{"id":3354,"date":"2025-01-01T14:18:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-01T20:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/?p=3354"},"modified":"2025-01-29T23:07:30","modified_gmt":"2025-01-30T05:07:30","slug":"2024-dfraas-dangerous-folk-rock-appeal-awards-fka-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.timelypersuasion.com\/blog\/2024-dfraas-dangerous-folk-rock-appeal-awards-fka-of-the-year\/","title":{"rendered":"2024 DFRAAs (Dangerous Folk Rock Appeal Awards, fka “Of the Year”)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n

Welcome to my 2024 annual best of music list, rechristened The Dangerous Folk Rock Appeal Awards<\/em> (DFRAAs) after Local Boy’s favorite phrase. (Since this is a time travel themed blog, maybe I’ll go back and retroactively change past years…)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the name, we like all kinds of music around here\u2014not just folk. Onwards to the trip down memory lane for the past 366 days!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

ALBUMS<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Nobody Loves You More<\/em> \u2014 Kim Deal<\/strong>
    A decade in the making, the first solo record (not counting an album’s worth of solo singles released back in 2013) by the Pixies \/ Breeders icon delivers in spades. Sonically adventurous while still sounding exactly like you’d expect and want a Kim Deal record to sound like. Quoting     Paste Magazine<\/a> (who ranked this way too low at 43 IMHO): “And then there is her voice\u2014still a fusion of charm, attitude, a choir of angels and fine-grit sandpaper, just as it has been all along.”<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. The Past Is Still Alive<\/em> \u2014 Hurray for the Riff Raff<\/strong>
    Combining their early album folkiness with the autobiographical messages from more recent output, The Past Is Still Alive<\/em> epitomizes dangerous folk rock appeal. Like the Kim Deal album, it’s exactly what we’ve come to expect from Alynda Segarra. Bonus points from me for the title and how it weaves its way into a few different songs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Roll It Out<\/em> \u2014 The Deslondes<\/strong>
    So much talent in one band, and the records keep getting better and better. That’s the beauty of a supergroup: We showed up to the party via Sam Doores, but stuck around for Riley & Dan & JJ and welcomed new guy Howe with open arms. “Greater than the sum of its parts” may be cliche, but here it’s the whole truth and a ringing endorsement. Deslondes might be Cajun for Voltron.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Bandcamp 52<\/em> Fridays<\/em> \u2014 Shawn Smith<\/strong>
    Not exactly an album, but I need somewhere to commemorate the 35     posthumous archival songs released on Bandcamp<\/a> this year of a planned 52 spanning all of Shawn Smith’s musical projects. Some of these were previously released on the old Skeleton Keys<\/em> compilations1<\/a><\/sup>, but many were new to me. A whole lot of gems from the dearly departed great I miss the most. (Bonus: Since it didn’t start until May, more are coming in 2025!)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. L.A. Times<\/em> \u2014 Travis<\/strong>
    Easily my favorite Travis record since The Man Who<\/em>. Continuing the inadvertent theme percolating above, these new songs sound both freshly different yet clearly sound like Travis songs if that makes any sense. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Natural Magick <\/em>\u2014 Kula Shaker<\/strong>
    Easily my favorite Kula Shaker record since, well,     2022<\/a>‘s very good comeback record. Thankfully they ditched the mildly annoying skits between songs with a solid set of groovy, glammy, just plain fun rock songs wearing their psychadelic influences on their sleeves. It is a little top-heavy, but also might be one of my favorite four-song stretches to open any album in recent memory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. The Fear of Standing Still<\/em> \u2014<\/strong> American Aquarium<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. Valley of Abandoned Songs<\/em> \u2014 The Felice Brothers<\/strong>
    I live-tweeted my first listens for both of these, so I’ll let me past self do the talking below.    2<\/a><\/sup><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    A first impression song by song review of the new @USAquarium<\/a> album THE FEAR OF STANDING STILL to prime the streaming pump in support of live, original, independent music. (I also bought it, of course.) ????<\/p>— JLC (@lbdg) July 26, 2024<\/a><\/blockquote>