Murn 2025: Get Off My Lawn

I don’t know if the busyness and pace of 2025 was at fault for my apathetic music discovery, or if it was a matter of familiar artists just putting out bland records… 

It’s funny that if you were to ask me to predict if the artists in my top two spots would fit in this category, I would have said absolutely. They would have probably been the most flagrant offenders. That wasn’t the case, so who the hell knows anymore.

15. Electric Guest – 10K

10K feels like an album that’s trying very hard to be effortless. Electric Guest still has their

breezy pop sound, but this time it sounds more generic than inspired. The songs are pleasant

enough in the background, yet very few of them stick. A couple of tracks show flashes of the

quirky charm the band used to have, but most of the album blends together into a forgettable

mid-tempo haze. For a band that once sounded fresh and distinctive, this ends up feeling pretty

ordinary.

14. St. Paul & The Broken Bones – St. Paul & The Broken Bones

Unfortunately, this is another album by an artist that I have enjoyed, but just didn’t love this go-

around. Everything is technically well played and tightly produced, yet it feels more like a

careful tribute to classic R&B rather than something with real substance. The songs blur

together with familiar grooves and predictable arrangements, leaving little that truly stands

out.

13. Night Moves – Double Life

Double Life is one of those albums that doesn’t try to reinvent anything, but ends up working

simply because it knows its lane. Night Moves lean comfortably into warm, slightly hazy indie

rock with touches of soft psychedelia, and the result is consistently pleasant. This was an easy

album to pop on at work and let it roll. Didn’t quite blow my socks off, but that seems to be the

gist this year for me.

12. Ghostface Killah – Supreme Clientele 2

To say you are making a volume 2 to one of the most influential and classic hip hop albums is

quite a statement. Although there are some great tracks on this album, it feels like a no-name

street DJ mix you would be handed at Times Square. Hip hop albums rarely have a cohesive

theme or overall feel, but come on, man. Clean this shit up! There is some nostalgia bias in this

ranking, as Ghostface is one of my favorite rappers.

11. Whitney – Small Talk

Unfortunately, I write another album review tinged with curmudgeonliness again. Another melodic easy

listen. But I’ve grown tired of the falsetto, stomped-testicle vocals. The songs feel slight, more

like sketches of ideas than fully baked moments, and the laid-back mood starts to blur together

before long. There’s nothing actively bad here, just a general sense that the band is coasting

rather than pushing themselves.

10. Bahamas – My Second Last Album

Ready? Prepare for a totally different take and album review tone… Bahamas leans into his

usual mellow breezy pop and understated folk-soul, delivering songs that are pleasant and

instantly likable. The problem is that most of them fade from memory almost as quickly as they

arrive. Afie’s relaxed vocals create a nice atmosphere, but the album rarely reaches beyond

surface level. Nothing feels out of place, yet nothing really demands me to replay either. It’s the

kind of record that works perfectly as background music on a lazy afternoon, period.

9. Nas & DJ Premier – Light-Years

Man, was I pumped for this album. The world was waiting for a dedicated album by these two.

Some of Nas’ most iconic songs have been at the production hands of DJ Premier. Nas has been

on fire for the last handful of years with his dedicated production partner Hitboy. He does his

best on this record, but the Premier beats sadly do nothing to help him out. Huge bummer.

These beats sound incomplete, simple, and C-grade. What is going on with the world???

Premier is almost 60 years old, so some empathy should be due, but these beats are turds.

Luckily, there are other hip hop albums on this list that do way better.

8. My Morning Jacket - is

Now we’re starting to turn a corner regarding the overall tone of these reviews. We’re

heating up. This album feels like a solid, workmanlike entry in the band’s long catalog. There is

nothing revelatory, but it’s far from a misstep. There are moments where the familiar magic

clicks, with a few tracks capturing the expansive, soulful energy the band does so well. Jim

James still sounds fantastic, and the songs open up a bit more than the previous self-titled

album. Yes, you could pop this on at work like the others, but I did find myself stopping and

taking the songs in more. One of my favorite groups.

7. Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo 2

Good hip hop production makes its way to the 2025 list. Though The Alchemist may not be as

iconic as DJ Premier, I think he is the most consistent and inventive. Alc can adapt his

production for any rapper and make it fit them perfectly. This is exactly what he did on this part

two album with Freddie Gibbs. Gibbs writes rhymes that straddle the typical boastful, cocaine

laden, womanizing themes that we all know and love, with actual real emotion and some sense

of vulnerability. He’s stuck between worlds of grime and sophistication. Except that both sides can

shine without feeling fake or manufactured. There are 4-5 songs on here that are superb rap

tunes.

6. Conway the Machine – You Can’t Kill God with Bullets

No hip hop is better than well-done, gritty street rhymes over dark, simple yet complex beats. No

fluff, no filler. Conway reminds me of the old days, listening to Mobb Deep and M.O.P. These

were rough, ugly dudes with skill. Conway and other Griselda Records artists do put out a ton of

content. Some good, and some not so good. Conway has always been the most talented of the

bunch, and this time, he gets close to a complete album. An album where I like most of the

songs and can let it play. I don’t want to sound like a 50-year-old white NPR douche describing

how Megan Thee Stallion’s rhymes are groundbreaking and a real push forward for women, but

Conway does sound more mature and better focused on this album. There were a handful of

times when I was really impressed with the wordplay.

5. Khruangbin – The Universe Smiles Upon You

It should be tough for a three-piece instrumental band to stay new and relevant. But the ’bin

continues to do this. Seeing them play live was memorable and added to the respect I have for

them. You get the same funky psychedelic feel on this album, but the feel seems a bit more

polished. Making an instrumental album feel cohesive is a tough job, but this group continues

to pull it off.

4. De La Soul – Cabin In The Sky

What a huge bummer to hear about the passing of De La’s Trugoy the Dove. De La,

along with A Tribe Called Quest, were my intros into hip hop. When I wasn’t allowed to listen to

parental advisory records as a youngster, they gave me the foundation to appreciate good hip

hop before the heydays of Biggie and Tupac. I remember my parents taking me to buy Tribe

and De La Soul tapes in fourth grade (along with Snow’s Informer album, haha). It’s impressive to

hear positive uplifting hip hop still be relevant today. We’re lucky enough to get a few

posthumous tracks from Trugoy on this album. The production is on point, and the old feel is

there. Plug 1 and Maseo do a great job of continuing the name while paying respects to their

lost friend. If you are a De La fan, I highly recommend this one.

3. Lucius – Lucius

Lucius came to me via Sirius XM. I heard the catchy song "Gold Rush" on the radio and

immediately started tapping my toe. It's catchy pop with harmonizing women on vocals. I’m all

for that. I came to find out that the group has been around for 10+ years. I’ve yet to have time

to dig into the rest of their catalog, but I’m eager to. They have a Jenny Lewis and Feist feel on

the softer songs, a retro soul feel of a Lake Street Dive on up-tempo, all wrapped in the layered

melodic pop of The New Pornographers.

2. The Black Keys – No Rain, No Flowers

Man, what if you took the Keys and put them in a mixer with some 70s soft rock? Of course, this

would work. There really is no genre that these two wouldn’t be comfortable in. I really liked

this album. Maybe it's even up there in the top three Keys albums for me, period. It just feels

good. Polished yet not over-commercialized. These guys are aware of their sound evolution.

Every time I get the feeling that they are starting to sound slightly stagnant, they find the next

gear and pivot.

1. Tame Impala – Deadbeat

There is no real hazy psych rock guitar that dominated previous Tame Impala albums. Instead,

he pivots hard to dancey electronic energy. This album is a definite departure from the past, and I

love every bit of it. This record is playful and hypnotic. We popped this on while cooking dinner

one night, and I was dancing around like a goon. Especially to the last couple of minutes of the final

track, "End of Summer". I really didn’t expect to like this album this much. I was a fan of Tame

Impala, but I never fell head over heels. I’m thinking the updated nostalgic electronic music we all

used to dig was enough for me to get hooked. I really enjoyed this, and it was an easy number

one pick for 2025.

2025: Melse Discovers Women

Every year, there seems to be some sort of new theme for me - for a while, it was really enjoying new sub-genres that I really had struggled to get into, then it turned into discovering new albums that I absolutely ADORED deep into the year (and even after I started compiling my list).  This year was no different, as it was perhaps finally cracking the code on really enjoying female vocalists.  One third of my top 15 is female singers!  Let's get to it:

Honorable Mentions:

Floating Action - A Hand Carved Garden Tool

Far Caspian -Autofiction

Small Paul - I Was Love, I Was Life

Bug Land - No Joy

The Top 15

15. Tame Impala - Deadbeat

Kevin Parker checks in with album #5, and the results are meh.  Starting with 2015’s Currents, he began taking a more electronic approach to his music.  Currents is an all-timer for me; a wonderful blend of new and old in hindsight.  The Slow Rush was album #4, and that was even further into the dance/house/r&b realm, but I still enjoyed it enough.  Deadbeat just feels like a guy playing in someone else’s sandbox.  For the first time in 15 years, he just seems over his skis.  It isn’t bad per se, it just feels amateurish.  House music is clearly something he feels passionate about, but I just don’t think it’s his specialty.  That said, there is enough on here that I like to sneak it onto my list.

14. Wavves - Spun

The follow-up to my 2021 album of the year, this one sort of fell flat for me.  I liked it enough to include it here, but it just felt a little bland.  In all fairness, I’m not sure Hideaway was all that different than his other releases.  Sometimes music just hits you at the right time and in the right mood.

13. Wet Leg - Moisturizer

Yeah, a bit of a head scratcher.  I struggle to describe this, and I’m also a little embarrassed at how much I liked it.  It’s definitely indie pop at its core, but a lot of the instrumentation is firmly in the 2000s-NY-revival-the-Strokes-ish vein.  And that’s probably why I’m into it.  The lead singer gets under my skin a little bit, especially after I watched some live clips, but it doesn’t deter me from really enjoying the album.

12. Geese - Getting Killed 

Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Every year, there’s an album that everybody gushes over, and if you don’t have it on your year-end list, you’re just an idiot (eye roll).  The weird thing is that a lot of the musicians and critics whose opinion I value are all over this one.  As I was trying and trying and trying to get into it as much as everybody else, I decided to go back to their first two albums to maybe gain some perspective.  And what happened was that despite listening to those first two several times when they came out and ultimately passing on them, I came to really, really love both.  AND now here we are, and for me, Getting Killed is my least favorite of the 3.  That said, I do enjoy enough of this that it makes my list; it’s just not for me as much as it is (allegedly) for everybody else. 

11. Lena Bartels - The Brightest Silver Fish

This is another weird, all-over-the-place album that I really loved.  There’s one straight-up shoegaze song, two songs that border on country (at least as far as the vocals and melody are concerned), and a smattering of others that are just indie rock guitar songs.  It’s the exact opposite of the cohesiveness in an album that I go on and on about, but the strength of the individual songs shines through. 

10. Mamalarky - Hex Key

These indie pop rockers are here with their 3rd album, following 2020’s self-titled and 2022’s Pocket Fantasy.  Both hit my list those years at #4 and #9 respectively, so I was pretty sure I was going to like this one, and I did.  It’s the same basic formula - female vocals, upbeat, catchy as hell melodies with guitar and synth sprinkled in.  I will admit this one comes in just a little less enjoyable than the previous 2 but it still got enough spins for me to give it a home here. 

9. Liquid Mike - Hell is an Airport

Ironfish got me onto these guys last year with Paul Bunyan’s Slingshot.  It took me a few listens, but it eventually clicked and got into me good.  It’s just some really riffy-ass wannabe punk rock music that I absolutely love.  This one didn’t quite hit for me like last year’s offering, but I still really enjoyed it.  They are quite literally the master of the under-2-minute song.

8. This is Lorelei - Holo Boy

One half of Water From Your Eyes (see below), Nate Amos, apparently re-recorded some of his earlier, more straightforward indie pop songs and dropped them as his second proper album, and man, are they good!  It differs quite a bit stylistically from Water From Your Eyes, but the results are still great.  Just catchy and melodic guitar pop songs that all still seem like they belong together despite being all recorded sporadically - a very cohesive album IMO.

7. The Black Keys - No Rain, No Flowers

Proof that once a band provides me with something I absolutely love, no matter how much time goes by, they can do it again.  After dropping two largely bland we’re-sailing-off-into-the-end albums with Let’s Rock and Dropout Boogie, they sucked me all the way back in out of nowhere last year with Ohio Players, and they’ve now kept the streak going with this one.  It’s a far cry from their roots, but the results aren’t complaining.  It’s just a catchy ass groovy rock album with plenty of great songwriting and musicianship. 

6. Hotline TNT - Raspberry Moon

I digested this album as well as their 2023 album Cartwheel in just a few weeks and enjoyed them enough to make this my annual go-to-north-carolina-to-see-a-show-and-crash-Ironfish’s-house-for-two-days extravaganza.  Shoegaze, at its core, but with a little melody and extra catchiness, is the best way for me to describe their sound.  I thought I liked Cartwheel more, but upon relisten, it mayyyyyy be Raspberry Moon that’s better.  Both are very solid, and I’m looking forward to whatever comes next. 

5. Turnstile - Never Enough

Turnstile is every online publication's favorite band right now.  I think there’s very much a “monkey see monkey do” thing going on with all the top sites/critics, but this time they got it right.  “Hardcore band softens edges, slides into more vanilla music fans' libraries” is exactly what the headline should be to describe this, and 2021’s Glow On.  Truth be told, it’s riffy as all hell, loud and abrasive in all the right ways, and vocally aggressive justtttt enough.  I absolutely love it, though admittedly it isn’t on par with Glow On.

4. Alien Boy - You Wanna Fade?

This is a great, great album that has many different elements to it - power pop, dream pop, a touch of shoegaze, a little emo at times, but always just the right amount of guitar oomph and melody to keep it all tied together.  The beginning line to the second song, “It didn’t cross my mind…” repeated in my head for weeks when I first got into the album, just because it was so catchy.   I typically view lo-fi production as a detriment, but it really just works with the rest of the recipe here.  Any fan of guitar pop will adore this one.

3. Ty Segall - Possession

Man oh mannnnnnn Ty is back!  Manipulator is an absolute masterpiece IMO, currently sitting at #41 on my top-100-since-1990 list.  He’s legendary for his voluminous output, often disregarding quality along the way.  SIX albums (PLUS collaborations and side projects) came out between Manipulator in 2014 and Three Bells last year that were all super lackluster.  I have no idea why Three Bells veered back into the more digestible territory of Manipulator, but it hit really hard for me, and now Possession is even better.  The song “Possession” is my song of the year, and the rest of the album lines up.  I’m very super excited to see what’s next for my boy.

2. Alex G - Headlights

This is the major label debut from longtime under-the-radar singer-songwriter Alex Giannascoli.  Melodies abound front to back on this one!  He has a unique ability to create the most melodic vocal delivery.  The way he accentuates certain words while singing both the chorus and verses is just exquisite.  There are so many little instrumental flourishes that stand out due to the overall subdued nature of the music (the little 4-note flute part in the middle of the first verse of Real Thing?).  This was my album of the year all the way until I discovered what came next:

1. Water From Our Eyes - It’s a Beautiful Place

Only having discovered this album roughly a month ago, it’s skyrocketed all the way to the top.  I’ve listened to it probably 30 or 40 times in this span.  An “experimental pop” duo from NYC, this is their second album (the first I literally haven’t even listened to yet).  What this thing has is cohesiveness, flow, riffs, head nodding moments galore, and very cool little instrumental bits to both break it up and tie it together.  "One Small Step" and "For Mankind" are identical one-minute intros and outros of instrumental music that I just can’t describe (in the best way possible).  "Life Signs" rips off the RHCP "Around the World" formula.  "Nights in Armor" has the head noddiest guitar riff I’ve heard in quite some time.  "Born 2" has a relentless distortion-laden riff that would make the gnarliest shoegaze band proud.  "You Don’t Believe in God" is a pretty little orchestral instrumental that takes you down after "Born 2".  "Spaceship" is a clunky-ass bass and drum machine-driven track that just chinks along.  'Playing Classics" builds momentum and adds little additional instrumental elements until the one-minute mark, where it just soarrrrssss in with the catchiest cascading piano I’ve ever heard.  "It’s a Beautiful Place" (the song) is a one-minute guitar solo that I would swear was recorded by John Frusciante in 1993 (bonus points - they are big RHCP fans, which is unheard of from well-respected young indie musicians these days).  "Blood on the Dollar" is the last proper track and the only one that is not a 10/10.  I realize the come down point at the end of an album, but it just falls flat a little bit IMO.  This is not even close to enough to ruin what came before it.  This is my album of the year. 

2025 Ironfish: Catch Me If You Can

Thankfully, I work with students who haven't quite dipped their full mental toe into letting AI do their assignments....yet. We've seen it, caught it (and surely missed some), but on the whole, they aren't using it in the same way older students are. However, with it running inevitably rampant, we attempt to steer the conversation towards HOW to use it effectively, safely, and within the rules in the classroom.

This bleeds into art, with AI-created music and my very own use of image generation software last year to do my list. As someone who admittedly likes and uses AI but is still a massive "humans do it better" advocate (who knows he'll most likely lose out in the long run), I wanted to put the dear reader to the test. Within these 20 album reviews, you will find:

16 official reviews written by me in their entirety. These are all real and all me.

2 reviews written by AI in the style of "me." The album is really on my list, but the review has been created by AI to try to sound like my style.

2 where the bands, albums, and reviews were concocted out of whole cloth by me. None of it is real, except that I wrote it myself.

This list is part year-end ritual, part experiment, and part quiet anxiety about where all of this is headed. Can you decipher which is which? Settle in and drop a comment if you've figured it out. And perhaps more importantly, what does it say if you can't figure it out...

20. Superchunk - Songs in the Key of Yikes 

A hometown favorite, this crew resides in a weird musical place for me. By the time I jumped in as a fan, they had a full career under their belts, and the albums I love would probably not be considered their best by most. Heading into their late 50s, though, they still manage to crank out those same melodious, guitar-driven rock tunes. Now with a markedly political angle front and center, this Stevie Wonder-referencing album is right in that wheelhouse. I'm probably not recommending this one to anyone I'm trying to convince to be a fan, but I'm humming along a lot more often than I thought I would. 

One to check out: "Everybody Dies" (the most hopeful thought imaginable, interestingly...)

19. Brian Dunne - Clams Casino

Steven Hyden threw me a bone with this one, and it is the epitome of a B/B- album. That probably comes across as more of an insult than it's meant to be. Truthfully, this is just a collection of good but never great songs. Comfortable, midtempo, heartland rock can be great, but not taking ANY risks can make an album feel a little anodyne. Consistently good enough to be on this list, it never reaches the heights of me having a favorite song or even one specific, memorable moment that keeps me coming back. Clams Casino gently guides the listener along, making it easy to pop on as background music; it would just need 34% more awesome for me to throw it on with other people here. 

One to check out: "Play the Hits"

18. Wednesday - Bleeds

Another album that I don't really know what to do with, yet. Critically glazed from every corner, a release like this one has to work harder for me to enjoy it, and sometimes an unintentional mental backlash manifests (see: Geese or Cameron Winter). Often, I end up wishing I hadn't read anything at all. Bleeds is a really solid indie rock record that alternates between crushingly heavy riffs and tender moments, often within the same song. Karly Hartzman's vocals are grizzled and gnarly enough to make Courtney Love smirk, and any band with MJ Lenderman involved always has a leg up (even if the relationship dynamic between them is borderline Fleetwood Mac...). But there just aren't quite enough of the songs that truly stick with me for it to be ranked any higher....yet. 

One to check out: "Townies"

17. Miles Miller - Mr. Runaway

By far the latest addition to the bunch, I discovered this album AS I was in the middle of writing the year-end reviews by stumbling on a post from Rolling Stone. That leaves me in a devilish situation where I've hardly had any time at all to digest this soulful/funky/poignant collection of tunes coming from the guy best known as Sturgill Simpson's drummer. Only his second release, this one finds him behind the kit while belting out the tunes (the review I read referred to it as someone going the "full Levon", clearly pandering to me directly). 5 years from now, this has just as much of a chance to be my actual #1 for 2025 as it does to be one where I'm shocked it even made the list at all. 

One to check out: "Mr. Runaway"

 

16. Florry - Sounds like…

A classic, "this group will very likely be higher on my list with their next release," band, Florry put out one of my songs of the year. "First it was a movie, then it was a book," has an absurdly long name, an extended run time, a delightful groove, and unfortunately, it is the first track on their album. The problem is, while the rest is still perfectly fine, nothing really comes close to how beautifully rollicking and ramshackle that opening track is, and I just find myself wanting to go back and listen from the start again. That's honestly not fair, as the rest of the songs fit very nicely in the Crazy Horse doing a solo album without Neil realm - a place I happen to still really like. Even now, as I relisten while doing my review, it's easy to see how my initial excitement about how things kicked off may have blinded me as to how good the rest of it was. In due time, this one is going to rise up the ranks. 

One to check out: "First it was a movie, then it was a book"

15. Rainbow Kitten Surprise - bones

Current belt holder for Worst Band Name in America, the Kitten Surprise smashed into my musical galaxy with 2018's How to: Friend, Love, Freefall. Apparently, some really heavy events (that I had no idea about until writing this review) led to tour cancellations, a musical direction change, a band member leaving, and a split fanbase. Having missed all of that, I was just pleased to throw on bones and find myself bopping along. While never being able to truly define what in the world the genre might be considered for a band as all over the place as this one, it just works. The songs are super catchy, the vocals have an indescribable appeal to me, and every time I put it on, I find a new favorite song. There may not be any songs that reach the heights of the bangers on Freefall, but I'm still pretty damn into it every time I pop it on.  

One to check out: "Hell Naw" (and it's wtf is going on stealing of the "Californication" riff a few times randomly?)

14. Python - Battery Acid

Right in my wheelhouse, Python dropped their debut with the absolutely killer single, "Extraction," in late summer. Pummeling the listener immediately with the kind of killer riffs I scour musical review sites hoping to find, I was intrigued. Shared with me by a long-lost music pal and hailing from Keno, MI, once I was hooked, the full release did nothing to dissuade my interest. Whether it's the multi-layered guitar solos drenched in effects or the instantly hummable melodies, these guys have a formula on their hands that at times feels like it was made in a lab just for me. The main issue - and I know it's nitpicky - is the oddly unnecessary horns (something I usually love) that feel shoehorned into "Pasture" jolt me out of the song every time. More importantly, it's only 8 tracks! When none of the songs stretch out longer than 4 minutes, we are dangerously close to EP territory here. Every time I get into it, it ends. While that certainly left me wanting more, it has mainly had me licking my chops for their next release.

One to check out: "Central Casting"

13. Silver Synthetic - Rosalie

The odds of these fellas replicating the heights of their debut was always going to be minuscule, but to try to do so with the exact same formula was a Herculean task. If they had released Rosalie as their first album, most likely it would be even higher on the list, but expectations contain within them the weight of delivering. A delightfully pleasant collection of twangy, sugary sweet alt-country croonings modeled after the Dead, there are still moments when they crank up the boogie, and others where they harmonize as beautifully as could be. The problem is that in between those peaks, everything else just falls a little flat. The tempos stay a little too stale, and the songs don't move around as much as I'd hope. Thankfully, they are really young and have plenty of time to get this ship back on the Top 5 album level. 

One to check out: "Yr Gonna Be Happy"

12. Cory Hanson - I Love People

This album completely snuck up on me. I didn’t expect much on the first listen, but I Love People kept pulling me back. It’s warm and melodic in a way that feels almost disarming, like Hanson just sat down with a guitar and let the songs come out without worrying too much about sanding off the edges. There’s a heavy ’70s singer/songwriter streak running through the whole thing, the kind that makes you feel like you’ve accidentally put on a record you stumbled upon in your dad's collection. But what I like most is how much ground he covers without the album ever feeling scattered. Some songs lean folksy, others drift closer to indie rock, and a few moments feel downright strange in a way that keeps things interesting. The lyrics are darker than the music lets on, which gives the whole thing a bit more weight than its breezy surface suggests. Is it an album that demands your full attention every time? Probably not. But it’s one I find myself returning to time and again. 

One to check out "Bird on a Swing"

11. Colin Miller - Losin’

Another drummer from a band I love (this time MJ Lenderman's) who steps out into the role of the frontman and delivers a killer release with the last name Miller? That feels fake, doesn't it? Truth is, though, this is in a much different vein from the aforementioned surname sharer. These morose, downbeat songs are dripping with melancholia in a way that's immediately identifiable in the first 20 seconds of the first song. Colin seems quite sad, is sorting things out, and is trying to figure out who to blame (if anyone at all). In the end though, as is often the case, this heartbreak stew tends to make great music. His haunting vocals wash over you as the beat gently shuffles along, and it feels like you're right there with him at the bar, nursing a beer and trying to get him through the tough times. It's enough to make you want him to come out on the other side - but you do (selfishly) worry that if he does, the music might suffer.

One to check out: "Porchlight"

10. Jeremiah Crowe - Quick Turnaround

After being disappointed by his sophomore release, Crowe triumphantly returns with an album that rivals his excellent debut. Borrowing members from Woods (those guys sure do know how to back up an enigmatic lead singer, eh?), the songs are as cozy as a snow-covered cabin in the forest with a warm fire greeting you. He's got one of those voices where you just can't believe he's in his early 20s. It lends extra weight to the heavy topics a guy as young as him chooses to tackle after a tumultuous personal year. The middle stretch sags just a bit, leaning so hard into the hushed, fireside mood that a couple of songs blur together before things pick back up near the end. With a long career (hopefully) ahead of him, he's left me wondering if he'll constantly be searching for new backing bands or if he'll realize the success he had with this one is worth trying to replicate. Either way, I envision him on my list many times in the future. 

One to check out: "Raking Leaves"

9. Whitney - Small Talk

Speaking of reading reviews first, this album got absolutely demolished by Pitchfork in a way that I've rarely seen them do as of late. Like absurdly eviscerated - to the point where people were coming to their defense who weren't even Whitney fans. The most interesting part for me was that I was probably on the way out with these guys after being a massive fan of their earlier releases (their most recent foray into dance really didn't do it for me). When I saw such an over-the-top panning, it actually made me MORE curious to check it out. And I ended up loving it! A total return to form, it's filled with melodious gems, funky grooves, gorgeous keys, and a falsetto that you either love to death or abhor (count me in the love column). I can't possibly listen to "Won't You Speak Your Mind" enough. It's fully entered the dangerous "sing the melody while describing my everyday life" zone that leads my wife to contemplate whether she needs a lawyer. Suck it, Pitchfork. 

One to check out: "Won't You Speak Your Mind"

8. Lemonheads - Love Chant 

Right up there with the most surprising albums to come into existence in my life - the Heads haven't put out a proper release since 2006 - Love Chant not only shockingly is here, but it's really good! Evan Dando managed to wait 19 years to do the same thing he did the year I graduated college (!!), put out a stellar album filled with weird but excellent songs that sneaks J Mascis in as a guest. I'm honestly a bit shocked. He's 58 and somehow was able to put out a record that fits right within his catalog to the point where I feel like I could mix up the songs from '06 with the ones from '25 and people wouldn't be able to tell which were from which. Plus, this gives me hope that I might finally get to see them on tour. Dang. What a fantastic, unexpected yet delightful turn of events. 

One to check out: "Deep End"

7. Alien Boy – You Wanna Fade?                                                                                                                 

This one hit me at just the right moment. Alien Boy sounds like a band that figured out exactly who they are while already in motion, which gives the whole album a nervous, crackling energy that I really connect with. Nothing here feels overthought or sanded down - the guitars buzz and scrape and the melodies sneak up on you. It’s power pop at its core, but it's scrappy. The vocals walk that perfect line between worn-down and defiant, like someone tired of pretending things are fine but still showing up anyway. There’s a real basement-band honesty to this record - the kind that makes it feel instantly familiar. Is it reinventing anything? Not even a little. But it is the kind of album where I kept thinking, “Yeah, this is exactly why I still love this kind of music,” and that goes a long way.                 

One to check out: “Changes”

6. Bahamas - My Second Last Album

Boot Cut didn't really do it for me. I appreciated the idea of the constantly searching troubador exploring a new genre, but as much as I enjoy hearing country tinges, Bahamas to me is in his wheelhouse when he's at arm's length away from the twang. While I'm not going to pretend to understand the title, the music is as warm as ever. Whether it's his conversational yet emotion-filled vocals or the always spot-on instrumentation, Bahamas is one of the best at what he does. He always makes it seem like the songs just slipped out of his pocket. I'm certain that's not the case, and that countless hours went into crafting them, but it speaks to how great he is when you hear how effortless they seem. It genre hops without feeling disjointed and easily vacillates between silly and sincere. Looking forward to his first last album. 

One to check out: "Dearborn"

5. Black Keys - No Rain, No Flowers

Every bit of me had no interest in checking this out - let alone enjoying it. I truly thought I had reached my quota, and then some, for what the Black Keys could do and what they sounded like. That's what makes my level of enjoyment for this record so astonishing. Every time I put it on, I assume the sheen is going to wear off, the mask is going to slip down, and like a Scooby Doo villain, I'll blame those dastardly kids for sneaking one by me. But alas, it just continues to deliver. I challenge you to throw this on, especially if you were a fan of Brothers or Let's Rock. It consistently delivers track after track with excellent grooves and killer guitar. Auerbach sounds comfortable and relaxed, and by golly, I still can't believe I'm typing this. Touche, Akron.

One to check out: "Down to Nothing"

4. The Berries - The Berries 

Dude just seems to have the Midas touch for me. Each release (or new iteration) seems to be bursting at the seams with hooks, riffs, and great songs that just hit me right in the solar plexus. Building on his more produced sound of High Flying Man, he really took the chance to stretch out what was possible in the studio on this self-titled gem. He seems to be trying some new tone or guitar effect on every song, and it helps to keep them sounding fresh while also remaining timeless. Berry continues to polish his rough edges and craft songs that feel fleshed out and whole, while managing to sound varied even while staying in the same general genre. These are the kind of fantastic releases that get minimal media attention and make me wonder just how much other amazing music is out there that I haven't found yet. The Berries are why I search, and in doing so, they make all the albums I've checked out that don't quite do it for me totally worth it. 

One to check out: "Lie in the Fire Again"

3. Liquid Mike - Hell is an Airport

I wonder what age I'm going to be when I just can't connect with bands making midwestern garage rock? I hope it never happens, but to be honest, I thought I'd already be there. So many other things seem to be approaching closer than the mirror is letting on when it comes to making me feel older. But I'll be damned if I still don't love songs about getting absurdly drunk and trying to figure out the start of your adult life - even if that's a world I haven't been in for 20 years. Liquid Mike creates the kind of music pop-punk bands would have made if they jammed in 28% more hooks and removed their tongues from their cheek but kept a sly grin. It's not whining about why things aren't working out as much as just stating the facts. It continually kicks ass along the way with a boulder-rolling-downhill rhythm section buoying sharp-edged, badass guitars. This is the second year in a row they put out a release that made my top 3, something I'm almost positive has never happened before. Cheers, boys, for a job well done yet again - from your grandpa. 

One to check out: "Crop Circles"

2. Fust - Big Ugly
Do you know how some artists just sound authentic as hell? It may actually be contrived, but the way it's crafted comes across as absolutely real. Think 70s Neil Young or 90s Elliott Smith. Well, Fust is the Appalachian version of that. These songs reach into your soul, man. When I hear this, it makes me feel like I grew up in a holler, fixing old fences at my grandmother's and drinking moonshine. I swear, the minute the needle drops, my clothes actually transform into a pair of overalls and a threadbare cap. I freaking love this album. Every track is filled with the warmest blanket of mountain folk imaginable, almost like an audio version of a genealogy test. The ballads are gorgeous, the harmonies are hauntingly beautiful, and most any other year this would have been my well-deserved #1 choice. This band (though similar in age) makes me feel just as old (in a good way) as Liquid Mike does young. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go hand-churn some butter. 

One to check out: "Heart Song"

1. Hotline TNT - Raspberry Moon 

Take everything good about how the youth of Liquid Mike works to Benjamin Button me musically. Now, add in a few milligrams of shoegaze, drench it in melody, and baby, we've got ourselves a stew going. Hotline's actually been around for a while, and while critics attempted to lure me on board with Cartwheel, nothing truly stuck until Raspberry Moon - but they used super glue. Sledgehammer riffs smothered in feedback anchor a record that delights with its heaviness just as much as it surprises with its quirky offshoots. And again, as is so often the case, it comes back to connection. A musical brother-in-arms and I bonded over this album to the point that he hopped on a plane and flew down here to go see them with me (with another, even older, musical buddy) in the backroom of a dive bar. We felt old as shit, the bathroom flooded, my buddy got knocked over in the mosh pit (and skinned his elbow lol), they played for 47 minutes, and it was perfect. Now, every time I put it on, outside of continually being a fantastic listen, I'll always have those memories slingshot back. Music does so many cool things. But the way it's able to keep me connecting in a deep and meaningful way with the people in my life that matter the most might just be the coolest. 

One to check out: "Break Right"