2025: Top 5 New Albums

 My top 5 albums released in 2024 or 2025 (because I can't listen to EVERYTHING the moment it comes out)

5. Carla Kihlstedt - 26 Little Deaths

Present Music, 03/2025

"a 60-minute set of 26 miniatures for singing violinist and chamber orchestra" Inspired by Edward Gorey's exquisite children's book, The Gashlycrumb Tinies (a favorite at our house). This is a varied orchestral set of compositions, each about a... rather unique ... way to die. Each page brings macabre brilliance. I especially love A (a 30 second crash imitating Amy falling down the stairs), and Z, a cabaret drinking song, for Zillah, who drank too much Gin with her dolly. We caught this live with the Oregon Symphony, on a semi-whim, and fell in love.

 

4. Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More

 

4AD Records, 11/2024

I mentioned last year that I hadn't listened to this album and I wanted to. Well, I did. Nothing else on the album quite matches the brilliance of the song Coast, but this is a great set from Kim Deal.

3. Andi Camp - A Life Less Terrified

 

Grafton Records, 02/2025

Andi's first solo album in 20 years, and maybe my favorite of her solo albums. Andi (formerly of Ribbon Fix) has spent several entries in this list with her bands The Hold Out and Temper and Hold. I listened to this record a bunch when I got it, then put it on the shelf for a few months. I brought it out again later in the year, and felt like I was being wrapped in the warm familiar comfort of these songs. I can't recommend it higher than that.

2. Shellac - To All Trains

Touch and Go Records, 05/2024

R.I.P. Steven Frank Albini. Steve Albini died just around the time Shellac released this record, and I'm sad that I don't get any more Shellac. This album is great, though. A worthy addition to a top-notch rock and roll band's great albums. There's a lot of ink spilled over this album, because of the circumstances of its release. I can't really add anything more to the words about it, but it's great. By turns comical and fun. the song Scabby the Rat makes me giggle every time. Elsewhere, the album is a bit more somber. "I don't fear hell. The floor show would be incredible."

1. Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles

 

Sub Pop Records, 05/2025

This is Alan's second solo album since the untimely 2022 passing of his wife and musical partner, Mimi Parker. His first, White Roses, My God, released in 2024, was densely electronic, difficult, and uneven. Didn't make my top 5 last year. This album fulfills the promise of his songwriting within Low, as well as the heartwrenching performances on his solo tour.

Trampled by Turtles are also from Duluth, and are a pretty famous band in their own sphere (modern Bluegrass). I suspect they may actually be more popular than Low. Alan has shared the stage with them a few times over the years (including this heartwrenching performance less than a month after Mimi's death). They make such a natural backing band for Alan, I want this collaboration to be a permanent thing. 

Two of the songs here are acoustic reimaginings of the digital experiments on White Roses, My God. Several are naked expressions of grief. All are super listenable. 

P.S. You know I'm a Low fan. They keep showing up in this list.

2025: Top 5 New Discoveries

 (5 favorite albums from 2023 or prior that I discovered this year)

5. Eldritch Anisette - Complete Fairytales

Released as a cassette demo and 7" in 1997.
Reissue compilation: Numero Group 08/2025

2025 was the year of the Emo Reissue for me. Eldritch Anisette was one of the brightest spots on the Sequoia box set (more on this later), and I snagged the insanely limited-run LP from Numero. This is great, unheard 90s indie with female vocals. Now that Numero's plugging it, it's going to be all over your spotify just like Everyone Asked About You.

 

4. Brian Eno - Another Green World

   

Island Records, 1975

Yes, it's taken me this long to finally hear this album. And yes, it's exactly as good as you would expect. This is one of Eno's "pop" albums, but about half the songs are instrumental. Recommended if you like Bowie's berlin albums, Talking Heads, or just really good rock music.

3. Cypress Hill

   

Columbia Records, 1991

I don't listen to much rap. But I totally dig this. This is G-funk the way I like it. West coast and silly. Yes, the Insane in the Brain beat gets put in half the movie trailers nowadays, but this is some cool stuff. This, technically, is their first album, before Insane in the Brain... but this album is just as good as Black Sunday. Sounds like they're having a lot of fun making this. OK, so I'm a little bit annoyed that they keep rhyming things with "trigger"... oh well...

 

2. Blow It Out Your Ass It's Veruca Salt

 

DGC, 1996

Major label EPs seem to get lost in the hype machine. I missed this EP the first time around, and I haven't run into it since. After being the overhyped alterna-next-big-thing with their 1995 debut American Thighs, Veruca Salt pulled a Nirvana and recorded with Steve Albini (yay! lots of Albini love in this list, always). This EP is what I always wanted from Veruca Salt. Shimmer and grit. More than just a Breeders rip-off, but a snarling, layered, melodic treat. This is 4 GREAT songs from Veruca.

1. Sequoia / Sycamore box set

 

Numero Group, 2025

A big square box that will forever sit in my living room-- This is an ambitious 25 7" box set (plus bonus 2x7" Sycamore comp) reissuing a whole bunch of late-80s/early-90s emotive indie rock. Everything here has been released before, but surprisingly, given my collection, I only owned one of the 7"s. Many of the others, I had on other formats, but also, many of the rest were new to me. I could nit-pick and say that this collection over-represents 1993 and California. It tends to get a bit repetetive in the middle, but there are some real gems. Top notch include some Hated, Unwound, and I think my favorite 7" (At least today) is The Lazarus Plot. I also really dig the Rye Coalition song -- how did they turn from that into their later AC/DC phase?

Anyway, I am going to paste the tracklist here because it's lengthy:

Carpe Diem - No Merge
Carpe Diem - Carpe Diem
Carpe Diem - Turning Over
The Hated - Underground 
The Hated - Not Mine
The Hated - Damned Heart
The Hated - Psalm
Wind of Change - Rain
Wind of Change - How I Feel
The Vagrants - Open Book
The Vagrants - Gone
The Vagrants - Alone
Chino Horde - Merit
Chino Horde - Racket
Unwound - You Bite My Tongue
Unwound - Kid Is Gone (Chant of Vengeance)
Unwound - Understand and Forget
Native Nod - Bread
Native Nod - High Tide in Alaska
Native Node - Back to Mimsey
Universal Order of Armageddon - Sympton
Universal Order of Armageddon - Visible Distance
Universal Order of Armageddon - Flux
Clikatat Ikatowi - Saxby's Gail
Clikatat Ikatowi - Off to Here
Pot Valiant - Volar
Pot Valiant - Low Dexterity Points
Boys Life - Lister
Boys Life - Without Doubt
Thumbnail - Parallels
Thumbnail - Split Decision
Thumbnail - Shirts and Skins
Thumbnail - Burning Bridges
Mohinder - The Mission
Mohinder - Alien
Mohinder - Division
Mohinder - Acceptance
Mohinder - The Static Cult
Mohinder - Beautiful
Mohinder - One Warrior
Mohinder - Expiration
Indian Summer - Aren't You Angel
Indian Summer - mm.
Indian Summer - Woolworm
Boilermaker - Used to Be
Boilermaker - Besame Mucho You Fucker
Allure - Little Engine
Allure - Rise and Run
Patterns Make Sunrise - Silo Concordance
Patterns Make Sunrise - Quilceda Creek
Patterns Make Sunrise - So As To
Patterns Make Sunrise - Light to Your Heart
Don Martin Three - Katahdn
Don Martin Three- Inefficient Engine
Current - Basis
Current - Repetition
Current - Continued Rantings
Current - Overbearing
Karate - Cherry Coke
Karate - The Schwinn
Bells on Trike - I Drive
Bells on Trike - The Old Adam
The Lazarus Plot - Friday the Thirteenth
The Lazarus Plot - Confessions to An Early Summer Nightmare
The Lazarus Plot - Dissolving Substance
The Lazarus Plot - Sleepwalker
The Lazarus Plot - Ending Time
The Lazarus Plot - Goodbye, Again
Eldritch Anisette - Suckerpunch
Eldritch Anisette - Pessimism Goes to Work
Eldritch Anisette - Dissection of Silence
Everyone Asked About You - Paper Airplanes, Paper Hearts
Everyone Asked About You - Me Vs. You
Everyone Asked About You - It's Days Like This That Make Me Wish the Summer Lasted Forever
Everyone Asked About You - Everyone Asked About You
Cars Get Crushed - Warped Speed
Cars Get Crushed - Hey Sister Vampire

Frail - Drought
Rye Coalition - Don T. Nils
Endive - 10,000 Dead Roses
Ethel Meserve - Calba's Last

2025: Top 5 Miscellaneous Songs

 

 (generally, the best five songs not on the other two lists. Either new in 2025, or new to me)

5. Storey Littleton - At a Diner

single release
Don Giovanni, 5/2025

Passing the torch to the next generation. This is the debut single from Storey, who is the daughter of Dan and Liz from Ida. Storey played guitar for Ida on this year's reunion tour, and they played this new song of hers, which is sweet and beautiful. Storey got her start as a kid singing on her mom's children's albums. Looking forward to hearing more from Storey.

 

4. I Is Another - Queen of Swords

 

From "I Is Another"
Siren Records, 2013

I saw a pair of fun Jonah Matranga shows this year, and learned about this 2013 project from Jonah (also of Far, Onelinedrawing, and New End Original). This is a rocker that stacks up to the best of Jonah's songs. I like the guitar textures in this song.

3. U2 - The Fool

 

Recorded circa 1979. Released online as "Early Demos"
Island Records, 2004

U2 seem to be sheepish about their early stuff, but I think they were a top notch new wave / post punk band. This is a song that had disappeared from their setlist by the time their first album Boy was released. Apparently Island slipped three demo songs in some massive $200 download package back in 2004. I missed it. Fans of early early u2 should also check out the recording of their National Stadium gig in 1980.

2. Catherine Wheel - Dead Girl Friend

From the I Want to Touch You EP
Fontana Records, 1992

Speaking of pre-first-album songs, this is an early early B-side from one of Catherine Wheel's first EPs. This song is creepy. I love it. Not sure what the lyrics mean exactly, but I'm a bit scared to know. All I know is this is great gaze-pop.

  1. Samuel - Evergreen

From Pohgoh / Samuel Split 10"
New Granada Records, 10/2025

Samuel was a 90s band that released a handful of great songs, including a split 7" with Texas Is the Reason. They reunited a few years ago, reissued their old stuff, and rechristened their band Samuel S.C. (South Carolina? Santa Claus?) -- In the discogs age, I guess that beats Samuel (8), but I'm not calling them SC. I guess they released a new album, too, which I have not heard yet, but now I want to very badly. Anyway, this song is a stompin' good time with hooks galore. I love it. The story's getting old, we're just getting old with it.