Friday, December 27, 2024
and sometimes it's over before it gets started, so call me when the coast is clear
Why Bonnie - "Three Big Moons"
and sometimes it's over before it gets started, so call me when the coast is clear
Here is some music I loved this year. And here's a link to all of it.
Albums
Waxahatchee - Tiger's Blood
Saint Cloud was very clearly ushering in a new era of Katie Crutchfield's Waxahatchee project. You could finally hear the alt-country influences (most notably Lucinda Williams) that she often mentioned in interviews, but certainly weren't overt previously. The songs were lush--about as far away from the claustrophobic sounds of American Weekend as you could get. And while part of my brain will always associate Waxahatchee with those scratchy bedroom recordings, the sound of Saint Cloud really suits her best.
Tiger's Blood took everything a step further into pure Americana territory and boasts Crutchfield's sharpest songwriting to date as well. There's so many bands/artists that seem to appear more or less fully formed, bursting out of the gates with one, maybe two albums that end up defining them, but Katie's on LP six and still getting better and better.
Pissed Jeans - Half Divorced
Dave at Red Cat was so pleased that someone came in to buy this on release day that he got his daughter (who works at the store now) to give me a discount. Just a couple of grey haired guys being dudes about this band of grey haired guys who've been dudes on six straight LPs.
Rosali - Bite Down
Steven Hyden opened his Bite Down end of year write up with a question: the best singer in indie rock? My #1 might change on any given day, but she's definitely up there. Bite Down features songwriting worthy of those vocals and a brightness that stands in contrast to the tunes on No Medium. There's still plenty of melancholy, but there's also a feeling of lightness that carries through the record's 45-minute run time.
Why Bonnie - Wish on the Bone
The P4K review of this record contains the line, "On 'Wish on the Bone,' thwacking drums and squawking guitars establish a sound somewhere between Songs Ohia and Hop Along." And I can't think of a description of something that's more my shit than that. It's everything I loved about 90 in November but it's all a little bit better.
Ekko Astral - pink balloons
DC punk is never going to die and hearing these kids for the first time reminded me of hearing Priests for the first time. It's pretty unfortunate that there hasn't been a decline in things to be absolutely frothing at the mouth livid about, but at least there are still bands doing an incredible job of soundtracking--and pushing back at--all the terrible shit in the world.
MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
I'm sure there's some irony in the fact that my biggest gripe with Lenderman's music was that everything had to be a clever little joke. But all the little jokes are so damn clever on this one that I finally gave in and docked my houseboat down at the himbo dome (they rejected me for not being handsome enough).
Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past is Still Alive
This record sounds like if the weirdest punk kid you knew growing up told you they were going to write their own version of After the Goldrush or Blood on the Tracks, but actually succeeded. It's the most classic sounding Americana, told through the lens of someone who came up in the 00s and it's absolutely wonderful.
Sleater-Kinney - Little Rope
"Return to form" might be a bit of an overstatement, but it's their best since No Cities. That's a bit of a backhanded compliment, but the 8th best S-K record is still better than the best record 90% of bands put out.
Shellac - To All Trains
It was stupid to think Shellac would just sporadically put out albums forever, but I kinda felt like Shellac would just sporadically put out albums forever--that every 5 or 10 years, I would be delighted by a new album and then the trio would go back to their lives in between records. That there'd be at least one joke I'd giggle about (on To All Trains it's the opening track's imagining of the "World Series of Dick Sucking" and also "Scrappers" and also the "pow, you're pregnant" line on "Scabby the Rat"). That there'd be a dozen or so instantly familiar, but just different enough riffs that would bury their way into my brain. And that we'd be blessed with a couple weeks of the Steve Albini interview circuit. Over half a year later, it's still a bit wild to think about how that won't be happening. But what a way to go out. RIP, Steve.
Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
I don't think I'm supposed to love this record. There's a decent amount of what I can only describe as "spoken word." There's more ironic jokes than that MJ Lenderman LP. And the instrumentals kinda sound like Enya. But just like on 2021's An Overview of Phenomenal Nature, it all comes together in the most perfect way.
Songs
Bully - "Atom Bomb"
On paper, this probably shouldn't work. For a decade, Alicia Bognanno's music has been defined by her raspy croon straining against 90s power chords. This one sounds like she's giving herself the Cat Power Covers Record treatment, with those down stroked guitars replaced with plunking piano notes. If you listened closely, this kind of raw vulnerability was always there, but it sounds even better when it's got nowhere to hide.
Waxahatchee - "Tigers Blood"
This could have been "Right Back to It" or "3 Sisters" or "365" or "Crimes of the Heart," but I love the way those gang vocals swell up at the end of this one. A perfect closer for a damn near perfect record.
Camera Obscura - "Big Love"
Approximately two decades ago, I talked about the members of Camera Obscura looking like they were "pushing 40," but still writing songs that sound like they were 20 and I can't think of a more "quote from man stabbed" situation than me writing that then and me writing this now. Also, Tracyanne Campbell was only 32 at the time (and she absolutely did not look 40--very rude of me).
This sort of song never goes out of style and it's so, so great to have them back, especially after the tragic loss of Carey Lander in 2015. A lot of 00's reunions have been tours only and in most cases, that's been merciful, but Camera Obscura showed they had so much left in the tank with this year's record.
Madi Diaz and Kacey Musgraves - "Don’t Do Me Good"
I'm sure it sounds disrespectful to say that the best song Kacy Musgraves sang on in 2024 wasn't one of hers, at least until you hear this stunner.
Japandroids - "Chicago"
For one last time: dudes rock. I would've loved one more hometown show, but "here's the album, sorry that's it" is so Brian (I think Dave might have entertained a little swan song) that I'm not even mad about it. I can still remember the very first time I saw them--something I talked about on the podcast I'll maybe start doing again in 2025--and "Chicago" captures the feelings those songs sparked in me 17(!) years ago perfectly.
Kendrick Lamar - "Not Like Us"
I didn't really think there was a way to make talking about killing people or "I had sex with your wife" (not in those words) sound quaint, but credible assertions that the guy you're talking about is a kiddie fiddler might do it. We're galaxies away from "you're 36 and do Tae Bo," that's for sure. There's something unsettling about this beef going back and forth when the back of my mind is constantly "look ACAB, but somebody should arrest Drake." Still, this was an easy pick for one of the songs of the year and I almost got tickets to Kendrick in Toronto to see him perform it (probably 3-4, 5, 6 times) there.
Anika Pyle - "Arizona"
From Chumped to Katie Ellen to their solo stuff, if Anika Pyle puts out music, chances are it's gonna be up there with my favourites for the year.
Tyler, the Creator, GloRilla, Sexy Redd, Lil Wayne - "Sticky"
What a wild ride from Bastard, which came out on Christmas 15-years ago, to CHROMAKOPIA. It's hard to believe that the angry (but also immensely talented) little fucker on those Odd Future records would become rap's most exciting voice, but a new Tyler record's truly an event these days. Also, we get Weezy rhyming "sticky situation" with "discombobulation" like a Carter III outtake on this one.
Fontaines DC - "Favourite"
It feels like "Starburster" is the consensus pick from Romance, and like, I like that song, but it also gets a little too far into "white guy rapping" territory for comfort. This one though? The best riff on the album powering a little 80s UK indie throwback was bound to be my favourite.
Kylie V - "Wish I Was in Bed"
I'm very upset that the 90s are back in vogue from a "grappling with my own fragile mortality" perspective, but pretty stoked that they're back from a musical perspective. This one reminds me of one of my favourite songs from 1994.
The Menzingers - "Second City"
"The back booth of the bar again with all of my friends all crammed in, but these days I only wanna party with you."
I think I'm too old to love a couplet like that, but I think these guys are too old to be writing a couplet like that. Yet, here we are.
Why Bonnie - "Three Big Moons"
If you were the protagonist in that Menzingers' track, this is the song you'd make your partner dance with you to right before the 4am bar closing time.
Ekko Astral - "Head Empty Blues"
No thoughts, just vibes. But the vibes are immaculate.
Rosali - "Rewind"
An arrangement plucked straight off of The Last Waltz and a vocal performance that supports Hyden's "best singer in indie rock" statement. A refrain of "I love you and I know you love me too" could sound terrible in the wrong hands, but it sounds defiant and powerful here.
Cardi B - "Like What Freestyle"
At this point, it feels like Cardi might never put out a second album, but all the loosies are so good, who cares. Plus, proper records need singles and sometimes concepts and I just wanna hear her talk shit for 2-minutes.
Charlotte Day Wilson - "I Don’t Love You"
Rosali might be the best singer in indie rock and CDW might be the best singer in the whole city of Toronto. She's a helluva producer too. And right around 3:20 when all the backing drops and the vocals dry out shows off both.
E L U C I D and billy woods - "Bad Pollen"
Underground rap's dynamic duo didn't have a whole album in them in 2024, but they still blessed us with a couple of tracks on Elucid's solo joint. It's a privilege to live through Armand Hammer's imperial era. It also seems like it's never going to end.
Frances Quinlan - "Another Season"
Hop Along started out as a Frances Q solo project, so with all due respect to the three guys in the band, this is more or less a new Hop Along track and I am fucking here for a new Hop Along track.
Cassandra Jenkins - "Omakase"
I went to Japan at the end of summer and the fruit there, while excellent, is spendy as hell, so I bet "お任せ berries" would cost you a small fortune. This song really exemplifies everything I said about this album though.
Piss - "Time Loop at Hot Slit"
This song makes me want to forget I'm middle aged, drain six beers (PBRs) on a Tuesday, and ask someone to hold my glasses, so I can get into the pit. It's nasty, brutish, and short (complementary) and the exact type of music that inspired me to start this blog in the first place. As music has understandably shifted so much over the last couple of decades, it warms my heart to know that this kind of discordant, heavy post-hardcore still has legs in Vancouver.
Shows
Waxahatchee w/Woods @ the Orpheum
Not a surprise that one of my favourite artists performing my favourite album of the year would be my favourite show, but man, what a showcase of the current era of Waxahatchee. I wrote about this show in August.
Bry Webb w/Cots @ LanaLou's
After I got a copy of my cousin's ID (thanks, Jeff!), the Constantines at the Brickyard was the first show I used it to get into. I've seen the Cons or Bry Webb more times than I can remember since then, but I also thought that I'd never see Bry play music again. He'd more or less quit making it before a song quietly showed up on streaming services at the end of 2023. And then in the Spring he--without much fanfare--dropped into LanaLou's of all places to play. I wrote about this show in May.
Militarie Gun w/Pool Kids and Spiritual Cramp @ the Rickshaw
Militarie Gun were about as good as I expected (which was very good) live, but Spiritual Cramp blew me away. I liked their 2023 self-titled record, but they turned it way, way up in the flesh and they're a band I'll drop everything for to see live going forward, although I did have to miss them at the Fox in July, because I was sick.
Sleater-Kinney w/Black Belt Eagle Scout @ the Vogue
They're no longer America's best rock band, but they still might be America's best live rock band, even without America's best drummer.
Kim Gordon w/Moor Mother @ the Commodore
This year I found out that Kim Gordon is only 5-years younger than my mom. And my mom is a pretty cool lady, but respectfully, she's never been the coolest lady on planet earth. Kim Gordon still might be.
now playing: Why Bonnie - Rainbows and Ridges (Blaze Foley cover)
