My new annual tradition is to dedicate my last post of the year to looking back at what I accomplished (and failed to accomplish) on the blog over the previous 12 months.

– What the Kids are Listening To

For the second year in a row, I explored the current Billboard Hot 100 in April and August. That wasn’t by design, so there must be something about those months that make them a natural for this series. I also kicked off the year with a recap of the previous year’s top songs.

– ‘Decades’

I vowed to get to the major albums of 1995 and 2005 and did just that.

– Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class Recaps

I had the 2012 class next on my list, but the 2024 inductees were announced before I got to it, so I covered those artists instead. I also threw out a few names of those who continue to be snubbed by the Hall.

– Throwback Weekends

I made some tweaks to this weekly feature, narrowing my throwback window to the 50s through the 80s. I’ve loved diving into the hits of those decades.

– Artist Deep Dives

I didn’t do any wide-ranging deep dives this year, but I did introduce the “shallow dive,” covering 10 career-spanning albums by a single artist. Barbra Streisand received the first such treatment, and I really enjoyed the opportunity to dip my toe into her expansive discography.

I also did a “deep” dive of Jim Croce’s work, which spans only five albums.

And this was a different kind of exploration, but one I’ll mention here: I asked my daughters to recommend five of their favorite songs by The Smiths.

– Track-by-track Album Showcases

I counted down my favorite tracks from two of the year’s best releases, Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Miranda Lambert’s Postcards from Texas.

I also culled Taylor Swift’s epic The Tortured Poets Department down to a 12-track album I titled Asylum — I sill think my abridged version is stronger than the bloated original.

Those three artists showed up on my Amazon Music year-end “most played” list, along with Barbra Streisand (a lot of listening minutes go into even a shallow dive!). Rounding out the list (in the #2 spot, behind Lambert) was Lana Del Rey, impressive considering she released no new music this year.

– ‘Odds and Ends’

I finished up the music posts with some random features, including:

– Some of the best “Kellyoke” performances by Kelly Clarkson
– My top ten Songs of the Summer
– A quick look at Bardcore
– Fifteen major artists who somehow never had a #1 hit
– The Ladies of 2024 — ranking a slew of new releases by women
– TV themes that reached #1

And a new feature I might bring back: ‘Now That’s a Name I’ve Not Heard in a Long Time‘

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On the movie side of things, I fell a bit shorter of my annual goals. That’s understandable, given the greater commitment of time required to consume a movie vs. a song or album (and you can’t exactly watch movies while driving).

– My Top Ten Movies of 2023

I offered up this annual list, and actually expanded it to 20 given the strength of that year in movies.

– My Personal Oscar Picks

None of my favorites took home an Oscar, but I’m sure they were just as honored by the Meet Me in Montauk stamp of approval.

– Filmmaker Deep Dives

For the second straight year, I failed to deliver on my promised Steven Spielberg and Nicole Holofcener explorations. Sorry!

– Horror Movies

I’m sure several of my readers would rather I’d watched Amistad and Friends with Money instead of another few dozen horror movies, but I have found my dive into this long-neglected genre incredibly rewarding.

– Disney Animation

This was the year’s most ambitious project — watching all 63 Disney Animation features — and I’m proud to say I completed it just in time to finish with November’s Moana 2.

– Classic Movie Blindspots

I threw this in as a bonus wish list item last year and it remained unformed until a month or so ago. More to come on this one tomorrow, when I look ahead to my plans for 2025.