew Choi's lyrics are witty, sprawling, and emotional, and he sings them like a bullhorn. His St. Lenox albums play like chapters of an interesting but relatable life with a vitality that's infectious.” (Read full review here)
Jake Xerxes Fussell - When I’m Called
“As on each of Fussell's albums, he moves the songs into his own special, nuanced space, creating a vibe that is unmistakably his own. This sense of personality feels increasingly rare in folk music which often errs in either self-congratulatory retro-ism or indulgent innovation. In avoiding many of the traditional avenues to authenticity, he achieves it naturally.” (Read full review here)
Mdou Moctar - Funeral For Justice
“A breakout star of West Africa whose savvy songs blend the kinetic desert blues of his native Niger with roaring hard rock licks, the singer/guitarist has spent the past decade touring the globe and releasing a string of exciting records, mainly on American labels. Funeral for Justice, his second album for Matador, is not only a rallying dispatch against colonial oppression but also the most sonically thrilling release of his career.” (Read full review here)
James Elkington / Nathan Salsburg - All Gist
“What these two players bring to the table -- and these songs were literally arranged at Elkington's kitchen table -- is an inherent curiosity and intellect that transcend the folk idioms they come from. Elkington, who is English, plays like a natural successor to U.K. forebears like Bert Jansch and Martin Carthy, and Kentucky-based Salsburg has an almost encyclopedic knowledge of American folk music in his fingers.” (Read full review here)
Jenny Scheinman - All Species Parade
“On her first new work in five years Jenny Scheinman presents a wild and expansive double album inspired by Northern California's Lost Coast. The violinist and composer was a staple of New York's vibrant jazz scene in the 2000s before finding her way back home to Humboldt County in the next decade.” (Read full review here)
Daniel Romano’s Outfit - Too Hot To Sleep
“Here we find the Outfit (Romano's name doesn't even appear on the album's cover) in punk mode, a lean and wiry unit with the gonzo blare of the Stooges, the melodic punch of the Dickies, and a dash of the Shangri-Las' sass. As he's proven with all his releases, Romano gives 110 percent, though rarely has he come in so hot.” (Read full review here)
Chrysanths - Leave No Shadow
“Chrysanths marks Emily Scott's first venture into solo work, and it sheds many of the layers and textures so key to Modern Studies' combined sound. The result, even at its densest, is an airy elegance that lifts the music a few inches off the ground.” (Read full review here)
Julian Lage - Speak To Me
“The ever-shifting tone of Speak to Me asks the listener to keep up with the Lage's quirks and mood swings, but the sum of its parts is quite dazzling.” (Read full review here)
While I loved each of these albums, they are just some of of the great releases I was able to cover. Other favorites of 2024 include:
ALBUMS:
Myriam Gendron - Mayday
Shovel Dance Collective - The Shovel Dance
Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More
Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us
Arooj Aftab - Night Reign
Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere
The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstacy
Bandeau - Spirit Fingers
Emily Nenni - Drive & Cry
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Wild God
SONGS:
Fievel is Glauque - "Toute Suite"
Drug Church - "Demolition Man"
Being Dead - “Godzilla Rises”
Redd Kross - “The Main Attraction”
Chris Cohen - “Sunever”
Baby Lasagna - "Rim Tim Tagi Dim"
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - “Hashtag”
Nap Eyes - “Demons”
The Hardy Tree - “All the Hours”
HYOKOH - “Young Man”
Jessica Pratt - “Life Is”
The Reds, Pinks and Purples - “Learning to Love a Band”
Luke Temple - “Church Street”
Amyl & the Sniffers - “Jerkin’”
Real Estate - “Flowers”
Another Sky - “The Pain”
Joshua Moshier / Sabina Sciubba - "Un Gyrosphere"
Liana Flores - “Halfway Heart”
The Lemon Twigs - “My Golden Years”
Rosali - “On Tonight”
As happens every year, there are so many releases I missed, or didn’t get to spend enough time with. Throughout December, AllMusic is slowly rolling out its genre lists which feature a lot of great writing by my colleagues and I’ll of course browse other editors’ year-end lists to see what else I missed. Maybe you’ll find something new that you like in here. Cheers! -TM