2024 Music Enjoyer Pt. 11
Empathic Overload Recovery Kit
I don’t think anyone would be surprised by me stating that 2024 has been a rough year to live through as a conscious, sentient being on this planet, and 2025 is shaping up to be one of the darkest yet. Here are nine albums that help me out when “A Lot” becomes “Too Much” — when “Why Are We Like This” devolves into “Please, Make It Stop”. Music overflowing with tenderness in a society which seems intent on self-destruction. Music for people who get burned by caring too much. It may not always seem like it, but I swear that real empathy is the greatest superpower we can achieve.
Bremer McCoy - Kosmos
From the first notes of whisper-thin, glass-fragile piano cascading into the fading distance, you know this is something special. Bremer McCoy will set up shop in the most broken corners of your heart, light a little fire, and invite you into the warmth.
Joel Pickard - Meridian Vol. II
Heart-meltingly sensitive solo guitar that puts your soul on a quiet beach somewhere, watching the sun set over the sea, alone with your thoughts, given time to think them.
Andy Aquarius - Golla Gorroppu
Andy Aquarius is possibly my single favorite artist discovery of this year. Harp, lyre, dulcimer, synths, voice, and other elements blend together into something which must be regarded as Magic in the truest sense of the word. Utterly transcendent.
DANIAILYAS - Enough For Me To Remain
A kind of mind-melding, melancholy softness suffuses this collaboration between guitarist Ilyas Ahmed and vocalist / synthesist Dania. Emotional embers waiting for a whispered breath to become flames once again.
Swanox - Rhodyrunner
The moment those big reverb-drenched guitar chords start to echo out beyond the horizon, you can feel all the muscles you didn’t realize were tensed up slowly begin to loosen, unclench, and at last let go, in a long, slow exhale that seems to go on forever. Thanks again to one of the world’s best labels (Not Not Fun) for bringing out this absolute gem.
Sam Wilkes Quintet - iiyo iiyo iiyo
Sam Wilkes is well-established nowadays as a stellar player across many different styles, but this effortlessly enchanting live set from two dates in Japan has to be one of my favorites so far. It sounds like if you made music out of one of those idyllic group photos you see in the ending credits for a videogame, where whatever world-ending menace that brought the team together has finally been defeated, and everyone gets to just hang & grill on the beach or something lovely like that.
Volodja Brodsky - Whispering Ln.
One of those rare albums that really shows how much emotional depth one can pack into a well-played synthesizer. Stunningly sensitive, full of glowing textures and lingering afterimages that continue echoing in your mind’s eye long after the sounds have ceased to play.
William Ryan Fritch - Adhesion
Sometimes experimental music can disappear into itself, more concerned with possibilities than with emotional resonance. This is an exquisite example of how these impulses don’t have to be set in opposition — indeed, how they can elevate each other far beyond the reach of either alone. The Cristal Bachet is a fascinating instrument, as is the methodology behind this recording (see the Bandcamp release notes). But the reason I’m telling you about this album is because it is beautiful.
Hania Rani - Nostalgia
If you don’t know Hania Rani by now, do your soul a favor and watch this. Her album Ghosts was one of my favorites of last year, and in general she’s consistently one of the most amazing artists on the planet as far as I’m concerned. This live album Nostalgia is mostly sourced from the incredible performance at Studio 1 Warsaw she gave to commemorate the release of Ghosts, and it stands on its own as a true Wonder.