Our Annual Year In Review: In The Loop Magazine’s Best Of: 2024

Dec 18, 2024 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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Tis the season. The In The Loop Magazine staff discuss what they thought the best of the year was to them. These are our favorite concerts, albums, bands, tours, venues, theatre and other highlights from 2024.

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James Currie:

2024 was a busy year. We saw lots of concerts, reviewed many new releases, heard from a couple new artists, attended the festivals even saying goodbye to a couple. These are my highlights of 2024.

Top 10 Best Albums (In no particular oder):

1. Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood
2. mk.gee, Two Star & The Dream Police
3. Fontaines D.C., Romance
4. kim gordon, The Collective
5. Jack White, No Name
6. The Cure, Songs Of A Lost World
7. Judas Priest, Invincible Shield
8. Kerry King, From Hell I Rise
9. Ministry, Hopiumforthemasses
10. St. Vincent, All Born Screaming

Top 10 Best Concerts (In no particular order):

1. Mono: 25th Anniversary Tour, Thalia Hall
2. Till Lindman: North American Tour, Aragon Ballroom
3. Slayer: Final Concert, Riot Fest
4. Pink!: Summer Carnival Tour, Soldier Field
5. U2: Vegas Residency, Sphere, Las Vegas
6. Porno For Pyros: Tour 2024, Salt Shed
7. The Shivas: Feels So Good / Feels So Bad North US Tour, FitzGerald’s American Music Festival
8. The Dandy Warhols: 30th Anniversary Tour, Metro Chicago
9. Andrew Bird: Tour 2024, Green Mill
10. Kerry King: one off show, Reggies

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Kelly Clausen:

My favorite album of the year is The Cure with the release of ‘Song’s of a Lost World’. My favorite concert was U2 live at the Sphere in Las Vegas. My favorite new artist of the year is Waxahatchee. I know they aren’t new, new, but new to me as I somehow just discovered them and glad I did.

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Bobby Talamine:

Best Albums of 2024:
All over the map, just like past years. Was there a favorite “Favorite”? Not exactly. However as far as multiple plays, since early November, that would go to the Cure’s “Songs of a Lost World” of course.

Album of the year?
Don’t know if I can justify that to any of the albums selected. Out of maybe 40 or so albums originally selected, I’ve whittled that number to a respectable 12 or so. So in my opinion, they all could be Album of the Year.

In no particular order:

the Cure- “Songs of a Lost World” – Tons of heart in the never ending darkness, mortality being like a neon sign blinking throughout.

The The- “Ensoulment” – Can’t find a more cooler guy than Matt Johnson to level the playing field on views of the world, tackling heavy questions, with smoldering and smoky bar grooves permeating throughout.

Kim Gordon- “The Collective”- Beautifully crafted abrasiveness. Always on edge, seething with anger and disruptions. Age be damned. Kim Gordon revels in it- lyrics like shrapnel that shatter and leave wounds.

Mount Kimbie- “The Sunset Violent” – Just so ambitious, and yet strange and disorientating, no clues or guideposts on where things might be going, especially as a quartet. And then, punctuated with even more heft by adding King Krule into the mix for a couple songs, especially the closer “Empty and Silent”. Repeated deep dives since its release back in April, and I still don’t have all the clues in the singing songwriting. 

Charli XCX- “Brat” You know it- or should damn well know it. Dance and Raves are stamped to your forehead. Brash and uninhibited, with nary a squadron of hangers on trying to control things, to polish things. All the better for it- her views on taking things by the throat, with megamillion beats to provide extra emphasis on if you’re in for the fight of a lifetime, or- get out, move to the side please- a bulldozer is coming through. 

Mdou Moctar- “Funeral for Justice”- Oh man oh man oh man…Mdou Moctar’s fury is standout applause shapeshifting awesome. He cooks. Hard. So does his band, amping things up, then amping things up some more. His shows- they leave you in a sweaty mess. Music that blesses over the horizon line- then ignites like rocket fuel of the solid third degree burn kind.

John Cale- “Poptical Delusion”- Another guy where age be damned. He’s twirling in his own world, creating memorable songs that feed you on a never ending hallucinogenic journey of crazy and yet enchanting what the fucks. More of this please, if you’re so inclined to record in the future Mr. Cale. 

Brittany Howard- “What Now” – She embraces many styles, all of them elegantly perceived, one brilliant song after another, after another. You hear everything in her weave, 70’s heartfelt soul, a bit of Sly and the Family Stone, and also definitive rhythm and blues. And all done with such an emotional depth. 

Ryuichi Sakamoto- “Opus”- Such heartbreak. But he put up the good fight to the end, his cancer progressing aggressively to terminal stages. His creative spirit- intact and unbroken, ever evident in these emotionally laid bare tracks. Calculated decisions on single notes, on the essence of melody are punctuated throughout, playing his heart out one last time.

IOTUNN- “Kinship”  This came out of nowhere- a ton of IOTUNN. Profoundly exceptional metal, on top of more metal. To have that much intensity, and also stay true to fantastical melody, all the while barnburner beats are pummeling you to the core- that’s saying something. These guys are the real deal.

Blood Incantation- “Absolute Elsewhere”- The boys from Denver and their take on death metal up the ante yet again. And I wouldn’t expect anything less. The band Rush infused heavy riffs, slash and burn style, all the while with gnarly infused guttural growling intact, and crazy left turns out of nowhere, with no guardrails whatsoever. Easily one of the best metal releases of the year.

Opeth- “The Last Will and Testament”- The Swedes reign, yet again. A return to form, sure, but yet with a bit more angst, and heavy duty chops of all kinds are blatantly everywhere. Hard to know where to begin with this latest release from them- repeated listens still leave me exhausted. It’s a gripping story alright, trailblazing through scenes from World War l and the reading through a patriarchal family and of course, the reading of the Last Will followed by some shocking family secrets. Troublesome and yet inviting, of the good metal kind.

Live performances of the year, all over the map, just like my album reviews. How about Kerry King solo at Reggies, followed by later in the year with Slayer at Riot Fest? Or Matt Johnson and The The at Salt Shed? Or the mighty Jesus Lizard having a go at Salt Shed, with trailblazing openers King Woman and Sextile for “Warm Love Cool Dreams”? Or how about party fantastical with Till Lindemann and openers Twin Temple and Aesthetic Perfection at the Aragon? Let’s not forget two nights of Metallica at Soldier Field, in the round, two different set lists for the shows. Gesaffelstein at Radius- even though he didn’t go on until 2am- for progressive EDM- no one comes close. Or the mighty Sessanta at Wintrust Arena- A Birthday party for Maynard James Keenan, with A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, and of course Primus along for the ride. Just some of the many many cool shows punctuated throughout the year- lest we forget Chappell Roan at Lollapalooza, with a crowd easily above a hundred thousand to witness her act…

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Harrison Kristoff:

Albums of the year:

1. Charli xcx – BRAT
2. Knocked Loose – You Won’t Go Before You’re Supposed To
3. Cindy Lee – Diamond Jubilee
4. Laura Marling – Patterns in Repeat
5. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Wild God
6. Father John Misty – Mahashmashana
7. St. Vincent – All Born Screaming
8. Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia?
9. MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
10. Amyl and The Sniffers – Cartoon Darkness

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Fleurette Farley Estes:

Favorite shows of the year:

1. Echo and the Bunnymen @ The Riviera Theater
2. Brigitte Calls Me Baby @ Lincoln Hall

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Christopher Bevard:

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Angela Urban:

Sawyer Brown / Anything and everything Sawyer Brown.

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Kyle Decker:

As a longtime fan of High Fidelity, I tend to think in terms of Top 5s. Here are a few of mine for 2024 (In no particular order, because objective order is not really a thing). 

Top 5 Albums

1. To All Trains -Shellac

Losing Steve Albini this year fucking sucked. But like Bowie before him, our provocateur laureate left us one last masterpiece in the week of his passing. 

2. Hello Hell – Miracle Blood

I can’t believe there’s not more buzz around this band. Yet, anyway. Heavy, funny, and noisy as fuck. Checks many of my boxes.

3. Cool World – Chat Pile

This Nebraska noise rock band continues to churn out some of the loudest, heaviest, noisiest rock on the market today. All served with a side of righteous anger.

4. Fate & Alcohol – Japandroids
   
   The big single off this one is “Chicago” which will undoubtedly be used in the next season of The Bear. Apparently, this is the band’s final album. If so, it’s a good one to go out on.
   
5. Rack – The Jesus Lizard

I often worry when a band releases a new album “for the first time in 26 years”. But this did not disappoint. Seriously peak Jesus Lizard. 

Honorable mention: Songs for The Deceased – Meryl Streek

This Irish artist is a weird mix of punk, electronic, and spoken word poetry, typically about the millennial wealth gap. And, man, he does not like landlords.

Top 5 Shows:

1. OFF! @ Lincoln Hall
2. Zeal & Ardor @ Thalia Hall
3. Precocious Neophyte @ Sleeping Village
4. The Jesus Lizard @ The Salt Shed
5. Drinking Boys and Girls Choir/Otoboke Beaver @ Thalia Hall

Honorable Mention: X @ Fitzgerald’s

Top 10 Songs:

I know I said Top 5s, but I wanna do 10 songs. My list, my rules.

1. “Sour Breath” by Off With Their Heads (Julien Baker cover)
2. “Chicago” by Japandroids
3. “If This is Life” by Meryl Streek
4. “Wednesday” by Shellac
5. “U Should Not Be Doin’ That” by Amyl and the Sniffers
6. “History” by Drinking Boys and Girls Choir
7. “Moto(r)” by The Jesus Lizard
8. “Phenomenon” by Miracle Blood
9. “I Am Dog Now” by Chat Pile
10. “My Spirit Animal Ate Your Spirit Animal” by Dead Pioneers

Honorable Mention: “Dancer” by IDLES & LCD Soundsystem

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• 2024, Best of 2024, In The Loop Magazine, Staff Picks, Year in Review

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