A Few Of My Favorite Things 2024 Edition - Part Two: Singles, EPs, Compilations, Live, and Reissues

 By Henry Lipput

I was thinking of changing the name of this post to Life Gets In The Way which is the best way to explain why this year's Part Two of my year-end list is so dreadfully behind in its arrival to the folks whose music I'm writing about. Each year I make the same promise to myself to write about releases closer to when they come out and get my year-end lists out earlier in the year so we'll see if that's going to happen in 2025. 

There's a Part Two to my year-end list because some of my favorite music in a given year is contained in more than brand-new albums and comes in the way of singles, EPs, live (in this case live in a BBC recording studio or in a recording studio like Abbey Road), compilations, and reissues. 

P.S. I want to apologize for what seems to be some funky stuff going on with my blog program -- maybe it's because I'm trying to cram a lot of stuff on it.

SINGLES

Librarians With Hickeys, "Hello Operator" (Big Stir Records)

"Hello Operation" was the first single from the Librarians With Hickeys third  album How To Make Friends By Telephone and it sets up the yearning jangle of an almost concept album of making and breaking off connections.

Sassyhiya, "Kristen Stewart" (Shep Wax)

This very cool pop ode and the video not only chronicles a near real-life encounter between one of the band members and the actress but also celebrates Stewart’s bold fashion choices. It's also on the band's Take You Somewhere album.

 

Suzy Goodwin, "Ain't No Next Time" (Bandcamp)

Suzy Goodwin’s full-throated, heart-felt vocal on her dazzling debut solo single, “Ain’t No Next Time," hits you right between the ears. She puts her foot down and tells a roaming lover that if he leaves there won’t be a next time.

EPs

Peter Hall, What Are You Waiting For? (Bandcamp)

Halls's ability to write and record songs that touch both the head and the heart has continued through EPs and albums. He has become a singer-songwriter to reckon with especially if you, like me, appreciate the kind of melodic pop that reverberated throughout the 1960s.

Favorite track: "I'm In Love With You"

Warm Coat, Terminus EP (Bandcamp)

I was introduced to this self-described "shoegazing jangly indie duo" by Paul Bennett on his Sunday morning Magical Mystery Four (one of the few things I miss from leaving that other social media platform). They also released the Wine and Roses EP in 2024,

Favorite track: "Never Thought"

COMPILATIONS 

The Blue Herons, Go On (Subjangle)

The Blue Herons are composed of Andy Jossi (music and instruments) and Gretchen DeVault (lyrics and vocals). They've been releasing their jangly dreamy guitar (and mostly joyful) pop as downloads on Bandcamp but Go On is the first physical release. The songs on Go On have been partly re-recorded and newly mixed and mastered for your listening pleasure.

Favorite track: "Go On"

The Half-Cubes, Pop Treasures (Big Stir Records)

Pop Treasures is an exceedingly cool collection of songs that were released over a span of 50 years and covered by The Half-Cubes Gary Frenay (drums and lead vocals) and Tommy Allen (bass and acoustic guitar) of The Flashcubes plus the guitar army of Randy Klawson and Fernando Perdomo.

Favorite track: "I Live"

LIVE

Close Lobsters, Janice Long BBC session 7/6/86 (Precious Recordings of London)

Based on their "Firestation Towers" track on the legendary NME C86 tape the Scottish band Close Lobsters were invited to record a four-song set at the BBC. They also did another for John Peel two years later.

Favorite track: "Never Seen Before"

Paul McCartney & Wings, One Hand Clapping (PaulMcCartney.com)

Recorded at Abbey Road Studios in 1974 -- and never before released in it's entirety -- One Hand Clapping shows Wings Phase II (now with Jimmy McColloch and Geoff Britten) being recorded and filmed as they go through a proposed set list for an evertual European tour,

Favorite track(s): "Sally G" and "Tomorrow" (I'm breaking my own rules here by including two of my favorite McCartney songs both of which -- I'm pretty sure -- he's never performed live.)

REISSUES

Josh Rouse, Nashville (Yep Roc Records)

Released in 2005 on CD and, like Jon Brion's Meaningless first out on CD in 2001 and on vinyl in 2022 and this year's Chappaquidick Skyline, some of my favorite albums are now being made available on vinyl.

Favorite track: "Winter in the Hamptons"

Assistant, Ten Songs & Second LP and In The Summer Sun & This World Could Be So Much Fun (Subjangle)

Between 2003 and 2022 the UK band Assistant recorded four albums all of which have been reissued by Subjangle on lovely two CD packages. All four of these releases act not only as a time capsule (one very much worth diving into) but also as a primer for Certain Memories their first album in three years out now also on Subjangle..

Favorite track: "No-One Need Ever Know" (from Ten Songs)