Best of 2025

Sketches #1

Poetic soundscapes that make me feel emotions that I can't explain

Sketches #2

This summer I drank a cider and had a nap by the river, this album sounds like that

Sketches #3

Duval draws inspiration from sources I can only guess at

Soothing #1

Minimalistic but penetrating folk from the generational talent

Soothing #2

The spoken words are so flippant it makes the occasional truths hidden inside them hit hard

Soothing #3

Spiritual R&B that's good for the soul

Smooth #1

Addictively groovy trip-hop drifters

Smooth #2

A little unremarkable on the whole as most jazz fusion is to me but I still played this a ton. Gorgeous to read to

Smooth #3

Some of the vocal tracks on this are unbearably corny but I'm addicted to the mood and atmosphere of 'A Deeper Life' and the production is excellent

Still peaking #1

I formally denounce the baldy at the front shouting 'play French Disko'

Still peaking #2

Fundamentally a live genre but it's still always great to hear the choices on record

Still peaking #3

I love this poppy turn, Ego Death is an instant classic in our house

Wistful indie #1

There's always at least one all timer with Alex G and this time it was Real Thing

Wistful indie #2

This has been cranked up in the car all year

Wistful indie #3

The raw feeling that powers these songs is undeniable

Muscular #1

I like how punchy this music is considering how forgettably thin a lot of post-punky albums are

Muscular #2

South Korean noisiness from the guy behind Parannoul

Muscular #3

No band swallows me up and lets me exist inside the music quite like Swans

Jangly #1

Shrill Welsh language vocals that really appeal to me in the way they wander around carefree

Jangly #2

Eminently enjoyable songwriting

Jangly #3

I get a spine tingly feeling just thinking about the detuned jangles that open the album

Electronic #1

On a good enough sound system this reveals itself as a labour of love, full of intricate detail

Electronic #2

Punishingly deep and techy but - at the risk of sounding like a wanker (again) - as with most music based on sound design rather than harmony, through the right speakers this is a rewarding listen

Electronic #3

This dub techno is a bit compact for my tastes - I like longer tracks that breathe a little - but still had this on repeat