My top albums of 2025

In a year like this, with so much turmoil coming from the current presidential administration, and so much other stuff going on in my life, music was more of a comfort than ever. As is my wont, I listened to hundreds of full albums this year. I did my usually fussing over this list, making one big decision near my self-imposed deadline. I was going to rank Fancy That by Pinkpantheress pretty highly. But I eventually dropped it entirely. It’s a nine-track mix tape that last only 20 minutes, and as great as it is, that really can’t be considered an album. The other thing to deal with is albums that were released on streaming this year, but won’t have physical editions until next year. For the most part, I won’t rank a record without a physical edition, but sometimes I will burn a digital copy to CD. I did that with Silvana Estrada, but not with Snocaps, I guess because the former impressed me more (not that the Snocaps was bad – I liked it). Finally, the usual caveats: 1) as you go down the list, the rankings are pretty incremental, and once you get into the thirties, the albums are fairly equal in quality, 2) there are at least a few dozen albums not listed that are on par with the bottom 25 or so, and, 3) even with all I listen to, I can’t listen to everything, so I don’t have, for example, Geese on here because I never got around to listening to it. 

1. Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On (Matador): Rather than go bigger after their acclaimed 2022 debut Versions of Modern Performance, these three young Chicagoans (who all went to New York City for college) pared everything down. Citing influences such as Young Marble Giants, The Velvet Underground, and Faust, this is a collection of minimalist music with the lyrics that are sometimes mantras, with low key grooves and delicate melodies that are just so easy to sink into. It takes a great deal of confidence to make music like this, and aided by producer Cate Le Bon, this trio made an album I kept going back to. 

2. Rosalía - LUX (Columbia): It seemed hard to imagine how Rosalía could go bigger after her breakthrough genre-blending Motomami LP. Thankfully, she imagined. On almost every track, she is accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra on a swooping, magnificent concept album inspired by the stories of saints. This album establishes Rosalía as an auteur on par with her sometime collaborator Björk. This is pop at its most experimental, with songs that have melodies and refrains that a listener can hang onto, following this Spaniard on an amazing sonic journey. 

3. Silvana Estrada - Vendrán Suaves Lluvias (Glassnote): The songs that the 28-year-old Estrada composes on her cuatro guitar (a four-string guitar that’s smaller than a normal guitar, but bigger than a ukulele) are rooted in traditional Mexican folk. But Estrada is also attuned to contemporary music, which comes more to the fore on her sophomore album. Fuller instrumentation and more developed choruses, along with a singing voice that keeps getting better make this album even better then her excellent debut LP, Marchita. The passion she puts into her music comes through the speakers. 

4. Good Flying Birds - Talulah’s Tape (Carpark): A band named after a Guided By Voices song, with an album title referencing ‘80s Brit indie cult favorites Talulah Gosh help place this music right away. Mid-fi (or whatever is between lo-fi and mid-fi) rock tunes with reference points from the ‘60s through the ‘80s, littered with hooks. Main Bird Kellen Baker’s amazing guitar work fuels everything, whether its his lead playing (often hooks in the songs) or the great tones he gets when he plays rhythm guitar. This immediately grabbed my attention and has yet to let go. 

5. Emma Pollock - Begging the Night to Take Hold (Chemikal Underground): The ex-Delgados singer/guitarist has carved out a distinctive solo career, with astute lyrics supporting memorable songs that find the mid-point between singer-songwriter and indie pop. On her first album in nine years, Pollock puts the guitar in the background for a set of songs that are more piano-based. In so doing, there is less driving music than on prior efforts, but this is a wise and warm collection from a truly overlooked artist.

6. SPELLLING - Portrait of My Heart (Sacred Bones): Chrystia Cabral started out making electronic music under her stage name SPELLLING, then moved towards more of an orch-pop sound that seemed to touch on both the ‘60s and Kate Bush. Never one to stay in one place too long, for this album, Cabral turned towards the ‘80s, making passionate guitar rock that sounds like it could come from a lost Brat Pack film, and sometimes evoking Q (“Goodbye Horses”) Lazzarus. Her soulful vocals match the power of the music. I look forward to Cabral’s next genre shift. 

7. Neko Case - Neon Grey Midnight Green (Anti-): Case has been blessed with a wonderful, distinctive singing voice, and her ability to take it into unexpected places has informed her songwriting throughout her career. As a result, she creates songs that simply sound like no one else. On this album, she works with an orchestra on most tracks, which works as wonderfully as I would have expected it would. As she has progressed, the qualities that made early records like Blacklisted and Furnace Room Lullaby are still there, as she still works on big musical canvases, creating songs that have real emotional impact. 

8. The Saints - Long March Through the Jazz Age (Fire): When Ed Kuepper left The Saints, lead singer Chris Bailey took them in a different direction, away from the greasy, R & B fueled punk of their first three albums, into passionate songs that could sometimes be anthemic. It’s no wonder Bruce Springsteen covered one of their songs. Bailey passed away in 2022, but recorded these songs in 2018, and it might be the best Saints album since 1986's All Fools Day. At times fiery, and if not, certainly simmering, there are songs with big hooks, more personal numbers, and one song (the quasi title track “Carnivore (Long March Through the Jazz Age)”) that actually has some jazz elements. I don’t know if this was intended as a final statement by Bailey, but regardless it’s an excellent display of his talents.

9. Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World (Anti-): In the early ‘90s, Mavis Staples recorded for Prince’s Paisley Park label, and then her solo recording career stalled until getting signed by Anti- in 2004. For the past 21 years, Staples has consistently put out quality LPs, confirming that she’s one of the great interpreters of song. Producer Brad Cook and Staples have chosen a great set of material and backed by an amazing set of musicians, the 86-year-old sounds as good as ever. From the rocking opener (Tom Waits’ “Chicago” with Buddy Guy on guitar), to renditions of everyone from Kevin Morby to Curtis Mayfield, this is a stellar effort.

10. Bartees Strange - Horror (4AD): With each record, Bartees Strange further harnesses his facility with multiple genres and styles, creating music that is passionate, emotional, and sometimes quite driving. While the lyrics detail interpersonal struggles, he goes big and rocking on some songs, for songs that would probably work in arenas. But there are quieter moments, with strumming acoustic guitars or gentler R & B rhythms. He never seems like a dilettante and the record never lacks cohesion, as he infuses his songs with meaning and belief.

11. Kali Uchis - Sincerely, (Capitol): Uchis is one of the more consistent artists currently releasing music. Her fifth album is more of her wonderful blend of contemporary and classic R & B styles, generally in relaxing tempos, with well-thought out arrangements and production. Of course, there are other influences, such as Latin pop, and even some tunes that could have come from the early ‘60s. She doesn’t show off with her singing, although she’s capable of it, serving the music and lyrics with her performances.

12. Midlake - A Bridge To Far (Midlake): The third Midlake album since frontman Tim Smith left the band is even more attuned to the sound of the band’s masterpiece, The Trials of Van Occupanther, than its predecessors. Midlake has mastered an arty folk-rock that is one part ‘60s British folk to three parts ‘70s folk and soft rock that would sound like AM Gold if it weren’t for the dreamlike psychedelic approach they take to their recordings. This means the music isn’t hooky, but it totally sucks you in with the melodies.

13. WITCH - SOGOLO (Desert Daze): Neither Afropop nor desert rock, this Zambian band’s second album since reforming with original members Emanuel Chanda and Patrick Mwondela shows a band that can throw down gritty, funk rock tunes that would have sounded great in their ‘70s heyday. The sounds are so classic and the music is so alive, it never sounds like it’s looking backwards. Working with Swedish backing musicians, including Jacco Gardner, and adding singers Theresa Ng’Amba and Hanna Tembo in the last couple of years, this is record is a joy. At times danceable, at times sounding like African garage rock, always smoking hot. 

14. Suede - Antidepressants (BMG): The reconstituted Suede has now made five albums, one more than the original incarnation. And while Mach II hasn’t put out a Dog Man Star, they have been more consistently excellent. I think the songs on this effort are just a notch below 2022's Autofiction. That being said, they are still quite good, and the band’s committed and energetic performances show there’s a lot to work with in their glam-inspired Brit pop sound. Moreover, frontman Brett Anderson is a marvel, still able to belt out the tunes in dramatic fashion. 

15. Course - Hue Mirror (self-released): The third album from the group led by Jessica Robbins consists of songs she wrote before and after she was diagnosed with ankylosing spondylitis, a debilitative type of arthritis that can lead to vertebrae fusing together. Robbins turns this experience into songs that tap into some of the hardest things one can face, and she uses all the songwriting tools and performance skills she’s learned in this band and her solo career. There is a broad instrumental pallet, from acoustic guitars to keyboards to (synthesized?) strings that add color and texture to her direct melodies and lyrics. A very emotionally resonate album.

16. Lifeguard - Ripped and Torn (Matador): The long-awaited album from the band at the center of the Hallogallo scene of young rock bands centered here in Chicago didn’t disappoint. It’s a ripping (pun intended) post-punk record where you hear the inspirations from the past, but at no point do any of the songs feel derivative. They’ve spliced together this musical DNA and found new combinations, creating something rooted in the music they love, while moving it forward with invention and personality. Like the best post-punk, it finds the sweet spot between challenging and accessible. 

17. Sloan - Based on the Best Seller (Yep Roc): The pride and joy of Nova Scotia shows no signs of stopping. On their 14th studio album, the biggest surprise is uneven songwriting distribution, as drummer Andrew Scott, the quirkiest of these four tunesmiths, only penned two songs for this effort. That doesn’t stop the quartet from another great mix of rockers, mid-tempo power pop, and songs that sound like lost gems from the ‘70s. What always amazes is that they always make it sound fresh, which might be because they know how good these songs are.

18. Joy Crookes - Juniper (Sony/Insanity/Speakerbox): The twenty-something Irish-Bangladeshi singer dealt with various personal issues in the four years since her wonderful debut, Skin. It appears to have made her more committed to her retro R & B/pop that touches on classic ‘60s and ‘70s soul, with clever observational lyrics. Just like her debut album, Crookes knows how to craft hooks that stick with you, and the album has a number of clear highlights and no filler. 

19. Ty Segall - Possession (Drag City): I’ve never been able to keep up with all of the tuneage that comes from this prolific musician, who has put out 17 solo albums and has countless side projects. I’ve always liked his music, but never wholly connected with a project until this album. Notably, the ‘70s-styled rockers on this collection at times remind me of the solo music of one of his band members, Mikal Cronin. This album has plenty of great guitar riffs, strong melodies, and well done choruses. It’s simply a damn good rock album, divorced from any trends.

20. Folk Bitch Trio - Now Would Be a Good Time (Jagjaguwar): This is the debut from a trio of Australian women in their 20s. It sounds like the work of a veteran folk group. The songwriting is so strong and sophisticated, supported by splendid lead and harmony vocals. While no one can approach The Roches in the harmony department, these three sound really special when they bring their voices together. Moreover, within this style, there’s a nice variety here.

21. KeiyaA - hooke’s law (XL): In the realm of electronic R & B artists (such as Kelela and FKA twigs), Chakeiya Richmond stands out, as she has a decidedly arty take on the genre. KeiyaA’s layering of electronic sounds and percussion touches upon everything from techno to jazz, creating soundscapes that show how much emotion you can get from songs made from computerized instruments. Like her first album, the follow up takes a little while to set in, because the hooks are subtle, the melodies unconventional, the lyrics sometimes seeming fragmentary. But it really grew in power the more times I spun it.  

22. The Tubs - Cotton Crown (Trouble in Mind): First off, there is no doubt that there are times that singer Owen Williams sounds quite a bit like Richard Thompson. For me, this was initially jarring, because while the music of The Tubs isn’t polarly the opposite of Thompson’s, it was just odd hearing that type of voice in the context of music that wouldn’t have sounded out of place during my college radio days in the ‘80s. The Tubs can jangle with the best of them, with a few varieties, from attractive mid-tempo to sped up and danceable to, on my favorite track (“One More Day”), intense and powerful.

23. Pulp - More. (Rough Trade): In their show last year at the Aragon Ballroom, Pulp played a new song, “Spike Island”, which became both the lead single and lead track from this, the band’s first album in 24 years. It fit in perfectly with the rest of the set, and likewise, this full collection of new Pulp tunes rests comfortably in the run of the band’s albums since His ‘n’ Hers, the LP where folks finally began to take notice of the band. That being said, compared to the prior four gems, I feel that while there are no duds here, there are fewer five-star songs on this album. So it’s merely very, very good, and not great. But I would love more of where More came from.

24. Blood Orange - Essex Honey (Domino): The latest from Dev Hynes is an haunting mix of R & B and pop. This is a great album for a gray day, with songs built on subtle electronic percussion, sad piano chords, wistful electronic keyboard lines, strings, and a great use of sonic space. Within the world Hynes builds here, there is a pleasing variety (not everything is downcast) and there are some excellent features, including collaborations with Caroline Polachek and Lorde and Tirzah and Charlotte Dos Santos). 

25. Laufey - A Matter of Time (Vingolf/AWAL): Laufey isn’t a throwback just because her music often harkens back to the ‘40s and ‘50s, but also because she’s quite prolific. Unlike many of the artists from 70 and 80 years ago who inspired her, she writes her own material, and she continues to grow as a composer. Some songs here are retro as all get out, but she also has songs that incorporate more recent, and even contemporary, sounds. Whatever the approach, these are songs by a pop lover for pop lovers. And my goodness, that voice – yes, she’s one of those vocalists who could sing the phone book.

26. Ashley Monroe - Tennessee Lightning (Mountainrose Sparrow): After a foray into keyboard-based adult pop on Rosegold, Monroe comes back to country music, but on her own terms. This is an expansive LP with contributions from a wide array of talents (such as T Bone Burnett, Brittany Spencer, Marty Stuart, Brendan Benson) that is one of the best Americana albums of the year. This is Monroe’s most stylistically diverse album, with some pure country, and some rock, pop, and folk in the mix. It sounds like an artist who is through with limitations and will just do what she likes (and it turns out she can handle all of that).

27. Lorde - Virgin (UMG): After a slightly disappointing third album (2021's Solar Power), Lorde came back with an album that has her typical pop smarts and lyrical intimacy. Musically, it is more propulsive than her first two albums, though I wouldn’t call it clubby or dance music (though you can move to it). Jim-E Stack, who co-produces and co-writes is a great collaborator. The songs fit in with modern pop without being generic, and centering everything that Lorde does best. I don’t know if she’s a pop star anymore, but based on this album, she’s still a star.

28. Chris Stamey - Anything is Possible (Yep Roc): Earlier in this century, Chris Stamey of The dB’s was trying to write songs in the vein of the Great American Songbook. He has since turned back to melodic guitar rock, but the lessons learned show up in spots on this album. He has also looked ahead, roping in The Lemon Twigs (granted, a young retro band) to join him on some tracks. Most importantly, Stamey sounds energized on an album of songs that compares favorably to the best stuff from his solo career, with lots of songs rooted in classic ‘60s and ‘70s pop. 

29. Galactic and Irma Thomas - Audience with The Queen (Tchoup-Zilla): The New Orleans band teams up the Queen of New Orleans soul in what was intended to just be some production work for a solo album for the 84 year old legend. They eventually just decided to team up with her, penning eight of the nine numbers on the album (the other being a Nancy Wilson cover). While not as greasy as some R & B albums of this stripe, these songs are bouncy and are so well suited for Thomas’s voice. And that voice - oh my god, it sounds like she’s 24 or 34, singing as well as ever. 

30. Kelela - In the Blue Light (Warp): This album is gleaned from two shows Kelela did at the Blue Note jazz club in New York City in the spring of 2024. While her recorded work is steeped in electronic instrumentation, Kelela here is backed by more traditional instrumentation, and it reveals jazz roots that weren’t previously evident to me. Some of the tunes become more like torch songs, and everything adapts well to the different instrumental approach. Until this record, I wouldn’t have thought of Kelela in the tradition of Roberta Flack, Minnie Riperton, and Chaka Khan, but that has changed. I’m curious if she decides to keep moving in this direction, as she nails it here.

31. Splitsville - Mobtown (Big Stir): The first album from the Baltimore power poppers in 22 years shows time hasn’t diminished their skills. This effort is essentially a concept album, with songs relating to places and events in their hometown. This is, at times, grittier than previous releases, as the music really serves the lyrics. The band’s melodic chops are as good as ever, and the lyrics are smart and intriguing. This doesn’t have as many big hooks as prior efforts, but this is a very listenable effort with substance. 

32. FKA twigs - EUSEXUA (Young): While some of the artier aspects of her music are still around, this club-inspired album has some of the most accessible music that twigs has made yet. While I wasn’t surprised back when she did music that had some Kate Bush vibes, I never thought I would hear her do songs that sounded like Madonna. Even with some obvious inspirations, this is never derivative, giving a distinctive spin to familiar sounds that fits twigs’s sensibility.

33. Robert Plant with Suzi Dian - Saving Grace (Nonesuch): The Led Zeppelin frontman’s twelfth studio solo album is a local affair. Saving Grace is also the name of Plant’s current band, musicians from where he’s living now in Great Britain. They’ve been together for six years, with Plant developing a connection with singer Suzi Dian, who gets co-billing. This is a mix of folk, blues, and country songs, with the band adding a somewhat Eastern gloss at times to give it more of a mystical than Americana feel.

34. Beach Bunny - Tunnel Vision (AWAL): On one hand, Beach Bunny kind of keeps making the same record. Melodic punky pop with definite ‘90s vibes and hooky choruses. On the other hand, they find little wrinkles in the sound, and Lili Trifilio is such a great lyricist, that hearing her observations and ruminations set to catchy rock tunes is always enjoyable. And the overall band sound is so attractive. The other hand wins!

35. Paul Weller - Find El Dorado (Parlophone): This is Weller’s second all-covers album. This mixes in a few familiar songs with some fairly obscure tracks. This is Weller in mellow acoustic mode, and he’s relaxed and engaged, just playing songs he digs. And he digs some pretty terrific songs. This is a great Sunday morning record. 

36. Wednesday - Bleeds (Dead Oceans): Singer/guitarist Karly Harztman and her bandmates continue to pull off one of the most interesting musical blends of any modern rock band. Elements of country, southern rock, and shoegaze come together to varying degrees on these songs. The mix of drawling melodies and crunchy guitars is so appealing. But it’s not just sonic surprises, as this is grounded in strong songwriting, as illustrated by one of the songs of year, the sweet “Elderberry Wine”.

37. Stereolab - Instant Holograms on Metal Film (Duophonic UHF/Warp): I had a few Stereolab albums in my collection prior to getting this, their first new album in nearly 15 years. Their mix of electronics, bossa nova, lounge music, motorik rhythms, and other sounds is so right up my alley, and listening to this new effort made me wonder why I didn't have more of their stuff. This is one of those reunion albums that measures up to past work. All the virtues of the Stereolab sound are here, and that means it's one heck of an album.

38. John Glacier - Like a Ribbon (Young): Her vocal style is primarily simply rhythmically reciting lyrics, but not like a rapper. It’s basically like a narrative – sometimes rapid, sometimes slow - over a mix of musical beds, from spare electro R & B to distorted twanging guitars to trip hoppy sounds. Whatever it is she forges ahead. It’s somewhat akin to Mark E. Smith in The Fall, but more related to hip hop than rock. Like Smith, Glacier just is and her commitment to this style is as admirable as it is compelling. 

39. Sharp Pins - Balloon Balloon Balloon (Perennial): Lifeguard’s Kai Slater not only loves recasting the sounds of ‘70s post-punk. He also loves doing it with ‘60s psychedelic pop, sometimes spiking it with some Big Star-ish power pop. This approach garners some Guided By Voices comparisons, but other artists that come to mind are GUV, The Cleaners From Venus, and The Resonars. These sounds are like blasts from an AM radio Top 40 station from another dimension, one with really fun music.

 

40. The Autumn Defense - Here and Nowhere (Yep Roc): The side project of Pat Sansone and John Stiratt of Wilco, who together, make wonderful albums steeped in the sounds of the ‘70s. It’s a great mix of AM Gold tunes with songs that sound like the softer side of FM album rock. Think Loggins and Messina and Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Sparkling electric guitars and strumming acoustics with splendid harmonies and wonderful choruses. These two have tapped into how expressive this sound can be.

41. Cheer-Accident - Admission (Skin Graft)

42. Mei Semones - Animaru (Bayonet)

43. Nadia Reid - Enter Now Brightness (Chrysalis)

44. Curtis Harding - Departures & Arrivals: Adventures of Captain Curt (Anti-)

45. Franz Ferdinand - The Human Fear (Domino)

46. Shamir - Ten (Kill Rock Stars)

47. Wet Leg - moisturizer (Domino)

48. Vicki Peterson & John Cowsill - Long After the Fire (Label 51)

49. The New Eves - The New Eve is Rising (Transgressive)

50. spill tab - ANGIE (Because)

51. Mon Laferte - Femme Fatale (Sony Latin)

52. The Chills - Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs (Fire)

53. James Brandon Lewis - Apple Cores (Anti-)

54. Teri Gender Bender - TGB (Clouds Hill)

55. Peter Holsapple - The Face of ‘68 (Label 51)

56. The Beths - Straight Line Was a Lie (Anti-)

57. Pearl Charles - Desert Queen (Taurus Rising)

58. The Hives - The Hives Forever Forever The Hives (Play It Again Sam)

59. Michael Carpenter - The Start of Being (Big Radio)

60. Margo Price - Hard Headed Woman (Loma Vista)

61. These New Puritans - Crooked Wing (Domino)

62. Tune-Yards - Better Dreaming (4AD)

63. Gina Birch - Trouble (Third Man)

64. Nao - Jupiter (Little Tokyo)

65. Wreckless Eric - England Screaming (Tapete)

66. Miso Extra - Ear Candy (Transgressive)

67. Kinsella & Pulse, LLC - Open ing Night (Kill Rock Stars)

68. FACS - Wish Defense (Trouble in Mind)

69. Golumb - The Beat Goes On (No Quarter)

70. Sparks - MAD! (Transgressive)

71. ALT BLK ERA - Rave Immortal (Earache)

72. Hifi Sean & David McAlmont - Twilight (Plastique)

73. CIVIC - Chrome Dipped (ATO)

74. Yeule - Evangelic Girl is a Gun (Ninja Tune)

75. Gwenno - Utopia (Heavenly)

76. Sunny War - Armageddon in a Summer Dress (New West)

77. Doves - Constellations for the Lonely (EMI North)

78. Saint Etienne - International (PIAS)

79. Jessica Winter - My First Album (Lucky Number)

80. Titanic - Hagen (Unheard of Hope)