13th Floor Top 10 Albums Of 2024 (Marty’s Picks)
Here we go! The 13th Floor’s Marty Duda picked his favourite albums released in 2024…not the best, not the hippest, not the most popular…just 10 LPs that struck a chord with Mr. Duda.
Greetings and salutations! Marty here with my top 10 album picks of 2024. While others (mostly fellow boomers) are falling all over themselves telling you how much they like Charli XCX and Billie Eilish, desperately trying to cling to any hipster cred they think they still have, I’ve given up and just made a list of the albums I like to listen to the most. Of course Ian Hunter is on again…he was number 1 last year…and there are plenty of other “classic” artists. But almost half are Kiwi artists, including my number one pick. So have a read and comment somewhere with your picks.
10. Mike Hall – Nothing Standing Still (1157 Records) Let’s hear it for the bass player! Mike’s been playing with Pluto since at least 2001 and is also a member of the Come Together house band, deftly holding down the low end whether it be Led Zeppelin, The Stones, The Beatles or U2. Nothing Stands Still is his solo debut album and its a quiet beauty. Here’s a taste of my review…The nine original tunes are all uniformly melodic, slightly downbeat and memorable. First single, Stop Draggin’ Me Round is a perfect example, as is the following number, The Sun Never Came Up, closing out side 1 with what sounds like a nod to Alex Chilton’s Big Star. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
9. Matt Joe Gow & Kerryn Fields – I Remember You (Oily Rag Records) Matt and Kerryn are both Kiwis based in Melbourne, although luckily for us, they’ve spent a lot of time back home. Each has an impressive solo career but together they have something special. The harmonies are stunning and the songs are world class. Here’s a snippet from my review: The pacing throughout the 10 tracks is well thought out…following the bouncy Whirlwind comes a slow, meditative No Trace. Carry On is a gorgeous 50s-style piano ballad, sung mainly by Matt, with Kerryn just adding a harmony here and there. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
8. The Decemberists – As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (YABB/Thirty Tigers) The Portland, Oregon-based band return from a six year hiatus with their 9th studio album, one that bandleader Colin Meloy calls the band’s best, thanks, in part to returning producer Tucker Martine. My review says,Colin Meloy’s songwriting has never been sharper or more melodic…keyboard player Jenny Conlee adds some gorgeous harmonies…and Nate Query’s bass is solid as a rock. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
7. Tami Neilson – Neilson Sings Nelson (Neilson Records) We can’t get enough of Tami Neilson and she can’t stop making great records. Tami dips into the Willie Nelson songbook to put her spin on Willie’s classics. And, the great man himself shows up to lend his voice to Tami’s own Beyond The Stars. Here’s part of my review…Tami’s vocals are, for the most part, more restrained than we’re used to, although she does let loose on Sisters Coming Home. It’s a different side of Tami, one that sounds just right in these strange, uncertain times. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
6. Burton Cummings – A Few Good Moments (Jojo Productions) I do like my classic rock and Burton Cummings, vocalist for The Guess Who, is one of my favourites. So when Burton finally got around to releasing this, his first new record in over a decade, well I was all over it. And it turns out there are more than just a few good moments among the 17 tracks that make up this record. My review says, One thing is clear after listening to the first few tunes, Burton Cummings is a songwriter’s songwriter. He understands the craft and he know how to write a memorable melody with a good hook, just like the old days. Click here to read the 13th Floor review.
5. Ian Hunter – Defiance Pt2: Fiction (Sun) Anyone who knows me know how I feel about Ian Hunter. Now 85 years old, the former Mott man is still rocking. Defiance Pt 2 finds our man playing with Jeff Beck, Johnny Depp, Brian May, Lucinda Williams...the list goes on. Fortunately the songs hold up as well as the man. Here’s a bit of my review: On Defiance Part 2: Fiction, Hunter takes the listener on a trip starting with cynicism and ending with optimism. And Ian Hunter still has plenty of music in him, with a third instalment of his Defiance project already in the works. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
4. Earth Tongue – Great Haunting (In The Red Records) Gussie Larkin (also a Mermaiden) and Ezra Simons turn it up to 11 on this their second album. They toured Europe with Queens Of The Stone Age so let’s show them some love here at home. Robin Kearns wrote the review and here’s what he had to say… This collection of nine songs are loud, shrill, assertive and reach deep into dark places. Triple-shot long black coffee songs. Full of adrenalin rush and cerebral confrontation. Songs with cavernously invitational openings and sudden endings. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
3. The Cure – Songs Of A Lost World (Polydor/Fiction) Everyone’s falling all over themselves to rave about the first Cure album in 16 years and so am I! Robert Smith sounds in excellent voice as he addresses death, loneliness, aging and alienation…you know, the usual suspects. Longtime bassist Simon Gallup is on board as it former Tin Machine guitarist Reeves Gabrels. Here’s a bit of my review…overall, this is a very strong record. Smith’s songwriting and his voice are sharper than ever. The rest seems to have done him good. He may feel that he’s “outside in the dark”, but I’m betting he’s not alone. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
2. American Aquarium – The Fear Of Standing Still (Losing Side/Thirty Tigers) Front man BJ Barham is now sober, married and a father, but don’t worry, it hasn’t mellowed his music. He and his band start out with guns blazing on Crier, a rocker with “sensitive” lyrics. Here’s a slice of my review…I can understand those who may tire of Barham’s tendency to preach, but that’s who he is. So, maybe skip over Piece By Piece and the title track if the slow ones bore you or bum you out. For myself, there’s nothing like a hot band playing songs that mean something, and these days American Aquarium are one of the best. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
- Georgia Lines – The Rose Of Jericho (Nahla & Nahla) What a year Georgia has had! In addition to nailing the number one spot here, Georgia was named Best Pop Artist at this year’s AMA Awards. She ranks high on my list of top concerts of 2024 thanks to her show at The Powerstation celebrating the release of The Rose Of Jericho. And there’s plenty to celebrate…great songs, great singing, great production…Georgia has the whole package. Here’s a bit from the review…It begins with the sound of a piano and a close, almost hushed voice as Georgia sings,” I’ve been searching for who I was before, but I lost where to find me”. The recording is so intimate that we can hear the pedals of the piano throughout this and many of the tracks. Click here to read the 13th Floor album review.
