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5. Devo: “Steel Doors”
“I’d never heard the song before this year and it stuck with me for two reasons. First, it’s just awesome and a super-tight rock ‘n’ roll far beyond Devo’s ‘Whip It.’ The roll shows how the song’s ambiguous meaning captures how I feel about many things happening in 2024. Or this line about hope ‘to the steel doors turns’, and within us indeed It exists to overcome the worst aspects of who we are? I don’t know yet.” – Chris Orcutt, Wayland, Mass.
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6. PJ Harvey: “Get Rid Of Me”
“This song is older than me, but for some reason on a recent listen it stuck with me and filled a void that new music is struggling to reach. With everything in the world, it feels like that. That’s a great time for angsty music to come back, but a lot of recent efforts feel too restrained or too afraid to stray from prevailing pop formulas. Nothing holds back here, and then It explodes. It’s very satisfying is.” – Shireen Shafi, Baltimore
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7. Joni Mitchell: “Cold Blue Steel and Sweet Fire”
“This song has always resonated with me because it captures the struggles of drug addicts in such a poignant way. It’s also one of the best songs on one of the best albums ever. I saw Johnny in Hollywood this year. , so he added a layer of resonance – Gabriel Lawson, Dayton, Ohio
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8. Sonny Rollins: “Slowly, Like the Dawn (Take the Afternoon, Live at the Village Vanguard 1957)”
“For decades, this magnificent performance could only be heard from a subpar tape source — until now. Rudy Van Gelder’s second, superior tape machine captured the night’s spectacular sound in breathtaking detail. In July 2024 , Blue Note released and reissued the recordings they deserve, with every note as alive as the moment it was played K drums and Hear the fire and quiet complexity of Rollins’ tenor saxophone as if he were playing just for you and feel the vanguard come alive.” – Walter Gross, Brooklyn
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9. Worm: “Big Mountain”
“After 21 years of hard work and a rewarding career, this year I set out on a path of change: a life immersed in nature and a small community, as an adventurer rather than a success. This song touches me with every fiber of my being. In a world where normality is falling apart, it is grounded.” – Kyle Campbell, Berlin
▶ listen Spotify, Apple Music or Youtube
10. Jackson Browne: “For A Dancer”
“I heard it when I saw it.”The man inside.’ The songs, words and melody touched my heart. It’s about life, death and the dance in between. I live in chronic pain, and I find these words comforting. The violin solo sounds very exciting. Beautiful song. I wish I had heard it earlier. I have been a fan of Jackson Browne for a long time. – Lori Leroux, Hermiston, Ore.