Hello again!
The calendar has rolled over to December 1st and that, to me, means that the countdown to Christmas and the end of the year begins in earnest. It used to be an unwritten rule that this was the date that Christmas songs started being trumpeted in the stores and decorations were brought out and trees put up at home and at the office, etc, but that date has been steadily pushed forward over the years. And now it seems the Hallmark movies start on November 1st pretty much on cue and the Christmas decorations and chocolates appear in stores as soon as the Halloween candies are put away, and in some cases (Hello, Costco), even beforehand. I remember a Far Side cartoon from many years ago that I am reminded of every Autumn, that features a gobsmacked person at the door to give out Halloween candy and finds there none other than Santa Claus himself.
I could rant about things like this all day, more so the grumpier I get with age, but that’s not what this particular blog is about, so let’s get back to the music. Yes, December 1st also is a great day to publish the post that starts counting down my top ten favourite albums of the year in earnest. So that’s exactly what I’m doing: starting it all today with albums #10 through #6. (If you missed my post from last Monday, I invite you to backtrack and check out some of the other great albums that just missed the cut.) Then, I plan to share my favourite five over the next few weeks, one a day, sprinkled in with other posts, hopefully getting them all in and finishing on schedule on New Year’s Eve.
With all the excellent releases in 2025, I am sure I missed out on one or two, so as we go through my own ten favourite albums, I welcome your comments and thoughts and perhaps even your own top ten favourites in the comments spaces provided.
Let’s do this.
We start this top ten countdown with an album I would have never expected to be here a few months ago. Surprise announced and released on the same day back on Halloween, “Snocaps” is the self-titled debut album* by a sort of supergroup led by twin sisters Allison (Swearin’) and Katie (Waxahatchee) Crutchfield and rounded out by current “it” musician MJ Lenderman and producer Brad Cook. I’d been a fan of the work of both Crutchfield sisters since I came across them close to a decade ago, but lesser so of late, given Allison’s break from music and Katie’s move away from the sound that first drew me to her and towards a more folk singer/songwriter feel. Happily, together, their sound feels like a return to form for me, each sister taking turns at the microphone and having each other’s back throughout. You can almost hear the sisterly ribbing and laughter that must’ve occurred during the recording sessions. It is music for music’s sake.
I got into the Brooklyn based synth pop trio back in 2020 with the release of their debut, falling hard for “On division st.“, a standout single from the album. I’ve been following them ever since, with each successive album, I keep waiting for the ball to drop. A band with heavy leanings to the past, plucked straight out of a 1980s John Hughes film soundtrack, you might think that they might hit a wall eventually, run out of ideas, but the opposite keeps happening. And now, with their fourth long player and first to be released on indie powerhouse Sub Pop records, they might have recorded their best yet. “Dance called memory” is aptly named, continuing their sound blend of retro and fresh music to dance to and to remember and to make new memories to.
Of course, an album this cinematic and moody and atmospheric would be made by a photographer, director, and producer. Robert Ascroft has now added recording artist to his list of accomplishments but he hasn’t done it alone. For his debut album, “Echo still remains”, he enlisted a host of collaborators that range from Ruth Radelet (Chromatics) to Christopher Owens (Girls) and from Britta Phillips (Luna) to Zumi Rosow (Black Lips). Each song is an adventure reflected in raindrops glistening on the windshield of a car hurtling down a deserted highway in the dead of night. The colour palette is David Lynch. The finish is dream pop and psychedelic and far too cool for school. It is instantly replayable.
“Constellations for the lonely” is the sixth studio by Manchester trio Doves and the second since reforming after an eight year hiatus. Much like their previous work, the album is dark in the feels and big on atmospherics but the group was purposeful here in evoking an apocalyptic world. It was inspired by the lows the group was experiencing in the wake of the release of their previous album, 2020’s “The universal want“, frontman Jimi Goodwin’s mental health struggles and the need to cancel the promotional tour. But rather than tearing them apart, Doves persevered and grew stronger, themes reflected in this new album and indeed, there is more sharing of vocal duties across it than on previous outings. Despite all the darkness, there is hope and a renewed sense of the group as one.
The Miki Berenyi Trio was formed by Oliver Cherer, Kevin McKillop, and the band’s namesake, Miki Berenyi, when their previous band Piroshka stalled after only two albums**. This new group originally started out playing Lush covers as part of Berenyi’s book tour, enlisting the services of a drum machine because Piroshka/Lush drummer Justin Welch was busy touring with Jesus and Mary Chain. This lineup necessitated a change in name and style and though it’s Berenyi’s name at the forefront, the trio is really the key, as evidenced by the title of this debut album. Although they continue to be mainly a dream pop outfit, dance elements have kicked in along with the drum machine and we’ve also seen an increase in synth washes and effects for a more intense sound all around. I really like where this is going and can’t wait to hear more.
*And perhaps last album as well?
**In my opinion, great albums, both of them.
Stay tuned for album #5 on this list. In the meantime, you can check out my Best Albums page here if you’re interested in my other favourite albums lists.
bdrmm “Microtonic”: Hull, England based outfit imbues electronic dreams into their shoegaze arsenal for their third outing with brilliant results.
Ezra Furman “Goodbye small head”: Always raw and immediate, the American singer/songwriter’s 10th album is filled with personal tales that at the same time feel quite universal.
Just Mustard “We were just here”: The Irish quintet’s third album smacks equal parts of the haunting goth of Cranes and the noisy experimentation of Sonic Youth.
Amy Millan “I went to find you”: The Stars’ co-frontwoman’s* third solo album moves away from the folk/country of her first two releases and into an indie pop sound that feels like a warm comforter on a cold Canadian winter morning.
Pale Blue Eyes “New place”: More beautiful and danceable dream pop ecstasy from the trio originally from Sheffield, songs that feel blissfully eternal.
Sloan “Based on the best seller”: The Canadian alt-rock icons doing what they do best on their fourteenth studio LP – just keeping on keeping on bringing the rock.
The Veils “Asphodels”: The latest by Finn Andrews’ musical vehicle is typically dramatic and epic, and worthy of another David Lynch soundtrack.
My (life in) music lists 