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Just one more thing...

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So it's a question that's been asked of me a few times in the last couple of years - is Nite Songs ever going to become a thing again? When I wound the 'zine down in early 2023, it was because real life had got in the way - I was trying to balance writing it with doing a college course (now complete), working arguably the most complex job I've had in my life (still ongoing), writing a book (currently paused) and about a million other things. Two years on and...I'm still not sure to be honest. I won't lie - the thought has entered my head of picking Nite Songs up again but I think if I did then it would be on the basis of re-starting the Sounds From The Junkshop and Garbage Days Revisited columns and giving a shout-out to any new stuff I thought was worth listening to as and when I heard it rather than just reviewing everything that came through these doors (a big factor in why I suffered the burnout first time out if I'm honest). So...I dunno. Would you lot ...
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Nite Songs Top 70 Albums of 2024 - Part 7 (The Top Ten!)

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  And so we come to the bit everybody's been waiting for - it's our Top 10 albums of the year. Did your favourite make it? Read on to find out... *** 10.     TUK SMITH & THE RESTLESS HEARTS - "Rogue To Redemption" Through his time with the Heart Attacks and Biters, Tuk Smith is one of those musicians who's frequently threatened to make a genuinely great album and never quite done it. However, with his new band the Restless Hearts, it would appear that third time's the charm and following on from their promising Ballad of Misspent Youth EP, Rogue To Redemption more than delivers its payload of scuzzed up sneering rock 'n' roll in the best Ramones/Hanoi Rocks/Generation X fashion. An absolutely killer record which proves that good rock 'n' roll is very much alive and well in 2024. *** 9.     THE VIRGINMARYS - "The House Beyond The Fires" The fact that the Virginmarys are a band who seem to keep getting stronger with every release is...
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Nite Songs Top 70 Albums of 2024 - Part 6 (20-11)

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  We're very much in the upper echelons of the list now - the Top 10's coming tomorrow but let's go through those who just missed out on the very top tier - our Top 20 albums of the year. *** 20.     ST VINCENT - "All Born Screaming" I'll admit to being something of a late convert to St Vincent but All Born Screaming quickly changed all that. It may be pop music on the surface but it doesn't take much of a scratch underneath (as far as just reading the song titles to be honest) to work out that it's coming at you from a much darker angle and the likes of Hell Is Near , Big Time Nothing  and Violent Times  are truly gripping stuff that'll haul you straight back in for a second listen once you've finished this album. *** 19.     LAURA JANE GRACE - "Hole In My Head" Hole In My Head   might just be Laura Jane Grace's strongest album to date. Similar to its predecessor, 2020's Stay Alive  and the 2021 At War With The Silverfish  EP...
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Nite Songs Top 70 Albums of 2024 - Part 5 (30-21)

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  We're into the top half of this list now so let's get going and breach upon the Top 30... *** 30.     CAROL HODGE - "EffortLess InSecurity" Released in the closing weeks of the year, EffortLess InSecurity sees Carol Hodge engaging in a bout of self-reflection. The songs here are stark, sometimes uncomfortable, listening but the key is that Hodge is a genuinely good songwriter as evidenced by the likes of Queen of Fitting In  and I'll Do The Begging . Another more than worthy release from a musician with a back catalogue full of them. *** 29.     KID KAPICHI - "There Goes The Neighbourhood" Kid Kapichi are simply one of the best punk bands in the UK today and while some of their contemporaries have put out sadly underwhelming albums this year (Idles and Pet Needs to name but two), these Hastings natives are continuing to go from strength with There Goes The Neighbourhood  introducing a new more melodic feel to their material without losing the fury va...
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Nite Songs Top 70 Albums of 2024 - Part 4 (40-31)

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  Jump for joy, it's Top 40 time - cue Whole Lotta Love / Yellow Pearl / The Wizard /your TOTP theme of choice... *** 40.     THE MARCH VIOLETS - "Crocodile Promises" The return of the March Violets to the fray in recent years was a bit of a surprise with longtime frontman Si Denbigh being sidelined by illness but with Crocodile Promises , his bandmates led by Rosie Garland, came up with a release which may just be the best album of their career so far. Keeping plenty of that goth mystery which was the calling card of their best material but always knowing when to rein things in to stop things getting too overblown, the likes of Hammer The Last Nail  and Kraken Awakes  prove that this band very much remain a force to be reckoned with. *** 39.     HIS LORDSHIP - "His Lordship" Two blokes on guitar and drums kicking up a racket? It's a formula that's certainly been trod many times in recent years but His Lordship do it with such a pinpoint ferocity that ...
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Nite Songs Top 70 Albums of 2024 - Part 3 (50-41)

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  So then, we've finally got to the place where this list SHOULD have started if I hadn't gone down about thirty different musical rabbit holes in the last few weeks. Guess we'd better make up for lost time, welcome to the Top 50... *** 50.     AMELIA COBURN - "Between The Moon And The Milkman" Middlesbrough folk poetess Amelia Coburn turned in one of the unexpected triumphs of 2024 with her debut album. Taking the listener on a musical trip including everywhere from Mexico to Dublin, it’s a beguiling album perfect for losing yourself in on a rainy afternoon while dreaming of better places. *** 49.     WONK UNIT - "Good Good, Glad To Hear It" Still as unique as ever, it's good to see Wonk Unit returning to the fray in a typically contrary mood. Verging from power-pop through country to punk thrash and covering everything from angry political rants to more reflective musings on fatherhood and the passing of time, there’s only really this band who coul...
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