Music fanatic here! (nod to Henry Rollins). If you’ve read my blog for a long time, you’d know that I used to cover music quite a bit.
We’re half way through the year 2024 and there’s been some fine releases this year. Some truly beautiful music. I have some eclectic tastes so I hope you find something here that you might like. These aren’t “reviews” in the strick sense of the word, but are albums that have risen to the top on my playlist for this year.
And I’m limiting myself to six releases only (which is very difficult). Further, I’m leaning away from the mainstream releases (Peter Gabriel, Billie Eilish, St. Vincent, Arooj Aftab, Kasey Musgraves) even though I love these too.
King Hannah
Big Swimmer
11-tracks over 50-minutes. When I heard the debut release (I’m Not Sorry, I Was Just Being Me) in 2022, I was immediately struck by the power and beauty of what Hannah offered. It quickly became a “comfort listen” and has remained in my playlist. With this new release, they continue to sound and lyrics that I appreciate. If I were to liken them to anyone it would be Mazzy Star and Velvet Underground. She writes in a storytelling format, observing common things and experiences. It’s fun and also a little dark. Check out “Milk Boy (I love you)” and “The Mattress.”
El Perro del Mar
Big Anonymous
Swedish artist with a Spanish name. This is her seventh release. 10-songs. 44-minutes. There’s something about the sound that draws me in; it starts off with some violin and cello. Minimal. Dark. According to the Bandcamp page, the record includes “dialogues with the dead, musings on her own mortality, and reflections on the inner darkness that she’s inherited.”
The Secret Sisters
Mind, Man, Medicine
We get 11 original tracks over 40-minutes. Laura and Lydia Rogers are sisters from Muscle Shoals, Alabama and they have been compared to artists like the Everly Brothers. This is their fifth album. It’s both folk and country. Check out the tear-jerker love letter to all of us with “If the World was a House” and the sweet love song “All the Ways”
Big|Brave
A Chaos of Flowers
The first Canadian artist on my list. Hailing from Montreal, we get 8-songs spread over 40-minutes. It begins with eeriness, nuanced voice, distortion and feedback. And yet, it is also a folk sound, but it would be a little heavy for folk traditionalists out there. It’s kind of what we might expect from music in the 2020s. Writer and singer Robin Wattie says, “I discovered that most poems from folk traditions or in the public domain seem to be by men – to which I could not quite relate. In my search, I rediscovered some of my favorite works and poets. It is a feeling of relatability and even astonishment really,” Wattie notes, “with how these writers of different standings and eras and all being female-presenting, each expressing these seemingly similar intense moments of individual experiences, of intimacy and madness. We’re alone, and yet, not.” A fantastic release!
Anoushka Shankar
Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn
This 6 track EP is 24-minutes of beautiful sitar playing. This British-American woman of Indian descent has accomplished a great deal in her life, including seven Grammy nominations. And yes, her father is Ravi Shankar so her pedigree is impecable. It could serve well as background music but I’ve always appreciated listening to the sitar with headphones. There’s so much there to seep into your body
Kerry King
From Hell I Rise
For my metal choice, it was a tossup between Ministry, Dvne, and Kerry King. I’m going with Kerry King (even though he’s kinda “mainstream” in the metal arena) because I really like the sound even though the lyrics are less desirable. This 13-track album is hard hitting all the way through it’s 47-minutes. And that’s to be expected from this co-lead guitarist and songwriter of thrash metal band Slayer. It’s his debut and metal fans won’t be disappointed. Solid guitar playing. Pounding drums.
What are you listening to this year?
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