Nite Songs Top 70 Albums of 2024 - Part 3 (50-41)

 

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...

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50.    SASSYHIYA - "Take You Somewhere"

South Londoners Sassyhiya are a band who crucially understand that lo-fi indie music always works best when it has a mischievous sense of fun underlying it and Take You Somewhere has that quality in spades featuring odes to everyone from Kristin Stewart to pet cats while closer You Can Give It (But You Can’t Take It) is a righteous diatribe against bullies. A strong debut.

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49.    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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48.    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 could cover such a wide spectrum in 30-odd minutes. And we wouldn’t have them any other way.

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47.    STICK IN THE WHEEL - "A Thousand Pokes"

One of the most intriguing and individual albums of the year, Stick In The Wheel take the folk template and stretch it into all sorts of weird and wonderful new shapes. From gentle olde worlde whimsy to twisted oddball horror-folk which recalls the Urban Voodoo Machine, A Thousand Pokes could just be the start of a game-changing journey.

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46.    RIDE - "Interplay"

Interplay is a good album because while the sound is unmistakably Ride, it takes it off in all sorts of fascinating new directions. Taking its cues from the likes of New Order (Peace Sign) and Depeche Mode (I Came To See The Wreck) as much as it does from the band’s trademark shoegazing buzz, this album is proof that old dogs most definitely can learn new tricks to good effect.

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45.    SNOWGOOSE - "Descendant"

Formed by ex-Soup Dragons guitarist Jim Dickinson and vocalist Anna Sheard, Descendant is the sound of the Scottish jangly indie scene of the '80s growing up. Building on the same influences that the likes of Teenage Fanclub mined in years gone by (the Byrds and Big Star principally), there's a warmth to this album which makes it perfect listening for a lazy Sunday afternoon. The sound of a band well and truly hitting their peak and a highly recommended listen.

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44.    THE DARTS - "Boomerang"

The Darts' profile has mushroomed over on these shores in the last 12 months and Boomerang should give you a good understanding as to why. Ripping through its 13 tracks in just 32 minutes, it's cool-as-you-like pop-punk with catchy melodies and hooks to spare, especially on the likes of Hang Around, Slither and Hell Yeah. On this evidence, the sky really is the limit for them.

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43.    MASSIVE WAGONS - "Earth To Grace"

Lancaster rockers Massive Wagons are continuing to improve with every release and Earth To Grace sees them building nicely on the progress shown on its predecessor, 2022's Triggered. The muscular old school rock of old is still there in spades but the key is that this group are getting better at what they do with every album and their growing profile in recent years is certainly no accident on this evidence.

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42.    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.

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41.    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 it's impossible not to sit up and take notice. Blasting through in under half an hour, this self-titled debut sees them well and truly kicking out the jams to thrilling effect on the likes of Buzzkill and Jackie Works For The NHS, laying down their marker as a band well worth keeping an eye out for in the years ahead.

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Continuing tomorrow as we kickstart the Top 40...