By Ian Bremner
December is a month that sometimes feels as if it’s passed as soon as it arrives. As we inch toward flipping the calendar ahead to 2024, we can forget that we in fact have a whole month to live first. Holidays, travel and good meals are all worth looking forward to, but this time of year also provides the opportunity to look back at all we as a people experienced, accomplished and felt through time, space, and song.
Artists follow the muse, but listeners can do the same. If you find a path that feels right, stay on it as long as it still feels right. There’s no telling what’s next to discover. If you like the looks or sounds, there’s no risk in digging deeper. Send a link to a friend, buy a shirt or a koozie or two. Small efforts go a long way in this fragile ecosystem known as the music business. It’s mostly made up of people just trying to do their best.
There was so much good music this year. It can feel endless and intimidating that you’ll never hear all that you want to. Here lies a list of 60+ records where great comfort was taken over the last 365 days. It’s worth noting there are also a lot of records that brought joy this year that are not mentioned, for no other reason than there has to be a cutoff at some point. The highlights here are simply the moods and sounds that were most repeated over and over and over again.
Below is an unranked list of the best records & EPs of the year. Listen to the playlist at the bottom:
Dean Johnson – Nothing For Me, Please
Esther Rose – Safe To Run
Jess Williamson – Time Ain’t Accidental
Steve Gunn & David Moore – Let The Moon Be A Planet, Vol. 1
North Americans – Long Cool World
Rose City Band – Garden Party
Will Johnson – No Ordinary Crown
Bully – Lucky For You
Margo Cilker – Valley Of Heart’s Delight
Kassi Valazza – Kassi Valazza Knows Nothing
Robert Ellis – Yesterday’s News
Jeffrey Silverstein – Western Sky Music
Tre Burt – Traffic Fiction
Arbor Labor Union – Yonder
William Tyler & The Impossible Truth – Secret Stratosphere
The Men – New York City
A. Savage – Several Songs About Fire
Deer Tick – Emotional Contracts
Kendall Lujan – Kendall Lujan EP
Bonny Doon – Let There Be Music
Vincent Neil Emerson – The Golden Crystal Kingdom
Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection – Spencer Cullum’s Coin Collection 2
Rahill – Flowers At Your Feet
Cut Worms – Cut Worms
John Andrews & The Yawns – Love For The Underdog
Andrew Bird – Outside Problems
Mitski – The Land Is Inhospitable And So Are We
Small Paul – Come Alive and Live Again
Telehealth – Content Oscillator
Pachyman – Switched-On
John R. Miller – Heat Comes Down
Tyler Childers – Rustin’ In The Rain
Dougie Poole – Rainbow Wheel of Death
WOODS – PERENNIAL
Wilco – Cousin
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Lucinda Williams – Rock N Roll Heart
Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit – Weathervanes
Tough Age – Waiting Here
Jorja Smith – Falling or Flying
Cleo Sol – Gold
BLK ODYSSY – DIAMONDS & FREAKS
Jenny Lewis – Joy’All
Fruit Bats – A River Running To Your Heart
Cactus Lee – Caravan
Walkabouts – Bloomin’ Ocotillo
Deeper – Careful!
Dexter + Franz – Flamingo Heights
Yussef Dayes – Black Classical Music
Meg Baird – Furling
The Nude Party – Rides On
Dori Freeman – Do You Recall
Sons of Rainier – Take Me Anywhere
Skyway Man – Flight of the Long Distance Healer
Kevin Morby – More Photographs (A Continuum)
Hiss Golden Messenger – Jump For Joy
Peter One – Come Back To Me
Mapache – Swinging Stars
Michael Nau – Accompany
Charley Crockett – Live From The Ryman
Jana Horn – The Window Is The Dream
Alabaster DePlume – Come With Fierce Grace
Daniel Villareal with Jeff Parker and Anna Butterss – Lados B
Country Westerns – Forgive The City
Natural Child – Be M’Guest
Slowdive – everything is alive
Hartle Road – Maxx II
Bella White – Among Other Things
Night Beats – Rajan
Others worth mentioning: Margo Price – Strays & Strays II // Turnpike Troubadours – Cat In The Rain // Tim Hill – Giant // Killer Mike – Michael // JD Clayton – Long Way From Home // Rodney Crowell – The Chicago Sessions // Bobby Lee – Endless Skies // Yo La Tengo – This Stupid World // Wednesday – Rat Saw God // Jaime Wyatt – Feel Good // Abraham Alexander – SEA/SONS // Abby Hamilton – The #1 Zookeeper At The San Diego Zoo // Willy Tea Taylor – The Great American Hangover // Upchuck – Bite The Hand That Feeds // Kara Jackson – Why Does the Earth Give Us People To Love // Meredith Lane – Greyhound // Seth Martin – Saturday Morning Cartoons // Andre300 – New Blue Sun.
Grateful to be here. Here’s to next year.
Old Rookie 