Favorite Music :: 2024
Some singles, some EPs and some full-length albums.
These have been 50 of my favorite releases of 2024. Selections are in alphabetical order because you can’t rank music.
Can’t wait to hear your thoughts.
Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown (2021) :: A Holiday At The Sea (MEGA) Playlist
The next time you’ve got nearly 5 hours to kill, I’ve got the mix for you! These are not necessarily my “favorite songs of 2021.” Instead, these are choice cuts; one representative track from each of my favorite 50 albums of the year. Regardless of length.
Get ready for a ride.
Tracklist:
Pray for Peace by Ustad Saami from East Pakistan Sky
Recessinater by Birds of Maya from Valdez
The People vs. the Rest of Us by Damon Locks Black Monument Ensemble from NOW
Bell Song by 75 Dollar Bill featuring Barry Weisblat from Social Music at Troost Vol. 1
Ya Rossoul by Khaira Arby from Khaira Arby In New York (Live In 2010)
Movement by Bell Orchestre from House Music
Broken Mirror (A Selfie Reflection)/Composition 9 by Matthew E. White and Lonnie Holley from Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection
Riddim Rek Sa Niouy Mom by Wau Wau Collectif from Yaral Sa Doom
All That They Left You by Six Organs of Admittance from The Veiled Sea
Days Like These by Low from Hey What
VBS by Lucy Dacus from Home Video
Brothers by Phil Cook from All These Years
Dark In Here by the Mountain Goats from Dark In Here
Djougoh by Nahawa Doumbia from Kanawa
The Call by Madlib from Sound Ancestors
Beat Up Born Where I Come From by Ghost of Vroom from Ghost of Vroom 1
Dovetail by Girls in Airports from Leap
descension (Out of Our Constrictions) III by Natural Information Society and Evan Parker from descension (Out of Our Constrictions)
Beowulf’s Trip by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders from Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders
World is Turning by Rose City Band from Earth Trip
Disposable Thumbs by Endless Boogie from Admonitions
Staggering With a Lantern by Mountain Movers from World What World
Albuquerque by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis from CARNAGE
OUR SIDE HAS TO WIN (for D.H.) by Godspeed You! Black Emperor from G_d's Pee At States End!
Juvenescence by Yasmin Williams from Urban Driftwood
Invisible Map by Derek Piotr from Making and Then Unmaking
You Can Regret What You Have Done by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy from Superwolves
This Old World by Billy Strings from Renewal
Kelp Highway by Drew Gardner from Drew Gardner
Jnoun ! by Bachar Mar-Khalifé from Ghost Songs
In Remembrance Of Those Fallen by Sons of Kemet from Black To The Future
Bertha The Cool by Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog from Hope
Give Me Back My Loving by Leo Nocentelli from Another Side
Don’t Let The Tears by Howlin’ Rain from The Dharma Wheel
Tree of Tule by Daniel Lanois from Heavy Sun
Way To Cairo by Native Soul from Teenage Dreams
Ethiopian Sunshower by Adrian Younge And Ali Shaheed Muhammad from Brian Jackson JID008
Zengadyw Derekou by Hailu Mergia from Tezeta
Ya Habibti by Mdou Moctar from Afrique Victime
Tropicale Moon by Mouth Painter from Tropicale Moon
Natural Facts by Wet Tuna from Eu’d To A Fake Boogie Volume 4
Shrinks the Day by Ryley Walker and Kikagaku Moyo from Deep Fried Grandeur
Musungu Elongo Paints His Face White to Scare Small Children by Kasai Allstars from Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound
Trap Life by Sault from Nine
Désert by Dobe Gnahoré from Couleur
Part 1 by Elkhorn from The Golden Lag
If It Comes In The Morning by Hiss Golden Messenger from Quietly Blowing It
Morning River by Steve Gunn from Other You
Shiva With Dustpan by Ryley Walker from Course In Fable
Cortez the Killer (live) by Neil Young and Crazy Horse from Way Down In The Rust Bucket
Browse my favorite albums of the year
Browse my “2021 Yearly Wrap-it-Up” which is really a ramble about seeing Phish
Browse my favorite books of 2021
Browse my favorite movies of 2021
Browse my favorite television of 2021
Listen to a nearly 5-hour very low quality mix of one song from each of my favorite albums of 2021 called “Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown”
2021 Year In Review :: Favorite Albums
Here’s the dealio, my coolios.
Each year, I keep a running diary of sorts of all of the things I liked each year. If you’re interested (which I doubt you are), you can follow along with my real-time unedited yearly bookkeeping here.
At the end of each year I try to cull down the music section to what really defined my year musically. No ranking. Just great music. Here are 50 of my favorite 2021 albums in alphabetical order.
Albums In Visual Alphabetical Order:
Albums In Alphabetical Alphabetical Order:
Social Music at Troost Vol.1 by 75 Dollar Bill
Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders // Elixor of Life by Jeffrey Alexander and the Heavy Lidders
Khaira Arby in New York (Live in 2010) by Khaira Arby
House Music by Bell Orchestre
Valdez by Birds of Maya
Carnage by Nick Cave & Warren Ellis
All These Years by Phil Cook
Home Video by Lucy Dacus
Kanawa by Nahawa Doumbia
The Golden Lag by Elkhorn
Admonitions by Endless Boogie
Drew Gardner by Drew Gardner
Ghost of Vroom 1 by Ghost of Vroom
Leap by Girls in Airports
Couleur by Dobet Gnahoré
G_d's Pee At States End! by Godspeed You! Black Emperor
Other You by Steve Gunn
Quietly Blowing It by Hiss Golden Messenger
The Dharma Wheel by Howlin’ Rain
Brian Jackson JID008 by Brian Jackson, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Adrian Younge
Black Ants Always Fly Together, One Bangle Makes No Sound by Kasai Allstars
Heavy Sun by Daniel Lanois
Now by Damon Locks & Black Monument Ensemble
Hey What by Low
Sound Ancestors by Madlib
Hope by Marc Ribot’s Ceramic Dog
Ghost Songs by Bachar Mar-Khalifé
Tezeta by Hailu Mergia
Afrique Victime by Mdou Moctar
Dark In Here by the Mountain Goats
World What World by Mountain Movers
Tropicale Moon by Mouth Painter
Teenage Dreams by Native Soul
descension (Out of Our Constrictions) by Natural Information Society/Evan Parker
Another Side by Leo Nocentelli (1971)
Making and Then Unmaking by Derek Piotr
Earth Trip by Rose City Band
East Pakistan Sky by Ustad Saami
Nine by Sault
The Veiled Sea by Six Organs of Admittance
Black to the Future by Sons of Kemet
Renewal by Billy Strings
Superwolves by Matt Sweeney and Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Deep Fried Grandeur by Ryley Walker And Kikagaku Moyo
Course In Fable by Ryley Walker
Yaral Sa Doom by Wau Wau Collectif
Eau’d To A Fake Boogie Volume 4 by Wet Tuna
Broken Mirror: A Selfie Reflection by Matthew E. White and Lonnie Holley
Urban Driftwood by Yasmin Williams
Way Down in the Rust Bucket by Neil Young and Crazy Horse
Browse my favorite albums of the year
Browse my “2021 Yearly Wrap-it-Up” which is really a ramble about seeing Phish
Browse my favorite books of 2021
Browse my favorite movies of 2021
Browse my favorite television of 2021
Listen to a nearly 5-hour very low quality mix of one song from each of my favorite albums of 2021 called “Soundtrack to the Collective Meltdown”
2020 Year-End Music Round-Up Wrap-Up Extravaganza
No one could have predicted a year like 2020. The live music industry is on life support. Bandcamp came through just about better than anyone else to support music. And there was a ton of great music released this year.
Per the norm, I do not rank albums. Music is not a competition and my taste is not your taste. So, after lots of thought and list-shuffling and winnowing, these are the 75 albums that really stood out for me. My original list was quite a bit longer (and you can always keep up in real-time by following the Yearly Bookkeeping page), so I can tell you that this list provides a great overview of my music listening for this crazy year.
Here are my favorite 75 albums of 2020.
The Visual List:
The Alphabet List:
Live at Tubby's by 75 Dollar Bill Little Big Band
Shaman! by Idris Ackamoor & The Pyramids
Time is A Gift Which We Share All The Time by Afriquoi
Rejoice by Tony Allen and Hugh Masekela
Live by Angel Bat Dawid & Tha Brothahood
Fu Chronicles by Antibalas
Fetch The Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple
Roy Ayers JID002 by Roy Ayers, Adrian Younge and Ali Shaheed Muhammad
Ex-Voto by Jamie Barnes
Please Advise by Beauty Pill
Crash Test Kid by Sammy Brue
Long In The Tooth by the Budos Band
Regresa by Buscabulla
Shadow Talk by Café Racer
Echo Mine by Califone
Gold Record by Bill Callahan
Have We Met by Destroyer
I Just Wasn't Made For These Set Times by Dire Wolves (Just Exactly Perfect Sisters Band)
Rough and Rowdy Ways by Bob Dylan
Afternoon Tea at Six by Eishan Ensemble
Acoustic Storm Sessions by Elkhorn
Kahil El’Zabar’s Spirit Groove by Kahil El'Zabar & David Murray
Wake Up! by Hazel English
Shore by Fleet Foxes
A Hero’s Death by Fontaines D.C.
Peoples Motel Band by Chris Forsyth and Garcia Peoples
SOURCE by Nubya Garcia
Nightcap at Wits' End by Garcia Peoples
Big Dark Bright Futures by Growing Concerns Poetry Collective
Women In Music Pt. III by Haim
Infinity Of Now by the Heliocentrics
National Freedom by Lonnie Holley
Muerto, Carcel o Rocanroll by Huntingtons
Beginners by Christian Lee Hutson
Reuinions by Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit
Babani Koné by Babani Koné
Mutation by Les Freres Smith
2020 by Magik Markers
Eno Axis by H.C. McEntire
Joshua Massad & Dylan Aycock by Joshua Massad & Dylan Aycock
Microphones in 2020 by the Microphones
Circles by Mac Miller
Dimensional Stardust by Rob Mazurek/Exploding Star Orchestra
Annual by Modern Nature
Getting Into Knives by the Mountain Goats
Staunch Honey by David Nance
Three by the Necks
Rob Noyes & Sam Moss by Rob Noyes & Sam Moss
We No Be Machine by Onipa
Jams From The Sun by Oregon Space Trail of Jazz
High Upon The Mountain by Pacific Range
Suite For Max Brown by Jeff Parker
Summerlong by Rose City Band
RTJ4 by Run The Jewels
Landwerk demos by Nathan Salsburg
Acoustic by Oumou Sangaré
Untitled (Black Is) by Sault
We Are Sent Here By History by Shabaka and the Ancestors
The Don of Diamond Dreams by Shabazz Palaces
Ocean Bridges by Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk
Companion Rises by Six Organs of Admittance
Shall We Go On Sinning So That Grace May Increase? by The Soft Pink Truth
Optimisme by Songhoy Blues
Swirling by Sun Ra Arkestra
Oh Yeah? by Sunwatchers
Wooden Flower by Tambourinen
Folklore by Taylor Swift
Nomad by Tengger
Sun Racket by Throwing Muses
Siftorde by Tidiane Thiam
New Vanitas by William Tyler
The Great Mountain by Waterless Hills
Eau’d To A Fake Bookie Volume 3 by Wet Tuna
Strange to Explain by Woods
Homegrown by Neil Young
Holiday At The Sea's Favorite 2020 Music Mix (Volume 05)
Volume 05 of some of Holiday at the Sea’s favorite 2020 music. I chose 75 albums this year and the playlists total 74 songs since “Microphones in 2020 by the Microphones” is 45 minutes long and I didn’t want to include the whole album as part of a mix.
Anyways, enjoy!
Tracklisting:
“Sam Sam” by Afriquoi
“Fight Am Finish” by Antibalas
“Tulips” by Archie Shepp, Raw Poetic & Damu the Fudgemunk
“Sixth Hammer” by the Budos Band
“Signs” by Eishan Ensemble
“Acoustic Storm Part One” by Elkhorn
“Further” by the Necks
“Wooden Flower” by Tambourinen
“Walkin’ In Rhythm” by Wet Tuna
“Snake Mouth” by Rob Noyes & Sam Moss
asdf
Holiday at the Sea's Favorite Music of 2019
2019 has been a great year for music. From 30-minute mind-melting jams to Tuareg guitar and all kinds in between. I LOVE year-end lists. I love seeing what other people loved, especially if I can find something I hadn’t heard before. And to a lesser extent, who doesn’t like having their tastes confirmed by people much cooler?
But I don’t necessarily like ranking everything. After all, every list is subjective. And is there really any music that is “best”? Maybe you preferred one album to others, but does that really mean it’s “better”? Excuse me while I step off of my soapbox.
And I don’t like not hearing what people recommend. So, as you already know, I made a four-volume mix of some of my favorite music of the year, which I hope you’ve already checked out. If not, feel free to do so here and here and here and here. Also, just one more time of review, I chose 50 songs this year but only 49 albums since ‘Sideways’ by Seryn was released as a single.
Now that you’ve had a chance to to hear the songs, here is the complete list in alphabetical order.
I Was Real by 75 Dollar Bill
Mandatory Reality by Joshua Abrams & Natural Information Society
Ancestral Recall by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
U.F.O.F. by Big Thief
Sahari by Aziza Brahim
RE_CORDIS by Bruno Bavota
i,i by Bon Iver
V by The Budos Band
African Giant by Burna Boy
Shepherd In A Sheepskin Vest by Bill Callahan
Ghosteen by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
All My Relations by Cochemea
A Good Time by Davido
Grow Towards The Light by Dire Wolves
Sun Cycle / Elk Jam by Elkhorn
Pianoworks by Eluvium
Blue Values by Eamon Fogarty
All Time Present by Chris Forsyth
Gold Past Life by Fruit Bats
One Of The Best Yet by Gang Starr
One Step Behind by Garcia Peoples
The Unseen In Between by Steve Gunn
Back At The House by Hemlock Ernst and Kenny Segal
The Gospel According to Water Joe Henry
Terms of Surrender by Hiss Golden Messenger
More Arriving by Sarathy Korwar
Miri by Bassekou Kouyate & Ngoni Ba
Sauropoda by L'Eclair
Ilana (The Creator) by Mdou Moctar
Stars Are The Light by Moon Duo
Three Chords and the Truth by Van Morrison
All Mirrors by Angel Olsen
Desire Path by One Eleven Heavy
Phoenix by Pedro the Lion
Rainford by Lee “Scratch” Perry
Purple Mountains by Purple Mountains
Rose City Band by Rose City Band
‘Sideways’ by Seryn
Out of Darkness by Some Dark Hollow
Illegal Moves by Sunwatchers
Amankor / The Exile by Tartit
Amadjar by Tinariwen
Preserves by Matt Valentine
Father of the Bride by Vampire Weekend
Remind Me Tomorrow by Sharon Van Etten
Come On Up To The House: Women Sing Waits by Various Artists
Water Weird by Wet Tuna
Ode To Joy by Wilco
The Sisypheans by Xylouris White
Walk Through The Fire by Yola
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Listen to Volume 01 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 02 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 03 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
Listen to Volume 04 of my 2019 Year-End Playlist
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Holiday at the Sea’s Favorite Music Label of 2019
My Favorite music label of the year would have to be, without a doubt, Brooklyn’s Beyond Beyond is Beyond. Self-describes as: "“Music for Heads, by Heads,” which just about sums it up. More a vibe than a genre. A way of thinking than a particular style.
With five out of my favorite 49 albums of the year; (Dire Wolves, Garcia Peoples, L'Eclair, One Eleven Heavy, and Matt Valentine (plus, if I had expanded my list or included an “Honorable Mentions” section, this list would have expanded even more. That De Lorians is really good to mention only one more), no other single label presented as much music that I wanted to hear this year.
I can’t wait to hear what’s next.
Holiday at the Sea's Favorite 2019 Music Mix (Volume 04)
Today we dive in to Volume 04 of a 4-volume playlist of some of my favorite music of 2019. And, just to review one last time: there are 50 songs, but only 49 albums represented, since ‘Sideways’ by Seryn was released as a single. We’ve already heard a lot of great music and this last installment is no exception if I do say so myself (and I do).
I hope you enjoy this last installment of the series.
Volume 04:
Volume 04 Tracklisting:
‘Come On Up To The House’ by Joseph from the album Come On Up To The House: Women Sing Waits
‘Spinning Song’ by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds from the album Ghosteen
‘U.F.O.F.’ by Big Thief from the album U.F.O.F.
‘Goin’ by Wet Tuna from the album Water Weird
‘Walk Through The Fire’ by Yola from the album Walk Through The Fire
‘All Mirrors’ by Angel Olsen from the album All Mirrors
‘Utopia In Blue’ by Eamon Fogarty from the album Blue Values
‘Margaritas at the Mall’ by Purple Mountains from the album Purple Mountains
‘My Phoenix’ by Pedro the Lion from the album Phoenix
‘Be Kind’ by Matt Valentine from the album Preserves
‘Her Arrival’ by Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah from the album Ancestral Recall
‘Endless Dave’ by L'Eclair from the album Sauropoda
‘Good Ol' Vilayati’ by Sarathy Korwar from the album More Arriving
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