mix-two-four
thanks to my unabomber tendencies i very rarely use spotify, and it isn't as if my mp3 player will sum up my year in music for me... i feel a little left out this time of year when everyone shares their wrapped, so i have decided to make one of my own.
i got really into jazz this year, with bossa nova as my favourite subgenre, and one of my favourite artists being minuano. my favourite of their songs, lemon elegy, was recently featured on my weekly item.
this year saw an introduction of girlpop, including TV Girl, PinkPantheress & LOONA! however, Stray Kids remain my favourite pop artists (even if this label is used loosely). however, the beginning of the year was revelatory, featuring artists in the vein of Ichiko Aoba, Mamerico, Minuano, Sade, Lamp, and Kaede. though the latter part of the year didn't prioritise music as much, it still saw the introduction of artists like PinkPantheress.
i betrayed my music taste ONCE for what was in hindsight a horribly mid man. indie rock was not for me...
my top three albums:
3. Flower of the Soul: Liana Flores
hello again
i wish for the rain
cuckoo
a return from Ms Flores, after four long years, and such a good return at that. the last lines of 'hello again' are penned into my journal, right at the front, a signifier of how special they are to me. at times they come through like a mantra. this whole album feels revelatory, and her love really shines through it. a more minimalist style of bossa, but one i really appreciate when i need refuge from the loud and taking sounds of the world. i feel as if i've grown parallel to Flores, and i'm glad to see how she's progressed, not just as an artist but as a person, and am so impressed that her songs provide the same comfort now that they did in the COVID years.
2. Be the Cowboy: Mitski
come into the water
blue light
a horse named cold air
Oh God. what can i even tell you about Mitski. another artist that has been imporant to me since the COVID years, but one whose work has taken on new meaning for me lately. something that used to be steeped in my self-concsiousness has become more liberating, less about me, and i'm better able to appreciate the beauty and skill that went into making it. this album feels fucking haunting, appropriate for both quieter moments and times i am overwhelmed with emotion. the oscillation between more upbeat, faster tracks and the drawing quiet of others lends itself so well to the feeling of instability and submission-revolt this album finds in me. what God cannot understand, Mitski can. what stands out to me in all her songs is the way her voice reaches you, and with how candidly she sings i feel it go straight from her heart to mine. throughout the year my choice of favourite has run through every song on the album, making my top three a difficult decision... naming every contender would just be a tracklist...
1. Frank: Amy Winehouse
in my bed
take the box
mr magic (through the smoke)
this cd has been in my mam's car since i was little, but this year it started to mean a lot more to me. Frank is so perfectly warm for these cold months, and particularly at the end of this year, we started to listen to it religiously. driving to this has been a shared source of joy for us, linked with memories of taking my friends home & stopping at the chippy on the way back from parties or having to help until late at school. driving to this has been our respite, our special secret haven that keeps our joy a little longer, a little longer out of the house without anyone knowing what we're doing, without being condemned. at first, i would only listen to the first few songs before looping back to the start, but i have come to love every part of this album. some of these lyrics speak straight into my soul, and i carry them around with me. when i say that i love this album, i mean that i love the time i have spent with it.
song of the year 2024
Carry Me Out: Mitski