My favorite 125 music releases of 2024

Lives Like Skyscrapers —- mystery men

2024 was a year in the kind of music I like (mostly pop, rock, and hip hop) with an ongoing flow of riches. The continued absence of fair revenue for artists on streaming services and the overpricing of fees on expensive concert tickets hasn’t stemmed the tide of amazing musical artistry. As a consumer, it’s tough to know what to do about it other than continue to pay the $10 or so for a monthly service to stream every song ever made in history. It’s a bargain that will likely pay a price at some point, but seemingly not yet.

My favorite __ new albums have something for just about anyone. The top 10 feature three new artists—including my top album (featured in the photo above) from a bunch of nobodies who call themselves Lives Like Skyscrapers and kind of just make music for themselves and invite anyone available into their band—with the rest being long-time stars. The rest generally follow that pattern, with lots of new finds and even more bands and songwriters continuing to do what they do … make great music.

Here’s the list:

125. Paris Hilton: Infinite Icon (I’ll probably never listen to this again, but I had to listen to it twice just to be sure it was such a hilarious hot mess. It is! And I still swear by her one hit from long ago, “Stars are Blind”)

124. Dean and Britta: A Peace of Us (the first song is good, but this long player is a completely unnecessary Christmas album; that said, it’s still basically a Luna release, which can never be too bad)

123. Dr. Dog: Dr. Dog (this is a minor but enjoyable release from the folk-rock group)

122. Old 97’s: American Primitive (these great alt-rockers are a bit off their game on this release, but there still is a strong enough stretch in the middle to land it on the list)

121. Daryl Johns: Daryl Johns (I had to be curious about a Bronx guy who never wears a shirt and has a Hall and Oates combined name; turns out, he really does have a lot of warped yacht-rock sensibilities; while most songs are instrumental and pleasant enough, the songs he sings land between H2O and Christopher Cross, especially the great “I’m So Serious”)

120. Thurston Moore: Flow Critical Lucidity (the ex-Sonic Youth frontman is in experimental mode here, with a Far East flavor, but there are moments of pure beauty in the middle of all the tinkering)

119. Steve Kilbey: Bespoke Wheels & Winged Heels (oh that voice; it’s always nice to hear the leader of classic 80s wavers The Church back in action; if he could only have cut this massive epic down by about half, it would be stronger, but the many guests like Grant McLennan and Martin Kennedy help keep things mostly interesting)

118. Nilüfer Yanya: My Method Actor (this British rocker turned down being in a girl band to focus on her own creativity, offering a bit of a mash of Parquet Courts and Arlo Parks)

117. Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign: VULTURES 2 (as much as I don’t like to have Yeezy anywhere in my solar system, there’s a lot of typically great stuff on this release; and just about anything by Kanye would be better than his last release, VULTURES 1)

116. Kruangbin: A LA SALA (this is Houston's answer to psychedelic world instrumental mood music, and the song "May Ninth" is worth the price of admission alone)

115. Pixies: The Night the Zombies Came (the three cannon-worthy numbers here—”Primrose,” “Kings of the Prairie,” and “The Vegas Suite”—get the album onto this list, but it could have been more powerful if edited and cut to an EP)

114. Ray LaMontagne: Long Way Home (the folk singer’s ninth album is just as good as his albums always are; mellow campfire beauty)

113. David Gilmour: Luck and Strange (some of this is as gorgeous as Pink Floyd, especially the numbers with the guitar legend’s daughter)

112. Danny and the Champions of the World: You Are Not a Stranger Here (this London band has been around a while but their Pink Floyd guitar and Drive-by Truckers/Magic Numbers—both of whom they’ve toured with—vocals are undeniably enjoyable)

111. The Voidz: Like All Before You (this is not an easy listen—as is always the case with Julian Casablancas’ other band—but it’s great to throw on at a party and has at least a couple of Strokes-worthy pop jams)

110. Color Green: Fool’s Parade (described accurately as “fuzzy twang” Americana out of L.A., this isn’t all to my liking, but 3 or 4 songs are undeniably great)

109. Ride: Interplay (while I’m a pretty big shoegaze fan, and Ride is often hailed by many as one of its greatest artists, I’ve never been a huge fan, but this release is really big, sweeping, good, and sometimes quite poppy)

108. girl in red: I’M DOING IT AGAIN, BABY! (the second album from these Norwegians is catchy left-of-center pop from a group quickly becoming the sweethearts of Sabrina Carpenter and the like)

107. Towa Bird: American Hero (a curious album title for a Brit who plays a cool guitar and follows in the Taylor Swift pop-star mode; half the album is forgettable or this would be a lot higher in the countdown)

106. Nick Lowe and Los Straightjackets: Indoor Safari (this is exactly what you would think it would be but it’s still somehow a nice surprise, with surf music backing the iconic sound of Lowe’s vocals)

105. Cassandra Jenkins: My Light, My Destroyer (this former player in David Berman’s Purple Mountains makes beautiful and just-off-kilter-enough pop)

104. Dua Lipa: Radical Optimism (this album gets the award for most bad songs on it on this list, but the disco-pop tunes that are good are quite good and the undeniable smash “These Walls” is one of my favorites of the year)

103. Billie Eilish: HIT ME HARD AND SOFT (I’ve never been attracted to this superstar’s music, but there are a handfull of songs here that are really intriguing mixes of freaky dance pop and Cigarettes After Sex-like moody chill)

102. Future and Metro Boomin: We Don’t Trust You (sounding sometimes like The Weeknd and with a lot of mumblecore, this album is not often great, although there are some really good songs, and it’s best when taken in small doses)

101. Yot Rock: Rufus (this is a Mississippi performer with a ton of singles; I hadn’t caught wind until this second-album effort; somewhere between indie rock and big arena sounding like Death Cab for Cutie, Phoenix, and the like)

100. Beyoncé: Cowboy Carter (the Queen Bee has never made any of my year-end lists so this is a monumental first. There is way too much filler on her first take on country, but there is also a lot of fun to be had on the best tracks here and she clearly gets what's cool about country and what's not)

99. Grandaddy: Blu Wav (I was expecting more from this band's first release in at least seven years; it's a very sleepy affair compared to their early-2000s classics The Sophware Slump and Sumday, but it's very nice to have on as background music)

98. Snow Patrol: The Forest is the Path (it’s probably only a little bit cooler to like Snow Patrol than it is to like Coldplay, but I’m sticking with my love of this band with its heart-on-sleeve big pop)

97. EELS: EELS TIME! (this is an understated but enjoyable-as-always release—that even tails into Wilco mode a bit—from the California band named after my favorite sushi flavor)

96. LL Cool J: THE FORCE (I didn’t think this legend would make my list in 2024, but this album jams all the way through, with a flurry of A-list guests like Snoop Dogg, Eminem, and Busta Rhymes)

95. The Linda Lindas: No Obligation (these kids perhaps suffer the sophomore slump a bit here, but it’s ultimately a real keeper for your pop-punk collection)

94. Porches: Shirt (this little lo-fi album really grew on me, like a history of that genre from the past 30 years all wrapped into one release, this band has several releases but this is the only one I’ve heard)

93. The Cure: Songs of a Lost World (the first three songs on this massively hyped return are as good as any Cure hits, and while Robert Smith’s fight against overpriced concert tickets hammers home his awesomeness, the guitar wankery and lack of hooks through most of the rest is a drag)

92. Enumclaw: Home in Another Life (this Washington state band claims to be like the “Black Bruce Springsteen,” which I’m not tracking, but maybe like Built to Spill or other 90s Northwest indie rockers)

91. Daryl Hall: D (this starts promisingly with some old-school 1970s Hall and Oates-sounding numbers but tails off quite a bit by the end; still a solid release into the H2O universe)

90. Bill Callahan: Resuscitate! (the beloved leader of Smog has been on a solo-album-release roll this decade; this one is more experimental than usual but includes fantastic relatively spoken-word lyrics and beautiful instrumentation)

89. Childish Gambino: Bando Stone and The New World (there are a handful of classic cuts on this rapper’s fifth and supposedly final album, and the rest is good too)

88. Charley Bliss: Forever (this is my least favorite of the band’s releases and they seem like they’re trying to be Taylor Swift a little too much, but it’s still good)

87. Empire of the Sun: Ask That God (the band’s fourth release starts with a bunch of disco bangers; it’s the most danceable stuff on this countdown, featuring the guy from the masterful and way-underrated indie rockers Sleepy Jackson)

86. Lauran Hibberd: Girlfriend Material (a British popper whose album highlight is "i suck at grieving" and plenty of other enjoyable numbers that would be right at home opening on tour for Olivia Rodrigo)

85. The Pretty Flowers: A Company Sleeve (this L.A. pop band brings memories of the 1990s emo legends that had true style and hooks like The Promise Ring and Superchunk)

84. Michael Kiwanuka: Small Changes (this is perhaps the most mellow soft groove music on the list, and the British singer is perfect for frequent background listening)

83. Willie Nelson: Last Leaf On the Tree (he has outlived them all and is arguably more prolific than ever, to all our benefits, adding mellow Willie versions of Flaming Lips and Beck songs, among others)

82. Soccer Mommy: Evergreen (this album starts out exceptionally strong but includes a pretty forgettable second half; some editing would have made it the EP of the year)

81. Crowded House: Gravity Stairs (I’ve never been much of a fan of this famous band, but this album is a pleasant party/pop/pretty surprise all the way through)

80. Mint Mile: Roughrider (I don’t know a thing about this band, which has several albums, but I love how all over the indie map it is, from Pavement to Slint and Silver Jews and beyond)

79. Wishy: Triple Seven (shoegaze pop from Indiana that sounds like a mashup of 90s bands and has often-poor 90s CD-quality production, and it’s perhaps all the better for it)

78. Ducks Ltd.: Harm’s Way (great 80s-inspired wave a lot like The Church)

77. The Follies: Permanent Present Tense (NYC post-punkers who offer a kind of angular music that throws me back to the 1980s college-rock scene; I like it more each time I listen)

76. Dent May: What's for Breakfast? (about half of this super poppy release harkens back to Dent May's earliest excellent music and the rest is just ok like most of his more recent output)

75. Soul Asylum: Slowly But Shirley (although there are some pretty great songs sprinkled throughout, “Tryin’ Man” and “Sucker Maker” break up the fun with some sort of wacky Led Zeppelin funk pop that are the worst things I can recall Dave Pirner’s gang ever committing to vinyl)

74. The Libertines: All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade (there may be more consistency of great Jam/Kinks-like Britpop on this release than any of the haloed ones of the band’s golden era)

73. Fantasy of a Broken Heart: Feats of Engineering (this new NYC boy-girl duo has produced a big weirdo-pop debut and has a side project This is Lorelei also in this year’s countdown. Digging them)

72. Loving: Any Light (this Canadian band is labelled as psychedelic folk but I think it’s more along the lines of quiet beauty, yet another group now playing in the Cigarettes After Sex ballfield)

71. Pom Pom Squad: Mirror Starts Moving Without Me (this band’s second offering is straight from the growing army of Olivia Rodrigo wannabes, but it’s probably the best of that category)

70. The Decemberists: As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again (upon first listen I thought I was going to write the band’s ninth album off and assume they were sliding overall downhill, but then I kept listening and turns out I really like all the double-album directions it goes)

69. Faye Webster: Undressed at the Symphony (this is a mellow joy from an Atlanta songstress I'd never heard about; Wilco fans will appreciate the Nels Cline-like guitar in the epic "Thinking About You")

68. Camera Obscura: Look to the East, Look to the West (these twee Scots' first full-length release in 11 years picks up right where they left off with dreamy and catchy perfect pop)

67. Ed Harcourt: El Magnifico (I’ve never followed this British songman, but this album is gorgeous and serves a bit as a replacement for the now-deceased Mark Lanegan, complete with a Lanegan-like Greg Dulli guest appearance)

66. Megan Moroney: Am I OK? (this country-pop is a little outside my zone; it’s not outlaw country, but it’s so catchy that it avoids the pitfalls of top 40 country dreck; this, her second album, is as great as her first)

65. John Davis: JINX (the leader of Superdrag originally intended this to be a full-band album; either way, this is some super-catchy pop that always makes me cheery)

64. Robyn Hitchcock: 1967: Vacations in the Past (the psych-weirdo is in one of his more comfortable zones of recent years with this collection of oldies, many of which may be better than their originals)

63. Orville Peck: Stampede (this collection of duets is worth the price of admission if only for the Willie Nelson accompaniment on “Cowboys Are Frequently Secretly Fond of Each Other;” Peck’s weakest release but still worthy)

62. Ryan Adams: BLACKHOLE (this is the best Adams release since his recent legal problems and there are four drop-dead classic numbers that have a driving, poppy U2 likeness)

61. Guided by Voices: Strut of Kings (“Serene King” is a classic and the album ends strong, but this is overall unusually uninspired from one of my very favorite bands)

60. Glen Campbell: Duets: Ghost on the Canvas Sessions (an ambitious project to honor the 10th anniversary of Cambell’s excellent album, this time bringing in the likes of Carole King, Sting, and Elton John to pair with the legend’s voice; powerful)

59. Willie Nelson: The Border (what can be said? The guy just keeps making the kind of music I can almost always throw on the old stereo)

58. Pearl Jam: Dark Matter (the rock legends soldier on making music every bit as good as any of the rest of their catalog)

57. Brittney Spencer: My Stupid Life (let the Taylor Swift copycatting commence, but in this case, I'll take it. This album from a Nashville songwriter wants to go a little cheesy mainstream country but ends up totally veering into very catchy pop party songs and ballads, all with a fun sense of humor)

56. The Vaccines: Pick-Up Full of Pink Carnations (these Britpoppers turn in an unexpectedly excellent batch of tunes that harken back to the early 2000s of The Strokes and Travis) 

55. Jake Xerxes Fussell: When I’m Called (this is way more folky than my usual listening, and the album is not as overall great as some of his earlier ones, but man, when he hits on pure beauty, he really hits on it)

54. Nada Surf: Moon Mirror (these long-time popsters release yet another full length with their unmistakable sound; if you love ‘em, you’ll love this)

53. Ben Folds: Sleigher (there are lots of songs worthy of the Christmas canon here, even if “Xmas Aye Eye” is the only one that ends up making the cut; it’s an intentionally annoying but poignant song made with AI to show just how easy it is for a computer to make something that sounds like an LCD Soundsystem hit; the rest of this release is pure sneakily-great Folds pleasure)

52. The Avett Brothers: The Avett Brothers (I never understand why a band self-titles an album well into its career, especially a well-known group like the Avetts, but this is still pretty high-level songcraft from a great group)

51. Johnny Blue Skies & Sturgill Simpson: Passage Du Desir (a welcome return from arguably today’s best country artist alongside Jason Isbell, Simpson creates an ultra-catchy record that’s among his best)

50. This is Lorelei: Box for Buddy, Box for Star (for a little NYC side project, this is a bouncy, rollicking, keyboard-driven and sometimes-Caribbean slice of joy from arguably the finest new pop scene/collective of the year)

49. Peter Perrett: The Cleansing (this is an epic from the cult-legendary punk new waver who is really getting better with age)

48. Vampire Weekend: Only God Was Above Us (this is pretty low on the list for such a prestige indie release; I'm thinking it's a grower but it also could end up being one of VW's lesser releases; full of grand gestures but fewer immediate hooks than usual)

47. of Montreal: Lady on the Cusp (Kevin Barnes’ troupe is as psych-sexy as ever, and this release is as good as anything they have ever done)

46. Tierra Whack: WORLD WIDE WHACK (whack is right; this is what mumblecore rap should be all about, with gorgeous sounds and ridiculous and creative lyrics, Ms. Whack may be my favorite rapper of all these days)

45. The Lemon Twigs: A Dream is All We Know (the fourth release by this retro band shapes songs that sound like the Beach Boys and tries to make those classics even better. It doesn't always work out that way, but it's still a darn fine release) 

44. Sarah Shook and the Disarmers: Revelations (this band is a boot-stompin' Southern rock-style good time always)

43. Kings of Leon: Can We Please Have Fun (this is a sprawling yarn that shows big, tastefully-done arena rock will have a very hard time ever falling and dying)

42. Ash: Race the Night (the Irish band is back with its usual splashes of pure joy and rationale for why rock n’ roll will never die; the end tails off but there are so many instaclassic blasts like “Usual Places” and “Crashed Out Wasted” that it hardly matters)

41. Paul Weller: 66 (the 17th solo album from this legend is every bit as great as fans would expect; this underrated Brit is arguably in the second-tier upper echolon of rock alongside the likes of Lou Reed, Brian Wilson, and Jeff Tweedy)

40. Eminem: The Death of Slim Shady (Coup De Grace) (if you can accept that his seemingly homophonic and sexist and politically incorrect raps are a joke and that he is a champion against all those things, you’ll hear this as brilliant)

39. Kasey Musgraves: Deeper Well (this is filled with beautiful pop songs that are almost as good as anything Taylor Swift put out this year, only held back by a tail off and a little bit of churchiness towards the end)

38. The Black Crowes: Happiness Bastards (the band’s 10th album and first in 14 years is as kick ass as one would expect; again, don’t tell me rock n’ roll is dead with music like this still being released)

37. BODEGA: Our Brand Could Be Yr Life (this is the sound of a lot of classic indie-rock legends mushed all together for a fun sociopolitical statement on consumer culture from a hot young New York City band)

36. English Teacher: This Could Be Texas (a wild ride from this new British band that swings from party-pulsing bass beats to weirdo freak rock and beautiful quiet numbers. Great song titles too - like “Side Boob” and Nearly Daffodils”)

35. Bright Eyes: Five Dice, All Threes (only the second album in the past decade from Conor Oberst’s main gig has some great variety, bouncing from weirdo to mellow to rocking)

34. MJ Lenderman: Manning Fireworks (also a player on the next album on this list, Lenderman of the band Wednesday knocks it out of the park with this version of a modern Neil Young and Crazy Horse album)

33. Waxahatchee: Tigers Blood (this release barnstorms out of the gate with alt-country party stompers, beautiful ballads, and pop gems but then cools considerably to simply pleasant)

32. Mary Timony: Untame the Tiger (as usual, Timony provides an absolutely beautiful and totally off-kilter collection of tunes, with equal touches of Grateful Dead, Polvo, and Julianna Hatfield)

31. Various Artists: Silver Patron Saints: The Songs of Jesse Malin (this NYC songwriter has been dealing with staggering medical bills and this collection of covers of his songs should help a lot; some of the second half could have probably been cut, but at least those songs open up lots of new fans to the great body of Malin’s work; massive highlights from Dinosaur Jr., Counting Crows [believe it or not] Lucinda Williams, Elvis Costello, The Wallflowers [another believe it or not], Susanna Hoffs, and Spoon)

30. The Jesus and Mary Chain: Glasgow Eyes (the Scottish band's eighth album—is that all?—stays highly relevant and makes a play for being one of their Lou Reed-like bests)

29. beabadoobee: This Is How Tomorrow Moves (this is perfect pop that should be bigger than it is; it’s classified as indie rock but really in the same league at Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, and Chappell Roan)

28. Mannequin Pussy: I Got Heaven (this album starts out like the very best of Nirvana pop-punk and tails off a bit later on like Nirvana screamo, but it's all a romping good time)

27. Hinds: VIVA HINDS (this Madrid duo knows how to produce ultra-catchy indie pop)

    

    Hinds

26. illuminati hotties: Power (L.A. pop-rocker Sarah Tudzin’s band has a near-immaculate first half on its third full-length; it could have battled for my favorite of the year if the second half was as strong)

25. Green Day: Saviors (back with its first studio release in four years, everyone's favorite punk-pop icons are back to their old, lovable, perfect-music tricks, with a tons of great nuggets added to their already massive canon)

24. Laura Jane Grace: Hole in My Head (the punk popper hit my number-6 spot in the 2020 year-end countdown and whose latest is an understated-yet-somehow-still-large release that makes a strong statement that rock just might never die)

23. Cigarettes After Sex: X’s (this band has become a sensation with little more than soft pulsing bass lines and whispered vocals about intimate moments in life; the music is still stunning on release number 3)

22. Personal Trainer: Still Willing (this Dutch musical collective is for lovers of Pavement, but while being derivative, it’s still some very creative pop)

21. 2nd Grade: Scheduled Explosions (this bounces all over the pop landscape from early Guided by Voices to 60s AM radio and is the best release yet from this group, which is obviously having a very fun and prolific time making music)

20. Beachwood Sparks: Across the River of Stars (this is prototypical California psych-pop that is somehow only the beautiful band’s fourth release over 24 years, and it’s produced by Chris Robinson of The Black Crowes)

19. Chastity Belt: Live Laugh Love (this four-piece from Washington state is back with another excellent release that’s somewhere between Sonic Youth, Liz Phair, and Guided by Voices)

18. Kendrick Lamar: GNX (some will argue, but I put this brilliant, old-school-sounding gem right behind Tyler for my favorite hip hop/rap release of the year)

17. Tyler, The Creator: Chromakopia (my favorite hip-hop release of the year has a little something for everyone throughout)

    

    Tyler, The Creator

16. Buffalo Tom: Jump Rope (it’s always such a treat to get new music from one of the most underrated rock bands around. They come off like a more poppy and frankly better version of the like of Pearl Jam and Kings of Leon, two bands I also like a lot)

15. Quivers: Oyster Cuts (self-described “cathartic” jangle pop from Australia that actually sounds a lot better than that description; the title track could be straight from a John Hughes movie and is in the running for my favorite song of the year)

14. Wunderhorse: Midas (these Brits took a while to grow on me but then it blasted me in the face as a cross between Nirvana, early Lemonheads, Spoon, Neil Young, and Radiohead)

13. Brett Dennen: If It Takes Forever (California enviro songwriter makes catchy hippy music and this is his best overall release yet; it was making me happy post election)

12. Laughing: Because It’s True (very poppy sounds from this brand new Montreal band, veering from the sounds of Preston School of Industry to mid-career Beatles to the early guitar yearning of Teenage Fanclub; so good)

11. PREGOBLIN: PREGOBLIN II (I'm not sure where PREGOBLIN I is and I also don't really know where this boy-girl duo is from, but one of the things on Alex Sebley's resume is "former singer in a Nirvana cover band." I can see that because these lyrics are very dark, but covered up by a poppy sheen, following in the freak-pop footsteps of Foxygen)

10. Silverbacks: Easy Being a Winner (I didn’t know about this Irish band, but I can’t wait to check out their 3+ previous albums. It’s a little like Yo La Tengo, but it has way more going on, which makes it better than anything that very top-notch band has ever done, which is saying an awful lot)

9. The Hard Quartet: The Hard Quartet (I was surprised and immensely happy to get some semi-lo-fi Stephen Malkmus side-project material right around the time we were all inundated with election news, which even somehow gets into Byrds style at times; funky and wonderful)

8. Kim Deal: Nobody Loves You More (it’s is a thrill to have her—somehow, finally—solo debut album, which is like getting a Breeders classic album, but new, as an early end-of-year present. It’s weird, pretty, poppy and everything you would hope for)

7. Taylor Swift: The Tortured Poet's Department: The Anthology (the word "ambitious" hardly needs to be uttered, but if these 31 tracks were pared to 20, this would have been my runaway top album of the year; it's admittedly a lot to take, but it will also provide riches of slow discovery for a lifetime ahead; there is likely no better musical genius than Taylor at this moment)

6. Christopher Owens: I Wanna Run Barefoot Through Your Hair (this former Child of God cult member and Girls bandleader is seriously in the running for my favorite artist of the past 15 years. This is another slow-grower masterpiece with so much emotional heart)

5. J Mascis: What Do We Do Now (whether it's J solo of with his band Dinosaur Jr., this guy has been on a late-career tear, with a string of near-perfect albums this decade; I never thought he could top Green Mind, but he's making a serious effort at it here)

4. MGMT: Loss of Life (who knew this duo still had it in them, but “this is what the birds must have been squawking about” and is soft-psych along the lines of classic Pink Floyd and freak poppers Christopher Owens and Alex Cameron)

3. The Polyphonic Spree: Salvage Enterprise (I did not see this cult—literally—making such a perfect comeback, but the “American choral rock band from Dallas” returns with its first studio album of original material in 11 years and magestically tops even its first three releases, which were all classics in their own right)

   

   Polyphonic Spree

2. Mammoth Penguins: Here (this British trio comes out with a driving pop masterpiece that can be loosely categorized in the Courtney Barnett/The Beths' style of power-pop with great lyrics)

1. Lives Like Skyscrapers: At Dawn We Said Goodnight (this is a shockingly great debut album from what appears to be a Canadian collective of dads and moms in the vein of the Elephant 6 one and with a group of songs that is similar to the Flaming Lips when that band was on its master streak in the 1990s)

Bonus: Each year, there are always records that I find out about later. Here are those:

The Follies: Permanent Present Tense (I don’t know how I ever missed out on this rad guitar band, which sounds a lot like bands like Husker Du and The Minutemen and would be very high on the actual list for me if I had caught them in time)