Nite Songs Top 70 Albums of 2024 - Part 2 (60-51)

 


Welcome to the second part of our end of year rundown as we look at those albums who agonisingly missed the Top 50 by a whisker.

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60.    NEW MODEL ARMY - "Unbroken"


Still as much of a force of nature as ever, Unbroken is exactly the sort of heartfelt and unsettling collection of songs that Justin Sullivan and co do so well. Grabbing you by the throat and insisting that you listen right from the opening seconds of First Summer After, the likes of I Did Nothing Wrong, Cold Wind and If I Am Still Me are the sound of a group still searching for the answers four decades into their existence and almost asking if you dare to join them in questioning the slurry forced down our throats on an everyday basis in the harsh climate of 2024. A vital band and one that we're lucky to still have.

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59.    THE CURE - "Songs Of A Lost World"


Okay so I'll admit it - when I first heard this album, I didn't get what the fuss was all about. This is very much the Cure in their less accessible mode with the 8 songs on Songs Of A Lost World clocking in at over 50 minutes. Yet persevere with this album and its highlights start to reveal themselves as the dark fug surrounding the likes of Warsong, Nothing Is Forever and the epic closer Endsong slowly dissipates to reveal a band who are still capable of surprising you in the fifth decade of their existence.

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58.    YUR MUM - "Duality"


Sophomore albums can be tricky beasts if not handled properly but Duality is a more than worthy follow-up to Brazilian ex-pats Yur Mum’s 2021 debut Tropical Fuzz, taking the raw garage punk of that album and building on it nicely by adding a few nuances while keeping that crucial heaviness intact. The sound of a band well and truly getting its feet under the table.

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57.    JOE SOLO - "Sledgehammer Songs"


Scarborough's finest left wing troubadour Joe Solo keeps on his good run of recent form with Sledgehammer Songs, another heartfelt collection of socialist anthems in waiting. From angry diatribes against the state of this country to simple odes to the power of good music and the importance of simply taking care of yourself, this album is an arm around the shoulder for when you need it most.

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56.    SAMI YAFFA - "Satan's Helpers, War Lazer Eyes And The Money Pig Circus"


Well, Sami can certainly claim our award of album title of the year if nothing else. Satan’s Helpers… packed all of the experimentalism we’ve come to expect from Yaffa’s solo work but crucially it always keeps that bedrock of solid arse-kicking rock ‘n’ roll that informs his best stuff intact to come back to.

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55.    JAMES - "Yummy"


Bands like James by all rights shouldn't be producing music this good this far into their careers. No less than Tim Booth and co’s eighteenth album, it’s also one of their best recent efforts with the likes of Is This Love and Life’s A Fucking Miracle tipping their hats to the anthems of old while soaring epics such as Way Over Your Head and Shadow of a Giant are anything but the sound of a band resting on its laurels.

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54.    JANE WEAVER - "Love In Constant Spectacle"


Jane Weaver continues to very much tread her own path on Love In Constant Spectacle. Like its predecessor Flock, this is relaxed psychedelia for shutting yourself off from the world outside to, almost like Slowdive chilling out over a cup of tea with Goldfrapp. Well worth investigating.

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53.    MYSTERY LIGHTS - "Purgatory"

A band who I pretty much happened upon completely by accident, the Mystery Lights take the classic ‘60s garage punk sound and drag it kicking and screaming into the 2020’s. On Purgatory, you’ll hear echoes of everything from souped up rock ‘n’ roll through swirling psychedelia to the odd spot of cowpunk. Proof that not all revivalists have to be tedious “do-things-properly-or-else” bores.

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52.    COLLISION COURSE - "Landfill"


Anyone for a UK82 punk revival? Blasting through its 11 songs in just 21 minutes, Collision Course’s debut is a full knuckle-to-the-face slice of punk anger which takes its cue from the likes of GBH and Vice Squad to grab you by the throat and not let go throughout. Thrilling stuff.

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51.    JAMES SULLIVAN - "Vital Signs"


Now on his second solo album and following the breakup of his band More Kicks, Vital Signs sees James Sullivan continuing to spread his wings impressively. The power-pop that was his old band's calling card is very much still there but Sullivan isn't afraid to throw a few curveballs into the mix to keep things interesting and it's this which makes this album another good example of his talent as a songwriter.

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Well, first day of the review done. Join us tomorrow as we go into the hallowed halls of the Top 50.

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