Tag: best of 2025

hiromi - out there
CD

Hiromi: Out There (2025)

Similar to my last review, the where’s and how’s of my discovering the indelible virtuosity of jazz pianist Hiromi are lost to the fog of age (and probably weed, who are we kidding?). Maybe it was during my heady exploration of the fusion and jazz rock coming out of Japan in the ’70s, but however the path was laid, I’m so glad it led me to Out There, her latest album and collaboration with her full band unit Sonicwonder. It’s a heady mix of styles, exuberant and joyful and packing so much excellence in the performance aspect once I put it on, it’s hard not to let it replay over and over again.

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between the buried and me's the blue nowhere album cover
The 9C Files, Vinyl

The 9C Files: Between The Buried and Me’s The Blue Nowhere

This is how I know I’m old: I remember Between the Buried and Me before they were one of the elder statesmen of progressive metal. Those origins of metalcore and slamming death started to evolve almost immediately, and 23 years later here we sit with The Blue Nowhere, an unapologetic progressive metal album that sounds like a rebirth. Their first as a quartet and the first for progressive super label InsideOut Music, The Blue Nowhere stretches into more unexplored sonic territories for the band, getting downright funky and heavy in equal measure. It’s a great rebound after a somewhat lackluster Colors II, and a bold step into a revitalized future.

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deer hoof's noble and godlike in ruin album cover
Vinyl

Deerhoof: Noble And Godlike In Ruin (2025)

Is there a good place to start with Deerhoof? I always confused them with Deerhunter, a band I discovered around the same time, but my only experience with the San Francisco quartet was their 2007 release Friend Opportunity, an album I barely remember except as “weird.” Almost 20 years later I made the impromptu decision to try again. Enter Noble And Godlike In Ruin, their latest critically acclaimed record in a delightful light green vinyl. It’s still weird, but in a way the intervening 18 years of listening have prepared me. Still, there’s a part of me that feels unequipped to explain why now I can find a lot to enjoy in its anarchic chaos.

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militarie gun - god save the gun
Vinyl

Militarie Gun: God Save The Gun (2025)

If you had told me a year ago I would be loving a bunch of young, hungry bands the “kids” of today were into, I guess I wouldn’t be that surprised: after all, I’ve been loving The Dirty Nil since discovering their brand of loud, in-your-face pop punk. But the sheer volume of these young bands, and the strength of their music gives me hope that maybe, just maybe, rock is coming back. Case in point: Militarie Gun, whose second (or third depending on how you count) album God Save The Gun was recommended to me by my friend Sean, who wasn’t even alive when I started dating my wife. It’s a terrific, heart-on-sleeve rock album that straddles the swagger of garage rock with pop punk and indie with a bellyful of hardcore/emo themes.

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magic pie - maestro
The 9C Files, Vinyl

The 9C Files: Magic Pie’s Maestro

Gather round, ye men and women of the heavy. For I have news to share, of the mighty return of Magic Pie, and the veritable cornucopia of virtues that lay within the band’s first album in six years, the masterful Maestro, filled to the brim with incredible guitars, catchy anthemic melodies and soaring choruses and…and…did I mention how great the guitar playing is? Because holy bovine, my friends, the guitar playing is majestic. Too often we turn to extreme music to mirror and reflect how we feel. Well, right now I need music that lifts me up, makes me cheer and rock and smile and feel like there is joy in the construction of a righteous racket. And my friends, my stalwart brethren in metal arms, these Norwegians do just that.

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bask - the turning
The 9C Files, Vinyl

The 9C Files: Bask’s The Turning

Sometimes I lay in bed at night, struggling to figure out what to listen to in order to calm my brain and find some peace. I have it in my head, the way the guitars sound, the kinds of riffs and sinewy leads I want. Slow, rolling, but catchy and propulsive. It’s more than stoner rock; when everyone and their brother is doing it, I crave something deeper, something that locks into my wavelength. I didn’t know Bask before randomly grabbing the promo from the pile, but now, having heard The Turning, not only do I know them, but I know what I was searching for on all of those sleepless nights.

Something to ring the spirit bell inside. A chord that resonates deep in the chasm of my chest. Also, some banjo and gnarly fuzz.

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