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The It’s Time to Play B-Sides Top 20 Albums of 2024

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2024 for me was another year inching towards normal music activities following the COVID Lockdowns of 2020 (and really 2021). I saw two larger touring acts in a new venue in Des Moines (actually Waukee) called Vibrant Music Hall run by Live Nation. I saw Counting Crows in August and Black Crowes in October. A buddy of mine had extra tickets and offered them to me. The venue is really nice with decent sight lines from pretty much every part, and the sound system is really great. I recommend it. I also got to see Hiss Golden Messenger for the second time (the first time was at Eaux Claires Festival in 2015). M.C. Taylor was doing a solo acoustic tour performing the Bad Debt album in its entirety. This show was at Raccoon Motel in Davenport next door to the Davenport location for Ragged Records. Raccoon Motel is booked by Sean Moeller who does a fantastic job curating events there. It’s a really small venue so all of the shows are pretty intimate affairs. The opening act was a duo called Monde UFO who perform a kind of atmospheric jazz and vocal mix with samples and singing bowls. Their last album 7171 was really great, and they’re releasing a new album in 2025. Here are some pictures I shot of that show.

In 2024 my friends and I continued the tradition of meeting in Davenport at Ragged Records for Record Store Day. We had more guys coming along so we had a convoy of three cars leaving from Cedar Rapids, IA and it was a really fun time. We hit both Ragged locations (Davenport and Rock Island) and everyone got the titles they were looking for. Afterwards we grabbed lunch. It’s a great excuse to hang out with friends and buy some records. Analog Vault in Cedar Rapids participated in Record Store Day this year for Black Friday which was really convenient. I only had a couple of titles I was looking for (the 4th and final release of the Get Shown the Light Spring 1977 Grateful Dead shows on vinyl, and the LSD Remixes album) and they had both of them. I think whether I go to Davenport or stay in town has to do with what I want to get off of the list, so we’ll see. The other benefit to going to Davenport for RSD is that it gives me a chance to dig through Ragged’s massive used and new inventory.

Speaking of retail, 2024 seemed like the year that all of the vinyl community online was talking about the price of vinyl– both used and new. I certainly observed this as well. It’s very rare to see new single LP releases for less than $30 and I think that will be the new norm starting price. Used vinyl prices are kind of all over the place, the “big” catalog titles are creeping upwards to the point where it really makes more sense to buy the new reissues. Gone are the days of $9 Led Zeppelin used records. And, honestly, in many cases the new remasters of essential catalog titles (Beatles, Fleetwood Mac Rumours, Pink Floyd, etc.) sound better than early copies and are certainly more readily available (Walmart, Target, Barnes & Noble, Amazon). If I was starting out today, I wouldn’t hold out for OG pressings, I’d just start building the collection with the new pressings and that is the advice I’ve given to people wanting to get into collecting– which BTW, is still the case. If you only watched YouTube Vinyl Community videos, you’d think there is this mass exodus out of vinyl collecting. If there is, I’m not seeing it, but I suppose there could be a collapse coming, which honestly I wouldn’t be too upset about as I feel like a market correction has been overdue.

2024 was the first full year of the Vinyl Me Please subscription I signed up for in late 2023. After years of being dismissive of the endeavor, the announcement of the Miles Davis Electric Years box set in 2023 coupled with a coupon that gave a substantial discount to new subscribers pushed me to sign up. It was a pretty spotty first year for me, honestly. There was the whole controversy around the new pressing plant in Colorado that was going to do all of the VMP releases in-house which ended up falling through as the principle partners decided to take the plant over. This caused a rolling backlog and delay of a bunch of titles that honestly VMP hasn’t really completely recovered from. Little by little they’re catching up, but there are still titles pushed out to August of 2025. On top of that, they increased the monthly subscription price and also reduced the number of genre channels. So, now there are three channels to choose from. All of that said, the packaging and pressings are really top-notch and almost worth the monthly subscription. I upgraded three albums in my collection with VMP versions (Heart Little Queen, Joni Mitchell’s Hissing of Summer Lawns, Fleetwood Mac’s self-titled, Mirage and Tango in the Night). I also picked up some interesting Jazz releases that I might have not looked at if they weren’t part of the subscription. It remains to be seen if I stay a subscriber. I would really like to get the reissue of the Blue Note Story box set, but it seems to be delayed and I really want to get it with a coupon which means it has to be in stock.

So, after all that, 2024 was a year when I bought a lot of records both physical and digital. I filled a lot of gaps in my collection, and I reviewed a lot of great releases for Little Village Magazine. This list is only for new releases in 2024– not reissues, though one release sort of straddles a fine line, but I’ll cover that below. Here is the list in no particular order other than when I come across it looking at my discogs and Bandcamp additions for 2024.

Salt Fox – MISS YOU, KYLE / LOVE YA, BOYS! – Cedar Falls band Salt Fox released their 2nd album in 2024. Their blend of guitars, synths and pop vocals is great, and maybe a little unexpected from an Eastern Iowa band. Superbly polished pop. I reviewed it for Little Village Magazine. No physical release, but is available on all streaming platforms (not Bandcamp).

Run Dog – The Big Room EP – LOVELOVELOVE this EP. Mopey guitar pop that reminds me of Glen Phillips of Toad The Wet Sprocket. I reviewed it for Little Village. I can’t wait to hear more music from this Cedar Falls band.

Johnny Delaware – Para Llevar – A new discovery for me this year, but Johnny Delaware has been on the fringes of things I’ve listened to over the years– he is part of SUSTO and The Artisanals. He popped into Analog Vault earlier this year and did an in-store appearance which I missed, but ended up hearing this album in the store on Black Friday, so I picked this up. Breezy Seventies influenced folk rock. Yacht Rock? No, not really, but it kind of exists in that space. Worth a listen, really great album!

DICKIE – Head Full of Hiss EP – After the release of Dickie’s last album Minus Thieves, he moved to Des Moines and retooled the band. Classic chamber pop rock. The first of a couple of EP’s dropped in November. Here is my review of the EP for Little Village Magazine

Chrash — Music for the Next Scene – Quad Cities band Chrash released their first album since their politically-charged album 2017: The Music. This ends up being kind of the band’s COVID album thematically and also what caused the delay. Some great tracks on here, my favorite is “Fox Fear.” Here is my review for Little Village.

Pylon Reenactment Society – Magnet Factory – Pylon Reenactment Society is sort of a “Pylon Part 2” with original Pylon singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay fronting the new band. The band is less Pylon than a band continuing the original direction of the seminal Athens, GA artrock band. While the band has been around for a few years, Magnet Factory is the first full length album from the band. It’s a fantastic record and if you’re a fan of the original band, it’s an essential release. “Fix It” with Kate Pierson of the B-52’s is a wonderful collaboration.

Kevin Gordon – The In Between – Kevin Gordon came back with his follow up to 2018’s Tilt And Shine. A nice mix of rockers and ballads as we’ve come to expect from Gordon. The lead track is “Simple Things” which is one of my favorite tracks from Gordon.

Mazarin – Pendular Released on Portuguese label Now Jazz Agora this is new jazz ensemble Mazarin’s debut full-length. The mix of live instrumentals heavy in synths and beats recalls the acid jazz era of the 90’s from bands like Brand New Heavies. This is a beautiful chill out record. Now Jazz Agora label head Rui Miguel Abreu and I go back to my days running the DJ Shadow website and chat boards. He sent me a huge package of 12” singles from his label Kami’Khazz back then just because he appreciated what I was doing for the community. When he announced that he was launching a new label, I was down to check it out and this first release is pretty damn great.

Jeff Parker ETA IVtet – The Way Out of Easy – This album is the second release from Parker and the ETA IVtet. The first one was Mondays At The Enfield Tennis Academy (where the band gets its name) on Eremite in 2021 and similar to that release, this album is based on the band’s live shows from the residency at that venue. The performances are improvisational in nature but retain a cohesiveness that I think comes from the use of melody and theme. Watching Parker’s career move from being a somewhat obscure Chicago jazz guitarist (though notably becoming a key member of Tortoise) to a go-to sideman in the new jazz scene as well as building a substantial solo and combo catalog of his own, not to mention a Grammy winner has been really great.

Nala Sinephro – Endlessness – Continuing this little run of Jazz releases is the second album from Nala Sinephro who creates ambient electronic jazz albums somewhat similar to Floating Points. Beautiful album.

Andre 3000 – New Blue Sun – Quite a bit has been said about this release. Andre 3000 of Outkast released his first solo album, and it’s an ambient flute/woodwind instrumental album. I really dig this, but a lot of people are pretty upset that we didn’t get “Hey Ya Pt 2.”

Blue Note Review Volume Three: TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLEE Boxset – Honestly, I thought that after two volumes of Blue Note Review, Blue Note was done with this considering that the first two were dropped in 2017 and 2018, and then Blue Note Records launched the Tone Poet run of releases which set the bar for quality and cost without all of the other stuff and the box. But, on the 85th Anniversary in 2024 they wanted to do some special releases which involved resurrecting the Review series. This box set focuses on trumpeter Lee Morgan who had a very impressive run of releases until his untimely death at 33 years old in 1972. In typical fashion we get a curated Tone-Poet-ish reissue of a vault release of a 1967 session. But, the reason I’m including this release here is the 2 LP (three sides) compilation of Morgan tracks done by current Blue Note artists like Bill Frisell, Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, Kenyon Harrold and more. This release could really stand on its own as a regular catalog release. The performances are great and shines a light on Morgan’s influence on the current jazz scene. This release is why I sought out and bought Morgan’s album The Procrastinator a couple of months ago. The Procrastinator will get a Classic Series reissue in October of 2025.Unfortunately this is not available on any streaming services, so I don’t have a link to it.

Bo Ramsey – Sidetrack & On The Range EPs – We got two EP releases from Iowa country blues legend Bo Ramsey. Both EP’s feature retooling of earlier songs displaying where Bo’s music is today. A mellow and mature perspective compared to his earlier bar busting, hard touring days, but really shows the strength of the songwriting.

James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg – All Gist – James Elkington and Nathan Salsburg reunited to make a follow up to their brilliant 2015 acoustic guitar album Ambsace. The album continues their American Primitive adjacent work. Recommended if you like William Tyler, John Fahey, Jack Rose.

William Tyler – Future Myths – Speaking of Mr. Tyler, he released a new album that was recorded in an (obviously) empty water tower. The album is a re-imagining of his 2019 album Goes West stripping things back to just his guitar in a hugely reverberate room.

Kelly Finnigan – A Lover Was Born – Another fantastic album from R&B savant Kelly Finnigan. It’s cool that he has so many channels to funnel his art into whether it is his solo albums, his work with Monophonics or as producer for other artists. Great record and one I heartily recommend if you dig vintage vibey R&B. On Colemine, of course!

Dope Walker – Heavy Revelations Dope Walker is a supergroup of Minnesota and Iowa musicians who have a shared history in the 90’s Midwest music scene. I loved the debut release Save Save from 2020. This album was started as a kind of a low key duo effort from Aaron Mader and Jeff Allen, but quickly expanded to become the 2nd album from Dope Walker. I think this album leans more pop psych than the previous album, but it’s really great and honestly more people need to know about these albums. Here is my review for Little Village.

Aerial M – The Peel Sessions – This was an unexpected release this year. Aerial M is one of the project names for David Pajo. Aerial M toured briefly as a trio and stopped into Maida Vale studios to record a session for David Peel. Long available as kind of a bootleg taping from the FM broadcast in the UK, it was finally made available as an official release on Drag City this year. Kind of a nod to the work he did in Tortoise briefly. The album art is a tribute to the Strange Fruit releases of the Peel Sessions over the years.

The Orb – Orboretum (The Orb Collection) – This is a compilation of songs over the career of The Orb, kind of a “greatest hits” but is also alternative versions and remixes of those tracks. The vinyl release is an octagonal box that opens like a flower housing 4 LP’s of different colors. I have a lot of the original early CD’s from The Orb, so it’s cool to have these remixes and this really amazing package.

The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards – Honestly, the only reason I listened to this was because I was going to see them on this tour. I was pleasantly surprised by it. The band is in great form and is kind of all over the map stylistically. They obviously will always sound like The Black Crowes as long as the Robinson brothers are at the helm, but this certainly is an extension of what the band can do. Very guitar heavy, which is cool. One to crank and not think too much about it.

The It’s Time to Play B-Sides Top 20 Albums of 2022

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As far as how this writer’s year went, 2022 was not really notable as far as music goes. The industry was still trying to recover from the mess of 2020 and, in fits-and-starts artists seemed to get back to the business of live performance. A few reports of bands getting COVID and canceling dates, though it didn’t seem like whole tours were really impacted. I saw one in-store performance by Iowa musician Dick Prall (who performs as DICKIE). There were a few other shows I was interested in, but the malaise of not seeing shows really set in for me, plus COVID is still a concern I have.

Vinyl record manufacturing was still on the blink with most releases seemingly pushed back from original release dates and in some cases pre-orders canceled entirely. Used vinyl prices continue to rise. This is likely due to the surge of new vinyl collecting during the lockdown in 2020, and also due to economic inflation across the board and rising oil prices (which records are made from, and the fuel for shipping them). Good used vinyl records are getting harder to find in the typical spots, and if the record is by a top-tier artist, the retailers are taking advantage of it. Considering the tough time independent retailers have in general, I don’t really blame them. Clean copies of pre-owned records by the cast of regulars– Beatles, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie and others have seen an all-time high. I bought a collection of 10 Bowie records that were between $20 and $30 apiece for very clean RCA re-pressings of his mid-70’s titles. Thankfully, the Beatles and Led Zeppelin catalogs have been in print on vinyl for a few years now, and places like Walmart and Target stock them, so new collectors don’t have to resort to early pressings if they don’t want to.

Record Store Day returned to the non-Drop/two date version (April and Black Friday). My friends and I did the April RSD and bought quite a few titles (plus a ton of used). The RSD releases I bought were mostly reissues, so there won’t be a lot of those on this list. Black Friday RSD was a bust as far as I was concerned. The list just didn’t have anything I was interested in.

I continue to find myself purchasing a lot more from Bandcamp, both physical and digital releases, and my Top 20 list has a mix of both.

In no particular order, here are my Top 20 releases of 2022!

Makaya McCraven – In These Times Makaya McCraven is a drummer and producer from Chicago who is part of what I consider the new school of Jazz music. These are musicians who are drawing from the larger canon of Jazz, but are not afraid to fold in elements of current music (sampling, hip-hop, electronic music). Artists I think are also in this space are Jeff Parker, Thundercat, Kamasi Washington and Flying Lotus. For his album In These Times, McCraven is acting as band leader, pulling together other musicians to help deliver his compositions. The guitar on this album (as on some of his previous) is Jeff Parker. This is a beautiful record and one that I heartily recommend.

Toro y Moi – Mahal – This album might be the most-spinned this year for me. The super laid back chillwave style of Chaz Bundick (aka Chaz Bear aka Toro y Moi) is one I can’t get enough of. The soft vocals and jazzy instrumentals land him squarely in the Sea and Cake space as well as his collaborators Mattson 2 (who are also on here). Summer vibes all year long.

Kendra Morris – Nine Lives Although this is her third album, I hadn’t heard about her until Colemine Records started promoting the release (which is on Colemine sub-label Karma Chief). Her previous two albums gained press due to her involvement with Czarface/MF Doom (both released on Wax Poetics). This album is described as being “Neo Soul” and that pretty much nails it. She’s got a huge voice that really cuts through the record. This record fits in with other releases on Colemine like the first album from Neal Francis and Monophonics. A real banger, for sure.

Monophonics – Sage Motel – Speaking of Colemine and Monophonics, Kelly Finnigan and company came back with a concept album of sorts surrounding vignettes of guests of a fictional seedy, but once glamorous hotel. I’d say the album is less of a concept album and more of an album with a running theme, so no worries of overwrought tales of blind pinball players or post war children who have mommy issues. It’s more like White Lotus for the soul crowd. This video is AMAZING:

Elizabeth Moen – Wherever You Aren’t – After a delay, Moen dropped her fourth full-length album in November. Since I reviewed it, I was lucky to have a lot of time with it before it came out. It’s her best release to date with a lot more interesting details in the production including some new instruments. Read my review in Little Village here.

Spoon – Lucifer on the Sofa – This album seemed to drop out of nowhere for me. I’m a very casual Spoon fan, so I’m not really tracking them with the same fervor that I do other bands. In fact, they seemed to release like three albums that I didn’t listen to, for whatever that is worth. I must have seen an article or something mentioning the album so I checked it out. For their 2022 album, the band seems to be leaning into the rockier side of their sound. I found myself listening to this a lot over the summer.

Sylvee and the Sea (aka Pieta Brown) – The Less I Needed The Better I Felt – This was kind of a surprise release and kind of overlooked. Sylvee and the Sea is a supergroup of sorts featuring Pieta Brown, Don Was (president of Blue Note Records, and formerly of Was (Not Was)) on bass, John Convertino of Calexico on drums and CARM (of Y Music and Bon Iver) on horns. A collaboration recorded remotely by sending snippets of music around and letting the musicians record their parts with the instructions of not overthinking their contributions or creating charts. Kind of a freewheeling affair of instrumentals in the Pieta Brown vibe of not sounding like any particular genre or time.

Bo Ramsey – How Many Miles – Another surprise drop came from Iowa country blues legend Bo Ramsey in the form of a digital EP. Never content to leave a song alone, Bo typically brings out retooled versions of his classic songs in a live setting. For this EP we have new versions of “Wounded Dog” with a searing guitar line by Mark Knopfler all the way through it, a laid back and softened take on “555×2” and a new take on “Blue Earth,” the beautiful instrumental from Down to Bastrop. These versions represent the 2020’s version of live Bo Ramsey. The other two tracks are new instrumentals in the vein of his 2016 album Wildwood Calling.

Revelators Sound System – Revelators – Revelators Sound System is a side project of M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger along with Cameron Ralston of Spacebomb House Band. This project is intended to be distinct from Hiss Golden Messenger, and in fact sounds only vaguely like the jam-adjacent works of that band. These are full-on jammy instrumental workouts with some dub worked in and sounds a lot more like 70’s albums from bands who heard Miles Davis’s Bitches Brew– an aural pastiche of improvised breaks. While it isn’t HGM, I can hear how this informs what live Hiss Golden Messenger is becoming.

Hiss Golden Messenger – Wise Eyes: Live at The Neptune, Seattle, WA, 2/25/22, Greetings From Charleston!, Mystic What: Live in Kansas City and St. Louis – Continuing the releases of live shows to Bandcamp, Hiss Golden Messenger gave us THREE fantastic live shows this year. All three have Grateful Dead covers, which sort of tips the hat to what HGM’s live shows are becoming, in my opinion. This band keeps getting better and better in live performance. Out of the three my favorite is Mystic What based on St. Louis and Kansas City shows from March of 2022. Some deeper cuts in this set. “Standing In The Doorway” was a really nice surprise. My favorite non-album track, coincidentally paired with “Cat’s Eye Blue” on a Record Store Day 7″ “Live From Spacebomb.” and a surprise cover of “Bird Song.”

Jeff Parker – Mondays at The Enfield Tennis Academy – This record is based on a residency that Parker and band did at the Enfield Tennis Academy which is a bar in L.A.’s Highland Park area. These are largely free improvised performances with some standards and original compositions peppered in. While the idea of an improv jazz album might turn most folks off, this group’s use of melody and structure make this a very enjoyable music journey. The recording was made from open room mics, so we get the whole experience of the room complete with typical bar ambience.

https://youtu.be/GNnt2PgnAf0

Elijah McLaughlin Ensemble – II At this point, it seems that I’ll buy pretty much anything that comes out on Tompkins Square. In fact, I hadn’t heard of Chicago musician Elijah McLaughlin until Tompkins Square announced the pre-order in an email. Elijah McLaughlin’s acoustic guitar work fits in the American Primitive space, but with his ensemble he creates layered and scenic soundtracks in a space similar to William Tyler’s works. I quickly ordered his first album after I heard this album. Beautiful stuff.

Penny Peach – Ego Party – Penny Peach is often found delivering her amazing harmony vocals on other peoples’ records (see: Anthony Worden and the Illiterati or Elizabeth Moen) but her string of solo recordings are worth checking out– her early works are largely DIY affairs but her last couple of album/EP’s have had the full band treatment with her bendy, sneering and sometimes gutteral vocals front and center. She’s kind of her own genre– a playful but often dark mixture of bratty Ramones punk, new wave and black metal. The droning distorted guitars smeared with Digitech Whammy pitch bending is fantastic.

Allegra Hernandez – Gift Exchange – Allegra Hernandez is a new artist I discovered this year through my gig as music reviewer for Little Village. This album is a fantastic mix of catchy melodic post-punk and fantastically epic guitar work. Read my review and interview with Hernandez for Little Village here.

Squalls – Live From the 40 Watt – In 2022 seminal Athens, GA bar band Squalls released a fantastic compilation of live recordings from the early 1980’s (around the time of the performances in Athens, GA Inside/Out). Prior to this album, I was only really familiar with the songs on the soundtrack to that documentary, but this album shows the band in their element as a seasoned live act. Squalls are getting a reissue campaign of their studio albums, too, that are worth checking out. With the Pylon reissues, and the ongoing Love Tractor reissues, it’s cool to see these Athens bands getting some love. Kilkenny Cats or Dreams So Real next?? Here’s my article breaking down the live album.

Richard Thompson – Music From Grizzly Man – The brilliant soundtrack to the documentary about Timothy Treadwell done by Richard Thompson got the vinyl treatment this year. One of my favorite Thompson records is Strict Tempo, which is an instrumental record, and this soundtrack is a kind of compliment to that release. The Grizzly Man film is sort of hard to locate on the streaming services these days, but at least we have this soundtrack which also includes snippets of Treadwell talking.

Nathan Salsburg – Landwerk No. 3 – The third installment of the Landwerk series of guitar sketches by Nathan Salsburg came out this year. These albums started as a way for Salsburg to get some inspiration by utilizing samples of old 78 RPM records to provide loops of some instruments, and sometimes only the crackle. These are amazing records and I’m glad he is continuing this series.

Diplo – Diplo – I was a big fan of Diplo’s first solo full length Florida which came out in 2003 around the time he started gaining attention having worked with M.I.A. and others bringing his finely-honed beats and production to a continually-growing list of projects (Major Lazer, Jack Ü, etc). He wouldn’t bring another project credited to himself out until he dropped the California EP in 2018 around Record Store Day. Positioned as kind of the spiritual follow up to Florida, I was curious to check it out. I loved the bubbly, an often moody electro pop and it became a regular play in my car. His 2022 self-titled full length picks up where California left off. I really love this album and he’s been nominated for a couple Grammys, and it is deserved.

Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers – Live at the Fillmore, 1997 Boxset – Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers captured at their peak. A legendary 20-night run at the Fillmore West in early 1997. The band wanted to step out of their regular album release and tour schedule and do something to reenergize them. This massive box set is a compilation of the last six nights of the run that were captured for editing to be use for radio broadcast. While the band didn’t do the same setlist every night, there were some songs that were featured each night, and we can look at this box set as kind of representative of these shows. The box set is almost half cover songs, which is really fun, especially for fans like me who collect Petty.

I mentioned that I thought that they should do a box set of this run of shows in my article covering An American Treasure. I think this brings some hope that we’ll see more box sets like this in the future. Maybe boxes based on the Fillmore runs in 1981 and 1999.

Life Moves Pretty Fast – The John Hughes Mixtapes Box Set – Under the category of everything eventually comes out on vinyl, we have this fantastic compilation of songs from the films of John Hughes. As someone who grew up with these films and also bought the soundtracks, this addresses some glaring omissions. For one thing, there was never a soundtrack to Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and we finally get pretty much everything from that on this box set (leaving off stuff like “Danke Shoen,” “Twist and Shout” and the theme to Star Wars is fine, I think) and it fills out some of the other soundtracks that were released (She’s Having A Baby, Sixteen Candles). I was a little surprised that it wasn’t organized by film, but the spirit of it was based on the mixtape trades that Hughes did with the music supervisors, and I guess makes it more listenable as a big mix of everything. I wrote an article about the release here.