What’d I listen to this year? I’m going to be super lazy and post the list after a few summaries of my collection for 2025. Hell, I’m no music writer, I just like music and you might like a few of these to add to your collection. Maybe you missed something. I’m sure I did.

There were a number of bands making heroic returns to music this year: Garbage, Pulp, Deftones, Mclusky and Stereolab to name a few.

There were several notable live albums that made my list this year. Radiohead’s “Hail to the Thief Live Recordings”, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ incredible “Live God” and The Roots’ “DYWM30 Live at Blue Note NYC”.

Then there were a couple of excellent Canadian offerings from Dan Mangen and Ada Lea. Saya Gray’s “SAYA” made the CBC’s top album of 2025 and it’s definitely worth a listen. I guess the Weeknd is Canadian too. OH, and The Weather Station!

I think the albums that got the most play for me this year were Nation of Language’s “Dance Called Memory” and Wet Leg’s “moisturizer”, though Matt Berninger had a few spins on ye old streamer too. Lord Huron continued his journey into cosmic horror on the “Cosmic Selector Vol. 1”.

Favorite new discoveries for me were Westerman and Poliça. I also backfilled a bunch from Starflyer 59 though this year’s entry was a bit of a sleepy number.

Anyway, here’s the list, sans graphics. What did you like in 2025?

  • Ada Lea — when i paint my masterpiece
  • Anna von Hausswolff — ICONOCLASTS
  • bar italia — Some Like It Hot
  • Bdrmm — Microtonic
  • Blonde Redhead — The Shadow of The Guest
  • Blondshell — If You Asked For A Picture
  • Bon Iver — SABLE, fABLE
  • Boy & Bear — Tripping Over Time
  • Cloakroom — Last Leg of the Human Table
  • Dan Mangan — Natural Light
  • Deafheaven — Lonely People With Power
  • Deftones — private music
  • Garbage — Let All That We Imagine Be The Light
  • Lord Huron — The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
  • Matt Berninger — Get Sunk
  • Mclusky — the world is still here and so are we
  • Momma — Welcome to My Blue Sky
  • Nation of Language — Dance Called Memory
  • Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds — Live God
  • Nils Frahm — Night
  • POLIÇA — Dreams Go
  • Pulp — More
  • Radiohead — Hail to the Thief (Live Recordings 2003-2009)
  • Saya Gray — SAYA
  • Starflyer 59 — Dejame Dormir
  • Stereolab — Instant Holograms On Metal Film
  • Tame Impala — Deadbeat
  • The Antlers — Blight
  • The Roots — The Roots Come Alive Too- DYWM30 Live at Blue Note NYC
  • The Weather Station — Humanhood
  • The Weeknd — Hurry Up Tomorrow
  • Tortoise — Touch
  • Westerman — A Jackal’s Wedding
  • Wet Leg — moisturizer
  • White Lies — Night Light
  • Wolf Alice — The Clearing