2024 Listens
I love finding new music, and I love hearing about music that people are excited about. And I especially love hearing about music that artists I like are excited about. So, armed with data from my Spotify Wrapped and my own human memory, I thought I’d share a little about the songs, artists, and albums I loved in 2024.
Items on each list are in no particular order.
Songs I Listened to Obsessively in 2024
“Never Been Better” by Ben Abraham
The thing I love about this song is how much space is kept open. I’m used to hearing songs with a rich tonal fabric that creates a wall of sound, but in this song, because he utilized eighth notes rather than half notes or whole notes in all of the pitched instruments, the wall of sound is made up of a rich fabric of rhythms that interplay together. Also the choices he made for harmonies on the bridge are outside the box. You love to see it.
“Moon Over the Sun” by Nina June and Joshua Hyslop
This song came on my radar because I am a big Joshua Hyslop fan. Honestly, you can barely hear him in this song, so he has almost nothing to do with why I like it. Speaking of a wall of sound and a rich tonal fabric… I was drawn into this song within the first few seconds of hearing it. The slow swells of the electric paired with the fast picking of the acoustic makes for such a dreamy combo. This song sounds like what it feels like to drive around at night, looking at stars.
“Rise” by Joshua Hyslop
Speaking of Joshua Hyslop, his song, “Rise” was one that I listened to more obsessively than others. I can’t articulate what I love about his music so much. It might be because it sounds like he works with instruments and equipment that are very similar to what I get to use at Golden Bear, which makes it easy for me to imagine emulating his songs myself. Whatever the case, Mr. Hyslop usually sings with a trademark breathy tone, but in “Rise”, he sings full voice, and he has an electric guitar front and center rather than his usual acoustic guitars. If you’re not someone who is well-acquainted with his style, then “Rise” wouldn’t stand out to you as anything special or different (although I love the lyrics of this song, and the form is interesting, too). But if you’re like me, and you’ve been stalking his new releases for a few years, then you’ll appreciate the artistic growth and even risk demonstrated in this song.
“Lonely Satellite” by Lexi Berg
There’s something about this song that reminds me of the 90s — which, I always mean as a compliment. It might be the chord progression mixed with the song’s dark + whimsical aesthetic. But there’s so much to love about this song in the year of our Lord, 2024. Bongos, right away. The writing on the main acoustic line, plus the obvious-yet-subtle effects on it (lots of reverb and is that a phaser I hear?). And the best part of this song is Lexi’s vocal performance. She’s got this velvet-y rich tone, and she’ll throw in the perfect amount of grit, but only at the most satisfying moments. This song is definitely one to play on repeat.
“Solitude” by Debbii Dawson
This was the most requested song by my daughter this year. We called it “our jam”. It starts out as a typical acoustic singer-songwriter song, but in time, it seamlessly morphs into a modern, folky disco song. The moment you get to the first chorus and the drumsticks hit a steady beat against the new rhythmic strums of the acoustics… it’s a magical moment. Plus, I love how she lays out the lyrics over the melody on the line, “what if I decide my solitude is better than you”. A jam.
“Wonderland” by JJ Grey & MoFro
Speaking of top requested jams by my daughter, this was the top jam of the earlier part of 2024 for our school-to-home-to-activity commutes. This song is a masterclass on evoking the emotion of joy. The horns!!! The driving kick + snare. The piano, the electrics, that bass line. And his vocals, my goodness, his vocals! He’s an amazing singer already, but where he picks and chooses to weave a tasteful, artistic growl into his singing voice, and the moments he selects to deviate from the main melody — it’s all a chef’s kiss for me. Sunshine in song-form.
“People Come/People Go” by Adam Holmes and The Embers
Another bop! I’m late to the party on this one — it came out in 2016. This one has such a cool driving rhythm throughout (performed on… boomwhackers…?). This song has such a carefree vibe to it, and that pairs well with the lyrics of the chorus: “everything’s gonna be alright, people come and people go, everything’s gonna be alright, darlin’ don’t ya know”. Yes, a bop.
“Living Kind” by John Smith
Another upbeat one. John Smith is great. A reliably good folk singer-songwriter, who I would normally lump into the “chill” category. Not this song, though. This one makes you want to get up and dance. What’s unexpected about it is the saxophone and clarinet. The organ has lots of really cool moments, and that helps to make these woodwinds feel more at home in an otherwise acoustic song.
“Sometimes” by Trousdale and Ben Abraham
One last upbeat tune for this list, and whoops, it’s another Ben Abraham song. On the list of songs that I fantasized about singing on stage with someone else (no one in particular; now accepting applications), this one topped the charts. When that chorus hits, it’s like an infusion of pep! straight into my step!. Between this song and the Debbii Dawson one, I’m realizing that I need to write a song where there’s an abrupt rhythmic shift on the choruses. Plus Trousdale’s harmonies?! Come on.
“The Call of the Wild” by Olvver
About once a year or so, I will encounter a song that has elements in it that I admire so much, I will be compelled to contact the artist directly. Yes, I will slide into their DMs just to tell them that I loved their song. This song implored me to go into the song credits, find out who produced it, look him up online, follow him on Instagram, and then creep into his DMs to tell him that his production work on it was fantastic. Sometimes I question myself when I do this. Is the production really that interesting or did it just hit me at the right time? It’s hard to say, but I would love to take a peek at the main vocal chain on this song because Olvver’s voice is so thick, dense, and flawless. Plus there are lots of really cool layers that are curated and placed for just the right moments — like an electric guitar that kind of moonlights as a shaker of sorts, an arpeggiated piano, and a snare that has lots of reverb with a very long decay. Josiah J Manning (the producer) was quite lovely when I unsolicitedly contacted him. Very polite. As I looked at his producer discography, I was surprised to see that the bulk of his work is in the hard rock genre. Perhaps that is where some of these bolder production ideas came from.
New (To Me) Artists I Fell in Love With in 2024
Henry Bitzer
Speaking of creeping into strangers’ DMs… Henry Bitzer was another one of my victims (except this time, I was treated to silence. Fair.) I heard his song, “25th Hour”, and between the horns and the North Dakota references, I couldn’t contain myself. This kid’s got talent and skill pouring out of him. Really fun songwriting ideas, very thorough arrangements, he’s an amazing instrumentalist, he’s got a super cool voice, and I think he might be from the upper Midwest; factoring all of that together… he’s Gen-Z Jonny Lang.
Finn Forster
I was gonna say that I have to be one of many, many people who jumped on the Finn Forster bandwagon this year, but when I looked up his Spotify stats to check, I found that he has a similar amount of monthly listeners to me. This is surprising because this guy has headlining-artist-on-an-arena-tour talent. Makes me feel better about myself to be in such good company, but honestly, it’s outrageous that this guy doesn’t have millions of monthly listeners. I suspect he will soon. Listen to his song “Can’t Back Down” to get started, and don’t miss “On My Mind” or “Stay Right Til The End”. I have it in my head that he’s, like, 17 years old, but did I just make that up? Whatever the case, his voice sounds older than he is — in a barrel-aged whiskey kind of way.
LULLANAS
I heard “butterflies in reverse” early on in 2024, and there was something about it that drew me in. I listen to a lot of songs in this genre — breathy tones, lots of harmonies, dreamy atmosphere. The songwriting was simple, but compelling. But what makes LULLANAS stand out from other similar artists is how polished their production is, while still feeling organic and earthy. They released an album in June, and I’m excited to hear what they’ve got coming next!
Jordan Hart
I heard “The End” at the end of 2023 (pun intended), and I carried that song with me into 2024. I would describe the song as epic. I also started following Jordan Hart’s career at that time, and I’ve loved what I’ve been seeing. He’s another super talented guy with really creative ideas. Make sure you’re keeping an eye on him!
Albums I Loved in 2024
‘Second Son’ by Allman Brown
I could have included Allman Brown in the previous category because I did discover and fall in love with his music in 2024, but this album is so strong, I needed to talk about it specifically. Many of the songs on ‘Second Son’ appeared high up on my Spotify Wrapped list. I think I heard “Bewildered” first, and that’s what drew me into Allman as an artist. Anyone who starts a song with the word “cataclysms” is a songwriter to keep an eye on, in my book. Plus, his style — a pleasant blend of pop, indie, and folk — kept me coming back to hear each song on the album as he released them one by one. “My Ordinary Life” and “Bad Blood” are two other must-listens from the album.
‘Gone For Days’ by Lee DeWyze
This is pretty dang close to a no-skip album for me. The 6th track drags on a little long, but other than that, I loved putting this one on as I set out for a long drive. My/Our favorite track is “Devil in the Details” (another frequently requested song by my daughter). Lee’s voice has a rich timbre to it, and the instrumentation choices on each song were quite lovely, giving the album a solid, cohesive sound.
‘Polaroid Lovers’ by Sarah Jarosz
Someday, Sarah Jarosz will release an album that I don’t like. But that has not happened yet. This album makes me feel things. It puts me at ease. I love it. In order, here are my favorite tracks on it: “Just Like Paradise”, “The Way It Is”, “Good At What I Do”, “Jealous Moon”, and “Take the High Road”.
‘Empty Smith’ by Empty Smith
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention this album. Empty Smith was in my top 5 artists this year, and this is the debut album for me as a producer (on an album where I am not also the artist). It was a little over two years ago that Micah and I started chipping away at this in the studio, and we’ve had a great time working on it. This album helped me to see how much I love producing; I especially love working with the same artist over the course of numerous songs to help to construct what might come to be known as their signature sound. I will always be so grateful to Micah for taking a chance on me as a new producer! Side note: this album has done really well, especially for a new artist! At the time I’m writing this, the album has just under 30,000 total streams. Great job, Micah!! My favorite songs, in order: “Rest”, “When I Enter Your House”, “Are You There?”, and “Look At the Sky”.
‘Henny Penny’ by Allie Crummy
If I didn’t include this album on my list, I would be a liar, because the first two songs on it were my top two listened to songs on Spotify in 2024. Embarrassing? Maybe. True? Yes. It’s like I always say: “if I don’t listen to my own music, who else will?” Honestly, though, I am really proud of this album. The idea of writing an album based on the themes of a folktale was really fun. “Caving In” has some lyrics I’m really proud of, “Go Along” makes the meter of 5/4 feel pretty natural and I’m very proud of that (plus I’m really proud of the instrumental arrangement on that song), and whenever I listen to the end of “The Sun Will Rise”, it feels like snuggling up with a cozy blanket — that’s not tooting my own horn — that’s tooting Bryan Vanderpool’s and Matt Crummy’s horns.
Listen Now on Spotify: