It’s been an interesting year, to say the least. And since this isn’t really a personal blog, I won’t get into all the details of my life: there were a lot of challenges, primarily with my health and with my family, but in all honesty if I step outside of myself and look, I can see the good: I was able to make some significant lifestyle changes, my son was accepted to his first-choice college (and killed me in his SATs), and my wife remains 33 years later my best friend, my biggest champion, and the love of my life. And since April of this year I’ve become surprisingly consistent writing about the music I love here, even going so far as to (briefly) get back to a post a day in December highlighting my favorite music of 2024. Since there’s one day left, we’re going to wrap up with another summary, a brief listing of those albums I love that – for one reason or another – I don’t have a physical copy of. I love consuming the tangible, but sometimes you just have to embrace the digital.
Shocker: another Norwegian prog band. I know this is getting ridiculous, but this was the year I dug into prog rock HARD, and Norway continues to be the place where it’s all happening, baby. Prog collective Actionfredag digs up the Canterbury scene on new album Lys fremtid i mørke (translated to Bright Future In the Dark) with bright, shiny melodies that have a playfulness missing in a lot of progressive rock. A lot of band who plumb the style and vibe of classic bands like Caravan and Hatfield and the North forget the sense of funs and adventure those bands trafficked in; Actionfredag never forgets. Vocals are a highlight, as is the bouncy bass playing. Digital because it was a late find, one I hope to rectify in 2025.
I’ve largely move away from blackgaze, the once unique fusion of shoegaze and black metal that really came to me via Alcestis early records. But there’s something about the DIY aesthetic of Spain’s Arrebol I haven’t been able to quit. The work of sole member Asz, Arrebol was one of my first “discoveries” when I started writing for Nine Circles back in 2016, jumping on board their first demo and adding it to my end of year list. Four Leagues Away is an EP and the continuation of his first full length Simplicity of the Moment from 2023. Weaving between delicate and furious, the music is dark and compressed, a wall of emotion that feels like a brick to the face until it suddenly opens up, particularly on the title track. They just released a CD version of this, their first piece of physical media so I expect this will find a place on shelves in 2025.
Ok, so this was a total surprise. I was actually looking for Principe di un Giorno, the – what I thought – was the sole release in 1976 from Italian prog band Celeste. I found it, but I also found out they reformed in 2016 and have been putting out a fairly steady series of albums, all embodying the pastoral, progressive folk rock that their classic debut cemented. Echi di un Futuro Passato continues to take its cues from major players like PFM and multi-instrumentalist Ciro Perrino, the sole remaining member from the original incarnation does that album proud. Celeste in 2024 is very much flute and keyboard focused, with a lot of mellotron and gentle melodies that sweep you away. Digital because yeah, there’s vinyl but importing for over $50? For a little less I grabbed the whole digital discography.
From my Nine Circles write-up: “Trading in gothic, heavy rock with shades of psychedelia and doom, Dool have crafted their best album to date in The Shape of Fluidity, creating a record heavy with universal themes of identity and connection in an ever-fracturing world, and they do it by zeroing in on very personal, specific narratives; namely, the long road of vocalist Raven van Dorst, born intersex but assigned a female gender by doctors, to find and embrace her hermaphroditic nature. Songs like “Self Dissect,” the title track and especially “Hermagorgon” are intricately tied to her story, yet reach out to embrace those feelings of displacement so many of us struggle with…all to some seriously heavy post rock and doom that make this a winner from every perspective.” Digital because like Celeste, I wound up grabbing the entire digital discography. I encourage you to do the same.
World meets psychedelia meets Jane’s Addiction? You had me at hello, Goat. You also had me with Goat’s opening track “One More Death” which pretty much is that description sonically personified. The band actually came to my notice with 2014’s Commune, but in truth I kinda forget about them until I grabbed a used copy of the vinyl at my local shop, which prompted a quick check-in to see what the Swedish band were up to. Turns out quite a bit, and this latest eponymous record might be their best effort to date. Lengthy jams and varied instrumentation, lots of haze and yeah, there’s some scratchy Jane’s Addiction in just the right places. But there’s also heaping doses of Curtis Mayfield – check out “Goatbrain” for proof. Digital because I was excited to have it immediately. This is almost guaranteed to be a vinyl purchase sooner rather than later.
It wouldn’t be an end of year list without a few recommendations from my friend Erik, and this one might take the cake. L’bnat is the collaborative album from Asmaa Hamzaoui and Bnat Timbouktou…problem is, despite being readily available for streaming on Apple and Spotify, physical copies are really hard to track down. And unless I’m screwing up it’s not available for digital purchase on Bandcamp, either. I’m going to steal the description from Rough Trade’s listing for the CD (sold out, of course): “This album beautifully blends traditional Berber music with modern influences, creating a unique and mesmerizing musical journey.” Entirely true, and entirely frustrating this isn’t easier to purchase. I will, though…
From my forthcoming Nine Circles write-up: “Who else is up for a single 40-minute track of fantasy-driven and queer-focused death metal that paints with subtle electronic washes even as it rips your face off with its riffing? I always am, and Lascaille’s Shroud was another of those out of nowhere discoveries that, as soon as I heard the opening keyboards to Wyrmfire and Starlight I knew I was hooked..sole composer/musician Brett Windnagle doesn’t let his one-man band status limit his ambition throughout the song’s many passages. This feels and sounds suitably enormous, and it’s been a blast going through his back catalog as I await the inevitable next chapter in his musical journey.” Digital only at the moment.
I’m just patiently waiting for LaserCD to get this back in stock, because the debut from France’s Oddleaf is fantastic. Very heavy mellotron prog that absolutely rocks, even with a bare minimum of guitars. Where Ideal and Denial Collide reaches back to giants like King Crimson and Genesis, but also looks very forward: there are moments in the songwriting (all songs composed by keyboardist Carina Taurer) that feel very much like modern Opeth. Vocalist Adeline Gurtner is a marvel, and the layered vocal harmonies are just one spoke in this mighty prog wheel. I can’t get enough of this album, and cannot wait for Oddleaf’s future. There will definitely be a more in-depth review once I have the CD in my hands.
Another digital only release, but I’ve seen so much praise for Ubiquity and their brand of progressive death metal I’m pretty sure that’s going to change. The Belgian band released an EP back in 2017, but The Ascendant Travels Among the Stars is their proper debut, and it’s a killer. From my Nine Circles write-up: “Quite possibly the best melodic prog death album this year by a band whose name starts with a vowel…the organ that permeates massive epics like “Tree Of Pain” and “The Traveler” is sublime, and dare I say the vocals of Anthony Deneyer are up there with the great Åkerfeldt himself? “
Another fascinating digital-only release. Zio Crocifisso is an Italian progressive rock outfit that makes the most of its members disparate influences to create music that uses the tension of their different interests rather than try to blend them into some homogenous standard. Maybe that’s why Campana di Legno is still looking to partner for a physical release: there is a challenge to tracks like the 13-minute five part epic “Lievito Madre” which manages to push and pull Tool, the more esoteric King Crimson cuts, and modern bands like Sleepytime Gorilla Museum into an at times jarring but never less than exhilarating sonic experience. If they do manage to find someone to release a physical copy of this, I’ll be first in line.
And with that, we’re closing out 2024. Writing has been a salve for me, and despite my complete and utter indifference to fixing grammatical errors (I tend to write fast, vomit it all out and leave it there), I’m really happy with the content this year. Doing 31 posts in 31 days was a bit of a chore though, so I’m going to take a few days off, recharge the batteries, and see what there is to consume in 2025. Thank you so much for coming here, for commenting, and for subscribing. I don’t really do social media, so the fact that any of you found this little corner of the Internet means the world to me.
Be well, stay safe, lead with compassion, and we’ll see you in the new year.
Consuming the Tangible 