Best Albums of 2025: #15-1

third post in the series

This is the third and final installment of my list of best albums of 2025.

Also read:
Best albums of 2025: #45-31
Best albums of 2025: #30-16

I think the top five or so are pleasingly diverse/unexpected in terms of genre/geography/things you aren’t likely to find on other lists? In any case, I hope you enjoyed reading through this and maybe found something new and unexpected to listen to and love.

Again, feel free to leave you own favorite albums of 2025 in comments. And if you find my writing valuable, consider becoming a paid subscriber; it’s $50/yr, $5/month.

15.
Patricia Brennan
Of The Near And Far

Jazz vibraphonist Patricia Brennan leads a powerhouse band through a set that touches on fusion, spiritual jazz, and post bop on its way to its own off-kilter rapture.

14.
Cuco
Ridin’

Smooth soul marinated in Smokey, Marvin, and the Stylistics, with a hint of Latin spice and finished off with the ultra-smooth polish of 2020s production. Exquisite seduction.

13.
S.G. Goodman
Planting By The Signs

Haunting updating of old timey country, in the tradition of Gillian Welch and Iris Dement; Goodman’s electric guitar cuts as deep as her mountain quaver.

12.
Wet Leg
moisturizer

Sexy throwback jangle and buzz 80s/90s alt rock, touching on all the greats from Breeders to Sonic Youth—but frontwoman Rhian Teasdale is such a distinctive presence it always feels like an extension of the tradition rather than a nostalgia exercise. The hooks are great too.

11.
Vedic Dread
Synthetic Gard of the False God

Broken sparse electronic percussive soundscapes—background music for exploring long dead alien craters as your brain slowly implodes.

10.
Theophonos
Allegheny Rains

A maelstrom of blackened death, fueled by absolutely fearsome drumming. Will make you believe in upstate New York as the landscape of the apocalypse.

9.
Mulatu Astatke
Mulatu Plays Mulatu

The 83-year-old master of Ethio-jazz releases a new album of big band arrangements for his traveling UK ensemble. A living treasure.

8.
Danny Brown
Stardust

Hip hop eclectic Danny Brown got sober, got obsessed with hyperpop, and released an album of collaborations with the cutting edge of trans and queer producers and performers. The result is a dazzling, life-affirming testament to solidarity and partying across race, gender, and genre.

7.
Cold Specks
Light for the Midnight

Piano and fuzzed-out out backing for one of the great voices in contemporary music. Ladan Hussein’s burred voice and spotlessly idiosyncratic phrasing define soul.

6.
Katokye
Obuhangwa bwa Banyankore na Bahororo

Mostly a cappella improvisatory traditional vocal chanting from Western Uganda; meditative, intricate, and wonderful.

5.
DakhaBrakha
Ptakh

Ukrainian progressive folk collective, demonstrating the deep roots and incredible creativity of a nation under siege.

4.
Juana Molina
DOGA

Tranced-out catchy yet sublime electronica bliss from an Argentinian legend, whose fey electronica slides here into something like trip hop.

3.
Marina
Princess of Power

Marina perfects her blend of soaring soprano, disco pop and New Wave with an album of wall-to-wall synth heavy, slyly oddball dance floor bangers.

2.
Animal Machine/Richard Ramirez
Música para el colapso

A never-released 2011 split featuring a live set of shrieks, squalls and eruptions by Peruvian producer Ernesto Bohórquez juxtaposed with the ambient all-encompassing hiss of Richard Ramirez’s harsh noise wall. The different kinds of aural assault crash and blend in hypnotic cacophony as you play the contrasting/complementing tracks over and over again. I can’t stop listening to this.

1.
Various Artists
Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins (10th Anniversary Ed.)

I missed this in 2015, but it’s become one of my all time favorite albums. Ted Hawkins is a wonderful and underrated performer, equally influenced by Sam Cooke and Hank Williams; this anthology features a who’s who of alt country covering some of his greatest tunes. The 10^th anniversary edition ads a couple excellent tracks, and gives me an excuse to belatedly lawd this amazing collection as it deserves.

Also read:
Best albums of 2025: #45-31
Best albums of 2025: #30-16