Best of 2024 - Sean Davis Newton

For 2024, the Cups N Cakes Network is approaching our year-end lists a little differently: we’ve asked some of our volunteers to tell us a bit about their favourite releases this year. For our last piece before the end of the year, Sean Davis Newton tells us about a few of his top picks from 2024.

Dearest Cups N Cakes reader,

Making a best of list is a hell of a task. For any music or arts writer, it’s a dilemma you’re guaranteed to be in once per year, with about 12 months of notice, and somehow, I always find myself asking “what the hell even came out this year”. Well, after some time spent digging through the best releases of 2024, I’m pleased to present some of my favourites from the year.

Let’s start with some hometown releases, for good reason; it’s been one of the best years for music in Edmonton in recent memory. Aladean Kheroufi released his long awaited debut LP Studies in a Dying Love. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Kheroufi is one of the best live performers in Western Canada, and the skillfully self-recorded album has all the soul and swagger of his live show, without ever feeling loose or unstructured. It’s a deep and thoughtful record, and hey, it’s a little sexy too. The Bobby Tenderloin Universe released their sophomore LP Satan is a Woman, which was, dare I say, also long awaited. It sees the band push themselves from the straight golden-age country of their first record into something just a little more psychedelic, and just a little weirder. It accentuates the surreal element that’s always existed under the surface with the Tenderloins, and the record is all the better for it.

And there’s still more! Bad Buddy’s aptly named II came out back in June, and did not disappoint this long-time fan of the band. It features the first released cover from the band, an excellent version of Leslie Gore’s “You Don’t Own Me”, as well as maybe my favourite Bad Buddy song to date, “Mind Control”.

And I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the debut record Answer the Call from Edmonton’s prairie soul supergroup Secondhand Dreamcar. It’s maybe the best sounding record on this whole list, both in terms of the performances and production. Dana Wylie’s vocal gymnastics are absolutely stunning; there are moments where her voice breaks apart in a way that feels simultaneously practiced and dialed in, but chaotic and emotionally affecting enough that you feel it in your bones. And the rest of the band is a who’s who of Edmonton session players; Harry Gregg’s bass playing (and production, mind you) and Jamie Cooper’s drums are the secret sauce that binds the whole thing together, and makes a bed for all the other ear candy to really stretch out on.

And jeez louise, I could go on about Edmonton records; Mallory Chipman had a banner year, between single releases and her excellent Songs to a Wild God, two of Edmonton’s finest jazz instrumentalists, Brett Hansen and Joel Jeschke, both put out their debut records, and vintage electronics genius Jesse Acorn put out one of the weirdest collection of demos that I’ve ever been so completely thrilled by.

Aaaaaaaaand that’s Edmonton.

As for the rest of the country? There was a truly remarkable number of great records this year, but I was truly surprised that no other Cups N Cakes writer picked either of my top two for their respective articles. Longtime readers of Cups N Cakes will know that Christo Graham has long been maybe my favourite songwriter in the country, and with the release of Music For Horses, he cemented that fact. It’s delightful to have an album in your back pocket that you know, deep down, is so utterly charming that you can show it to anyone, and they will love it. His debut Turnin is one of my favourite ever Canadian records, and Music For Horses presents a more polished, tighter version of Graham without losing any of the ramshackle charm of Turnin. Oh, and he has the voice of a goddamn angel.

My other favourite of the year struck like a bolt out of the blue when The Secret Beach released the first single “Buying You a Garnet Amp” from their absolutely stunning August 2024 album We were born here, what’s your excuse?. It takes a lot to convince me that a 15 song record is a good idea, but the sheer quality of the writing here easily justifies it. The songs have an incredible sense of humour, but maintain a sort of sarcastic sentimentality that never feels bitter or glib, but never takes itself completely seriously either. It’s all bound together by the wonderfully noisy and shaggy production, showcased nowhere better than on the lead single, which incidentally is my pick for my favourite song of the year.

Some quick honourable mentions, before I go on too long: OMBIIGIZI put out a fantastic sophomore LP in SHAME, Jennifer Castle’s Camelot was predictably lovely, and Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee, well… Really doesn’t need any more words written about it, but hey, it’s really good.

That’s it for Cups N Cakes now for the holiday season; we’ll be back in the second week of January with some reviews for a few late 2024 albums, and some new episodes of Inside the Artist’s Studio after a couple years hiatus. The founder of Cups N Cakes, Jeff MacCallum has come back on board to help out behind the scenes, and we’re excited to get this train up and running in 2025.

Until then,

Sean Davis Newton