Let it be known that 2024 was pretty decent from a Rock Standpoint! Even though in other ways, the year was something like a dumpster fire to the magnitude of an atomic weapon… still, the Rock Prevailed!

“Oh, and be sure to check the playlist”

Something I am obliged to say!

All these hours you could’ve spent in the bog! It’s not too late! #bogmonstermusic

We’re comin’ to ya! On a dusty (digital) road! #bogmonstermusic

Some of my favorites from 2024: 

Charlie Manning-Walker had a pretty great year for releases in 2024. First, The Chisel (whom he plays guitar for) released their killer sophomore album “What A Fucking Nightmare”, making the move to Pure Noise Records for the first time and turning heads with their driving but catchy street punk ragers, and then Charlie’s more pub-rock-meets-hardcore side project Chubby And The Gang released their third full length and debut for Baltimore’s Flatspot Records “…And Then There Was…” came out in the late fall.The latter let  hubby Charles get the booz ballads and barroom laments out of his system after rocking out with his boots and braces out on The Chisel’s album earlier in the year (which I also talked about on the show not long after it was first released. All in all two great sets of tunes with slightly different vibes from some longtime scene vets over on the UK side of things. I swear, Chubby Charles is kind of the Greg Cartwright (Oblivians/Parting Gifts/Reigning Sound) of the NWOBHC scene in terms of general songwriting vibes especially on his …And The Gang efforts that were some of my favorite music of the year, alongside his more raging punk stuff with The Chisel.

I know I have already talked about Doechii on the show already fairly recently but she really seemed to have a busy back half of 2024 that produced some pretty great stuff. Her “Alligator Bites Never Heal” mixtape was one of my absolute favorite releases of the year to begin with, which the Florida rapper/singer followed up with an NPR Tiny Desk session, appearances on late night TV, killer sets at Tyler The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival and Kendrick Lamar’s annual Holiday Toy Drive charity concert, and even landed a handful of Grammy nominations. It’s really cool seeing an exciting young figure in one of my favorite genres of music get accolades like that based on some pretty great music kinda all at once after taking a few years to kind of get on her feet in artistry and life and stuff (as detailed in one of the breakout tracks from the mixtape, “Denial Is A River”). I feel like with a couple of notable exceptions, the more pop end of things doesn’t always embrace women in hip hop who can rap their asses off like Doechii can but she is seriously one of the more impressive emcees of any gender in the game currently and worth keeping an eye on for sure.

The last of the three albums I’ve talked about on the show recently that I had to bring up again in terms of favorites of the year, and it’s a doozy. An ugly lumbering collection of sludgy noise rock meets nu metal meets post hardcore meets just sheer volume and angst and venom over churning basslines and eerie guitars from these Oklahoman misanthropes. This album and the bands work on the whole does have some obvious reference points here and there but they put it all together in a way that just feels so refreshing and skull crushing at the same time. I mean, this is the second episode in a row I have been singing their praises so that has to count for an something. Seriously, if you like any sort of heavier music you need to go seek out Chat Pile’s latest full length. Like really, just go do it. Really, seriously go check it out. 

You know, if Kendrick Lamar had just released his quartet of tracks from the summer that completely annihilated and eviscerated the character and life of Aubrey Drake Graham, he could still be said to have had a pretty good year, but with his latest full length GNX arriving on their heels and paying homage to some on Kenny’s favorite artists and biggest inspirations, he kind of rules 2024. It’s wild to see how huge Not Like Us became, like a legit phenomenon and one if his biggest hits in a good few years, despite that it spends a good part of its runtime calling another artist out by name for being a pedophile. Like seriously, an EP of just Euphoria, 6:16 in LA, Meet The Grahams and Not Like Us outdoor maybe be my pound for pound favorite release of the year, but GNX, which arrived out of nowhere in late November was just icing on the cake. It’s twelve tracks pay tribute to inspirations and mentors like Nipsey Hussle and Nas alongside a heavy dose of classic West Coast hip hop sounds, and it was awesome to finally hear the full “Squabble Up” after it was teased at the beginning of the Not Like Us video. This was the year Kendrick Lamar had a real fire inside him unlike any in recent memory and his musical output really shows it

This Kentucky band really grew on me over the course of his year to the point that by the end of the year their latest full length has become one of my favorite heavy albums of 2024. I had heard their name and knew they were getting a bit of popularity outside of the more metallic end of modern hardcore but was kind of shocked to see sun-baked influencers in flower crowns stage diving to their music on the YouTube stream of this year’s Coachella. Here’s the thing, it’s no surprise to me that a band from the metalcore scene started crossing over into a more mainstream metal and all around popular audience, but the fact that one as raw and straight up heavy and punishing as Knocked Loose has started to draw that audience, while still on a small label is impressive indeed. Hell, they even scared some members of the audience to the point that they complained to the network during their late night TV debut on Jimmy Kimmel not that long ago. This is music to be played very loud through very good speakers that can properly handle the sheer low end punishment of some of their riffs, and a perfect soundtrack to putting your foot through a wall or something while flailing your arms wildly around the room to the tune of this gang of corn-country misanthropes and their harshly shrieked meditations on the ugly side of life and the soul. 

I’m trying to see how rendering the notes mostly through handwriting works! Writing by hand is definitely how I prefer to work, as much as possible before going to digital. Certainly, putting these things down with a pen and lined notebook pages brings me back to all the other scribbling I’ve done over the years and decades, ffs! The zine effect feels natural here. Thanks to Dan for being such an excellent pal on this endeavor! Thanks to you for checking it out any whichways or leastways whatsoever!

Best-of-24

Snodgrass & Rad Owl were both huge for me! Snodgrass is this low-key legend, and David from Rad Owl plays with him sometimes and also, weirdly, is just one day older than me!

On the whole, the year belongs to Hot Water! Three decades in and they’re touring the world and more vital than ever! Chuck’s first solo record in forever is also worth your time!

I’ve been listening to Jesse and the TRIPLE benefit LP for half the year now! What a writer this guy is! So much positive energy from Jesse, especially in light of things that would flatten many of the rest of us!

Lucero managed to get two singles off their forthcoming Unplugged LP out before the end of the year! It’s always rad to have more from these gentlemen to look forward to!

<a href="https://horsefuneral1.bandcamp.com/album/crucifix-in-a-death-hand">Crucifix in a death hand by Horse Funeral Band</a>

Horse Funeral, AKA Chris Bose and fellow conspirators, keep adding eclectic, thought-provoking, and deeply moving sketches that have a strange, nocturnal Tom Waits weirdness and ethereality to them! Maybe Chris would feel otherwise! It’s all worth checking out!

Frankie Stubbs is, hands-down, my favorite punk lyricist of all time! His writing has been there, in my ears, for more than half of my life! And the Jesse discography project is a chance to revisit Frankie when he was in peak form, recording and touring full-time! These songs have meant more to me over the years than I can properly express!