Musoscribe’s Best of 2024: New Releases
Everybody has their favorite new releases of each year; here are mine. This year I reviewed nearly 120 new releases. As per usual, the list reflects my particular interests, so you won’t find any mainstream pop, Americana or hip hop. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I don’t find value in those styles; they simply don’t make it to the top of the heap for me. Releases that do must be of the I must listen to this again and again variety. These five* do that.
Kula Shaker – Natural Magick
Combining Donovan-style hippie aesthetics with ‘90s Britpop textures was a winning formula for Kula Shaker back in the day. I certainly never expected them to roar back with a superb album all these decades later. But they certainly did.
Sykofant – Sykofant
A progressive concept album from a Norwegian band making its recorded debut? Didn’t see that coming. But what a record Sykofant is. Overt nods to their heroes don’t keep this from being fresh and original. Prog – and the concept album form – are alive and well.
Blake Jones & the Trike Shop – And Still…
When I say pop, I usually don’t mean the Taylor Swift kind (“not that there’s…” yada yada). I mean timeless pop values in sturdy songs. Blake Jones and his pals have that in spades.
Half/Cubes – Pop Treasures
Flashcubes were an underrated part of the power pop renaissance. This project is something of a busman’s holiday – re-interpreting the work of other like-minded artists, with a bevy of guest stars – but it rises above genre exercises. It’s a terrific listen.
Jon Anderson and the Band Geeks – True
Nobody – well, hey, certainly not me – expected Jon Anderson to make one of his best albums outside of Yes as a kind of celebration of his 80th birthday. But True is a remarkable work that can stand proudly alongside classic Yes.
*I said five, but this one simply has to make the list…
Trees Speak – Timefold
Time and again this Tucson duo turns out its best work. Timefold is krautrock for the 21st century, but it’s so much more than that. It’s a mind movie!
POSTSCRIPT: Another album arrived late in the year, and a review of it will be published here on Musoscribe the first week in January 2025. But I’m here to tell you that DB Edmunds’ Everybody Knows by Now is also one of my favorite albums of 2024.
About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day for several years). The more than 5000 interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- some 40 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: 30 Great Concept Albums is available now. Read even more about him here.