The Dirty Dozen
My Favorite Records of 2024
by Christopher Long
It’s that time of year again! That toasty Yuletide season when the “smart” people apprise the rest of us on what the Best Fill-In-The-Blanks were from the preceding 12 months. Fortunately, I realize that I’m uniquely UN-qualified to make any of those types of judgments. However, I do consume and write about an ass-ton of music year ‘round. Sometimes I even get paid for it! This list merely reflects the “Dirty Dozen” records that found me and made my heart the happiest in 2024. Your mileage will vary. Merry Christmas, friends! Come back and see me in 2025!
• •
01: Lake Street Dive, Good Together (Fantasy Records)
Plain and simple, Lake Street Dive is a beautiful band, and Good Together is an equally beautiful record. For me, it’s the best and brightest of the year. Overseen by Grammy-winning producer Mike Elizondo, this sonic beacon beams nothin’ but peace and joy from front to back, while mixing and melding vintage funky soul with cozy Sunday-inspired jazz. A pure pop delight, the title track kicks off the soirée with the full happiness factor of a smiley face Mylar balloon. Additional fun and sunny standouts include “Dance with a Stranger” and “Seats at the Bar.” However, the delicate post-romance ballad “Twenty-Five” moved me the most. I scored my personal copy on retina-burning neon yellow vinyl. HOORAY!
❧ ❧ ❧
02: Sierra Ferrell, Trail of Flowers (Rounder Records)
Sierra Ferrell’s uniquely authentic then-meets-now musical style feels springtime fresh. Add to the mix her Minnie Pearl-meets-Lady Gaga fashion sensibility, and you get an exciting artist who’s blowing up — HUGE. This lil’ 12-track barn burner reaches from spirited bluegrass to traditional country to down-and-dirty honky tonk. For those enticed by intoxicating melodies woven into compelling, well-crafted stories and electro-shocked with down-home delights — fiddles, banjo, lap steel, and harmonica — Trail of Flowers checks all the boxes. My copy is on multi-colored marble vinyl. Don’t be mad, you can still get your own!
❧ ❧ ❧
03: The Midnight Cowgirls, Midnight Cowgirls (Licorice Pizza Records)
This six-song stinger pummels like a patchouli-scented punch to the privates — like a post-op Dwight Yoakam trapped in a 24-hour cotton candy shop located across the street from a Hee Haw Honey casting call. But, be sure, the Cowgirls’ alluring Max Factor factor would mean NOTHING if they couldn’t back up their red-hot looks with razor-sharp hooks. Fortunately, they do. In fact, Midnight Cowgirls delivers in spades — and spurs. Simply put, this band makes me happy. This record makes me happy. Immeasurable thanks to my leopard-printed life coach, Lyndsey Parker, for the heads-up!
❧ ❧ ❧
04: Black Eyed Soul, Almost Fiction (Phase 2 Records)
With their 12th record, Almost Fiction, Knoxville’s Black Eyed Soul comes on strong, straight out the gate. But it’s the record’s “back nine” that will really clobber ya, from the gospel-tinged “Best Soul” to the super-playful “Zander” to the chaotic, guitar-driven “Undone,” “Crush,” and “Dirty Looks.” Band patriarch Andrew Marcus confessed recently that with Almost Fiction, he and musical partner Misty Marcus hoped to create their “Pet Sounds.” Mission accomplished!
❧ ❧ ❧
05: Lexi Long, Sunswept (Sunswept Records)
An authentic “old soul,” the Florida-based 28-year-old singer / songwriter counts such vintage artists as Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Neil Young, Loretta Lynn, and Warren Zevon among her greatest inspirations. Described by Long as an “emotional” yet “hopeful” album, Sunswept is a ten-track vinyl treasure trove, brimming with shiny songs and stories that appear autobiographical enough to feel honest, while (probably) “peppered” enough to protect the innocent (and the guilty). My personal (basic black) vinyl copy sounds BIG and beautiful, BTW. For those who embrace the classic singer / songwriter vibe, as well as possess a passion for compelling storytelling, Sunswept is well worth a Bandcamp test spin!
❧ ❧ ❧
06: Skylar Green, Disbelief
The 27-year-old Los Angeles native spent some time living on Florida’s sunny Space Coast before relocating recently to Charlottesville, Virginia. And when self-described “wild child” singer / songwriter Skylar Green dropped her debut EP last spring, I was wrecked completely, straight away. That’s an endorsement, BTW. Green’s voice is honest, pure, and just a smidge on the sexy side. Her songs are delicate, fragile, and deeply personal. Simply put, Skylar Green’s music can’t lie. While all five songs speak to my heart in wonderful, magical ways, “Let Me Tie Your Shoes” screams my name!
❧ ❧ ❧
07: Final Gravity, Stormchaser (Inebriated Music / Anthem Entertainment)
For those who crave the authentic crunch of Camaro-driven classic rock, the latest from L.A. based brigade Final Gravity will get your heart pounding and your blood pumping in record time. Produced by Rich Mouser (Dream Theater, Weezer, Tears for Fears), Stormchaser possesses all the precision of the most melodic, yet powerful prog competitors. “The Deep” packs the guitar-fueled gusto of Geddy and the guys, circa ‘74. Additional standouts include the hard-hitting “Far Away” and “Automatic Pilot.” The fabulously faithful recreation of the 1980 Rush nugget, “Entre Nous,” serves as an extra special “Cracker Jack prize.”
❧ ❧ ❧
08: X, Smoke & Fiction (Fat Possum)
Produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Fu Manchu, The Vines), Smoke & Fiction is reportedly to be the final studio record from the iconic L.A. based punk band, X. If so, they’ve gone out in a blaze glory, as Smoke & Fiction is one of the crunchiest, most exciting straight up rock records of the year. The original roster of vocalist Exene Cervenka, vocalist-bassist John Doe, guitarist Billy Zoom, and drummer DJ Bonebrake are firing FULLY on ALL cylinders with this ten-track tour de force. Although “Big Black X” and “Ruby Church” were the initial official videos, the non-single, “Baby & All,” will also hook ya, posthaste — unless you’re completely cray-cray, or whatever it is the kids are saying this week.
❧ ❧ ❧
09: Lauran Hibberd, Girlfriend Material (Virgin Music Group)
Since first arriving on the international scene in 2017, Lauran Hibberd has kept her creative thumb placed firmly on the pulse of current pop culture. And it’s her knack for crafting catchy hooks and for imagining intoxicating melodies combined with her razor-sharp lyrics and self-deprecating humor that make her full-length sophomore set such an irresistible seduction. Overseen primarily by go-to pop-rock producer Aaron Gillespie, Girlfriend Material packs non-stop punch, from the introspective “90’s Kid” to the transparent “2nd Prettiest Girl” to the infectious title track. However, a strong case can be made that the personal and transparent “I Suck at Grieving” is the pick of the 12-pup litter. And my crystal-clear vinyl copy looks super fab!
❧ ❧ ❧
10: Kandle, Danger to Dream (Kandle Music Inc.)
Celebrated singer-songwriter Kandle holds the impressive distinction of owning two of 2024’s most alluring records: the self-titled debut EP from her alt. country combo, The Midnight Cowgirls, and her latest electro-soft-pop solo LP, Danger to Dream, a hypnotic hybrid that finds the Canadian artist carrying her creative ball another 20-30 yards downfield. Along with her songwriting and production partner, singer and musician Jeff Mitchell, Kandle succeeds in delivering a dark, yet delicate, dreamy delight. Bravo!
❧ ❧ ❧
11: The Secret Sisters, Mind, Man, Medicine (New West Records)
Possessing the voices of God-sent angels, Alabama-based siblings Laura Rogers and Lydia Slagle partnered in 2024 to produce their fifth full-length studio set, Mind, Man, Medicine. And through that endeavor, they delivered one of the most delightful records of the year — a folksy, country-tinged 11-song collection that oozes Phil and Don-style warmth, charm, and authenticity. While “Space” and “Never Walk Away” represent a couple of the record’s tallest standouts, “Paperweight” hit me the hardest. In sum, The Secret Sisters Mind, Man, Medicine — come for the songs and the stories, stay for the magical melodies and the angelic voices. Yeah, I own it — on vinyl!
❧ ❧ ❧
12: Iain Matthews, How Much Is Enough (Sunset Blvd. Records)
It was 1967, the year that birthed the British folk-rock combo, Fairport Convention. Among the members who played on the group’s self-titled 1968 debut record was budding singer / songwriter, Iain Matthews. By the late ’70s, Matthews had cemented a solid international rep as a solo artist, scoring a massive worldwide hit with the (still) irresistible earworm, “Shake It.” Flash forward nearly 60 years and more than 50 albums, and Iain Matthews returned in 2024 with his latest offering, How Much Is Enough. Matthews succeeds in covering expansive real estate throughout the honest and earnest 13-song collection. Record opener “Ripples In a Stream” offers Matthews’ deeply personal reflections, and “Bird and the Fish” feels delightfully nostalgic. “Where is Love” and “Turn and Run” both capture Matthews’ signature-style observations, while “Digital Girl” and “New Dark Ages” find the seasoned storyteller grappling with the modern world.
Find Christopher Long’s wildly popular original column, Garage Sale Vinyl, and 17 years of right-on reviews on Ink 19.
