Tiffany Poon takes a geographical turn focusing on French composers for her second album, Nature. The care she brought to Diaries Schumann shows up here as well.
Hooverphonic, The Magnificent Tree
For the longest time, I thought the only thing I needed from Hooverphonic was their cover of “Shake the Disease” on the tribute album For the Masses. I was wrong.
Miguel, CAOS
The title of this album is an apt description for the songs therein, but they don’t get too out of hand to lose focus.
Rosalía, LUX
The orchestrations on this album are phenomenal, but I think Rosalía could study Shiina Ringo’s Karuki Zaamen Kuri no Hana for a lesson on how to keep ambitions in check. This album would be more impactful with a short running time.
Black Country, New Road, Forever Howlong Geese, Getting Killed National of Language, Dance Called Memory
I’ll admit I had to do some fourth quarter catch-up on these albums, so they’re indelibly tied in mind due to context-switching. In the case of Forever Howlong and Getting Killed, these albums flex ambition that wouldn’t sound out of place next to a Shiina Ringo or Naked City album, just a bit tempered. Dance Called Memory, meanwhile, evokes an age familiar to anyone who grew up in the Reagan years.
As much as I liked these albums, I didn’t discover them early enough in the year to dislodge the favorites I’ve already ranked. I was also listening to Dijon’s Baby, which did manage to break into the year-end list. Getting Killed garnered a lot of acclaim, but I perceive it as a less-fun version of Parquet Court’s Wide Awake!
Tortoise, Touch
I bet this album might have also ranked higher on the Favorite Edition 2025 list if it had just come out slightly earlier in the year.
In the past, I would try to write about every album I encountered. These days, I listen to a lot of stuff, but I’ll only post an entry if something sparks a memory.
As these statistics demonstrate, I’m leaving a lot out of this blog.
First and last purchases of the year
The first and last purchases of the year are determined by the date of order. Pre-ordered items not yet shipped have already been taken into account.
First purchase: Sigur Ros, Inni on CD.
First purchase of a 2025 release: Sam Amidon, Salt River on CD.
Last purchase of a 2025 release: Olivia Rodrigo, Live From Glastonbury on CD
Last purchase: Wayne Horvitz, Simple Facts on vinyl.
Purchases by format
Format
New release
Reissue
Catalog
Total
7-inch
0
0
0
0
10-inch
1
2
0
3
12-inch
2
1
0
3
Blu ray
0
1
0
1
CD Single
0
0
0
0
CD
56
34
270
360
CD-R
0
0
0
0
Downloads
13
14
0
27
DVD
0
0
1
1
Vinyl
30
53
121
204
Total items bought
102
105
392
599
Definitions
New release
Initial release within the calendar year.
Reissue
Originally released prior to the calendar year but reissued within the calendar year.
Catalog
Initial release prior to the calendar year.
Top catalog release years
Year
Number of items purchased
Year-over-year change
1995
22
New!
2005
21
New!
1998
20
New!
1993
20
New!
2024
19
New!
1994
18
New!
2004
17
-2
2001
17
-1
2000
16
New!
Top artists
Single titles purchased in multiple formats are counted individually.
Artist
Number of items purchased
SYML
11
Sting
9
John Zorn
8
Eponymous 4
7
k.d. lang
7
Wayne Horvitz
7
Bruce Springsteen
6
Public Image Ltd.
5
Sigur Rós
5
Thievery Corporation
5
Notes
SYML has fully embraced the notion of releasing a steady stream of music to placate the streaming overloads.
I show up as Eponymous 4 because of a reissue campaign I started in 2023, and it’s picking up pace.
John Zorn held out on streaming for the longest time, but now that Tzadik release appear on streaming, I can figure out which of his numerous releases I want to own physically.