2025 in Review

Musically, 2025 treated me well. I finally have been going to more shows again and actually reviewing most of them! I saw a lot of great concerts, including several from bands that put out my favorite records of this year and the last. I also went to the opera for the first time and wrote my first theatrical review in ages. And on top of that, Soltero released a new album that I appear on!

Here are my favorite releases of 2025:

• Ian Fisher - Go Gentle - Ian’s album-length memorial to his mother, who died after a long battle with cancer, is honest, uplifting, and moving. It’s heavy, but it doesn’t wallow or feel weighed down. It’s a great set of songs that offer some comfort in trying times. He also released “Con Artist Narcissist” and “Will You Will Be”. The former kinda speaks for itself, and the latter is a critique of AI. Both are great. They’re a throwback to his more directly political writing, but even sharper and bitterer.
• Genau Genug Orchestra - Enough - Dave Benjoya is a regular Soltero collaborator so of course I’m biased, but I love all the little worlds his songs inhabit. The genres shift faster than I can process, and the wordplay moves even faster than that. The arrangements are as splendid and nuanced as the politics.
• Greet Death - Die in Love - Slowcore-shoegaze with a variety of influences, mostly splintered into two distinct sounds: thick distortion with gloomy vocals (from Logan Gaval), and sweeter pop with meek vocals (from Harper Boyharti). They are joined in abject sadness. I’m reminded of Merchandise. “Emptiness Is Everywhere” is beautiful and makes me miss my family of origin.
• The Last Dinner Party - From the Pyre - Not quite as exciting as last year’s Prelude to Ecstasy (which I came late to), but their sharp drama and elaborate arrangements shine. I appreciate their gender politics, and Alan Moulder’s mix is superb, especially for the vocals.
• Lutzilla - Nebenbei retten wir die Welt EP - A couple songs are recordings in higher fidelity from the First We Tape Manhattan mini-album from 2022, but the real gems are the new songs. Lutz’s critiques of capitalism and social media continue to ripen, as does his voice. I love all the backing vocals and extra musicians. It’s a much fuller picture than anything he or they have done yet. And Uli’s bass tone continues to be fantastic!
• Mogwai - The Bad Fire - Certainly darker than As the Love Continues (2021), but the quality is just as high as ever. They continue to pack a lot of emotion into their music without relying on many words. They also released the soundtrack to The Bombing of Pan Am 103, which is dark, not very dynamic, and trapped within the confines of the form.
• Nation of Language - Dance Called Memory - The shoegaze and Cocteau Twins moments are sparser than advertised, but I love them regardless. Their last album, Strange Disciple (2023) didn’t excite me as much as the first two, but this time around they did a great job bringing new influences to their standard successful model.
• Chappell Roan - “The Subway” - I didn’t find “The Giver” particularly exciting, but this is a perfect slice of queer pop with great little touches all over. Her voice is in fine form.
• Sharon Van Etten & the Attachment Theory - s/t - Wow, collaborating with her own live band has truly brought out the best in everyone involved. “Indio” is the only dud. I love the synthier arrangements and Devra Hoff’s foregrounded bass. The direct, humanist, socially conscious lyrics resonate with me.
• Stereolab - Instant Holograms on Metal Film - Six years after reuniting, they finally have a new album! It’s more in line with their latter-day material, which is to say it’s a bit formal, stiff, and clean. The fidelity is superb, and the wide array of synthesizers is impressive, but I wish there was more raw energy, noise, and excitement. Sadier’s lyrics are still on point, but her phrasing is tight and restrained. I know she can still shout “La Resistance!” on stage, but I miss that here. Regardless, it’s still Stereolab, and the music is beautiful, intricate, and captivating despite my complaints. The non-album double single “Fed Up with Your Job” / “Constant and Uniform Movement Unknown” is similar, but I like that they’ve brought back their chaotic discographical abundance. (There’s even a tour-only 7” single that I missed and still haven’t heard!)
• Wednesday - Bleeds - The country-shoegaze, pedal steel + distortion strategy is a winner. The harsh realism of the songwriting makes it all the more emotionally devastating, as if the two most visible members breaking up wasn’t enough on its own.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

• The Chameleons - Arctic Moon - See the live review for details. The album has some great songs, but there are only seven total, perhaps because they’re all so unnecessarily long. It’s better than last year’s EPs, which felt a bit slight, especially since 6 of their 8 songs were just rerecordings of some of the band’s earliest songs. It’s great to have Reg back in the fold; he also did the album artwork in their classic vein. (The Where Are You cover, on the other hand, is awful.)
• James David Fitzpatrick - I Feel Pretty Good About It [EP] - three “spontaneously composed” pieces of layered guitar with some analog synth and field recordings. Quite similar to Cup Collector and equally pleasant.
• Geese - Getting Killed - A bit overhyped, but it undeniably rocks. Cameron Winter’s voice grates on me a bit and the buzzing picked bass bugs me. Nonetheless I enjoy the chaos.
• Pale Blue Eyes - New Place - After two solidly impressive shoegaze-pop albums, I suppose expecting a third on the same level was optimistic. It’s still good, but not as exciting or fresh. The lyrics are simpler and the arrangements more predictable.
• Kassi Valazza - From Newman Street - 60s-indebted country-folk-psych that reminds me of Quilt and the lazy heat in Austin.

And here are a couple other 2025 releases that I have opinions about:

• Big Thief - Double Infinity - Well, they dealt with the departure of their bassist by going maximalist. Certainly getting Laraaji on most of the songs is a coup. Regardless, it’s a bit by the numbers, even if the vibe is as warm as ever.
• Peter Murphy - Silver Shade - I hate the obviously AI-generated album art, but for his first proper studio album in 11 years, it’s better than I expected. It’s not unlike Lion (2014) and features the same core crew of collaborators, but it’s sonically a bit richer. The best songs are the aggressive opening salvo of songs featuring Trent Reznor and the sweet closing duet with Boy George. The middle gets a bit bogged down and repetitive. It might help if the lyrics were a little more approachable.

I also caught up on some more great records from 2024 that I’d initially overlooked:

• Deary - Aurelia EP - Blissful blend of shoegaze and dreampop in the vein of Slowdive. Their s/t EP from 2023 is also solid and leans a bit more Beach House.
• Isolation Berlin - Electronic Babies - “Ratte” is so relatable, and “Verliebt in dieses Lied” captures a magical feeling. But the heavy parts get a shade too dark for my taste.
• Sunshy - I Don’t Care What Comes Next - MBV ripoff, but so good. Focuses on the upbeat, brighter side, but still full of heavy distortion. Pretty middling lyrics as expected for the genre.

Soltero @ Junction Bar on May 8

New year, new album, new show! Soltero is coming to you at Junction Bar on Gneisenaustraße in Berlin on May 8 at 20:30. I'm thrilled that we'll be sharing the stage with our friends Lutzilla. We've got new songs and new arrangements and we're excited to back in concert!

2022 in Review

Yet another strange year. For one, I shared some news about why live music and this blog haven’t exactly been my priority lately. I definitely saw more shows than either of the last two years, but with mixed results. Apparently, I’m not the only person who’s noticed that live concerts are kind of weird right now. I doubt that I will be much more active next year, but I may surprise myself yet.

Well, at least I bought music in greater quantities again, both old and new. It seems the wave of pandemic albums might be finally over. That’s not to imply the pandemic is over, just that the unique circumstances of altered recording and performances habits seem to have faded back into something we pretend is normal, and the music itself reflects that. Anyway, here are my favorite releases of 2022:

• Anfängerfehler - s/t EP - Obviously my bias as a member of the live band is hard to ignore, but I really love the work that Tim (and Matt Johnson – no, not the one from The The) did with the production. It sounds lovely. You should probably listen to it.
• Beach House - Once Twice Melody - Beach House continue to effortlessly create the best vibes, but I wish there were just a bit more drama. Victoria Legrand’s voice is soft and hushed throughout, never reaching its past transcendent peaks. The double album is an impressive achievement: there isn’t a bad song, although it does feel a touch overlong. I love the returning shoegaze vibes seen in full on 7 (2018), but I also love the “experimentation” with acoustic guitar. It leaves me feeling a bit sad for Victoria, though, who seems to have had profoundly rough times with online dating. She’s probably not alone in that.
• Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You - Another expansive double album. Big Thief have been on the periphery of my awareness for a while but this one finally won me over. “Red Moon” is infectious, “Wake Me Up to Drive” is charmingly lofi, “Change” is plaintively poignant, and “Sparrow” is an excellent study of gender dynamics. The country affectations work fine for me, and I love the subtly psychedelic and occasionally outright bizarre lyrics.
• Andrew Bird - Inside Problems - Sonically, this is something of a retread of My Finest Work Yet (2019), which I thoroughly enjoyed, so I’m not complaining. I always admire Bird’s carefully constructed folk-pop and his understatedly virtuosic touches. The lyrics are less overtly political, but several are easy to read as socio-political commentary despite his claims in interviews that these songs were intended to be more personal and internal affairs. Bird also recently released “I felt a Funeral, in my Brain” with Phoebe Bridgers, a well-crafted adaptation of a delightful Emily Dickinson poem.
• Kikagaku Moyo - Kumoyo Island - I’m so sad that this is their last album before breaking up. It’s wildly creative, beautifully psychedelic, and playfully hard to pin down. It’s all over the place, yet always pleasurable.
• Mogwai - “Boltfor” - Pretty par for the course for them, but since not everything they touch turns to gold, it’s still notable when they can drop such an uplifting and ebullient single.
• The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention - The exact midpoint between a Thom Yorke solo album and a full Radiohead album. It’s Yorke’s best non-Radiohead album, and if it were marketed as a Radiohead album, I might not even notice the difference. It’s not as good as A Moon Shaped Pool but it lives in that space perhaps more than anything else Yorke and Jonny Greenwood have done. I don’t know anything about Tom Skinner but his drumming is good. I can’t tell if the two dreamy older songs (“Skirting on the Surface” was even played by Radiohead once upon a time!) are simply just great songs, or if I’m biased because I’ve been listening to bootleg versions for ten years.
• Stereolab - Pulse of the Early Brain: Switched On Volume 5 - I’m clearly just a sucker for this band. Be that as it may, this compilation does include the 1992 EP Low Fi, which is one of their finest releases and the first appearance of Mary Hansen and Andy Ramsay. It’s been out of print since the early 90s as far as I know, and the licensing is still complicated enough that it doesn’t appear on digital versions of the compilation. Intriguingly, two of the tracks appear to be previously unreleased extended versions, despite not being labeled as such. Much like the rest of the Switched On series, it features a wide mix of songs, but this set covers material that was too experimental or obscure even for those. Despite the name, four songs come from the sessions from their last album during their original career, Chemical Chords (2008), and those aren’t the only ones that I wouldn’t say came from their “early brain”. One wonders why they didn’t swap those for the incongruously early-era tracks on Electrically Possessed, or why they still left a couple songs to the sands of time, like the version of “Cadriopo” from the split single with Fugu or the demo of “The Eclipse” from the same split single that produced “Yes Sir! I Can Moogie!”. Admittedly, this is reaching quite close to the bottom of the barrel, so some of the tracks here are second-rate. Still, the gems still make it worth it.
• The Subtanks - Prime Numbers EP - Okay, again we’ve got to talk about bias, but old friends Josh King of Joshua and the Ruins and Asher Mendel have finally reunited for a “proper” album, and it rocks. (I haven’t forgotten about Riff City Demons (2010), but this is a wide step ahead in terms of production and composition. I mean, just compare the versions of “Ambitions Renewed”!) The EP lives up to the bold claims of their own description. It keeps turning and changing, and there’s all sorts of sounds, ideas, and references in it. It never gets boring, not for a second.
• The Veldt - Entropy Is the Mainline to God - The first new full album in 15 years since White Music for Black People (credited to Apollo Heights) is thick and a bit noisy, and the lyrics are frequently indecipherable, just as you’d expect from classic shoegazers. What I can discern is frequently quite explicitly political, which isn’t difficult for them to channel their energy and anger into. They also released the Electric Revolution (Rhythm and Drone) EP earlier in the year, but it only has two unique tracks, and neither is as good as anything on the album or the 2017 EPs.
• Wilco - Cruel Country - I almost skipped this album after the last three were such mixed bags. This is their most compelling album since A Ghost Is Born (2004), and the most satisfyingly cohesive since Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2001). The country affections are almost entirely tasteful and well-integrated into their sound. I was worried it’d be a caricature, but it isn’t just a genre exercise. Jeff Tweedy’s voice is occasionally shaky, and there are (very) minor imperfections in the performances, but the project is an opportunity for Tweedy to wield some of his best lyrics, and the arrangements are generally quite good. It is maybe a bit overlong, and it can feel a bit tedious by the time you get to side four, but the sum total is impressive.
• Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot [Super Deluxe Reissue] - Okay, an eight-disc version of any album is probably too much even for a masterpiece, but still, I can’t resist this sort of thing sometimes. The radio session interview is a bit cringe, but the live versions with weird intermediate lineups of the band with Tweedy on lead guitar are somewhat special. The real treasure, though, is all the alternate studio versions, even if there isn’t a single one that bests the originally released versions. It’s also great to have these in such high fidelity instead of the incomplete, glitchy mess that has long circulated on bootlegs. But much to my surprise, not even everything from the bootlegs is on this release! Then again, I don’t know if anyone really needs a seventh version of “Kamera”. I saw another review criticize the duplicated transition from “Ashes of American Flags” to “Heavy Metal Drummer” on the Unified Theory of Everything disc, as if that exact moment wasn’t the subject of one of the most pivotal scenes from the I Am Trying to Break Your Heart film (2002). Obviously this is only relevant for superfans, and I think I’ve just given away where I stand.

Actually, there was a lot of good music this year. So here are some extra honorable mentions:

• Belle & Sebastian - A Bit of Previous - This album has moments that feel like conscious throwbacks to their glory days, but most of it continues the threads of their last few albums, which is to say the music is a bit too precious and overproduced. Nonetheless, their blend of maturity and ageless playfulness is as rewarding as ever. There are few standout moments and some well-intentioned but awkward political statements (what’s the deal with “Do It for Your Country”?), but I appreciate that they are trying to push themselves and expand their horizons.
• Cremant Ding Dong - assorted singles - They’re still going, although they haven’t really shown any signs of changing the formula. Well, Eva (the cute cat) sadly passed, but Rosa (the new cat, also cute) looks uncannily similar. Somehow every song is still a banger.
• Cup Collector - The Interior Key - Is this an EP? A maxi-single? A mini-album? It doesn’t matter, of course. This is almost like a best-of compilation of CC’s styles. Each track is a different method of reaching a similar vibe: warm, cozy guitar drones. These songs make me feel settled in and at peace. Jim also released a track under his full name (James David Fitzpatrick) that’s in a somewhat related vibe, but more spontaneous: it’s just him freestyling on an acoustic guitar with the windows open. The heavy reverb suits it well.
• The Cure - Wish [Deluxe Reissue] - The Cure’s reissue series continues its lackadaisical pace and half-hearted repackaging. The much-hyped remaster (or is it a remix? Some fans are really missing the slap sound from “High”, and honestly it is weird that it was removed, especially since it’s still in the 12" mix!) is not really much different than the original, and the only bonus tracks of note are the lovely instrumentals from the fan club-only Lost Wishes EP (1994) and one extra instrumental outtake (“A Wendy Band”). The rest are forgettable remixes and another slew of at best marginally interesting demos. And seriously, what is the point of the Partscheckruf Mix of “From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea”? And why is the mastering of the 12" mix of “Doing the Unstuck” so much obviously worse than what was already released on Join the Dots (2004) 18 years ago? At least this time I don’t think there are any re-recorded vocals on this one.
• Ian Fisher - Burnt Tongue - This album is a bit softer than what came before, probably in large part due to the influence of producer Jonas David. It works for the more sentimental songs like “A Mother’s Love” and “I’ll Be There”, but the darker and moodier songs like “I’m Burning” and “How Far” are missing a bit of heft. The lyrics and performances are still great, though. Ian also released the pseudo-album Marcella & Peggy Go Driving via Fanklub. It’s just sparse arrangements of his favorite country tunes, many of which he’s been playing for years on stage. There are no real surprises, but it’s nice to have recordings of his mellifluous melancholy voice on these songs.
• Lutzilla - First We Tape Manhattan - Punkier than I was expecting, meaning that I hear some traces of Fehlfarben. The lyrics are as incisive as ever, particularly the critiques of consumer culture and social media. Uli’s bass steals the show, and Carola’s drumming gives these songs the solid rhythm they deserve. “Was bleibt!?”, rerecorded from Lutz’s solo 2019 album Selbstportraits, is a marked improvement with the help of his compatriots.
• Mitski - Laurel Hell - I didn’t like Be the Cowboy (2018) as much as everyone else, so I told myself I should keep my expectations low, but this album is a step up again. Mitski tries on a load of retro sounds and commands them with ease. Her lyrics grappling with fame and career choices feel strangely relatable; certainly “Working for the Knife” applies to more than just indie rock stardom. The glide guitar touches are great, too.
• Sharon Van Etten - We’ve Been Going About This All Wrong - Great album title, great music, incredible voice, and good themes, but I still don’t actually connect with the lyrics much.
• Vieux Farka Touré & Khruangbin - Ali - The Malian guitarist teamed up with everyone’s favorite vibe-setting Texans to cover the former’s father’s songs. The result is a good blend of both artists’ strengths, and yet it has a way of blending together a bit too much.

BUM / Atomvulkan Britz / Lutzilla - Live 2020.01.25 Tr*ckstr, Berlin, Germany

The night opened with Lutzilla, a duo that evolved from Lutz Steinbrück and his prior band Neustadt. Lutz appeared on guitar and vocals with Florian on drums. Florian’s kit was quite minimal, with only one tom-tom and one cymbal, but the tightness of his performance boosted the songs substantially. The shifting rhythms were well-synchronized between the guitar and drums, which did much to ground and stabilize them. The percussion also significantly energized the songs, and several even had a punk edge to them.

Atomvulkan Britz is a duo consisting solely of bass and drums. Their sound was noisy and punky and yet quite rhythmic and had a sense of post-punk experimentation. The bassist relied on effects to drive his style as much as the rhythms and riffs themselves, including thickly distorted fuzz, heavy phasing, and the characteristic chorus sound of Simon Gallup of The Cure and Peter Hook of Joy Division and New Order. The drummer also had a dub-like delay on his snare that somehow managed to be a focal point of the set. The effect came in and out, and I’m not even quite sure who was triggering or controlling it, but it lent an unexpected and otherworldly tone to their sound. The lack of vocals or explicit melody was unconventional, but their energy and creativity kept my attention nonetheless.

Last up was BUM, a quartet of guitar/vocals, bass/backing vocals, drums, and synthesizer. They too were intently rhythmic and punky, but they took their music in a variety of directions. The foundation was post-punk funk à la Gang of Four or the Au Pairs, but there were plenty of louder, noisier sections more akin to post-hardcore. The wild creative energy of the drummer and the insistent propulsion of the bass really drove the songs, but the keyboards added a nice extra layer of texture. The vocalist was more focused on the words than his guitar, but when he did play, it was sharp and angular. His style was also somewhat textural and didn’t fit neatly into a “lead” or “rhythm” category. For one song, he read a poem over the music, but unfortunately that was the only time I could consistently understand the lyrics. The intensity of their set was such that when they had to pause for an extended tune-up, it was actually a refreshing break. Nonetheless, they carried me with them.

Tr*ckstr isn’t the easiest venue to find, and it clearly tries to maintain an air of mystique, but once you’re in, it feels cozy and punky. The sound isn’t particularly detailed, but it’s loud and the atmosphere is good. If the line-ups are regularly this solid, I’ll be back, even if it means reeking of smoke afterwards.

P.S. Thanks to Lutz, Uli, Tim, and Brooke!