01: LAST BIG WHIFF OF THE IGUANA
My Favorite Music of 2024 OR How To End The Year and Start A New Newsletter.
Hello everyone… I’m not sure why you’re here, but I am happy you are.
Let me get this preamble out of the way real quick… As I write this, 2024 will be over in a matter of hours, and we collectively stare out at the horizon of a new year and all the unimaginable new horrors it will inevitably bring.
In the past, whenever something fresh and terrible happened on the world stage, I’d stop myself from sharing the kinds of things that fill this newsletter— trivial things that bring me joy—for fear of seeming apathetic or shitty. But the terrible things don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon, and without fail these seemingly tiny joyful things add up and keep me stompin’ through the sludge… so without further ado…
ALRIGHT THINGS : 01
If we gotta start somewhere, might as well dump a year’s worth of nickels on the table, right? Let us begin with one of my favorite traditions, the year end wrap up of all my favorite jams of 2024.
*Most posts will NOT have such LONG LONG lists, and will be a lot more digestible*
**A link to the very full playlist will be provided at the bottom**
TOP 20 LP’s
Honorable Mentions:
Jeff Parker & ETA IVtet - The Way Out of Easy
Collapsed Skull - Your Father’s Rage Evaporated In The Sun
Alvilda - C’est Déjà L’heure
JPEGMAFIA - I Lay Down My Life For You
Gaoled - Bestial Hardcore
The Body - The Crying Out Of Things
Groin - Paid In Flesh
Action Bronson - Johann Sebastian Bachlava The Doctor
Thou - Umbilical
Pissed Jeans - Half Divorced
Gear - Defined Horizons
Charli xcx - brat
Sam Gendel & Fabiano do Nascimento - The Room
Full Of Hell - Coagulated Bliss
Nia Archives - Silence Is Loud
Disintegration - Shiver In A Weak Light
Jesus Lizard - Rack
Gurs - Gerran Bizi gara
Gum.mp3 - Black Life, Red Planet
Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal
Dave Harrington - Skull Dream
Soft Kill - Escape Forever
Liquid Mike - Paul Bunyan’s Sling Shot
Sam Wilkes, Craig Weinrib, Dylan Day - S/T
Mamaleek - Vida Blue
TOP 20 SONGS
Honorable Mentions:
Container - Spray
Charli xcx - Von Dutch
TAAHLIAH - Boys
Chubby & The Gang - Company I Don’t Want To Keep
Bad Moves - I Know, I Know
Teenage tom petties - I got previous
TisaKorean - bEaT uP dAt bOy
Dog Date - Twin Star
Secret World - Living Less
Love Fool - Stumbling In
Vitesse X - Eternal
Nara Doden - Racker Nog
Nourished By Time - Had Ya Called
Hot Joy - Big Bright Future
Chat Pile - Shame
Haywire - Clocktower Place feat. Loosey
Syclops - Kelly Where Are Your Keys
Microbes Mostly - Drinking With Presley
No Guard - Me And You
Disintegration - Shot By Both Sides
Spectral Wound - Less And Less Human, O Savage Spirit
Gurs - Volveran
Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please
Chubby & The Gang - Wish You Were Here
Kim Gordon - BYE BYE
TOP 10 EPs
Honorable Mentions:
Sleepwalk - Out Of Focus
Love Fool - Stumbling In
Blawan - BouQ
Caveman - Somethings Got To Give
Softcult - Heaven EP
Rixe - Tir Groupe
FAUX DEPART - S/T EP
IKHRAS - Jahanam Btistana
Zorn - Endless Funeral
Cave Sex - S/T EP
Direct Threat - Endless Siege
Omar S, AF13 - Montana EP
Speed Plans - D.U.I.
Nourished By Time - Catching Chickens EP
Rats In Paradise - Life Of Insects
TOP 10 SINGLES & TOP 5 COMPS
SINGLES:
10. Curses - Shadow Of Love
9. Lil Yachty - Cold Sunday
8. Litige - 2 Degres
7. Castillo - Signs Of A different Time
6. Chappell Roan - Good Luck Babe
5. Kyle Bethel - Pineapple Margaritas Feat. Mecca Esura
4. Private Hell - Wake Up Screaming
3. Phi Psonics - Morning Sun / Arrival
2. Toribio - Bring Dat Jazz
1. Jason Green & The Jerk - Local Jerk / I need Love
COMPS
5. A Dancefloor in Ndola
4. Thank You, Dream Girl
3. Deep Entries - Gay Electronic Excursions 1980-1985
2. Virtual Dreams II - Ambient Explorations In The...
1. Triangulos De Luz Y Espacios De Sombra
TOP 5 SPLITS/COLLABS & TOP 5 REISSUES
SPLITS & COLLABS
5. Anadol / Marie Klock - La grande accumulation
4. H TO O - Cycle
3. Concrete Elite / Ultra Razzia - Split
2. Coral Morphologic / Nick Leon - Projections of a Coral City
1. Nightwatchers / Accidente - Split
REISSUES
5. Avthors - Waiting For The Wolves
4. LONG KNIFE - Rip City Bonerpunk Classics
3. 4am Kru - Incognito Rhythm
2. Abe Froman - Baltimore Is Scum
1. Aphex Twin - Music From The Merch Desk (2016 - 2023)
TOP 5 DEMOS & TOP 5 MIXES
DEMOS
5. Rogue Sang - Demo
4. Lexan - Demo II
3. Blockade - The Demo
2. Loosey - Spring Promo 24
1. Kevlar Upper - Demo
MIXES
Worms ‘R’ Us - Worms ‘R’ Us (JD’s Red Wiggler Mix)
Sam Austin - Seasons (Club Mix )
Portrayal of guilt - Christfucker II
Charli XCX - Guess Remix feat. Billie Eilish
Collapsed Skull - Truth Serum
***MISCELLANEOUS AWARDS***
TOP & BOTTOM ARTWORK
Most Favorite Artwork of the year: ARGY - NEW WORLD
I’ve never created, discovered, or even traveled to “a new world”, but one must assume that a lot of baggage comes with the territory, and one of the most daunting areas, has got to be being passed the proverbial new world AUX. Well I’m happy to report that in the year 2024 Argy seemed to be more than up to the task, and our first hint should have been this stellar album art. Collared jacket, mock turtleneck, 5 O’clock shadow, turbo speeders with a rising red planet breaching the blue horizon, with the sun already shining down on it all. This record sounds exactly how it looks, and that was very refreshing to me. Take me to your leader bro.
Least Favorite Artwork of the year: KIM GORDON - THE COLLECTIVE
Look…Sometimes your gonna phone some stuff in…I get it… I hate halloween… everyone always assumes that since I work in a “Creative” field, that I’m gonna knock it out of the park with a wickedly artistic relevant costume, no sir, here I am, I am a librarian again, deal with it.
WISH I HAD MORE TIME WIT CHA AWARD:
FOR THE SUPER LATE RELEASES THAT I FEEL LIKE COULD’VE MADE IT
Paranoid - MMXXII (Released Dec. 19th)
Gonnn - From The Sky (Released Dec. 19th)
Gunboat - But the machine demands blood (Released Dec. 13th)
Kassie Krut - S/T EP (Released Dec. 6th)
HOOK OF THE YEAR:
SING THIS CHORUS EVERYDAY UNTIL YOUR PARTNER LEAVES YOU:
FUTURE: PLUTOSKI
HEAT CHECK AWARD:
OUTPUT OF 2 OR MORE EXEMPLARY RELEASES THIS YEAR
GloRilla : TWO AMAZING LPS / MULTIPLE FEATURES
Sam Gendel - FIVE AMAZING LPs
THE BEST LONGEST BOY:
Rafeal Toral - Spectral Evolution (1 Track - 47 Min)
DON’T JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER AWARD:
Rats In Paradise - Life Of Insects
BEST RECORDS TO SLINK AROUND THE GARDEN NAKED AT NIGHT :
ZILLAS ON ACID - MARS HUM
ZALIVA - D - TOTAL WITHERED
BEST CONCEPT RECORD:
Kim Petras - Slut Pop Miami
WHO PUT A POG SLAMMER IN MY STOMACH AND HOT SAUCE IN MY BRAIN:
THIS YEARS’ MOST PLEASINGLY OVERWHELMING RELEASES
SYCLOPS - BLACK EYE
CONCRETE WINDS - SELF TITLED
CONTAINER - YACKER
HANOZJE - JUST NORTH OF 83-42
253 MILES PER HOUR LP:
RECORD THAT MADE ME WANT TO FLOOR IT THE FASTEST
NAGASAKI SUNRISE - DISTROYER
A NICE WIG ON THE HOUSE PLANT AWARD:
Lolina - Unrecognisable
TODDLER FEET AT THE HOBBY SHOP AWARD:
NUBO - Planetary Vision
A VERY SUCCESSFUL SNACK PLATE AWARD:
Ecovillage - Crescendo
THE BEST SHORTEST BOY:
Combustion - Combustion (20 tracks / 13 Min)
SEXY BUGS AT THE LEAKY FAUCET DRIPPY DISCO:
Loidis - One Day
I DARE YOU TO MAKE A BETTER “THE DARE” RECORD WITH ONLY ONE SONG:
Safe Mind - 6’ Pole
BOOM
There ya go !
All my top jams… I hope there is something in there that tickles your fancy, and even better if it’s something you haven’t heard of yet. As bad as years can be, there is NEVER a bad year for music. I read somewhere that more music is released in a single week of 2024 than in an entire year back in the 90’s… is this a fact ? Sounds wild but maybe…Obviously you can’t listen to it all, but I take comfort thinking about all the people out there twisting the knobs and beating the heads just to put something out in the world that makes them happy.
If you made it this far then we are TRULY friends or maybe arch enemies ? Either way I can not survive without you. Thank you. Like I said back up top, most posts will not have this much flim flam in them… I only do this once a year, and I usually only get to subject my dear friend John McSwain to all this nonsense. He also makes an equally insane list that can be found at his instagram… HERE HE IS …
So thats it for ALRIGHT THINGS transmission 01… if you enjoyed it please tell your friends, share it, subscribe to it, stack it, jack it… I’m still learning how this works. But I hope to keep it going.
Love you -BLAISE