Progressive RockMetalPost-rock
Writer:
David Sàez
The members of the Associació Musical Tótum Revolútum have cast their votes on which albums stood out most in 2024. They did so across three categories: Best Album, Best Debut and Best Catalan Album.
So it turns out the best debut of 2024 went to the Greek duo Jupiter Fungus and their record “Garden Electric”, with 31.6% of the vote. They released it in November, and it’s old-school prog, notable for the balance between flute and guitar tones.
As for the best Catalan album, we have to admit that many Tótum readers voted with their hearts, with a certain fraternal bias. So the winner ended up being Regna’s record, titled “Cinema”, with a fairly commanding 47.4% of the vote.
It’s worth noting that 2024 gave us an extremely high level of Catalan output, with bands like Magick Brother & Mystic Sister, Moonloop, Meltem, Santacreu and Ulls delivering top-tier work that we’d recommend listening to, or listening to again.
And now we reach the most important category. It was a nail-biter between two monstrous records, with the lead constantly changing hands, and finally… a tie. That tie came down to a single vote cast at the very last moment before voting closed.
So, ex aequo, the two albums chosen as the best of 2024 are “Life in the Wires” by the British band Frost* and “The Last Will and Testament” by the Swedes Opeth. Two sublime marvels that put an impressive capstone on a high-calibre year for music, one that will be hard to match this year.
So, what can we do about it? You’ll just have to listen to both and let your own heart pick a favourite.