2024 will go down in my view as a year that was rich in new music releases throughout the year in much the same way as 1974 did. It became a year that as well as established artists such as Steve Hackett, Jon Anderson and their like hit the Prog scene with some great tunes in their inevitable styles and ways. However, the wealth of talent both in writing melodies and substantive music came from new bands too. It has to be said that 2024 seemed to be the year for established artists who earned their spurs over the last few decades with little or no backing from record companies also made their mark in a huge way here at Progmeister towers.
My criteria for nominating the following albums as my top 12 albums of 2024 are factors based on my own enjoyment of the music and based on many factors which include, musicality, melody, recording quality and in some cases the tingle factor. If a piece of music contains the ability to make the hair stand up on the back of your neck they stand a good chance of being included here. Given that some of the big players also released albums in 2024 it may surprise some that they didn’t make it to my top ten? This is not that they produced bad products, it was simply that so many other artists produced such good music to such high standards. In some cases I simply didn’t get to hear them! Some of the bands that really ticked many boxes for me last year I wouldn’t have even known about if I hadn’t seen them live at one of the festivals. Proof that Spotify and other streaming platforms aren’t winning all the battles.
So, with this in mind, to business. In true Fluff Freeman tradition. Coming in at number twelve we have…….
12. To Shoot Another Day – Rosalie Cunningham
11. A Strange Inheritance – Nick Magnus
10. Wheels Within Wheels – Meer
09. True – Jon Anderson And The Band Geeks
08. A Longing For Home – Nick Fletcher
07. Where Ideal And Denial Collide – Oddleaf
06. Luck And Strange – David Gilmour
05. Songs For Beating Hearts – Beardfish
04. Blood On Water – Ruby Dawn
03. Return To Cropredy – Solstice
02. To Follow Polaris – The Tangent (for one)
01. We’ve Been Expecting You – Tony Patterson & Doug Melbourne.
Best EP…
Atomic – Emily Francis Trio
And so to another year. Lets see what 2025 brings. See you down there?
