It really irks my ire when people say that “there’s no good music anymore”. It’s even worse when they announce “I refuse to listen to any new music”. Talk about being closed-minded! Me? There’s TOO much good music out these days! And easier to get than ever. It was really hard to keep up with a list this year. I had at least 30 albums that were contenders. So with that being said, here’s my top 10 lists of 2024. Take the rankings with a grain of salt, as depending on my mood, any one of these albums could shift any position, at any time. These albums were picked based on my exposure to them, how many times I heard them, and of course, how much I liked them. And up to the moment I’m typing this, I’m STILL discovering 2024 releases that should be on this list. So if you ask me a year from now what my top 10 albums for 2024 were, it may be a very different list that what is published here.
You know what? Screw it. ALL the Top Ten albums are tied for #1. My blog. I’ll do what I want!
TED’S TOP TEN OF 2024:
#1 Jack White: “No Name” I love it when a band just puts out and album with no hype, no “presale” links, no nothing other than “look what we did!”, releases it, and it turns out to be great! And that’s what exactly Jack White did when he released this album with no name or anything on it to subscribers of the Third Man Records’ Vault. Objectively speaking, this may be the best thing he’s ever been involved with. Yes, including anything by the White Stripes. It’s loud, it’s raw, it’s perfectly mixed with the guitars right up front, and it’s catchy. I can’t really ask for anything more. https://officialjackwhite.bandcamp.com/track/thats-how-im-feeling
#1 Mistress 77: “Can’t Stop” And I can’t stop. Can’t stop listening to this album! Imagine if Stiv Bators was still alive and had his shit together, moved to San Diego, and decided to make a fun catchy rock album with loud guitars and female background vocals and a good “HEY!” thrown in here and there for good measure. I had a debate going on inside my head whether this album should even be on my 2024 list because it actually came out digitally in 2023, with the vinyl coming out in 2024. But most of you (including myself) haven’t even heard this or knew when it came out and it’s my blog and I’ll do what I want, so it’s on the list! Read on in the Honorable Mentions section for another band that will be excluded from this year’s list, but definitely on next year’s list for the same reasons, but in reverse. https://mistress77.bandcamp.com/track/cant-stop
#1 Pat Todd & The Rankoutsiders: “Keepin’ Chaos At Bay” This is REAL rock ‘n roll right here. Pat Todd’s been doing this for almost 40 years now and just keeps getting better and better. How is that even possible? I don’t think any artist in the history of music has put out their best songs 40 years into their career! Every song is different, lyrics are heartfelt, meaningful and tell a story, kickass loud guitars on most of the songs, and it’s just so real. Doesn’t get much better than this. https://houndgawd.bandcamp.com/track/tower-of-song
#1 Split System: “Vol 2” Full on punk rock from Melbourne, with melody and crankin’ guitars. No, not pop-punk. Just catchy, great riffs, raspy vocals, with an attitude. This is a perfect album to force someone to listen to who thinks there is no good music anymore. Make them hear this and you’ll immediately shut up their closed-minded ignorant attitude. I had such a hard time trying to pick a track to showcase from this, so I’m just going to go with the first one. https://splitsystem.bandcamp.com/track/the-wheel
#1 Faz Waltz: “Endless Beat” Pure rock ‘n roll from Italy in the style of Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. Or if you need a more modern reference, The Jim Jones Revue. If you don’t like this, you don’t like rock ‘n roll. https://fazwaltz.bandcamp.com/track/way-you-roll
#1 Swami John Reis & The Bed Of Nails: “All Of This Awaits You Believe it or not, I had another internal debate with myself of whether this should be included in my Top 10 albums of 2024. Why? At 23 minutes, it’s basically one side of an album! There are EPs which are longer than this! But then again, there are 9 songs on this. But then again, there are some EPs, even singles, that have 9 songs on them. Looking up the definition of an “EP”, In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America, the organization that declares releases “gold” or “platinum” based on numbers of sales, defines an EP as containing three to five songs OR under 30 minutes. But by that definition, Slayer’s “Reign In Blood” would be considered an EP being 28 minutes. And that’s not true. These are things that keep me up at night. So to solve this ambiguity, just combine this album with the previous one, “Ride The Wild Night” and pretend it’s one album. Or take the b-sides that have been recorded and released for “All Of This Awaits You” and there you have your “album” that’s over 30 minutes. ANYWAYS… on to the music. Fast, hard, creative punk rock ‘n roll from San Diego legend John Reis. I like to say it’s like Rocket From The Crypt but with keyboards (don’t worry, they’re not that loud) instead of a horn section. You know the songs are going to be great. You know it’s going to rock. It does. https://youtu.be/k9In07LPxxw
#1 Kerry King: “From Hell I Rise” I have always considered Slayer the best metal band of all time. Why not Metallica? Why not Black Sabbath? Why not Judas Priest? Because Slayer has never made a misstep. Never faltered. Never used keyboards. Never released a stupid ass ballad. Sure some of their albums are better than others, but none have been outrightly considered “bad”. And since Slayer is no longer releasing albums, this is the next best thing. And it’s basically along the lines of your average Slayer album. Intense fury, loud guitars, sometimes punkish, mostly full on metal. I listen to this one in the gym often. https://youtu.be/2B-S–O-WQk
#1 Green Day: “Saviors” I consider this their trifecta of perfect Green Day albums. “Dookie” being #1. “American Idiot” being #2. And now “Saviors” is #3. They’ve had a few albums before and in between these albums, some good, some not so good, but these to me, are the 3 perfect Green Day albums. Note that I’m not calling them “perfect” albums. I’m calling them perfect Green Day albums. Perfect for Green Day. Lots of great catchy songs on this one in the style that people have grown to admire from this band. I can see them playing this whole album from front to back on the 20th anniversary for it. A great, solid Green Day album. https://youtu.be/KseB903DZao
#1 Redd Kross: “Redd Kross” Or I guess this is going to be known as “the red album”. Or “the Redd Album”. Redd Kross is one of those bands that never got the credit or the breaks that they’ve always deserved. Starting out at the forefront of California punk, seeing the Runaways at the Whiskey, hanging out with the Germs, and playing with Black Flag at the Church to staring in movies like the “Spirit Of ’76” and “Desperate Teenage Lovedolls”, they’re passionate about their love for pop culture and the cheesy and weird, but also about their music, which is inspired by the Beatles, KISS and punk rock. Somehow they got ignored during the whole grunge explosion of the early ’90s, despite being a band that helped pave the way for it. Read their book “Now You’re One Of Us” for the full story. But their love of music conquers all and they have persevered and are back with this brand new album. Their first double album, containing 18 songs which are classic Redd Kross. https://youtu.be/aofUiXJVS-8
#1 Los Chicos: “Never Is Too Much” Fell in love with these guys seeing them a couple times on my trip to Australia. Such a fun band! Energetic rock ‘n roll, Spanish style with a great sense of humor and the will and ability to ROCK. Listening to this album just brings me back to those amazingly fun shows. Recorded in just a week this past August, this shows their fast paced rock ‘n roll fun spirit. https://folcrecords.bandcamp.com/track/tracks
#1 The Fadeaways: “Pretty Wild” Completely amazing sounding garage rock. And they’re from Japan! This is an 8 song album put together for an Australian tour. Four covers, four originals. That means eight completely killer, high quality, high energy garage rock tracks. Perfectly produced. Perfectly mixed. Everything is great about this. Click on this link and find out what I mean! https://thefadeawaysdwrusa.bandcamp.com/track/one-way-street
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Classic Pat: “Won’t Back Down” This is basically a tribute album to the Queers, without actually covering any songs by the Queers. Classic Pat wrote and performed this album as if he was Joe King. And he actually pulls it off. Joe King is what I call a “master songwriter” and it would be pretty hard to imitate as he is miles better than most of his peers. Beach Boys combined with the Ramones. Yeah, it’s been done a thousand times before, but has it been done so well that it could actually be mistaken for a new Queers record? I think not. https://classicpat.bandcamp.com/track/do-you-remember
Fastbacks: “for WHAT reason!” Many people are saying this album is as good as anything the Fastbacks have ever done. And I can’t really argue against that. It’s been 25 years since their last release, so I guess this can be regarded as a great “comeback”. https://fastbacks.bandcamp.com/track/come-on
Massive Wagons: “Earth To Grace” I got turned onto this band earlier this year. They’ve got quite an extensive catalog filled with loud guitar/catchy songs. I’m not someone who’s really into lyrics, but for some reason, their lyrics about getting older and still being passionate kind of get to me. This album seems a little heavier on the lyrical themes, but lighter on the guitars, so that’s why it didn’t really hit my Top 10. But that could change as I listen to this more. https://youtu.be/o98Ww5P1XSY
Nails: “Every Bridge Burning” Holy crap! This is intense. Total hardcore metal, almost grindcore. Guitars are blisteringly loud, which is all I ask. So much riffage here, it’s unreal. But at only 17 minutes long, is this really a full album? Or just an EP? https://youtu.be/Nq8iXmOOLFo
The Dictators: “The Dictators” I’ve been a huge fan of Keith Roth and his band Frankenstein 3000 for about 20 years now. If I had the talent and ability to join any band (besides AC/DC), I would probably fit in the best with Frankenstein 3000. So when I heard that he joined up with one of my all time favorite bands, the Dictators, I couldn’t have been more happy and excited. The songwriting chops are still there and Ross The Boss sounds great, as if he couldn’t sound anything less than great. And Keith is an excellent fit for the band. Yeah, this album probably should’ve made my top 10, but the list had to be cut off somewhere. https://youtu.be/UUBdsmlkE6c
The Bacarrudas: “Pool Party Oddly named band. I want to keep calling them “The Barracudas” (of which there’s already a couple bands named that) and there’s another band called The Barreracudas and it’s easy to confuse the name with either of them (which I even just did while typing all this up; had to scrap half of what I was going to say. lol) Fun garage rock. https://thebacarrudas.bandcamp.com/track/do-it-again
CJ Wildheart: “Slots” This came out really late in the year (12/20), so I need to give this some more time to sink in. With vinyl coming out in 2025, I will count that as the official release year. So I’m omitting it from my 2024 Top 10 list for the same reason I’m letting Mistress 77 in this year, but in reverse. And you know what? It’s already my #1 album for 2025 and will stay that way for probably the next year. This is the one to beat. Top notch hard driving melodic brutal rock. Further proof that the Wildhearts were/are more than just Ginger. https://cjwildheart.bandcamp.com/track/the-baddest-girl-in-the-world-2
Pinhead Gunpowder: “Unt” Green Day side project or Aaron Cometbus’ band? Who cares? What matters is that this rocks. And it does. Yeah, it has Billie Joe’s stamp all over it and some great thick Green Day-like production, but what it really comes down to, are the songs. And this has it where it counts. https://pinheadgunpowder.bandcamp.com/track/trash-tv
Hans Condor: “Big Breakfast” Discovered this band while they came through town opening for Guitar Wolf. Good ‘ol southern punk rock ‘n roll along the lines of Antiseen, Rancid Vat, or maybe even more like Alcoholics Unanimous. These guys can really play too. https://youtu.be/U7MfVWgoLvM
J Prozac: Obsession One of many bands I discover every time my favorite blog Faster and Louder writes about something. Another album that should be in the Top 10, but there’s only room for 10. Pop punk or punk pop with a mature slant and way different than most bands you would think of that get described with that label. I like this so much, here’s two examples of what I like most from this album: https://jprozac.bandcamp.com/track/obsessionhttps://jprozac.bandcamp.com/track/that-feeling
Ace Frehley: “10,000 Volts” It’s freakin’ Ace Frehley! He’s been on quite a roll the past 15 years with his rock. He had some help with this one, but it still has his signature stamp and style all over it. Any time he releases an album, it has to be taken into consideration for top of the year. https://acefrehley.bandcamp.com/track/cherry-medicine
Ultrabomb: “Dying To Smile” It’s freakin’ Greg Norton from Husker Du! He’s back making music with his latest band, an all-star band no less, called Ultrabomb. Also writing songs and playing on this album are Finny McConnel from the Mahones and Jamie Oliver from the UK Subs and SNFU. And this album is what you’d expect from the likes of Greg Norton: melodic heartfelt hardcore. https://youtu.be/SJFGzpb69Rk
Soulseller: “Witching Hour” These guys started off as a Hellacopters tribute band for a Halloween show and decided to keep it going, writing their own songs. Of course with the name and their origin story, it’s hard to dismiss their influence, but it’s a great influence to have! And they do a great job of it and are a very powerful live band! https://gloryordeathrecords.bandcamp.com/track/lovers-eyes
BEST REISSUE:
The Fluid: “Glue” “Roadmouth” “Clear Black Paper” “Punch N Judy” Lots of reissues out in 2024, but hands down, BY FAR, the best were the Fluid albums. ALL OF THEM! Sub Pop got them all remastered and (mostly) remixed and what a difference it is from the vinyl rips and early CD versions that existed before this. You would naturally think that some of them (“Roadmouth” and “Glue”) didn’t even need to be remastered, but these releases are a definite improvement! “Punch N Judy” sounds amazing! Yeah, that one definitely needed the remix/remaster. And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s the full sessions for “Clear Black Paper” which includes tracks that were on some European releases, the “Freak Magnet” EP, and some outtakes. They come with the “Clear Black Paper” download, but are also on a new album of outtakes and demos called “Overflow”. The Fluid were the best live band I ever saw in the years ’88 through maybe ’93 and I saw a TON of amazing bands during those years. Soundgarden, Metallica, Nirvana, Jane’s Addiction, Mudhoney, Guns & Roses, etc… But no one could top the Fluid. They were a total powerful force of full on rock. We can no longer see them live, but these albums are a great reminder of how amazing this very underrated band was. Get them. All of them. https://megamart.subpop.com/collections/the-fluid https://youtu.be/bOl87uPAflQ
BEST BOX SET:
The Darkness: “Permission To Land… Again” We live in great times! Many bands and artists are going all out to release massive box sets with demos, outtakes, and live performances. Thin Lizzy released a “1976” box set, Jimi Hendrix had the “Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision” set, and Green Day had the 20th Anniversary of “American Idiot” set. All were amazing and are worth getting. But the absolute cream the crop was the Darkness “Permission To Land… Again” box set. Yeah, you get the album which we all already have, but you also get basically another album’s worth of songs that were b-sides at the time (which are just as good as the album!), demos, and THREE live concerts. If that wasn’t enough, you also get a DVD of 2 of the concerts and a documentary! Just simply a fantastic set. Well done!
Well Ted, I like your 2024 Top 10 for the most part. Quite a few things I’ve never heard and am glad to have… but FUCKING GREEN DAY?!?!. Come on, man! Also, Nails sound like noise to me and The Darkness suck, but your mileage may (and seems to) vary,. Happy Holidays: Xmas, New Year, Hanukah, Kwanzaa etc, oh… and Festivus. Cheers. C-
Lol! Glad you checked it out, at least (the top 10). I was thinking of you just not 10 minutes ago and wondering if you checked out my blog.
I like it all. Schizophonics review and photos coming up on Tuesday (I try to make an update every Tuesday). Trying to get a lot older stuff on there, but been doing too much new stuff. Got a Paul Baloff interview coming up soon (if the tape still works and I got the time), and other older stuff too. The Darkness RULE!
OH! And the only reason why the Darkness box set got in there (besides being so amazing) was that Metallica and the Replacements didn’t put out a box set this year.
Fun fact: I was interviewed for a massive Metallica documentary just about 2 months ago. So you may see me as a talking head on whatever Metallica documentary comes out in the next few years!
Fun fact #2: did you know I’m on the Metallica “And Justice For All” boxset? They used one of my interviews with Jason Newsted on the interview disk. And a story of how I snuck into a Metallica party at the Long Beach arena.
Unfortunately, I interviewed Jason THREE times and can’t find the best interview I did with him when we were both drunk live on the air. Do you have a copy of it? Let me know, and if so, I can get it to Metallica HQ with full credit to you (and/or anyone else reading this!)Â
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