The KAXE Music Team loves music. And it’s a good thing we do as we reviewed over 1,350 albums in 2024, not counting the thousands of singles. Great music is being made ready to discover and share with the world, and we take that (but not ourselves) seriously.
Music Director Kari Hedlund, MN Music Producer Malachy Koons and Volunteer Coordinator Dan Gannon (aka DJ Dang) wrap up 2024 with their favorite songs of the year. Check out the playlist below to take a listen along with extra honorable mention goodies (because how can we not?)!
Kari’s Picks
Top 5 Songs
5) “She Cleans Up” - Father John Misty
4) “Gild the Lily” - Billy Strings
3) “Like a Woman” - Lady Blackbird
2) “She’s Leaving You” - MJ Lenderman
MJ Lenderman emerged as a breakout artist this year with Manning Fireworks, delivering multiple songs worthy of a spot on my ‘best of’ list this year. Ultimately, “She’s Leaving You” took the cake blending the best of alt-country and 90s indie rock into a sound that feels both familiar and unique.
1) “Right Back To It (ft. MJ Lenderman)” - Waxahatchee
After hearing this song for the first or second time, I remember telling Malachy, ‘This might end up being one of my favorites from the year.” Nearly a year later and 200 listens later, that sentiment still stands. The song displays a real timeline of a relationship that’s not overly romantic or dramatic. It’s real and relatable, with exceptional harmonies between Katie Crutchfield and MJ Lenderman.
Top 5 Albums
5) West Georgia Blues – Jontavious Willis
4) Malegria – Reyna Tropical
3) Manning Fireworks – MJ Lenderman
2) Tigers Blood – Waxahatchee
Waxahatchee, the musical project by Katie Crutchfield, has transformed over the years into a quintessential Americana endeavor. With Tigers Blood, Crutchfield delivers an almost flawless album, where every track stands out as a lasting piece of work. It is an album that will be put into books alongside classics like Car Wheels on a Gravel Road.
1) Bright Future – Adrianne Lenker
Adrianne Lenker has a rare gift for reaching into the depths of my soul, whether it’s through the quirky brilliance of Big Thief, collaborations with artists like Tucker Zimmerman, or her intimate and soul-crushing solo work. Bright Future was released as my dad was dying, and it struck every nerve and cell in my earth-living body. It became my refuge — my respite, a safe space to cry, to feel everything and to begin healing. It felt as though the music was just for me, a whisper meant only for my ears. It was a powerful reminder for me of the incredible magic of music.
Kari Hedlund is the KAXE Music Director, on-air host and producer of New Music and Grand Rapids Riverfest Coordinator. She works hard to get her kids to listen to good music, and has been busted for singing along (quite loudly) in the studio.
Malachy’s Picks
Top 5 Songs
5) “Flesh & Blood” - Cindy Lee
4) “Qaram qalafe” - Sahra Halgan
3) “Wristwatch” - MJ Lenderman
2) “Call It Love” - Nilufer Yanya
Mesmerizing. Bewitching. Hypnotizing. Any similar word you can find in a thesaurus will do, this song is a vibe. While the bass and guitar weave circles around each other, Nilüfer Yanya's R&B-inspired vocals are breathtaking.
1) “Buffalo” - Hurray for the Riff Raff
I think this song will be taught in songwriting classes for years to come. In the first verse, Alynda Segarra recalls time spent in the Southwest with references to pueblos and Pinyon trees. In the second they ask if humanity is doomed to the same fate as the wooly mammoth, Bachman's warbler or Little Mariana fruit bat, all now extinct. This gloomy question is countered with the awe of watching a thundering buffalo herd in modern times. If the buffalo can survive and overcome, maybe we can too. The song comes full circle, back to first person when Segarra sings "And I want us to be like that, running wild and running free, this year tried to kiss us, babe, well good trying you can't catch me."
Top 5 Albums
5) West Georgia Blues – Jontavious Willis
4) Tigers Blood – Waxahatchee
3) Unbound – Bizhiki
2) The Past Is Still Alive – Hurray for the Riff Raff
Look above for my thoughts on "Buffalo," a favorite from this album. If you changed the references you could write a similar review for every song on this album. Segarra's ability to weave stories from a lifetime spent on the road with larger questions that ask what it means to be a human in today's world is unmatched. The Past Is Still Alive showcases one of the most poetic and evocative songwriters today.
1) Diamond Jubilee – Cindy Lee
More than any other album this year, Diamond Jubilee has stayed in my rotation and been a source of discovery every time I revisit it. I am obligated to say this is an album that deserves a front to back listen and one that will reward repeated listening. On the other hand, you could easily start with a number of incredibly catchy tunes sprinkled throughout the 32-song double album. "Dreams of You," "All I Want is You," "Flesh and Blood," and "Kingdom Come" are all bangers, and that's just the first half. Cindy Lee is a solo project of Canadian Patrick Flegel, and it's hard to believe one person can have this many unique, interesting, and inventive song ideas. Lucky for you, it's finally on streaming.
Malachy Koons is an On-Air Host & Producer of New Music & CenterStage MN. He epitomizes public radio in all the great ways, listens to music all day every day and is passionate about all kinds; often found bopping his head in the studio.
DJ Dang’s Picks
Top 5 Songs
5) “God Gave Me Feet For Dancing” - Ezra Collective
4) “Wake the Dead” - Chuck Prophet
3) “Blackman Samba” - Wesli
2) “Stella the Begonia” - Rubblebucket
I mean who doesn't love plants, right? They clean the air and are pretty to look at. Many are very tasty to boot. Somehow I think this is a love song to ones self with a reminder to stay hydrated and get in the sun now and then. The saxaphone and additional horns drive this tune like nothing I've heard since alt-punks X-Ray Spex. Stella is so full of dynamic, melodic changes that turns the heat lamp up from warm to HOT and has you flailing around your house like a....well, like an unhinged begonia.
1) “Go Be Free” - Sonny Gullage
Sonny Gullage celebrates that actual inner child in all of us whose curiosity and desire to see what's coming around the bend is essential to living a life to its fullest. As his pops tells him in the tune, "You gotta learn to keep your mind at ease." Sonny brings us to the dance floor with a hand-clapping bass-chugging rhythm that keeps our legs wiggling, while the sing along "whoooah whoooahs" get you clipped right in. When he asks me if I feel it, the only answer is heck yeah!
Top 5 Albums
5) Chimera – Orgone
4) Sun Without The Heat – Leyla McCalla
3) Trail of Flowers – Sierra Ferrell
2) Poetry – Dehd
This album was my non-stop sing along, head boppin and hip shakin' summer jam. In the car with windows down shouting, "Everyone I know is breaking hearts tonight" over and over. Moody, pleading and ready to fight for love. Dehd is the sound of now, wrapping pop melodies around off-kilter alt-rock rhythms and showcasing their individual diversity like its totally no big deal....cause it's not. Their video for "Dog Days" is soooo Chicago!!
1) Rhumba Country - Pokey LaFarge
Mr. LaFarge revealed his charming ways to me in 2024 and boy oh boy did I like what I heard. Often retro sounds and looks leave me unimpressed but Pokey is so true to himself I can only imagine he wakes up with bromade covered pillows every day. The music on Rhumba Country is full of slinky rhythms and celebratory love songs that make you feel hopeful. While his sound is evocative of a speak-easy house band from Prohibition times, his ability to work catchy vocals and bouncy coconut beats that get your toes hopping is undeniable. For my money "Sister Andre" is the best soul song of the year!
Dan Gannon AKA DJ Dang is the Volunteer Coordinator and on-air host of New Music. In his younger days, he was in a punk band that traveled everywhere. He has lots of opinions about music and loves to taunt his KBXE co-worker Andrew Dziengel about all things music.
Check out the full playlist below.
What were your favorites of 2024? Let us know! Text (218)326-1234.
