2024 Superlatives | The Marinade's Favorite Records of The Year

Damn, what a year for music! I suspect we all finally had a chance to catch our collective breath and listen for the first time in almost ten years. The wind was taken out of us in November, but by then so many incredible records had been released.

This year I have decided to compile a list of the records I loved the most and indicate whether I acquired a physical copy. These are presented in no particular order. Think of it as a catalog of the records i spent the most time with because they spoke to me.

I will also be releasing an episode of The Marinade where I talk about my top five most meaningful records from 2024. make sure to follow The Marinade and Marinade Media on socials and subscribe on your podcast app. Hope you enjoy!

Cheers,
JE

John Moreland Visitor (Bought the indie exclusive vinyl at Park Ave CDs in Orlando)

Johnny Blue Skies Passage du Desir (Bought the vinyl at Park Ave CDs in Orlando)

Chris Robeson Euphoriphobia (His publicist sent me a CD. This record is so good.)

Pony Bradshaw Thus Spoke the Fool (I think I got this one on Bandcamp Friday. It’s a very cool splatter vinyl.)

Boulevards Carolina Funk: Barnburner on Tobacco Road (Vinyl from Park Ave CDs)

American Aquarium The Fear of Standing Still (Indie Exclusive from Park Ave CDs)

Dustin Kensrue Desert Dreaming

Rambler Kane Live at Blue Jay Listening Room (Bought a CD from the man himself at his show with Jonathan Peyton and Abigail Peyton)

Sammy Kay July 1960 (Again, bought from the man himself)

Josh Morningstar S/T

Silverada S/T

Aaron Lee Tasjan Stellar Evolution (His publicist sent me a promotional copy. We were going to record an episode of The Marinade but scheduling got in the way. I need to follow up with him.)

Joe Pug Sketch of a Promised Departure

Kasey Anderson To the Places We Lived

The Kilograms (Ordered it from Sammy Kay himself.)

Rich Ruth Water Still Flows

Jonathan Peyton Nothing Here’s the Same (Pre-ordered this one from Jonathan)

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings Woodland (Pre-ordered the indie exclusive from Park Ave)

Katy Kirby Blue Raspberry (Deluxe)

Adrianne Lenker Bright Future

Hurray for the Riff Raff The Past is Still Alive

Taylor McCall Mellow War

Emily Nenni Drive and Cry

Kendrick Lamar GNX

Micah Schnabel The Clown Watches the Clock (Bought a copy from Micah at his show at Lil Indies in Orlando, which was incredible.)

Adeem The Artist Anniversary

Amythyst Kiah Still and Bright

The Felice Brothers Valley of Abandoned Songs

MJ Lenderman Manning Fireworks

Waxahatchee Tigers Blood

Oliver Wood Fat Cat Silhouette 

The Cure Songs of a Lost World

Daryl Hance Devil’s Millhopper

Jordan Foley Leave Your Messages

Nick Gusman and The Coyotes Lifting Heavy Things

Justin Bloss Claymore

Album Review | Kingdom in My Mind by The Wood Brothers

“The idea for this group has always been to marry our backgrounds, to imagine what might happen if Robert Johnson and Charles Mingus had started a band,” says Chris Wood of The Wood Brothers. Chris, his brother Oliver, and Jano Rix have melded genres while remaining anchored in American roots for nearly fifteen years. On their upcoming release Kingdom in My Mind, the ship takes flight tethered by the world’s longest rode.

Kingdom in My Mind does not ostensibly flow from previous Wood Brothers albums, yet from the first listen it feels like a logical next step. 2018’s One Drop of Truth was a departure from their normal recording process. It came together over a year period with multiple engineers at the helm. The result was an amalgamation of tunes that showcased the band as a unit. Each of their influences came through as an individual voice while blending into a gorgeous statement of an album. 

One Drop of Truth was nominated for a Grammy. Following that kind of reception would be daunting for most bands. The Wood Brothers are seemingly untroubled by such expectations. The band did not set out to make Kingdom in My Mind per se. The album began as an exploration of their new studio space in Nashville. 

They were jamming and getting oriented with the rooms of the studio. A group of musicians who know each other intimately, loosening their ties completely and exploring together. What happened was the inexplicable magic of music. Without meaning to, they had the bones of an album's worth of songs, which were later carved into their best work to date. 

Kingdom in My Mind kicks off with the funky, jazzy “Alabaster”- a song that captures the essence of The Wood Brothers and sets the tone for this record. It is a hopeful tune serving to open the listener’s imagination to the introspective places we so often live. 

“Little Bit Sweet” follows and lays the foundation for its sister song “Little Bit Broken” which comes later in the record. The tune starts almost like a jangly country blues number featuring Oliver Wood’s voice and guitar. Then Chris Wood’s bass and Jano’s special brand of percussion (complete with what sounds like a gong) come in to flip expectations on their heads. The song is a sonic divergence from the first track yet its place in the sequence of Kingdom of My Mind fits like a tailored suit. 

Midway through the record, the Brothers plant a flag cementing its theme. 

“Everyone has these little kingdoms in their minds,” says Chris Wood, “and the songs on this album all explore the ways we find peace in them. They look at how we deal with our dreams and our regrets and our fears and our loves. They look at the stories we tell ourselves and the ways we balance the darkness and the light.”

“When I’m lovin’ you I don’t think about my death” goes the chorus of the album’s main artery. The universality of our existential dread runs throughout this album. For some of us it’s a fear of not knowing what lies on the other side of our earthly demise. For others it’s the fear of leaving people behind. Death looms omnipresently and we all reckon differently with that reality. Only when we are truly present in the moment, when focused on a pure expression of love, can we escape the uneasiness that accompanies life and death.

Kingdom in My Mind explores tough questions with equanimity- uniting a multitude of sounds to create the most powerful expression in the storied catalog of The Wood Brothers. 

Kingdom in My Mind will be available everywhere you consume music on January 24, 2020.

The Wood Brothers- “Alabaster”