Hey there!
Every time December rolls around I get completely overwhelmed by the barrage of album recommendations, year-end lists, and general round-up of all the excellent music that got released throughout the year. So much music, so little time, increasingly hard to carve out a moment to really listen to a record.
That said, we’re coming up on NL20 (one year of Mango) and the timing is once again ripe to get everyone involved for this momentous milestone, so let’s wade through it together:
What was your favorite record this year?
This could be a new album, a dusty find you’ve unearthed from the archives, a single track you’ve rinsed to death, or even a tried and true mix you keep coming back to. Whatever it was that had you toe-tappin, tear-sheddin, and/or shimmy shakin.
Send it on over here, drop it in the Substack comments, or send it over via IG along with a sentence or two about it / why you love it / whatever you feel like.
Sharing music with good buds is what this Mango thing is all about.
Matthew and I got together for another chilled-out chugger of a radio show ditty up there at the top and to get the ball rolling shared a couple of our favorite records from this year down below.
If you’re inclined, give it a rinse or carve out a moment to chuck a record or two on.
Check in on your buds and be kind to yourself. Happy Festivus!
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Album: A Song For You - Home (2024)
Nick: Hands down the most gorgeous record I’ve come across this year / in a while. Got to see them (a 50+ member vocal ensemble) for their album release in Berlin back in August and it was summ special. Healing music if/when you’re in need.
Album: Mk.gee - Two Star & The Dream Police (2024)
Matt: If you’ve spoken to me about music this year at all, or have been following this newsletter, I haven’t shut up about Mk.gee and this masterpiece of musical innovation (heavy praise, I know). Since this album dropped, Mk.gee has been on a lightspeed upward trajectory of recognition and acknowledgement to this sentiment, with mentions on 2024 AOTY lists and an appearance as the musical guest on SNL last month.
The list of legends that his music has been compared to is long, and you can clearly hear those influences woven into his music. In spite of the obvious reference points though, Mk.gee has managed to create something entirely unique and distinctly his own while eliciting an hauntingly uncomfortable familiarity from musical eras past – self described as a ‘liminal storybook’ in this rare BBC1 interview.
Album: Caribou - Honey (2024)
Nick: If you’ve been here since NL01 you’re aware of my affinity for Emo House, ‘Big Room Sad’, and general rave euphoria. Caribou / Daphni never ceases to provide all those feels and this one, a late AOTY entry, overfloweth with peak-summertime dancefloor energy. Much needed when the sun has shined for a total of 2hrs this week here in Berlin.
Album: Denzel Curry - King Of The Mischievous South (2024)
Matt: Denzel Curry’s KOTMS started out as a mixtape homage to southern rap, which ended up getting the album treatment at the end of this year with a handful of big tunes added to the original tracklist to complete the record.
This is probably my favorite Denzel album since TA13OO (my 2018 AOTY), and Denzel touches on a huge range of southern rap influences and taps a heavy roster of features, many of whom helped define the early 00s era rap records I grew up on (Hypnotize Minds specifically). Denzel’s range is unmatched in the current hip-hop world, see his cover of RATM’s Bulls on Parade if you need proof of that.
Track: Corker Conboy x Purelink - In Light Of That Learnt Letter (2024)
Nick: One of my most heavily rinsed tracks of the year. A gentle cooker of a remix from ambient supergroup Purelink and UK post-rock electronic duo Corker Conboy. Bed to morning coffee, city commute, club to couch, it’s just the perfect brain comb for the daily grind or the comedown. The remix came together in support of the re-release of Corker Conboy’s debut album of the same name, a little-known underground classic blending dub, Brazilian, jazz, and post-rock. If you’re into this, you’ll be into that too.
Track: Nick León & Erika De Casier - Bikini (2024)
Matt: There were few tracks I rinsed more in 2024 than Nick Leon and Erica de Casier’s summer earworm tune ‘Bikini’. A true summer anthem, I couldn’t stop obsessively playing this one on repeat, which helped me find my personal beach no matter where I actually was. I finally got to test it on a dancefloor for Nicky and I’s end-of-summer boat party and it did exactly as I had been imagining during the prior months of audial hyperfixation.
Track: Bob Seger - Night Moves (2024)
Nick: The soundtrack to pretty much every high watermark moment this year. My good bud Katie summed it up best in Dad Rock Part 1:
It is the classic beer shot combo at your favorite bar, it’s the jean jacket you grab when nothing else looks good, its the first selection when you get in front of the touch tunes screen.
New years resolution #1: Get ‘Night Moves’ tattoo.
🥭 Here’s a Spotify playlist that has a taste of everything mentioned 🥭
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See ya in a couple weeks for NL20!
Nick
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