Category Archives: favorite albums

Forty Years On: Favorite Music from 1986 Part I

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There’s been a meme going over on Threads lately about it being the 40th anniversary of several great albums released in 1986, and of course this means that I’d need to get in on that nonsense. That was an interesting year for fifteen-year-old me for a few reasons. One, I would soon be finishing my very first completed novel (aka the Infamous War Novel, a bit of juvenilia with heavy Red Dawn vibes) that would set off a future career that’s still with me to this day. Two, it was right about the time I’d started moving away from commercial pop and rock radio and more towards AOR and other genres. And of course, it was also the pivotal year when I discovered college radio. [And because I wouldn’t do the third until April vacation and thus not discover a lot of bands until much later in the year, several of these songs would grab my attention at that time.]

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The Church, Heyday, released January 1986. I’d heard of the band before, various music magazines having sung their praises for a few years by then, but “Tantalized” was probably the first track I’d heard, most likely on WMDK (the local AOR station I’d started obsessing over) and later when I started watching 120 Minutes on MTV.

The Call, Reconciled, released February 1986. I remember really liking “The Walls Came Down” from their 1983 album Modern Romans, which got some decent play on MTV and WAQY, but it was the song “I Still Believe (Great Design)” that blew my mind. Yes, I know, most of you remember this from The Lost Boys and the be-mulleted/abs-for-days Tim Cappello, but that version doesn’t even come close to the power and strength of the original. I’d pick up the album at Strawberries soon after and listened to it quite often.

Public Image Ltd, Album, released 3 February 1986. Yeah, I know he’s become a bit of a bigoted prick these days (this is what usually happens when your only superpower is being an insufferable contrarian), but back then it was great to hear such a call to arms in the Reagan/Thatcher days like the thunderous “Rise”.

Janet Jackson, Control, released 4 February 1986. Meanwhile, waaaaay on the other side of the spectrum, Michael’s little sister finally breaks the glass ceiling with the help of Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and becomes a powerhouse of constant hits that last for years. At the time I didn’t think too much about picking this album up, but all the big singles grew on me and I just couldn’t resist. The whole record is a banger from start to finish.

Stan Ridgway, The Big Heat, released 10 February 1986. The former Wall of Voodoo singer shows up unexpectedly with a leftfield favorite with “Drive, She Said” which got a lot of play on AOR stations like WMDK. This album was really hard to find for me for some reason, and I wouldn’t own it until years later when I found it in a discount bin during my college years.

Talk Talk, The Colour of Spring, released 20 February 1986. This remains on my list of all-time-favorite songs, simple though it may be. I remember kinda liking it but being blown away by the video when it was introduced by one Elvis Costello on MTV one day. It’s also a song I remember crossing over all over the place, not only on the music channel but on rock radio, AOR, and even on the pop stations.

Elvis Costello (as The Costello Show featuring the Attractions and Confederates), King of America, released 21 February 1986. I remember WMDK playing his loungy cover of “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood” quite a bit, even though the album itself didn’t do much of anything in the States at the time. It’s an odd one in his discography, done more for his own enjoyment than any attempt at popularity.

The Pogues, Poguetry in Motion EP, released 24 February 1986. Another track I heard a lot on WMDK was “A Rainy Night in Soho”. I’d heard of the band and most likely heard their more spirited tracks from Red Roses for Me a year or so previous, but I was pleasantly surprised by how lovely this track is. I’d pick up the EP on vinyl not long thereafter.

Soundtrack, Pretty in Pink, released 26 February 1986. If anything, this is probably my second favorite John Hughes film, just after The Breakfast Club. I know I’d seen it in the theater and enjoyed it, but it was maybe some time later when I watched it again on video (we’d finally jumped on the bandwagon, bought a VHS player and started renting movies as a weekend entertainment). My copy of the soundtrack was dubbed (Side B of a ninety minute cassette, with The Breakfast Club soundtrack on the other side), but I’d eventually own my own copy later on.

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More to come!

Thinking About: early 90s techno

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As mentioned a few weeks back, I’ve been catching up on Orbital, an electronic duo that I passively listened to in the 90s. I was vaguely familiar with a lot of their earlier singles like “Halcyon + On + On”, “Chime” and “Lush 3”, but it was 1996’s “The Box” off their album In Sides that caught my attention, especially with its otherworldly and unsettling music video featuring the always intriguing Tilda Swinton as a time-traveling alien visiting the grimier parts of East London. It’s one of my all-time favorite videos of the 90s and was one of the many influences for the Bridgetown Trilogy.

While listening to them, it got me thinking about my experience with electronic music in the 90s. Even then it had all sorts of different genres and names: techno, house, EBM, electronica, chillwave, trip-hop, and everything in between. If I had to pinpoint when I first started paying attention to this kind of stuff, it was hearing “Chime” on the techno show on WFNX during my freshman year in college. It intrigued me, because it wasn’t exactly the melodic synthpop of the 80s that I was so used to, but nor was it the vaguely creative club music that producers like Stock-Aitken-Waterman were churning out on the regular. To me it was somewhere in between: creative enough that you could groove to it at the clubs, but you could also chill out to it in the comfort of your own home. [Mind you, this was also during the height of rave culture so you could do both while completely blissed out, heh.]

Another track that stood out for me, of course, was Moby’s “Go” with its use of Laura Palmer’s Theme from Twin Peaks as the music bed. Creepy and weird yet somehow hypnotic and groovy. This was well before his huge breakthrough with 1997’s Play.

Trip-hop didn’t quite gel with me right away, as it didn’t get a lot of play on the local alternative stations in Boston at the time other than Massive Attack’s “Unfinished Sympathy”, which also got a lot of attention for its hybrid of dance, soul, and heavy vibe. It wasn’t just about the lyrics or the melody, it was also about the mood, and that kind of thing always captured my attention. It also helped that its one-continuous-take video was so simple yet so cinematic. A lot of the best electronic music in the 90s strived to capture that.

I could go on, of course, but this is merely an overview, so perhaps it’s time for me to do another WiS series!

New Year, New Music

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It’s been a couple of weeks into the new year, so I’m sure you’re curious as to what my first downloads of 2026 are. So here we go!

Kula Shaker, Lucky Number EP, releases 2 January. They’ve always had that similarity to Oasis but with more mysticism and less drunken swagger, and this one definitely feels like that. I’ve always loved this band since their K album back in 1996, so I’m looking forward to what the new album (curiously entitled Wormslayer…?) sounds like.

DIIV, Boiled Alive, released 5 January. The sludgy-shoegaze band drops a live album/concert film featuring several songs from their 2024 record Frog in Boiling Water, and they sound surprisingly tight and heavy.

SAULT, Chapter 1, released 9 January. I will always check out whatever this enigmatic band releases, because I never know if it’s going to be jazz, gospel, soul, orchestral, alt rock, or something in between. And they are just so flipping amazing at whatever they do.

Dry Cleaning, Secret Love, released 9 January. These 4AD oddballs talk-sing their way through such weird yet catchy tunes that I can’t help but sit back and take it all in, wondering where it will lead.

The Cribs, Selling a Vibe, released 9 January. This band might be known more in the States for having had Johnny Marr as a full member for a few years and kind of riding on the coattails of The Strokes, but they’ve always been a fun listen.

Best of 2025

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This past year kind of felt like a transitional year for me in terms of listening to music. I managed to not obsess over discography completism as much as I had in previous years, for starters. I also dialed back the incessant need to listen to everything, which was also using up all kinds of brainspace and keeping me from actually retaining any of it.

I felt that this was a year of trying out different things instead, so that meant that not every band I liked previously stuck with me this time out. Several albums that got a ton of kudos from bloggers and music sites tended to pass me by. On the other hand, something obscure like Automatic’s Is It Now? or Coral Grief’s Air Between Us connected deeply with me. There were of course the mainstays like Doves and Grandbrothers, whose albums I listen to frequently during writing sessions, that kept me entertained.

None of it was bad, per se. It’s just that I’m in a place where I wanted to change up my tastes and listening habits, that’s all. Perhaps 2026 will be another transitional year in which I find new artists and albums to latch onto, or perhaps something will arrive that will completely blow my mind. Or maybe by chance, it’ll be a year full of stellar releases. We shall see when the time comes!

So without further ado, here’s my list of what I listened to the most, and what stayed with me over the last several months. As always, my favorite album and song of the year are in bold. I’d have created a Spotify playlist for my own best-of-year that sits in my library, but alas said website is on the outs with several friends and music listeners for not properly paying musicians, among other things. Ah well.

Albums
Andy Bell, pinball wanderer
Automatic, Is It Now?
Coral Grief, Air Between Us
Crushed, no scope
Doves, Constellations for the Lonely
GoGo Penguin, Necessary Fictions
Grandbrothers, Elsewhere
Miki Berenyi Trio, Tripla
Motion City Soundtrack, The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World
Packaging, Packaging
Peter Murphy, Silver Shade
Suzzallo, The Quiet Year
The Beatles, Anthology 4
The Hives, The Hives Forever Forever the Hives
The Verve Pipe, Reconciled

Songs
Automatic, “Is It Now?”
The Beatles, “I Am the Walrus [Take 19 – Strings, Bass, Clarinet Overdub]”
Blushing, “So Many”
Bob Moses, “Better Broken”
Bob Mould, “Here We Go Crazy”
Coral Grief, “Starboard”
Doves, “Renegade”
J Mascis, “Breathe”
Packaging, “Running Through the Airport”
Peter Murphy, “Swoon”
Pulp, “Spike Island”
Sparks, “Do Things My Own Way”
SPELLING, “Portrait of My Heart”
The Neighbourhood, “Hula Girl”
The Verve Pipe, “Tattoo”

The Singles 2025 Playlist:

1. Blushing, “So Many”
2. SPELLING, “Portrait of My Heart”
3. The Hives, “Legalize Living”
4. Steve Queralt, “Lonely Town”
5. Doves, “Renegade”
6. Motion City Soundtrack, “She Is Afraid”
7. HighSchool, “Sony Ericsson”
8. Ashes and Diamonds, “On a Rocka”
9. Peroccupations, “Ill at Ease”
10. Automatic, “Is It Now?”
11. Hannah Jadagu, “Doing Now”
12. Lucy Dacus, “Ankles”
13. Flock of Dimes, “Keep Me In the Dark”
14. The Chameleons UK, “Feels Like the End of the World”
15. Snapped Ankles, “Smart World”
16. SPRINTS, “Descartes”
17. Throwing Muses, “Drugstore Drastic”
18. The Charlatans UK, “We Are Love”
19. Hatchie, “Lose It Again”
20. Heartworms, “Extraordinary Wings”
21. Suzzallo, “River”
22. Bob Moses, “Better Broken”
23. JR Richards, “Alive”
24. Peter Murphy, “Swoon”
25. The Beatles, “Free As a Bird [2025 Mix]”
26. Bob Mould, “Here We Go Crazy”
27. Air, “Cemetary Party”
28. Doves, “Cold Dreaming”
29. Nine Inch Nails, “As Alive As You Need Me to Be”
30. J Mascis, “Breathe”
31. Tortoise, “A Title Comes”
32. Pulp, “Spike Island”
33. Florence + the Machine, “Everybody Scream”
34. Packaging, “Running Through the Airport”
35. Sea Lemon, “Stay”
36. The Neighbourhood, “Hula Girl”
37. Cut Copy, “Belong to You”
38. GoGo Penguin, “Fallowfield Loops”
39. Unbelievable Truth, “You’ve Got It”
40. Brandi Carlile, “Returning to Myself”
41. Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke, “Back in the Game”
42. Just Mustard, “We Were Just Here”
43. Dead Pioneers, “My Spirit Animal Ate Your Spirit Animal”
44. Steven Wilson, “Perspective”
45. Dropkick Murphys, “Who’ll Stand with Us?”
46. Mogwai, “God Gets You Back”
47. Andy Bell, “I’m in love…”
48. Paul Meany, “Scenic Route”
49. Garbage, “Chinese Fire Horse”
50. above me, “out of body out of mind”
51. David Byrne & Ghost Train Orchestra, “Everybody Laughs”
52. The The, “Unrequited”
53. The Verve Pipe, “Tattoo”
54. Celeste, “Woman of Faces”
55. The London Suede, “Disintegrate”
56. White Lies, “Nothing On Me”
57. Coral Grief, “Starboard”
58. PLOSIVS, “Death Kicks In”
59. The Reds, Pinks & Purples, “The World Doesn’t Need Another Band”
60. Crushed, “starburn”
61. The Hives, “OCDOD”
62. Grandbrothers, “We Collide”
63. The Beatles, “I Am the Walrus [Take 19 – Strings, Bass, Clarinet Overdub]”
64. HAIM, “Down to Be Wrong”
65. Motion City Soundtrack, “Your Days Are Numbered”
66. OK Go, “Love”
67. Too Much Joy, “Song for a Girl Who Has One”
68. Anna von Hausswolff, “The Iconoclast”
69. Nation of Language, “Inept Apollo”
70. Miki Berenyi Trio, “8th Deadly Sin”
71. Automatic, “Mercury”
72. Depeche Mode, “In the End”
73. Massage, “Daffy Duck”
74. Inhaler, “Open Wide”
75. Franz Ferdinand, “Audacious”
76. Bob Moses, “Waiting on the World”
77. Sparks, “Do Things My Own Way”

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See you next year!

Year End: Favorite releases, December 2025

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Looking back, there’s been quite a few reissues this year, and I’m not going to complain, other than the fact that more than once I’ve responded with “…how is this thirty/forty/fifty years old…???” That’s the downside of being a Gen-X music nerd who’s been listening and collecting since childhood, I guess!

Fine Young Cannibals, FYC40, released 5 December. They may have only released two albums and a handful of singles between 1985 and 1990, but they were all bangers. This is a great mix of everything and includes several remixes as well.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, Live God, released 5 December. Cave has definitely mellowed with age, but he hasn’t stopped writing some of the most heartbreaking and uplifting music out there. This live record is a perfect cross-section of that from his recent tour.

The Wedding Present, Maxi EP, released 5 December. This British band has been at it for forty years and visited all kinds of styles of punk, post-punk and indie rock, and they’ve always been a critic’s favorite. This one, a sly nod to their 1996 EP Mini, is a fun listen.

Depeche Mode, Memento Mori: Mexico City, released 5 December. This long-lasting band drops yet another live album full of their hits and deep cuts recorded in Mexico City, and also features four leftovers from their previous album that are just as strong as the album itself.

Tourist, Music Is Invisible, released 5 December. A curious electronic band that I found via AllMusic that piqued my interest, and features the vocals of ambient instrumentalist Julianna Barwick. An interesting record that’s starting to get some play here during my writing sessions.

The The, Odyssey soundtrack, released 5 December. While Matt Johnson was away for many years, he wasn’t exactly out of the spotlight; he’s been working with his brother Gerard writing and recording soundtracks for his films. This one features a few vocal tracks like the single “Unrequited”.

Happy Mondays, The Factory Singles, released 5 December. Most best-ofs for this band tend to forget a lot of their earlier tracks (probably for the best, given that Shaun Ryder’s voice was even more wobbly and out of tune on those first singles, but I digress). And yet somehow they managed to record the funkiest and grooviest Britpop out there without overly depending on electronics. This mix reminds you just how great and fun the band is.

Tom Smith, There Is Nothing in the Dark That Isn’t There in the Light, released 5 December. The lead singer for Editors finally releases his first debut album and proves that he doesn’t just write gloomy post-punk, he’s also a great writer of heartfelt acoustic indie rock as well.

HEALTH, CONFLICT DLC, released 11 December. This noise-punk electronic band channels that great Belgian EBM sound and gives it a Wire-y edge with concise songwriting and edgy atmosphere.

Pink Floyd, Wish You Were Here 50, released 12 December. The classic band that created and defined aural perfection with their experimentation and songcraft and inspired so many bands that followed, this is a wonderful surprise reissue that’s different from their Immersion Editions from 2011. This vastly expands on an excellent album with several demos, a live show, and a fascinating remix of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”, which takes all nine parts that originally bracketed the album and places them together as one twenty-five minute track.

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…and that’s a wrap! Have a great Christmas, and I’ll see you on Tuesday for the year-end mixtape!

Year End: Favorite releases, November 2025

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The Q4 wave comes through once more with several excellent releases and reissues, many of which were on repeat here during my writing sessions. It’s been kind of a strange end of the year for me IRL — not exactly in a bad way, but definitely with its ups and downs — so it felt kind of good to be able to come home and focus on not much except the music I love and the writing projects I’m working on.

The Dears, Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful! Life Is Beautiful!, released 7 November. This band from Quebec is kind of fascinating in that singer Murray Lightburn’s voice used to sound shockingly like Morrissey with a slight headcold. They’re not a band that gets a lot of airplay on the radio (if at all), but they’re definitely one of those bands where if you’re familiar with them, you’re sure to be a fan.

Hatchie, Liquorice, released 7 November. A lot of indie fans were focused on the new and highly hyped Wet Leg album, though I found this one to be a lot more fun and memorable. They’ve always been that sort of bubblegummy indie shoegazey band that hits all the right buttons, and this one does exactly that for me.

White Lies, Night Light, released 7 November. It’s been a couple of years since their last album, and I’m glad they’re back. They’ve got that post-punk sound I love yet takes it in a different direction: a bit goth, a bit electronic, a bit synthpop. This one got a fair bit of play over the last couple of weeks during my writing sessions.

Paul McCartney & Wings, WINGS, released 7 November. Macca drops yet another best-of collection, though this one focuses completely on his tenure with his band Wings, partly to tie in with his new memoir Wings: The Story of a Band On the Run. It’s actually kind of surprising how many hits and stellar album tracks he managed to create in that one decade, even when his critics loved to tear it all down.

The Neighbourhood, (((((ultraSOUND))))), released 14 November. Like their last several records that have gone in odd yet fascinating directions, this one feels like they’d decided to create an album that would have fit nicely during the early heights of 1991 Britpop. It’s one of my favorites of the year.

Doves, So, Here We Are: Best of Doves, released 14 November. This nineteen-track album covers everything from their Lost Souls album to this year’s Constellations for the Lonely, and despite it being an all-killer-no-filler mix, they still managed to forget some of my favorite tracks like “Sea Song” and “Words”! This one’s a perfect collection to start with if you’re just starting out. One of my favorite bands from the HMV years that I’ll always follow.

Tears for Fears, Songs from the Big Chair 40th Anniversary, released 14 November. I can’t believe it’s been forty years since my favorite album of my pre-college-radio years came out! I wore out the cassette of this back in the day, of course. A great album always worth owning.

Celeste, Woman of Faces, released 14 November. I hadn’t heard she had a new album out until the day it dropped, and it’s a good thing I caught on because this one is a banger, just like her previous album Not Your Muse. She’s got that sultry-jazzy voice similar to Adele and her tracks are just beautiful.

The Beatles, Anthology 4 / Anthology Collection, released 21 November. I know, I know…most of the musos made a bit noise about this box set, because a) they already have Volumes 1 through 3, and b) most of the new tracks on 4 were already available on previous recent Special Edition box sets. Still, they filtered it all through Peter Jackson’s MAL mixers and it sounds surprisingly fresh and clear. Still worth picking up, in my opinion!

Prince & the Revolution, Around the World in a Day Deluxe Edition, released 21 November. While this one doesn’t measure up to his recent mind-blowing box sets for Purple Rain and Sign of the Times and only contains the remastered album, remixes and b-sides (sorry, no unreleased jams and gems this time out), it still sounds great for what it meant to be: Prince’s about-face away from vertiginous stardom and a fascinating experiment into psychedelia and deep funk. I loved this album back in the day and it’s great to hear it again.

GIFT, Illuminator Deluxe, released 21 November. Sure, the original came out last year and was my top favorite album of 2024, I couldn’t pass up a deluxe reissue that adds a few new tracks and a few intriguing remixes. I still highly recommend this record, it’s that freaking good. They’ve also been hinting that there may be a new album coming out next year…

PLOSIVS, YELL AT CLOUD, released 28 November. Now this is the kind of noisy punk I like — it’s like Wire’s current iteration playing Pink Flag (only with much longer songs!), full of punchy guitars and relentless energy. It’s a super fun album to listen to while burning off stress.

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More to come… December’s best-of list will arrive on Thursday (yes, on Christmas Day), and my best-of-year list will be up and running next Tuesday on the 30th! See you then!

Year End: Favorite releases, October 2025

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October provided us with another great month of releases, especially in the final week! Quite a few reissues and a few pleasant surprises.

The Monkees, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd Super Deluxe Edition, released 2 October. This has to be my favorite Monkees album, to be honest. While Headquarters was the first record where they were allowed more creative and musical input, this one took it one step further. It’s kind of like their Revolver, full of well known tracks like “Words” and “Pleasant Valley Sunday” but also fascinating deep cuts like “Daily Nightly”. This edition includes several single versions, b-sides and outtakes.

Oasis, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? 30th Anniversary Deluxe, released 3 October. Sure, this one’s already included in the Complete Studio Album Collection that dropped back in August, but this one’s a standalone remaster of their breakthrough album that features several unplugged versions. Also of note is an updated reshoot of the iconic cover, looking down Berwick Street in Soho, London.

Taylor Swift, The Life of a Showgirl, released 3 October. I’m no Swiftie by any stretch, but I’ve come to really appreciate her music over the last few years. I’m quite taken by her style of songwriting, which takes the best of catchy chart pop and gives it a slightly oddball twist.

Massage, Coaster, released 10 October. I was quite taken by this band, most likely because they sound just like the Britpop of the early 90s before it expanded into a multi-headed monster. Shades of jangle pop and hints of Ride dreampop.

Packaging, Packaging, released 10 October. This is definitely near the top of my list of albums of the year for me, especially with the single “Running Through the Airport” which is also in my list of top songs. It’s got that indie moodiness with a twist of synthpop and motorik to make it just that much more otherworldly. An amazing record worth checking out.

Bob Moses, BLINK, released 17 October. This band is still on my list of “I will download anything they release” groups, as they continue to deliver their excellent brand of ambient dance pop. This one got a lot of play during my writing sessions!

Hannah Jadagu, Describe, released 24 October. A discovery thanks to KEXP, she kind of reminds me of the current wave of quiet yet quirky indie rock like Jay Som and Japanese Breakfast. A nice relaxing listen.

Brandi Carlile, Returning to Myself, released 24 October. I’d known about her for a while but only got into her after reading her Broken Horses memoir some years ago, and I’ve been a big fan ever since. She’s definitely in that Indigo Girls style of folky-countrified alternative, and she can wail just as much as she can rock. A stellar songwriter.

Tortoise, Touch, released 24 October. I was so excited to hear this band had finally reconvened after several years to drop a new album! They pick up right where they left off with moody jazz-tinged instrumental indie rock. Highly recommended.

HighSchool, HighSchool, released 31 October. If I were in high school and followed through with The Flying Bohemians in this day and age (and with the ability to record), this is totally what we would sound like.

Too Much Joy, Son of Sam I Am (Tommy’s Version), released 31 October. After far too many years, the rights to TMJ’s breakthrough album finally reverted to the band, and they wasted no time in giving it a proper reissue with a great sounding remaster and several extra tracks. It’s good stupid and clever fun and remains one of my favorite albums of 1990.

The Charlatans, We Are Love, released 31 October. Their first album of new songs since 2017’s Different Days, it’s worth the wait for this band that’s been around since the late 80s as one of the early Britpop mainstays.

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Whew, that’s a lot! More to come…

Year End: Favorite releases, September 2025

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As expected, September had an avalanche of new releases, several of which I’d been waiting on for quite some time. A lot of long-standing bands with new records, a lot of excellent reissues, and some new discoveries that got significant play here in the office. Enjoy!

Suede, Antidepressants, released 5 September. It’s great to see this band still going strong after all these years. Singer Brett Anderson’s voice may have dropped significantly and lost that squeaky wail, but he can still belt it out.

Saint Etienne, International, released 5 September. This long-standing UK band has finally chosen to take the REM route and split amicably, and this is their last release. There’s no melancholy or wistfulness here, just another light and wonderful album of pop gems.

Ivy, Traces of You, released 5 September. These were unreleased tracks from their run between 1995 and 2012, and left behind after Adam Schlesinger sadly passed away from COVID in 2020. His fellow bandmates Andy Chase and Dominique Durand chose to reconvene and finish them off in his honor. It’s a lovely record that picks up right where they left off.

The Chameleons, Arctic Moon, released 12 September. After several years away, the band reformed in 2021 and toured for a few years before recording their first new album in twenty-four years. They’re still a fantastic post-punk band worth checking out.

David Bowie, I Can’t Give Everything Away (2002-2016) box set, released 12 September. The sixth and final box set that captures nearly every recorded release from the icon, this one stretches from his contemplative Reality up to his final release Blackstar, and also contains b-sides, rarities, duets, and several live cuts. This is the era when I finally started listening to Bowie a lot closer than I had in the past and really began to appreciate his endless creativity.

Nation of Language, Dance Called Memory, released 19 September. This trio continues to defy description with their quirky mixture of brittle post-punk, meandering synthpop and moody lyrics. KEXP played this one quite a bit.

Motion City Soundtrack, The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World, released 19 September. Their first new album in ten years, they’d been touring for the last few years (we saw them twice in Berkeley, once before the COVID lockdown and once after its end), they still remain those oddball emo rockers going through self-therapy with high-level nerdy lyrics and bouncy melodies. Well worth the wait.

Grandbrothers, Elsewhere, released 26 September. As expected, this keeps on getting played here in the office during my writing sessions. I’ve always loved their quirky mix of jazz and electronics — every sound, including the percussion, is played on (or in) one grand piano and processed through a mixer. It’s a wonderful album and one of my favorites of the year.

Automatic, Is It Now?, released 26 September. I did not expect to latch onto this album as quickly and completely as I did, but I just love their old-school post-punk sound, and the title track has been an earworm all autumn. One of my favorite albums of the year.

Crushed, no scope, released 26 September. I didn’t quite resonate with their previous album even though it had a few memorable tracks on it, but this one they knocked out of the park, and it’s become another big favorite of mine.

Unbelievable Truth, Rich Inner Life, released 26 September. A and I heard the above track when driving home one day and we both thought they sounded like mid-era Radiohead… only to find out the lead singer is Thom Yorke’s brother! The rest of the album is just as great, just twitchy enough to grant the comparison but unique enough to stand on its own.

Hooverphonic, The Magnificent Tree Live with Strings, released 26 September. Twenty-five years after its initial release, one of my favorite bands releases a live revisit of the fan favorite.

Air, The Virgin Suicides Redux, released 26 September. Meanwhile, the French duo reissues their soundtrack to the Sofia Coppola film filled with desperately haunting instrumentals that caught my attention back in the waning days of my stay at HMV and remains one of my favorite albums of the year 2000.

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More to come…

Year End: Favorite releases, July & August 2025

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Despite there being a bit of a shake-up at the Day Job that would soon cause a ripple effect of other frustrations coming to the surface, I somehow found myself finally getting a little more focused on my writing work and the music I wanted to listen to. We were also both still getting used to living at our new home, yet eager to start making it our own. It’s still a work in progress, but it’s getting there.

Nilufer Yanya, Dancing Shoes EP, released 2 July. She keeps coming out with bangers, even if it’s just a tiny four-track mini-album! This one got a lot of play on KEXP during the summer.

Dropkick Murphys, For the People, released 4 July. You can always count on this band to not just be the Most Boston Band Ever, but to be so incredibly outspoken yet still surprisingly erudite, even despite their more ridiculous moments. They have a few things to say about the current administration, and they’re not afraid to let you know about it.

The Reds, Pinks & Purples, The Past Is a Garden I Never Fed, released 4 July. Glenn Donaldson continues pumping out more and more music, and this time it’s a collection of tunes that previously only showed up as vinyl-only tracks or rare singles. And as far as I know, he’s still based in my neighborhood!

311, 311 (30th Anniversary Edition), released 11 July. The album that broke them into the mainstream in the mid-nineties gets a wonderful expanded remastered reissue, sounding bigger and heavier than before. This one got a ton of play during my HMV and Belfry years, and it remains one of my favorite albums of that decade.

Hammock, Nevertheless, released 11 July. I can never quite figure out if I should label this band as rock or electronic, as they seem to glide between the two depending on what album of theirs you listen to. This one’s a quiet and enjoyable instrumental record that works perfectly as a writing session soundtrack.

Coral Grief, Air Between Us, released 18 July. This band just kind of popped up on KEXP’s airwaves one morning and caught my attention with its moody jangle pop I love so much. It’s a wonderful record and worth checking out.

Bush, I Beat Loneliness, released 18 July. I’ve pretty much been a fan of this band since its Sixteen Stone days, and while they’re no longer churning out radio hits, they’re still consistently writing great albums that are fun to listen to.

JR Richards, My Darkest Hour, released 21 July. Speaking of the 90s, the former lead singer of Dishwalla returns with an all new album that was crowd-sourced over the course of a year. He’s one of my favorites.

The Verve Pipe, Reconciled, released 25 July. Speaking of the 90s (again)… I’m glad that this band is still around making records and touring here and there. This is yet another excellent record from them. I suggest following Brian Vander Ark on social media as he’s quite hilarious.

Alison Goldfrapp, Flux, released 15 August. Her second solo album may seem a bit more dance-oriented than her previous work (and definitely less dance-rock than her output in the band named after her), but it’s still quite enjoyable.

Oasis, Complete Studio Album Collection, released 22 August. Released to tie in with their high-profile reunion and tour, this is a great way to revisit their back catalogue and remember just how good they actually were.

The Hives, The Hives Forever Forever The Hives, released 29 August. You can always depend on this band to put on a grand show, whether it’s a chaotic and hilarious live performance or an in-their-own-weird-universe videos, and they always go above and beyond with each album. This one is full of energy and fearlessness. One of my favorites of the year!

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More to come…

Year End: Favorite releases, May & June 2025

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After a slow first quarter, I started picking up on more music that appealed to me. Much of it came from my almost-daily listening to KEXP, of course, but there were also several reissues and best-ofs that started showing up. And as always, many of these albums ended up as writing session soundtracks.

Suzzallo, The Quiet Year, released 2 May. Rocky Votolato was known in the PNW area as a member of the punk band Waxwing but also solo records and showing up on various friends’ albums, but after a personal tragedy he chose to start a new project. There’s a distinct Radiohead feel to his music here, full of tension and discomfort but retaining a deep sense of melody and mood.

Preoccupations, Ill at ease, released 9 May. This is a band I know I like and yet don’t listen to nearly as much as I should. They lean heavily on the 80s’-era post-punk like The Chamelons and Comsat Angels with a bit of dreamlike Cocteau Twins moodiness thrown in. A surprisingly strong and enjoyable record.

Peter Murphy, Silver Shade, released 9 May. This album snuck up on me, and I’m glad I saw it when I did, because I feel like this is Murphy’s strongest album in recent years. Past solo records were good yet very experimental and meandering, whereas this one feels like he’d return to his earlier sound of Love Hysteria and Deep, both albums I’d played incessantly back in the day.

Mark Pritchard & Thom Yorke, Tall Tales, released 9 May. One half of Global Communication and the leader of Radiohead? Of course I’d gravitate to it! Strange and peculiar and yet still lovely to listen to.

Sparks, MAD!, released 23 May. You can always count on the Brothers Mael to deliver yet another album of oddball-yet-catchy pop music that gets stuck in your head. Good to know that this band is still going after all these years.

Orbital, Orbital 2 (The Brown Album Expanded), released 23 May. I’d been a passive fan of this band since the early 90s, having heard “Halcyon” on WFNX every now and again (and later with their brilliant single “The Box”). Their recent reissue program has only made me want to catch up on more of their music, reminding me just how electronic music used to sound in the 90s — it might have always been danceable, but there was much more of an element of otherworldliness to it, like you were listening to something alien and futuristic.

Sea Lemon, Diving for a Prize, released 30 May. An interesting album of quiet dreampop that takes you on a hazy trip. This one also features the great single “Crystal” that features Ben Gibbard from Death Cab for Cutie.

Garbage, Let All That We Imagine Be the Light, released 30 May. Each album from this band always seems to go in an unexpected direction, and this one provides an element of anger and annoyance that had always been somewhat muted on their previous records. It never takes away from the music, however, it only makes it that much more intriguing.

Pulp, More, released 6 June. Their first new work since…2001?? It’s been quite a long time, but it’s been well worth the wait. Jarvis and Co. pick up right where they left off, channeling the peculiar Britishness of Different Class (which got a great reissue this year as well) and expanding from there.

Blushing, Blushing reissue, released 13 June. I’m still not sure how I managed to skip this dreampop band from Austin until this reissue popped up on my radar. The album is full of all my favorite things: soaring guitars, quiet/LOUD song structures, wandering melodies, and walls of reverb. I ended up downloading the rest of their discography from Bandcamp soon after!

Steve Queralt, Swallow, released 13 June. A third member of Ride finally shows up with his own solo album, this one going in very interesting and unexpected directions with its sonic experimentation. Lush’s Emma Anderson shows up on a few tracks as well, adding to the mystique. Another favorite during my writing sessions.

HAIM, I quit, released 20 June. It’s always interesting when a band like this one, known for its radio-friendliness (I still hear “The Wire” on the radio and elsewhere), decides to further their career by bravely heading in more experimental directions. While this one doesn’t seem to contain that kind of chart hit, it’s just as catchy and fascinating.

GoGo Penguin, Necessary Fictions, released 20 June. One of my favorite finds of the last decade comes out with yet another electronic-tinged jazz album that’s perfect for my writing sessions. As always, I highly recommend checking them out.

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More to come…