A MEMORY OF OUR FUTURE

A mix of musical super talents walk into a bar, and one guy takes notice and says "Hey guys, why don't we get together and form the supergroup to end all supergroups?" Supergroups are an interesting and unique form of band, usually getting one or two albums out before eventually splitting due to massive egos. CSNY and ELP are prime examples of supergroups who tried to stay together, but their animosity also lead to their eventual crash and burn. Mike + The Mechanics is one of the few that kept it together because despite being a collaborative effort, Mike Rutherford was the one calling the shots. Here, we get the latter. Leslie Mandoki calls the shots, and he decides to take the most ambitious approach possible. Let's do the whole thing in analog. The end result is A Memory of Our Future, an ambitious undertaking by the ultimate supergroup to release the ultimate album of 2024. And this album does not miss the mark.

At about 78 minutes in length, you might think this would be a difficult monster to get through, but with the amount of talent present on this album, you will never feel a moment of "this is an absolute bore," but instead you will find a lot of catchy hooks, and some great messages. The album opens proper with Jethro Tull legend Ian Anderson's flute playing, and it doesn't let go. You will hear all manner of instruments and vocal tricks here, and it will hit you, this is pure analog audio. In most modern music, the idea will be to just run things through a computer and let it take care of the rest. Leslie Mandoki doesn't do that, and instead says "fuck it, we'll do it live," and the end result is audio candy. There is no album today that sounds as cleanly mixed as this, and if you're going to listen to this album, you best get it on vinyl if you want the greatest experience out there.

Some of my choice favorites on here are Blood In The Water, The Big Quit, and A Memory Of My Future. I already talked about how Blood In The Water opens with Ian Anderson's flute playing, but The Big Quit is the most upbeat song with a very catchy hook that could easily lure in a casual listener, and A Memory Of My Future is a much more understated song that shows off Leslie Mandoki's ability to weave a poetic song about the emotional uncertainty of what lies ahead. It's fantastic stuff.

I normally wouldn't be this quick to judge and say "let other albums come out first," but I'm making the call. This is my personal Best Album of 2024. From the talent on display, to the songwriting, A Memory Of Our Future is a brilliant album that strips away all the digital dressing of today's music, and brings it back to basics in a way I can only describe as timeless. If there is absolutely one album you need to listen to in 2024, Mandoki Soulmates' A Memory Of Our Future is it.