November 2024 Release Radar
Dark days are coming
November will be the final month of significant releases for the year. The Time of Mariah is upon us!
Albums On Deck
We’re entering November at a serious deficit. I’ve been unable to complete a review for two straight weeks now.
On the positive side, I’ve listened through all of the albums that came out in September at least once already (and the top three multiple times).
Nightwish - Yesterwynde
Charlotte Wessels - The Obsession
Seether - The Surface Seems So Far
The Waeve - City Lights
Nina Nesbitt - Mountain Music
Coldplay - Moon Music
The Smile - Cutouts
A Place to Bury Strangers - Synthesizer
Ad Infinitum - Abyss
Dragony - Hic Svnt Dracones
Chat Pile - Cool World
Kylie Minogue - Tension II
Devin Townsend - PowerNerd
Bastille - & (pronounced “Ampersand”)
Cries For Colour - Yellow Sands; Or, Eight Tales of Pixie Mischief
Halsey - The Great Impersonator
I haven’t added any extras to this list over the last month; Tungsten’s album was postponed into November, though.
November Release Radar
Only eight albums flagged in November, despite that I added a couple of extras. Still being a little conservative on the exploration.
11/1
Vola
Willie Nelson
Tyler, the Creator
11/8
Tungsten
11/15
Dwight Yoakam
Empires of Eden
11/22
Opeth
Father John Misty
Technically, Tyler, The Creator’s album is out and available now, having released on 10/28. I organize based on Fridays, though, so he’s in the 11/1 cluster. He’s an artist whose name I hear regularly, and I may as well get one more hip-hop review down for the year since I’m not getting RTJ5 apparently.
The two albums on my list that are actually coming out tomorrow are Vola and Willie Nelson. The former is a Danish Prog Metal band that I discovered in 2021 with their incredible Witness album; the latter is an Outlaw Country/Folk/Americana legend whose total body of work has hit the level of “ridonkulous”. I don’t expect Nelson’s album to be absolute quality (guys, he’s old as sin), but he could surprise us. I really just want to take a moment and celebrate Nelson, himself.
Dwight Yoakam is also a nostalgia pick. If you aren’t familiar, Yoakam is an incredible guitarist who took the Bakersfield Sound (originally pioneered by Buck Owens in the 50s) and ran with it. Apparently he’s had some critical success in the years since I last listened to him, back in the 90s?
Empires of Eden will be a new one for me, though, seemingly a collaborative Power Metal project with a deep bench on every record. I’m intrigued. Also, Power Metal is a weakness.
We’ll end the month with Opeth and Father John Misty, both releasing on 11/22. Opeth is one of the best Prog Metal acts out there (though some would contend that status for modern Opeth, as they’ve trended strongly away from their heavier elements over the last decade). I’ve heard Father John Misty mentioned a lot this year, so I feel compelled to give this release a go.
Masterlist Review Time!
On top of the album reviews currently pending, November is when I begin reviewing my masterlist — a spreadsheet of over 400 artists. This helps to ensure that I don’t miss any releases, especially for smaller artists who have caught my attention. It takes a lot of time to research and update, though, so I generally only do so once per year, and hope that these artists don’t drop albums after I’ve passed their name.
This will result in about 10-20 new albums being added to my pile by the end of November — which means it’s crunch time.
I will post a list of what albums were discovered in this process once the review is complete.
Beyond November
The full radar is always available, and lists offerings which are still months away. Here are five things to expect in the coming months:
December is the time of Mariah. There are very few releases during December which are not Christmas albums.
Except for the new Fish in a Birdcage, apparently, which is scheduled for 12/20.
Otherwise, December is for catching up on the last reviews of the year.
I will also finalize my temporary buckets (Lavender and Teal) during this time.
You can expect the Top 40 albums of 2024 sometime in early- to mid-January.