Consuming the Tangible

Usually I hold on this kind of thing until our annual “Dan and Chris ramble for hours about the music they love” podcast, but editing that particular bear is taking a little longer than usual, so since it’s February, we got the fresh new coat of paint on the site, I want to put 2025 to bed from a summary perspective and get back to the science of chilling out with new discoveries and old favorites. I didn’t do any specific playlists for my favorite music; maybe that’ll be next week. But like last year you can always check out my Best of 2025 tag to dig a little further. We’ll do the usual categories and commentary, and as usual I reserve the right to change my mind, revise or even contradict anything I say here, because every second we’re different people, so every second can be considered a new introduction to a song, you know?

Maybe not. Anyway, let’s do this.

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The “Official” 2025 Non-Metal List, Whatever That Means…

Spoiler (not really): these are the albums I brought to the table in my discussion with Dan. I won’t share his list – you’ll have to wait for the episode – but I will say he had some great albums, some of which I purposefully kept off of my list because I knew he would have them, giving me more freedom to champion more music.

Even so, we still had seven albums (bolded) in common. You can see the list below with album names linked to any reviews I may have written, followed by commentary on a few records listed but not covered on the site:

I was introduced to Geese earlier this year by my buddy Baxter, who was over the moon for the band’s 2023 album 3D Country. The music on Getting Killed shows an unnatural growth and maturity from a bunch of kids, which is absolutely condescending and patronizing, so let’s kill that criticism, shall we? I’m here for the abrupt juxtaposition in styles, and Winter’s beguiling voice, which channels Thom Yorke one moment and Tom Waits the next. Also is that a little David Byrne/Talking Heads I hear there? Find out for yourself on “100 Horses.” Listen here.

If this is the future of pop (or popular) punk, I’m all for it.  The Dirty Nil have been on my radar since Fuck Art in 2021, but they didn’t start hitting my end of year list until the fantastic Free Rein to Passions, with songs like “Celebration” and “Nicer Guy” filled with killer riffs and hooks.  The Lash feels a little more raw and stripped down, but opener “Gallop of the Hounds” might be the best song the Nil have ever released.Listen here.

Maybe they should have titled it We’re Weird Now, because the latest from Guerilla Toss amps up the angular, new-wave post-punk that was simmering (and sometimes exploding) on Famously Alive. The confrontational manner of You’re Weird Now kicks off immediately with “Krystal Ball” but finds its footing on the single “Psychosis Is Just a Number” with its propulsive bass and keyboard line. Vocalist Kassie Carlson continues to be a powerhouse, but one of the things setting the group’s latest assault apart is actually behind the boards, with Stephen Malkmus producing in Trey Anastasio’s studio. The Pavement vibes are particularly choice. Listen here.

I started writing about the heavily anticipated new album from Black Country, New Road half a dozen times before putting the keyboard away and just listening again.  Forever Howlong is the first studio album since the departure of vocalist/guitarist and de facto leader Isaac Wood. Splitting the vocal and songwriting duties between multi-instrumentalists Tyler Hyde, Georgia Ellery, and May Kershaw yields a gorgeous, rickety progressive folk opus that recalls The Decemberists in their best moments. There are so many little nuances to pick up on, but I keep returning to mid-album highlights like “Two Horses” and the Sufjan Stevens-inspired arrangements of “Nancy Tries to Take the Night.” Listen here.

Maybe the biggest surprise is I only reviewed one Ty Segall project this year. My favorite garage rocker started strong with Freckle, his collaboration with Corey Madden of Color Green I reviewed earlier this year. Of course there would be more up his sleeve (I didn’t even get to the fourth Fuzz album yet); Possession is the comfortable come-down from the epic excursions of the previous year, another winning if somewhat safe entry in Segall’s catalog. Nothing new here, but what the music coming from the grooves I wholeheartedly love. Listen here.

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LET’S GET HEAVY: THE NINE CIRCLES LISTS

Once again I went all out over at Nine Circles, writing about 75 albums over four posts. Below you can find the lists for my Top 25 Metal Albums, my Honorable Mentions, and my posts covering my favorite stoner/psych and prog rock albums that weren’t already captured elsewhere.

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LIVE & ARCHIVED

Because there was just so much of it, we’ll start with the archive releases first, then move onto the live stuff, since the archive has so much live music in it anyway…

If 2025 was anything in terms of music, it was the year I went whole hog on archival releases, starting perhaps with the mother of all bands doing it. I wrote a bit about how The Grateful Dead helped with the passing of my friend, and when coincidences aligned it was at the perfect time: the 50th And it did kick off with the band’s 50th Anniversary edition of Blues For Allah, complete with a remaster of the original mix, two additional discs of live music, and a separate Dolby Atmos mix courtesy of Steven Wilson, whose fingers are all over my 2025 listening habits.

In fact it was a huge year for reissues in particular, so rather than write about them all here’s a small gallery of images, all of which I heartily recommend – not only for the content, but for the incredible mixes and sound present:

There were plenty more: I already wrote about how much I dug the sound of The Manticore Tapes from Motörhead, and there was excellent work being done by companies like Esoteric Recordings. I haven’t spoken too much about the great work the Cherry Red imprint has been doing with compilations, but that’s because I’m still digging through killer sets from Cats In Space, Back Door, and my beloved Uriah Heep they released just this year, not to mention the Babe Ruth compilation they put out for an excellent price…

On the live front, as mentioned above Boris couldn’t stop releasing live sets from the last decade or so. Also the wonderful Temporary Drift Recordings saw fit to bestow us with not one but TWO archival sets from Les Rallizes Dénudés. I reviewed YaneUra Sep. ’80 as part of the double with the October 1980 release, but Jittoku ’76 was a mid-year barn burner, and an excellent addition to Takashi Mizutani’s legacy.

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LOOKING AHEAD

New site! Lots of records in the backlog. More deep dives. I’m just as committed as ever to use this space as an outlet for my thoughts and feelings, and there’s so much music out there, let alone the piles scattered throughout the house infuriating my wife. I know near term it’s gonna be a month of The Velvet Underground; I’ve slowly been digesting the studio albums since getting them on vinyl, and with Dylan Jones’s Loaded on hand (not to mention copious video essays) I’m thinking that’s the next read and deep dive.

From there I want to take a look at the backlog of metal cassettes, and think about why that format and that genre work so well together. And of course listening ahead, always finding out what is new and exciting, even if the new and exciting things recalls a thing already known.

Exploration or excavation, I’m looking forward to each and every discovery.