2024: A Year in Music

Highlights from the soundtrack of my year...and the first annual Gabino Music Awards!

At the end of 2023, I decided to go out with a bang and listen to nothing but Nick Cave for the last ten days (give or take a day or two) of the year. Now, when I say “nothing but,” I’m talking about the very long walk I give my dog every night. I listen to music all day every day, so I was still listening to a bunch of different things during the day, but this listening project at the end of the day felt great. As soon as 2024 started, I decided to do that regularly: pick an artists I was in the mood for and listen to a different album every night until I felt like listening to something else. I loved it.

It think it was August when I first thought, ‘Ah, keeping track of everything I’m listening to would be cool.” It’s something my good friend—and great writer—Bill Boyle does every year. I shared most of what I listened to on social media, but I also spent a lot of time on the road and not always remembered to share what I was listening to at hotels, airports, during long drives, etc. I think I will keep track this year, but for now, here are some of the awesome artists I spent a lot of time with this year: Leonard Cohen, Florence and The Machine, Thee Sacred Souls, Ryo Fukui, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs, Gato Barbieri, St. Paul and The Broken Bones, Miles Davis, Fugazi, Lucinda Williams, Ottis Redding, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Fela Kuti, Al Green, Etta James, Peter Tosh, Camarón, Dave Weckl, Buddy Guy…the list goes on and on. In any case, many thanks to all of them for being part of this year’s soundtrack.

Since I didn’t keep track of everything, I thought I should do something cool, so say hello to the first ever Gabino Music Awards. Hah.

Favorite album that came out in 2024: Got a Story to Tell by Thee Sacred Souls

Album from 2023 that I listened to obsessively in 2024: Chronicles of a Diamond by Black Pumas

Favorite 2024 album to listen to while writing: Much Unseen Is Also Here by Lustmord

Favorite album to get going in the morning (because I don’t drink coffee to start my day): A tie between The Valley by Whitechapel and Immortal by Lorna Shore

Favorite long drive album: El Dorado by Marcus King

Favorite debut still blowing my mind years later: Lungs by Florence and the Machine (came out in 2009)

Favorite artist to chill and read: Robert Rich, who also gets mellow album of the year for Long Tail of the Quiet Gong, which came out in 2024

Ah, there was so much great music this year, like every year. I’ll go listen to some more now while I figure out a post talking about my first year at The New York Times. More soon. I wish you and yours all the best in 2025. Stay cool. Much love.