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Clarence Ewing: The Million Year Trip writesCHIRP Radio’s Best of 2024: Clarence Ewing
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Make no mistake, this was a challenging, sobering, and disappointing year. Maybe the less said about that the better. But still, the beat goes on. It amazes me how much fantastic music gets released every year, and 2024 was no exception. Presenting, in alpha order by artist, 10 albums that caught and held my attention over the last 12 months:
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American Patchwork Quartet by American Patchwork Quartet (Carolina Jasmine, Inc)
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Night Reign by Arooj Aftab (Verve)
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Pain Behavior by Dermabrasion (Hand Drawn Dracula)
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A Trip to the Moon by Ghost Funk Orchestra (Karma Chief)
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Here in the Pitch by Jessica Pratt (Mexican Summer)
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BUTU by KOKOKO! (Transgressive/PIAS)
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Half Divorced by Pissed Jeans (Sub Pop)
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KDIV by Serengeti (Self-Released)
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Exotic Birds of Prey by Shabazz Palaces (Sub Pop)
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Cincinnati Ohio by Wussy (Shake It)
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Honorable MentionsVida by Ana Tijoux (Victoria Producciones) |
Throughout December, 
A brilliantly executed and different (which these days means “radical”) interpretation of American roots music.
The latest collection of songs from the Brooklyn-based Pakistani artist. A cranky Manchester singer once opined that “It’s so easy to laugh, it’s so easy to hate / It takes strength to be gentle and kind.” That sentiment describes this album and its waves of quiet power perfectly.
This is what Sleigh Bells would have sounded like if their music was framed by ‘80s post-punk instead of ‘60s pop. It’s loud, it’s driving, and there is no room for anything else. Just the right kind of noise to shut out all the other noise going on out there.
‘60s café Euro-funk gets mixed up with cheeky 21st century indie-style lyrics and bits of found audio clips, sounding both classic and futuristic at exactly the same time.
Pratt’s fourth record (and first in five years) shows her operating at a high level with one of the most distinctive vocal deliveries in music. Her voice scans as fragile, even brittle, but by the time a track is over, you’re hooked.
If you can listen to more than three minutes of any part of this album without moving any part of your body, seek medical attention, because you may be comatose. A relentless celebration of life from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A cynically healthy (or is it healthily cynical?) delivery from a band that always delivers. It’s not as sonically heavy as your typical doom rock outfit, but make no mistake, THEY MEAN IT. And they’ll see you in hell. Or maybe not - ”too many dudes.”
16 records into his career, Serengeti remains the antidote to the parade of club nonsense and pointless beefs of very-much-mainstream rap. No other spoken-word artist I’ve heard lately is as good at making the everyday sound lyrically epic.
We’re entering a time when several artists who got their start in rap and hip-hop are expanding their craft in avant-gardian directions, and Ishmael Butler (formerly of Digable Planets) is definitely one of them. Every time I listen to this record, I lose track of time and have to snap myself back to attention. Any album that can put you under that easily is worth keeping closeby.
This one arrived late in the year, but definitely worth it. A titanic statement about the world we’re living in and all the grief that comes with it.Next entry: The CHIRP Radio Interview: Billy Joel Jr.
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