Music Year 2025

Way too early clone, fix this later.

Of course, it's too early for a year-end list. But as the proto-fascist organization of my youth insisted, one should always be prepared. For records in hand, * identifies an advance copy, ** something borrowed or streamed. Some albums released in previous years are included here, noted by a "-NN" (e.g., -24 for 2024) -- these are mostly imports or self-releases, often hard to figure out official dates, but they were either December 2020 releases or unknown (to me, at least) before the current year.

This is a subset of the 2025 Music Tracking file, which includes many additional unheard albums. There are also Metacritic/EOY Aggregate files for New Music and Old Music.

I keep adding to the 2024 until the end of calendar 2025, especially where the record was known to exist in 2024 and I'm just getting around to it.

New Records

A
  1. Mekons: Horror (Fire) **
A-
  1. Steve Lehman Trio + Mark Turner: The Music of Anthony Braxton (Pi)
  2. Craig Finn: Always Been (Taramac/Thirty Tigers) **
  3. Saba & No I.D.: From the Private Collection of Saba and No I.D. (From the Private Collection) **
  4. The Ex: If Your Mirror Breaks (Ex) **
  5. Dean Wareham: That's the Price of Loving Me (Carpark) **
  6. Bryan Ferry/Amelia Barratt: Loose Talk (Dene Jesmond) **
  7. Clipping.: Dead Channel Sky (Sub Pop) **
  8. Helene Cronin: Maybe New Mexico (self-released) **
  9. Brother Ali: Satisfied Soul (Mello Music Group) **
  10. Marie Davidson: City of Clowns (Deewee) **
  11. James Brandon Lewis Trio: Apple Cores (Anti-) **
  12. Russ Anixter's Hippie Big Band: What Is? (self-released)
  13. Moonchild Sanelly: Full Moon (Transgressive) **
  14. Annie & the Caldwells: Can't Lose My (Soul) (Luaka Bop) **
  15. Nels Cline: Consentrik Quartet (Blue Note) **
  16. Deepstaria Enigmatica: The Eternal Now Is the Heart of a New Tomorrow (ESP-Disk) [02-25]
  17. Jeffrey Lewis: The Even More Freewheelin' Jeffrey Lewis (Don Giovanni/Blang) **
  18. FACS: Wish Defense (Trouble in Mind) **
  19. Sylvie Courvoisier/Mary Halvorson: Bone Bells (Pyroclastic)
  20. Anthony Joseph: Rowing Up River to Get Our Names Back (Heavenly Sweetness) **
  21. Frank Carlberg: Dream Machine (Red Piano)
  22. Branford Marsalis Quartet: Belonging (Blue Note) **
  23. Patterson Hood: Exploding Trees and Airplane Screams (ATO) **
  24. Loot: Loot (ICP) **
  25. Damon Locks: List of Demands (International Anthem) **
  26. Satoko Fujii Tokyo Trio: Dream a Dream (Libra)
  27. Keiji Haino/Natsuki Tamura: What Happened There? (Libra)
  28. YHWH Nailgun: 45 Pounds (AD 93) **
  29. The Delines: Mr. Luck & Ms. Doom (Decor) **
  30. Nnenna Freelon: Beneath the Skin (Origin)
  31. Adam O'Farrill: For These Steets (Out of Your Head)
  32. Peter Brötzmann/Jason Adasiewice/Steve Noble/John Edwards: The Quartet: Cafe Oto, London, February, 10 & 11, 2023 (Otoroku) **
  33. Corook: Committed to a Bit (Atlantic) **
  34. Nils Agnas: Köper Sig Ur En Kris (Moserobie)
  35. Jason Isbell: Foxes in the Snow (Southeastern) **
  36. Samo Salamon & Ra Kalam Bob Moses Orchestra: Dream Suites Vol. 1 (Samo)
  37. The Chills: Spring Board: The Early Unrecorded Songs (Fire) **
  38. Anla Courtis & Lehtisalo: 1972 (Full Connect) **
  39. Eunhye Jeong/Michael Bisio Duo: Morning Bells Whistle Bright (ESP-Disk)

Pending:

Records in hand, but which haven't yet been graded (sorted by artist, or release date if future). Those marked ** are downloads in hand.

  • Chris Jonas: Backwardsupwardsky (Edgetone) [03-04]
  • Alberto Pinton's Relentless: Allt Större Klarhet (Moserobie) [03-14]
  • Archer: Sudden Dusk (Aerophonic) [04-18]
  • Charlie Ballantine: East by Midwest (Origin) [04-18]
  • Ludovica Bertone: Migration Tales (Endectomorph Music) [04-18]
  • Nancy Kelly: Be Cool (Origin) [04-18]
  • Medler Sextet: River Paths (OA2) [04-18]
  • Tobias Meinhart: Sonic River (Sonic River) [04-18]
  • Unity Quartet [Helio Alves/Guilherme Monteiro/Gili Lopes/Alex Kautz]: Samba of Sorts (Sunnyside) [04-18]
  • Phil Haynes/Ben Monder: Transition[s] (Corner Store Jazz) [04-21]
  • Phil Haynes: Return to Electric (Corner Store Jazz) [04-21]
  • Pitch, Rhythm and Consciousness: Sextet (Reva) [04-22]
  • Adrian Galante: Introducing Adrian Galante (Zoho) [04-25]
  • Kris Adams/Peter Perfido: Away (Jazzbird) [05-01]
  • The Haas Company Featuring Samuel Hällkvist: Vol. 3: Song for Mimi (Psychiatric) [05-01]
  • Melissa Kassel & Tom Zicarelli Group: Moments (MKMusic) [05-01]
  • Marilyn Kleinberg: Let Your Heart Lead the Way (Waking Up Music) [05-01]
  • The Reddish Fetish With the Jersey City All Stars: Llegue (F&F) [05-01]
  • Clay Wulbrecht: The Clockmaster (Instru Dash Mental) [05-02]
  • Satoko Fujii This Is It!: Message (Libra) [05-09]
  • Jordan VanHemert: Survival of the Fittest (Origin) [05-16]
  • Ryan Truesdell: Shades of Sound: Gil Evans Project Live at Jazz Standard Vol. 2 (Outside In Music) [05-30]
  • Carol Liebowitz/Nick Lyons: The Inner Senses (SteepleChase LookOut) [06-01]

Also Noted:

Records in hand, graded B+ or below, in alphabetical order within grade slots:

B+(***)
  • Carl Allen: Tippin' (Cellar) **
  • Backxwash: Only Dust Remains (Ugly Hag) **
  • Bad Bunny: Debí Tirar Más Fotos (Rimas Entertainment) **
  • Barker: Stochastic Drift (Smalltown Supersound) **
  • MC Paul Barman: Tectonic Texts (Househusband) **
  • Bdrmm: Microtonic (Rock Action) **
  • Believers [Brad Shepik/Sam Minaie/John Hadfield]: Hard Believer (Shifting Paradigm) **
  • Tim Berne/Tom Rainey/Gregg Belisle-Chi: Yikes Too (Screwgun/Out of Your Head, 2CD)
  • Bonnie "Prince" Billy: The Purple Bird (No Quarter) **
  • Anouar Brahem: After the Last Sky (ECM) **
  • Jarod Bufe: Brighter Days (Calligram)
  • Xhosa Cole: On a Modern Genius, Vol. 1 (Stoney Lane) **
  • Christopher Dammann: Sextet (Out of Your Head)
  • Silke Eberhard Trio: Being-a-Ning (Intakt) **
  • Lorraine Feather: The Green World (Relation)
  • Satoko Fujii GEN: Altitude 1100 Meters (Libra)
  • Rose Gray: Louder, Please (PIAS) **
  • Muriel Grossmann: MGQ Live in King Georg, Köln (Powerhouse) **
  • The Hemphill Stringtet: Plays the Music of Julius Hemphill (Out of Your Head)
  • Jacob Felix Heule/Teté Leguía/Sanishta Rivero/Martín Escalante: An Inscrutable Bodily Discomforting Thing (Kettle Hole)
  • Homeboy Sandman & Illingsworth: Dancing Tree (self-released, EP) **
  • Ale Hop & Titi Bakorta: Mapambazuko (Nyege Nyege Tapes) **
  • Jon Irabagon: Server Farm (Irabbagast)
  • Jessica Jones Quartet: Edible Flowers (Reva)
  • Rodney Jordan: Memphis Blue (Baxter Music)
  • Lola Kirke: Trailblazer (One Riot) **
  • Benjamin Lackner: Spindrift (ECM) **
  • Lady Gaga: Mayhem (Interscope) **
  • Lolo [Mamah Diabate/Jabel Kanuteh/Stefano Pilia/Marco Zanotti]: Lolo (Black Sweat) **
  • Brandon Lopez: Nada Sagrada (Relative Pitch) **
  • Jako Maron: Mahavélouz (Nyege Nyege Tapes) **
  • Tate McRae: So Close to What (RCA) **
  • Myra Melford: Splash (Intakt) **
  • Mdou Moctar: Tears of Injustice (Matador) **
  • Billy Mohler: The Eternal (Contagious Music) **
  • Matthew Muńesses/Riza Printup: Pag-Ibig Ko Vol. 1 (Irabbagast)
  • Paal Nilssen-Love Circus With the Ex Guitars: Turn Thy Loose (PNL) **
  • Ivo Perelman/Ken Vandermark/Joe McPhee: Oxygen (Mahakala Music) **
  • Noah Preminger: Ballades (Chill Tone)
  • PremRock: Did You Enjoy Your Time Here . . . ? (Backwoodz Studioz) **
  • Private Property: Private Property (Kraakeslottet Platekompagni) **
  • Shygirl: Club Shy Room 2 (Because Music, EP) **
  • Six Sex: X-Sex (Dale Play, EP) **
  • Jim Snidero: Bird Feathers (Savant)
  • Songhoy Blues: Héritage (Transgressive) **
  • Trio Glossia: Trio Glossia (Sonic Transmissions) **
  • Andy Fairweather Low: The Invisible Bluesman (Last Music) **
  • Reggie Watkins: Rivers (BYNK)
  • Rodney Whitaker: Mosaic: The Music of Gregg Hill (Origin)
  • Simón Willson: Bet: Live at Ornithology (Endectomorph Music)
  • Michael Wollny Trio: Living Ghosts (ACT) **
  • Jeong Lim Yang: Synchronicity (Sunnyside)
B+(**)
  • 2hollis: Star (Interscope) **
  • Ambrose Akinmusire: Honey From a Winter Stone (Nonesuch) **
  • Florian Arbenz/Michael Arbenz/Ron Carter: The Alpine Session: Arbenz Vs Arbenz Meets Ron Carter (Hammer) **
  • Artemis: Arboresque (Blue Note) **
  • Willow Avalon: Southern Belle Raisin' Hell (Assemble Sound/Atlantic) **
  • Banks: Off With Her Head (Her Name Is Banks) **
  • Benefits: Constant Noise (Invada) **
  • Black Milk & Fat Ray: Food From the Gods (Computer Ugly/Fat Beats) **
  • Blacks' Myths Meet Pat Thomas: The Mythstory School (self-released) **
  • Robert Sarazin Blake: Let the Longing Run Wild & Free (Same Room) **
  • Benjamin Booker: Lower (Fire Next Time/Thirty Tigers) **
  • Rob Brown: Walkabout (Mahakala Music) **
  • Burnt Sugar/The Arkestra Chamber: If You Can't Dazzle Them With Your Brilliance, Then Baffle Them With Your Blisluth Pt. Two (Avant Groid Musica) **
  • Alan Chaubert: Just the Three of Us: Me, the Trumpet and the Piano (Pacific Coast Jazz)
  • Charley Crockett: Lonesome Drifter (Son of Davy) **
  • Cymande: Renascence (BMG) **
  • Doseone/Steel Tipped Dove: All Portrait, No Chorus (Backwoodz Studioz) **
  • Mathias Eick: Lullaby (ECM) **
  • Trygve Fiske Sextet: The Flowers. The Dance. The Rumble and the Stumble. (Slaraffensongs) **
  • Sullivan Fortner: Southern Nights (Artwork) **
  • Brad Goode Polytonal Big Band: The Snake Charmer (Origin)
  • Dave Hanson: Blues Sky (Origin)
  • Billy Hart Quartet: Just (ECM) **
  • Tim Hecker: Shards (Kranky) **
  • Nick Hempton/Cory Weeds: Horns Locked (Cellar Music) **
  • William Hooker: Jubilation (ORG Music) **
  • Horsegirl: Phonetics On and On (Matador) **
  • Vijay Iyer/Wadada Leo Smith: Defiant Life (ECM) **
  • Erik Jekabson: Breakthrough (Wide Hive)
  • Eugenie Jones: Eugenie (Open Mic)
  • Larry June, 2 Chainz & The Alchemist: Life Is Beautiful (The Freeminded/ALC/Empire) **
  • Kaisa's Machine: Moving Parts (Greenleaf Music) **
  • Kelela: In the Blue Light (Warp) **
  • Clemens Kuratle Ydivide: The Default (Intakt) **
  • John Mailander's Forecast: Let the World In (self-released) *
  • Will Mason Quartet: Hemlocks, Peacocks (New Focus) **
  • Nicole McCabe: A Song to Sing (Colorfield) **
  • Silvano Monasterios Venezuelan Nonet: The River (self-released)
  • Gurf Morlix: A Taste of Ashes (Rootball) **
  • Caili O'Doherty: Bluer Than Blue: Celebrating Lil Hardin Armstrong (Outside In Music) **
  • Oklou: Choke Enough (True Panther/Because Music) **
  • Isabelle Olivier: Impressions (Rewound Echoes)
  • Benjie Porecki: All That Matters (Funklove Productions)
  • Jackson Potter: Small Things (Shifting Paradigm)
  • Rick Roe: Tribute: The Music of Gregg Hill (Cold Plunge)
  • Bobby Rush/Kenny Wayne Shepherd: Young Fashioned Ways (Deep Rush/Thirty Tigers) **
  • Gina Saputo: Daydream (GSJQ Productions)
  • Mark Scott III: Soft Light (Miller Three Publishing)
  • Dave Sewelson/Gabby Fluke-Mogul/George Cartwright/Anthony Cox/Steve Hirsh: Murmuration (Mahakala Music) **
  • Elias Stemeseder/Christian Lillinger + Craig Taborn: Umbra III: Live Setting (Intakt) **
  • Mark Turner: We Raise Them to Lift Their Heads (Loveland Music) **
  • University of Nevada Las Vegas Jazz Ensemble 1: Let the Good Times Roll (Vegas)
  • Jesse Welles: Middle (self-released) **
  • Christian Winther: Sculptures From Under the City Ice (Earthly Habit) **
  • The Young Mothers: Better If You Let It (Sonic Transmissions) **
B+(*)
  • Marshall Allen: New Dawn (Mexican Summer) **
  • Ichiko Aoba: Luminiscent Creatures (Hermine) **
  • Basic: Dream City (No Quarter, EP) **
  • Ermelinda Cuellar: Under a Lavender Sky (self-released)
  • Jonah David: Waltz for Eli (Swish Tap)
  • Geoffrey Dean Quartet: Conceptions (Cellar Music)
  • The Devil Makes Three: Spirits (New West) **
  • Joe Elefante: Joe Elefante's Wheel of Dharma (self-released)
  • Peter Erskine & the Jam Music Lab All-Stars: Vienna to Hollywood: Impressions of E.W. Korngold & Max Steiner (Origin)
  • Ex-Vöid: In Love Again (Tapete) **
  • Sam Fender: People Watching (Polydor) **
  • FKA Twigs: Eusexua (Young/Atlantic) **
  • Daniel Garbin: Rising (6x20)
  • GFOTY: Influenzer (Girlfriend) **
  • John Glacier: Like a Ribbon (Young) **
  • Lilly Hiatt: Forever (New West) **
  • Homeboy Sandman & Yeyts.: Corn Hole Legend (self-released, EP) **
  • Ayumi Ishito: Roboquarians Vol. 2 (577) **
  • Japanese Breakfast: For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women) (Dead Oceans) **
  • Jupiter & Okwess: Ekoya (Airfono) **
  • Knats: Knats (Gearbox) **
  • Lambrini Girls: Who Let the Dogs Out (City Slang) **
  • Karl Latham: Living Standards II (Dropzone Jazz)
  • Doug MacDonald: Santa Monica Session (DMAC Music)
  • Manic Street Preachers: Critical Thinking (Columbia) **
  • Ben Markley: Tell the Truth (OA2)
  • Michi: Dirty Talk (Stones Throw) **
  • Mogwai: The Bad Fire (Rock Action) **
  • Patricio Morales: La Tierra Canta (Northsound)
  • Marius Neset: Cabaret (ACT Music) **
  • The Nightingales: The Awful Truth (Fire) **
  • Panda Bear: Sinister Grift (Domino) **
  • Ben Patterson Jazz Orchestra: Mad Scientist Music (Origin)
  • Jeremy Pelt: Woven (HighNote) **
  • Juan Perea: Lightkeeper (Zoho)
  • Porridge Radio: The Machine Starts to Sing (Secretly Canadian, EP) **
  • Jaysun Silver: No Excuses! (self-released) **
  • Jae Sinnett: The Blur the Lines Project (J-Nett Music)
  • Skaiwater: #mia (GoodTalk/Capitol, EP) **
  • Squid: Cowards (Warp) **
  • Dayna Stephens: Hopium (Contagious Music) **
  • Macie Stewart: When the Distance Is Blue (International Anthem) **
  • The Third Mind: Live Mind (Yep Roc) **
  • Omar Thomas Large Ensemble: Griot Songs (Omar Thomas Music, 2CD)
  • Mitch Towne: Refuge (Cross Towne)
  • The Tubs: Cotton Crown (Trouble in Mind) **
  • Sharon Van Etten: Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory (Jagjaguwar) **
  • Chris Varga: Breathe (Calligram)
  • Mathilde Grooss Viddal/Friensemblet: Tri Vendur Blés Ho I Den Hřgaste Sky (Losen) **
  • Sunny War: Armageddon in a Summer Dress (New West) **
  • WDR Big Band: Bluegrass (MCG Jazz)
  • The Weather Station: Humanhood (Fat Possum) **
  • Wolf Eyes: Wolf Eyes X Anthony Braxton (ESP-Disk)
  • Y: Y (Hideous Mink, EP) **
  • Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek: Yarin Yoksa = If There Is No Tomorrow (Big Crown) **
  • Adrian Younge & Ali Shaheed Muhammad: Jazz Is Dead 22: Ebo Taylor (Jazz Is Dead) **
  • James Zito: Zito's Jump (self-released)
B
  • Yazz Ahmed: A Paradise in the Hold (Night Time Stories) **
  • Steve Allee Big Band: Naptown Sound (Jazzville)
  • Black Country, New Road: Forever Howlong (Ninja Tune) **
  • Booker T & the Bleeds: Ode to BC/LY . . . And Eye Know BO . . . Da Prez (Mahakala Music) **
  • Ethel Cain: Perverts (Daughters of Cain) **
  • Alex Coke & Carl Michel Sextet: Situation (PlayOn)
  • Liz Cole: I Want to Be Happy (self-released)
  • John Dikeman/Sun-Mi Hong/Aaron Lumley/Marta Warelis: Old Adam on Turtle Island (Relative Pitch) **
  • Doodlebug and 80 Empire: A Galactic Love Supreme (Gladiator) **
  • Ensemble C: Every Journey (Adhyâropa)
  • Food House: Two House (self-released) **
  • Groovology: Almost Home (Sugartown)
  • Jennie: Ruby (Columbia) **
  • Kedr Livansky: Myrtus Myth (2MR) **
  • Noel Okimoto: Hō'ihi (Noel Okimoto Music)
  • Perfume Genius: Glory (Matador) **
  • Steve Smith and Vital Information: New Perspective (Drum Legacy)
  • Vincenzo Virgillito: Precondition (self-released)
B-
  • Jake Hertzog: Ozark Concerto (Zoho)
  • Ingrid Laubrock: Purposing the Air (Pyroclastic, 2CD)
  • Skrillex: Fuck U Skrillex U Think Ur Andy Warhol but Ur Not!! <3 (Atlantic/Owsla) **
  • Dave Stryker: Stryker With Strings Goes to the Movies (Strikezone)
C+

Limited sampling: Records I played parts of, but not enough to grade: -- means no interest, - not bad but not a prospect, + some chance, ++ likely prospect.

++
+
-

Reissues/Compilations/Vault Music:

In previous years I tried to separate reissues from compilations, including newly released vault items in the latter. This made sense when I was reviewing a lot of Recycled Goods material, but led to other problems with year-end lists, so anything containing any previously released material is collected here, and anything that is wholly previously unreleased is treated as new, above.

A
A-
  1. Charles Mingus: Mingus in Argentina: The Buenos Aires Concerts (1977, Resonance, 2CD)
  2. Ginger Johnson and His African Messengers: African Party [Deluxe Edition] (1967, Innovative Collective/BBE Music) **
  3. Joe Henderson: Multiple (1973, Craft) **
  4. Studio: West Coast (2006, Ghostly International) **
  5. Mary Halvorson Quartet: John Zorn's Bagatelles: Volume 1 (2019, Tzadik) **

Pending

Records in hand, sorted by artist, or release date if future. Those marked ** are downloads in hand.

Also Noted:

B+(***)
  • Peter Brötzmann Trio: Hurricane (Old Heaven Books) **
  • Kenny Dorham: Blue Bossa in the Bronx: Live From the Blue Morocco (1957, Resonance)
  • Homeboy Sandman: Rich 2.5 (self-released) **
  • William Hooker: A Time Within: Live at the New York Jazz Museum, January 14, 1977 (Valley of Search) **
  • Mac Miller: Balloonerism (2014, REMember Music/Warner) **
  • Art Pepper: Geneva 1980 (Omnivore) **
  • Spectacular Diagnostics: Raw Game [Ten Year Edition] (2015, Vinyl Digital) **
  • Neil Young: Oceanside Countryside (1977, Reprise) **
B+(**)
  • Erik Friedlander and Michael Nicolas: John Zorn's Bagatelles: Vol. 2 (2019, Tzadik) **
  • Vince Guaraldi Trio: Jazz Impressions of a Boy Named Charlie Brown (1964, Craft, 2CD) **
  • Freddie Hubbard: On Fire: Live From the Blue Morocco (1967, Resonance, 2CD)
  • Rob Mazurek: Alternate Moon Cycles [IA11 Edition] (2012, International Anthem) **
B+(*)
  • Johnny Bragg: Let Me Dream On (ORG Music) **
  • Music Is a Message From Space (Corbett vs. Dempsey) **
  • Salsa de la Bahia Vol. 3: A Colection of SF Bay Area Salsa and Latin Jazz: Renegade Queens (Patois, 2CD)
  • Serengeti: Mixtape 2 (self-released) **
  • Trigger: John Zorn's Bagatelles: Vol. 3 (2019, Tzadik) **
  • Yo La Tengo: Old Joy (2006, Mississippi, EP) **
B
  • Krautrock Eruption: An Introduction to German Electronic Music 1970-1980 (Bureau B) **
B-