Best music Albums of 2025
One thing I have weirdly learned from doing these lists every year is….some albums and pieces of music are harder to discuss than others, even if I love them. Maybe it comes from weariness or not quite being able to articulate something I admit, but this topic is on my mind and so I am changing my list up a little bit this year- I am going to talk about 40 albums (5 more than last year, I’ve had a tad more free time) I liked and even loved, but they are not necessarily my EXACT favorite albums of the year. So these are the most intriguing records of the Year 2025 to me, the best in my opinion.
As per usual, I personally listened in detail to over 250 albums in the genres of rock, alternative, hip hop, electronic, folk, singer-songwriter, ambient, etc. and have a list of what I personally found to be the best ones. You won’t find much “Pop” music on here, but perhaps you will discover something you haven’t heard before or can look at it though new eyes. My favorite albums of the year may not have been your personal faves, the most successful in terms of sales, or at the tops of the other critics’ lists. However, I am making this list because I do think that this music is THAT GOOD and definitely worth talking about. As we are towards the middle of the 2020’s, many of these names will be new, but it is good to look at this concept as an exciting thing as opposed to a detrimental thing. If you don’t see an album or artist you liked a lot and are wondering where I would personally rank it, at the end of the listing countdown you can check about my full list of everything I listened to and rated albums from this year…
After today, I’ll be counting down my 40 (as opposed to 40 from last year) favorite albums of the year one at a time (Perhaps spreading it out over different days until the end of the year, maybe sometimes even 2 in one day! :)
Honorable mention (#41-50)
41.Rodney Crowell – Airline Highway
42.Able Noise – High Tide
43.Natalie Bergman – My Home is Not in this World
44.Rebecca Schiffman – Before the Future
45.Jason Isbell – Foxes in the Snow
46.The Tubs – Cotton Crown
47.Jenny Hval – Iris Silver Mist
48.Charif Megarbane - Hawalat
49.These New Puritans- Crooked Wing
50.Little Simz - Lotus
#40. Colin Miller – Losin’
There is something very charming and significant about the way Colin Miller comes along and charms us. Sure, he is early in his career (this is only his second album and first to gain national recognition) and most of this material works and some of it just sort of ‘meanders’, but that is definitely part of the aforementioned charm. What can be done in the style of this realm of country-rock still, so it doesn’t sound like Wilco or another Americana touchstone times x 100?
There are songs that seem withered and torn, like “I Need a Friend” as much a plea to be accepted as it is a sad story about wondering around aimless that is repetitive but sort of building and building to some sort of supreme catharsis. The standout for sure is the lovely "Cadillac" which outshines most of the other songs here with its effortless ability to be loveable- it's a song you wish was longer or more literate or something- but again that is part of the earworm nature of it I suppose. On “Lost Again” it is hard to tell who Colin Miller is referring to, it is his own family or just an observation on society at large? One thing is for sure, his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina has been through it this year (mass flooding post a random hurricane settlement, and I know many people who live there) and when he sings “excuse me for looking” he is singing about losing his friends as everyone around him was losing their home, their property and their very sanity.
When hearing the best songs of Miller's (other highlights include “Porchlight” and Thunder Road”- no, the latter is not a Springsteen cover, unless there was a verse about decapitating potato guns I missed back on that 1975 release…..) it is hard not to be totally encompassed in his world. A little more production and larger scales for the next album and he could easily become world famous. Or maybe he shouldn’t and maybe this down home, lo-fi quality is part of what makes Losin such an essential listen in 2025.
#39. Bob Mould – Here We Go Crazy
Bob Mould returns with the best record he has had in over 10 years, ready to rock in his own unique way. Past his resurgence in the early 2010s and return to rock from a decade trying a more “disco” sound (which is his right to re-invent himself), Mould has never really strayed form his trademark alt-punk sounds, one that really defined the 1980’s underground and had a supreme influence on the direction of mainstream 90’s rock. As now beyond being an elder statesman to just a man how can right catchy songs with killer choruses, in that same way he keep the radio jingles of the 1960’s alive. “Here We Go Crazy” and especially closer “Your Side” (another example of the way Mould structures his songs, with all repeating and climaxing at the end) are great examples of this. Elsewhere, “Neanderthal” finds yet a new way to be intense, so many overlapping vocals and nasal snarls to make you dizzy; “Breathing Room” is a more controlled eruption, with excellent controlled drummer by John Wurster and lyrics that soert of seep into the unconscious.
“Sharp Little Pieces” is pure emotional storytelling keeping us waiting for the next line, and really there isn’t a boring song on the whole record. Some songs work like “You Need to Shine” work as proclamations more than music, but they definitely fit the ‘mold’ haha…. of being earworms. This is certainly a better record than Blue Hearts (2020) and Catch the Sky (2016), both of which tried a little to hard to ‘rock’. Here Mould seems at ease with his present, and most impressively his past. Some stand out more than others, but this has be the 20th good to great album the man has put out in his now 40 something year career? Surely, he has nothing left to prove to a die-hard fan like myself, from Husker Du to Sugar to finding amazing cohorts and crafting memorable rock n roll more so than any other person I can think of. A new Mould record is always a joy to discover, and I can’t wait to see him testing my eardrums’ limits well into the coming decades.
#38. BackxWash – Only Dust Remains
Backxwash always displays a sort of lyrical competence beyond the realm of their peers, so one sort of looks upon their albums in wonder. The music sounds heavenly and satanic all at the same time, the stories contained are stories of struggle and self- destruction, of someone who may not make it one day, and of someone who continues to fight amongst a world that may not want to hear their truths. I have always said rap music is not that far in most ways from rock music, and here is yet another variation on it- because on this album what is the difference between speaking and rapping? Between singing and expressing fast words in order that sometimes rhyme? Between punk rage and self-expression due to race or due to sexuality? I am not sure, but when I hear songs that seem to go on forever in a sort of raging cloud like “Undesirable” I can’t tell you there is any difference in…well any genre. Backxwash and many similar artists of the 21st century make it all a glorious sort of jumble.
What Backxwash does here, as they did earlier on their masterpiece I Lie Here Buried with My Rings and My Dresses from 2021, is let us in on their secret pain. Their songs come across as a diary entry that is embarrassing to read out loud but also essential. The heart ache in “9th gate” is brief and purely instrumental, and right after it “9th Heaven” won’t let up on the pain inside. The soul aches in "History of Violence", but it may never get better for some people and there is no effort to let society off the hook- going back to Adam and Eve from the bible to current day in 2025. At the end of the record when the song’s title is “Only Dust Remains” it’s because of the horrorshow that is their current life that has just passed us by. It may only be an album, but each Backxwash work of art really encompass the entire human experience of suffering.
#37. Squid - Cowards
Squid really follow an interesting career path, starting off making challenging rock music and becoming more and more accessible as they go. There are still people on the band's 3rd album that will probably never truly absorb all of their odd detours and pivots in their music, as some songs even if short take make sense of the ideas in lead singer/ drummer Ollie Judge's head. "Building 650" and "Cro Magnon Man" definitely take from the Pere Ubu school of odd dance rock with screeching vocals, while others just have a sort of slow menacing quality to them that works to different effect- check the open, true verse about shoddy American/ British house craftsmanship in "Blood on the Boulders".
While not everything works perfectly on this ever-experimental album for me, the two part "Fieldworks" is a prime example of songs that kind of go nowhere, the album makes up for it in other ways. Opener "Crispy Skin" gets many things right on the energy level and I actually think the last two songs are among the most interesting. "Showtime" has a mesmerizing and circus sort of swing to it, that seems endlessly inventive and ends on a pretty note (well for this band). "Well Met" might be the band's magnum opus so far, over eight minutes of pure insanity that somehow seems rational, blending the best of bands like Radiohead, Thinking Fellers Union, and Battles to something wholly unique. With producer Dan Carey intact for each collaboration, Squid albums remain a constant puzzle for my brain to be figuring out each time they are released. They are one of the most promising groups of young musicians on Earth.
#36. Horsegirl – Phonetics On and On
As time goes on, more and more groups will target instances in rock music history- whether it be a sort of revival of the 1960’s carefree pop radio or the gothic, synthy vibes of the 1980s, or the electronic dance revolution of the early 2000s, the list of minor genres within rock music is sort of endless. Horsegirl try their take on the slacker/ lo fi vibes of the 1990s with their second record Phonetics On and On, and the results are very charming. “Rock City” gives off a vibe of waking up in the morning haze, trying to get your day going, while “Well I know You’re Shy” is more of a lovelorn tune about meeting someone new in life. “Switch Over” just screams ‘indiiiiiie rock’ with its chuggy guitars and adorable vocals. “Julie” is a heart warming ballad, with tiny guitar movements here and there doing a lot with basically signals and motions more than ‘notes’.
The thing that makes Horsegirl unique though is that they approach this genre rock with a supreme detachment, as if they are scientists conducting an experiment on how to make the best song within a certain number of chords and minimal emotion. “Sport Meets Sound” is a great example of this with singer Nora Cheng singing the chorus – they say ‘da da duh duh duh’ as the actual chorus, as if aliens were observing how humans sing. Sometimes this produces results that don’t work as well, just like all scientific experiments (“In Twos”, “I Can’t Stand to see You” are both a tad slight). There is more then enough magic to be found in most of these songs though- “2468”, “Frontrunner”, “Where Did You Go” all have enough charm to keep them going- But more often then not Horsegirl give us hope that this band will keep expanding their experiments to many other genre of rock music, maybe even one day creating something even more original and wild.
#35.Ethel Cain – Willoughby Tucker, I’ll Always Love you
Ethel Cain (Hayden Anhedönia) has done a great job of creating her own mythology. The story of 'Ethel Cain' and her insane life are the subject of many reviews and unlike most people who listen to her music…I don’t really care. Leave the stories and fictions to the tabloids, what does the music sound like? Because without great music, make-believe stories only have so much merit. So what Ethel Cain does, on her second full length record (following the mostly instrumental 'EP' earlier this year Perverts) is make slow, haunting music that seems to evoke the story of certain suffering women on the planet. Or something like that. End of the day, she is a harrowing singer-songwriter in the vein of Lisa Germano or Cat Power or Julia Holter for sure, with all of the interesting qualities that follow. She also follows a sort of trend, more aligned with the pop artist intentions of Billie Eilish or Phoebe Bridgers or (in her own words) Florence and the Machine, while being very deliberate and lyrical and dragging songs out past the length they should be to sound more profound. This is true- the albums ten songs are about 75 minutes long total. You can do the math on the average song length, and if every song deserves to be this long.
All of this considered, Ethel Cain is far better than most music that is popular these days. I would always rather a person strive to be weird, ambitious and provocative then do something very boring and predictable. Take the fifteen minute “Waco, Tx” that closes the record: on most records this would be a waste of time and a question mark on why it would take this long to tell a story, but Cain manages to make it dynamic and interesting almost all the way through. Her other songs that exceed normal length on the record are definitely among her best (both “Nettles” which evokes the best bluegrass/folk meets Cocteau Twins atmospheres and the emotional wallop of “Tempest” come to mind) and its quite possible to be completely enraptured in this music. Then there are the shorter songs that are beautiful and multi layered, like opener “Janie”, that are breathtaking and just using very simple chords and keyboard effects- it’s impressive how much emotion there is to give with such a lovely voice.
In all, I am still absorbing the multi facets of this record and like her last one (Preacher's Daughter (2022) it may take mew years to decipher it all. It feels like a gothic novel come to life, to say the least. There are instrumentals on here that I’m just going to say are FAR too long and ambient and take me out of the better more eventful songs, but then again some of them work brilliantly like mostly acoustic “A Knock at the Door” so maybe I just don’t fully comprehend it. “F Me Eyes” evokes cheesy synth pop form the 1980’s and to me is the weakest song by far. I admit that Ethel Cain is not quite of my generation and sort of alienating to me, but I return to her mor than most and wish other pop musicians had her depth and character when making their music. At least two-thirds of this record is brilliant- see also the echoing effects of mutant country ballad “Dust Bowl”. Maybe her influence, of a tortured soul with infinite longing, will be the defining sound of the 2020’s. Who knows, but it rises on the Billboard charts so……...Ethel Cain is the (strange) voice of her generation.
#34.Aesop Rock – I Heard It’s A Mess Out There Too
For those not already a part of the cult, Aesop Rock (Ian Bavitz) is one of the most literate and articulate rappers ever to pick up a mic. It's insane that Aesop Rock has now put out two amazing hip hop albums in one year, as this one came later at first I thought might be a toss off or b-sides. While the production is quite simplistic in comparison to the longer more intricate Black Hole Superette, that doesn't mean the songs are any less effective (compared to something in his past discography like the Blockhead combo Malibu Ken from 2019). Still superb lyric knowledge tossed around in some songs only a little over a minute long ("Crystals and Herbs"- of course the system is rigged!). The truth is this is Aesop Rock's shortest record, and I love that about it. "Potato Leak Soup" and "Bag Lunch" hit hard, like Aesop hasn't made 3 of the best records in hip hop of the 2020s already? I guess this makes number four- he makes it look like he is laid back while showing off his mastery as a wordsmith in “Oh My Stars”, which is as good as anything on Black Hole Superette.
Unlike its counterpart in 2025, this album is stripped down and has no real guest appearances; it is just Aesop Rock giving us 12 new songs. The last three songs might be the most effective-"Poly Cotton Blend" with its insane background echoing vocals is one o the best songs he has ever made; "Call Home" has a bass-driven beat that will stick in your for life; "Sherbet" might be the capper of all his rap albums, all electronic bliss and rambling out pathos while making it all look stylish and pristine. While its true this album combined or released with Black HoleSuperette might have been amazing, I also can't help but think- pick the best 7 songs from each album and keep it concise! Why so many songs, why another double album, it is very very hard to remember every single tune- its not that some songs are worse than others because he is amazingly consistent, but at some point it does seem VERY stream of conscious. But I am not him, he is Bavitz is his own kind of genius and if he wants to be the most prolific rapper out there while being this consistent, more power to him.
#33.Clipping – Dead channel Sky
Clipping exist in their own world, a world that is hypersonic and the faster something is the better it is. Everything they do is meant to disorient and everything they do seems superhuman. Each song has super-fast rapping by Daveed Diggs that must have taken forever to truly master, while also pretty catchy rap songs along the way. Their art is also a propensity for industrial style noise, sometimes instrumental interludes but at other time pure droning experiments (“Change the Channel”). All of the above are types of 'noise' and the noise is the sound of their surroundings- big cities, big 'beat' a la the Chemical Brothers and the peers of the 1990s (see "Run It”). And then gloriously, sometimes they mix together all the noise, big beats, and fast rapping into something truly original and other worldly- like “Keep Pushing”, definitely a song that manages to be one of the more enjoyable and hopeful in its own way. When they join with the vocabulary of Aesop Rock in “welcome Home the Warrior”, we see a kindred spirit that keeps showing ways to be exploratory in hip hop. Follow that with pure abstraction, with rapping, like “Mood Organ”. How did the members of Clipping find each other actually, with a love of hip hop and such strange found sounds, and think how in any way this project works? Crazily enough, it’s been working for about 15 years now…and each time it is an album to cherish.
#32.Sharon Van Etten – And the Attachment Theory
Sharon Van Etten's return is very welcome, and for the last six years I would hope she would make something amazing again like her last masterwork from 2019, Remind Me Tomorrow. This is quite different, more of a band effort all around as the title shows she is now one with her band The Attachment Theory. It does bring a more of a uniform sound to the experience, especially on the stellar second half of the record, as Van Etten unleashes her great voice and belts out emotional anthems like “Idiot Box” and the David Byrne homage “Something Aint Right” like a dark angel residing over the proceedings. As her last album had a tendency to overdo with too many slow, cumbersome ballads (We've Been Going About this All wrong (2022)) this one starts off like that but quickly brings some band energy to the proceedings. The best of the slower songs is probably “Fading Beauty”, that brings her ethereal sound more akin to psychedelic music and abstraction of someone like Julianna Barwick, which is a nice upgrade to her sound.
But mainly, the band brings rock n roll to the forefront and that is typically my favorite side to Van Etten. “Southern Life” is one of the best rock n roll songs of the year, arena ready and using pounding bass and keyboards to drill out a powerful melody- “what it must be liiiiike” has never a simple phrase meant so many things. “I Want You Here” transforms into something pretty awesome by the end, showing off Van Ettens ability to meta morph in the middle of the song. “Indo” is cute and bouncy with an off balance chorus; “I Can't Imagine” channel's Blondie's “Heart of Glass” with a more Yeah Yeah Yeah's kind of sneering, something dark and wild. Most of all it just shows this band is having a lot of fun in what they are doing- Van Etten herself has been at this for about 15 years and her encyclopedic knowledge of what works on each song is impressive. I'm excited to hear more from these guys. I will caution, don't let the first half of the record throw you off- it is much calmer and controlled. That doesn't mean it's not as good as the second half, it just takes a different approach to appreciate it.
#31.Cardiacs – LSD
It’s hard to even try and imagine what goes into making a Cardiacs album. Posthumously released after Lead Singer and songwriter Tim Smith’s death five years ago in 2020, this album has been edited and fine-tuned by the loyal band members to the point of insanity. Given that they carry on the most astute progressive rock traditions, there is no way to accurately determine if it would ever be ‘perfect’ but boy is it intriguing. Sandwiched between a questionable couple of lead tracks and an ending that sort of adds up to (?huh?) is an amazing group of songs: from the punky on fire “Woodeye”, the epic and twisting tempo and key changes of “Skating”, to the soulful yearning of “Spelled All Wrong” and high pitched screeching of “Lovely Eyes”…..the list goes on. For sure Tim Smith was a composer with abilities beyond most rock n roll musicians, as most of this plays more like classical music with rock music vocals effects and instruments used. The Plethora of instruments and sounds will overwhelm you upon listening.
Where is the line or genre tag anyway in music? The Cardiacs lean heavily toward symphonic compositions (see “Busty Beez” – the proggyist rock song to ever prog!) but they also embrace pop music, laying out some songs that could even be hits on the radio in the 1980’s – “the Blue and Buff” and “Vovlob” to name the best- so they are a contradiction for sure. For Influences, there is Queen, ELO, XTC, Rush, The Who, Van Dyke Parks, and twenty or so more different bands all mixed up in Cardiacs sound. Not to mention bands they have influenced since their debut in the late 1980s- New Pornographers , Fiery Furnaces, Animal Collective, Mars Volta to only name some off top of my head. They defy easy genres or trends and honestly, the world still needs them today. That’s why I am happy to always talk about their music, as it exists as a niche listen because it dares to tackle everything imaginable while forecasting limitless possibilities.
#30.Patterson Hood – Airplane Screams
Hood has never quite sounded as comfortable with himself as he does on his newest album and I mean that as a good thing. Gone are attempts to sound like his current group the Drive by Truckers, as he is now a full-fledged singer songwriter in his own right. Sure, the grit and rawness of the American south still linger in songs like “Airplane Screams” and “The Van Pelt Parties”, but mostly at work is a more genteel sound of someone who knows his own world very well. Still obsessed with imagery and memories of Northwestern Alabama, songs like “Forks of Cypress” reflect his memories of growing up in the area around Muscle Shoals, Alabama (that I know all too well, also having grown up there) with details about bridges and highways and hair color that most songwriters don’t get nearly as specific about. Waxahachie is his cohort on that song, while Lydia Loveless helps him craft the chorus of the haunting “A Werewolf and a Girl” with a nice contrast between sweet voices and the weathered soul that Patterson always has; the descending bass line and spooky atmosphere make this one of Hood’s masterpieces.
Along with the songs mentioned, a general sense of craftmanship takes over all across the record as Hood explores all aspects of his songwriting abilities. “The Pool House” has tiny details like Mark Kozelek would describe, while the atmosphere is more akin to Sparklehorse (flute accompaniment) or his former bandmate Jason Isbell (whose Fox album from this year was nearly as good as this one). “Pinocchio” closes things on a fun note, while always remaining prophetic and world weary in just how he says what he says. In all, Hood carries on as a songwriter of great consistency that his outfit DBT has maintained for the last 25 years, whether he performs in his group or his solo work. Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams is southern but not country, it’s very innocent but also very corrupted, and it’s a pleasure to listen to on a nice rainy day.
#29.Florry – Sounds Like…
The mix of classic rock guitar and noise rock guitar makes Florry quite the unique group of musicians. Ramping up album after album, this is their 4th is their best and most unified, fueled by the odd contagious confidence of Francie Medosch the guitarist and singer. Oddly blending Courtney Barnett, Wilco, and something like Buckcherry (?) the band struts along confidently through the mess of every song. Opening salvo “First it Was a Move, Then it Was a Book…” finds all sorts of reasons to celebrate its fun morphing guitar riff. Most of all it just sounds like the band is having tons of fun, whether it be the demonically heavy “Truck Flipped over ‘19” which does indeed sound like a car wreck in slow motion- the new take on Galaxie 500’s “Strange” (from On Fire 1989), the laid back harmonica ballad “Waiting to Provide”, short but sweet sort of gospel country of “Say Your Prayers Rock”.
Medosch provides laughs through out, the anguished ‘hugggggggh’ sound in “Hey Baby” makes the song way better, ditto for the slow ballad “Dip Myself in Like and Ice Cream cone” that rivals Clap Your Hands Say Yeah for singer with the most lovable sort of whine. Best of all, “Pretty Eyes Lorraine” creates something new in americana genre, channeled through the dredge of the underground of Philadelphia and exploding into some real power. Florry lead the way in unpredictability in the 2020’s.
#28.John Michel and Anthony James - Egotrip
The joyful sounds that come out of this album are astonishing as it sounds like the whole world is pushing this group along. Young rapper Jon Michel and producer Anthony James sound like they have been at it for years, taking their album into the stratosphere with singles like “Take No More” and making a huge impact around the world to anyone who listens. “Nobody” surely has the power to take over the world on its own, all gospel choruses and smooth rhythms with the gruff voices contrasting; it sort of stops in the middle, then picks back up, daring to lose the beat to take a break for a moment. Spirituality is researched on that last song as well as the shorter interlude “Admit My Guilt” which even though its very short its very ‘heavy’ in its lyrics. Not everything works, as “Oneway” seems a bit aimless or almost like there is no relationship between musician and rapper, but for the most part this is a very consistent listen.
Michel has a knack for creating lyrics that are so full of emotion he sort of chokes on his own words, take “Preacher” which sounds less like church than a street fight. James’s music shines on “Confrontation” is more like a George Clinton production, all mutilated vocals in the background sounding like munchkins dancing at a block party. It’s only the duos second release, the first one being an EP Sinful Temptations (2023) which has the same themes of religion vs hedonism, but this full length album (especially the last half of it) is much stronger. Their audience may be small right now, but give it time and Michel and James will be on top of the world.
#27.Mclucsky – The World is Still Here and So Are We
So glad McLusky came back after twenty years and decided to yell at us about random things again. They do it in such a tuneful and hilarious way that it is hard to resist. The howls in “Cops and Robbers” make the song even better than it would normally be, repeating the punky Welsh drawl in “People Person” followed by laughs and grunts, the precise and articulateness of “The Autofocus on the Prime Directive” is hard to shake. Lead Singer Andrew Falkous is known for his wild behavior on stage and in his band between the twenty year gap (The Future of the Left) and he certainly pulls no punches in his offbeat lyrics- “I would give anything to be your cigarette” from “The Battle of Los Angelesa”, “It’s never complicated till it’s always Complicated” from “Not All Steeplejacks”, a song that feels like it might spiral out of control at any time.
“Way of the Exploding Dickhead” is probably the best example of pure joy, ending with the rant of ‘your politicians will never….’ and they leave us to fill in the blanks. “the Digger You Deep” gets the backwards sayings and angular guitars all right, with howls and yelps that keep things unpredictable. Closer “Hate the Polls” is a bit slight, at times when the band is not being ‘intense’ does not work as well to me, at being intense is what McLusky does the best. A bit of pretentions too, with “Kafka-Esue Novelist Franz Kafka” but at least the band has imagination. With this album McLusky proves some comebacks are definitely worth the wait.
#26.Sunny War – Armageddon in a Summer Dress
Sunny war keeps evolving and changing into something only partially recognizable. She retains so many of her qualities in songs like the soul searching "Walking Contradictions" that talks about users and abusers (with the line "funny how you don’t see them as people anymore?") and "Cry Baby" with an eternally resonant chorus. New avenues are explored that take her into unknown more genreless exercises like the moody "Ghosts" that is friendly but sort of cosmetically distant at the same time. "One Way Train" and "Debbie Downer" are songs that are bouncy and catchy, but Sunny War gets there in a very organic way. Sunny War takes her sort of confrontational history and stance and makes it friendlier than ever on most of these tracks (though it is still very ‘in your face’ at times).
"Gone Again" is the most interesting to me, a collaboration with John Doe from X that truly sounds otherworldly and psychedelic all at one; strange again that two punk rock veterans ended up at this kind of psychedelic crossroads. “No One Calls Me Baby Anymore" is another huge addition to her cannon, as it’s just...Sunny War in her own genre- excellent feelings, vocals, and expert finger picking. She in a brilliant guitarist I have seen her live many times in Chattanooga, Tennessee (our current hometown!). “Scornful Heart” and “Lay your Body” are songs a bit more rooted in the past hence they don’t fit in as well but those songs both still have their charms. Sunny War is pushing her self to find a song that has nothing to do with trends but everything to do with being true to herself. Armageddon in a Summer Dress is an album that shows Sunny War searching for the absolute truth, and truth through music is found.
25.The Waterboys – Life, Death and Dennis Hopper
The new Waterboys album is a love letter to music itself. It opens with what is basically a new Steve Earle song sung by...Earle himself. Ok, is he in the Waterboys now? The next song is a straight up jazz standard "Hollywood ‘55" and the next song “Live in the Moment, Baby” is the sort of pub rock that was popular in England in the last 70s and 80s and begins a sort of rock opera story about late actor Dennis Hopper- but only sort of. The fact lead singer Mike Scott has made this album under the Waterboys moniker is more marketable for sure, but in all honestly this is a solo album by him with guest stars and a grab bag of styles. Dennis Hopper is as good an idol or focus point as any, but "North Crescent Heights" is an homage to a Randy Newman string section and "Golf, They Say" is something like David Baerwald from the late 80’s, "Ten Years Gone" (featuring Bruce Springsteen, doing his best Tom Waits impression) is like a friendly version of Foetus. "I Don’t Know How I Made it" is a beautiful tribute to the sound of friend Robbie Robertson, in fact it could be lifted straight from Robertsons' 1987 self-titled album. So, basically this album is simply a tribute to some of Mike Scott’s favorite songwriters.
There are commercials in between songs by people that knew Dennis Hopper going through his career, unsure whether these are real or fake ("Memories of Monterey"). The group Celebrates the actor’s genius in "Hoppers on Top!" in an exuberant way. "Frank" is an obvious belligerent tribute to Hopper’s Blue Velvet character, followed immediately by "Katherine" a humble instrumental with classical music strings and tempo changes. Fiona Apple takes the reins on “Letter from an Unknown Girlfriend” in quite the emotional performance, showing just about everybody loves Scott and wants to come guest for him! I’m not sure all stylistic flourishes are necessary, the dance Madchester return of "Freakout at the Mudpalace" (pretending to be stoned and screaming "ORSON WELLES MAN! F YOU COWBOY!") shows for sure this album was destined to be overflowing with questioning eyes. For those old school Waterboys fans who want another “The Whole of the Moon" ,no you don't really get that- you do get the smarmy "Andy" and you do get the pure joy in craft elegant pop music present throughout. So in the end, isn't that enough?
For music dorks that have read this far...is he trying to recreate Game Theory's Lolita Nation a bit?? That's what I am feeling. This has to be one of the most (successful) random albums ever created.
24.Doseone and Steel Tipped Dove – All Portrait, No Chorus
Adam K Drucker comes on to the scene sounding like no one else, even though since the early 2000’s he has been slowly influencing every step of hip hop and satirical music whether anyone realized it or not. His vocal approach sounds more like a creature in a cave then a typical rapper (see the brilliant “Ta Da” where the microphone seems to be inside his mouth or something). His previous projects/bands Clouddead and Subtle have masterworks of their own, approaching hip hop as a bit humorous and always powerful. “Dial Up” uses his collaborator here on the production, Steel Tipper Dove, to great effect- two rappers rapping fast about absolute nonsense to each other that somehow has intrinsic meaning. They are among the best at what they do in the 2020s for sure, though Doseone himself is not exactly prolific.
Unlike most rappers who have points and tell stories at times, the point of Doseone is always to distort and terrify the listener (“Went Off” and “No Cops” do a great job of this). “Scales Away” might be the most effective song, a slow, lingering sort of approach to music that borders the line between a drunken ramble by Tom Waits and a bedtime story by The Residents. Lyric sample: “When nature calls, I send it straight to voicemail” from the song “Wasteland Embrace”, featuring Billy Woods. The album picks up steam as goes, getting more and more unhinged – songs like “Epinephrine Pen”, “Nor For Airports”, and closer back in forth dizzying “Best Metric” are among the best songs of the year easily. It takes music like this to shake up the world sometimes, and Doseone can always be counted on to exist on the fringes to keep us intrigued. Support him as much as you can in any way you can, because his music is vital to our society.
#23.Cory Hanson – I Love People
Cory Hanson could play any kind of music really; he is such a talented songwriter and instrumentalist that each song could go in about any direction. That is very rare, and to watch him perform an instrument is to stare in awe. Usually, he switches between guitar (the blistering solo on “Bad Miracles” is but one example) and piano (the heartfelt tribute to “Lou Reed” where he focuses on how good he was at Tai Chi). There is also the sad parable of “Old Policeman” that tells a story you don’t even you are not invested in until it’s too late. For whatever reason, Hanson is stuck on a musical phase right now that mixes a sort of 1970’s singer songwriter and traditional country? Whether this is a conscious choice or not, the results are pretty amazing. See the beautiful “Joker” that seems a tribute to the Steve Miller Band. See the flawless “Texas Weather” that is seriously, one of the best songs I have ever heard, whatever style, telling a sweet tale over an irresistible melody.
“Bad Miracles” carries on just like James Taylor (for better or worse) and perhaps his Santa Claus is Coming BACK to Town” is one joke to far but whatever…..I still enjoy it. Hanson pretends to fit in with these more traditional bastions of music history, but he is always one to exist on the outskirts so he sort of destroys musical traditions too. Perhaps that is the point of the title track "I Love People", a great song that seems crowd friendly on the surface but does contain a bit of malice inside. “On the Rocks” is a perfect old Jimmy Buffet meets “Man Who Sold the World” David Bowie homage that is so obvious you almost forget he is imagining about a member of the KKK (jokingly of course). I’ll be damned if most of the record isn’t some of the best music ever created though. Hanson winks at us while outclassing us musically in about every way. “Watching naked and afraid/ and I am naked and afraid of you…”- yes, exactly.
22.Sam Fender – People Watching
It’s crazy that it’s gotten hard to appreciate a more mainstream sound in my life, but it’s true that it is and I do have trouble when something sounds too radio friendly. Sam Fender does not give a shit- he plays the biggest, best arranged rock around, he knows putting is strongest songs at the front of the album will help it sell, and he knows he wears his influences (U2, Bruce Springsteen, Jeff Buckley) on his sleeves. He still constructs great music with huge, British traditional productions (both album-wise and stage-wise). "Nostalgia's Lie" is one of the best songs of the year easily, all jingle jangle and heartfelt feelings. "People Watching" is so energetic that you can't help get caught up in its wake, like a giant tidal wave in our ears that takes us to a special place.
The strings jump out at you in "Chin Up", “Crumbling Empire” has a lovely Peter Gabriel type soothing feel to it, “Arm’s Length “ is like a great car ride through the country side, with some great lead guitar work that feels like it belongs right on classic rock radio. “Tv Dinner” dares to be a little different, a personal moment for Fender where he screams “no one gets into my space” like a wolf trapped in a corner. “Something Heavy” is like a great group hug, something that you can sing around the campfire to all of your closest friends. Music that sounds this simple and crowd pleasing, I assure you, is not easy to write. It comes to us listeners like something familiar but just like great songwriters of our past like John Fogerty or Jerry Garcia, it becomes a part of us and binds us all though the use of community. Fender is well into his discography at this point, but he keeps getting better and better.
21. Alexandra Savior – Beneath the Lilypad
I have been waiting for the return of Alexandria Savior for about 5 years, and I am glad this was worth the wait for sure. Where was she? I am not sure, maybe just saving up her songs for another flawless album. Her effortless old fashioned lounge pop is misleading because yes- it is terribly old fashioned “Unforgivable has that irresistible female chorus and back and forth, “the Mothership” plays the same trick though maybe not quite as successfully- still intriguing and somber though, with that wordless chorus. However Alexandra is more than just her lead single type of Norah Jones easy comparison, she dives deep into our soul and knows a lot about musical history. “Goodbye, Old Friend” is memorable but world weary, showing that she just might have some surprises in store for us and taking a sort of hypnotic approach using just echoey voices and a lovely arrangement.
“Let me Out” harks back to the last albums sort of depression glassed over with over produced string sections that sound glamorous, glorious, and lost on a cloud (so does the oddly structured “Hark!” for that matter). “Old Oregon” could have been the theme for a trip hundreds of years ago on the Oregon Trail, but also a touching tribute to her home state- maybe a new state anthem? lyric sample- “My mother sits below the shade of a cornucopia/ but I know someday/ she will see the sun.” Savior carves out her own unique world, she does not fit in with any of her contemporaries, picking here and there form all musical history and making something a bit more her own- “All of the Girls” has the mixing of dozens of musical influences. “You Make It easier” saves the best for last, telling a touching story over vocals that penetrate our souls and keeping that memorable melody. That is why I come back to Savior’s music so much and what makes it so irreplaceable.
20.The Tubs – Cotton Crown
The minty optimism of The Tubs is quite refreshing in 2025, sort of like a long hug after a hard day. Lead singer Owen Williams has a baritone, Scottish drawl for sure but it’s a comforting one and one that digs deep on songs like “Freak Mode” and “Strange.” The band does not make albums for people with long attentions spans, and each album they have made has been a bit of a brief jaunt almost feeling more like an EP than an album. But in a way I am grateful for shorter albums these days with no filler, fun quick punchy tunes like “Illusion” or patient ones like the effervescent “Narcissist” a song keep coming back to this year over and over. The latter has to be the nicest sounding songs about a mean person ever made.
Elsewhere we have the chugging and repetitive “One More Day”, the anthemic “Embarrassment” which sounds like a young proud proclamation, the out of control “Chain Reaction” and “the Thing Is” full of the jangle feel of innocent 1980’s groups like the Feelies or Richard Thompson perhaps on speed. For all of the obvious influence talk, The Tubs just need to be talked about because they feel like a true rarity in the 2020s- a timeless sounding band. There is a lot of originality to the things they say, the way they say them, and they stick to their guns very well. Each record they put out is a minor masterwork of controlled chaos and by the end of the decade I am expecting they will be one of the most respected bands of their time. Not even a cult classic kind of band….just a new kind of classic sound with great songs.
19.Blue Lake – Weft
When I think back to Blue Lake’s album Weft from earlier this year, it’s a little different every time. The beautiful, wordless songs become more than mere music here, opening up a whole cinematic universe to dream unrealized realized potential. Layers upon layers of ideas for guitars and other chamber type instruments make up these songs, dreaming of a whole world almost by accident. A great example is "The Forest" with its whispering guitar lines that seem conjured from another universe. By the end of the song, drums enter very lightly and all of nature seems to join. Also, more on "Weft" with all of the use of expression one person can accomplish by adding banjos and strings that seem lost in bliss.
The shorter “Oceans” and “Strata” (with oriental stylings) serve as the more classical interludes between the lengthy masterworks, and “Tatara” is just that. Taking cues from the best of ambient Krautrock, psych-rock, bluegrass and post-rock, this song is the best thing Blue Lake has ever done. Lovely saxophones make you feel like you are floating down the waterfall, other instruments come in to sooth it and keep things sort of volcanic and full of potential energy. What Blue Lake seem to excel at is atmosphere, and throughout this album the atmosphere feels alive.
18.Departure – Braile Brandishing
18 year old self-made rap upstart Departure from Austin has learned from a lot of people, as his new album Braille Brandishing is not mere hero worship. All the styles here mix and the production is so crisp that it makes most of his peers look straight up lazy. Being just a teenager, he has mastered lo fi production (the silly "My Boyfriend is an Artist") having a smooth flow that is unique to him and not too grating (the wild hearted “Corey Feldman Chamber”) and is able to create spacious atmospheres in which anything can happen (best of all in “Eurogirls Go to Baltimore”). Departure is also very prolific, releasing at least an album a year on Bandcamp and it’s inspiring to me that most of his stuff comes off so well. Yes. This 42 year-old has chosen to look at this guy as influential and I’m not at all jealous or feel lazy in his abilities...ha!
Real name Steven Bietz, he is funny and silly on "Don't Trip" melding Eminem, El-P, and Ol Dirty Bastard and actually outclasses his peers like Joey Valence and Brae and others who try this carefree approach to hip hop music; carefree, but not churlish or childish. Middle Eastern instruments take over on "War is Not a Threat", and making fun of the DIY art of making music itself on the passing "World Targets". Overall it’s quite the wild ride, sometimes spacing out into pure abstraction showing Bietz has no real limits while using rap rock as his base genre. And, it’s as good as most albums I have heard this year, culminating in "Luv Silhouette" which has such a beautiful vibe throughout it. Departure, and the self-made musicians like him on Bandcamp, are more than worth your time- they are part of the future of music.
17.SG Goodman – Planting by the Signs
Listening to S. G. Goodman is like enjoying something very classy, and that's probably why she is so popular with critics and fellow musicians. It’s not that the music is an upbeat party, in fact it’s pretty downbeat and sad most times. It’s not that the music is revolutionary, in fact its very old fashioned. Its not like Goodman’s voice is that distinct, in fact it’s pretty typical Americana drawl, with countryish stories we have all have heard a million times. Some songs do blend together, but upon further listens you pick out the unique eccentricities that make them special.
So why am I talking about this album? Because the songs are great, pure and simple. Goodman has mastered her craft, and the craft of making a great song within the singer songwriter realm. In the end, that is all that matters. I could tell You how "Snapping Turtle" brings you back to childhood (lyric sample "Paris Tennessee/ the only Paris we’d ever need."), or how "Who Let the Fire out" is a new sort of calming spiritual, or how "Nature's Child" w/ Bonnie Prince Billy is a perfect unison of young and old folk masters. But really, you just gotta hear it, because the production is sparse but perfect and the way the stories are told will take your breath away. Goodman has mastered the craft of making music, and that is just as important sometimes as innovation, ambition, or consistency.
16.His Lordship – Bored Animal
It's great to hear old fashioned rock music alive again, to hear the old timey punk rock of His Lordship simultaneously brings about feelings of joy all around, with title track "Bored Animal" getting thing off tho a rousing start In one of the best singes of the Year. Soft Boys era Robyn Hitchcock with weird sly attitudes ("Weirdo in the Park") as well as The Jam's earnest fun attitudes permeate many of these tracks ("Derek e. Fudge" comes to mind).
"Old Romantic" is a fun call to arms, one as catchy and memorable as the heroes and influences the band wears on its sleeves. There are uses of 'phaser' guitar effects that are as dated and humorous as it was when The Clash used them back in 1977, and there are chants and uproars as fun as when the garage bands of the 1960's invented them. "Sadness of King Kong" is charming and gitty, the blistering rock of "I Fly Planes into Hurricanes" which outdoes The White Stripes at their own revival from 20 years ago, so fast and out of control it sounds just like the title. Truly, rock n roll is a circular pattern and it never stops being fun as long as the songwriting is up to par and with this band you have nothing to worry about.
15.Tobacco City - Horses
The outstanding songs of this Chicago group are the reason to listen, from the totally perfect "Autumn” which sort of dwarfs everything else, the beautiful "Colorado" (Richard Thompson guitar evoked in the intro) and energetic "Buffalo" that shuffles along into outer space. All aspects of the male/ female vocals are explored and it all sounds very classic. It is hard to pinpoint what makes them different in the world of country music, maybe because I can spot some of their newer influences like Besnard Lakes or Blanche and they seem to be a continuation of a new kind of psychedelic twang that has been fashionable lately (the slow motion of “Time” is hypnotic).
"Bougainvillia" points to a place where pedal steel guitars rain down like candy, and "No Way to Get out” tells an old fashioned story in a new way. Female singer Lexi Goddard evokes Emmylou Harris when she takes lead on “Fruit from the Vine”. Some songs are there just to sprinkle some ideas in, like the short interludes “Horses I” and “Horses 2 and 3”, meaning it is a shorter album over all with only about 9 true songs. The longest one at six minutes, “Mr. Wine” is perhaps a bit too homogenous to stand out on the album, so Horses ends on a bit of a whimper. But the spectacular songs along the way are unique for a band that needs more recognition this year. The production is small but the ideas are monumental and I hope the group gets a chance to take over the world soon.
14.Sentries – Gem of the West
Kim Elliot’s 3rd album as Sentries is his best yet, able to harness his progressive rock and noisy metallic sounds to more unified songs than ever before. "The Cowboys Carcass " takes in more of this angle, comparing favorable to bands like Squid or Black Midi or even Horse Lords, but creating quite the captivating tune with repeating Steve Reich style guitar patterns proving occasionally having a mental breakdown and evoke on into something else. His screaming can be an acquired taste, like the end of opener "Code" but its but to better use than ever before and its nice to here some hard rock that matters this year. 'I Can and I Will" unleashes the real terrorizing onslaught, quite the galvanizing force sounding more like heavy metal with tis back n forth vocals between verse and chorus. Then, “Red Eye Removal” proves a cool trick by slowing it down to almost folk rock and showing off new influences like Slint, a sort of fun sideways time signature sound.
“Nails” crowns the album, and eight minute emotional roller-coaster that points to a more traditional future full of guitar heroics and epic weirdness. Though Gem of the West is a mere 8 songs, your brain will be trying to figure out this puzzle of an album long after it’s over. The songs themselves are mostly long and complex and are worth your time, as long as being shocked and challenged is your thing. Sentries is a group (person) to watch for in the coming years as they are subtly challenging all the world of rock music to get better and become more of their true selves.
13.Aesop Rock – Black Hole Superette
Looking at the new Aesop rock at the end of the year is quite different than it was earlier in the year, as it begs comparison to his other release this year - I Heard It’s a Mess There Too. This one is more typical Aesop Rock hip hop classic structure: bigger productions, longer album length and slightly overstuffed with enough complexity and goodness it creates its own kind of planet. The production of Aesop has definitely become a unique thing on its own, in the last 10 years (since The Impossible Kid (2016)) he has carved out a strange place in rap history- a kind of grating, Tom Waits of hip hop sort of with a voice that is an acquired taste of its own. But I love it!
Musically, some of these beats are his best yet. "1010Wins", an obscure news reference to some, might be his best song EVER the beat is unstoppable and the guests by Armand Hammer (Billy Woods and Euclid) fit right in. It is my favorite song of 2025 easily, and almost impossible not to love and appreciate if you are a hip hop purest. “Steel Wool” is a close second, spooky synths and jumping bass all around evoking hip hop's past while pointing out the future; same is true for the old school call outs to 80’s rap on “The Red Phone” and “EWR- Terminal A.” "Costco” rolls along while containing hilarious lyrics about shopping. "Ice Sold Here" brings in a funk style that grooves, and could only come from the unique man himself. “Black Plums” is probably as close as he gets to a ‘ballad’ as Aesop Rock doesn’t do the whole mushy thing.
His lyrical topics, being one of the most if not the most diverse rappers out there, is again off the charts. "Movie Night" rambles about Frances Bacon and Sisyphus. "John Something" is one of his story songs more about telling a tale of watching the boxing movie When We Were Kings, combining country music tradition and beat poetry. "Send Help" is amazing in its own way, screaming “I jumped into a volcano!!" and bragging about how "I can hit a moving target from a moving target/ its a rabbit in a sequin." There is a song about how annoying and wonderful snails are (the adorable "Snail Zero”) and don't forget about the (finally!) the duo of Lupe Fiasco and Aesop rock, adding in Homeboy Q in the middle for randomness. Lupe and Aesop have been trying to do a real album track for a while and it has happened, the musical genius of those two rappers is a wonder to behold and they dance swirl and tango around a sort of simplistic beat. I could deconstruct it all more, but I would more most of you….
Overall, Aesop Rock proves once again he is the most consistently strong force in music today, always being himself and providing an alternative universe in which to do his thing. The best songs of this record and It’s A Mess Out There contains one of the most revolutionary hip hop albums ever.
12.The Minus 5 – Oar On, Penelope
I love a good Minus 5 release. The last music I remember hearing by Scott McCaughey leading the charge was his The No Ones project from 2023, and in a charming way it’s hard to determine the difference between that one and this one musically- and that's not a detrimental thing. McCaughey his group of melodic rogues (whether its called Young Fresh Fellows, No Ones, solo work, or this band- his longest lasting ever shifting group) have definitely perfected their brand of power pop but also keep crafting great songs along the way: "Death of the Bludgeoner" is an easy contender for a powerful addition to the power op canon; "Garden of Arden" brings a nice metallic riff which effervescent choruses in my favorite song on here; "We Shall Not be Released" and "Last Hotel" have the lyrical content to make them last, echoing Roger McGuinn and Bob Dylan.
What is impressive here is the consistency and the ability to hold our attention. Each song is a variation of a different way to be 'catchy' from the chanting of "Let the Rope Hold, Cassie Lee" to the silly joy of "Blow in My Bag" to the 60's pastiche of "Falling like Jets." At times it’s easy to forget which songs have ‘oh-la-la; type backing vocals, because in our heads they all kind of dude. All light and fluffy melodies used in different ways from folk, to hard rock, to a sort of alternative rock McCaughey had a hand in inventing; talk about a person who does not get enough credit!. I counted- this is about his fortieth album in his career, spanning since 1983. Has any old group of friends sounded so young while sounding so old? It’s not just the poppy songs and memorable music, Minus 5 music is about the joy of life coming in through the songs. There is hardly a wasted moment throughout Oar On Penelope, making Minus 5 a vital force proving the vitality of pop music.
11.Brown Horse – All the Right Weaknesses
I love this album so much but ahhhh its in the wrong order I swear! Here is how it should be listened to:-
1.All the Right Weaknesses
2.Curse
3.Radio Free Bolinas
4.Wipers
5.Far Off Places
6.Corduroy Couch
7.Verna Blooom
8. Tombland (this one was correct)
9. Holy Smokes
10.Wisteria Vine
11.Dog Rose
I’m telling ya, it plays better on shuffle then in the order these English blokes have it 😉 but whatever, what matters is the second album by this group is probably the second-best country rock record of the year- the #1 is coming later of course! This group has grown from their debut, which was perhaps a bit too undernourished at times but still pointed the way to a group that new their stuff and had great ideas at the helm of lead singer Patrick Turner. “Verna Bloom” weaves in at out of drunken haze, “Holy Smokes” is pure backwoods joy though its brief it is instantly hummable. “Far Off Places” is not far behind, feeling that it could be played at a hoedown between friends in the barn behind the farm but its an original song that effortlessly feels alive in our current times.
For all of the old school country and bluegrass feelings, there are songs on here that push the group to the future. “Radio Free Bolinas” propels with a nice rock n roll drum attack and then the chorus is all instrumental noise and bliss, merging different genres all in one song and creating music that truly evokes feelings. “Dog Rose” is an atmospheric slow jam, almost Sonic Youth meets Neil Young meets some sort of drugged out John Lennon ramble, changing tempo and changing forms several times and building intensity like an emotional attack by Built to Spill; in other words it bring much of the 20th century into the 21st and makes all rock n roll stop for a minute and think. “All the Right Weaknesses” basically remakes a Kingsbury Manx song (obscure to some, but one of the best bands ever form North Carolina, just an observation of my own)…but how cool is that?!? In all there some songs I haven’t mentioned, like “Wipers”, Curse” or “Tombland” but all these songs put a dart straight in the bullseye on a fun night out and this group is destined to make its mark in the future.
10. James BlackShaw – Unraveling in Your Hands
James Blackshaw, whose album actually came out towards the end of last year but appeared on most of our radars at the beginning of 2025 (and the first one in a decade), continues his quest to become the John Fahey of our times and the title track here is his version of Fahey's "America" or "Fare Forwards Voyager." It is a 23-minute acoustic guitar piece that ebbs and flows and shifts to very distinct song structures several times. It is a good stab at the ever-evolving version of an acoustic song, call it folk primitivism or even call it instrumental progressive rock it's sort of all the same. It begins with an interweaving and fast moving chord progression, before moving to a calmer and more somber one, then it seems to sound like the rain is sprinkling through the strings about minute mark twelve, before halting for a bit and coming back in with a more sinister and epic and repeating its lovely refrain from the beginning of the song. It's not that nothing repeats at all, it is that all time becomes some sort of an ever shifting song of interconnectivity. All of this is done effortlessly over a 23 minute period and for the entirety the song holds your attention, definitely the reason for the album to exist and one of the monumental 2025 achievements.
For the other two songs (there are only three lengthy tracks here) we have the eight minute "Dexter", perhaps inspired by the show of the fictional serial killer of the same name but sounding as if the chimes of heaven are calling out to us; the addition of non acoustic instruments might actually be sort of a detrimental factor. "Why Be Still?" Is a shorter version of the title track, and honestly it probably could have been longer it so effortlessly invests us in its guitar weaving like a spider that has caught its prey.
Can an album, that is mainly acoustic still be considered a monumental achievement? i would say so, especially when there are as many ideas contained in it as Blackshaw does here. In a way, it does so to a more modern extreme and Blackshaw is definitely someone who is able to paint tapestries with instrumentals like no one else around.
9. Anna Von Hausswolff – Iconoclasts
One has a sense that Anna Van Hausswoulf has been toiling over this album for years, and it shows, but in a good way. Her last album was not as impressive (All Thoughts Fly (2020)) after the horrifying rollout in Dead Magic from 2018. Iconoclasts is basically a sort of magnificent, giant rock opera alternating around different types of songs that seem to reach far into the universe for magnificence. On "The Iconoclast", her voice has never sounded so powerful, and it’s definitely her most mature statement yet at eleven jaw dropping minutes. Behind all the bombast, the music stops and starts and dips into pure noise at different points, also pausing for silence and simultaneously combining new age, new wave, and old fashioned medieval dramatic spoken word pieces. So, in other words: like Enya meets Kate Bush meets Dead Can Dance.
The are four main songs of unabashed fervor: "Unconventional Love" w/ Maria von Hausswulf shows as a more spectral divide, like the spatial wondering of more free verse agents - from Jane Siberry to Jenny Hval; "Struggling Beast" starts off with a rock n’ roll attack led by saxophone- like Comet is Coming came back to life than in the middle vocals come in more emotional and stronger than ever before falling back on the original refrain; “The Mouth" is an effort to make a song of pure vocals almost a capella, but instruments still serve as noise behind her like aliens from a faraway galaxy. Best of all is "Stardust", a new classic electronic ballad, with the most memorable melody and truly taking the listener to the heavens.
Beyond those four powerhouse songs, the surrounding ones are shorter and serve more like interludes. The best of them, like the Iggy Pop feature on "The Whole Woman", are a unique merging of the rock n roll history. As there are many people these days swept up in this style of female led music with long passionate songs (Ethel Cain is the best 2025 example and she guests here on "Aging Young Woman"), the production really harks back to the 80s and 90s. The gothic synthesizer agonizing of Black Tape for a Blue Girl or Jil Steinman, to name drop some weirdos. Whether all these musical references make sense or not, you may find the music intriguing or annoying- but to me it is epic and powerful. Perhaps her best album yet.
8.Benjamin Booker – Lower
Just like the cloaked album cover, New Orleans artist Benjamin Booker evokes spirits and his ancestors for the mood behind this album. Produced by Euclid of Armand Hammer fame, the record has a sinister quality throughout whether it is calming you with ballads like excellent "Pompeii Statues" or trying to conjure up the inner demons on "Speaking With the Dead", one of the more sonically disturbing songs to listen to in headphones this year. On "Rebecca Letimer Felton", Boker sounds like he is reaching beyond his trademark folk music into some kind of realm where he emotionally bursts out of the vinyl.
What Booker has mastered here is the art of making a record, keeping some of the best songs for last half., "New World" is so hopeful it sounds like he is being born again, a pounding drum beat and catchy soulful chorus. "Same Kind of Lonely" marks him as a troubadour in the way of Van Morrison, again the emotions sell this music more than mere lyrics. There is mystery too- what exactly are the gunshots and screams during that bridge? Euclid's sound effects are used to perfection on each track, making even the moat innocent aounds kind of thought provoking. it even sounds like the last three songs- the silly and charming "Show and Tell", "Heavy is on My Mind", and "Hope for the Night Time"- could each be album closers, each one building on each other. Booker paints a world of pain here but also one of redemption and hope.
7.James McMurtry – The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy
It’s the best country (rock) album of the year. It is an album that takes in tradition, whether it be the shuffling, winding, verbose stories of “Back to Coeur d’Alene”, which skips along like the best tales a friend tells on a road trip; or the epic and hopeful aged tale of “The Color of Night”. I think the mid sixty-year-old storyteller takes his time to find the perfect songs but also brings tradition along with him. The two covers that end the album, “Sailing Away” and “Broken Freedom Song” sort of feel like after thoughts, but every song is essential for sure.
Best thing to happen to music in a while and to McMurtry since his 2015 album Complicated Game in my opinion, are the Dylan like songs of power in “Sons of the Second Sons” which glides along like a great Springsteen song or even Johnny Cash- lyric sample “Left tracks in the lunar dust/ did away with the meaner stuff.” Sons of the Second sons, products of genocide… it’s like poetry come to life through music and one of the best country songs ever made. Then there are the smaller moments in the homey “Annie” and the long Woody Guthrie like tears shed in “Pinocchio in Vegas”, which is just an odd concept- “Who were my grandmother’s friends/playing bridge next door?” Title track “the Black Dog and the Wondering Boy” is a beautiful epitaph in itself, draggy and belittling to everyone around him, and summing up his musical perspective as a metaphor – is he the dog or the wondering boy- only McMurtry himself knows the answer.
6.Clipse- Let God Sort ‘Em Out
Who would have thought that Clipse’s star would rise again? The duo, well really trio of Pusha T, Malice, and producer Pharell made some of the most fun rap records of the mid 2000’s and then each member sort of went their own way (sort of…). Pusha T had a solo career, but it was never as prestigious as his band became. Not that his band was THAT big when they first came out, the sounds Pharell produced with his Neptunes crew were other worldly, but took over the world pretty quickly as he became to go to producer about the time Pusha T found him. But this is not a history lesson, I want to talk about what makes this album so special, because despite the star-studded cast of whos-who in rap music it takes more than big names and promotion to make an album that actually hits with critics, people, young and old alike. This album achieves that rare thing of being a quality album, while also being insanely popular.
Pusha T never went anywhere, mind you. The man works behind the scenes (making all the fast -food jingles you have heard a million times) as well as a solo artist USUALLY with Pharell at the helms (his last solo, It’s Too Dry from 2022 is still my absolute favorite). On this album, those two bring back Malice and call it Clipse- but what makes it more than just another Pusha T solo record, since let’s face it Malice guested on most of those as well? We sure as heck don’t need Kanye at all, do we….its the specialty of this music, of this energy, that people like Kendrick Lamar and Tyler the Creator and Nas JUMP at the chance to make something special with Pusha T and his crew. They are so good and spiraling around themselves, taking what you think would be anormal song and twissssting it slightly, at sounding cool with booming bass and timely lyrics, that not many rappers could measure up to it or even get close to it this year.
Nominated for a Grammy, sure, it may be the only masterpiece album that is this coming year. Clipse did not start mainstream, but they did earn the mainstream recognition they own now.
5. Throwing Muses – Moonlight Concessions
Getting older and staying relevant is almost impossible these days, but here Kristin Hersh (at 65 years young) and company prove that great songwriters really can age with grace and style. Taking up the Throwing Musses moniker once more, because it’s been her band alone since the early 90s anyways even with the scattered solo record here and there. The trio of musicians Hersh has gathered here make music that evoke the best of grunge with a folk emphasis (“Libretto”) and even classical musical aspirations (“Theremini” with gorgeous violins) that evoke the feeling humanity’s sounds and struggles that has been hundreds of years in the making. “Summer of Love” starts it all off and takes in a feeling that is very hard to conjure up in music- drifting bliss meets musical menace, as Hersh slings a sort of vile energy to each phrase she spits out. Hersh remains to harness the ability to be supremely feminine but insanely tough as well, like an angry mother bear cub.
The best songs on the record give it the classic status quality – “South Coast” is a dreamy litany, like a drunken haze meets a spiritual bliss via New Zealand’s Roy Montgomery with Hersh’s underrated guitar playing channeling the ocean; “Drugstore Drastic” could be the best song, sort of like listening to solving a murder mystery, and “Moonlight Concessions” (named after a food stand in San Diego) ends everything on a somber note but no less thought provoking and epic. “You’re Cloud” is the most rocking and forceful tune, evoking the blues but the take on it is as skewed as all of Throwing Muses takes on traditional music has been over the years; at one point the music here just has to be dissected into parts that seem to be inserted at random. It's a brief 9 songs and about 30 minutes in length, and I do believe it’s the shortest album the band ever cut in the 40 year existence, but it also….might the be the best, rivaling the power of their 1995 album masterwork University.
4.Huremic – Seeking Darkness
With his main project Parannoul, this artist reached for a sort new kind of electronic pop music with a flavor that was still very free spirited and all his own. With side project Huremic, the songs become symphonies of endless yearning and reaching for the absolute truth. The singing is mainly in Korean, but the listener hardly needs to make out the words to enjoy it as everything is evoked through the music. Each song in the 5 song suite is over 10 minutes long, or very close to it and I believe this is all meant to be listened to as a whole:
Pt1 – It starts with a groovy baseline and minimal guitar. Soon enough the noisey guitar comes in and maximum psychedelic effects are reached. As it reaches the climax, the music devolves into screaming, growling, and metallic unison. As if to say- yes, we will be the absolute nosiest thing we could be!
Pt 2- part two is a bit more rock n roll centric, more drums and more crazy guitar solos. In a lot of ways, the goal seems to be pure chaos on this track and it somehow coalesces toward the end to a nice rock n roll gel. The singing is also pretty mesmerizing, the mechanical sounds of guitars clanging evoke Big Black and other industrial bands around the 4’30 minute mark..
Pt 3- this one has a folk/ earthy feel for the most part, channeling the influences with bands like Bardo Pond and Ghost (the Japanese one form the 90s), and reaching again a sort of absolute noise guitar cacophony that will blow out your speakers; it then returns again with a folky refrain. The first three songs seem to sum up a lot of psychedelic rock territory over the past three decades or so, not so much post-rock and chamber but definitely proving that Huremic is worthy of its forefathers in terms of musical effects.
Pt 4- starts to get more into futuristic sounds, again like Pt. 1 using a bassline to propel us forward but twice as fast, sort of more rhythmic mayhem but just full of stylistic detours; one can tell Huremic gets bored quickly with just one type of song. Around the seven minute mark, now THAT is an awesome, frenetic, rock n roll beat! Bring in the high-pitched vocals, bring in the keyboards….’Pt. 4”probably my favorite song on the album.
Pt 5- the final movement, the most like an old fashioned post-rock tune, going for a more repetitive emotional catharsis and repeated mantra. This one proves another link to rock music’s past and is actually very beautiful in a traditional way.
As far as reaching the charts or radio…this is not the sort of album that aims for that. There is nothing “pop” about the album Seeking Darkness. This is rock music as a symphony, classical music ambitions transferred to the 21st century with modern, overlapping instruments and many elements of chaos thrown in. There are no melodies to speak of, and if there are they are almost an accident. What this points to, is probably/ hopefully how instrumental will be made going forwards- though it may take 50 years for the rest of us musicians to truly catch on
3.Wet Leg – Moisturizer
The most fun and carefree album of the year, with lead singer Rhian Teasdale upping the ante for turning complicated feelings into sweet sounding love songs (for the most part). This album is Wet Leg's second and it’s an improvement on the already great and unique perspective of the first self titled (2022). Each song is a variation on a sound, whether it harks back to alternative rock’s past - the My Bloody Valentine guitars of "Don't Speak", the Breeders cuteness of "Diana Caroll", the raw Pixies meet Franz Ferdinand chug of the brilliant opener "CPR"- best album opener of the year! It also points a bit forward to the future- there is so much going on in "Liquidize" it can seem innocent at first but definitely sneaks up on you, and "Catch these Fists" shows us how to make a song that you can dance to but also makes you a bit on edge. Teasdale and guitarist Hester Chambers never punish the listeners or bore us with songs to sad, an annoying common trend in the 2020’s. Instead they rekindle the jubilant spirit of rock n roll like no other band in 2025.
Some perfect rock songs are constructed here: the aforementioned "CPR" is hard to top, but "Mangetout" wins for laugh out loud lyrics and a mention of some bum named Trevor (ha), while nodding to Devo’s classic “Whip It” at the same time. "Pond Song" and "Pillow Talk" win for heaviest rockers, the latter being easily the most metallic and dark song the band has done yet (more of that please next time!) "U and Me at Home" shows just how joyous music can be while also boasting a memorable melody and closing the album out in style. So yes, it is polished and produced very well, it does aim to please, but it still does so with an earnest heart and these ladies and lads should be commended for the awesome music they have created. Wet Leg dare to challenge standards in modern music, constantly surprising with each new song but also showing the ability to morph and mutate to stay in fashion- they sort of do what pop stars are supposed to do, except they are not pop starts. Or...are they?
2.Richard Sallis – Felix
Listening to this album is a great glimpse into the past but also the future. Only six songs but a full length album, this kind of throwback to music from the 1970s is actually appreciated and not a moment is wasted. Each song contains different takes on rock music evolution- either it’s a giant crescendo, or it has multiple parts, more akin to a rock opera with different peaks and some melodies repeated. One has to admire Richard Sallis' dwelling on the sounds of 20 years ago, something in the caverns of Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse at their prime ("Bouncing Masquerade Ball", 10 plus minutes of morphing dance balladry with two great themes) but also owing a lot to the brit pop of Doves, Interpol and Elbow ("Kid Has Gone Missing") around the same mid-2000's dwellings. There is also something of The Who’s Quadrophenia here and other thematic albums of the past. All these influences are transported to 2025 and form a sort of independent mindset, taking in the lengthy dirges of fellow Aussie Nick Cave as well (the harrowing and haunting ‘CONTROLLLL me’s’ bellowed out in "The Bill and Dean Orchestra") and making only six full length songs of true joy.
Guitar rock takes over for the transcendent "A Song for the Broadcasters" which seems to ebb and flow between hot and cold, using great female dual vocals for the chorus. "My Old Unexpected Friends" is the biggest crescendo of all, starting at a slow simmer but building to quite the catharsis my the end of the seven-minute track- it would be a sing along if it wasn't telling such an intricate story along the way. Best of all, "No Time Like the Present" (play it LOUD) has to be the emotional and cathartic song of the decade so far- one that gets true the heart of rock music while telling a yearning for peace and prosperity among the fellow man. Just like the specter of a lost child haunts the entire proceedings, Sallis has made an album that is hard to shake once heard.
1.Billy Woods – Golliwog
Billy Woods has always been a rapper who dwells in abstraction. What is he saying, how is he saying it and why is he saying it in this way. Unlike most hip-hop artists who aim for music that is catchy and full of choruses, this is not his point with Woods as he has been evolving over the last 15 years. Even with the music, it is not designed to be a something to dance to as it takes detours and incorporates strange instruments. All this being said because you can’t critique or listen to a Billy Woods album these days the same way you would a release by most other rap artists- he leads the way to an evolution of the art form. Don’t let the gradual pace of “Jumpcare” mislead you, as you are in for a dense and challenging listen that will take a while to decipher.
Of all his albums, Golliwog is probably the best and the one that will stand the test of time. He presents a theme of the ‘golliwog’ and the harmful images in the history of African American culture, see the bleak imagery on “A Doll Fulla Pins”. In “Cold Sweat”, he talks about the language used in modern hip hop but also the joy of creating it, which is a conundrum all to itself. The songs of Woods lead to infinite loops and possibilities- lyrically mostly. “Make No Mistake” plays on the themes of the title, saying we all make mistakes in life and we also can’t afford to make too many or we would be absolute failures. “Star 87” seems lost in a crowded society of other people’s voices coming in on phone calls like buzzing bees in his mind. “Dislocated” seems to be about hiding among society while reveling in the obscurity, as a disjointed beat plays and he seems to lose track of his thoughts as he goes- a modern miracle and perfect album closer.
Musically the strongest songs stand out- “Golgotha” has a depressed trumpet that accompanies the verses, and the same approach is used in a smoother way on “Lead Paint Test”. “Corinthians” has production by El-P and a guest verse by Despot that brings the biblical imagery of Woods to clash with the more modern view of life of the latter. “Blk ZMBY” has a sort of heaviness to it as the weight of life is crashing down along him. “Born Alone” casts a desolate piano but contains doubts about being a father and is about waking up everyday and facing the modern world. “Misery” is a beautiful sort of love song, constantly tripping over a gallop from the drums until the whole thing falls apart. The music made and production quality shown here is a masterclass all to itself. As many hip hop releases use multiple producers, rarely do they sound as uniform as Golliwog does. Every song is designed to disorient our expectations. “Waterproof Mascara” is one of the most haunting rap songs ever created, as the tears of his ancestors are channeled into his message of ‘don’t trust anyone’.
In all, Woods has gradually brought rap music back to being about poetry than a need to party and dance. Listening to any of these songs - even sound speech snippets like “Counterclockwise” -show us that this is basically spoken word poetry over song lyrics, that while music can exist along side it Woods pushes for a use of his 'words' as the real power. As many rappers since the 1980's have tried this approach, the way he presents his songs is largely his own and Woods uses his collaborators (Kenny Segal, Euclid, Steel Tipped Dove, El-P, The Alchemist, many others) only as needed. It may take modern rap music quite a while to catch up to this complex and rewarding album.