ok so an important note this is almost definitely inspired by maia arson crimew's blog in the sense of, thats the one that i've seen but realistically this is a fairly generic concept anyway. however! i want to have a ramble so yeah, here's some of mr crawtterly's favourite things of 2024!! (its mostly just music gotta be honest)
it doesn't feel like i've done that great for reading this year, but equally there's been some genuinely life-changing things that i've read! these are moreso books that i've read this year rather than books that released this year. i'm hoping to read a bit more next year, there's a lot that i want to read (i think? i talk about that somewhere in the reading pages of this site, yes i could just check this but i'm not)
i could not talk about my reading experiences this year without discussing ORV. holy shit the impact this novel has had on me. i properly started reading the webnovel in january, and i finished it in april, and i think it was probably what i thought about the most for those months. its such a, collosal thing ie it is 551 chapters long but i wouldn't want it anyother way. like seriously i've been able to see myself in Kim Dokja and look at myself and go huh yeah, maybe these beliefs i hold that are the same as this guy ARE flawed and making me miserable. its chapter 513 ep 99 ii when we get the line I, someone of no redeeming quality, could be loved by the others.
and its like fuck man! yeah! what the hell!! and i mean that's just one part of ORV that makes me ill (positive), i won't spoil it here but just everything with Han Sooyoung and that part of the epilogue is sooo its so tragic, all three of them (kim dokja, han sooyoung, yoo joonghyuk) are so tragic and wonderful . sorry my thoughts aren't especially coherent here it's hard to explain just how much ORV means to me but it really really does mean a lot to me, it's probably been my favourite piece of media of the year if i HAD to choose just one. sure its not perfect by any means, and its probably not for everyone, but for me i loved this novel so very much and i'm so glad i read it.
every year is a year for music, to me, thats just how music is. in some of the toughest moments of this year, music has been the thing i turn to, which again is sorta the case for every year ever but that doesn't mean i can't stop to appreciate some of my favourite songs, albums, and artists of 2024, so that's what this is!
the first artist that comes to mind to talk about for me is the narcissist cookbook. i've been distantly listening to them since probably about 2021? but this was the year that i've more properly appreciated nearly the full tnc discography. actually, i went into 2024 going insane about ghost stories which is still probably one of my favourite stand alone tracks. the album that stands out to me the most, though, is HYMN. its a beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of grief; the bit that gets me most is the repeated motif of RECEIVER OF WRECK, and that feeling of processing grief and guilt never really being good enough and it never really leaving either (writing this right now i'm reminded of diane nguyen and "good damage" in bojack horseman which also fucks me up so, that makes sense!), but even outside of that the songwriting is just really good!! plus i'm pretty sure HYMN is the origin for beachcomber blues which is another one of my favourites. AND THEN!! the very recent release of MYTH side one has only made me go more crazy about tnc because there's themes and parallels that are intentional??!! there's story!!! i'll probably be talking about side two when it releases in early january next year, i can't wait
another artist i've listened to a lot this year is AJJ, again having known some songs for years and only listening to more this year. i don't think i can necessarily give a favourite for AJJ, although i do have to shout out the live version of a song dedicated to the memory of stormy the rabbit because the saxophone solo goes crazy!! holy shit!!! but no AJJ is, for some reason, my go-to working at 3am music, i listen through like 4 albums and its nice it helps! probably means i'm not appreciating it as much as i could be but from what i do process in my hazy states its good stuff. had a moment this year when i had to make a small playlist called "sad furry music" and half of it was AJJ songs so that probably says something, but really that's not the point, AJJ is not music i listen to to feel miserable its to help me get through it!! also i made an edit of the guy on the cover of can't maintain to be wearing a blue jacket so that they looked like sans undertale and i found that very funny
other artists i've liked a lot but don't feel like rambling about in such detail include (but are not limited to):
i won't tell you all about tnc again but yeah, some of their albums definitely make it up there this year, if you couldn't tell. for albums i haven't vaguely referenced yet though, one of my favourites since about september has been i trawl the megahertz by prefab sprout. its a) so different from the rest of their music and b) just so good and interesting and awesome and lovely sounding you get the idea!! it's orchestral with essentially a poem spoken over it, two of my favourite things really, and its just so uniquely captivating i think. also i ended up getting the CD for it which is just a very lovely CD it's got the full words for the title track and then a booklet with the other words and just talking about the development of the album, it's super interesting!!
another perhaps very niche but equally enjoyable album for me this year is untouched by fire by ard (its not written like that i just can't find the right special character for it), which i heard described on the radio as "monastic doom". essentially its the story of early british christianity + northumbrian saints, and its heavy metal music. it's not what i usually listen to at all, but it is a great way to talk to metal fans as someone who knows otherwise nothing about the genre! or maybe its not they all just kind of smile and nod, but i hope they find it interesting ,, regardless its good music!
also apparently a niche one sorry. but have you heard of old and wise by the alan parsons project?? its very much an album from the 80s if that makes sense, but its good fun i like the lyrical motifs throughout and the instrumentation is great too. i honestly thought it was super well known but according to my dad (average middle-aged man that mostly enjoys music exclusively released between the 70s until the early 90s) it isn't. either way its good i enjoy it a lot, it was recommended to me by a friend when i was asking for music to listen to while travelling earlier this year. it's probably the most widely recommendable on this list so far
sonicwonderland by hiromi is another good one from this year, its fun and jazzy (reminding me right now of berlioz who i don't feel like rambling about individually but is another good music one!!!), and not actually affiliated with sonic the hedgehog of hedgehog fame as many people (like 2) have thought when i've mentioned the album to them. i'm not going to try and talk about it eloquently here because the best that i can think to say is "some of the songs are really upbeat whereas other ones are slower and the contrast makes the album more interesting", well yeah that's how music works, but no its good, i think my favourite track at this present moment would be bonus track right at the end
list of some other favourites:
my most listened song this year is a bit of a random one; laika by pigeon watch. its a very emotional track all from the perspective of laika the space dog, going through her whole life until her tragic death. there's some lyrics that really resonated with me, but to be completely honest the extent to which i listened to it was an accident. it is good though!! and has certainly been a significant song for me this year
another song thats meant a lot to me this year is chiapanecas as performed by rafael mendez. i don't actually where i found it but its a rather jolly? joyful? uplifting trumpet piece, it reminds me of radio background music that youd get for an end-of-the-week special part of the show. its just really nice! and i listened to it a LOT when i had exams in the summer and it helped keep my spirits up for sure, and just, maintain some sense of joy and whimsy in such trying times
on a similar note, 100% endurance by yard act was another one that got me through exams, and just generally through a hard time. i like how its optimistic but also acknowledges that aimless positivity can sound kind of bullshit sometimes, but really things will be alright as well. its nice.
other notable hits:
my personal game of the year is, without almost any doubt, rhythm doctor. despite being the music guy, i don't think i'd actually played a rhythm game before rhythm doctor and i love it so much, its simple with that it's just one key to press but also its difficult enough to be entertaining (what the fuck is up with 5-2N. howwww do you do that). also the music throughout is so good i love all the different styles, and also all the art and the characters and the stories and just. well everything yeah. its a good game i highly recommend it
actually i shouldn't have made this a full section i dont play enough games! but i guess shout outs to: zelda echoes of wisdom, professor layton curious village, disco elysium (haven't played), dave the diver (haven't played), tomodachi life, that one computer in the computerspiele museum in berlin (my wife), , that stupid block game i play on my phone? ueah i'm a gamer one might say
yes i am calling this a whole separate thing despite the fact this could totally be in the music section. its just that musicals are an individual special thing to me!!, and also i wanted to have more separate sections on this so it looks like i'm better at not just talking about music
its hard to properly express all my feelings about the falsetto trilogy, although i can say that its not a new thing for this year, i've been a fan since sometime in 2023? however this year was the year that i finally watched in trousers and its very very good!! the whole thing is just so, unique and beautiful and thought provoking, and good good music. also i've been able to connect with people by talking about falsettos which is lovely. i recommend it, probably only if you like theatre to be fair, it will get stuck in your head forever and ever
safe to say i would still be mad about sweeney todd were i not to have watched it right in the lead up to exams when i was utterly exhausted. it's good stuff though!! i sang not while i'm around with my old school choir a couple years back, so it was nice to actually experience the source material. i should go back and listen to it more actually, there's some really good songs in it
like with falsettos, i didn't watch merrily for the first time this year (i don't think i did anyway?? its hard to remember) but i've certainly thought about it a lot. its so good. i mean the structuring itself is inherently fascinating, what with the reverse chronological order, but its also just such a good story with VERY good music, and i think about good thing going all of the time its very impactful for me. more people should watch merrily
admittedly i didn't watch into the woods until late december but i've listened to it a lot even since then and its definitely up there with my favourite musicals i think. i love the way the plotlines weave together, as well as the music,,, the leitmotifs,,,, i don't know i struggle to articulate exactly how it gets me but it does, and i like it a lot. yes this is the third consecutive sondheim musical in this list. as it rightfully should be
i dont think i'm at all alone in saying that 2024 has been a difficult year. i personally haven't been at rock bottom (though i've probably teetered in that direction) but i know people that have and it's been really rough. there's been a lot of loss, a lot of struggle, and a lot of change. my relationships with people have changed and its all been a Lot, but genuinely, i think i'm incredibly lucky and am surrounded by people i love who love me. and i think with that, next year doesn't look as bleak as it might otherwise. i try my best to hold onto the people that matter to me and one thing thats important to keep in mind is to hold on to myself as well. i am a person in my life and i deserve to be loved by myself as well as others; i deserve to treat myself with kindness and respect. and it can be difficult and it will be difficult but i've made it through before. i need to work on my ability to communicate with people next year, but make sure when i do that i consider my own wants and needs as well, not just the other person's. its all very scary and it always is but genuinely i think, it'll be ok. happy new year :)