Mentre tutti ci interroghiamo su quale possa essere oggigiorno il senso di compilare una classifica delle migliori pubblicazioni musicali dell’anno -lo avete notato? Mai come oggi abbiamo la sensazione di ascoltare tantissima musica, mai come oggi abbiamo la sensazione di non riuscire ad ascoltare tutta la musica che vorremmo…- non avendo in tasca risposte particolarmente brillanti alla pur legittima domanda, mi limito a segnalare gli album che, fra le “novità”, più ho ascoltato con sincera emozione nel corso dell’ultimo anno e ai quali si legherà la gran parte dei miei ricordi datati 2024.
In this long (and frankly, somewhat pointless) list of the 100 albums that shaped my musical 2024, you’ll find albums that I truly appreciated, albums I think are important, albums I loved, and those that moved me to tears. I don’t believe this list holds any critical value, and I’m sure there are many more albums that could have made the cut (I listened to nearly a thousand records in 2024). While I remain convinced that rankings are ultimately a waste of time in the realm of art, I still present mine every year, hoping that someone might discover (or rediscover, or re-evaluate) an album through it. I apologize to all English speakers for my broken English, but as for the content of these writings, it comes straight from the heart (even if I fear this isn’t quite justification enough on its own).
Il notevole videoclip di Mind’s A Liedei londinesi High Vis pare a tratti raccontare il sequel delle imprese del giovanissimo protagonista di un altro videoclip, ovvero This Can’t Go Ondi Bill Ryder-Jones, che tanto avevamo amato nei primi mesi di quest’anno. Nella staffetta tra il primo e il secondo tempo del racconto, esaurita la spinta idealistica della prima giovinezza, l’ex adolescente ormai adulto continua la sua folle corsa a testa bassa, che appare improvvisamente come priva di una meta, più simile allo sbattere d’ali di un uccello in gabbia o allo smanacciare di un pugile che prende a pugni la sua ombra, tenuto in vita solo dal vibrare della propria rabbia.
Trust Fund is the musical project of singer-songwriter Ellis Jones. The band, which featured a rotating lineup of musicians, self-released an EP titled I’ve Been Ages in 2012, followed, one year later, by a second, Don’t Let Them Begin, and a split EP with the Welsh band Joanna Gruesome in 2014. In early 2015, Trust Fund signed to Turnstile Records for the release of the first full-length album, No One’s Coming for Us, and in the autumn of the same year, the second album, Seems Unfair, followed on the same label. After moving from Bristol to Leeds, a third album, We Have Always Lived in the Harolds, was released in June 2016 without a record label. The title is a reference to Shirley Jackson’s 1962 novel We Have Always Lived in the Castle. In July 2018, Trust Fund released their fourth full-length album, Bringing the Backline, which was intended to be their last and coincided with the decision to disband. It was only in March 2022, that Jones decided to go back to the Trust Fund name and began releasing new singles. On November 1st 2024, Trust Fund released a new album, the fifth, Has It Been a While, recorded in Sheffield by producer and close friend Joe Mackenzie Todd, via Tapete Records. On Has It Been A While? Jones strips his songs down to classical guitar and vocals, supported by captivating string quartet arrangements provided by Maria Grig.
The Gentle Spring are a new group, formed by Michael Hiscock, Emilie Guillaumot and Jérémie Orsel. Michael has an illustrious pop history, having been a founder member of The Field Mice, possibly the most beloved band on Sarah Records in the 1990s. When Michael and his friend Bobby Wratten formed The Field Mice, the two of them very quickly created a set of songs whose emotional honesty, raw guitars and perfect pop melodies pierced the hearts of a generation of indiepop fans, kids who were unmoved by the posturing of mainstream indie, and who didn’t want to spend time in fields dancing at 24-hour raves. The Field Mice were the band who defined the meaning and the spirit of Sarah Records. Defiantly in love with pop, defiantly un-macho, defiantly… sensitive. And now, remarkably, Michael has done it again. With his new musical partner Emilie, The Gentle Spring have created a fresh new iteration of indiepop music. Once again, the songs are unafraid of raw emotions, brutally honest and is still in love with big pop melodies. They are still…. sensitive. Their first album, Looking Back at The World, will be out via Skep Wax Records on January 17th 2025.
Indie Sunset in Rome 