🇺🇦 #NowPlaying on #KEXP's #VarietyMix

Dent May:
🎵 The Big One

#DentMay

https://dentmay.bandcamp.com/track/the-big-one

https://open.spotify.com/track/3rWN1GRIzRlm4pYIFWvF1z

My favorite albums of 2024

https://tandemwiththerandom.com/2024/12/31/my-favorite-albums-of-2024/

#2024 #DentMay #Elbow #EricSlick #FayeWebster #Guster #JoeP #LizCorney #LoMoon #Music #TheCure #TheZutons

My Favorite Albums of 2024

Coming in just under the wire, here is a list of my top 10 favorite albums of 2024. I don’t like the “best of” terminology because I acknowledge I’ve missed a lot of great stuff. But these are my top favorites among the albums I did consume during the past 12 months.

Songs of a Lost World – The Cure

Songs of a Lost World is at or near the top of a lot of people’s “best of” lists this year, and it’s definitely a great album. And it was so awesome to finally get new music from The Cure. The problem is, because of its November 1 release, I haven’t had enough time with it to place it too high on my list of favorites of 2024. And that’s why my list starts with SOALW.

https://youtu.be/sx9SVAtMkJM?feature=shared

We Need New Eyes – Liz Corney

I am a big fan of the band Field Music, whose 2024 album Limits of Language just missed appearing on this list. It is through Field Music that I became familiar with Liz Corney, who has played keyboards and provided backing vocals in that band for years. She is also a member of The Cornshed Sisters. Liz released her debut solo album, We Need New Eyes, in 2024 and it is fantastic — good enough to bump Field Music from my list, in fact. To me, We Need New Eyes has the vibe of Field Music’s 2016 album Commontime, which was my gateway to that band. It’s full of delightfully quirky pop songs that tick so many of my boxes. And with Field Music’s David Brewis co-producing and playing guitar, bass and drums on the album, it’s no wonder it shares so much Field Music DNA. This album definitely deserved more attention than it received.

https://youtu.be/vEWIb_ciGL0?feature=shared

Audio Vertigo – Elbow

Not a chance that Elbow wouldn’t make this list. Whatever album they release will be in my year-end list, and that goes for 2024’s Audio Vertigo, which is their grooviest album in years. While it was critically acclaimed and performed well internationally, I was disappointed that this album didn’t return Elbow to the U.S. Billboard 200 chart for the first time since 2017’s Little Fictions. Audio Vertigo definitely deserved American appreciation. Looking forward to the EP Elbow has announced for 2025 that sounds like it will be a continuation of the sound of Audio Vertigo.

https://youtu.be/8z1Qo_Z6SVg?feature=shared

Garden State Vampire – Joe P

I have been aware of Joe P for a number of years thanks to airplay he has received from BlowUpRadio.com and WXPN. It wasn’t until a couple of years ago that I realized I have been aware of him much longer than that since he was the lead vocalist and a guitarist in the popular New Jersey-based band, Deal Casino. The pandemic dealt a final blow to the band in 2020, so Joe Parella has gone solo since then as Joe P. He released his amazing debut solo album, Garden State Vampire, in 2024. Joe P also puts on a great live show, even when it’s lunchtime…and he breaks a guitar string…and pulls out his guitar’s wireless system at the worst possible time, as I experienced during his Free At Noon show for WXPN in late December.

https://youtu.be/SO62PBg0zww?feature=shared

Underdressed at the Symphony – Faye Webster

To be honest, I still don’t know much about Faye Webster, but I know that — until 2024 — the 27-year-old singer-songwriter had escaped my attention despite releasing five studio albums since 2013.

And I probably would have continued to ignore Faye Webster if my preferred music streaming service had not served up her song “But Not Kiss” from her latest album, Underdressed at the Symphony, as a suggested listen. The piano is hypnotizing and the use of dynamics and staccato is jarring in a way that I found musically pleasing, so I started paying attention. And then I noticed WXPN was playing “Lego Ring (feat. Lil Yachty)” from the album so I dove into Underdressed at the Symphony and absolutely loved it. Had it on repeat for a couple of weeks at one point.

https://youtu.be/JsdH_1EpDv0?feature=shared

What’s for Breakfast? – Dent May

Dent May has been a favorite of mine for over a decade, ever since I stumbled upon hearing “Eastover Wives” on SiriusXM. His quirky brand of pop music ticks so many of boxes. His March 2024 release, What’s for Breakfast?, immediately became one of my favorite albums of 2024. And I was so happy to finally see him live in Philly this year — thanks to my son’s school concert needing to be rescheduled at the last minute due to the music teacher’s wife going into labor!

https://youtu.be/j-Eeg1VHreU?feature=shared

New Age Rage – Eric Slick

I’ve been aware of Eric Slick for years as the drummer for Philadelphia-based stalwarts, Dr. Dog. But then, maybe about five or six years ago, I somehow began interacting with Eric’s mom, Robin, on Twitter back when that platform was still called that and it was still marginally decent — and Robin (an author who has a new book coming out) and I still follow each other on Threads and Bluesky. Anyway, Eric has been releasing music as a solo artist for quite a few years now and he even has recorded a drum track for Taylor Swift (do I really need to link to her?), although he didn’t know that at the time. I have enjoyed Slick’s solo work, but New Age Rage is a whole ‘nother level with me. When I listen to it, sometimes I wonder if I’ve drifted into a Dent May song, or an Alan Palomo (f/k/a Neon Indian) track…or even a Daði Freyr song — and, yes, those are all good things, as far as I’m concerned. And while the Philly native resides in Nashville these days (with his spouse, the amazing Natalie Prass), he will always be drawn to those “Philadelphia Lights”…

https://youtu.be/PazyOYrdaeE?feature=shared

The Big Decider – The Zutons

Even though The Cure got all the hype, there was another UK-based band that released a critically acclaimed album that was also their first in 16 years…The Zutons with The Big Decider! I was eagerly anticipating this album ever since it was revealed in late 2021 that the legendary Nile Rodgers was in the studio with the band as a co-producer of the album (with Ian Broudie and Zutons drummer Sean Payne). What a freakin’ comeback album…absolutely no skips. And there was no better way to kick off the album than with the Rodgers-produced lead single, “Creeping on the Dancefloor”…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qHsONa0XOg

Ooh La La – Guster

Guster is a band I have always enjoyed and I have even seen them live, but they have never had staying power in my brain. But that changed this year. My dad passed away in February and one of the last times I remember helping him track down a song he heard in a store (he worked in retail) was Guster’s “Satellite.” I was listening to it a lot while driving out to visit my dad in his final days (even recorded a weird Beach House-influenced cover of “Satellite” after my father died…and while I was dealing with COVID). A few weeks after my dad’s passing, Guster released “Keep Going” and “All Day” as the first tracks from their then-upcoming album, Ooh La La. I immediately was drawn to the new songs and eagerly awaited the album, which was released on May 17 — when I saw them play an excellent WXPN Free At Noon show. “Keep Going” actually inspired the vibe of a song I wrote for my little DIY Ferocious Designs music project, “Beyond Forever,” which appears on my Open Your Eyes EP (there’s even a reference to Guster’s song “Keep It Together”). So, yeah, I was really into Guster this year and Ooh La La came at just the right time for me.

https://youtu.be/F78Wyr8BURw?feature=shared

I Wish You Way More Than Luck – Lo Moon

Well, Lo Moon released an album this year so it was a pretty good bet it would be at or near the top of a list of my favorite albums. I love this band and would love to consistently create music like they do, so it should be no surprise that I Wish You May More Than Luck was my favorite album released in 2024. I was fortunate enough to attend an intimate Lo Moon show at Pianos in NYC in October 2023, during which the band previewed a bunch of songs from the album months before its release. I was blown away by the new material, especially “Water” (the live version they do with the added intro is amazing). I was so upset their Fall 2024 tour brought them to Philly the night of the Philadelphia Marathon in November…I had a tough race and there was no way I could get to the show that night. I hope to see them again soon. Until then, I have my favorite album of 2024 to hold me over.

https://youtu.be/1w2QT53zTGY?feature=shared

#2024 #DentMay #Elbow #EricSlick #FayeWebster #Guster #JoeP #LizCorney #LoMoon #Music #TheCure #TheZutons

Now Playing:

#Music #DentMay

dent may - crying laughing
https://open.spotify.com/track/1Or40PNuvot5Sd5ZQmA4GX

New track on our Spotify playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2VcOkY7S1DsoTjPNm7yXEn?si=Cl0DDLywTfG-cErQSZ9fVg

#dentmay #usa #spotify #np