I’ve compiled some of my favorite releases of the year and presented them below in an unranked, alphabetical list. As in the past, all of these releases have been featured on the Free Form Freakout radio and podcast shows in some way over the past year or will soon be included in an upcoming episode before the year’s end. While it was tempting to include more, I decided to cap it at 50 releases: 40 new albums and 10 reissue/archival/compilation albums.
Aside from doing the Free Form Freakout podcast and radio show, I re-activated the Round Bale Recordings label after a bit of a hiatus and put out a cassette from Yuasa-Exide, which, of course, I recommend giving a listen to. I was able to get out and play some music myself and take in some terrific live shows throughout the year. Those live music experiences certainly shaped some of my listening habits throughout the year and are reflected in the list below. We’re fortunate to have a vibrant music community in our surrounding area with a lot of bands and artists making cool stuff on their own. It’s been a strong motivator to get out of the house, get away from the screens, and check out what is happening. If you’re able to, I encourage you to do the same. Likewise, I encourage you to click on the links for each release below. Hopefully, there are at least a few worthwhile discoveries there for you.
If you’re new to Free Form Freakout, I’d recommend that you peruse the playlists of past episodes of the podcast show and perhaps give one a listen if something captures your attention. You can also check out the playlists for the weekly Free Form Freakout radio show and listen to the archived audio for two weeks after the episodes air here. Finally, be sure to check out the mixes that the folks at FLORILEGIO contributed to Free Form Freakout throughout the year, those are always a fascinating listen.
There will be one more episode of the podcast show before the end of the year. I’m sure Carl and I will play some of our favorite albums and songs on the weekly Free Form Freakout radio show in the coming weeks too. As always, thanks for looking and listening.
David, N. Mankato, December 2024
New Albums
| April Magazine | Wesley’s Convertible Tape for the South | Digital Regress |
| Bermuda Squares | Outsider | Feel It Records |
| The Bug Club | On the Intricate Inner Workings of the Systems | Sub Pop |
| Clinic Stars | Only Hinting | Kranky |
| Johnny Coley | Mr. Sweet Whisper | Sweet Wreath | Mississippi Records |
| Ned Collette | Our Other History | Ever/Never | Sophomore Lounge |
| The Cosmic Tones Research Trio | All Is Sound | Pyramid Records |
| Eloine | Moldy Cushions | Flag Day Recordings |
| Myriam Gendron | Mayday | Feeding Tube | Thrill Jockey |
| Lupo Cittá | S/T | 12XU |
| Malamiko | All Pleasant Dreams | Tern and Crow |
| Mary Jam | 40s For Algernon | Self-Released |
| Meatbodies | Flora Ocean Tiger Bloom | In the Red |
| The Minneapolis Uranium Club Band | Infants Under the Bulb | Static Shock | Anti Fade |
| Montgomery and Turner | Sound Is (Our) Sustenance | Astral Editions |
| David Nance & Mowed Sound | S/T | Third Man |
| Nowhere Flower | Ruts the Place | Radical Documents |
| Omit | InSec | Siltbreeze |
| Parsnip | Behold | Upset the Rhythm |
| Perennial | Art History | Ernest Jenning Record Co. |
| Pissed Jeans | Half Divorced | Sub Pop |
| Jessica Pratt | Here In The Pitch | Mexican Summer |
| Rat Henry | Material Pop Volume One | Minimum Table Stacks |
| The Reds Pinks and Purples | Unwishing Well | Slumberland | Tough Love |
| Reverse Image & Thomas Bey William Bailey | 常若 / Tokokawa | Fourth Dimension |
| Rosali | Bite Down | Merge |
| Sad Eyed Beatniks | Ten Brocades | Meritorio |
| Scrunchies | Colossal | Learning Curve |
| Shellac | To All Trains | Touch and Go |
| Shirese | Hardly Cricket | Grapefruit | C/Site Recordings |
| Skyminds | Echoes on the Shore | Inner Islands |
| The Spatulas | Beehive Mind | Post Present Medium |
| Jim Strong | My Enemies Are Mine To Keep | Horn of Plenty |
| The Submissives | Live at Value Sound Studios | Celluloid Lunch |
| Thine Retail Simps | Strike Gold, Strike Back, Strike Out | Total Punk |
| Toilet Rats | IV | Steadfast Records |
| Warm Currency | Petals | Horn of Plenty |
| Why Bother? | Hey, At Least You’re Not Me | Feel It Records |
| Jiyoung Wi | Accept All Cookies | Enmossed |
| Yaryu | For Damage | Centripetal Force | Cardinal Fuzz | Ramble Records |
Reissues/Archival/Compilations
| Galaxie 500 | Uncollected Noise New York ‘88-’90 | Silver Current Records |
| Gastr Del Sol | We Have Dozens of Titles | Drag City |
| Anne Gillis | Aha | La Scie Dorée |
| Russell Hoke | Wherefore Have I Wandered Here? | Unheard-Of |
| Love Child | Never Meant To Be 1988-1993 | 12XU |
| Pumice | Miserable Poison | Fördämning Arkiv |
| R.N.A. Organism | R.N.A.O Meets P.O.P.O | MESH-KEY |
| Secret Boyfriend | Listener’s Guide | Enmossed |
| The Shadow Ring | 1992-2002 | Blank Forms |
| World Standard | Country Gazette | Cudighi |
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