Mondo Bizarre Magazine Concerts of the Year, Raquel Pinheiro, Records of the Year

Best of 2024

My best of 2024 are records, concerts, a book and an exhibition that filled my soul, touched me, or left a strong impression. Art forms that early this year still resonate, and remain close to my heart.

In late April 2024 I wrote an essay with Deep Emotions, a single from Good Grief, Bernard Butler third solo album and his first in 25 years as starting point. It was my second essay for Mondo. Along with, earlier in 2024, the listening parties of Rafael Toral’s Spectral Evolution it was the beginning of marvels, emotional perils and tribulations, and new paths.

The albums by Rafael and Bernard are healing records. Basalto merges melancholia, drama, romanticism. Vini Reilly is a Record Store Day re-issue of the 1989 album by Durutti Column. If there is a musician, composer, guitarist that has been with me since I’m a kid and has an influence how I see, approach, the electric guitar, Vini Reilly is him. I become aware of Ned Swarbrick when Bernard made a shout-out for support acts, and I liked Ned’s music. His ep has been a constant since.

As the Universe would have it, in 2024 Bernard played in Portugal for the first time, solo or otherwise. It was an amazing concert. 2024 was also the year of Old Jerusalem’s last concert. Old Jerusalem and Francisco Silva, the man behind it, have been part of Mondo’s favourites for decades. Francisco also begun being part of mine, in a different capacity, in 2022 when we wrote our first song together. Old Jerusalem last concert was intimate, poignant, a gathering of friends.

Records:
Bernard Butler – Good Grief (355 Recordings)
Rafael Toral – Spectral Evolution (Moikai/Drag City Records)
Basalto – Blunt Knives (self-release)
The Durutti Column – Vini Reilly (rsd2024)
Ned Swarbrick – Michelangelo EP (self-release)

Concerts:
Bernard Butler – Casa da Música, Porto
Orquestra Barroca Casa da Música & Coro Casa da Música performing Messiah by Handel – Casa da Música, Porto
Basalto – Passos Manuel, Porto
Bill Mackay – Rivoli, Porto
Sleaford Mods – Casa da Música, Porto
Old Jerusalem – Socorro, Porto
Tindersticks – Casa da Música, Porto

Book:
Miranda July – All Fours (Riverhead Books)

Exhibition:
Cláudia Clemente – Plastic Bitch, Mira Fórum, Porto

Mondo Bizarre Magazine Amazing Sounds & Other Delights, Radio Show, Raquel Pinheiro, YéYé Radio

Amazing Songs & Other Delights #58 – Your Surprise, is My Surprise edition by Raquel Pinheiro, Monday 29th @ Yé Yé Radio.

Joan Baez, Montreux, 1975

My next Amazing Songs & Other Delights is #58 – Your Surprise, is My Surprise and airs Monday, 29th, 3-4pm (gmt) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).

This edition is wide choices range from a a excerpt of Waṯu, a song that is, at least, 60 thousand years old voiced by brothers David  and Daniel Wilfred, singing in  Wagiläk language (an Australian Indigenous language. David and Daniel are  keepers from Arnhem Land) to just released songs thorough some that would horrify my teenage and younger self.

The programme title comes from four things. My surrprise finding a fabulous Joan Baez song – just marvel at the lyrics, the voice, the, guitar -, dad rock aka The Dire Straights mega hit Sultans of Swing being able to pass for a groovy indie song (it all depends, of context),Mantra, the gentle instrumental by Dave Ghrol Josh Homme and Trent Reznor, and the absolute beauty of a song that is Blunt Knives, by Basalto.

Elaborating a little. I’ve could never could stand Joan Baez. She was always a pet peeve for me. When, by chance, I recently happened upon Diamonds and Rust I was, amazed. The song may ecen gain a place among my all time favourite songs.

The Dire Straits’ Sultans of Swing? It played all the time, everywhere. Dad and his, friends, loved the Dire Straits. Indie kids would get anywhere, near Mark Knopfler’s band. Yet, the song, and probably always was, upbeat and danceable. Besides, Mark Knopfler plays mostly with his fingers rather than with a plectrum and for many years his guitar of choice was a, Strat the guitar he plays on Sultans of Swing. Since I start replaying guitar I have a Strat model and I have always mostly play guitar plectrum less.

Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor’s Mantra came from my brother Renato. I wasn’t convinced it would be that interesting, he insisted it was, but I didn’t listen to it for a, while. Turned out to be a great instrumental.

Basalto was a fabulous surprise too. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed Basalto before, but I’m very happy to have it sent to me. Portuguese singer-songwriter Guilherme de Sousa newest single is a delicate, intense, marvelous song.

Trackist: 01 – Basalto – Blunt Knives; 02 – Dire Straits – Sultans of Swing; 03 – Corridor – Mourir Demain; 04 – Aziza Brahim – Bubisher; 05 – Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, Trent Reznor – Mantra; 06 – Dragged Up – Missing Person; 07 – Hand to Earth – Waṯu (excerpt); 08 – Joan Baez – Diamonds & Rust; 09 – Michael Platter – The Alchemist; 10 – Mitski – I’m Your Man (live @ blogotheque); 11 – Paul Weller – You Do Something To Me; 12 – Pete Astor – Model Village; 13 – Vitória & The Kalashnicoles – New World; 14 – Zenxith – She is Lying