The Zaw Towers Review of 2024

2024 was a year of the comeback. So many bands made comebacks with original line ups, and indeed it was also the year of the takeover - the company I worked for split earlier in the year and then the remaining part was then taken over later in the year, so a year of change at work but thankfully one I am still managing to enjoy. There was plenty to admire about the year in all, so what did I enjoy and that made the year just that little bit nicer overall? Read on and find out...

Best Single/Track of 2024 - "Night Terror" - Dream Theater
When Dream Theater announced that Mike Portnoy was back on drums, you can imagine my excitement and joy to see the classic line up back together. And this opening single from their album Parasomnia out next year did not disappoint, almost ten minutes of superb progressive rock, crammed full of time and chord changes, superlative playing of guitars, drums and keyboards, and a real sense of darkness being set by the night theme throughout. If the rest of the album is like this, we are in for a treat. Seeing this track being played live for the first time was also a rather special moment too.

Also recommended:
"No God Here" - Lucia Cifarelli - Lucia from KMFDM goes even more gothic and dark with the title track to her album, with the space that gives her vocals more room to breathe, and shows a more melodic and darker brooding goth and Industrial feel which sets the tone perfectly for a feeling of isolation and acerbic lyrics, especially here.
"Okay" - MC Solaar - This beautiful duet with Marie-Flore was the stand out from the Triptyque: Éclats Cosmiques album. The story told from both the man and woman’s side in each verse has some clever lyrical wordplay with a soft hook and melodically lovely. And yes, Guy Moquet as mentioned is an actual Metro station in Paris too – handy that it rhymes, that.
"Nobody Loves You More" - Kim Deal - Years ago, I adored Do You Love Me Now by The Breeders. This feels like the long-lost companion to that, with Kim’s vocals giving a gentle softness to the string backing that could very much come from a film soundtrack, and then the middle section kicks in with its grandstand big band feel and stripping back to more softness. Lovely.
"Full Kit" - Goldie Lookin Chain - Several good singles released from the Newport massive this year, ranging from rosé wine, the middle of Lidl, and my favourite one - Full Kit, which basically details how some people just wear their sports kit (mainly football) everywhere they go. Lovely steel guitar which underpins the chorus and has a Fun Lovin' Criminals feel, no bad thing in my book..

Best Album of 2024 - "Songs of a Lost World" - The Cure
Once I heard the opening single Alone, I was transported back to the Disintegration era of The Cure, and this album really harks back to then. It's beautiful and yet desolate all at the same time, with sweeping openings, melancholy as Robert remembers his brother in I Can Never Say Goodbye, and then the epic feel of the closer Endsong. There is a whole elegiac and majestic feel about how the whole album works together, with that real brooding sense being so much of a dominating force throughout. It is also one that you have to listen to from start to finish to really get the scene and tone so perfect. A total triumph in every single way.

Also recommended:
"Iechyd Da"- Bill Ryder-Jones - There's a real gentle softness, almost fragility, about Bill's voice on this album throughout, and yet it is given the necessary space to breathe and flow throughout. If Tommorow Starts Without Me with its string backing and acoustics sets the tone ever so well, and How Beautiful I Am mellows out into a lovely singalong chorus to fill that sonic space. It's Today Again shows a real epic feel with the strings, and again those soft vocals really work so well. There's plenty of emotion to be had it's one to cosy up to.
"Absolute Elsewhere" - Blood Incantation - Two epic twenty minute tracks that ranges from extreme death metal to the synthesizers from a member of Tangerine Dream guesting here, and it really does show just how original the band are in a death metal genre, taking on a whole sense of storyline in psyechelic prog style. The Stargate has a real spatial middle feeling with the synths before giving way to darkess, and The Message just does not relent, with pure speed and power. Won't be everyone's cup of tea, but well worth a listen.
"Lost Themes IV: Noir" - John Carpenter - More beautiful film score type music from him, with Cody Carpenter and Daniel Davies in full flow. The whole film noir genre called and wanted something stunning, and they got it here. The opener My Name Is Death has a haunting feel with the guitars, the piano-led The Burning Door really does give a sense of darkness, and the horror inspired Guillotine gives you an uneasy sense of listening. A perfect accompaniment to the previous three albums in the series.
"Wild God" - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds - I can remember hearing the title track intially and thinking that it feels a little lighter, but also with that grand feeling of building and building throughout. And the rest of the album really does hit its stride, with melodies flooding through and how the songs can sweep between douby and optimism. Perhaps this is best shown on the likes of Final Rescue Attempt and notably Frogs, where the building up to the trimphant climax really does give you that sense of utter joy. Beautiful.

Best Concert of 2024 - Dream Theater, O2, London
Seeing Dream Theater live would always be special, but the first live gig with Mike Portnoy back on drums, even more so. Having a seat upgrade for free was always a bonus too, but seeing the likes of Night Terror for the first time, really classic tracks such as Constant Motion and Panic Attack really heightened the senses. Then, playing the full twenty four minutes of Octavarium really felt special, the sense of anticipation and excitement as the track played was such an emotional experience. Two and three quarter hours of superb entertainment, and certainly well worth it.

Other Concerts I Enjoyed:
Paul Weller, Brighton Centre, Brighton - The latest Paul Weller album 66 was pretty good, but seeing the tracks played live, along with a selection of tracks from his solo career, several Style Council songs (which pleased The Love In My Heart immensely) and also even some classics from The Jam made a two hour or so set really pass by without noticing. Tight playing throughout, and That's Entertainment and A Town Called Malice brought the house down superbly well.
Lonely Tourist, The King and Queen, London - As part of the Totally Acoustic series of gigs, it was really lovely seeing Paul Tierney aka Lonely Tourist live. It was a lovely soft mellow feel to the live set, with Very Bones being a beautiful highlight, as well as The Ballad of Paul Tierney (based on the footballer). It was just warm and cosy to listen to, and definitely Duty of Care was a wonderful story so well told. Definitely one I need to see live again and appreciate even more.

Best TV Programme of 2024 - Mr Bates Versus the Post Office
When a television drama which recalls the true story of the subpostmasters and the whole appalling Horizon scandal, and brings it to the light of everyone, actually is a positive force for change, then that just shows the power in the right hands that a good drama can bring. The cast were all superb in their roles, giving the human side to all the real life people involved, especially Toby Jones, Julie Hesmondhalgh and Will Mellor, and a lot of them have since been campaigning with the real life subpostmasters to get the justice that they thoroughly deserve. Powerful stuff, and although the fight still (sadly) goes on, the people are on the side of the subpostmasters now, and it is all thanks to this drama opening the eyes.,

Best Sporting Moment of 2024 - Great Britain at the Olympic and Paralympic Games
The British team did themselves proud at both games. For me the main Olympic highlights were Alex Yee battling in the triathlon and sprinting past his rival Hayden Wilde near the end, and Tom Pidcock's comback from a puncture to win the mountain biking with an audacious move on the final lap to get ahead of the home French favourite Victor Koretzky. I was also super pleased for Keely Hodgkinson in the 800 metres, and Toby Roberts in the sport climbing, a surprise but so welcome gold medal in that event. In the Paralympics, the British team finished second in the medal table, and the cycling mixed team sprint had Kadeena Cox coming back from individual setback, Sarah Storey battled with and beat Heidi Gaugain both in the time trial and an epic road race, Hannah Cockroft smashed it on the track, Poppy Maskill won three golds in the swimming, and so much more that showed that impressive sport is just that - and such a joy to watch.

Best male of 2024 - Sir Alan Bates
It would be very easy for the Post Office Horizon scandal to continue on and not to seek justice, even after the television series had aired. However, what had been campaigning for many years, led by Alan Bates, finally came to fruition and showed the huge miscarriage of justice that had been undertaken. He nobly refused to accept any awards on a matter of principle until the former Post Office chief executive Paula Venells had bene stripped of her CBE in February of this year. He still is a leading and prominent feature in seeking justice, and the alliance he has with other subpostmasters around him really shows what good honest people can do when battling against an unfair and corrupt system of injustice.

Best female of 2024 - Jasmin Paris
Jasmin proved that there was no such thing as "can't" - especially in the world of endurance running. For over thirty years, the Barkley Marathons has proved an extreme test, running five twenty mile (ish) laps around Frozen Head State Park, getting all the book pages, and fighting fatigue, steep ascents and descents and the weather. Jasmin had already got further than any woman before, but in 2024, the glass ceiling for women was smashed with her finishing with just 99 seconds to spare. It was a truly epic moment, and showed so much heart and determination. There had been only seventeen athletes who finished the race before this year, and Jasmin became the twentieth (two other first time finishers came in earlier.) What a superb achievement and one which not just the running community, but sport should celebrate as a whole.

Personal Moment of 2024 - Promotion and Reviews
I did have a difficult decision to make during early 2024 - and that was either to leave my current place of work, or to instead see if I could be promoted in my position. I did have some leverage, granted, but still to be able to hold my nerve, stand the ground and effectively show that I was well worth the investment, really did take some courage I had not found before. The upshot definitely for me was a real increase in salary but also esteem and job title, so that proved really worth it. I don't know what may happen in the next year or so, but at least I can contribute and have those difficult conversations now, which is a positive.

Away from the work side of things, I really have been having wonderful times with The Love In My Heart, especially a lovely week in Porto which proved to be magnificent, especially the epic train journey along the Douro Valley Line. I have also been keeping up my writing a lot with game reviews of Commodore 16 and Plus/4 and Commodore 64 games over at the Mastertronic Collectors' Archive, including recently their 100th game review. That has been entertaining to do and certainly has been a real boost for my confidence.