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Little Anthony and the Imperials, Goin’ Out of My Head

The title track and “Hurt So Bad” are the most recognizable tracks on this album, which at the time didn’t conceive the notion of an album as a singular work with a unified feel. The Beach Boys and The Beatles would pioneer that idea shortly afterward. “Hurt So Bad” has more of a bittersweet vibe than Linda Ronstadt’s cover nearly two decades later.

Cherrelle, High Priority

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were on a hot streak with new jack swing, and this album joins Alexander O’Neal’s Hearsay and Janet Jackson’s Control in a string of production successes.

Henki Skidu, Spring Water

Spring Water hints that Henry Koperski, going by Henki Skidu, could have a grander album with a bigger budget, but I rather prefer the low-key feel.

Kendrick Lamar, GMX

I was traveling around the time the digital version of this album was released, so I didn’t really listen to it fully till its physical release in February. It should have been included in the Favorite Edition 2024 list, but I had already locked up the list. Will it show up on the 2025 list?

w.o.d., Ai

BLEACH Thousand Year Blood War was my pop culture Roman Empire of 2024, and w.o.d.’s “Stars” didn’t wear out with repeat viewings of the third coeur. The band’s major label debut also endured multiple spins on the playback device.

Ian Niederhoffer / Parlando, Censored Anthems

I would love to see the pieces on this album performed as a concert program. Although Dmitri Shostakovich is the marquee name, Mieczyslaw Weinberg and Edvard Mirzoyan take up the most playing time with a pair of pieces that deserve more exposure.

These Trails, These Trails

This album is the closest we’ll get to Hawaiian music with a bona fide freak flag.

Painkiller, The Equinox

The original members of John Zorn’s Painkiller trio return, with drummer Mick Harris replacing himself with drum machines. It doesn’t make the music any less frenetic.

U2, How to Reassemble An Atomic Bomb

At the very least, this album of outtakes from How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb offers a tantalizing glimpse of what mid-200s U2 could have been. Part of me suspects this alternate album is better than what was officially released.

Tags: henki skidu, ian niederhoffer, kendrick lamar, little anthony and the imperials, painkiller, parlando, picks, purchase log, these trails, u2, w.o.d.