Top Ten Of 2024: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
As the year draws to a close, it has become an annual tradition for me – one that has endured for the past forty-five years – to engage in a deeply personal and intimate celebration of my musical journey over the past year. This ritual is fuelled by the countless hours I have spent immersed in the endless sea of records and albums throughout the year. Some of which have been featured on my weekly radio rock shows, while others meticulously reviewed for this very webzine.
It has never been easy to choose records that have truly impressed my listening experience. It has always been a love-hate relationship of sorts as I ‘struggle’ to acknowledge impressive works without leaving behind others that have equally captivated my listening. Despite all, I can confidently say that this has been a truly remarkable year – a veritable garden of sonic delights, where the proverbial roses have bloomed with unparalleled vibrancy and splendour.
10. Antihero ‘The Deepest Sea‘
The Deepest Sea, the second album by Roman singer-songwriter composer and Elle Trio member Marco Calderano, aka Antihero. is a spellbinding new album that transports the listener to realms of raw emotion and sublime beauty whose evocative songs craft an enchanting, almost surreal world where tenderness and the most profound human experiences seamlessly intertwine.
Listening to the album is akin to being immersed in a wistful, melancholic reverie, evoking the late and legendary Nick Drake with its yearning for unfulfilled dreams and a sense of pensive introspection. Calderano‘s songwriting artistry is superb, drawing the listener deeper into this intimate journey through the most profound human emotions. From delicate, intricate guitar work to haunting, ethereal vocals, The Deepest Sea is a must-listen for fans of intimate, acid folk music, offering a spellbinding and intensely captivating experience.
Label: Urtovox Records
9. Human Teorema ‘Le Premier Soleil De Jan Cadet’
Parisian trio Human Teorema’s latest album is a mesmerizing exploration of experimental psychedelic kraut rock. From the moment the album begins, each track is like going on a mind-bending expedition through a kaleidoscope of intoxicating emotions and sensations. Their masterful blend of styles creates a truly unique sonic tapestry which defines a testament to the band’s exceptional musicianship and adventurous spirit that they are able to create such a cohesive, immersive musical world, one that envelops the senses and refuses to let go.
For those seeking a truly transportive, mind-altering listening experience, Le Premier Soleil De Jan Cadet is an album that demands repeated attention, a richly rewarding sonic tapestry that reveals new layers and nuances with each subsequent spin.
Label: Sulatron Records
8. Mark & The Clouds ‘Machines Can’t Hear You’
I’ve known Marco Magnani, the London-based Italian psych rocker aka Mark & The Clouds, for quite a while now. He is a true master of his craft – someone who has the uncanny ability to imbue even his saddest compositions with a palpable sense of joy and wonder. This is evident in his latest marvellous work Machines Can’t Hear You, an album that has far more to offer than meets the eye.
Musically it’s a true virtuoso, weaving together elements of psych rock and folk rock ballads across the album’s captivating songs. The standout The Age Of Clowns shines all through its eleven minute psychedelic journey evoking the west coast vibes of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young or the legendary Super Session. Here Magnani has created a work that lingers long in the memory and demands repeated listens to fully unpack its many wonders.
Label: Gare Du Nord Records
7. Ottone Pesante ‘Scrolls Of War’
Faenza‘s experimental jazz post-rock metal trio, Ottone Pesante, has delivered a truly mesmerizing and unsettling new piece of work with the album Scrolls Of War. The music they’ve crafted delivers a sense of darkness and unease, drawing the listener into a sonic landscape creating an atmosphere both captivating, deeply unsettling, combative and oppressive.
The overall effect is one of monumental, monolithic power – music that seems to loom over the listener, an unstoppable force of nature that demands complete attention and surrender. Across the album Ottone Pesante have crafted a work of experimental post-metal that is as challenging as it is captivating.
Label: Aural Music
6. JuJu ‘Apocalypse Is God’s Spoiler’
Sicilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Gioele Valenti has showcased the remarkable breadth and depth of his musical talents this year with the release of two distinct and captivating works, each released under one of his enigmatic pseudonyms. As the dreamy, introspective narrator known as Herself, in 2024 he unveiled the album Spoken Unsaid via Urtovox, a collection of songs that delve into the realms of atmospheric, ambient folk and indie rock.
In stark contrast, Valenti‘s other persona, the more visceral and primal JuJu surfaced with the tribal, and energetic psychedelic rock album Apocalypse Is God’s Spoiler on Sister 9 Recordings. Together, these two vastly different, yet equally captivating, musical facets showcase the remarkable versatility and artistic vision of this Sicilian musical polymath, whose boundless creativity and genre-blurring approach have solidified his reputation as a truly unique and pioneering voice in the contemporary music landscape.
Label: Sister 9 Recordings
5. Leolips ‘Bardo’
Discovering new, talented artists and giving them the recognition they deserve is a truly rewarding experience that can deeply satisfy the soul. One such artist I recently stumbled upon during my daily forays into the vast musical landscape of Bandcamp is the experimental rock multi-instrumentalist Leonardo Panelli aka Leolips. This year, in addition to having released several singles that have reached stratospheric heights, demonstrating his extraordinary abilities and musical vision, he has released his first solo album Bardo.
A mysterious, spiritually imbued work that has managed to eclipse the offerings of many other experimental artists with its sheer beauty and emotional resonance, charged with infinite tenderness of profound introspection and transcendent contemplation. It is a work that demands repeated listens, revealing new layers of depth and nuance with each encounter and cementing Leolips‘ status as a truly visionary and captivating artist worthy of the highest acclaim.
Label: Indpendent
4. ALAN+ ‘S.A.L.I.G.I.A. Le 7 vie del vizio’
Leaving the familiar musical territory they’ve explored in the past, the experimental duo from Tuscany known as ALAN+ now invites listeners on a captivating new journey with their latest instrumental-only project, S.A.L.I.G.I.A. Le 7 vie del vizio. Rather than relying on lyrics or spoken words to convey their message, the duo challenges the audience to fully immerse themselves in the evocative soundscapes, allowing each listener’s imagination to wander and interpret the music in intensely personal ways.
The album’s title itself is a symbolic representation of the seven deadly sins – Pride, Greed, Lust, Envy, Gluttony, Wrath and Sloth – with the music serving as a gateway into the complex, often-contradictory realms of human nature and desire. With each track unfolding like a captivating story, the duo invites the audience to surrender to their imagination, to get lost in the emotional currents that ebb and flow.
Label: Libri di Mompracem
3. Blasting Rod ‘Mojave Green’
The Japanese power trio Blasting Rod have been carving out a truly unique sonic niche for themselves, blending the hypnotic haze of stoner rock with the mind-bending explorations of psychedelic music. Guided by the cosmic, transcendental healthy, hippie Buddha-like ethos, guitarist Sven Shah, has crafted an album in Mojave Green that functions as a veritable treasure chest of aural delights, opening the doors to a heavenly, hallucinatory space journey that transports the listener to realms of pure psychedelic bliss.
From the propulsive, trance-inducing grooves to the shimmering, kaleidoscopic textures, every element of this album coalesces into a spellbinding listening experience that deserves to be celebrated and explored by all who dare to expand their consciousness through the power of music.
Label: Low&Slow.Disk
2. Upupayāma ‘Mount Elephant’
Parma’s multi-instrumentalist Alessio Ferrari, aka Upupayāma, has carved out a unique space for himself within the beloved realm of psychedelic-acid folk. Unlike the typical ‘good guy’ narrative, Ferrari‘s journey to this point has been one marked by grit, determination, and a relentless pursuit of his artistic vision. His mesmerizing albums bring out a sense of peace and wonder as he deftly weaves together Eastern and Western musical influences.
His latest album, Mount Elephant, stands as a shining example of his ability to create a sonic tapestry that blends the familiar with the otherworldly through his organic tones of folk with the mind-expanding, kaleidoscopic textures of psychedelia. It is a testament to his mastery of his craft, a product of his unwavering commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is possible within the realm of this cherished musical genre.
Label: Fuzz Club Records
1. Nistri – Panichi ‘Vittorio Nistri Filippo Panichi’
From the very first listen, this album captivated me, striking a deep chord that resonated through the very core of my being. It was as if the music had directly accessed and activated those hidden, dormant regions of my brain, stirring them to life with a potent and profound energy. This is undoubtedly my top album of the year, and for good reason – it was born from the spontaneous, blessed union of two visionary artists hailing from the experimental underground scene of Tuscany.
Vittorio Nistri and Filippo Panichi have poured their very souls into a collaborative work, adorning with an eternal, transcendent aura of spiritual bliss and penetrating emotions alchemically transmuted into sound. This album has generated an unprecedented buzz, its impact being compared to the most impactful releases from other acclaimed artists this year.
Label: Snowdonia Dischi
Honourable Mentions
Babal ‘Live At The 20th Dream Of Dr Sardonicu Festival 2024’
A superb live recording that catch the magnificence live performance of one of the most important experimental prog rock bands from the British underground music scene.
Maverick Persona ‘What Tomorrow?’ & ‘In The Name Of’
This Apulian art rock duo formed by ex legendary Allison Run’s Amerigo Verardi and electronica experimentalist Matteo D’Asturia aka Deje this year released two magnificent albums that explore the intriguing sound of music, from experimental to psych tropicália.
The Moondig ‘Zircunium’
This Belgian’s best kept secret eclectic psych prog jazz band are a tireless group that amazes you with each release they make every time they return from their space expedition in search of chemical elements. Keyboardist Tom Bessemans is in the research lab helped his faithful collaborators.
Scribed by: Domenico ‘Mimmo’ Caccamo
