2024: Hanging In The Cemetery
Within a five-minute drive from my urban home lies Allegheny Cemetery, which feels more like a park, complete with roads, valleys, deer, turkeys, and foxes. After morning workouts, I often drive through this local haven, contemplating my day. One tomb, reminiscent of medieval England, always catches my eye. It's a delightful surprise in a park full of them, offering its own form of happiness.
Get Down With It
Little Richard | Get Down With It! OKeh Sessions
Leading off with the man that invented Rock n’ Roll. I love that he calls out the whig rumors and just crushes it. His recent biopic, I Am Everything, is worth a watch.
Sun Medallion
King Tuff | Was Dead
With lyrics like "Got out of a dream today, In the Graveyard where I do my dreaming," it felt fitting to add this track. King Tuff is new to me, but I liked it immediately.
Ridin Round
Kali Uchis | Riding Round
Official song of the summer, approved by Stella, Fiona, and Sara. Everyone loves this song, especially when they are rolling around town on a nice day.
Magnetic
ILLIT | Super Real Me
This track made the list thanks to the girls and my unique take on the lyrics. I think the chorus, though hard to decipher, repeats "HashTag." The girls disagree, but you can judge for yourself.
Song of the Underground Railroad
John Coltrane | The Complete Africa Brass Sessions
One of my favorite jazz songs of all time, which suddenly popped into my head over the summer.
The Admiral
Shellac | At Action Park
Steve Albini passed away this year, which was a major blow. Besides all of things you may or may not know about the man, he was something special. The numerous bands that owe him for unlocking their true sound are too many to count. One of my favorites, Silkworm, was one. Jon Solomon, a radio DJ extraordinaire and Comedy Minus One Records founder, wrote this touching story about Steve. He also was responsible for Steve almost attending Neil Donnelly’s bachelor party at the White Socks game. Recently, I have connected through the powers of the internet to Matt Ziegler at Cultish Creative. He summarized this whole thing beautifully in the following post. Rest in peace, Steve Albini and thank you.
Any angle
noa | Any angle
This Japanese band is a Stella pick, that caught my fancy.
Museum Day
Coyle Girelli | Between Us
Sara is a big fan of this one.
Shoegaze
Alabama Shakes | Sound & Color
This is a kick ass rock song.
Jah Houphouet
Alpha Blondy | Apartheid is Nazism
It’s been a long journey for this song, starting with Grogan, me and a high school crew watching the ski movie "Blizzard of Ahhs." It was nearly impossible to find online due to its album title, but here it is—the sole reggae track of 2024. Now I listen to it with my kids as we drive to go skiing, circle of life in action.
Wintersong
Blake Mills | Blake Mills
One of my favorite songs this year, with a build-up to a stunning finish.
Don’t Stay Away
Phyllis Dillon | One Life to Live
A rocksteady gem that has been in heavy rotation.
Apple
Charli xcx | BRAT
Spotify tells me that I listened to 620 different artists this year, some of which almost no one else bothered. All that said, I was not immune to the Brat summer effect. I also liked the Espresso song that swept the nation. Something weird is happening to me.
The Cat
Jimmy Smith | The Cat
I recently rediscovered Jimmy Smith, the master of the electronic organ. Although one of his most popular numbers, my cats aren’t fans.
Come Down
Anderson.Paak | Malibu
Discovered him through the JunkDrummer YouTube review of his Tiny Desk Concert and was quite impressed. Surprised I didn’t find him sooner.
Sandy Kim
Acid Ghost | Vacation II
I am always on the hunt for atmospheric music, and this one fits the bill for me in 2024.
Sister Owls
Monster Rally | Adventures on the Floating Island
A guy from Ohio creates these tropical mashups, and I'm a fan. Looking forward to more.
This Bitter Earth / On the Nature of Daylight
Clyde Otis/Dinah Washington/Max Richter | The Blue Notebooks
Rick Rubin unearthed this powerful song for me—a beautiful mashup in a tough world, reminding us of the beauty all around.