"What to expect and wish for in 2024"

The British television series Yes Minister is ever relevant. The Permanent Secretary Sir Humphrey strongly believes that Government is too important to be left to politicians. These delicate matters (Stability. Keeping things going. Preventing anarchy. Stopping society falling to bits. Still being here tomorrow) are best handled by the British Civil Service. Sir Humphrey masters blocking and delaying tactics. A previous Minister called it "creative inertia", diversion tactics instead of plain obstruction or direct confrontation. Classical educated Sir Humphrey excels in the English language in addition to a superb grasp of Latin and Classical Greek grammar. The language skills is used to perplex his political masters and to obscure relevant issues. Sir Humphrey has become so adept at working within and maintaining the system of government that the means have become the ends. Sir Humphrey is usually calm and restrained, but can be shaken up. He then starts to crumble, on a few occasions being reduced to stuttering out platitudes such as "the thin end of the wedge", "the beginning of the end", or "it cuts at the very roots", although he usually regains his composure. Sir Humphrey (almost) always wins in the end. 

This year turned out to be a modest year when it comes to number of releases. I count to six releases: Slackeye Slim (Scorched Earth - Black Heart), Swarme Of Beese (Fruits Of The Golden Land), The Handsome Family (Hollow), Lonesome Wyatt And The Holy Spooks (Longing For Oblivion), David Eugene Edwards (Hyacinth), The Dad Horse Experience (Weihnachten Im Emsland). The latter is a Christmas record with two bonus tracks. In terms of quality, 2023 was a good year. 

What about next year? I'm also devoting myself to the art of "creative inertia", working within and maintaining the system. I have three wishes for 2024. The first wish: a new gothic country album from Christian Williams. The second wish: to acquire at least one of the hard-to-find four missing albums, read more here (opens in a new window). The third wish: to get my Devil's Ruin Records collection complete. I actually managed to acquire the Maciste self-titled album in February 2023. At the moment, I got 36 out of 40 registered albums on Discogs. The remaining four albums were probably never manufactured and distributed, read more here (opens in a new window). Well, then my third wish is a complete collection of Foddershock albums.

What about new album releases in 2024? This is what I know: Oldboy of the Fens (untitled) and Slim Cessna’s Auto Club (Kinnery Of Lupercalia, Buell Legion). That's all. It looks like it's going to be a meager year, but you never know. Sons of Perdition will maybe or maybe not release their album (Caul-Birth King and Other Abruptions). Those Poor Bastards release an album every second year. So maybe it's time again. Antic Clay (Broom of Fire) has been scheduled for six years in a row. Maybe the upcoming year is the year when it will finally happen? We will see what the future brings.