Though my spotify wrapped definitely put a damper on my parade (with outrageous claims about my #1 song of the year), I have decided to write a post commemorating who I believe were the 3 artists that made my 2024.
By the numbers, my top 5 artists were Fleetwood Mac, Taylor Swift, 21 Savage, Clairo, and Drake. Yet, I reject these results. No matter what I do, Drake always makes it into my damn top 5. Wait this is crazy, I just checked and none of his songs are even in my top 100 of the year. He just weasels his way into my playlists I guess. Anyway, all of this chatter is way off topic, since I am here to talk about some artists that exceeded my expectations and really rounded out my listening experience.
First off, let’s talk about Kid Cudi. I remember when he released Man on the Moon III in high school. It was one of the first times I actually waited until midnight for an album drop even though I really wasn’t even that big of a fan. He does such an excellent job of making the album covers match the vibe of his music. The dark, spacey feeling randomly makes me feel so centered in my thoughts. I really loved (and still do) Sept. 16, The Pale Moonlight, Solo Dolo, Pt. III, and Tequila Shots (of course). All of this is old news, I explored some of his other albums throughout this year.
The one that surprised me the most was Passion, Pain & Demon Slayin’. I loved Rose Golden and Kitchen long ago. Because actually…
If you can’t stand the heat of my love,
Then get out the kitchen
That’s a beautiful song. The instrumental humms, the periodic violin entrances, and his deep notes make it such a pleasing song to listen to. He also compares the nature of his love life with a staple room in a house. It illustrates the tenderness yet delicacy of his emotions perfectly.
God, I also love “Baptized in Fire” with Travy, for those intense pre-gym drives. And “By Design” and “Dance 4 Eternity” offer some evening energy. I will forever be listening to Man on the Moon I and II. He released an awesome documentary, “A Man Named Scott,” where he dives deep into most of the songs on MOTM. It gave me a crazy new perspective on him and the reality of his music.
I must also give a shout out to his most euphoric song: “Too Bad I Have to Destroy You Know.” It’s like when you listen to “SDP Interlude Extended” for the first time. That background sample is mesmerizing to say the least. Goodness, it was so enchanting that I tried listening to the rest of the album (a mistake). The whole album release takes that out-of-body type music a bit too far for me. But all in all, I continued to gain a new appreciation for our man on the moon.
And now onto Parcels! Describing themselves to be a combination of disco-soul and electro-pop, they have such an entrancing sound. They’re based out of Australia (like all of the best bands) but were signed in Germany. One of my favorite songs is undoubtedly “Overnight.” I was excited but not utterly surprised to find out that Daft Punk helped them out with this song. Which now that I reflect on it, I guess their music does reflect some Random Access Memories aspects like the guitar riffs in “Lose Yourself to Dance” or the techno-ness from “Girgio by Moroder.” Parcel’s music definitely was a black sheep in my music taste, but now it makes sense given their links to my beloved Daft Punk.
Some others of theirs that I really love are “Tieduprightnow,” “Lightenup,” “Gamesofluck,” and “Withorwithout.” They honestly flow into each other so nicely. Parcels does a great job of keeping that consistent, not overly energetic, sound. I listen to these songs and am thrown into a chilly Spring run. That hopelessness that the whether won’t warm up or that my schoolwork never really seems to end–it’s was all just glossed over by Parcels and some dancing in the kitchen.
Now according to my Wrapped, my favorite Parcels’ song this year is track 4 on Day/Night, which is “Theworstthing.” It’s introduced with some complimentarty bass and guitar chords (I think it’s those instruments). Once you’re thrown into the chorus, it’s over.
I wish that I could still believe
The love that once you gave to me
It’s not just the lyrics or the mellow sadness that’s alluring, it’s those humms in the background. I could sing along to them all day long. They reflect the shared misery of a failed relationship. But enough of that, it’s a great listen that you’ll definitely go back to again and again.
I never found a big pattern between their releases (since it’s been a collection of an album or two and some singles), but there are plenty of good hits in there.
I finally wanted to give airtime to one of my all time favorite bands that never ceases to amaze me, and that is none other than Fleetwood Mac. Spotify Wrapped actually got it right with this one. I had an amazing year with Stevie, Christine, Mick, and Lindsey. My first wind was during my sophomore year of high school. I sometimes had thought that I had overlistened to their sound because I couldn’t get back into them like I had during that time. Obviously “Dreams” would always stand as one of my favorite songs of all time and Rumours would always be incredible, yet, I couldn’t spiritually reconnect with the band’s music like I had four fateful years ago.
Then something happened. I don’t know what, maybe the introduction to “Storms” off of Tusk or a return to thought-provoking rock music, but I have been back on that Fleetwood Mac grind ever since. From Mirage to Tusk, their releases just constantly wow me. Even though some men in “1001 Album Complaints” shared their disliking for Tusk and even Stevie Nicks, I think that album has some stellar tunes on it. I mean “Sara,” “Sisters of the Moon,” and even “Tusk” are stuffed into that album. Yes it seems disorganized and could probably be split into 2 solo EP’s and 1 Fleetwood Mac album, it holds some awesome songs.
So thank you Fleetwood Mac, for making your resurgence in my life.
I could’ve talked about so many artists this year, like Dire Straits or Steely Dan or more, but I also have a life outside of this sometimes. So here’s my recap on a few artists that I felt needed some recognition for the year they made for me.
Sources
https://www.songtell.com/kid-cudi-ft-jaden/kitchen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parcels_(band)
Iz FM 
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