The big Coast Is Clear annual review 2024 – Part 1: the songs | Coast Is Clear

So, another year done, hurrah. There was (as expected) a lot going on in the last 12 months… As dramatically bad as 2024 was for me, all the new music saved and delighted me. I don't think I've ever encountered so many great new songs (and bands) in my life – so many that I'm seriously starting to lose track. 🙂 (By the way, at this point I have to give a shout out to the YouTube algorithm, without which I would have missed out on a lot of great music.)

The trend that I already described in detail in last year's annual review (just checked again) has continued to solidify: I continue to listen to various western indie music, from acts that I like/used to like or that “you should have heard.” “, I've also listened to hyped Western mainstream pop like Chappell Roan or Charli XCX every now and then, but my enthusiasm for it has continued to decline. Instead, this time Japan is massively dominating not only my song charts but also the album charts (that much can already be revealed), and some other Asian countries (China, South Korea and Taiwan) have also found their way to my ears and have pleased me.

As I said last year, Japanese (J-pop/rock) music is, on average, simply more interesting to me because it is often bolder, more complex and also strange and at the same time melodious, meaning it always surprises me instead of just the usual ones Ticking off checkboxes that you expect from certain styles like shoegaze or wave and that you know well enough (especially since I'm already “a little” older and have simply heard (too) much).

I got to know a lot of cool young acts this year – here are my top 5 (by “young” I mean someone who has only been around for a maximum of 1-2 years and was unknown to me before 2024):

1. 1. Sixiwanzi – Folk metal band from China, founded in 2022. Four young ladies with a very talented singer who also writes all the songs. Great combination of western rock music with traditional Chinese melodies and instruments. I didn't know this existed and that I needed exactly this exotic sound, but Sixiwanzi are my second most listened to band this year. If a Chinese band ever manages to attract more attention in the West, it will be this one (my prediction 🙂
2. 2. 十明 (Alcohol) – 21-year-old singer & songwriter who has just released her (great) debut album, with very interesting and stylistically surprisingly different songs. I have high hopes for her future work.
   
3. 3. Phantom Siita – Retro horror idol group composed, produced and coached by Japan's superstar Ado. Very entertaining and varied J-pop music; After just a few months it was already a pretty big number in Japan.
4. 4. FOR YOU! (pronounced: Nekki) – Japanese all female hard rock band on the Band Maid label – first-class melodies and craftsmanship at the highest level, even though the girls are still so young (the bassist is only 17!).
5. 5. Sawamura Kirari – she started with bizarre robot-like dance videos on YouTube, with which she reached half a million followers. Since this year she has also been making music, and not just any harmless pipe pop, as you might expect, but really cool, quite scratchy, slightly obscure guitar songs. So far all of their songs have been great.

The text continues – as far as the most listened to artists this year is concerned, you can read the exact list as usual on my last.fm profile (>> HERE), but it can be said that of the 21 most listened to acts 19 are from Japan, 1 from the UK and 1 from China, so it's a pretty clear-cut matter. My top 10:

(2nd place is Sixiwanzi, #3 Sheena Ringo, #6 Gesu no kiwami otome, #7 Clammbon and #9 Suiso)

Now let's finally get to the top songs of 2024 – this time the most listened to tracks (see HERE) correspond relatively well with my actual song charts, so I just want to highlight the three songs that are older and are still among my favorites of the year:

Sixiwanzi «Shu Han Dynasty» (Debut single from 2022, a hit in China)

Lapantet «Rings at night» (Mega-Indie Pop from 2017)

Tokyo Incidents (Tokyo Jihen/Incidents Tokyo) «Eien no fuzai shōmei – Eternal absence» (the band of Japan's legendary singer Sheena Ringo with a hit from 2020 – jazz fusion at its best)

And these are now mine official song charts for 2024 (By the way, Ado could have had around 20 songs in the list, but I limited it to 3 tracks: one from the album, a non-album single and a cover) – I found it extremely difficult due to the flood of great songs , to find a “correct” order or even limit it to a top 20. Ultimately, this time all the songs in the top areas or, to be precise, all of them in this list are highly recommended.
(As always, I have one too Spotify-Playlist created with my annual hits, which you can find >> HERE.)

01. AiNA THE END – Love Sick (Unfortunately, video cannot be integrated, so only screenshot linked)

02. Ado – ​​Early Summer (Shoka (Early summer))

03. BABYMETAL – RATATATA (feat. Electric Callboy)

04. Brandy Nobody – 27:00

05. Gacharic Spin – Restaurant･F (another clip that I'm not allowed to include and that's linked…)

06. Sixi Meatballs – Dao Dao (Sixiwanzi – Dao (Road))

07. Indochina – The swan song

08. adieu – back (Senaka (Back))

09. King Gnu x Sheena Ringo – W●RK (live)

10. Uchudan – Public bath (Uchudan – Sentō (Public Bath))

11. Toaka – Maiden

12. HANABIE. – GIRL’S TALK

13. Ado – ​​It was a very nice June

14. Brandy Senki – Nightmarish

15. yonige – Exorcist (live)

16. Kaneko Ayano – Lucky live (Lucky)

17. Sheena Ringo – Dora 1 dokusō (feat. Atarashii Gakko!)

18. NEK! – Get Over

19. UPIKO – Karasu (Crow)

20. CHURCH – FREAK

21. Ado – I’m a controversy

22. Sixiwanzi – Last Name

23. Sokoninaru – in birth

24. Momoka Ueda – Chīsana ippo (One Small Step)

25. Omoinotake – Last Note

26. Sawamura Kirari – chishi-ryō dārin (Lethal dose darling)

27. J.Fla – Little Dreamer

28. Kit Sebastian – Bul Bul Bul

29. Chilli Beans. – 105☻ (again just a screenshot with a link to YouTube)

30. Risky Shift – No Smoking

31. Suichu Spica – Miyako

32. chilldspot – Bokutachi wa iki o shite (We are breathing)

33. Adé – Forts

34. Sunday (1994) – Blossom

35. RAISE A SUILEN – V.I.P MONSTER

36. Mizuni ukikusa – Shinderera (Cinderella)

37. Sixiwanzi – aLIEz

38. Otonari ni gin ga keikaku – ookina atashi (Big me)

39. Suki Waterhouse – Supersad

40. Gambit – long sleep

41. My Kamano & oysters – Sanagi

42. Ai Higushi – Dare (Who)

43. Suisoh – Lanternoid

44. Rubens – fuchin no asa (The Morning of Ups and Downs)

45. GriffO – not connected (wèi liánjiē (Not connected))

46. ​​milkyway – Atamaga okashii (Drive me nuts)

All other hits, unsorted:

Attic Ocean – Lilies and Sea
Club 8 – Something’s Wrong In My Head
tuki. – Hiyururirapappa
AiNA THE END – Hato ni hato (Heart to heart)
Charisma.com – Henshin featuring MIDICRONICA
Water and balloons (mizutofusen) – Boring Roman
Allie X – Weird World
Soirée – Paranoia Smothers the Marionette
aoie us fear – Shuffle Bed
Aruyue – Bansan (Dinner)
Mickey Bear Trio – Vertigo
Cö shu Nie – Kie chau mae ni (Before it disappears)
Mizunori Nagashima -serval DOG- – Sea of ​​dawn (Mizunori Nagashima -serval DOG- – Sea of ​​dawn)
muque – Bite you
(Yoru to SAMPO – Monster)
Sofia Portanet – Real Face
Harukaze Records (Harukaze rekōdo) – Idler
Laura day romance – Young Life
Leila – kadode
Monomi twins – Yura Yura
Delicious Melonpan – Swirling summer fermata (Oisicle Melonpan – uzumaku natsu no ferumāta (Swirling Summer Fermata))
Phantom Siita – I wanna xxxx with you
Thursday Off – Maybe it's easy for you
9m88 – Fauvism
Allie X – Black Eye
Bray Me – Cynthia (Shinshia (Cynthia))
Caravan Palace – Mirrors
Cephalo – Yoru mado (Night window)
Cody Lee – Yellow
indigo la End – Ramune
Kaneko Ayano – Sabishikunai (Not lonely)
krage – suisou
NEK! – Ryō gen shōjo (Reigen girl)
The Smile – No Words
Still Corners – The Dream
Suki Waterhouse – Blackout Drunk
Suki Waterhouse – OMG
Vampire Weekend – Gen-X Cops
Room 606 – Summer won't let you go (606-Gōshitsu – natsu ga kimiwohanasanai (Summer won't let you go))
Poppy – Crystallized
Atarayo – Boku wa (I…)
Atarayo – Shōnen, kazekaoru (Boy, the breeze)
Cody・Lee (李) – DANCE tonsils (DANCEamygdala)
Desperate Journalist – 7
Cody Lee – Sayonara
Ferri-Chrome – Transparent Silk
Francis of Delirium – Real Love
Gacharic Spin – Halfway and Beyond
Ikkyu Nakajima – MILK
katawara – To you summer meku
Mizuni Duckweed – Cinderella
Neov – Softer
Romanesque Experiment – ​​Nega Posi Diary
somei – Cyberpunk
Summer Whales – Crack!
toe – Sonny Boy Rhapsody
The Waeve – You Saw
2& – Sea and Daughter
Aooo – Salad Bowl
Cody・Lee(李) – 1096
Desperate Journalist – Unsympathetic Part 1 & 2
Gesu's ultimate maiden. – Hard mode (Gesu no kiwami otome – haadomoodo)
Heavenstamp – Kanki no uta (Ode to joy)
polly – ghost
PompadollS – East of the Sun and West of the Moon
Risky Shift – Kool
Unstoppable thirst – charmig and separation
Tomori Kusunoki – Light in front of the wind
yonige – Super Express
Yuga – Don't Remember Me
Brandy Senki – Stockholm Box
Ringo Shiina – Almost Water Foam (feat. Momo)
Capitol – Your Heart is Everywhere
The Cure – A Fragile Thing
ExWHYZ – Our Song
Gesu's ultimate maiden. –YDY
Ghost like girlfriend – omniscient and omnipotent
The Red Room – The Duel
Clara Luciani – This life
Miyuna – hug me
NELKE – End of summer
NOMELON NOLEMON – Water and light touch the sky
Sofia Portanet – Unstoppable
Salarymen – I Forget About Time
Soccer Mommy – Driver
UNIDOTS – Dreaming AM
yama – days
yonige – Exorcist
yonige – seed (re-recording ver.)
yonige – Deus ex machina
Blurred City Lights – 回葬
Blurred City Lights – Citylights
Charisma.com – powerful complex
CLAN QUEEN – PSIREN
Heavenstamp – It was an illusion
Kurokokubi – Butterfly
Kit Sebastian – The Kiss
kobasolo – daytime feat.konoco
kobasolo – Running at night feat.Kopi
Lovely Summer Chan – Everyday life without lyrics
Lovely Summer Chan – Garden of Remembrance
Mike Shinoda – Already Over (Live in Tokyo)
The National – Smoke Detector (Live in Rome)
oOo – Allright!!
ROSÉ & Bruno Mars – APT.
Ringo Shiina – Funeral procession
Toaka – Ashy
Wallice – Heaven has to happen
toe – NOW I SEE THE LIGHT
YU-KA – Sunshade
YU-KA – Forget-me-not
Zaho de Sagazan – O through
Zélie – The cry
Ringo Shiina – Open Secret album ver.
Ai Kamano – Young
ATARASHII GAKKO! – Superhuman
Capitol – Psychomancy
chilldspot – killer word
chilldspot – 爱爱
Hakubi – Crawl
krage – spring thoughts
The Red Room – In The Ruins
LUNA GOAMI – PALPITATION
Phantom Theta – I just want to do ×××× with you
The Smile – Bodies Laughing
Spiny Spiny Ant – Piercing the Dawn
Tota – daily calendar
Brandy Senki – Coming-of-age Story
Atarayo – Shine
Cocco – Flying Flowers and Falling Flowers
Corin – Magic can be used.
Harusaruhi – Meta
Hitsujibungaku – Burning
Ikkyu Nakajima – DEAD
Komodo – Seven Sisters
moë – OCCULT
muggy – High Flying
Thorn – Doro – Bang!Bang!
Three Four Girls – Sugar Suicide (2024 version)
Three or four girls – Utopia