As every year passes, it seems to me the importance of music and culture in our lives gets ever greater. Unfortunately this is not recognised by the vast majority of our politicians or those in education. Shouting our love of music from the rooftops is therefore more important than ever! It’s something Arcana has done for nearly 10 years…and as we close in on that special anniversary we do so with a mixture of thankfulness and regret.

I am incredibly grateful to have the new music that we have enjoyed together – and to have Richard Whitehouse giving regular despatches and typically probing insight from Birmingham and the classical recording world. This is along with John Earls whose London gig-going and home reading contributions have been incredibly welcome – along with a couple of very welcome reports from Jon Jacob.

My principal regret with Arcana is that I don’t have enough time to devote to it, with a day job that takes care of the working hours – but I do feel incredibly privileged to be able to bring to you another set of thoughts on the best of 2024 as experienced on these pages.

As you may know Arcana tends to focus on music we either like or are likely to enjoy. This means the review pages tend to celebrate more than criticize, though rest assured we won’t hesitate to if we need to! I see this sort of site as a place for communal enjoyment, to share what we love – with classical and electronic music as two main points of reference, with rock and pop orbiting close around. There are no rules to what we cover, and if it’s good it’s more likely to be written about! On which note…

Thank you to some most enjoyable interviews across 2024 – including cellist Steven Isserlis, conductor Paul Agnew, soprano Claire Booth and the double header of Aldeburgh artists in residence, composer Unsuk Chin and cellist Alban Gerhardt.

Our classical albums of the year include Philip Sawyers’ adventurous Mayflower on the Sea of Time, another instalment in an excellent series of his music from Nimbus, an outstanding recording of symphonies from John Pickard on BIS, a welcome debut for Jaakko Kuusisto’s Symphony on the same label, and an important recording of George Benjamin’s opera Picture A Day Like This

Right on the junction between classical and electronic sits Belle Chen, whose inventive Ravel in the Forest, on the excellent Platoon label, cast an enchanting spell with its tasteful reimagining of the French master’s music. Also occupying this space is Erland Cooper, whose Carve The Runes…was a culmination of a captivating story of loss and recovery – and Debbie Wiseman, whose spellbinding music for Wolf Hall: The Mirror and The Light captured our hearts.

Not far from here musically were two excellent contributions on the LEAF label, MINING’s Chimet and Craven Faults’ Bounds, Adam Wiltzie’s Eleven Fugues for Sodium Pentothal, a sublime contribution from the one time Stars Of The Lid member, or Krononaut II, a fascinating discourse from Leo Abrahams and the much-missed Martin France.

Also incorporating improvisation were The Utopia Strong, and their outstanding BBC Sessions, the excellent trio of Dave Harrington, Max Jaffe and Patrick Shroishi – another winner from AKP Recordings, and the brilliant BEAK>>, with their final album >>>>

Moving towards the dancefloor, I really enjoyed the minimal but striking T.O.R. LP001 from Robag Wruhme, the technicolour Cascade from Floating Points and a dazzling second album from Jamie xx. The best compilations included 20 Years of Phonica, a thrill-a-minute collection of house music, and a selection of classic house on Defected’s House Masters compilation devoted to Marshall Jefferson

Our favourite pop / rock, meanwhile, included Ride’s Interplay, Jordan Rakei’s richly soulful The Loop, the dappled leftfield songwriting of Jon McKiel’s Hex and a fantastic compilation celebrating 20 years of Sonic Cathedral.

All that is left, then, is to declare the Arcana album of the year…to The Pixies’ Kim Deal, and her first solo album Nobody Loves You More. What a treat it is!

Now you might be following Kim’s advice on one of her singles to head for The Coast…but whether you are or not, we at Arcana thank you for reading our articles this year and for your general encouragement. We’re taking a break for a couple of weeks, but look forward to returning in 2025 for another year of music, new and old. If you want to contribute, do get in touch…but for now, Merry Christmas and / or Happy Holidays, and here’s to another year of sharing music we love.

Ben Hogwood editor, Arcana.fm

Published post no.2,403 – Tuesday 24 December 2024