Best Music 🎶 of 2024!

I completely forgot I was going to listen to it this one this week!
There’s still time. She just did a nice interview with Paste Magazine too.

While I am sharing interview articles here’s a good one with Liquid Mike’s lead singer, Mike Maple. As a born & raised Midwesterner ex pat, I have always found Michigan’s Upper peninsula very fascinating.
 
This past Friday was a big day for releases. I’ve also listened to a few other 2024 releases that I am digging too.

01. Rosali - Bite Down
02. Ducks, Ltd. - Harm’s Way
03. Waxahatchee - Tiger’s Blood
04. Real Estate - Daniel
05. Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot
06. Sierra Ferrell - Trail Of Flowers
07. David Nance - David Nance & Mowed Sound
08. J Mascis - What Do We Do Now
09. Mannequin Pussy - I Got Heaven
10. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Dume

I might be cheating by adding Dume, and I did penalize it a bit, otherwise it would probably be fighting for the top spot; since it’s a reworking of the Neil’s 1975 album, Zuma and while this was the first time it was released as a standalone album it was originally conceived as part of NYA, Vol. II which was released back 2020 so maybe it shouldn’t count at all.
I've ordered bite down from plaid room records along with the new st vincent album. I don't know when I'm getting the rosali album because I'm trying to find a 3rd album so I can get free shipping and they don't ship until everything Is available and if I ordered the new king hannah album I wouldn't get my order until at least the end of May.
 
Q1 Update

Total 2024 releases (albums/EPs/mixtapes) listened to as of March 31: 60

Very much a struggle. Not as enthused with trying what's out there right now. But all somewhat balanced by my fave finally releasing her first album in the 2020s. With that, I have an early 2024 AotY contender.

Only a 3x3 for now!

Saving releases from Mar 29 to be considered for Q2. Entries are alphabetized by band name/artist last name.


2024 Q1 Favorites.png

Boldy James x Nicholas Craven - Penalty of Leadership [gangsta rap, drumless]
Erotic Secrets of Pompeii - Mondo Maleficium [post-punk, gothic rock]
Four Tet - Three [microhouse, downtempo]

Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves [art pop, experiential, ambient]
Kali Malone - All Life Long [drone, holy minimalism]
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis - The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis [jazz rock, avant-garde jazz]

samlrc - A Lonely Sinner [post-metal, ambient, shoegaze]
The Smile - Wall of Eyes [art rock, neo-psychedelia, post-rock]
Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt [art pop, trip hop, experimental]
 
Here’s my top ten for March. Need to contemplate some things on Q1:

  1. Amaro Freitas - Y’Y
  2. Aoife O’Donovan- All My Friends
  3. Reyna Tropical - MalegrĂ­a
  4. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
  5. Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
  6. Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis
  7. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes
  8. Julia Holter - Something in the Room She Moves
  9. BOLIS PUPUL - Letter to Yu
  10. Ana Lua Caiano - Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado
 
2024 has been slow overall so far but the stuff I did get I like alot so seems like quality > quanity so far.

Top 3 of the year so far (only 3 albums i love so far)
1. The Last Dinner Party - Prelude to Ecstasy
2. Yard Act - Where's My Utopia?
3. Beyonce - COWBOY CARTER

Q1 Albums I need to spend time with (could see myself loving them)
Kali Uchis - Orquideas
MGMT - Loss of Life
Tierra Whack - WORLD WIDE WHACK

Q2 Most anticipated
Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism
St Vincent - All Born Screaming

Q2 albums that intrigue me
Vampire Weekend - Only God Above Us
Cage the Elephant - Neon Pill
Twenty One Pilots - Clancy
Bullion - Affection
 
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Best of 2024! March!
  1. Lustmord — Much Unseen Is Also Here
  2. Red On — Phantom Easy
  3. Magic Tuber Stringband — Needlefall
  4. Frail Body — Artificial Bouquet
  5. Pan American & Kramer — Reverberations of Non-Stop Traffic on Redding Road
  6. Aoife O’Donovan — All My Friends
  7. Andy Aquarius — Golla Gorroppu
  8. Norah Jones — Visions
  9. Frustration — Our Decisions
  10. Skeletal Remains — Fragments of the Ageless
  11. Kjetil Mulelid — Agoja
  12. Kim Gordon — The Collective
  13. Pissed Jeans — Half Divorced
  14. Molten — Malicide
  15. Ministry — HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
 
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ALBUMS
The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis – The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
Beyoncé – act ii: Cowboy Carter
Moor Mother – The Great Bailout
Amaro Freitas – Y’Y
Night Verses –
Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night
Reyna Tropical – Malegría
VIAL – burnout
MIZU – Forest Scenes
Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble – Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit
EPs
Hozier – Unheard
Flyana Boss – This Ain’t the Album
Glass Beams – Mahal
 
Top ten of Q1

  1. Amaro Freitas - Y’Y
  2. Les Amazones d’Afrique - Musow Danse
  3. Joel Ross - nublues
  4. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past is Still Alive
  5. Aoife O’Donovan- All My Friends
  6. Sprints - Letter to Self
  7. Reyna Tropical - MalegrĂ­a
  8. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
  9. The Smile - Wall of Eyes
  10. Brittany Howard - What Now
 
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act ii: Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé
All Life Long by Kali Malone
burnout by VIAL
Cloudward by Mary Halvorson
Critterland by Willi Carlisle

Eir by Anni Kiviniemi Trio
Every Sound Has A Color In The Valley Of Night by Night Verses
the First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap by R.A.P. Ferreira & Fumitake Tamura
Forest Scenes by MIZU
The Great Bailout by Moor Mother

Imerro by C. Diab
James & Nikki: A Conversation by Rhymefest
Kosmos Brenner by Golden Core
The Legend of ABM by Angry Blackmen
MalegrĂ­a by Reyna Tropical

The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis by The Messthetics & James Brandon Lewis
nublues by Joel Ross
Open Me, A Higher Consciousness of Sound and Spirit by Kahil El’Zabar’s Ethnic Heritage Ensemble
Out of Place by Vestbo Trio
Philip Glass Solo by Philip Glass

Selected Jambient Works, Vol. 1 by Cowboy Sadness
Transfiguration by James Brandon Lewis Quartet
Welcome to the Machine by Monkey3
Y’Y by Amaro Freitas
Yours Until the War is Over by Amigo the Devil
 
Best of 2024! Q1!
  1. Lustmord — Much Unseen Is Also Here
  2. Kali Malone — All Life Long
  3. Red On — Phantom Easy
  4. Magic Tuber Stringband — Needlefall
  5. Job For A Cowboy — Moon Healer
  6. Anni Kiviniemi Trio — Eir
  7. Philip Glass — Philip Glass Solo
  8. Mary Halvorson — Cloudward
  9. Helado Negro — Phasor
 
Top ten of Q1

  1. Amaro Freitas - Y’Y
  2. Les Amazones d’Afrique - Musow Danse
  3. Joel Ross - nublues
  4. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past is Still Alive
  5. Aoife O’Donovan- All My Friends
  6. Sprints - Letter to Self
  7. Reyna Tropical - MalegrĂ­a
  8. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
  9. The Smile - Wall of Eyes
  10. Brittany Howard - What Now
And here is the new music I listened to most in Q1:
  1. Sprints - Letter to Self
  2. Reyna Tropical - MalegrĂ­a
  3. Sarah Joresz - Polaroid Lovers
  4. Amaro Freitas - Y’Y
  5. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood
  6. Anastasia Kobekina - Venice
  7. Beyonce - Cowboy Carter
  8. Lizzie No - Halfsies
  9. The Jesus and Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes
  10. Ana Lua Caiano - Vou Ficar Neste Quadrado
 
I have a little bit more to listen to (like Rosali), but so far for the first part of the year, using the end of year scoring system, I’d go with:

Ariana Grande - eternal sunshine - 15 pts
Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us - 10 pts
Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter - 5 pts

With an honorable mention to Little Simz Drop 7 (it’s just too short to really include)
 
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