So here we go. It's Christmas Day. Here's
It Starts With a Birthstone's rundown of favourite records for 2024. I've had an incredible year personally, cutting free from a job and way of life that were suffocating me and spending most of my time in my flat in Newcastle. Teaching wonderful German students online, learning more than I was required to teach. A little bit of occasional guidance and direction. Mostly a journey of discovery for myself. Meanwhile, listening to music. Documenting my impressions here.
As for the list. It's not really intended as a ranked rundown except in the most basic sense. I could easily rearrange the Top 75 right now. Jessica Pratt, to name just one might easily scoot up fifty places in a heartbeat or cabinet reshuffle if I'd listened to it a bit more I imagine. . That's a spectral, magnificent album. It's only # 61 on a whim. You can't rank music really and shouldn't try to I'd say. That's not what it's there for.
I write these as an act of recommendations
primarily. Also because I just like writing. There's so much wonderful music on the list below and I like to think my taste is reasonably diverse. I'm an Indie guy first and foremost mind. When I used to go to the All Tomorrow's Parties at Minehead fifteen years or so back. With the best music friend and witness of my lifetime, Andy, I would watch the crowds wandering into the venue along the beach like gathering tribes and think to myself 'these are my people' .
I don't come across that much modern Hip Hop, R&B or Dance Music that takes my fancy. I'm too old and probably at heart slightly too serious, too earnest to really listen through to that much New Pop. I leave that to The Guardian. And the Kids.
As for Kamasi. Fearless Movement was precisely that. A record apart from a man with a blistering and brilliant vision, Mount Eeerie and Kali Malone struck out at me also. Slightly more unsettling records. But let's face it, we're living in a world and an epoch that is nothing if not unsettling. Elsehwere, I could write multitudes about many of the records. I made a playlist last night which I'll post next. The roll call of recommendations will probably suffice.
Top 50 only
1 Kamasi Washington - Fearless Movement
2 Mount Eerie - Night Palace
3 Kali Malone - All Life Long
4 The Clearwater Swimmers - The Clearwater Swimmers
5 Shovel Dance Collective - The Shovel Dance
6 MJ Lendemann - Manning Fireworks
7 Grandaddy - Blue Wav
8 Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
9 The Cure - Songs Of a Lost World
10. Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More
11 Jennifer Castle - Camelot
12 Arooj Aftab - Night Reign
13 Roge - Curryman II
14. Marlin's Dreaming -Marlin's Dreaming
15 The Innocence Mission - Midwater Swimmers
16 Waxahatchee - Tiger's Blood
17 2nd Grade - Scheduled Explosions
18 The Smile - Wall Of Eyes
19 Hurray For The Riff Raff - The Past Is Still Alive
20 Bill Ryder Jones - Iechyd Da
21 Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
22 Tapir ! The Pigrim Their God & the King of My Decrepit Mountain
23 Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future
24 Nilufer Yanya - My Method Actor
25 Father John Misty - Mahashmahashna
26 Phosphorescent - Revelator
27 Mary Halvorson - Cloudward
28 DUNUMS - I wasn't that though
29 Naima Bock - Below a Massive Dark Land
30 Bats - Good Game Baby
31 Peter Perrett - The Cleansing
32 Mabe Fratti - Sentir Que No Sabes
33 Dialup Ghost - May You Live Forever in Cowboy Heaven'
34 Linda Thompson - Proxy Music
35 Warrington- Runcorn New Town Development Plan - Your Community Hub
36 Amelia Coburn - Between The Moon & The Milkman
37 Joan As Police Woman - Lemons, Limes & Orchids
38. Jake Xerxes Fussell - When I'm Called
39 Fievel Is Glauque - Rong Wieicknes
40 Laura Marling - Patterns in Repeat
41 Bananagun - Why is the Colour of the Sky?
42 The Goalie's Anxiety of the Penalty Kick - The Illiad & The Odyssey & The Goalie's Anxiety of the Penalty Kick
43 Michael Head & The Red Elastic Band - Loophole
44 Ducks Ltd - Harms Way
45 BMX Bandits - Dreamers On The Run
46 Hard Quartet - Hard Quartet
47 R. E. Seraphin - Fool's Mate
48 Jesus & Mary Chain - Glasgow Eyes
49 John Grant - The Art Of The Lie
50 Jane Weaver - In Constant Spectacle.
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