Great albums of 2024

^ I didn't know it was Carla singing on that YANG record. For those into Avant and SGM check out CHARMING HOSTESS with Dan, Nils and Carla on that debut called "Eat" pre-SGM. There's a lot of Oakland area bands that impress.

Only 3 instrumentals of the 13 tracks. Guest vocalist is Carla Kihlstedt of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum. Still has KC sounding music from 80s up. I am not familiar with their previous material. This just caught my ear with the lead track and stuck. I wasn't as high on it when I first got it but it grew over the past few months and stuck. The first instrumental Concretion is great. It's a long album at 80 minutes, but for me, it goes by quick. Though a couple tracks could be taken out and not be missed. The second guitarist Laurent James contributes vocals on a couple of tracks. I like Kihlstedt's vocals throughout. Top notch production so it sounds good throughout.

These are my top three for 2024. First two on PA. I just suggested the third. My full list is posted on the 2024 release thread for the EOY rankings.

^ I like the sound of that. It actually was released on October 6, 2023.

Not sure if you guys ever performed and/or recorded together, but sorry for the loss of your friend regardless.

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EDIT: I missed responding to this before.

Mellotron Storm wrote: ^ Interesting thoughts Greg as I kind of regretted ordering the latest Sleepytime cd after failing to click with the two previous, but I'm hopeful as many say this is their best one. Loved the Present album though. And I too have been meaning to check out Tigram Hamyasan. A pretty good year for me, feels like we're coming out of that Covid funk and getting back to normal. Looking forward to creating a list in March or so.

Thanks, John. It's kind of funny that I was talking about music that has been too "brutal" and heavy for me and then I noticed last night that the music I was listening to and bopping to (some of my favourite summer's far last year) was pretty heavy. Mind you, I like Industrial Noise Rock No Wave kinds of thing. The band was Daughters with You Won't Get What You Want (a fave of mine from 2018). It's a different kind of heaviness. I love that Swans kind of wall of sound stuff and swelling guitars. Okay, not a very related comment.

I am playing Tigran Hamyasan's game soundtrack The Bird of a Thousand Voices. I am loving this so far.

Taken from rateyourmusic for the album:

Primary: Video Game Music, Jazz Fusion, Avant-Garde Jazz
Secondary: Chamber Jazz, Djent, Ambient, Armenian Music, Zeuhl, Progressive Electronic

P.S. Reaction Videos are very popular (I never really got into them), I wonder how popular a reaction forum would be at Prog Archives where we post in words our reactions to albums? ;) I have done that before. Time stamps could help, but would take away some of the fun.

Example: "Just putting this on. Hmm, yeah, it's starting. So, then... Oh yeah, I'm liking this. And then there's that bit. Oh, and wow, that! And then THAT! Holy cow. And ah, oh yeah... Not so sure about that. But then that totally justifies the thing that preceded... Were those sirens? Who's banging on my door. Better grab my..."

Edited by Logan - January 16 2025 at 18:14

^ Thanks Richard. Greep could easily creep up my list or change positions dramatically depending on the day. It is an album I only listen to with headphones/ earbuds due to certain lyrics. I'd like to see him in concert this year but it's on the same day as Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds here in Vancouver. That could have made a really fine double-bill with Greep maybe joining in on a Nick Cave classic or two.

My rankings are so arbitrary commonly and could change on any spin of the album of the day. In a way I would rather not be ranking them at all. If I like an album it doesn't matter much if it's in, say, 25th place or number one spot. Various later numbers might only have received one spin, that's true of God Is an Astronaut so far, but I wanted to note the album. Lots of those are not in PA.

The Smile is one that clicked with me right from the first album and keeps giving. I like it much more than how I felt about Radiohead when I was first exposed to that in the 90s. Took me quite a while to really appreciate an album like Kid A, it was A Moon Shaped Pool that really turned me into a serious Radiohead fan.

I like Beak>'s latest a lot and am really looking forward to seeing them in concert. I like that it will be a smaller-size/ more intimate concert. Other than Pink Floyd, i have not been into the arena kids of concerts. The Nick Cace will be a large venue, but it's hardly a stadium.

Beth Gibbons is such a treasure to me. I loved her work in Portishead and earlier released material. "Floating on a Moment" off side one is the track that first got me in a big way. It's very atmospheric and it's very "me", as is, say, The Smile's "Bending Hectic" and St. Vincent's "All Born Screaming" in rather different ways, but all atmospheric. Listening again to the Beth Gibbons album and I would put it higher on the list if I could. My clear favourite.

From your list, I like the ones you mentioned above that made it to your list, Magick Brother & Mystic Sister, and it's a reminder to give that Elephant9 a proper spin, and I liked what I heard of Sykofant, Garden Electric and especially Mdou Moktar as I recall. Those all need proper spins. The other albums from your list I am unfamiliar with.

^ Interesting thoughts Greg as I kind of regretted ordering the latest Sleepytime cd after failing to click with the two previous, but I'm hopeful as many say this is their best one. Loved the Present album though. And I too have been meaning to check out Tigram Hamyasan.
A pretty good year for me, feels like we're coming out of that Covid funk and getting back to normal.
Looking forward to creating a list in March or so.

Surprised to not see Sleepytime or Present there. I just picked up the Tigran Hamasyan, it's excellent.

Edited by Nogbad_The_Bad - January 16 2025 at 06:06

I somehow missed Cutouts. Listening to it now. Got a a bit of funk/soul in it. I like it.

Of course people are posting best of lists now, but I still appreciate mentions of 2024 albums that are special to you here.

Edited by Lewian - January 13 2025 at 11:46

Mirakaze wrote: Mirakaze wrote: At this point I don't yet feel comfortable ranking my favourites of this year so far, so here's an alphabetical list of 2024 albums from PA artists that have earned my recommendation: •    The Banach-Tarski Paradox – Contours, Vol. 1 •    Beings – There Is A Garden •    Can – Live In Paris 1973 •    Cassiber – Collaborations •    Cyano – Sarek •    Dead Space Chamber Music & Hackedepicciotto – Live Improvisation, Crypt Of St. John On The Wall •    Martín Escalante & Ryoko Ono – Martín Escalante & Ryoko Ono DUO2 •    GEN & Ryoko Ono – GEN & Ryoko Ono DUO •    Grdina Lillinger – Duo Work •    Mary Halvorson – Cloudward •    Rob Harrison – Explode My Head •    Hypnodrone Ensemble – The Problem Is In The Sender / Do Not Tamper With The Receiver •    Lost World Band – A Moment of Peace •    Música D’Repuesto – Música Para Ciudades De 15 Minutos, Vol. 1 •    Dave Newhouse – Natura Morta •    Yoshihide Otomo & Chris Pitsiokos – Uncanny Mirror •    Tom Penaguin – Tom Penaguin •    Perfect – Monkey Jockey Man and the Safari Tick Sugar •    El Pricto, Don Malfon & Vasco Trilla – Behenii (Part 1) •    The Smile – Wall Of Eyes •    Pat Smythe Quartet – New Dawn: Live 1973 •    Tantric Bile – Cursed Conception •    François Thollot – Point Of View •    Uboa – Impossible Light •    Pierre Vervloesem – Saucers A few more: * Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks - True * Greco Bastián - W.A.L.H.F. More F. * Brian Eno, Holger Czukay & J. Peter Schwalm - Sushi. Roti. Reibekuchen. * Tigran Hamasyan - The Bird Of A Thousand Voices * Ingurgitating Oblivion - Ontology Of Nought * New Mexican Stargazers - Music For Swing Set * Pond - Stung! * Quartet Diminished - Deerand * Risa Takeda - Parallel World

...and once more:
* Beat Love Oracle - Radical Risk
* Body Meta - Prayer In Dub
* Electric Eye - Dyp Tid
* Emotional Anhedonia - Komunikatsiya
* Freak Puke - Future Toast
* Geordie Greep - The New Sound
* Kenso - An Old Warrior Shook The Sun
* Mula - Cúmulo Abierto
* Needlepoint - Remnants Of Light
* Hermeto Pascoal - Pra Você, Ilza
* Spinifex - Undrilling The Hole
* Tantric Bile - Unbidden