Please allow me to repeat myself, as I’ve said this before: If you are one of those people who claims no good music has been made since (insert year of your liking here) then you just aren’t listening. With all due respect to the likes of Frank Sinatra or Patsy Cline, Led Zeppelin, The Dead Kennedys or even the Bangles, solely hanging onto past artists with the arguable belief that this century hasn’t produced anything comparable lacks listening motivation. Hell, if you and Ol’ Blue Eyes himself were talking music while enjoying a Jack Daniels on the rocks and you muttered “no good music has been made since ...” he’d likely tell you that you’re wrong. It’s a big old world with a load of great musicians still making great music, so move past the low-hanging fruit and dig in.
Here are the rest of my favorites from this past year:
5. Goblyns: “Hunki Bobo” (Crazysane Records). South Africa-based psychedelic groove band Goblyns is a power trio that dances around stoner and 1970s era acid rock. However, there’s also an indie rock and even heavy yet subtle and scarce lounge vibe. The opener “Sakura” is where the “groove” descriptor comes in. “The Gardner” is power-boogie, and “Donnerblitz” is loaded with straightforward, big riffage.
4. Fantastic Negrito: “Son of a Broken Man” (Storefront Records). Grammy Award winning Xavier Amin Dphrepaulezz, aka Fantastic Negrito, explores the relationship with his father on this release, doing so via the musical influence of Sly Stone, Curtis Mayfield and all the players and sounds from the P-Funk world. There are fuzzy grunge guitars in “Runaway From You,” and gritty, deep vocals in “Goddamn Biscuit” that are earhole infectious, along with sad, soft ballads like “I Hope Somebody’s Loving You.” Textbook funk comes via “California Loner,” while little experimental snippets of dialogue and instrumentation tie the concept album all together.
3. Shellac: “To All Trains” (Touch and Go/Quarterstick). Shellac had been doing the experimental punk and noise rock thing since the early 1990s. Their first release in a decade, “To All Trains,” is punchy, abrasive and sharp. The opener “WSOD” features an onslaught of guitar that wraps the last 25 seconds. “Tattoos” is an angry narrative over an angrier and broken melody, and “Scabby The Rat” has ferocious drive. This music is wonderfully aggressive, yet the overall release is quite sad as it came on the heels of the untimely passing of guitar player Steve Albini, who also was one of the most important figures to independent music of the last 30 years. RIP, Albini.
2. Rick White & The Sadies: Self-Titled (Blue Fog Recordings). Whether on their own or serving as the band for Jon Langford or John Doe, the Sadies have always been a force of twang-tinged rock. After the passing of founding member Dallas Good, they’ve soldiered on as a trio, while also backing friend Rick White on this release that’s loaded with soft surf-fills and hushed vocals. Cuts like “Try” are mysterious and pulsing, while they also explore psychedelic cow-punk on a cut like “Walls.” Fans should revel in their continued release of cosmic-garage rock.
1. Ty Segall: “Three Bells” (Drag City). Segall is about as good as it gets in the modern and indie rock world. Same with singer-songwriters, punk, garage and jazz fusion, all of which fall into place on 2024’s “Three Bells.” The album opens with “The Bell,” a dreamy cut that hints at psychedelia before breaking down into experimental guitar territory. “My Best Friend” is an infectious pop cut featuring Segall’s best falsetto voice that nods to his dog. “Eggman” sounds like something the Beatles could have produced if they carried into the ’70s while ingesting psychedelics; and “Denee” is a straight blast of jazz-fusion. Segall covers serious ground, a musician with a load of sound up his sleeves along with talent and who delivers great songs.
You’ll get 10 more in 2025.
Bryant Liggett is a freelance writer and KDUR station manager. Reach him at liggett_b@fortlewis.edu.
