It Starts With a Birthstone 200 Albums for 2024

 

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.  

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.

51 Fontaines D.C - Romance

52 Tara Jane O'Neill - The Cool Cloud of. Okayness

53 Kelli Scaeffer - Even Still

54 Alexei Shishkin - Open Door Policy

55 Steven R. Smith - Olive

56 The BVs -Taking Pictures of Taking Pictures

57 Ancient History - Dollar Consolation Prize

 58 Bevis Frond - Focus On Nature

59. Lamplight - Lamplight

60 Laetitia  Sadler - Rooting For Love

 61 Jessica Pratt - Here In The Pitch

62 Peel Dream Machine - Rose Main Reading Room

63 The Lemon Twigs - A Dream We All Know

64 Nightshift - Homospapien

65 Uranium Club - Infants Under The Bulb 

66 Friko - For Ella

 67 German Error Message - German Error Message

68 The Mystery Lights - Purgatory

69 Varsity - Souvenirs

70 Loma - How Will I Live Without You 

71 Mercury Rev - Born Horses

72 Seafarers - Another State

73 Fred Thomas - Window In The Rhythm

74 Horse Jumper of Love - Disaster Trick

.75 dog eyes - holy friends

76 Einsturzende Neubauten - Rampen

77 Night Beds - Mountain Radio

78 Oso Oso - life till bones

79.  Being Dead - EELS

80 Richard Tripps - Between The Morning

81 Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

82 Richard Thompson - Ship To Shore

83 Hinds - VIVA HINDS

84 Jack Name - Fabulous Soundtracks

85 Goat Girl - Beneath The Waste

86 Rosali - Bite Down

87. Lunar Vacation - Everything Matters, Everythings's Fine

88 Conor Lynch - Slow Country

 89 True Green - My Lost Decade

 90 Wand - Vertigo

91 Real Estate - Daniel

92 Holiday Ghosts - Coat Of Arms

93 Robber Robber - Wild Guess

94 Chris Cohen - Paint a Room

95 Stereo Naked -  Upside Down 

 96 Workers Comp - Workers Comp

97 Dummy - Free Energy

98. Lilacs & Champagne - Fantasy World

99. Laurie Anderson - Amelia

100. Gastr Del Sol - We Have Dozens of Titles

101 Liz Lawrence - Peanuts

102 Okay Kaya - Oh My God - That's So Me.

103 Head Portals - A Lesson In Object Permanence

104 Sinai Vessel - I SING

105 Villagers - That Golden Time

106 Personal Trainer - Still Willing

107 Travis - LA Times

108 Astrid Sonne - Great Doubt

109 Rose Hotel - Pawn Surrender

110 Snowy Band - Age Difference

110 Gastr Del Sol - We Have Dozens of Titles

 111 Travis - LA Times

112 Sour Widows - Revival of a Friend

113 John R. Brusseau - Everybody Gets What They Want: The Gospel Of John R. Brusseau.

 114 Las Nubes - Tormentas Malsanas

115 Rasco - Dmaot

 116 Girls In Synthesis - Sublimation

117 Cults - To The Ghosts

118 Penny Arcade - Backwater College

119 Sour Widows - Revival of a Friend  

120.Ride - Interplay

121 Peace De Resistance -  Lullabye For The Debris

122 Rui Gabriel - Compassion

123 Nadine Shah - Filthy Underneath

124 English Teacher - This Could Be Texas

125 Camera Obscura - Look to the East, Look to the West

126 Amen Dunes - Death Jokes

127 Liana Flores - Flower Of The Soul

128 Yeah- Ming & the Rumours I Can't Have It All 

129 Helado Negro - PHASOR

130. Soft Covers - Soft Serve

 131 Den Der Hale - Pastoral Light

132 Large Brush Collection - Off Center

133 Sad Eyed Beatniks - Ten Brocades

134.  Libertines - All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade

135 Sleater Kinney - Little Rope

136 Chandelier - Chandelier 

 137 Jon McKiel - Hex

138 Kelley Stolz - La Fleur

139 No Teeth - Decadence In Breeding 

140 Pearl Jam - Dark Matter

 141 You Are Wolf - hare/hunter/moth/ghost

142 Gruff Rhys - Sadness Sets Me Free

143 The Reds Pinks & Purples - Still Clouds at Noon

144 Swim Deep - There's A Big Star Outside

145 The Black Keys - Ohio Players

146 Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore

147 MGMT - Loss Of Life

148 Elbow - AUDIO VERTIGO

149 Mount Kimbie - The Sunset Violent

150 Emilee South - LUXURY

151 Antonio Adolfo - Love Cole Porter 

152 Amigo The Devil - Yours Until The War is Over.

153 Orcas- How To Color a Thousand Mistakes.

154 Callum Easter - Get Forever .... Delete Don't Want

155 Odie Leigh - Carrier Pigeon

156 Vera Sola - Peacemaker

 157 Omni - Souvenir

 158 Abbie Finn Trio -  Stotties for Three

 159 Withered Hand & Kathryn Williams - Wilson Williams

160 The Hanging Stars - On a Golden Shore

161 Whispering Sons - The Great Calm

162. Flight Mode - The Three Times

163, Alison Cotton - Englechen

164. Sam Evian - Plunge

165 The Goin' Nowheres - Hot Moonlight Album

166 Metro Verlaine - Pop Sauvage

167 Viggo Mortenson - The Dead Don't Hurt

168 Sonny Falls - Sonny Falls

169 Mythical Motors - Upside Down World 

170 Be Safe - Unwell

171 Nouvelle Vague - Should I Stay Or Should I Go 

172  Oldfield Youth Club - The Hanworth Are Coming

173 Loveblaster - The Way Things Work

174 Lionlimb - Limbo

175 Brown Horse - Reservoir

176 Another Sky - Beach Day

177 Good Looks - Lived Here For a While

178 The Decemberists - As It Was, So It Will Be Again

179. Lord Esme - A Nice Sit Down

180 J.Mascis - What Do We Do Now 

181 sundots - Honeyspot

182 Lupo Citta - Lupo Citta

183 Dog Unit - At Home

184 Pet Shop Boys - Nonetheless

185 Bleachers - Bleachers

186 Pylon Reenactment Society - Magnet Factory

187 RIP Dunes - RIP Dunes

188 Ty Segall - Three Bells

189 Marika Hackman - Big Sigh

190 Cowboy Sadness - Selected Jambient Works Volume One

191 Medium Build - Country

192 Faye Webster - Underdressed at the Symphony

193 Gumshoes - Cacophony

194 Halo Maud - Celebrate

195 Wine Lips - Super Mega Ultra

196  Green Day - Saviors

197 Savak - Flavors of Paradise

198 Anastasia Coope - Darning Man

199 Iron & Wine - Light Verse

 200 Richard Hawley - In This City They Call Love