best music of 2025 rone 1/1 '26

  • Justin Bell, Eternal Journey: more atmospheric soundtrack-quality pieces, this time not attached to any video game.
  • Madison Cunningham, Ace: this is not your typical singer-songwriter album.  Cunningham started in the praise music genre, and has left that behind and also divorced her husband.  There's some real weight to the lyrics, and the song structures and chord changes are captivating.  Some are making Joni Mitchell comparisons which, eh, kind of a stretch.
  • Die Spitz, Something to Consume: i have been sporadically checking out KEXP on YouTube and Instagram over the years; i saw the first 30 seconds of this and was hooked on their gritty, punkish energy, plus the rhythm section is solid.
  • Florence + the Machine, Everybody Scream: she released it on Halloween and you can feel the spooky, witchy energy.  The lyrics for One of the Greats are so good.
  • Kaki King, Tutto Passa (EP): amazing breadth for an EP, acoustic guitar to soundscapes to loud electric guitar.
  • Kaki King & Tamar Eisenman, SEI: "Kaki King and Tamar Eisenman have co-created SEI, a full-length performance piece where guitar movement takes over the entire stage." The album is very good but the performance looks amazing, wish i'd've seen it.
  • Kaki King, Stop Sometime (EP): more acoustic guitar from King. 
  • Sarah McLachlan, Better Broken: another solid release, this features her daughters doing backing vocals on a couple of tracks.
  • Mogwai, The Bad Fire: the Scottish post-rockers are back; saw them live this year and THEY ARE VERY LOUD. (mistakenly put this in 2024)
  • Nation of Language, Dance Called Memory: remember synth-based New Wave? These folks do.  Another KEXP find.
  • Vernon Reid, Hoodoo Telemetry: the master guitarist with another eclectic collection of songs, some featuring members of Burnt Sugar The Arkestra Chamber.
  • Sphinx Virtuosi, American Mirror: the selections for this album focus more tightly on underrepresented contemporary composers.
  • Steel Beans, Steel Beans: this guy went viral three years ago and somehow turned that moment into becoming the opening act for Tenacious D, and then Tool.  He'd been doing his own thing for over 15 years (he has over a dozen albums on Bandcamp), but suddenly caught fire.  I bought the EP that contained the viral song, enjoyed it, and waited to see what the next album would be like.  It does not disappoint.
  • TAKAAT, Is Noise Vol. 1 & 2 (EP): like Garfield Minus Garfield, TAKAAT is Mdou Moctar minus Mdou Moctar.  Two short EPs featuring Tuareg rock originals and covers.
  • Takénobu, Cosplay Karaoke コスプレカラオケ: another set of cello-centered chamber pop, this time with all lyrics in Japanese.
  • veg., Defenestration: the instrumental metal grows in complexity in their first (short) album.
  • zbs.fm, Tell Me Who You Think I Am: chill, downtempo electronica from the kid of a friend of a friend.
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1/1 3 Comments
My kids are big fans of Florence. E’s favorite from that album is “Sympathy Magic”.
nerdsholmferret
The TAKAAT stuff is amazing and I am told their live show is an onslaught. If you liked that, did you check out Budos Band? They are on Dap-Tone, so more Fela/Antibalas feeling than Taureg desert blues...

Paul Lord
i have not, will do. and tomorrow's Bandcamp Friday, huzzah
rone