2024 :: Q2
Yes, am a bit late, but hello again…
Firstly, a reward for anyone maintaining continuity; no, COWBOY CARTER will not be written about again bar this introduction, as there was quite a lot of other music that came out since the last time I put cuticle to keyboard, and I’m not sorry about it…
Secondly, doesn’t it already feel like an absolute fucking age since Beyoncé‘s behemoth-sized countrified flex was first set upon the public listenership?
That may have something to do with 2024 having something of a “season finale” vibe about it though, but more of a mad rush to an exit where plot points and incidents pile on top of each other with scant regard for sense and logic before that final smash cut to black than a refined, elegant episodic run of satisfying loose-end tying.
With even the weather having a tinge of apocalyptic disaster about it these days, it feels more important than ever to try and listen to any and everything I can get my ears around, for fear it could all collapse soon, though hopefully not to the point it turns me into a daylight-averse recluse.
Until that crunch point arrives though, onwards we go in futilely trying to make sense of the world of music as evinced by its key contributors over the previous and next six months…
Before cracking on though, Pride Month happened, which was nice, especially since I put a little something together for it that you can have a listen to below:
And finally no, The Tortured Poets Department is not going to be spotlighted here either.
But enough half-baked thought-splooging, let’s get started on this misbegotten sojourn through what feels like the last year of cilvilised human history with something I didn’t quite get around to hearing before the month of March’s vanishing point…
Late Submission From Q1 2024
Moves In The Field by Kelly Moran
The In Case You Missed It Award for this edition goes to contemporary-classical composer Kelly Moran, an American pianist who favours a more electronically-enhanced variation of John Cage‘s pioneering prepared piano with which to gift her listeners compositions that are simple, sophisticated and ultimately sublime enough to turn the ears of both classical aficionados and less discerning fans of pretty things.
The instrument in question is Yamaha‘s Disklavier, a programmable grand piano impressive enough in its software and playback capability for Moran to utilise in creating pieces conceived during those lockdown monthd where she intended not merely to duet with herself, but rather appear to play solo pieces composed only for players with extra fingers and wider palms that are as emotionally subsuming as they are technically impressive.
Arriving at a time where AI-enhanced songs are finding their influence in popular media, Moran’s second album with the vanguard stalwart stable Warp is a richly beautiful reminder that even something as beautifully sacred as a piano can be altered by technology to attain ever more swoonsome heights, provided the creative force at the centre of it maintains their integrity, wit and feeling throughout.
My Preferred 10 Albums Of 2024 Q2
brat by Charli XCX
Although the Mercury-nominated how i’m feeling now came incredibly close, Charlotte Aitchison’s output had yet to reach the highs essayed by the SOPHIE-produced EP Vroom Vroom back in 2016, but she appears to have cracked it with her sixth album.
Essentially a soundtrack to every single chaotic mood felt on the most epic weekend of your life, Charli’s insouciant essence is on luminous display via soundbeds of irresistible bubblegum hyperpop that find her not so much strutting her stuff but wiping out everything in her path with a steely pith and her ever-impressive knack for an earworm.
Scratch away at the powder-stained surface enough though, and you are further rewarded with some of the most ruminative and affecting ballads of the singer’s career, touching bravely on issues of self-worth, futile romances, and most touchingly, the friends we love and lose along the way.
Elgar: Symphonies No. 1 & 2 by Sir Mark Elder & Hallé Orchestra
Whilst I certainly cannot say I am a true connoisseur in terms of being able to dissect an orchestra and their conductor’s specific charms and foibles, I will still gallantly try and reecommend something along the more traditional side of things in terms of classical music these days, and the most special release I happened across this time comes courtesy of maestro Sir Mark Elder and the fabled Hallé Orchestra.
As performed back in 2019 and 2021, Edward Elgar‘s symphonies are rendered with dazzling awe and movement throughout by Elder and his players, these performances finally seeing general release in anticipation of the 2024/25 live concert season which celebrates Elder’s quarter-century tenure as leader of the Manchester-based orchestra.
i’m totally fine with it don’t give a fuck anymore by Arab Strap
Should you not be inclined for stately lolly-gagging though, no act will get you more presciently dread-filled than Scotland’s wariest of wary poetic journeymen.
Seemingly on a roll since 2021’s As Days Get Dark kicked their discography out of a sixteen-year funk, the eighth album from Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton’s steadfastly unmerry project is as bilious and stark as ever, the duo cultivating a brutally honest/frequently hilarious collection informed by societal alienation with Moffat delivering that trenchant mix of dry poetry and incisive rabble in his unmistakable brogue that can make even the most devastating character assassinations feel like warm rejoinders.
Lives Outgrown by Beth Gibbons
Thirty years after first beguiling the world as the lead vocalist for Portishead, the O.G. Trip Hop Mother finally releases her first full-length solo effort proper after enjoying a rosy resurgence over the past few years that has seen her collaborate with the talents as varied in genre and scope as Kendrick Lamar, Rustin Man and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Much like the similarly and rightly revered art-pop mainstay Elizabeth Fraser and their recent Sun’s Signature project, Gibbons’ latest work trades in more folksier palettes than those she has previously become synonymous with, embracing a more mature and reflective sound that in turn makes that unmistakable voice, still rapt with pained sensuality, pierce the listener’s heart that much more precisely.
This album feels like a wayward traveller finally making their way home after a lifetime of experiences, reconciling regrets and triumphs, the roads taken and untravelled, all in her own serenely devastating style.
Perceive Its Beauty, Acknowledge Its Grace by Shabaka
Another intimidatingly prolific artist finally breaking ground in the solo album avenue on this list is one Shabaka Hutchings, new-age jazz instrumentalist, arranger and bandleader extraordinaire who despite the 2022 dissolution of their breakthrough outfit Sons Of Kemet has had no shortage of work over the past couple of years.
Calling in collaborative favours with the likes of Moses Sumney, Floating Points and Lianne La Havas, Shabaka’s debut finds the composer in a more meditative state than what most people who are knowledgeable of his oeuvre would perhaps come to expect, at times positively glowing with wounded-but-tender ruminations on the Black experience that provide poignant moments of soothing solace, creating a worldly missive that nevertheless channels the energy forged from pain and devastation into hope and rejuvenation.
Postindustrial Hometown Blues by Big Special
And the debut releases just keep on coming, though this time it is from a couple of rabble-rousing noiseniks unencumbered by decades of musical baggage from previous endeavours and pretty much knocking it out of the park on their first try.
Time will tell if the current spate of arty post-punk artists will start to feel a little over-saturated, but there is no denying that this duo hailing from Birmingham have concocted the new benchmark for the rest of 2024 to look up to, a bold and assured piece of work full of ribald tension that trades in equal hues hard rock, punk and soul to create a sonic tome dedicated to the state of the world and all of its ills.
Nevertheless, despite being rooted in this very particular time of shittiness, there is enough well-observed humour, rancour and resonance from these lads to get giddy and inspired by, prompting quite a few “Next Big Thing” plaudits to justifiably be thrown their way in the process.
Red Hot Ra: The Magic City by Red Hot Organization & Meshell Ndegeocello
The third part in a series celebrating the life and work of pioneering Afrofuturist jazz institution Sun Ra finds the arts foundation and not-for-profit healthcare awareness charity collaborating with the incredible Ndegeocello to create a long-form tribute that is truly transportive.
Technically more of a mixtape compilation that intersperses some of Ra’s own musings and philosophies throughout a selection of both new work from Ndegeocello herself and curated pieces from other composers, it does incredibly well to offer a more contemporary spin and nuance to Ra’s musical heritage and will probably be the closest any single person who isn’t a billionaire will get to ascending spaceward beyond the Earth’s atmosphere.
Resort by Skee Mask
The Munich-born wunderkind of techno comes through with a surprise release just in time for the darker side of the summer calendar, once again proving his mettle as one of the more involving and sincere music-makers of the electronic persuasion with soundscapes that delicately unfold with dustily-sophisticated breakbeats and warm synth lines to envelope the listener in a blissful sanctuary that doesn’t even need the euphoric fumes of a great night out beginning to fade out of view as you head home to capture your head and heart.
The only rub here is that I cannot feature any of his songs on my playlist below as he won’t shill for Spotify either, meaning the guy has values in terms of holding to account the unforgiving landscape cultivated by streamers in their exploitation of artists for their content, so you will also get bonus karma points for listening to their music.
Where The Butterflies Go In The Rain by Raveena
Continuing to combine her Western and South Asian musical influences with a truly swoonsome authority that is all the more impressive for feeling so beatifically unburdened and effortless, Raveena Aurora consolidates her reputation as one of the leading new prognosticators of nu-soul R&B on her third album.
Derived from observations made by entomologists about the titular insects finding shelter during stormy weather to preserve their wings, Raveena’s latest LP finds her creating a sonic oasis built on the foundation of both the self-discovery travelled on her previous works and a newfound love that cannot help but inform a sense of poignant guilelessness that cannot help but make your heart melt alongside hers.
You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To by Knocked Loose
And we round out the Top 10 Albums of Q2 with some righteous noise courtesy of hardcore punk band Knocked Loose, whose third album has found favour in publications outside of the hard rock scene to garner some of the loudest plaudits of the year so far.
And loud is certainly putting it mildly when referring to this collection of excoriating metalcore missives, where the music doesn’t roar with posturing falsity rather screams with incendiary resonance, and being their first album composed with new member/rhythm guitarist Nicko Calderon, alongside Grammy-nominated producer Drew Fulk behind the recording decks, certainly helps imbue the formidable onslaught with as much groove as it does chaotic crunch.
It’s basically the album the world needs to hear right now, full of bile, anger, vindication and catharsis.
Further Listening
But if those ten paragons of awesomeness still haven’t quite sated your appetites, please have a gander at some more recommendations below…
Classical: As I mentioned earlier, there was quite the glut of wonderful classical compilations and albums to get through (must be a spring thing, I guess), and wouldn’t you know, the rest of my notices in that genre seem to fit their own little niches.
For plaintively-impressive solo ivory tinkling, please check out Yunchan Lim‘s recent playthrough of Frédéric Chopin‘s “Etudes”; for jazzily lush re-orchestrated re-works, Bill Frisell‘s new retrospective collection offers plenty of those charms; for classic string quartet fix, the formidable Takács Quartet‘s latest essay on Franz Schubert will fit the bill marvellously; for more musings of a more contemporary classical nature, composer Timo Andres has recently delivered a new set that should appropriately beguile; and finally, for the opera nerds, conductor Marc Albrecht and the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra helped to deliver a sterling performance of Alexander von Zemlinsky‘s “A Florentine Tragedy” based on one of Oscar Wilde‘s unpublished manuscripts.
Chopin: Etudes, Opp. 10 & 25 by Yunchan Lim – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Orchestras (Live) by Bill Frisell – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Schubert: String Quartets D. 112 & 887 by Takács Quartet – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
The Blind Banister by Timo Andres – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Zemlinsky: Eine florentinische Tragödie by Marc Albrect & Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra – Spotify / Apple
Pop/R&B: After all that high-broweyness, let’s get back to something a little more zetgeist-ey, eh?
For those pining for more brat-pop goodness after Charli’s concerted stab at The Best Pop Album Of The Year, her partner-in-hyperpop-crime A.G. Cook‘s latest triple-disc endeavour should get around to assuaging those rapacious tastes; furthermore, we also have some seriously classy R&B/Pop on Fabiana Palladino’s debut album; for something more forward thinking and positive-minded in terms of pop-politique, Ibibio Sound Machine are on typically bop-worthy form on their fourth long-form release; in terms of sheer joy and ebullience, you cannot go wrong with the Afro-infused discofied goodness radiating from Sinkane‘s latest LP; and there is also the long-awaited premier disc from singer-songwriter Rachel Chinouriri, filled to the brim with adorably street-wise indie pop.
Britpop by A.G. Cook – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Fabiana Palladino by Fabiana Palladino – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Pull The Rope by Ibibio Sound Machine – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
We Belong by Sinkane – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
What A Devastating Turn Of Events by Rachel Chinouriri – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Alternative: For those of a more counter-culturally-productive bint in their music tastes (or at least those who like to think so), the below should divert your ears to something more appropriately pleasant to your wants…
Anne Erin Clark‘s self-produced eighth album finds the singer/songwriter in her most fraughtly exciting art-pop form in some time; Patrick Flegel’s drag project Cindy Lee and their second long-form behemoth is a ghostly paean to mid-twentieth century pop that is worth the Geocities/YouTube rabbit hole journey needed to track the mysterious compilation down; of equal parts joy and bile, the debut album from electro-punk outfit Lip Critic delivers a tight set of tunes for those in search of some DIY sweet-n-sour pop; punk/hip hop duo Bob Vylan continue their iconoclastic streak something fierce on their second tome world-skewering political pop; for something a little more unadulteratedly pleasurable, Vampire Weekend have managed to hit something of a creative apex with their winsome brand of reflective indie-pop on their fifth LP; and finally, everyone’s favourite grumpy teddy bear John Grant confronts the alt-right head on with a funky set of a electro-pop laments with his latest opus, should you be that way inclined.
All Born Screaming by St. Vincent – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Diamond Jubilee by Cindy Lee – YouTube
Hex Dealer by Lip Critic – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Humble As The Sun by Bob Vylan – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Only God Was Above Us by Vampire Weekend – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
The Art Of The Lie by John Grant – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Dance/Electonic: And for those who prefer to dance their troubles away in various peaks and valleys of chemically-enhanced fugues of experience, there should be something here for you to bend your ear towards…
On the 90s-IDM-performer-still-delivering-the-goods-front, Mike Paradinas has got you covered with his sixteeth album of leftfield beats and quirks; I. Jordan managed to fulfil the promise of their earlier EPs and deliver one of the better, and certainly most pleasurably housey, debut albums of the year; for something a little more joyously across-the-board in terms of dancing-in-the-diaspora goodness, New York’s AceMo’s brought something epic to the turntable with their latest LP; if you like your techno pumped full of poppers and pummeling degeneracy, Leonce’s debut longform is one for those who like their dancefloors a little sweatier and stankier; English DJ and producer Perc continues to politicize techno music with a fierce anti-establishment bent on his fourth album; and lastly, for those wanting to taper off into something a little more profound and introspective, Montreal’s Francis Latreille offers a fitting end to the electronic rabble the Q2 decided to deign onto the listening public.
Grush by μ-Ziq – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
I AM JORDAN by I. Jordan – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
Save The World by AceMo – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
System Of Objects by Leoncé – Spotify / Tidal / Apple
The Cut Off by Perc – Spotify / Apple
This But More by Priori – Spotify / Apple
My Preferred 5 Extended Plays Of 2024 Q2
And for those wafer-thin-mint fans, a few bon-mots and liqueurs with which to finish this banquet off…
Congratulations by Raji Rags
The NTS Radio mainstay branches out with impressively diverting results on his first extended-play, a refreshing miasma of dusty breakbeats, orchestral drama and ambient electronica.
Husband #1 by devices
Easily the cutest band to feature on this list, this London-based quartet bring a welcome sense of archness and wit to their brand of alternative disco rock that already sounds assured after just one EP.
ISS010 by Skee Mask
Yup, Bryan Müller managed to make it on to two of my lists for this edition, this shorter excursion showcasing his more robustly dancey charms than the more pensive ambience on the album (still not on Spotify though, so…)
Slow Burn by Baby Rose
Collaborating with Canadian contemporary jazz trip BADBADNOTGOOD proved fruitful enough for honey-voiced soul singer from Atlanta, Georgia to release a six-track collection of gorgeous, electrified torch balladry.
Twice Around The Sun by Ugly
And lastly, as a final hurrah to the English Not-Summer, we have some head-turningly charming alternative folk pop from arty upstarts Ugly, a six-piece destined for much greater things if this debut EP is anything to go by.
But in case you missed all that, it’s all collated here in this handy playlist, courtesy of the Most Awful Of All Of The Streamers…
And that’s it for now, friends.
Until next time, chin up, be kind, and keep going… we may not have as long as we like, but we can still make the most of it.
xxxo
