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.

2023 in Review

Well, it’s been another year without a lot of activity here. Seeing live music and writing about music have continued to be low on my list of priorities. I had to travel quite a bit for medical reasons and then spent a month in the hospital. I saw a few friends’ shows in addition to the two I reviewed here, but the real musical highlight for me was performing with my choir and with my band (Soltero/Anfängerfehler). Both shows were a lot of fun and quite successful, and I’m looking forward to more shows next year. Soltero also put out two new singles, both excellent. I didn’t contribute directly to the studio versions, but I have played the latter live with Tim.

I haven’t quite kept up with new releases as much as I’d like, but I still of course found plenty to enjoy. Here are my favorites of 2023:

• Big Thief - “Vampire Empire” / “Born for Loving You” - This double single is as good as the best parts of last year’s Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You. The first song is strong and angry, the second sweet and rolling. Some people were mad that “Vampire Empire” wasn’t as good as the version first heard on Colbert’s Late Show, and while the studio version did cut the line “I’m the fish and she’s my gills”, it flows better, has bigger dynamic range, is much tighter, and stays in tune.
• boygenius - the record and the rest [EP] - Three talented singer-songwriters team up for a collaborative album and another EP? I’m in. They remind me of case/lang/viers or, yes, obligatorily, CSN. Honestly about half the album drags a bit, but the other half is so good I don’t mind it. The EP appears to be leftovers, but “Afraid of Heights” is one of their best. The harmonies are outstanding, the production good but predictable.
• The Church - The Hypnogogue - Album #26 is the concept album? Why not. It’s not really as proggy as sole remaining founding member Steve Kilbey claims, but it is as good as his and the band’s mysteriously psychedelic best. It isn’t a pop album like Of Skins and Heart (1981) or Starfish (1988), but nor were any of their albums in the last 15 years or more. The concept is farcical and vaguely sci-fi, yet if you didn’t know what it is, you could easily mistake it for prescient social commentary, which is exactly what Kilbey claims it’s not. I don’t believe him. In any case, it’s great.
• Cup Collector - assorted releases - This has been Cup Collector’s busiest year so far, and the six releases (totalling 11 tracks at just under two hours) reveal a wide reach of experimental instrumental music. He’s either started using synthesizers or he’s perfected the technique of simulating a synthesizer via guitar effects, layers, and reverb. The Hourglass, “Life Form”, “The Fourth”, and Your Shining Heart are calming, warm, and pleasant. “A Shepherd’s Howl” starts off like the extended acoustic improvisations released under his birth name (James David Fitzpatrick), but then switches to his classic electric guitar tones. “‘Love’ Spray Painted on a Tree Trunk” (from The Fourth) is a blend of synth exploration and field recording, which also recalls his “solo” work, albeit more abrasively. The Elder EP is the real surprise, featuring three pieces ranging from (what sounds like) noisy sequencers to melodic layers of arpeggiated guitars.
• Low Forest - Entrovert and Ambivector - Old friends Josh King and Brad Schumacher (with drummer Halston Rossi) have made a high-concept space rock double-album, in which one album is the rock and the other is the space, and of course they’re synchronized such that they’ve created an interactive listening experience in which you can try mixing the two parts together yourself. Separately, both albums stand on their own, but their combination is spine-tingling. I hear a lot of Hum’s Inlet, creative use of synthesizers, and concern for political, social, and environmental catastrophe.
• Pale Blue Eyes - This House - This trio have mastered the art of turning grief and sadness into propulsive, upbeat synthpop. There are bits of goth rock and shoegaze in the mix, but the genuine lyrics of working through loss and difficult emotions to embrace community and make the most of what’s available are what seal the deal. It’s even better than last year’s Souvenirs.
• Perlee - Speaking from Other Rooms - I enjoyed the Slow Creature EP (2020) and they’ve grown considerably since then. Now they really sound like early-era Beach House or even Slowdive at times. They’re not just a derivative of dream pop masters, though; they bring their own folky touch, Saramai Leech has a great voice, and instead of just melancholy, I hear optimism in their belief that love is more powerful than whatever divisions the pandemic created within us. Cormac O’Keeffe’s voice ain’t bad either, and it’s especially lovely when they sing together.
• Slowdive - Everything Is Alive - We can now celebrate that their reunion was not just a fling with one new album (too bad about Lush) – it’s for real, and this album is just a hair behind 2017’s self-titled album. It seems they’re starting to acknowledge Pygmalion (1995) again in that there are more electronic elements. They shifted the balance more towards atmospherics over crafting pop appeal, and it gels beautifully.

Here are a few honorable mentions:

• Beach House - Become EP - These five songs are outtakes from last year’s Once Twice Melody, and while I often joke/admit that their songs tend to sound the same, I agree that they didn’t fit the album. They’re all fairly good, but they’re a step back in the direction of Thank Your Lucky Stars (2015). As with Once Twice Melody, though, I really miss the full power of Victoria Legrand’s voice. She can still bring it on stage, but why is it absent from the records?
• Elk City - Undertow - Some parts feel dry and formal, but on half the songs they cut loose and build up some great jams. The weird synth parts and the bits that remind me of Stereolab (often occurring simultaneously) are the highlights. Is it just me or do I see a lot of commentary on social media in the lyrics?
• Ian Fisher - Ghost Father - A collection of songs written for a production of Hamlet at the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck, mostly featuring just electric guitar and voice. The songs are weighty and reflect a suitable obsession with death. The instrumentation is stark, but the vocals are strong and nuanced. This isn’t a standard album, so to speak, and it was only released via Fanklub.
• Mitski - The Land Is Inhospitable and So Are We - An abrupt change of pace wherein Mitski goes orchestral and to Nashville. There’s less power and drama but more directness and emotional clarity.
• Sufjan Stevens - Javelin - Sufjan has a knack for delivering emotional wrecking balls without hitting you over the head with them. Without context, these songs sound like his typical wistful acoustic-synthetic fare, but the resemblance to Carrie & Lowell (2015) is more than just superficial. On the day of the album release, Sufjan dedicated the album to his partner, Evans Richardson, who died in April. Musically, the album doesn’t cover new ground, but the lyrics are personal and piercing. It’s certainly better than The Ascension (2020), which I didn’t get at all. I wish he would sing again with more dynamics instead of this breathy, hushed voice, but he somehow managed to get Pleasure Activism author adrienne maree brown to sing on most of the album, which certainly adds texture and novelty.
• The Veldt - Illuminated 1989 - This is their original debut album, produced by Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. How was this shelved!? It’s not quite as heavy as Afrodisiac (1994), and maybe the guitars are a little too indebted to the Cocteaus, but is that really a complaint? This would’ve been a shoegaze classic, and maybe it will be yet.

And here a few other 2023 releases that I have opinions about:

• Belle & Sebastian - Late Developers - I know that these songs are supposedly more than just outtakes from A Bit of Previous (2022), but that’s what they sound like. That album was fine, but this album has all the same faults and just about nothing else. Their steady march into clichéd dance-pop is completely boring. Even Murdoch’s lyrics are getting stale.
• John Cale - Mercy - As weird as ever, but this time with notable collaborators on almost every track. It kind of works, but also sounds really formless and directionless. It’s too similar to his other latter-day work and I’m finding myself less and less excited by his bizarre stylistic mashups.
• Love & Rockets - My Dark Twin - This double-disc companion piece to Sweet F.A. (1996) is broadly split into three sources: early and alternate versions of album tracks (all inferior and superfluous), extended jams (good vibes but absurdly overlong; I’m amazed that two of them were actually released back in the day on the Glittering Darkness EP (1995)), and actual outtakes (mildly enjoyable). Ash’s outtake songs could’ve easily fit on the album, but J’s are an entirely different style, much more similar to his solo album Urban Urbane (1992). I get why they didn’t make the cut – they don’t fit the mid-90s alternative guitar groove – but I like most of his usual socio-political commentary anyway. And hearing the band jam with Genesis P-Orridge is honestly pretty cool.
• Wilco - Cousin - Mostly notable for being coproduced by Cate Le Bon. (A woman! Gasp!) She did seem to bring out an exploratory, experimental approach to sound design, but the songs themselves are a bit too drab and plodding, much like the run of albums before last year’s Cruel Country. “Evicted” is the only song with enough of a melody and pop sensibility to stand out above the crowd.