Hello Reader,
Welcome back.
As the first days of 2025 commence, it’s important to take a step back and reflect on this past year, particularly the wealth of amazing music that came out. I mentioned in my list for 2023 that it was a joy to be a music fan “with artists of a variety of genres (rock, country, folk, blues, soul, pop, etc.) enriching my life in a variety of ways.” I think the same was true this year…maybe even moreso.
There was rarely a day when I didn’t have music impacting me. Sometimes it was through an album or EP and other times it was through a live concert. I listened to probably between 200 and 400 albums, maybe more. It helps that I receive a steady stream of press releases from a variety of PR firms and labels. I have to say making this year’s list was the most challenging it’s been since there were so many quality releases. Hence why I expanded it this year to include a ton more releases. It’s chuck full of artists I’ve been followed for years as well ones I discovered. While it’s exciting hearing a favorite artist’s latest work, it’s equally a thrill to discover gems you weren’t expecting.
Last year one of those gems was Chicago-based band Brigitte Calls Me Baby and their debut EP This House Is Made of Corners. My fandom of the band has further grown this year. First, Alex and I were lucky to catch their incredible February 23 performance at Cactus Club in Milwaukee, a show that remains one of the best for me. Then I got the chance to interview the band about their debut album The Future Is Our Way Out for Chicago Magazine. The strong combination of EP (which I’ve grown to appreciate even more compared with when the EP came out) and new songs is why I felt it was the year’s best. If you’ve followed SWT from the start, you’ll recognize Field Guide, who did one of our first sessions.
I’ve had the honor of interviewing many of the artists on the list for the site and my various publications I freelance for. For example, I had a really great interview with Gary Clark Jr. for Grammy.com about his latest album. He was someone I had long wanted to interview and I’m so glad it finally worked out. A couple highlights for the site was interviewing Greg Norton and Creed Bratton over Zoom.
2025 will be be a eventful year for me as my 30s will come to an end and I enter my 40s. It’ll be 25 years since my fateful family trip to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an event that made want want to listen to more music and really shaped the following years. I’m so thankful for everyone who has joined me in the this first full year of Scummy Water Tower. I hope you’ll continue to join Alex and I as we continue growing the site into the future. I’m excited to discover and explore more music in and interview artists and tell their stories.
Below are the releases that soundtracked my 2024:
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Brigitte Calls Me Baby – The Future Is Our Way Out
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Field Guide – Rootin’ For Ya
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Maggie Rose – No One Gets Out Alive
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Gary Clark Jr – JPEG RAW
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The Mascot Theory – Every Sign Of Life
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Tyler Ramsey – New Lost Ages (Deluxe Edition)
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BODEGA – Our Brand Could Be Yr Life
(also recommend Brand on the Run EP) -
Red Scarves – Nice Try
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Bette Smith – Goodthing
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Davy Knowles – The Invisible Man
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Nico Vega – Make It Out Alive (EP)
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The Heavy Heavy – One of a Kind
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UltraBomb – Dying to Smile
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Devon Allman – Miami Moon
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Personal Trainer – Still Willing
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Mama Zu – Quilt Floor
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Podge Lane – Multiple Dead Ends
(also recommend How You Make Noise When Nobody’s Watching (Live at The Green Note)) -
Tucker Riggleman and the Cheap Dates – Restless Spirit
(also recommend Live and Restless At Old Mother) -
MJ Lenderman – Manning Fireworks
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Deep Purple – = 1
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Il Sogno Del Darinaio – Terzo
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The Linda Lindas – No Obligation
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Fontaines D.C. – Romance
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Pocketboy Solid – S/T
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Marika Hackman – Big Sigh
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Brittany Spencer – My Stupid Life
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Next Paperback Hero – Waves
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Field Report – Trust In Movements Made (EP)
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The Crane Wives – Beyond Beyond Beyond
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X – Smoke & Fiction
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Ginny Luke – Devil At My Heels
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Red Ribbon – S/T
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Kitchen Dwellers – Seven Devils
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Justin Webb & The Noise – Stupid Young
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Jack White – No Name
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Colby T Helms – Tales of Misfortune
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Sierra Ferrell – Trail of Flowers
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Adrianne Lenker – Bright Future
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Fantastic Negrito – Son of a Broken Man
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Marina Allen – Eight-Pointed Star
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Sarah Shook and the Disarmers – Revelations
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Waxahatchee – Tigers Blood
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Sarah Jarosz – Polaroid Lovers
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Laura Jane Grace – Hole In My Head
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Radio Free ABQ – Destination
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The Lemon Twigs – A Dream Is All We Know
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Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs – Vagabonds, Virgins and Misfits
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Billy Strings – Highway Prayer
(also recommend Live Vol 1) -
Vampire Weekend – Only God Was Above Us
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Yard Act – Where’s My Utopia?
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49 Winchester – Leavin’ This Holler
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Sarah Grace White – Sinkhole (EP)
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Marcus King – Mood Swings
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Hurray for the Riff Raff – The Past Is Still Alive
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Los Lonely Boys – Resurrection
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Creed Bratton – Tso Pop
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The Cactus Blossoms – Every Time I Think Of You
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Mdou Moctor – Funeral for Justice
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The Successful Failures – Enemy Sublime
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Slelth Ulving and the Tigernips – S/T
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Father John Misty – Mahashmashana
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Tim Heidecker – Slipping Away
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Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats – South of Here
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The Martial Arts – In There Like Swimwear
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Japandroids – Fate & Alcohol
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Green Day – Saviors
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Pearl Jam – Dark Matter
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Birdfeeder – Woodstock
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Strand of Oaks – Miracle Focus
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Fancy Gap – S/T
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Pond – Stung!
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Frank Turner – Undefeated
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Coastal Club – All The Things You Said
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Soccer Mommy – Evergreen
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Chris Smither – All the Bones
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Dogs at Large – Moonlight (EP)
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Frontier Ruckus – On the Northline
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The Black Keys – Ohio Players
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Body Futures – Do Not Befriend the Reaper (EP)
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The Whiskey Charmers – Streetlights
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The Black Crowes – Happiness Bastards
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Chris Bullinger – Waiting To Be Seen Part 1
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Cris Jacobs – One Of These Days
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KASIA – From KASIA, With Love
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Little Feat – Sam’s Place
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Kiely Connell – My Own Company
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Willie Watson – S/T
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Ben Sollee – Long Haul
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Robert Jon & The Wreck – Red Moon Rising
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Harmless – Springs Eternal
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Caley Conway – Partner
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Zig – Big Brained Apes On A Rock In Space
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Grace Bowers & The Hodge Podge – Wine On Venus
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Maggie Antone – Rhinestoned
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Staples Jr Singers – Searching
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Jake Xerxes Fussell – When I’m Called
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Dawes – Oh Brother
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Warren Haynes – Million Voices Whisper
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Aoife O’Donovan – All My Friends
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Brittany Howard – What Now
Additional Notable Albums:
MC5 – Heavy Lifting / The Meringues – Pavlova’s Dog / The Anti-Queens – Disenchanted / Orillia – S/T / The Georgia Thunderbolts – Rise Above It All / Charlie Parr – Little Sun / Quinn Sullivan – Salvation / Alejandro Escovedo – Echo Dancing / Alan Walker – A Little Too Late / Tucker Zimmerman – Dance of Love / Real Estate – Daniel / Will Hoge – Tenderhearted Boys / Joanne Shaw Taylor – Heavy Soul / Jackie Venson – Ghost (Live) / Tae & the Neighborly – Self-Help / Axis Sova – Blinded by Oblivion / Joseph Huber – Blasthouse Sessions / Sonny Falls – S/T / Eliza McLamb – Going Through It / Jon Muq – Flying Away / Daniel Boling – Love, Dan / Blair Gun – Blaspheme Queen / Nervous Eaters – Rock N Roll Your Heart Away / Jeremie Albino – Our Time in the Sun / Dr Dog – S/T / Eliza & The Delusionals – Make It Feel Like the Garden / Jessica Pratt – Here In the Pitch / The Ghost Particles – North Central / Lake Street Dive – Good Together / Armchair Boogie – Hard Times & Deadlines / Nick Lowe & Los Straightjackets – Indoor Safari / Blackwater Railroad Company – A Lovely Place to Die / Dazy – I GET LOST (when I try to get found) and IT’S ONLY A SECRET (if you repeat it) EPs / The Last Dinner Party – Prelude to Ecstasy / Aaron West and the Roaring Twenties – In Lieu of Flowers / Chance Peña – Ever-Shifting, Continual Blossoming / The Discarded – The Green Door / Steve Cropper – Friendlytown / Andrew Browning and the 9 Pound Hammers – Love Is a Beautiful Thing / SPRINTS – Letter to Self / Bob Vylan – Humble as the Sun / Scott H Biram – The One and Only Scott H. Biram / Paul Cauthen – Black on Black / Cedric Burnside – Hill Country Love
Thanks for reading, listening and discovering,
Josh
Joshua is co-founder of Scummy Water Tower. He’s freelanced for a variety of newspapers, magazines, and websites, including: Rolling Stone, The Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Guitar World, MTV News, Grammy.com, Chicago Magazine, Milwaukee Magazine, MKE Lifestyle, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, A.V. Club, SPIN, Alternative Press, Under the Radar, Paste, PopMatters, American Songwriter, and Relix. You can email him at josh@scummywatertower.com.
