So we get to our Best 10 Albums Of 2024. Any of these 10 could have been Number 1 and this reflected how diverse I Don't Hear A Single has become over the years. It is essentially a home for Indie Pop Rock, but it isn't afraid of taking different paths. For instance Prog and Psych is placed well amongst the 100 albums, which is a testament to how open the ears of followers are.
We chose The Armoires because we believe it was so different to much of everything else we heard in 2024. But, any album that is reviewed on IDHAS is recommended. We only review what we have liked. The 100 albums will be posted as a list later.
Welcome to the first Here Is The News, a new addition to the IDHAS jollity. It is intended to be a weekly affair that informs followers about upcoming releases, gigs, labels and much more. As with everything on I Don't Hear A Single, it contains no influence whatsoever from anyone but us. We get lots of releases, PR, label contact, but we have always decided what we like and want to tell you about.
We are only ever limited by time. We only review what we like. People mention from time to time that we don't seem to do negative reviews. It is actually much easier to do a negative review than a positive one, but why waste that energy? From the beginning, we were only ever going to write about what we like and there is more of that than we could ever cover.
As IDHAS approaches 8, the Blogging world is very different than when we started. The influence that Blogs have has decreased at a rapid rate. It is hard to keep interest and even grow as streaming playlists seem to be the in thing.
There is no doubt that we have evolved and compare to different Blogs than when we first started. But we are still here and hope that we help artists on the way. We are never going to make mega stars, not that we would really ever want to. Adding things like this keeps interest and hopefully informs.
This is a cut down version of what this section is intended to be. A sort of test the water to gauge reaction.
King Black Acid - There's A Spirit Moving In Your House
I think you know how much we like King Black Acid. Portland Oregon must be so proud of this lot. Our review of the new album, Victory For Mad Love, has been really popular. You can read that here. There is now a video for you to enjoy of the new single, There's A Spirit Moving In Your House. You can buy and listen to the album here.
The Supernaturals
It is frightening to think that I have been listening to The Supernaturals for half my life. Initially, through their jaunty wit filled Pop Rock, but I've sort of matured with them as they have experimented and shown completely different sides to the band. Many will know of the big singles and albums, but the early cassette releases were like Rocking Horse shit.
So the archive releases from the pre It Doesn't Matter Anymore days are a godsend to both established and the new fans that the band has been gaining at a rapid rate. Both Big 7 and Sitting In The Sun join Let It Bleat as CD and Download releases. Both will be reviewed on here in the coming week.
It is less than a fortnight away from Local Drags' fourth album. We've covered them well on here and the last album, Mess Of Everything, appeared in our Best 100 Albums Of Last Year. You can read that review here. The new one sounds less noisy than what has gone before, more reflective, but is every bit as good as you might expect.
The CD and Vinyl are available from Stardumb Records. There are alternate covers depending on the format you choose. The album will also be on the Bandcamp site. A review will be on here, just after the release date. City In A Room should certainly gain many appreciative ears.
It has been too long since we covered Winston-Salem's Michael Slawter. Ashamedly, he hasn't appeared here since 2017's An Assassination Of Someone You New. There's an ethical theme to his new mini album and it is a cracker. Great Pop Rock that edges towards Power Pop.
There will be obvious connections to The dBs and Mitch Easter, but Slawter is very much his own man. You can pre-order the CD or Digital album now. It is a great listen. A review will appear on here shortly after the release date.
Canadian Guitar Pop has had an exceptional couple of years and Motorists are another example. Their second album is on Madrid's excellent Bobo Integral label. Touched By The Stuff revels in its 90s Power Pop vibe with heaps of Jangle Pop.
The band are not afraid to spread further afield though and this is an album that underlines the slow but sure return of Classic Power Pop. It knows its influences, but also adds its own take bringing the genre to a new generation.The album is available on Vinyl and digitally and will be reviewed here shortly after release.
The Rainbow Lodge was in the Top 20 albums in last year's Best 100 and King Black Acid became my new favourite band. I love 'em. So to have a follow up within a year makes me very happy indeed. Again this feels very Brit Pop, but that doesn't do it justice at all and if it was just that it would wipe the floor with anything ever from that genre.
Brit Pop is only the base camp as the territory is much wider and Victory For Mad Love revels in all that space. King Black Acid can go in any direction and master it. This is Album Of The Year material and that opinion is not based on one listen.
I've been fortunate to have the album for a couple of months and had the benefit of repeated listens and adored it more on every listen. The album never loses its melody and sheer catchiness as it twists and turns in every song.
I Roasted My Heft for instance starts all Classic Rock, adds a little 80s smooth and then goes into Psych Rock aided by a jawdropping chorus. Turning On My Televison mixes 80s Rock with Australian Psych and delights. Now I What To Remember starts with a Beat Box and then becomes an intriguing 80s Jaunty Pop joy.
Come On People starts all Classic Rock then becomes a 90s Anthem. I Don't Want To Ever Hurt You Again is an unexpected modern love song. The Invisible Wars closes the album with a top notch gentle Pastoral Psych affair which is still as catchy as catchy can be.
The stand out song is You're Going Down / Wasting In The Zone, a song that sounds very 90s with a joint vocal and the You're Going Down is venemous, yet sang so sweetly. Fans of the outer edges of Brit Pop will adore this. I'm thinking of bands like Octopus and Straw. But the album should more than appeal to all Pop Rock fans.
You can listen to and buy the album here. There is also a RSD Vinyl Release, limited to 500, that you may still be able to get at all good record stores.
For the last few years We have compiled annual Best Of 's because these posts seem so popular and the aim of this Blog is to get exposure (and Sales) for the artists. A reminder that anything reviewed on I Don't Hear A Single is highly recommended.
Narrowing things down to this 100 has been really difficult. The countdown is posted in reverse batches of 10. For each album, a song is embedded from the album and a link is provided to the IDHAS Review where you can find further details and how to listen or buy the album
I've been waiting to tell you about this for a while, so its over to Portland Oregon and King Black Acid. King Black Acid is essentially Daniel Riddle with a fine selection of collaborators and though they may be new to many, they aren't actually at new at all.
King Black Acid's debut album was in 1995 with Womb Star Session and three albums followed with Loves A Love Song ending the run in 2000. After being active in various guises, particularly film soundtracks, Riddle revived King Black Acid with the 2017 wonder that is Super Beautiful Magic.
Six years on, we get the sixth album and the results are astounding. I suppose you would term The Rainbow Lodge, Indie Rock, but that would only be to give it a base, because this melodic extravaganza takes in Space Rock, Classic Rock, Neo Psych, Glam Rock and much more. You are in for a treat.
The biggest attention will be aimed at the recent single, Caterpillar Queen, with its Glam overtones and rightly so. It has the joy of say Ulysses, maybe without the wit, but with much more in it and adds a lovely string ending.
But to focus on that would be disrespectful to the quality elsewhere. Don't Want My Life To Be Like That is very Brit Pop (I know, I know, but it is) with overtones of a rockier Dodgy and the horn intro is reminiscent of Northern Uproar or The Boo Radleys in Wake Up Boo mode and then there's the outro.
Dreamers Ballad is splendid 70s Pop Rock with Space Rock instrumental hints, all at a frantic pace. The solo that opens In Love For The Last Time is all Flares and Butterfly Collars and the good news is that the riff returns. If anything, it is a little in the realm of The Darkness.
Fire On Gasoline is built on a heavier riff then explodes into a big AOR chorus. Yet, I'm The Dangerous Type is built around a quirky groove. I Wanna Get You High is more 80s with its synth runs and its all together now chorus.
Kissed At The Cemetery is the song that contains the most, constant chopping and changing, the nearest King Black Acid get to straight ahead Pop with its electronic drum beat. Throughout the album there are so many hooks.
The Rainbow Lodge is much different to those experimental 90s in that this album is much more commercial. However to produce an album as good as this 28 years on deserves massive applause. This is proper Melodic Rock with not a cliche in sight. Absolutely Wonderful!
You can listen to and buy the album here. You really should!
