This week: 2025 tunes galore! USA indie rock and pop from Chicago (Answering Machines, TV Buddha), Indiana (Good Flying Birds), LA (Exploding Flowers), Minneapolis (Products Band), Atlanta (Ultra Lights), western Mass (Taxidermists). Global indie from Spain (Nutrias), Denmark (Josie), Japan (ODDLY) , Australia (The Pinstripes), NZ (Flying Nun alumni Phil Moore & Blair Parkes).

Need to know more about the tracks you dug? Band and label Bandcamps (and one YouTube), below…

PLAYLIST:

Taxidermists – Shoot
https://thetaxidermists.bandcamp.com/album/20247

good flying birds – fall away
https://rottenapplelabel.bandcamp.com/album/good-flying-birds-talulahs-tape

Products Band – You Bend The Light
https://productsband.bandcamp.com/track/you-bend-the-light

Answering Machines – Waste My Time
https://inscrutablerecords.bandcamp.com/album/star-charms

ODDLY – Alligator
https://oddlyband.bandcamp.com/album/swerve

Ultra Lights – It’s Your Funeral
https://chunklet.bandcamp.com/album/its-your-funeral-b-w-people-on-the-planet

Phil Moore – Change the Season
https://youtu.be/5902VYU5GHM

Blair Parkes – splendour
https://blairparkes.bandcamp.com/album/so-glad-splendour

Exploding Flowers – Crowded Streets
https://explodingflowers.bandcamp.com/album/watermelon-peacock

Precious Metals – Pottery
https://preciousmetalheads.bandcamp.com/album/stay-precious

edgar déception – happy new year
https://flippinfreaks.bandcamp.com/album/ption

Nutrias – Mi amigo Mark E. Smith
https://nutriasgz.bandcamp.com/album/el-alborotado-sonido-de-las-nutrias

The Penrose Web – I Dreamt I Woke Up Dead
https://papernutcambridge.bandcamp.com/album/its-the-penrose-web-ep-2

The Pinstripes – See You Tomorrow
https://thepinstripess.bandcamp.com/track/see-you-tomorrow

Josie – Good Girl
https://josieband.bandcamp.com/album/demo-2024

C Turtle – Shake It Down
https://c-turtle.bandcamp.com/album/expensive-thrills

TV Buddha – Hudson to China
https://tvbuddha.bandcamp.com/album/10000-buddhas-2

The Wild Stares – Not Only Once
https://thewildstares.bandcamp.com/album/the-state-of-things

What better way to ring in the new year than by revisiting some favorite musical moments of 2024? This year’s wrap-up show consists solely of selections from my top albums, all 15 of ’em (plus two runners-up). Links are in the running playlist directly beneath, or you can scroll to the bottom to see where each landed.

PLAYLIST

The Sheaves – Sanctum Cross
https://sheaves.bandcamp.com/album/a-salve-for-institution

Soup Activists – Jeffrey Jarvis
https://soupactivists.bandcamp.com/album/mummy-what-are-flowers-for

Alvilda – Angoisse
https://alvilda.bandcamp.com/album/cest-d-j-lheure

Marbled Eye – In the Static
https://marbledeye.bandcamp.com/album/read-the-air

Program – Lining Up
https://programbandmel.bandcamp.com/album/its-a-sign

Jim Nothing – Raleigh Arena
https://jimnothing.bandcamp.com/album/grey-eyes-grey-lynn

Sharp Pins – Is It Better
https://sharppins.bandcamp.com/album/radio-ddr

Chime School – Why Don’t You Come Out Tonight?
https://chimeschool.bandcamp.com/album/the-boy-who-ran-the-paisley-hotel

The Umbrellas – When You Find Out
https://theumbrellasca.bandcamp.com/album/fairweather-friend

Mo Dotti – whirling sad
https://mo-dotti.bandcamp.com/album/opaque

Shop Regulars – Off Season Walker
https://shopregulars.bandcamp.com/album/shop-regulars-2

Feeling Figures – Swimming
https://feelingfigures.bandcamp.com/album/everything-around-you

Holiday Ghosts – Big Congratulations
https://holidayghosts.bandcamp.com/album/coat-of-arms

neutrals – Wish You Were Here
https://neutrals.bandcamp.com/album/new-town-dream

Dummy – Nine Clean Nails
https://notdummy.bandcamp.com/album/free-energy

The Slugs – Maybe
https://theslugsband.bandcamp.com/album/a-song-for-every-feeling

Cœur À L’Index – Minette
https://coeuralindex.bandcamp.com/album/adieu-minette

Cycles Per Second :: Best of 2024

Top LPs

1. Dummy – Free Energy (Trouble In Mind Records)
2. neutrals – New Town Dream (Slumberland Records/Static Shock Records)
3. Holiday Ghosts – Coat Of Arms (FatCat Records)
4. Feeling Figures – Everything Around You (K Records/Perennial)
5. Shop Regulars – Shop Regulars (Merrie Melodies)
6. Mo Dotti – opaque (self-released)
7. The Umbrellas – Fairweather Friend (Slumberland Records)
8. Chime School – The Boy Who Ran The Paisley Hotel (Slumberland Records)
9. Sharp Pins – Radio DDR (self-released)
10. Jim Nothing – Grey Eyes, Grey Lynn (Meritorio Records/Melted Ice Cream)
11. Program – It’s a Sign (Anti Fade Records)
12. Marbled Eye – Read the Air (Summer Shade/Digital Regress)
13. Alvilda – C’est D​é​jà L’heure (Static Shock Records)
14. Soup Activists – Mummy What are Flowers For? (Inscrutable Records)
15. the sheaves – A Salve For Institution (Dot Dash Sounds)

Honorable Mention LPs

The Slugs – A Song For Every Feeling (Related Records)
Cœur À L’Index – Adieu Minette (LA VIDA ES UN MUS DISCOS)