This is coming in WAY late. But better late than never!

Life-wise, 2024 was a very difficult year. Things were rolling along very well. The Winter teaching term went well. In summer I geared up to go on a 6-month sabbatical. I began my focus on research grant writing, and it was coming along nicely (I had to steer in another direction but I’m hopeful on the new direction I took. I’ll find out in June if I’m successful #fingerscrossed). And then BOOM, the Fall hit…

In late September, my mom suffered a severe stroke and my mom’s world, and all of my family’s world was turned upside down. Suffice it to say, this was a life changing event for my mom and family, something we are all still navigating today.

In January this year, normally when I do my yearly reflection, I had to go back to work, very ill-prepared to do so while also trying to navigate helping my mom and family to the best of my ability. As I (finally) start to write this review and reflection here at the end of April, taking advantage of an LMS/URCourses end-of-term maintenance update that has gone astray and is preventing me from finalizing student grades, I take a moment to pause, breathe, reflect. My family and I – We are doing as well as can be. My mom, the “rock” of our family that she is, is settling into her new normal and taking things day by day. She is now living at Harbour Landing Village where she is settling in, getting the best possible care, and the rest of us our doing our level-headed best to help as best we can. I’m not going to lie, it’s not been an easy time for my mom or for any of us. But, family! We do our best to support each other!! And this, we are doing! And my mom is still our “rock.” She truly is the best of the best (she’ll hate me for posting this pic, but I think her beautiful soul shines right through here).

OK. Back on track. As 2025 unfolded over the last few months, I took advantage of listening more to my top 40 or so album picks for my annual top 10 albums of the year. As with most years, it was hard to get things down to just 10. But as always, I get my list started with a few “notables” I squeeze in for good measure to help me out (ha). So, let’s get at ‘er.

Honourable mentions (no particular order)

• Elliot Brood, Town and Country
• Japandroids, Fate & Alcohol
• The Black Keys, Ohio Players
• Cuff the Duke, Breaking Dawn
• Serj Tankian, Foundations
• Ministry, HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES
• The Black Crows, Happiness Bastards
• Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department
• Pearl Jam, Dark Matter
• The Strumbellas, Part Time Believer
• The Mavericks, Moon & Stars
• Iron & Wine, Light Verse
• Luke Combs, Father & Sons
• Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweets, South of Here
• The Smashing Pumpkins, Aghori Mhori Mei
• Joel Plaskett, One Real Reveal
• Brothers of Metal, Fimbulvinter
• Pixies, The Night the Zombies Came
• Soccer Mommy, Evergreen

Pfftt…OK…I told you it was hard. So many gooders!! But here we get to the top 10 of it all! These albums were solid from start to finish. All songs on all albums, solid!

10. Green Day, Saviors. What can I say? These fine lads have been a staple since my early high school days. This album does not disappoint. Just a good time! Favs include: Look Ma, No Brains!, Living in the ’20s, Goodnight Adeline, Father to a Son, and Strange Days Are Here To Stay.

09. Lost Dog Street Band, Survived. This was a band I was introduced to in 2024. Having formed in 2010, I was sort of surprised I had never come across them. A little more country-iswh, very bluegrassy, with some folk goodness sprinkled in there to boot. All super great! Favs include: Last Train, Son of Tennessee, Muhenberg County Line, Lifetime of Work, and Survived.

08. Unleash the Archers, Phantoma. Another album from these very fine British Columbia heavy metal queens and kings. I find that with each new album these folks put out into the world, they keep refining their talent. Such a great album! Favs include: Gods in Decay, Ghosts in the Mist, Ph4/NT0mA, Green and Glass, and Blood Empress. Damn…it’s all great!

07. Bleachers, Self Titled. Jack Antonoff is one super duper talented musician, producer, etc. And when he assembles his band of merry and talented cohorts, my goodness do they ever make beautiful music. Every album these fine folks put out into the world is a gem. Favs include: Tiny Moves, Modern Girl, Woke Up Today, Jesus is Dead, Hey Joe, and Self Respect.

06. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings, Woodland. Gillian is one of those singer/songwriters that gives me the goosebumps when listening to her voice. David too, mind you, is also great! This album is sooooo very good. All songs shine, but favs include: Turf the Gambler, The Bells and the Birds, North Country, the Day The Mississippi Died, and Empty Trainload of Sky.

05. Alan Doyle, Welcome Home. One of my favourite musicians and people. Alan (and Co.) never disappoint on any album he and his band release. He is one of Canada’s greats, from Great Big Sea to now, with his solo stuff. It’s all so very good! Favs on this album include: Hard Old Hands, Best I Never Had, Long Night, Welcome Home, Your and Mine, All for a Song, and How Did We Get From Saying I Love You.

04. Judas Priest, Invincible Shield. Well what can I say? The Metal Gods came back with this little ditty of an excellent album. I must say, my prolonging of doing my annual album top 10 benefited this album as I never really gave it its due last year as it got lost in the hundreds of albums I had in the queue in ’24. I have to give kudos to my brother Joey who was like, “you need to give that more of a listen.” And oh man, am I glad I did. This is Priest’s best album since Painkiller (1990), of course, in my opinion. Favs include: As God as my Witness, Giants in the Sky, Trial by Fire, The Serpent and the King, Vicious Circle, Invincible Shield, and The Lodger. Crank it to eleven folks!! It’s all great!

03. Hurray for the Riff Raff, The Past is Still Alive. Although coming on the music scene in 2007, I had only just found out about Alynda Segarra’s band in ’24. This album is a delight from start to finish, and having since gone back to listen to their previous albums, folks, they are all great! I simply love all songs on this album, but to pick a few super favs: Alibi, Hourglass, Hawkmoon, The World is Dangerous, Buffalo, and Snake Plant, and every other song…ha!

02. Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood. Another person (Katie Crutchfield)/band I had just encountered in ’24, but have been around since 2010 (I think I may have been living under a rock!). This is just a fantastic album. Every song shines. Like Alynda’s stuff (Hurray for the Riff Raff), I’ve since gone back to Katie’s back catalogue and ya, it’s all great! On this album, like the last one (my #3 pick), every song shines. But to pick of few favs: Lone Star Lake, Burns Out at Midnight, Crowbar, 3 Sisters, The Wolves, and Tigers Blood, and ya, it’s all great! Give it a spin ASAP!

01. John Moreland, Visitor. This man has such a soulful voice and beautiful spirit. I must say, it also has a couple of my favourite lyrical passages/song titles: “The More You Say, the Less it Means,” so very true (I try to practice this everyday but fail quite often), and “One Man Holds The World Hostage,” this one very reminiscent of the man down south holding its citizens and the world hostage (or maybe it’s more like two men doing it). This whole album is a gem, but to pick a few favs (minus the two I’ve already said): Will the Heavens Catch Us?, Gentle Violence, Ain’t Much I Can Do About It, Visitor, and….you know what, every song is great. Like with my 02, 03, and all thee rest, listen to them all ASAP!

In the video below, the first two songs are from John’s 2024 album and the latter two are from his 2013 (In the Throes) and 2015 (High on Tulsa Heat) albums respectively (his whole catalogue of albums are all great so why not check ’em all out!).

And there we **finally** have it. How I saw and heard music in 2024, with a little bit of life happenings sprinkled in. Life is still moving along for me and my fam, and the 2025 music scene is looking bright so far too. I imagine I’ll have a hard time with my top 10 this year too! -tMac