These are the Honorable Mentions: Songs outside the Top Ten but worthy of a listen. Let’s Go!
Here’s 2024’s Year-End Fiesta of Music. We’re talking about songs released in 2024 that went from “worth a listen” to “earworm city” to “wow, this is amazing.” You should know that these picks are subjective as heck.
A little about the format, which differs from past years. This year, ‘m doing THREE posts. First up is going to be a list of “Honorable Mentions,” which are songs just outside of my Top Ten. Second, songs 10-6 — we’re “countin’ ’em down” — and third will be songs 5-1.
I’ve had fun with these in past years and, as always, your mileage may vary.
Also, as usual, we’ll be casually referring back to a few items here or there from past posts. This is the…checks notes…third straight year we’ve done this; and the first year we’ll cross-post on Substack. If you want to see last year’s, here is a link: Top Ten Songs of 2023. And for 2022, here you go: Top Ten Songs of 2022.
The Honorable Mentions
HM(a): Pearl Jam, “Waiting for Stevie”
It’s a fun story: the band was going to hang out with Stevie Wonder, but Mr. Wonder was late, so they had some time to spend and decided to write a song.
The result is, according to me, the best song off of an above-average — but not S-Tier — Pearl Jam album, “Dark Matter.”
HM(b): Dexter and the Moonrocks: “Sad in Carolina”
In the circles in which I operate, this song might have had the most potential for being played into the ground. Or maybe it’s just that cognitive bias that causes you to see the same model of the car you just bought everywhere.
Anyway, this little ditty is kinda fun and kinda catchy and kinda rock all the same time. Points scored, though not enough to make this year’s Top Ten.
HM(c): Jack White, “Archbishop Harold Holmes”
Another Jack White song made my Excel Spreadsheet — which is called “Song Database of Fire” — but this one, also off the “No Name” album, is even more “Classic Jack White” than the other “Classic Jack White” song.
Behold, “Archbishop Harold Holmes.”
HM(d): Tunde Adebimpe, “Magnetic”
Solo stuff from TV on the Radio frontman Tunde Adebimpe *just* dropped; gotta say I really LOVED the video, if for no other reason than I’m jealous of Tunde’s ability to grow a beard, and a gray one at that.
HM(e): The Wombats, “Blood on the Hospital Floor”
The Wombats — remember them? — are back! This song, too, just dropped within the last few weeks. It’s gold, Jerry, gold.
HM(f)*: Out Come the Wolves, “One in the Same”
This falls into my “Snoop On The Voice” category: I hit the subscribe button after the first couple chords.
The reason for the asterisk: this is completely under the radar. Like 79 subscribers to the band. 1000 views of the video.
I have a couple guesses as to why: the guys look middle-aged, the video looks lower-budget, and the song — to me — says Alt-Rock-But-Harder-Than-Usual.
I got it after the first view, and I still get it after the first dozen views. This is a good song.
HM(g): Squid, “Crispy Skin”
I’ve heard this song at least a half-dozen times in the three weeks since it dropped. I still have no idea if I’m listening to experimental prog rock from 1976 or a commercial for a Japanese furniture superstore.
Thanks?
HM(h): Katrina Ford, “World on a Wire”
This, our final Honorable Mention, falls into the category of “foreshadowing.” You will hear from Ms. Ford again in our year-end posts.
Stay tuned for the next two posts.
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