Tag: Best of 2024

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Best albums of 2024: #4 Wunderhorse “Midas”

Wunderhorse is an indie rock band that was started by guitarist/vocalist Jacob Slater in 2020 in Cornwall, England. The group was initially a solo project outlet for the songs he was writing during the early days of the COVID pandemic. Slater fleshed out the group to a quintet to record these songs as “Cub”, the debut album that was released in 2022 to rave reviews.

Everything so far is what I’ve gleaned from googling the group online* after coming across the music off “Midas” over the last few months of 2024 and being blown away by this, their sophomore record. But to be honest, I still haven’t had time to go back to the debut, nor have I checked out anything by Slater’s near legendary punk trio Dead Pretties, whose breakup apparently broke a lot of fans’ hearts and sent Slater hurtling from London to Cornwall in the first place. These will likely require my attentions at some point but right now, I’ve just been content to lose myself in these 10 songs.

If you haven’t yet had the pleasure, Wunderhorse’s music is bluesy, punk-influenced, crashing, guitar rock. It’s a sound that if described to me in such a way, I wouldn’t have thought out of place in the explosion of American alt-rock commercial radio in the mid-90s and I would probably have run screaming from at that time. However, there’s something about this music, on this album: Slater’s songwriting and vocal presentation, and even the musicianship of Harry Fowler (guitar), Peter Woodin (bass), and Jamie Staples (drums). There’s an energy and a passion that has hooked me. Indeed, the spit and the sweat is palpable on each track, feeling like it’s present in the room with you, raising it’s elbows to clear some room to dance. You can definitely hear how this would be amazing live and in concert**.

Everything is quite good on this album but these three picks for you are the ones pulled from the heap on the day I wrote this post.

“Cathedrals“: “There are shipwrecks in the sea, there are blossoms on the tree, there’s this little part of me – that is you.” The riffs off the taut guitar string like sparks off a horseshoe. It all starts a bit soft before the wild abandon. Playing the loud soft loud contrast like Coldplay covering Nirvana willfully and unabashedly ripping off the Pixies. It’s all about love and pain and all the emotions in between. Naked and honest lyrics, recorded in a studio that sounds like it’s in a vacuum.

“Silver”: “Yeah, I was crooked from the cradle, I’m a bastard from the start, and I kept some pretty people in the hollow of my heart.” Track number four is a deceptive beast. It comes off as mellow with a jangly riff but it rocks and rants just the same. The name, too, is trickery – a precious metal as decoy for something sinister. Frontman and lyricist, Jacob Slater has said of the single: “Everyone has elements of their makeup that they’d rather not admit to or keep locked away and never look at.” Just more honesty, in words and practice, and in the frankness of the musicality.

“Rain”: “Do you feel the rain? Did it crawl up on your shoulders? Did it coil around your name? Did it slowly snatch the sunlight out of every waking day?” This is a dark and haunting number. It reminds me something of CanRock classic, “One gun” by 54-40, in the way in which it uses negative space and echo as a fifth instrument. It has the kind of sound you shoot for when you are out for a late night drive, a drive without destination, on an old country road, without streetlights, your brights constantly on because there’s no other car out here this late and you don’t want to accidentally hit an animal that could jump out through the mists at any moment. It’s a song for searching and losing yourself at the same time and keeps you good company while doing so.

*I was amused to learn that frontman Jacob Slater appeared in the very excellent Danny Boyle-directed miniseries on the Sex Pistols, portraying drummer Paul Cook.

**From what I’ve read, their shows are exceptional for their energy and the way the musicians lose themselves in the sound.

Stay tuned for album #3. In the meantime, here are the previous albums in this list:

10. Quivers “Oyster cuts”
9. The Jesus And Mary Chain “Glasgow eyes”
8. The Last Dinner Party “Prelude to ecstasy”
7. Vampire Weekend “Only god was above us”
6. Real Estate “Daniel”
5. Wild Pink “Dulling the horns”

You can also check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.

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Albums

Best albums of 2024: #5 Wild Pink “Dulling the horns”

Wild Pink was formed in New York City in 2015 by John Ross, Dan Keegan, and TC Brownell. They have released five full-length albums and just as many EPs during their decade in existence. They’ve changed labels a few times, cycled through a few members, but what has remained consistent has been the strong song and lyric writing by frontman Ross.

I came across the group one year into the pandemic with their third record, 2021’s “A billion little lights”. And though up to now I haven’t felt compelled to backtrack through their earlier work, explore any of the shorter releases, or do any research as to who it was I was listening to, I’ve been all over their full-length LPs, enjoying the sound and pricking up my ears whenever they popped up in playlists randomly over the speakers. My interest in them has intensified over the past year, however, the more I’ve listened to this, their fifth record, “Dulling the horns”. It’s quite possible that it has been the compounding of three successive excellent records that has guided my increased appetite for their sound but I think it is more than that.

So I’ll just say it: “Dulling the horns” is a great record. And though I’ve only heard three of their five full-lengths, I still feel confident in declaring this their best, as much as I enjoy many of the tracks on both “A billion little lights” and 2022’s “ILYSM”.

This 2024 release just seems so much more cohesive and focused. This could be the result of a concerted effort by Ross to try to capture the group’s live performance magic by throwing the old reliables in the studio together to bang the thing out. What they captured was an Americana record that has been dragged through the mud of 90s fuzz rock, like Dinosaur Jr, Pavement, and Weezer. Meanwhile, Ross seems to have adjusted his vocal style, whether this was intentional or not, going to the well of established 2010s indie folk singer/songwriters like M Ward, Jason Collett, and Great Lake Swimmers’ Tony Dekker.

All of this has added up to repeated listens to the album, something I possibly didn’t do enough with the previous two and in so doing, I’ve come to realize how great a songwriter and lyricist is our John Ross. And, yes, this might be bold but I feel justified, after singing along to many of the great tracks on this album, to placing him amongst Matt Berninger and Craig Finn, indie rock’s finest.

Intrigued or doubting? Have a peek at one or all of my three picks for you and see for yourself.

“Sprinter brain“: “Can you show me how all your feelings are like seashells? Laying down down on the seafloor, and how you dive down, and pick one up, weigh the truth of it in your hands, put it back down again. You just let it be.” This song is just under four minutes of driving and crashing rhythms – both the pounding drums and the wild strum of the guitar – all punctuated by tinkling and dancing keys. It has the feel of a road trip with no intended destination – the windows all cranked open, allowing the warm wind to whip through and forcing the radio volume to be cranked to max. It has the feeling of running away and running to something at the same time. And yeah, it leaves you breathless.

“The fences of stonehenge”: “There’s a light that no one else can touch. When I saw it in your face, I thought it was a little much. There’s a light, I’m going after it, despite the fact I’m still sick of all my shit.” Apparently, this two and a half minute opening number was intended to open the proceedings right from the beginning. A hilarious title that may not seem to be obviously related to the song’s subject matter, until you stop to consider the whole idea and realize the absurdity of it all. As a song, it’s timeless rock and roll, with a persistent power chord strum that hooks you long enough to become invested in the call and response vocals, to which no one is responding save for your own frustration.

“St. Catherine st.”: “I know you wanna be here. Don’t wanna hide again. Quitting drinking was like swimming away from land.” This is just one of many great lyrical treats on this slow-burning but sweat-dripping number, each evoking an image and a feeling that sticks with you. The song builds from a repetitive strum, a plodding footfall, a rimshot that echoes in the darkness. The guitar starts to feel anthemic after a while, a cathartic cross-pollination of guitar god stances and a shoegaze feedback noodle with your eyes closed. It has closing number in a packed club written all over it, everyone screaming along with Ross, hands raised in the air, trying to catch hold of this feeling and freeze it for later enjoyment.

We’ll be back in a handful of days with album #4. In the meantime, here are the previous albums in this list:

10. Quivers “Oyster cuts”
9. The Jesus And Mary Chain “Glasgow eyes”
8. The Last Dinner Party “Prelude to ecstasy”
7. Vampire Weekend “Only god was above us”
6. Real Estate “Daniel”

You can also check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.

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Albums

Best albums of 2024: Albums #10 through #6

Hello again!

Just a few days ago, I shared my first post in months, a reintroduction of sorts, and I offered a hint at the medical struggles with which I closed out the year. But if I am being honest, 2024 wasn’t all bad. Indeed, there was lots to like about the year.

Before everything went steeply downhill at the end, I got away for a few weekends away, spent some quality time with my lovely wife, enjoyed some biking and some hiking, and got to see some great live music. Indeed, music was a constant for me last year, much as it is every year, even if I wasn’t writing about it as prolifically as I normally do.

Yes, great music was released, so much, in fact, that I spent a lot of the year in catch-up mode, listening to albums for the first time long after their initial release date. In this way, I discovered a lot of exceptional new artists and reacquainted myself with many old friends during the last six months of the year (and a little into the new year). Some of these were represented in the post I shared a few days ago of seven excellent albums that didn’t quite make the cut.

When I first set out to make this year’s top albums list, I was expecting it to be mostly comprised of the old reliables but while some of these are certainly there, I for one was surprised at which albums and which bands made the final ten spots. I will be starting to share these today, with this post marking the start of my top ten countdown in earnest, kicking it all off with albums #10 through #6. Then, I plan to share my favourite five in five posts over the next few weeks.

With all the excellent releases in 2024, I am sure I missed out on one or two. So as we go through my own ten favourite albums, I welcome your comments and thoughts and perhaps even your own top ten favourites in the comments spaces provided.

Let’s do this.

#10 Quivers “Oyster cuts”

We begin with an album that just snuck itself into my top ten favourites at the last moment. Quivers originally formed in 2015 in Hobart, Tasmania but I only discovered them six years later, in 2021, with the release of their sophomore album “Golden doubt”. By this time, the quartet had relocated to Melbourne, Australia and were attracting attention the world over for their take on jangle pop in the key of The Smiths and R.E.M. They signed with Merge Records in 2022* and this third album, “Oyster cuts”, is the first to be released there. It’s ten earworms that dig further into you with each listen, expanding their palette beyond the jangle to develop their own sound, all held together by an equal sharing of vocal duties and obvious passion for the music they all make together.

#9 The Jesus And Mary Chain “Glasgow eyes”

The Reid brothers, Jim and William, released this, their eighth studio album**, in the year following their 40th anniversary in a band together. Much like most of their previous albums, “Glasgow eyes” was written and mostly recorded by the brothers, who by their own admission share a form of ‘telepathy’ working in the studio together, with the sound augmented by session and guest musicians. And well, the album is awesome. It’s very much recognizable as a JAMC record and at the same time, it isn’t same old, same old. It has its noisy hallmarks and Jim Reid’s all-too-cool vocals but it also shows the brothers reinvigorated and charged electronically. If I’m being completely honest here, though, I didn’t expect to enjoy this album half as much as I do. It’s just so much fun.

#8 The Last Dinner Party “Prelude to ecstasy”

I first heard the growing buzz surrounding London, England-based, The Last Dinner Party, back in the summer of 2023. I finally got around to sampling their sounds when I was in Toronto visiting my friend Tim for the Slowdive show there in September of that same year. We were going back and forth sharing YouTube videos but for some reason*** on that night, neither of us were really impressed. However, after continuing to see their name and images splashed all over social media, I gave them another chance just before Christmas 2023 and found myself reformed. By the time “Prelude to ecstasy”, the all-female quintet’s eagerly awaited debut, was released at the beginning of February 2024, I was finding myself ordering a copy for my vinyl collection. The comparisons to Kate Bush and Florence Welch for all their baroque drama and melodrama are apt but I would also throw Annie Lennox or Siouxsie Sioux into the mix for fun. However, all is not sunshine and rainbows. Indeed, there’s lots of punk angst and attitude here as well. My only hope is that it is not tamed or toned down at all by big music as time goes on.

#7 Vampire Weekend “Only god was above us”

I first got into New York City’s Vampire Weekend with their self-titled debut album in 2008, loving their energy, their blend of various world music styles with an indie rock mindset, and their often humorous song subject matter and lyrics. From there, I continued to the follow the group and loved each of their first three records. Something changed for me, however, with their fourth album, 2019’s “Father of the bride”, something I could never put my finger on, but I was never able to properly connect with the double album****. Happily, “Only god was above us” feels like a return to form. It’s a solid record that exhibits everything that I enjoyed about the group previously and there’s not one skippable track in the bunch.

#6 Real Estate “Daniel”

Ok. I think I am finally ready to call it. I am officially a Real Estate fan. And I don’t even know why I’ve been fighting it for so long. I’ve been following the New Jersey-based indie rock band since they released their third album, “Atlas”, in 2014 and on that release then, and each since, I have found much to like in their easy-going jangle pop, seeing similarities between them and Glasgow’s Teenage Fanclub, another of my favourites. But it’s this year’s offering that’s really done it for me. It’s a moody and atmospheric piece of work that never fails to catch my attention whenever I turn it on and has me tapping my toes, my fingers, and nodding my head along through all its eleven tracks.

*A perfect home for them, if you asked me.

**And second since re-forming in 2007.

***Maybe it was too many IPAs.

****And I am fully aware that I may be one of the few who didn’t appreciate it as much as the others.

Stay tuned for album #5 on this list. In the meantime, you can check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.