Alright, time to start tracking on some 2025 releases.
Five new additions to our rankings this October 13th. Leading the pack is British rapper Little Simz Lotus, which continues to support my belief that she may be the best beat maker working in hip hop today - there's just something cool or fun or moving about every groove on Lotus.
Also impressive is Viagra Boys Viagr Aboys which continues their exploration of today's lost males with out missing a beat from their fantastic previous outing Cave World.
Two other very solid additions are Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory which finds Ms. Van Etten going bigger this time out in an almost Flo + The Machine way, and Perfume Genius Glory, which is a bit of a difficult album to get a grasp on, he's been much more accessible before, but feature's beautiful songwriting and production touches throughout.
Lastly, is Bon Iver's SABLE fABLE, a combination of an early EP and new album worth of material. The front end EP material is quite solid, the new album's material, outside of the heartfelt Everything Is Peaceful Love, is not.
As to what's coming down the line, Geese's Killing Time is definitely the standout title in the listening pool. Right now I feel it will be a three way race between that and Eusexua/Lotus for McQ's 2025 album of the year.
From now until early 2026, McQ's Best Of will be tracking on and rating some of 2025's most buzz worthy releases.
Highest Recommends
1. Eusexua - FKA Twigs2. Lotus - Little Simz
4. Viagr Aboys - Viagra Boys
Solid Recommends
6. Glory - Perfume Genius
7. Instant Holograms On Metal Film - Stereolab
Mild Recommends
8. SABLE, fABLE - Bon Iver
2025 Albums In The Pool (# Listens In / • = good early impression)
A Complicated Woman (1) - Self Esteem
All That Is Over (1•) - Sprints
Altogether Stranger (1•) - Lael Neale
Antidepressants (1) - The London Suede
Birthing (1) - Swans
Bleeds (1) - Wednesday
Bloodless (1) - Samia
Can't Lose My (Soul) (2•) - Annie and the Caldwells
Caroline 2 (1) - Caroline
Constant Noise (1•) - Benefits
Cowards (2) - Squid
Close To The Bone (1) - Tommy Castro
Dan's Boogie (1) - Destroyer
DeBI TiRAR MaS FOToS (2•) - Bad Bunny
Drive to Goldenhammer (3•) - Divorce
Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party (1) - Hayley Williams
Essex Honey (1) - Blood Orange
Euro-Country (1•) - CMAT
Family (1•) - Southern Avenue
For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) (2) - Japanese Breakfast
Forever Howlong (2) - Black Country, New Road
Foxes In The Snow (1•) - Jason Isbell
Getting Killed (2•) - Geese
GOLLIWOG (4•) - Billy Woods
Halo On The Inside (1•) - Circuit des Yeux
Humanhood (1) - The Weather Station
Iris Silver Mist (1) - Jenny Hval
It's a Beautiful Place (1•) - Water From Your Eyes
Lonely People With Power (1) - Deafheaven
Moisturizer (1) - Wet Leg
More (2•) - Pulp
Mortal Primetime (1) - Sunflower Beam
Never Enough (1) - Turnstile
New Threats From The Soul (1•) - Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
Owls, Omens, and Oracles (2•) - Valerie June
People Watching (1) - Sam Fender
Phonetics On and On (1) - Horsegirl
Private Music (1) - Deftones
Songs In The Key Of Yikes (1•) - Superchunk
The Bad Fire (1•) - Mogwai
The Clearing (2•) - Wolf Alice
Time Indefinite (1) - William Tyler
Willoughby Tucker, I Will Always Love You (1) - Ethel Cain
Virgin (1•) - Lorde
Who Let The Dogs Out (1) - Lambrini Girls
Last Updated 10.13.25
PAST UPDATES
8.02.25 - So we've got our first official placement of 2025, Heartworms stirring Goth/Darkwave/Alt-rock melange Glutton For Punishment, a very tight, thirty-seven mood-rocker with nary a wasted moment.
8.26.25 - We're adding two new titles to our rankings this Tuesday, August 26th, including FKA Twigs fantastic Eusexua, which has a strong hold on McQ's top 2025 spot with just four months left in the year. I was never as big a fan of her earlier albums as the critics, but I just love this one - a little more energy, a little less cryptic, but still stylistically broad and inventive.
Also a fan of Stereolab's return to form Instant Holograms On Metal Film. Like all Stereolab albums, it just delighfully meanders and flits here and there, sometimes receding into the background, but then surprising with a super colorful musical stretch a few moments later.
Of recent first listens, fell right in with Valerie June's latest Owls, Omens, and Oracles just as I have her previous few full lengths (she's got to be one of the most underappreciated artists working today - just consistently fantastic on record and nobody talks about her), and also really intrigued by Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band's lyrically dominated country-rocker New Threats From The Soul, which possesses some of enigmatic ramshackle charm of acts like Lambchop and The Silver Jews.
No comments:
Post a Comment