2024 turned out to be the year I had very little time for discovering new music. Family illnesses and commitments reigned supreme on my non-work hours. Though I often found myself spending time with old albums and old favorites for comfort, there were a few exceptions who found their way to my ears and heart.
Fortunato Durutti Marinetti, “Memory’s Fool”
Although I discovered this album in mid 2023, I couldn’t get my hands on a physical copy until January. It stayed on the turntable for weeks. Born in Turin and based in Toronto, Daniel Colussi released a beautiful set of songs that owe as much to Lou Reed and Leonard Cohen for their plainspoken poetry as it does John Martyn for his jazz-fusion folk. Recommended tracks: “All Roads” “Feels Like”
Cindy Lee, “Diamond Jubilee”
A triple-LPs worth of songs released digitally-only at the beginning of the year. It is a like a long, lost mixtape of psych-rock, folk, ye-ye pop, and lo-fi indie rock. The long wait for a vinyl release of the latest collection from Patrick Flegel’s Cindy Lee is set to arrive February 2025. There are too many great songs to recommend anything but the entire thing.
Daniel Romano’s Outfit, “Too Hot To Sleep”
I was able to catch Daniel Romano and his Outfit again when they came to town to promote the release of their new tunes. At this point in their career, I’m just along for the ride, loving every iteration of the group and release it puts out. The new album further moves the group from Romano’s folk/country earlier records to a power-pop-punk powerhouse. Recommended tracks: “State of Nature” “Generation End”
Nap Eyes, “I’m Bad Now”
I somehow missed listening to this album when it was released back in April. A friend finally brought it over for one of our vinyl-binge nights this year and blew me away. The lyrics are clever, the songs are loose and catchy, and the singer sounds like a young Lou Reed. What’s not to love? Recommended tracks: “Every Time the Feeling” “Judgement” “White Disciple”
Sloan, “Smeared Vinyl Box Set (1992/2004)”
I don’t think it was worth the 22-year wait to get on vinyl, but nonetheless, I’ve been relishing my nostalgia for the first release from Halifax’s Sloan. The box set includes the original LP, an LP of demos/outtakes, a live concert from 1992, a 7″ of live outtakes and a massive, detailed booklet. The band seems to be embarrassed by what they claim several times, to be too much influenced on this first set of songs by My Bloody Valentine and Velvet Underground. I completely agree that there is influence from those two groups and, that in later Sloan albums they solidified their own distinct sound. However, in 1992, as a 12-year-old in London, Ontario, I had never heard a note of either VU or MBV. Sure, I was aware of them by name, but this was a time before streaming or downloading. Neither were on the radio or Muchmusic, so someone telling me that Sloan sounded like rip-off of either was just wasted breath.
Who knows, maybe if I had heard VU and MBV without first hearing Sloan, their sonic dissonance wouldn’t have made sense to me. Sloan’s pop songwriting sensibilities turned the avant-garde abrasiveness of their influences into clever, relatable, and fun, and more easily digestible. Sure, after listening to Velvet Underground, Lou Reed, My Bloody Valentine, I can hear the influences – that takes nothing away from my love of the great songcraft from the four Haligonians who created some of the greatest soundtracks for my young life.
The Bicycles, “Stop Thinking So Much”
I discovered Toronto’s The Bicycles by searching the internet for “catchy indie-pop-rock great harmonies,” which led me to a Reddit thread and a link to their bandcamp page. Their jubilant, delicate songs are so immediately catchy, it didn’t take more than a few songs for me to fall in love. Alas, this is not a happy story because the group had apparently broken up a decade ago!? The fact they no longer existed didn’t stop me from making several purchases from their more than reasonably priced merch page. I got it all – T-shirt, vinyl, and cd’s all arrived in the mail a week later and was a large part of my soundtrack of the summer. Although “Stop Thinking So Much” is probably my favorite, every release is packed full of wonderful power-pop. One member is still producing fantastic music under the guise of Doctor Eww. Recommended The Bicycles tracks: “Appalachian Mountain Station” “Congratulations” “Try Too Hard”
Martin Verrall, “January Downs”
I played my second solo concert of the year as part of a singer-songwriter evening at a local watering hole. Also on the bill were London’s Cam De Laat and Martin Verrall from nearby Hamilton. I was so impressed by Martin Verrall I purchased copies of each album he had available. My favorite to date is his most recent, “January Downs.” Martin’s growling vocals over delicately shambolic instrumentation immediately brings early Tindersticks, and later Tom Waits to mind. A major difference is that Waits has a second hat as sounding like a crazy circus leader. where Martin is an everyman, grounded in reality. Martin is currently working on a follow-up to be released in 2025. Recommended Martin Verrall tracks: “Vertigo” “January Downs”
Side note: Cam De Laat is a friend who doesn’t have an album but, this track included in a local compilation is a wonderful example of his soulful and contemplative delivery.
Albums I plan to spend time with soon:
Ducks Ltd, “Harms Way” (Toronto)
Godspeed You! Black Emperor, “No Title As Of 13 February 2023 28,340 Dead” (Montreal)
Nap Eyes, “The Neon Gate” (Halifax)
OMBIIGIZI, “Shame” (London)
And for good measure, here are my favorite ten international albums:
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, “Wild God”
Jessica Pratt, “Here’s The Pitch”
Dr. Dog, “Self-Titled”
The Lemon Twigs, “A Dreams Is All We Have”
MJ Lenderman, “Manning Fireworks”
Mannequin Pussy, “I got Heaven”
Carsie Blanton, “After the Revolution”
Uni Boys, “Buy This Now”
Dirty Three, “Love Changes Everything”
Shellac, “All Trains Go”
Thanks to Lesley, Martin and everyone at Great Dark Wonder for all their amazing work this year. I am very grateful to be part of such a talented group of music aficionados.
A bit of a Renaissance man, Steve Murphy is a singer-songwriter, author, and journalist based out of London, Ontario. An avid vinyl collector and audiophile, his personal collection of albums is wide ranging and in the thousands, including four released from his band Westminster Park.
