I was so happy to see Joan As Police Woman on your list! For some reason I missed that she'd put out a new album in 2024 and only first heard it a couple of weeks ago! Only one listen so far, but so good! -- she's one of the most underrated songwriters/musicians ever.
I also just learned, in the research for my Jeff Buckley piece, that she was in a relationship with him, and that he'd proposed to her days before his death. And that most of his band played with her both in her work and in the band Black Beetle (which never released their eponymous album).
She definitely deserves a deeper exploration in 2025. I might start from the beginning and work my way back to her latest album. That might take me all of 2025 to complete!
It’s such an incredible album, the best of her career in my opinion. I only learned about her relationship with Jeff Buckley last year when I was researching one of her songs for Alphabet Soup.
I was very lucky to have had the TV on one morning this last year when Brigette Calls Me Baby were performing live. They were quite good and the singer had a Roy Orbison sound and he looked like James Dean. They came to play west Michigan where I live and I bought a block of tickets for myself and a few bandmates. It was a Wednesday night show and there were probably only fifty people in the audience. They really blew us away. We were dumbfounded how good they were live and how great the vocals were. Their record sounds very ‘80’s but they are all guitars live. A must see band.
Wow that’s awesome! Hard to believe there were only fifty people in the audience as they feel like a band that should be more well known by now. I love his voice and the whole 80s vibe. Roy Orbison is a great comparison.
I thought I'd leave the JAPW comment on its own...
15 days for saying HNY seems about right. Also, what do you feel about leaving Christmas lights up? I don't mind it, as I love the look of lights on houses/apartments, but some people are adamant that they must come down on January 1.
I really loved the Brigette Calls Me Baby album! Yes, there is a clear Morrissey meets The Killers vibe to them, but the songs are so catchy and it brings me back to my '80s new wave young self. Oh so long ago...
Yes to Bonny Light Horseman and Cassandra Jenkins -- both had a ton of play in 2024.
Of course, The Cure's new album is fantastic; I only left it off my list because all 3 of my co-reviewers chose it and I wanted to mix it up more.
I had no idea there was a new Gossip album! I'll have to check it out -- if it's anything like the song you shared, I better get my dance shoes on and glitter up!
I don't think I've heard Honeyglaze before, but I think they might be right up my alley. It seems like a band that would make my top 10 if I'd heard it earlier.
I need to give King Hannah more of a listen. I think it requires more attention than I gave it earlier this year. I did like the song with Sharon Van Etten but can't remember much else.
Lady Blackbird almost made my list! What a powerhouse. I'm replaying it now and am questioning why I didn't pick a song for my top 80! Too much good stuff.
I did have Orville Peck in my top 80 songs list, though. I found the album a bit too all over the place to make a top 20 album list, but several songs were just about perfect. I still rue the fact that I didn't get to see him in concert last year because I got the flu that day and gave my ticket to a friend.
Great list, as always! Happy to see you will be exploring goth for 2025. Good luck with the house hunt!
Brigitte Calls Me Baby was in very heavy rotation for me last year and I loved it. I’d never heard of Gossip before last year’s album which was fantastic. Will have to check out some of their earlier work.
The Honeyglaze album is certainly worth a listen and the King Hannah album is a brilliant guitar album. The mundane but compelling vignettes painted by lead singer Hannah Merrick’s languid vocals often set the table for some incredible guitar work by Craig Whittle. It’s an album I went back to a lot.
Lady Blackbird really evolved from her first album and I liked the change in direction while still missing the more mellow tracks from her debut.
I read a lot of reviews that discussed the hit and miss nature of Orville Peck’s latest. For me there were a few weaker songs along the way but nothing that approached being a skippable track.
Looking forward to my dive into goth (if I don’t forget lol).
On the house hunt front, we saw nine properties in four days with ten to come this week. There are 3-4 that would definitely work for us so far. Once we get through the next batch of viewings we’ll short list some for second visits and think about making offers. A busy but exciting time!
I’m still trying to make my way through your last 23 songs!
Great read as always! I don’t have a firm rule for NY greetings other than trying to remember whether I already wished the person in question HNY or not 😅 It doesn’t always work, but I’m generally pretty good at it.
I enjoyed the tracks by Lady Blackbird and Orville Peck the most. Orville was a surprise as I knew nothing about him. What a cool voice.
Thanks Andy! Sorry I wasn’t able to connect with you in London. Arrived Saturday morning and out this morning. We’re up in the Lake District now, starting the house hunting on Wednesday. Hopefully I’ll be able to connect with you in February before we head to the Canary Islands.
I get you on the remembering part! The older I get the worse I get 😂. Orville Peck has been a favorite for a while. His last album Bronco was in my top five. His voice really is quite unique, with a crazy vibrato and some great range
Nothing to be sorry for! I completely understand. I’m only now recovering from a hideous cold which I caught between Xmas and NY. Good luck with house hunting! And look forward to catching up in Feb!
Thanks for the Orville Peck info. I’ll definitely keep him on my radar!
Happy New Year, Mark! Interestingly, when we were in Vancouver, BC, we had a similar conversation about the cutoff for saying "Happy New Year" with a bartender. We decided it would be January 7. Why? My wife and I are teachers and we return to work tomorrow, January 6. We will say "Happy New Year" to all of our classes/students and colleagues on Monday, but as of Tuesday, January 7, we are moving on.
Musically, Lady Blackbird's 'Slang Spirituals.' Wow, what a wonderful album! It picks up from 'Black Acid Soul' but takes it in her own direction. I am also happy and excited to report that she is playing Portland on March 19! And, better yet, she is playing at a small, intimate, wonderful venue here in town. I can't wait! I see she is playing a couple of shows at the London Palladium at the end of the month; perhaps you can snag a ticket?
I haven't heard any of the others on your list, but I know that Gossip was a Portland-based band at one point. Maybe they still are? They were often in our local alternative paper as a "Portland band to watch out for" or "Best band in Portland." That said, I have heard nothing from them.
The Lady Blackbird album certainly is a stunner and I love the direction her career is taking. The opening track has that old school gospel feel, like something out of T.L. Barrett and the Youth Orchestra for Christ’s catalog. There was a fantastic reissue of his music in 2021 (“I Shall Wear a Crown”) that I’d highly recommend if you haven’t heard it. A good review here: https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/pastor-t-l-barrett-i-shall-wear-a-crown-interview
Do you think you’ll be able to see Lady Blackbird when she plays there? Not sure we’ll be able to get down to London anytime soon as the next six weeks is all about house hunting, but we’ll see how it goes. Perhaps a nice surprise for my wife.
I’d never heard of Gossip before this album as this is their first album in twelve years. All three members are originally from Arkansas but the band was formed in Olympia, WA in 1999.
I think you’ll like some of the other artists on my list. Let me know what you think if you get a chance to listen.
Yes, tickets for LB in Portland have been bought! I am sure it will sell out. That said, I have recommended 'Black Acid Soul' to many friends, so while she may be selling out two nights in London, she is still relatively unknown over here.
I have three of Pastor T.L. Barrett's albums on LP, which are all stunning!
Good luck with house hunting. What area are you looking in?
We’re looking in the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines AONB. We’re also open to the Scottish Borders if anything suitable comes up. There was one fantastic place up there but it was in a high risk flood area so got knocked off the list.
Anyone who rates My Light, My Destroyer highly is my friend for life. Also, good call on Bonny Light Horseman. I need to check out Brigitte Calls Me Baby!
Thanks Jeremy! That was the album I went back to again and again in 2024 and I’m still drawing from that well. A few other albums from my top 40 I’d recommend you checking out as they might resonate with you:
• Bess Atwell - Light Sleeper
• Emily Barker - Fragile As Humans
• Joan As Police Woman - Lemons, Limes and Orchids
I was so happy to see Joan As Police Woman on your list! For some reason I missed that she'd put out a new album in 2024 and only first heard it a couple of weeks ago! Only one listen so far, but so good! -- she's one of the most underrated songwriters/musicians ever.
I also just learned, in the research for my Jeff Buckley piece, that she was in a relationship with him, and that he'd proposed to her days before his death. And that most of his band played with her both in her work and in the band Black Beetle (which never released their eponymous album).
She definitely deserves a deeper exploration in 2025. I might start from the beginning and work my way back to her latest album. That might take me all of 2025 to complete!
It’s such an incredible album, the best of her career in my opinion. I only learned about her relationship with Jeff Buckley last year when I was researching one of her songs for Alphabet Soup.
I was very lucky to have had the TV on one morning this last year when Brigette Calls Me Baby were performing live. They were quite good and the singer had a Roy Orbison sound and he looked like James Dean. They came to play west Michigan where I live and I bought a block of tickets for myself and a few bandmates. It was a Wednesday night show and there were probably only fifty people in the audience. They really blew us away. We were dumbfounded how good they were live and how great the vocals were. Their record sounds very ‘80’s but they are all guitars live. A must see band.
Wow that’s awesome! Hard to believe there were only fifty people in the audience as they feel like a band that should be more well known by now. I love his voice and the whole 80s vibe. Roy Orbison is a great comparison.
Great list! Several here that I haven't heard yet. Might be too late to say "Happy New Year," but not to give these a spin.
Not too late! You made it in before the 15th 😂. If you do have a chance to listen to any of these I’d love to hear your thoughts
I thought I'd leave the JAPW comment on its own...
15 days for saying HNY seems about right. Also, what do you feel about leaving Christmas lights up? I don't mind it, as I love the look of lights on houses/apartments, but some people are adamant that they must come down on January 1.
I really loved the Brigette Calls Me Baby album! Yes, there is a clear Morrissey meets The Killers vibe to them, but the songs are so catchy and it brings me back to my '80s new wave young self. Oh so long ago...
Yes to Bonny Light Horseman and Cassandra Jenkins -- both had a ton of play in 2024.
Of course, The Cure's new album is fantastic; I only left it off my list because all 3 of my co-reviewers chose it and I wanted to mix it up more.
I had no idea there was a new Gossip album! I'll have to check it out -- if it's anything like the song you shared, I better get my dance shoes on and glitter up!
I don't think I've heard Honeyglaze before, but I think they might be right up my alley. It seems like a band that would make my top 10 if I'd heard it earlier.
I need to give King Hannah more of a listen. I think it requires more attention than I gave it earlier this year. I did like the song with Sharon Van Etten but can't remember much else.
Lady Blackbird almost made my list! What a powerhouse. I'm replaying it now and am questioning why I didn't pick a song for my top 80! Too much good stuff.
I did have Orville Peck in my top 80 songs list, though. I found the album a bit too all over the place to make a top 20 album list, but several songs were just about perfect. I still rue the fact that I didn't get to see him in concert last year because I got the flu that day and gave my ticket to a friend.
Great list, as always! Happy to see you will be exploring goth for 2025. Good luck with the house hunt!
Brigitte Calls Me Baby was in very heavy rotation for me last year and I loved it. I’d never heard of Gossip before last year’s album which was fantastic. Will have to check out some of their earlier work.
The Honeyglaze album is certainly worth a listen and the King Hannah album is a brilliant guitar album. The mundane but compelling vignettes painted by lead singer Hannah Merrick’s languid vocals often set the table for some incredible guitar work by Craig Whittle. It’s an album I went back to a lot.
Lady Blackbird really evolved from her first album and I liked the change in direction while still missing the more mellow tracks from her debut.
I read a lot of reviews that discussed the hit and miss nature of Orville Peck’s latest. For me there were a few weaker songs along the way but nothing that approached being a skippable track.
Looking forward to my dive into goth (if I don’t forget lol).
On the house hunt front, we saw nine properties in four days with ten to come this week. There are 3-4 that would definitely work for us so far. Once we get through the next batch of viewings we’ll short list some for second visits and think about making offers. A busy but exciting time!
I’m still trying to make my way through your last 23 songs!
Great read as always! I don’t have a firm rule for NY greetings other than trying to remember whether I already wished the person in question HNY or not 😅 It doesn’t always work, but I’m generally pretty good at it.
I enjoyed the tracks by Lady Blackbird and Orville Peck the most. Orville was a surprise as I knew nothing about him. What a cool voice.
Thanks Andy! Sorry I wasn’t able to connect with you in London. Arrived Saturday morning and out this morning. We’re up in the Lake District now, starting the house hunting on Wednesday. Hopefully I’ll be able to connect with you in February before we head to the Canary Islands.
I get you on the remembering part! The older I get the worse I get 😂. Orville Peck has been a favorite for a while. His last album Bronco was in my top five. His voice really is quite unique, with a crazy vibrato and some great range
Nothing to be sorry for! I completely understand. I’m only now recovering from a hideous cold which I caught between Xmas and NY. Good luck with house hunting! And look forward to catching up in Feb!
Thanks for the Orville Peck info. I’ll definitely keep him on my radar!
What a shitty time to be sick, sorry to hear that. Hope you continue to recover
Thank you! The worst is over, I think, but it’s taken its time!
Happy New Year, Mark! Interestingly, when we were in Vancouver, BC, we had a similar conversation about the cutoff for saying "Happy New Year" with a bartender. We decided it would be January 7. Why? My wife and I are teachers and we return to work tomorrow, January 6. We will say "Happy New Year" to all of our classes/students and colleagues on Monday, but as of Tuesday, January 7, we are moving on.
Musically, Lady Blackbird's 'Slang Spirituals.' Wow, what a wonderful album! It picks up from 'Black Acid Soul' but takes it in her own direction. I am also happy and excited to report that she is playing Portland on March 19! And, better yet, she is playing at a small, intimate, wonderful venue here in town. I can't wait! I see she is playing a couple of shows at the London Palladium at the end of the month; perhaps you can snag a ticket?
I haven't heard any of the others on your list, but I know that Gossip was a Portland-based band at one point. Maybe they still are? They were often in our local alternative paper as a "Portland band to watch out for" or "Best band in Portland." That said, I have heard nothing from them.
Happy new year Michael!
The Lady Blackbird album certainly is a stunner and I love the direction her career is taking. The opening track has that old school gospel feel, like something out of T.L. Barrett and the Youth Orchestra for Christ’s catalog. There was a fantastic reissue of his music in 2021 (“I Shall Wear a Crown”) that I’d highly recommend if you haven’t heard it. A good review here: https://daily.bandcamp.com/features/pastor-t-l-barrett-i-shall-wear-a-crown-interview
Do you think you’ll be able to see Lady Blackbird when she plays there? Not sure we’ll be able to get down to London anytime soon as the next six weeks is all about house hunting, but we’ll see how it goes. Perhaps a nice surprise for my wife.
I’d never heard of Gossip before this album as this is their first album in twelve years. All three members are originally from Arkansas but the band was formed in Olympia, WA in 1999.
I think you’ll like some of the other artists on my list. Let me know what you think if you get a chance to listen.
Yes, tickets for LB in Portland have been bought! I am sure it will sell out. That said, I have recommended 'Black Acid Soul' to many friends, so while she may be selling out two nights in London, she is still relatively unknown over here.
I have three of Pastor T.L. Barrett's albums on LP, which are all stunning!
Good luck with house hunting. What area are you looking in?
We’re looking in the Lake District, Yorkshire Dales and North Pennines AONB. We’re also open to the Scottish Borders if anything suitable comes up. There was one fantastic place up there but it was in a high risk flood area so got knocked off the list.
Anyone who rates My Light, My Destroyer highly is my friend for life. Also, good call on Bonny Light Horseman. I need to check out Brigitte Calls Me Baby!
Thanks Jeremy! That was the album I went back to again and again in 2024 and I’m still drawing from that well. A few other albums from my top 40 I’d recommend you checking out as they might resonate with you:
• Bess Atwell - Light Sleeper
• Emily Barker - Fragile As Humans
• Joan As Police Woman - Lemons, Limes and Orchids