Consequence’s Annual Report continues with this special edition of Crate Digging, a recurring feature where artists take a deep dive into the albums they think every music fan should own. As the year winds down, we’ve got tons of awards, lists, and interviews about the best music, film, and TV 2024 had to offer, including our list of the 200 Best Songs of the Year.
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When we last connected with IDLES’ guitarist and producer Mark Bowen in 2022, he took us through 10 guitar albums he thinks every music fan should own. The list included records from bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, The Jesus Lizard, and PJ Harvey, as well as IDLES’ debut album, Brutalism. It was a selection that celebrated Bowen and his band’s carefully-curated slate of influences, not to mention their deserved breakthrough as one of the most beloved rock bands around right now. But above all, it cemented one thing about Mark Bowen: The man has taste.
Today, we reconnect with Bowen at the tail end of another big year for IDLES. They released their fifth album TANGK back in February, which found the anti-fascist, post-punk agitators embracing a bolder sound while continuing to render sweet emotions as perilous plunges. They also toured incessantly; when we chat over Zoom, Bowen is in Nottingham, where IDLES is about to play their 106th show of the year (they would go on to play 10 more gigs before the year’s end, bringing their total to 116 concerts). He even counted it for us: “We’ve done a total of 412 hours on stage. It’s been a big year,” he says.
Even as the gang has been bringing TANGK to various venues around the world, Bowen always makes time to keep up with the latest albums du jour. That includes several of this year’s indie favorites, like Mk.gee’s murky debut Two Star & the Dream Police, Kim Gordon’s experimental The Collective, and Mannequin Pussy’s ferocious I Got Heaven. Bowen also praises the sublime debut from English Teacher, our 2024 Rookie of the Year, who actually supported IDLES on their North American tour this fall.
Bowen also seeks to spotlight the various movements that he thinks define the year in music. For one, he’s particularly impressed with the year in heavy music, citing “incredible” albums from Blood Incantation, Knocked Loose, and The Body as signals of the heavy space’s burgeoning creative force. He also spotlights great new artists coming from his native Ireland, like the post-punk group Gurriers and the electronic band Chalk.
Unlike last time, however, Bowen does not name his own band’s release as one of his 10 selections. “If we do it every time, it’ll just become my thing,” he says before adding, “It is a very good album, I would say… It’s one of my favorites of the year. Probably my most listened to of the year considering I play every night!”
Revisit IDLES’ excellent album TANGK below, and read on for Bowen’s list of 10 albums from 2024 that left him captivated and enthralled.
Editor’s Note: Check out our list of IDLES’ 10 Best Songs.
