In our December series, members of the department reflect on the books, films, TV, music, art, exhibitions and experiences that shaped their year. Today, we asked colleagues for their best song/album of the year.
Jeremy Burchardt
Motorama, ‘Rose in the Vase’ – beautiful hypnotic song (and video).
Matt Worley
I liked the new the Cure album, with its ‘Endsong’ a favourite. Also the latest Einsturzende Neabauten album was as good as ever. And Goat – Goat are always good. The Collective by Kim Gordon – it’s traffic.
Ben Bland
I’d have to give album of the year to The Great Bailout by Moor Mother: an incredible blend of jazz, experimental hip-hop, noise, and – crucially – history (the album is about the financial compensation given to slave owners as part of the UK’s Slavery Abolition Act of 1833). I also absolutely loved the Beth Gibbons album Lives Outgrown (almost as pleasing as a new Portishead album would be), Blood Incantation’s incredible death metal Pink Floyd odyssey Absolute Elsewhere, Jlin’s latest slice of avant-garde electronica Akoma, and the spine-tingling and heart-wrenching industrial noise of Uboa’s Impossible Light. I went high-level and conceptual with my album of the year so I’ll go more basic with song of the year: ‘Narcissist’s Prayer’ by Thou is just slow, brutal, horrible sludge metal at its best. ‘Ruined’ by Adrianne Lenker made me cry a lot in 2024, ‘Bread Wine Body Blood’ is an incredible opener from rapper Ka’s final album (RIP), ‘Conversion’ is the most hypnotic Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds song for many a year, and ‘Song of the Motherland’ by Shabaka (ft Anum Iyapo) is transcendentally spiritual.
David Stack
Spotify Wrapped tells me that my most listened to song this year is ‘Nothing Matters’ by The Last Dinner Party, and that seems fair enough. For running, I would recommend Letter to Self by Sprints … and not just because of the band’s name.
Rachel Foxley
I’m cheating, because apparently this came out in 2022, but I missed it! The album I’ve listened to over and over this year is The Playhouse Sessions by Bjarte Eike & Barokksolistene – a marvellous international bunch of classical and folk musicians riffing on seventeenth-century and traditional tunes in haunting, funny, catchy, and gorgeously musical ways. This is a follow-up to their previous Alehouse Sessions – also highly recommended! It’s the opposite of ‘period’ performance – always contemporary in feel while brimming with the spirit of semi-spontaneous performance which early modern musicians would certainly also have had.
Liz Barnes
Like many other people, I spent a large portion of the summer listening to Chappell Roan and wishing I was more interesting. As always, Spotify tells me my top artist of the year was the Mountain Goats (we must be going on for a decade now?) but that my top song was by Self Esteem. Got really into Shaboozy for a while, and spent an evening at the Castle Tap discovering Man the Lifeboats (who in classic folk fashion stun live but fall slightly flat when recorded). I think I’ll give album of the year to Ezra Collective, though – their Dance, No One’s Watching has kept me sane while I write.
Finally, Jacqui Tuner keeps it simple:
I love anything that leaves me with an ear worm.
Come back tomorrow for our final post in the series, where colleagues will share their favourite visits, exhibitions, games and more – the best of the rest!
READING HISTORY 