2024 in Music
Filed Under: Music
Here are some things I enjoyed this year in the world of music.
Confidence Man
My favourite Australian pop band released a new album, 3AM (LA LA LA). It holds up to – and may exceed – their previous two albums, channelling 90s/2000s-era electronic dance music to incredible new heights where lyrical themes of aging and burnout hang heavy in soundscapes thick with nostalgia – but you’re too busy dancing (and shouting along) to notice.
I’ll allow myself to share one pick from the album: REAL MOVE TOUCH.
Banger.
I was happy to confirm that they’re still an excellent live act when I saw them for my third time in November at the wonderful Barrowland Ballroom in Glasgow, where they played a mix of new and old stuff. That was an absolute highlight of my year, despite being on a Sunday evening.
Imaginal Disk
The YouTube recommendation algorithm delivered hard on this enchanting, starlight-saturated synthpop from American duo Magdalena Bay (Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin), and I’ve been listening to it start to finish weekly ever since.
The album really benefits from listening to in full, even if just to admire the way pieces blend into each other so gracefully, but if you only listen to one song, make it Image.
Cassandra Jenkins
New York singer-songwriter Cassandra Jenkins caught my interest a couple years ago with her heartstring-plucking album An Overview on Phenomenal Nature, in particular the song Hard Drive which, with its breathy vocals, spoken sections and soulful sax, ponders how to live a life filled with both beauty and hardship. I was lucky to catch her live at Summerhall here in Edinburgh that same year. Her 2024 album My Light, My Destroyer expands her musical vocabulary further to include grungey anthems and moody synths.
I saw Jenkins in Glasgow for a delightful Friday performance in November, the same weekend I went to see ConMan. That was a busy week for gigs as I also attended a metal gig on the following Tuesday 😵💫
Book Club Radio
Finally, while I may have discovered them in 2023, I’ve been continuing to enjoy the DJ sets shared by Tinzo and Jojo Lorenzo on their channel. It’s not likely they’ll ever be in my area, but if they do I’ll be windmill-slamming the buy button on those tickets before you can say “no phones on the dance floor”.