I have this website, so I might as well use it. 2024 is officially over, so it’s now legal to post my favorite entertainment of the year. All links to Bandcamp when possible.
MUSIC - ALBUMS
Sprints - “Letter to Self” - Driving, powerful, indie punk
Softcult - “Heaven” [EP] - Gorgeous dream pop/Cure harmonies
TOOSLOW - “Cool Story” - Bob Mould/Pop Punk
Alcest - “Les Chants de l'Aurore” - Post-rock heavy blackgaze
Narzissus - “Akt III: Erlösung” - Progressive blackened heavy metal (with some weird freak outs)
Suldusk - “Anthesis” - Dark Folk BM
Agent blå - “STAB!” - Shoegazey post-punk pop
Ride - “Interplay” - 80s influenced shoegaze
Acid Mammoth - “Supersonic Megafauna Collision” - Heavy fuzz metal fronted by Papa Emeritus
Blasphemous - “To Lay Seige and Conquer” - Blackened death metal
Slift - “Ilion” - Epic, psychedelic, psychotic stoner space metal
SEASIDE - “Wishbone” [EP] - Catchy Metric-like indie pop, with killer vocals
Necrowretch - “Swords of Dajjal” - Blackened thrash
CHERYM - “Take It or Leave It” - Sparkly, snotty, smart pop punk. The Donnas, updated.
So Totally - “Double Your Relaxation” - Indie shoegaze
BILLIAM - “Jump to 3D” [EP] - Synth power pop
Rick Rude - “Laverne” - Sloppy 90s indie rock
shopfires - “shopfires” - C86 jangle pop
Griffon - “De Republica” - French leftist, symphonic black metal
gglum - “The Garden Dream” - Lo-fi dream/indie pop
Verity Den - “Verity Den” - Noisy dream pop
Midnight - “Hellish Expectations” - Blackened speed/thrash
Mean Mistreater - “Razor Wire” - Classic heavy metal with a killer female singer
Grazia - “In Poor Taste” [EP] - Garage rock organ, post-punk basslines, detached spoke-sung vocals with some twee-pop sheen.
Dödsrit - “Nocturnal Will” - Iron Maiden guitarmony meets black metal
Shadows of a Celestial Body - “Hidden Longing and Forbidden Enchantments” - Lo-fi goth black metal
Kattayra - “Inpariquipê” - Acoustic, Brazilian folk black metal
GVILLOTINE - “Hell Is Other People” - Blackened, anarchist grind
Shit Present - “Acting Tough” [EP] - Catchy indie punk
Arstíðir lífsins - “Aldrlok” - Ambient folk black metal
World Decay - “Unholy Sacrifice” - Blackened thrash
Nerve Agent - “Game of Death” - Classic crossover thrash
Wraith - “Fueled by Fear” - Classic 80s speed/thrash with blackened Lemmy vocals
Staghelm - “Subnivium” - Atmospheric folk black metal about trees
Obliette - “Eternity Whispers” - Progressive black metal
West of Roan - “Queen of Eyes” - Traditional folk, great harmonies
Wild Fire - “Scotland Rapture” [EP] - Classic midpaced, riffy, heavy metal.
Mayhemic - “Toba” - Classic blackened Slayeriffic thrash
Uprising - “III - Anarchic” - Anti-fascist and anti-authoritarian riff-driven punky black metal.
Bad Moves - “Wearing Out The Refrain” - Indie Power Pop reminiscent of early New Pornographers
Ex-Vöid - “In Love Again” - Shoegaze-y power from ex Joanna Gruesome members
Feral Light - “A Recknoning With The Intangible” - Crusty black metal
Temple of the Fuzz Witch - “Apotheosis” - Blackened doom.
Hello Mary - “Emita Ox” - Post-emo-gaze-indie?
Pest Control - “Year of the Pest” [EP] - Classic crossover thrash
Riitasointu - “Pedon Leikki” - Folk metal with BM touches
Girl Scout - “Headache” [EP] - Indie grunge pop reminiscent of The Beths
Saor - “Amidst The Ruins” - Celtic influenced black metal
Pardoner - “Paranoid in Hell” - Slacker punk meets 80s hardcore
MUSIC - SONGS
My favorite song of the year is Bad Moves’ “Let the Rats Inherit the Earth”. Hooky power pop, with some cool effected guitar licks, and all 4 members harmonizing call and response vocals. The lyrics predicted the mood of the end of 2024, when the rollercoaster to hell we're all riding really picked up speed.
John Squire/Liam Gallagher - “Just Another Rainbow” [Video] Madchester Brit Pop. What a disappointment this album was.
The Lemon Twigs - “My Golden Years” - 60s Beatles/Beach Boys
Narzissus - “Empor zum Ideal” - Progressive blackened metal with beautiful sung section and awesome riffs at 4:11 and towards the end
Agent blå - “Discount” - Shoegazey post-punk pop
Ride - “Peace Sign” - 80s influenced dream pop/gaze
Acid Mammoth - “Supersonic Megafauna Collision” - Heavy fuzz metal fronted by Papa Emeritus
Rhûn - “Bone Ornament” - 2nd wave/thrashy black metal
Slift - “The Words That Have Never Been Heard” - Epic, psychedelic stoner space metal
SEASIDE - “We're on Fire” - Catchy Metric-like indie pop, with killer vocals
Hacavitz - “Muerte Primera” - Dark, ominous black metal
Liquid Mike - “K2” - Catchy 90s power pop
Softcult - “Shortest Fuse” - Dreamy indie pop
Olhava - “Sacrifice” - Uplifting, atmospheric, blackgaze
Necrowretch - “Dii Mauri” - Blackened thrash
CHERYM - “Alpha Beta Sigma” - Sparkly, snotty, smart pop punk. The Donnas, updated.
Wynter Myst - “January MMXXIV” - Bleak, cold, black metal
Rick Rude - “Wooden Knife” - Driving 90s indie rock
Parsnip - “The Light” - 80s jangle twee pop
Griffon - “The Ides of March” - Symphonic, black metal
gglum - “Eating Rust” - Lo-fi dream/indie pop
Midnight - “F.O.A.L.” - Blackened speed/thrash
Cold Cave - “She Reigns Down” - Icy, goth, synth punk
Grazia - “Cheap” - Rock organ, post-punk basslines and detached spoke-sung vocals with some twee-pop sheen.
Dödsrit - “Nocturnal Fire” - Iron Maiden Guitarmony meets black metal
Aluminum - “Behind My Mouth” - Madchester pop
Korpituli - “Soittajapaimen” - Melodic, folky black metal
Shit Present - “Acting Tough” - Catchy indie punk
Fresh - “Merch Girl” - Fuzzy indie rock
Miki Berenyi Trio - “Vertigo” - Electro dream pop
TV Star - “Ride” - Fuzzy garage jangle pop
Oceanator - “Get Out” - Catchy AF rock n roll
Darkthrone - “The Lone Pines of The Lost Planet” - Epic thrash chords + doomy riffs + sparse, psychedelia + triumphant outro.
Golomb - “Take My Life” - Psychedelic sloppy garage rock
The Decemberists - “The Reapers” - Dark indie folk pop like only Colin Meloy can write.
Chime School - “Wandering Song” - Jangly indie pop
Uprising - “Eternal Mantra” - Anarchic, anti-fascist and anti-authoritarian riff-driven punky black metal.
Family Dinner - “Horny Beach Trash” [video] - Poppy punk
mo dotti - “whirling sad” - Early lush/dinosaur jr
Ivy - “All I Ever Wanted” - Pretty indie pop from Adam Schlesinger's best band
Verböten - “Kicking Away” - Melodic punk
Ex-Vöid - “Swansea” - Shoegaze-y power from ex Joanna Gruesome members
Temple of the Fuzz Witch - “A Call To Prey” - Blackened doom
Apocalypse Orchestra - “Virago” - Progressive doom meets medieval folk
Hazzerd - “Deathbringer” - Classic thrash
Girl Scout - “I Just Needed You To Know” - Indie grunge pop reminiscent of The Beths
nea selini - “Silence éternel” - Post-black metal with piano
Landowner - “Landowner Plays Dopesmoker 666% Faster And With No Distortion” [video] - Exactly what it says
CONCERTS
Mutoid Man (opener: Tower). Broken Goblet Brewing, March 8, 2024.
The Decemberists (opener: Rat Boys). The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA, May 8, 2024.
Sunny Day Real Estate (opener: Rocket). Theater of Living Arts, Philadelphia, PA, May 9, 2024. “Diary” 30th anniversary.
The Beths (opener: Princess Chelsea). White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, NJ. September 7, 2024. Maybe the worst opening band I’ve ever seen.
Slift. The Meadows, Brooklyn, NYC, October 24, 2024.
Velocity Girl (openers: Bad Moves; Other World). Black Cat, Washington D.C. November 24, 2024
TV
Ripley. The most beautiful TV show I can remember. Episode 3 when [spoiler] he kills Dickie, and the 20 minutes of silent fallout, is the best scene of TV in years.
Fargo - S5
Shōgun
Conan O'Brien Must Go
Reluctant Traveler (Eugene Levy) S2
Bad Sisters S1
Abbott Elementary S4
Worst TV - Rivals. How can a show with David Tennant be this bad?
BOOKS
Rosemary and Darroll Pardoe - The Female Pope: The Mystery of Pope Joan
Phillipa Gregory - Normal Women: 900 Years of Making History
Sarah Gristwood - Blood Sisters: The Women Behind The War Of The Roses
Kate Williams - The Betrayal of Mary, Queen of Scots: Elizabeth I and Her Greatest Rival
OTHER STUFF
How Did We Get Weird Podcast - Jason Schwartzman episodes
Broomgate podcast
Conan and Jordan Show episodes Technically on SiriusXM,.but released later on Conan O’Brien Needs A Friend podcast.
Wrestling Brain. More and more people are saying it.