New Release Albums From The Fourth Quarter Of 2024

Post

Subscribe

2024 has proven to be the best year for new music I have heard in a very long time. So many more albums were hits than misses this year. This quarter I bought or received 12 new albums; 9 are mentioned here. Yes, two have a minimal review, but they are definitely not bad albums, just something about them didn’t click all the way for me.

Anyway, there are a few reviews here. And, to start with, the two good albums that just didn’t quite do it for me:
I did get Opeth’s The Last Will And Testament and it’s fine, but I didn’t have much to say about it. There were a few songs that sounded too alike for me. Give it 6/10.
I also got Alison Moyet’s Key, the Moyet’s Moments Edition with lots of talking. It’s an album where she re-interprets her hits (and adds two new songs). I preferred the originals, but what she had to say was really interesting. And she can still sing. It was so long, though. Another 6/10


Cosmic Waves Volume 1 by Angel Olsen

I have been a fan of Angel Olsen for a few years, and pre-ordered this album as soon as it came up on Bandcamp. This album was not what I expected. It starts with 5 songs by various artists recording a track, and then the next 5 tracks are Angel covering one of each of their songs. It’s an interesting concept. Not all the first five songs did it for me (‘Make Believe You Love Me’ by Maxim Ludwig was the best of that bunch). Olsen’s songs have that dreamy quality I have come to expect f her voice, with some sparse instrumentation allowing her voice to come through. The collection as a whole works, but is an odd mix. I do enjoy the Olsen songs a lot, and she is making a name for herself interpreting the works of others. It would be interesting to see where this experiment goes.
7/10
Favourite track: ‘The Takeover’



The Great Impersonator by Halsey

So… I preferred this album to Charli XCX’s Brat. Straight up. Halsey’s voice has a touch of the quavering reality to it that makes it feel more natural, I guess, and the instrumentation on it is not overwhelming, allowing the lyrics, some of which were incredibly deep and felt extremely personal (‘Lucky’ stands out in this regard), and voice to shine through. Now, the conceit of this album is that it is an impersonation of a bunch of famous singers, or maybe inspired by them. I did not get that in many cases, but the Springsteen-inspired ‘Letter To God (1983)’ had an ‘I’m On Fire’ vibe, ‘Hometown’ was rather Dolly Partonesque, and the title track was definitely Bjork as the three best in this regard to me. My biggest complaint, though, is that this album did feel a little long, and some of the tracks just did not live up to the rest. Still, this is a really good pop album, and I enjoyed listening to it.
7.5/10
Favourite track: ‘Ego



Nobody Loves You More by Kim Deal

So, I went into this expecting more Breeders than Pixies, but what I got was something completely different. Deal is experimenting here, and letting her voice and the lyrics really come to the fore. There are strings, brass instruments, steel pedal guitar, distortions and so much other stuff on this album that it feels like every song is something brand new. It is completely mesmerising and not like anything else I’ve heard in quite a while. While her voice does struggle occasionally, the music is amazing and those lyrics – I think Deal is another of those under-rated song-writers whose work is hidden because she writes for a band more than for herself. As regular readers will know, I am a sucker for a good lyric, and that is what I got here. This is an album where I was surprised by what was delivered, and pleasantly so. You do not have to be a fan of her earlier bands to get into this – this is Kim Deal, alone, and that is really good.
7.5/10
Favourite track: ‘Disobedience



From Zero by Linkin Park

Of all the bands I did not expect to return following the death of a singer, Linkin Park was near the top of that list. But they have come back following the death of Chester Bennington, and the new singer is Emily Armstrong. The inclusion of a female singer was a choice a few did not think would work, but, to me, it does. I know there are some issues over her background, but I separate art from artist. So, the album. At a tight 32 minutes, it does not overstay its welcome, and only two songs didn’t do it for me, but I found myself enjoying this one. Is this the best LP album? No. But it is also not the worst. Some of the lyrics I missed the meaning of, but, in the end, I found I enjoyed this. I like the new singer, but the sound is still Linkin Park. Not bad at all.
7/10
Favourite track: ‘Cut The Bridge



Yesterwynde by Nightwish

Is there such a thing as a bad Nightwish album? Because if there is, I haven’t heard it yet. This album is a musing on the human condition (I think), but I don’t actually care if I get that or not. This is just a stunning album of symphonic rock that soars like so many of their albums do. The music is key here, and it is as good as it ever was. Some of the lyrics I did not “get” and, as a person who gets into the words used, that was a little disappointing. But this is still such a good album. I understand there is a deluxe version with symphonic versions of the tracks, minus the singing, and I have heard one track from that and if I’d had the money, I would have grabbed it. But, as it is, Nightwish have delivered yet again.
8/10
Favourite track: ‘Something Whispered Follow Me’



I Just Need To Conquer This Mountain by Sarah Blasko

I first discovered Sarah Blasko through the Prelusive EP, then her version of ‘Flame Trees’ was stunning, so I’ve kept an ear on her music for a while, and was excited to see that there was a new album from her. This is it, and it is beautiful, driven along by her voice which soars at times, and is quiet and introspective at others. The music is a little more stripped back, giving the voice – and, hence, the lyrics – more chance to shine. Yet again, though, it is the lyrics that make this album so good. If this is based on her own experiences – and I have heard that it is – then she has presented her life so well. The songs touch on a lost religious past, divorce, death, losing friends – so much negativity. And yet, at the end, the listener gets the feeling she has come through it. But, man, her voice. So wonderful.
8/10
Favourite track: ‘Emotions’



Songs Of A Lost World by The Cure

I went into this album with a feeling or trepidation. While not a fan, I did enjoy a lot of The Cure’s 1980s output, then fell off them. Well, I received a copy of this album and decided to give it a listen. This is classic Cure, but with some modern production sounds. It is clean, the musicianship is really good (the percussion is great throughout) and Robert Smith’s voice sounds like it has not aged a day. It sounds amazing. The lyrics are, as is usual for The Cure, a strong point as well, if not obscure at times, and their penchant for having the lyrics start sometimes minutes into a song is still there. What I liked most, though, was that the music changed. This was not an album sitting on one sort of style, but going through some variations, enough to make it not become aural wallpaper, which some Cure albums in the past did tend towards. This is a welcome return to form, and continues the string of older bands releasing really strong music in the past few years. If you liked The Cure back in the 1980s, then you will like this album.
7.5/10
Favourite track: ‘Drone: No Drone'



So, three albums did not make it because they did not do it for me, all pop. Still, I reckon for the fourth time this year that there is something here for almost every musical taste in the modern world (except country... sorry). 2024 is proving to be one of my personal favourite better years of music in the twenty-first century.


Favourite album of these: Yesterwynde by Nightwish.

Favourite track: ‘‘Drone: No Drone' by The Cure.

Great year! My favourite tracks from 2024 list is going to be tough!





#music
#list
#pop_culture
#performing_arts
#album
#review
%wneverywhere