My Favorite Music of 2025

More like every 2025 release I bought. Slim year for me.

Albums

FACS – Wish Defense

Angular, noise rock, neo-post punk. Unsettling, laid-back, yet aggressive. And yes it was the last album Steve Albini recorded.

Dax Riggs – 7 Songs for Spiders 

Blues metal? Shoegaze blues? I don’t know or care, I like it.

Civic – Chrome Dipped

Aussie punk in the vien of The Saints and Radio Birdman.

Årabrot – Rite of Dionysus

Former Black Metal, Noise Rock. Now weirdo noise pop? This is much quieter than their last release. Weird and haunting.

JG Thrilwell – Venture Brothers Vol 3

Spy movie jazz with some electronic bits?

Krokofant – 6

Hard jazz fusion. Maybe a bit prog. Harder Mahavishnu Orchestra.

Nine Inch Nails – Tron Ares

Love the instrumental songs, old school heavy synths. The songs with vocals are pretty typical NIN.

Anika – Abyss

Neo Post Punk with Nico type vocals.

Coroner – Dissonance Theory

The dreaded reunion album that turns out to be pretty good. Thrash metal with some proggish parts thrown in.

Carla Kihlstedt – 26 Little Deaths 

Violinist, vocalist from Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Book of Knots, Tin Hat Trio interprets Edward Gorey stories/illustrations.

Jim Jarmush & Anika – Father Mother Sister Brother (soundtrack)

More like Anika doing a couple covers and Jarmush doing some western-ish texture guitar instrumentals.

EPs

Swervedriver – Worlds Fair 

Are they shoegaze? I guess much more guitar forward but they do have the dream like quality.

Reissues

Andy Summers and Robert Fripp box set

Frippatronics meets the Police world-ish music. Disc 1 and 3 are great. 2 a bit too world music. No links.

Watchtower – Energetic Disassembly Remix/Remaster

Yeah, an acquired taste. Extreme prog thrash. Extreme on the prog technical end. Love it. Links are only the remaster disc. apparently the remix disc is not available for streaming.

Sorrows – Such Sweet Sorrow

Power Pop.

Songs

  1. Crome Dipped – Civic
  2. Wish Defense – FACS
  3. Graveyard Soul – Dax Riggs
  4. Volume Control – Swervedriver
  5. The Satantango – Årobrot
  6. Abyss – Anika
  7. Scan Mode – JG Thirlwell
  8. In the Image of – Nine Inch Nails
  9. B Childhood Friends – Carla Kihlstedt
  10. Symmetry – Coroner

My Favorite Music of 2025

Day Late and a Dollar Short, My Favorite Music of 2019

Even later than last year. My favorite 15 albums from 2019 in alphabetical order. Dedicated to Mike “Old Man Juke Box” Bailey who I would have discussed this with. Rest In Peace.

Giuda E.V.A.
Sure this isn’t as good as their first two but it’s damn fun glam rock.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3312560575 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Hurry Up Shotgun This Crystal Vessel
90’s style alt rock.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1616394342 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Le Butcherettes bi/MENTAL
Finally combined the chaos with great songs.

No/No Diagnostic
Nuwavy goodness, well when the guitars are prominent. Tapers off and gets more generic on the songs with less guitar. Go Wisconsin!
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2418662106 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Raketkanon #3
This is a weird one. Kind of like Faith No More without the funk and more Gary Numan. Listen to a few tracks as it’s all over the place.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3426652370 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Redd Kross Beyond the Door
Classic glam/power pop/punk rock kings return. Once again they make a catchy album that retains their sound but is different than all they did before.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2122783215 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Ride This Is Not A Safe Place
An odd case of liking the band better after their reunion. “Kill Switch” is my favorite song of the year.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1969405503 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Starcrawler Devour You
An amalgam of 70s and 80s rock that they put their own stamp on. Lots of hooks. Why isn’t everything on bandcamp makes this much easier.

Swervedriver Future Ruins
On par with their first two albums. Nice surprise.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3288388686 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

The Hussy Looming
Garage rock usually isn’t my thing. Usually the songs aren’t this good. Go Wisconsin!
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1813453384 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

The Neptune Power Federation  Memories of a Rat Queen
Aussie classic metal done with lots of flair lead by the  Imperial Priestess. Pretty over the top which makes it better for me.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3805787157 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

UV-TV  Happy
Punk shoegaze. Great when the woman is singing, less so when the dude is. Some killer songs on this.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=1043076915 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Versing  10000
These guys love Sonic Youth. Very 90’s alt rock.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3068514945 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

White Reaper  You Deserve Love
Power pop that stands out above the deluge.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=2361582558 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Young Gov  Gov 1
The best of the year. Power pop as good as anything that has come before it. “Gov 2” isn’t remotely as good.
[bandcamp width=100% height=42 album=3776892109 size=small bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5]

Day Late and a Dollar Short, My Favorite Music of 2019