Listen to 3 hours of great music released in 2024 on the December 29 episode!
Album of the Year: Leaf Rapids – Velvet Paintings
It will come as absolutely no surprise to anyone that my favourite album of 2024 is the magnificent Velvet Paintings by Leaf Rapids! Sure, I may be biased. I call them the house band. Keri Latimer’s voice is the one you’ve heard the most on this show other than mine. They appear on the show regularly and I wouldn’t hesitate to call them real-life friends of mine (they might see things differently. The line between friend and stalker is a blurry one.) The thing is, they make such great music that it transcends all of that and provides indisputable evidence for why it’s deservedly atop the list. Keri’s songs keep getting better with more imaginative, powerful imagery and unforgettable lyrics. Devin holds down the low end with some driving bass lines. But the real magic this time around comes from now full-fledged members of the band, Chris Dunn and Joanna Miller. Longtime VIPs on the local scene, Keri & Devin wisely pulled them into the fold and made them permanent members. In the end, it makes for a beautiful collaboration with a sound and feel all their own. No longer Winnipeg’s best-kept-secret, Jo provides a real album highlight with her first ever recorded and released lead vocal/songwriting performance, and it’s a hit!
https://leafrapidsmusic.bandcamp.com/album/velvet-paintings
Skinny Dyck – Easygoing
Skinny Dyck is the playful alter ego of Lethbridge singer/songwriter/multi instrumentalist Ryan Dyck. For years, he’s kind of been a bit of a secret musicians’ musician, playing alongside and collaborating with some of Canada’s best. He first burst onto my radar with his 2017 release, Twenty One-Nighters, which paired him alongside Leeroy Stagger & Mariel Buckley, Dave McCann, Sean Burns, John Wort Hannam, Carolyn Mark, and a pile of other talented folks. Since then, he’s really come into his own with some strong releases, culminating in this new one, Easygoing. More than just an apt album title, it’s kind of a mission statement, it seems, as Dyck and friends, which include local notables Austin Parachoniak and Micah Ehrenberg. He’s kind of been known as a country player, largely by people who don’t understand that pedal steel can be found elsewhere, but this one really pushes the sonic envelope in ways that are kind of hard to describe. There’s some country style lyrical simplicity but production and melodies more akin to modern indie rock, but it’s all put together in that Easygoing style that’s so accessible and enjoyable, no matter what you call it. Here’s an artist clearly on the rise. Get in on the ride:
https://skinnydyck.bandcamp.com/album/easygoing
Mike June – Modern American Folk Music
Mike June’s previous album, Poor Man’s Bible (2016) was full of bold and brave lyrics and strong melodies that should have broken him through on a much wider scale and opened him up to a much wider audience. Instead, some shady music industry dealings slammed his career into a wall and caused him to retreat and consider giving up a life in music altogether. If that industry nightmare hadn’t happened, he surely never would have felt free enough to do something as seemingly bizarre as pairing some pretty bleak lyrics about existential despair alongside a driving danceable beat. I wouldn’t wish that kind of industry nightmare on anyone, but in the end, Mike ended up crafting such a truly unique artistic statement. Additionally, he did almost everything himself, save for some incredible added vocals by his wife Jess Klein, who really elevates things whenever she comes in. If you listen to the words, you might be tempted to focus on the darkness and fear so prevalent in society today, but the upbeat, memorable melodies will surely have you tapping your toes or dancing around your living room. It’s a conflict that provides some challenge and some truth and some beauty, but isn’t that what true art is all about? If you’re looking for something new and interesting, it doesn’t get much better.
https://mikejune.bandcamp.com/album/modern-american-folk-music
Jadea Kelly – Weather Girl
Jadea Kelly has home bases in rural Ontario and in Los Angeles, California, and this album mixes the best of both worlds. A lot of it prominently features and is produced by longtime collaborator (and personal favourite) Jim Bryson. Jim has a knack for finding great songs & great voices and bringing out the best in them, and this is a fine example. Jadea has been building an impressive resume for years and this latest album will surely push the profile further with her strongest writing and singing to date. There are a lot of thoughtful lyrics and memorable melodies to be found on this album.
https://jadea-kelly.bandcamp.com/album/weather-girl
Richard Laviolette – All Wild Things Are Shy
Richard Laviolette was a prolific and respected songwriter and performer from Ontario, building an impressive career over nearly 20 years. He always had a knack for going into dark places and pulling out something beautiful, and that was never more evident than on this, his final album and truest masterpiece. The album was crafted over the course of the last 5 years of his life, between the death of his mother from Huntington’s Disease and that same disease robbing him of his mobility before his own medically assisted death in 2023. It’s hard to separate the music from that powerful, sad story, but I don’t know that it’s necessary. It’s an album that looks at life and mortality, with some “sweet little moments” along the way. Knowing the struggles that Richard went through to record these songs and the amazing efforts that his friends and collaborators went through to bring this album to life only makes it that much more impressive. It’s a rough & ragged album brimming with emotion and truth and infused with rootsy rock ‘n’ roll. It’s tragic that Richard never got to see how beautifully it all came together or the reaction that the album is getting, but what a high to go out on. This one will affect you and stay with you for a long time.
https://richardlaviolette.bandcamp.com/album/all-wild-things-are-shy
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
A close collaborator with Waxahatchee, who also made a great record this year, MJ really came into his own with an incredible record that hits all the marks for me. Great writing, powerful performances, memorable melodies, and even the great video below. If that song doesn’t rock your world, you might be in trouble. This one’s on a whole lot of “Best of” lists for good reason. Solid all the way through. I can’t wait to see where this wildly prolific young artist goes next.
https://mjlenderman.bandcamp.com/album/manning-fireworks
Major Love – Live Laugh Major Love
The collaborative project featuring singer/songwriter Colleen Brown and indie-rock band Scenic Route to Alaska returned with another album brimming with hopeful, positive songs shedding light on a difficult world. They’re songs of empowerment and peace at a time when they’re needed most. Best of all, they’re far from preachy downers, they’re a ton of fun that’ll have you dancing and grooving and feeling ready to Live and Laugh with Major Love.
https://majorlovemusic.com/
Ryland Moranz – Better/Worse
I first got to know Ryland nearly a decade ago as a bright eyed band member and collaborator with my longtime pal Leeroy Stagger. It was clear then that Ry was dedicated to a life in music and had all of the drive and potential to really make some meaningful art. He’s grown and improved by leaps and bounds since then and it’s been fun to watch. That youthful positivity and wide eyed enthusiasm remains, even as Ryland releases his most mature and realized record yet. He’s steeped in the classic folk tradition and has clearly studied the masters, but is forward thinking and insightful enough to move modern folk forward with some strong sounds and performances. For years he’s been an in demand side and session player, tour manager, and visual artist, but the strength of the writing and sounds on this record should rightly have him focussing more and more on his own music going forward. He’s always been one to watch with a heap of potential. This album shows that his time has probably come.
https://rylandmoranz.bandcamp.com/album/better-worse
Micah Schnabel – The Clown Watches the Clock
Micah Schnabel writes songs & stories filled with truth & details of the desperate and downtrodden. He writes the stories of real people who are often forgotten and ignored by many in society. There’s a darkness and desperation in his songs, because it exists in the lives of so many people. He’s a truth teller, and the honest truth isn’t often pretty or easily palatable. He rails against fascists and billionaires and systems that keep so many people down. It’s a bold and brave mission that surely isn’t easy. But he infuses his songs with hope and humour and the passionate punky spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. He’ll have you jumping up and down and shouting about injustices and feeling less alone. These are brilliant songs that sound like well-documented details of the people and places he’s seen over a life in music. This album is a companion piece to an incredible book he released this year, telling the story of PK, a professional clown who, out of desperation and innovation, comes up with a career showing up at funerals to tell those left behind what the deceased really thought of them. He shouts and speaks hard truths that are often not easy to receive. It’s not hard to see the parallel between the author and protagonist. It’s a rare kind of honesty and introspection that demonstrates what a bold writer the man is. I’m a massive fan and have immense respect for his work. I don’t really number these lists, but this album is right near the top of the list if you’re measuring the number of times I’ve listened this year and the amount of enjoyment I’ve gotten out of it.
https://micahschnabel.bandcamp.com/album/the-clown-watches-the-clock
Anna Tivel – Living Thing
One of my favourite writers in the world over the past 6 years or so, Anna Tivel’s songs are beautiful poetry that often reflect the darkness and pain of real life and loss. She conveys heartache and longing better than almost anyone. Her past few albums have mixed in upbeat and electronic elements to really flesh out the sound of her stories. That sound has really come together on this one with a few near-rockers that are among my favourite and most listened to songs of the year. Here’s hoping this talented writer starts to get the recognition and widespread success that she so rightly deserves.
https://annativel.bandcamp.com/album/living-thing
Other highly recommended releases:
Leeroy Stagger – 3 AM Revelations
The Damnwells – Bad at Beautiful
thedamnwells.band
John Blek – Cheer Up
The Howl & The Hum – Same Mistake Twice
miserabledisco.com
Sarah Burton – Swoonville USA
Stephanie Lambring – Hypocrite
Caleb Klauder & Reeb Willms – Gold in your Pocket
Jim Bryson – Combinations 1+1
Best of 2025 preview:
Dennis Ellsworth – Hardcore Freewheelin’
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