Following what I thought was a quite strong year for new music in 2023, I found 2024 a bit lacking — as all three recorded music categories in my list of favourites had fewer entries than last year.
I once again listened to hundreds of new records, but not as many really grabbed me. That may have more to do with me and my particular tastes than the music. I’m not sure.
One thing I noticed as I was looking over my favourite albums was that there were more individual artists, as opposed to bands, included this year than in an average year. Again, I don’t know if this reflects what I’m appreciating more as I edge closer to 60 or if it’s just the luck of the draw, since you still won’t find any sad and sensitive singer-songwriters included.
You will, however, find a mix of roots, indie and garage rock, ska/reggae, rockabilly, surf, power pop, punk, and alternative and more traditional leaning country music.
After wading through everything, Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets’ Indoor Safari emerged as my clear-cut number one album.
I saw these two long-time favourites perform together in 2019 and regret that I didn’t when they returned to Toronto again this year but, like it’s been since the COVID-19 pandemic closures subsided, I saw a lot more small club shows by local artists and musician friends than touring acts. Since Frank Turner’s a friend, I’ll also put his four-night Lost Evenings festival in that category even though The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort was a larger venue.
It was my first time seeing concerts there, while I also paid my first music-related visits to: Houndstooth, Dine Alone Records, Owls Club, Trillium Park, Collective Arts Taproom and Sobeys Stadium in Toronto; Patrick’s Gaslamp Pub in San Diego; and Town Ballroom in Buffalo.
Below you’ll see my favourite 22 albums in order. I’ve also included: my favourite EPs; my favourite compilations, live albums and reissues; and my favourite concerts.
Thanks to everyone who continues to make music or is involved with bringing it to people either in recorded or live formats — and hopefully both. Your efforts are much appreciated.
You can see my favourite music from past years at: http://stevemclean.blogspot.com/
My favourite 10 albums
1. Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets - Indoor Safari
2. Frank Turner - Undefeated
3. The Courettes - The Soul of … The Fabulous Courettes
4. Roots Round Up - Up Rooted
5. Linda Gail Lewis - Rockabilly Queen
6. Corb Lund - El Viejo
7. The Surfrajettes - Easy as Pie
8. Joe Ely - Driven to Drive
9. JD McPherson - Nite Owls
10. The Fleshtones - It’s Getting Late (… and More Songs About Werewolves)
The next 12 albums
11. The Paranoid Style - The Interrogator
12. The Libertines - All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade
13. Skegss - Pacific Highway Music
14. The Sleeveens - The Sleeveens
15. The Bug Club - On the Intricate Inner Workings of the System
16. Rick White - 20 Golden Hits of the 50’s
17. Dehd - Poetry
18. Dwight Yoakam - Brighter Days
19. Paul Heaton - The Mighty Several
20. Jason DeVore - ’Til The Voice Goes Out
21. Steve Conte - The Concrete Jangle
22. Jerry Phillips - For The Universe
My favourite EPs
1. The Goodwin Club - Join The Club
2. Roberta Faceplant - Yee Haw Stuff
3. Green Day - One Eyed Bastard
4. The Dollyrots - A Very Dollyrots Christmas, Vol. 2
5. The Kilograms - The Kilograms
6. The Klittens - Butter
My favourite compilations, live albums and reissues
1. 54-40 - Live at El Mocambo
2. The Young Fresh Fellows - The Fabulous Sounds Of The Pacific Northwest (40th Anniversary Edition)
3. Rhoda Dakar - Sings The Bodysnatchers (45 Year Edition)
4. The Shakers - The Shakers
5. Low Cut Connie - Connie Live
6. The Tijuana Bibles - Undefeated: The Best Of The Tijuana Bibles
7. Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Early Daze
My favourite concerts (chronological order)
Finny McConnell, Clayton Yates, Michael O’Grady, Kevin Hearn, Damhnait Doyle - Jan. 5, The Cameron House, Toronto
The Kewpie Dolls, The Enchanters - Jan. 6, Houndstooth, Toronto
Bayou Brothers - Jan. 26, Patrick’s Gaslamp Pub, San Diego
Johnny Deadly Trio - Jan. 27, Patrick’s Gaslamp Pub, San Diego
The Swinging Pussycats, Bloody Blue Darlings - Feb. 2, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto
CATL, Ichi-Bons, Daddy Long Legs - Feb. 9, Lee’s Palace, Toronto
Bob Marley birthday tribute with Reggadiction, Jay Douglas, Lazo & Exodus - Feb. 10, Lee’s Palace, Toronto
Vox Confidential, The Kewpie Dolls, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - Feb. 17, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto
Uncle Old Thyme, Elise LeBlanc with Ally Corbett - Feb. 22, The Cameron House, Toronto
Tom Wilson with Derek Downham - Feb. 23, The Cameron House, Toronto
Stephen Stanley and Chris Bennett, Flash Bangs - Feb. 23, The Dakota Tavern, Toronto
Frankie Foo and the YoYo Smugglers - Feb. 23, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto
The Empty Glasses - March 3, The Rivoli, Toronto
Mark Malibu & The Wasagas, UIC - March 9, Monarch Tavern, Toronto
Communism - March 22, The Cameron House, Toronto
The Slimetones, The Slow Drags - April 5, Bovine Sex Club, Toronto
The Reverb Syndicate, The Gruesomes - April 13, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Frank Turner - April 15, Dine Alone Records, Toronto
Bobby Dove and the Hopeless Romantics with Bazil Donovan, Ally Corbett, Michelle Josef and Burke Carroll - April 21, The Cameron House, Toronto
Hugh Phillips Fairytale Puppet Theatre, Kyp Harness with Victor Bateman, Blake Howard and Tania Gill - April 26, The Cameron House, Toronto
Parkdale Rebels - April 26, The Mezz, Toronto
Luau Or Die, The Calrizians, Evil Elvis - May 1, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Doghouse Orchestra - May 5, The Cameron House, Toronto
Thee Rogue Telstars, Fuzz Vultures, The Slow Drags, The Kewpie Dolls, Ichi-Bons - May 11, Owls Club, Toronto
John Borra Band, West of Jane - June 1, The Cameron House, Toronto
The Dead Drops, George Westerholm & The Wild Wildcats - June 1, Bovine Sex Club, Toronto
Various artists performing Replacements songs - June 6, The Garrison, Toronto
Kobo Town - June 7, DoWest Fest, Toronto
Reggadiction - June 8, Riverside Eats & Beats, Toronto
One Sound - June 14, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto
Staig & Billings - June 19, Drom Taberna, Toronto
Skaface, Arsenals - July 10, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Sloppy Seconds, The Queers - July 21, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Les Deuxluxes, The Courettes - July 22, Monarch Tavern, Toronto
Frankie Foo and the YoYo Smugglers - July 26, Grossman’s Tavern, Toronto
The Hell Bent Rockers, Ichi-Bons, Bad Fortunes - July 27, Dream Wheels on Eglinton, Toronto
The ARC Sound - Aug. 10, Handlebar, Toronto
Big Tobacco and The Pickers - Aug. 10, The Cameron House, Toronto
Daniel Romano’s Outfit - Aug. 10, Trillium Park, Toronto
Thee Rogue Telstars, The Shook Boys, Televisionaries - Aug. 23, Collective Arts Taproom, Toronto
The Mercenaries - Aug. 24, Handlebar, Toronto
Sweet, Chilliwack, UB40, BTO - Aug. 24, Sobeys Stadium, Toronto
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls - Aug. 25, Town Ballroom, Buffalo
John Borra Band - Sept. 7, The Cameron House, Toronto
Giant Steppas - Sept. 7, Drom Taberna, Toronto
The Sleeping Souls, Henry Rollins, Chuck Coles, Frank Turner with Matt Nasir - Sept. 19, The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort, Toronto
RedFox, NOBRO, Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls - Sept. 20, The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort, Toronto
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls - Sept. 21, The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort, Toronto
Frank Turner and The Sleeping Souls - Sept. 22, The Theatre at Great Canadian Casino Resort, Toronto
Wabi Sabis, Bloodshot Bill, Gerard Van Herk, UIC - Sept. 28, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Robert Gordon tribute with Chris Spedding, Cynthia Ross, Danny Marks, James Henry, Marshall Crenshaw, Travis Good, Teddy Fury, Mark Sanders, Evil Elvis, Nicholas Campbell and others - Oct. 3, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Jon Langford, David Nagler and the Burlington Welsh Male Chorus - Oct. 27, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
The Mike Plume Band, The Rizdales - Nov. 9, The Cameron House, Toronto
The ARC Sound - Nov. 16, Handlebar, Toronto
The James Clark Institute, Telejet, The Nines, Sam Polley & The Old Tomorrows, Mark Malibu & The Wasagas - Nov. 22, The Painted Lady, Toronto
The Discarded, The Shakers, Andy Butler & The Diplomats - Nov. 23, The Painted Lady, Toronto
Shane MacGowan tribute with Finny McConnell, Clayton Yates, Michael O’Grady, Kevin Hearn, Bazil Donovan - Nov. 29, The Cameron House, Toronto
The Hang-Ten Hangmen, Heino - Nov. 29, The Shameful Tiki Room, Toronto
Dick and The Hytops - Nov. 30, Sauce on The Danforth
Sam Polley & The Old Tomorrows - Nov. 30, The Cameron House, Toronto
Staig & Billings - Dec. 4, Drom Taberna, Toronto
Communism - Dec. 6, The Cameron House, Toronto
Paul Reddick, Anna Ruddick, Kyle Ferguson, Matt Greco - Dec. 6, The Cameron House, Toronto
The ARC Sound - Dec. 7, Handlebar, Toronto
John Borra Band - Dec. 7, The Cameron House, Toronto
Doug Paisley and Golden Country Classics - Dec. 11, The Cameron House, Toronto
Sound One, Skaface, The Classy Wrecks - Dec. 11, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
Mark Malibu & The Wasagas, Bad Fortunes, Nicholas Campbell & The Two Meter Cheaters - Dec. 20, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
The Sadies with Brooks and Bowskill, Bruce and Margaret Good, Jon Langford, Bazil Donovan - Dec. 31, Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto
