Further proof if needed that the mainstream considers rock to be a defunct genre. However, for those with their ear tuned to the underground, it has been another remarkable year for records. Everything was reviewed on here in 2024 and they are all records that have stuck with me, in some shape or form, throughout the year. That means I loved them. And so should you.
20. Guiltless â Thorns
Claiming that your band ââŠcreates apocalyptic soundscapes in their imaginings of the surreal return to proto-human civilisation, as well as what life might be like for the survivors of the next mass extinction eventâŠâ is some claim. Luckily, Guiltless step up to the plate in remarkable form with gigantic, doomy crushers like âDevour Collideâ and âDead Eyeâ that could function as much as soundtracks for modern living as well as cathartic headbangers.
19. Pissed Jeans â Half Divorced
Having lost interest in them after 2013âs disappointing âHoneysâ, I have seen the light again and can declare âHalf Divorcedâ a fierce, driving record that is as formidable as anything Pissed Jeans have recorded in the past. âAnti-Sapioâ is a particular highlight with its hardcore speed and solo that is 100% effects driven, while âSixty Two ThousandâŠâ has serious Black Flag vibes.
18. Wasted Death â Season of Evil
19. Pissed Jeans â Half Divorced
Having lost interest in them after 2013âs disappointing âHoneysâ, I have seen the light again and can declare âHalf Divorcedâ a fierce, driving record that is as formidable as anything Pissed Jeans have recorded in the past. âAnti-Sapioâ is a particular highlight with its hardcore speed and solo that is 100% effects driven, while âSixty Two ThousandâŠâ has serious Black Flag vibes.
18. Wasted Death â Season of Evil
Featuring members of USA Nails, Death Pedals, Big Lad, Petbrick and Beggar, this debut LP follows on from two brilliant EPâs and Iâm delighted to say that all promises have been fulfilled: the songs are louder, nastier and the production manages to give proceedings a clear sheen while retaining the dirt and chaos needed for this mutant blend of d-beat crossover. Love it.
17. Einsturzende Neubauten â Rampen â apm: Alien Pop Music
Although I enjoyed 2020âs âAlles In Allemâ at the time, retrospective listens have revealed a few weaknesses here and there. Thankfully, there is more emphasis on atmosphere, rhythm and melody this time around, creating a late period masterpiece that demonstrates that not only is their creative well truly overflowing but that double albums can also be concise affairs.
16. Rotten UK â Age of Chaos
For their first record since 2016, gothic punks Rotten UK carry on doing what they do best: making music that exists in the quagmire as hardcore punk, thrash metal and goth rock. For those who worship all three genres, itâs mama from heaven. Topped off nicely with a Frank Frazetta cover, itâs place on this list is well deserved.
15. ShitNoise â I Cocked My Gun and Shot My Best Friend
This trio from Monte Carlo (seriously) make noise rock that is unrepentant about its scuzziness, but still manages to throw in riffs that would make late period Sonic Youth fans cream themselves (âGum Operaâ) and songs that Mudhoney would kick themselves for not writing (âPleasant Guffâ).
14. Pharmakon â Maggot Mass
Since 2013, Margaret Chardiet has been releasing records that use noise and industrial as a way of looking not just at herself but also at the decay within society. âMaggot Massâ carries on in this vein and is utterly thrilling. Opener âWither and Warpâ revels in its sturm und drang and âSplendid Isolationâ feels like a tribal war chant being conducted in a back alleyway.
13. Ritual Error â Dial in the Ghost
The London based post-hardcore outfit return with a remarkable record that envisages scenarios like Tony Blair being haunted by ghosts, nostalgia being poison and the modern band as a war unit. Musically, there are Minutemen and Fugazi references galore. Songs like âLife as a Contact Sportâ and âReturn to Lagosâ are angry, abrasive and enthralling.
12. High Vis â Guided Tour
The third release from the London/Merseyside indie punk act sees them carry on with their blend of baggy, melodic hardcore and Britpop that manages to be defiant and melancholic. âDrop Me Outâ sounds like Husker Du via The Enemy, âMindâs a Lieâ is an electro number that (for some reason) reminds me of Section 25 and âFeeling Blissâ has a swagger that belies its lyrics.
11. Hello Mary â Emita Ox
A New York based act, their second LP is a joyous blend of Midwest emo, noise rock and post-punk without ever feeling contrived or self-consciously stuck together. Songs like âFloatâ start off as gentle and folk like before the tempos speed up and the screams are introduced, while â0%â are throbbing sonic landscapes with some jangly riffage. An LP for autumn.
10. X â Smoke & Fiction
Supposedly the final record from the pioneering LA punk rockers and, if it is, theyâve gone out in style. Billy Zoomâs fascination with fusing punk and rockabilly licks never gets old and the vocal interplay between Exene Cervenka and John Doe is still a treat for the ears. Oh, and DJ still kills on the drums. âSweet till the Bitter Endâ is a classic X anthem while âWinding Up the Timeâ makes nice use of the tremolo bar. Proof that punk rockers get better with age.
9. The The â Ensoulment
The first album of new songs from Matt Johnson since 1999âs âNakedSelfâ (although he has been busy with some brilliant soundtracks) has a weight of expectations that would crush the ordinary person. Thankfully, he is back with an album that casts a cold eye over the world we live in and has a sound that is warm, intimate and minimal. Classic The The.
8. Deathfiend â Dark Rising
At last, Johnny Doomâs death metal act deliver a top tier record filled with macerating riffs that hark back to the likes of Entombed, Celtic Frost and Amebix (no bad thing at all of course). Production wise, the songs sound enormous (as if they were playing in a cave) and the songwriting is top notch. âForget Mankind (Desecration Ritual)â is one of many highlights.
7. Maquina â Prata
From Portugal, Maquina play the sort of music My Disco would make if they lived on downers. Down tuned, bass driven songs that take the drive of krautrock and the mechanical rhythms of industrial rock, they have made one of the grooviest albums of the year. ânuff said.
6. The Body â The Crying Out of Things
For their second full length release of 2024 (and first non-collaborative record since 2021) the lads from Providence, Rhode Island have delivered a deep, thick sounding slab of distorted heaviness. Echoes of Kevin Martinâs work aplenty in the hard-hitting beats and scuzzy basslines (âA Premonitionâ is one such example of this). 25 years on, The Body still deliver killer albums.
5. The Jesus Lizard â Rack
From the second that album opener âHide & Seekâ begins, Duane Denisonâs riffing makes it obvious that the lads arenât on auto pilot, while âArmistice Dayâ is a powerful bluesy stop/start riff that deserves to be stretched out live and âWhat If?â highlights how tight a rhythm section Sims and McNeilly are. Running to 36 minutes, its polished but no less powerful for it. They may be older but so what?
4. Shellac â To All Trains
Although very much in line with what Shellac have done in the past, the sudden death of Steve Albini just before the release of âTo All Trainsâ adds a starkness to the record which makes the listener sit up and realise that theyâll never hear that guitar tone again. Poignantly, the final track (âI Donât Fear Hellâ) is a humourous, two fingered salute. He left as he went in.
3. USA Nails â Feel Worse
For their sixth full length in ten years, London based USA Nails carry on being one of the finest noisy, metallic and angular noise-rock acts in the world. Although every album (and split release) has been excellent, this one might be their finest moment owing to a brighter sounding production which captures their cacophonous sound in magnificent fashion.
2. Bad Breeding â Contempt
One of the most exciting acts in the UK are back with some help from tourmate Ben Greenberg (of the equally amazing Uniform). The sound is still noisy industrial punk but the sonics have greater clarity and gleefully attack the listener. Lyrically, the songs question tradition, offer state of the nation addresses and some hope through cleansing anger. Album of the month.
1. Uniform â American Standard
One of the most important bands of the last ten years, NYCâs finest purveyors of post punk/industrial rock return with another punishing and intense listen. The title track is a 21-minute diatribe that builds and builds to a crescendo that invokes black metal intensity and Swans like beauty, while âThis is Not a Prayerâ demonstrates some staggering drumming and âPermanent Embraceâ is a hardcore number done Uniform style. The lads have done it again.
â© Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist.
My favourite album of 2024 is The Border by 'Shot Gun' Willie Nelson....
ReplyDeleteNew to my playlist in 2024..but 11years old. Wearing a balaclava, without controversy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92XVwY54h5k
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