Best Albums
1. Post Malone - F-1 Trillion
- Wow. I had no idea he had this in him. Post Malone had existed in the periphery of my multimedia awareness; a droning, relatively uncomplex new-age rapper. Then I got wise to this album as part of our family's country music exploration on our long road trips across central Nevada en route to Utah. It made me reconsider his entire body of work. This album has big hits from start to finish and he pulls in some amazing collabs. It's a triumph in the country music art form. The twang, the lyrics, the emotions--comedy, heartbreak, love. My wife and I went to see him in concert in San Francisco around mid 2025. It was a great show, and I also got to appreciate the energy and passion in a lot of his hip-hop songs. And as I've taken to try to play a lot of his songs on guitar, I've become (painfully) aware of how good of a tenor singer Post Malone is.
- I love Sparhawk's evolution in this solo project following the sad death of his wife and musical partner from Low, Mimi Parker. I don't mean to read too much into his intent on this album, but it's hard not to approach it like it's a grieving album. In that sense, I like the way he masks his voice with the vocoder effect--like he's putting on a mask to help him get through or something. And songs like Heaven hit hard with lyrics like, "Heaven, it's a lonely place if you're alone // I wanna be there with the people that I love".
- A big year for Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, putting out 2 records (see #5 below). These guys just make music on a higher intellectual level and with a richer complexity than pretty much anyone out there.
4. Jessica Pratt - Here in the Pitch
- New discovery for me. Transporting, consistent album. Her songs make me appreciate the music she's putting out. Not too much frills. A lot of classical acoustic guitar and her lovely voice.
5. The Smile - Cutouts
- As Radiohead is currently on tour, I saw someone post that they felt privileged to be so close to the stage to be able to witness the best soundscape musician in Jonny Greenwood as they highlighted all the crazy stuff he was doing on the stage through different mediums. I complain a lot about the lack of the shredding guitar solos in today's music. Jonny doesn't directly satisfy that complaint for me, but he does reinterpret my request with something possibly better (or at least it's unique and cool) like what he does in "Zero Zum" where his guitar is just hopping and grooving all over the place on top of the verses. It's less formulaic than the old classic rock approach, but it still shreds in its own way. And Thom bopping in with "Windows '95" just hits so good.
6. Charli xcx - BRAT
- I saw a NYT Crossword clue for Charli xcx with the clue, "British Singer with the top 10 albums, 'Crash' and 'Brat'," and realized I'd better check her out. I was not disappointed. She has the ability to make her music sound so BIG. I'd love dancing to her music with the music up LOUD!!
7. Taylor Swift - THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT
- I've liked seeing her evolution as an artist. This album has enough cool beats and good songwriting to it that I found myself listening to it lots of times.
8. Shakira - Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran
- Shakira is such an asset to the Latin American world. She's been putting out hits across generations now, and this album is surprisingly very good. My wife and I also got to see her in concert in 2025. She's so fun and likable. And I'm rating this album without the benefit of including the best dis song of all time, "Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53", about her breakup with Gerard Pike, which technically came out in 2024.
9. Being Dead - EELS
- A fun new band from Austin, TX, coming out strong with this post-punk sound. I haven't checked out their 2023 debut album. They remind me of Sonic Youth.
10. The Decemberists - As It Ever Was, So It Will Be Again
- Their formula and Colin Meloy's storytelling music is just so good, they're hard to ignore.
Other Good Albums
- Kendrick Lamar - GNX (Not a great album all the way through, like 'DAMN', but it has a few great tunes.)
- Friko - Where we've been, Where we go from here
- Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future (I love a good duet, like in "Free Treasure.")
- Dua Lipa - Radical Optimism (She puts out a few bangers with every album she releases.)
- Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer
- Future Islands - People Who Aren't There Anymore (Life feels so incredibly important when I hear frontman, Samuel T. Herring, sing.)
- Gracie Abrams - The Secret of Us
- Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood (Great sound, but too similar to her 2020 record.)
Other
- Fleet Foxes - Live on Boston Harbor (I've gotten more into live music lately, and this album (plus its accompanying Youtube video) is a great example of that. Fleet Foxes has been rising up towards the top of my favorite artists list for the last few years. I keep going back to their music, and lots of lyrical snippets from their songs come into my head during times when I'm outdoors. Lead singer, Robin Pecknold, is an incredible songwriter as well as an amazing singer. I really admire him as an artist. If not for the complication of this being a live album it would be my #1 of the year.)
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