What better way to start things off here than with a best of 2025 in July of 2026? Despite the self-deprecation here I actually do find it really stupid when places publish their “best of the year” lists before the year is actually over or in the first week of January. How can you have heard everything? It’s actually better to wait 6+ months. Anyway, here's a brief bit about some good stuff from the previous year. More thorough reviews of some other stuff coming soon. Oh, and one quick note: I'm not much of a streaming guy, so there are records that technically were released in 2025 on Bandcamp or wherever that I would have included but am not counting here because they didn't come out physically until 2026. In a year or so when I make that list, I'm sure you'll hear about them.
Applejuice "We All Dissolve" (self-released): This album is among my favorite ever Steve Peffer albums, with all due respect to 9 Shocks Terror, Homostupids, Folded Shirt, and Factorymen, all of whom have made records I really love (and Razak Solar System, Pleasure Leftists, and Peer Pressure Zombies, who have made records I like a lot as a friend). I always like when an undeniably weird and undeniably punk record is still undeniably catchy.
Car Seat Headrest "The Scholars" (Matador): Another sprawling opus from the folks in CSH, who tend to excel at sprawling opuses (opi?). Car Seat Headrest is among the very few bands who I think justify having most of their records be double LPs and they’re also among the very few who can get away with a rock opera like this. I think the secret to the latter is all the songs are individually really good even separated from their context.
Greg Freeman "Burnover" (Transgressive): I love when a record’s hype sticker names way too many artists to try to explain the sound. Freeman is like Jason Molina, but also Warren Zevon, but also Stephen Malkmus, but also Springsteen…in any case, I definitely like this record more than I like some of those other guys’ records, so I guess he lives up to the hype.
Geese "Getting Killed" (Partisan/Play It Again Sam): Yes, yes, I know, the psyop band that launched a thousand thinkpieces from the most annoying people you know. I think it’s funny that people wanted to be so upset like obviously unethical marketing practices haven’t always existed in the music business— I know that doesn’t make it right, but blaming Geese is ridiculous, for one thing, and in a lot of cases reeked of professional jealousy. Psyop or not, this is a good and interesting record that did take me several listens to like at all but then quickly became a standout album.
The Laughing Chimes "Whispers In The Speech Machine" (Slumberland): I avoided listening to this band for a while because I just got so sick of “jangle” and a recent wave of incredibly derivative power pop bands but when I finally got around to listening to this I was pleasantly surprised to learn it’s not power pop at all. It is definitely jangle, but in like a spooky late ‘80s kind of way. People who spend more time in Athens, OH than I do tell me there’s a really strong original music scene there right now and if The Laughing Chimes are any indication of the overall quality I’m excited to hear more.
Mezclado “¿Sepa La Bola / Who Knows?” (self-released): The swan song from one of the best bands out of Columbus in the past several years. Just a good record where their Latin/psych/punk sound really works and really comes through. I know the members of this band are scattered across the country now, but I’m still hoping they come back together some day. Just one more time, come on.
Wednesday "Bleeds" (Dead Oceans): I think Wednesday will go down as one of the more influential bands of this era. Certainly guitarist MJ Lenderman has inspired a wave of copycats with his solo material, but I think this record will take it even further. But this is the group that will forever be the best at this indie/country/shoegaze sound, due more to Karly Hartzman's brilliant lyrics and Xandy Chelmis' brilliant musicianship than anything else.
Neil Young + The Chrome Hearts "Talkin To The Trees" (Reprise): On first listen, I thought this was the same boring record Neil has been putting out for years, but actually there's something a lot more interesting going on with this one. Despite how lazy some of the songwriting is at the surface, the songs are kind of insane. Two of them (in a row!) blatantly steal the melody of "This Land Is Your Land"; "First Fire Of Winter" is a rewrite of "Helpless"; and he keeps talking about how his apparently estranged daughter won't let him see his grandkids. It's a dark record, and maybe a somewhat lyrically unethical one, but Neil has always made dark records and ones where he openly insults people (though usually it was exes or the other members of CSNY, not his own daughter). Somehow this one has grown on me enough that it's made this list.
Bill Fox "Resonance" (Eleventh Hour): Another Bill Fox record is always a good thing, whether it's new material (it's been a while) or one like this that's comprised of material dating back to who knows how far (consulting some of my archives shows at least the early '90s). Bill is not only one of the most enigmatic folk singers of our time, but also one of the finest. Now, if somebody would finally release the full Radio Flyers album...
Ron House "Obsessed" (Zaius): A long-awaited reissue of the only true solo album by maybe the best songwriter from Columbus ever (maybe just the best songwriter ever). A bleak but funny and charming album about desperate and sad people. On Discogs all of this label's releases are banned for being bootlegs, but Ron did play a release show for this so I'm assuming this one is as official as it gets.
Jonathan Richman "You Must Ask The Heart" (Craft): When Craft started doing Jonathan Richman reissues for Record Store Day a few years ago, the ones I was most hoping for were this (previously CD only) and "I'm So Confused" (which we haven't gotten yet, but maybe next time). A classic Jonathan record ("Vampire Girl" and "Let Her Go Into The Darkness" rank among my all time favorite J.R. tracks) and one of his funniest album covers.