Mid-Month Missive - Best of 2024 - January 2025
“Dial 999, it's a good time”
OK! Hello Gang 👋
A different one for you this month. As I said at the start of the month in The Revolution, we’re listening to great albums of 2024 in January.
We’re calling it a January tradition*
So, this Mid-Month Missive is a bit different. We’re encouraging you to listen to great music from 2024.
It doesn’t have to be a single album and it doesn’t have to be the same as us. In fact, Tom and I are listening to different things**
This month I was going to listen to 3 albums from 2024 but I’ve scaled that back to 2 as the albums I’ve chosen deserve my full attention***
I’m listening to Brat by Charli XCX and NO TITLE AS OF 13 FEBRUARY 2024 28,340 DEAD by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Now, Brat clearly needs no introduction. ‘Brat Summer’ was the phrase of 2024. But I skipped it, I was busy with The Long Play so it’s about time to catch up.
It’s on top of almost every top album of 24 list that I’ve seen. Here’s a link to a typical review.
No Title is perhaps a little more under the radar**** but I wanted to choose something different to balance Brat out. Here’s a good review.
Hold on though. The point is you get to choose. This is the one month in the year where the shared experience is just new music and not a shared album.
Here are some of my favourite best of 2024 lists if you want help choosing.
First up theneedledrop’s Top 50. This is a coincidence (I’d already chosen before I watched this video) but the two albums I’m listening to are numbers 1 and 2 on this list.
The Guardian’s Top 50. Brat is number one.
The BBC list. Brat is number one.
The NME. Brat is number one.
The Rolling Stone Top 100. Brat is number one.
Our poll is out for next month. Help us choose which album to listen to.
There are 5 stone cold classics on here from The Cure, Supertramp, Steely Dan, Led Zeppelin and Talking Heads.
Here’s the link.
Finally, just a couple fo extra links to share.
I loved this podcast - The Wonder of Stevie. It looks at Stevie’s imperial phase which obviously includes The Long Play’s feature - Songs in the Key of Life. It’s a delight and includes discussions with Questlove and Barack Obama!
And if you want new new music then this from Doechii is the best NPR Tiny Desk rap performance since Noname*****
OK, OK. That’s your lot. We’ll be back at the end of the month.
Keep listening and remember - No Skipping, No Shuffling.
Paul and Tom
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* It is a tradition. We do it every January.
** I mean - I think. Also, Tom is listening to Brat too.
*** Props to music reviewers who can listen to an album a few times and have a strong opinion. That’s not me.
**** Every album of 2024 is more under the radar than Brat
*****Maybe, just maybe, even better. I’m obsessed.