One year of Buzzjack contributions down, and I figured I'd jump aboard the bandwagon and start posting my End of Year list for 2025. I'll be adding a few songs at a time over the next several days. May add an album list in once the top 50 songs list is complete.

While this is my first year contribution here, I'm not new to compiling personal charts. I've created a weekly songs chart off-and-on since the mid-1990s (with the most recent iteration beginning in late-2016). End of year charts are a relatively recent occurrence, though; I've only starting building those at the appropriate time since 2017, and generally just shared with family (save for the creation of Spotify playlist that I run into the ground for the following few months).

The rules, such as they are, aren't hard and fast with the End of Year chart. It's not a points-based system. Appearance (especially high placement) on my weekly chart definitely helps, but is not the be all and end all. The End of Year list tends to reflect those songs that stuck with me, and is largely filled with growers and not of-the-moment earworms. It wouldn't surprise me if there are a few weekly number ones that don't make this chart. One of my favourite things to do when beginning to compile my year ender is to consult other lists, identify some stellar songs that I somehow missed, and try and figure where they would slot in. I'd reckon the makeup is generally 75% my personal chart success, 20% late-year discoveries that slipped under my radar, and a meagre 5% "of-the-moment" and "critical darlings that didn't 100% jive with me". I'm not strict with only one song per artist per release, but I do generally try to limit it as much as possible. There are a handful of artists this year who will likely have two songs appear on the chart. (Just trying to keep from the top 50 just being made up of my five favourite albums).

One of my pandemic projects was trying to backfill previous years charts, consulting memory, album releases, other charts, and pure whimsy from playlists to create top 50 lists as far back as the mid-1960s. Please see below the top 5s dating back to 1965. Recent years will undoubtedly give a preview of who to expect to see in this year's End of Year chart.

Year	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5
1965	Nina Simone "Feeling Good"	The Beatles "In My Life"	The Rolling Stones "(I Can't Get) Satisfaction"	Jackson C. Frank "Blues Run the Game"	Bob Dylan "Subterranean Homesick Blues"
1966	The Beatles "Paperback Writer"	Buffalo Springfield "For What It's Worth"	The Rolling Stones "Paint It, Black"	The Byrds "Eight Miles High"	Otis Redding "Try a Little Tenderness"
1967	The Beatles "A Day in the Life"	The Doors "Light My Fire"	Aretha Franklin "Respect"	Jefferson Airplane "Somebody to Love"	Cream "Sunshine of Your Love"
1968	Jimi Hendrix "All Along the Watchtower"	The Beatles "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"	Cream "White Room"	Simon & Garfunkel "America"	Sly & The Family Stone "Dance To The Music"
1969	Neil Young & Crazy Horse "Cowgirl in the Sand"	Crosby, Stills & Nash "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes"	Led Zeppelin "Dazed and Confused"	The Beatles "Here Comes the Sun"	Sly & The Family Stone "Everyday People"
1970	Curtis Mayfield "Move On Up"	Nick Drake "Northern Sky"	David Bowie "The Man Who Sold the World"	George Harrison "What Is Life"	Gordon Lightfoot "If You Could Read My Mind"
1971	Bill Withers "Ain't No Sunshine"	Elton John "Tiny Dancer"	Marvin Gaye "What's Going On"	The Who "Baba O'Riley"	David Bowie "Life on Mars?"
1972	Big Star "Watch the Sunrise"	David Bowie "Starman"	Nick Drake "Pink Moon"	Lou Reed "Perfect Day"	Stevie Wonder "Superstition"
1973	James Brown "The Payback"	Tom Waits "Little Trip To Heaven"	John Martyn "Solid Air"	Fleetwood Mac "Hypnotized"	The Stooges "Gimme Danger"
1974	Gordon Lightfoot "Sundown"	Tom Waits "The Heart of Saturday Night"	Queen "Killer Queen"	Neil Young "On the Beach"	David Bowie "Rebel Rebel"
1975	Patti Smith "Gloria: In Excelsis Deo"	Bob Dylan "Tangled Up In Blue"	Bruce Springsteen "Jungleland"	Bob Marley & the Wailers "No Woman, No Cry"	Fleetwood Mac "Say You Love Me"
1976	The Modern Lovers "Roadrunner"	Queen "Somebody To Love"	Bob Dylan "Hurricane"	Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers "American Girl"	Patti Smith "Ask the Angels"
1977	Television "Marquee Moon"	David Bowie "Heroes"	Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way"	Bill Withers "Lovely Day"	Richard Hell & the Voidoids "Blank Generation"
1978	Buzzcocks "Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone...)"	Blondie "One Way Or Another"	Patti Smith "Because the Night"	The Clash "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais"	Dire Straits "Sultans of Swing"
1979	Gary Numan "Cars"	The Boys Next Door "Shivers"	The Clash "Train In Vain (Stand By Me)"	The Sugarhill Gang "Rapper's Delight"	Talking Heads "Life During Wartime"
1980	The Cure "A Forest"	Joy Division "Love Will Tear Us Apart"	Pretenders "Mystery Achievement"	David Bowie "Ashes to Ashes"	Echo & the Bunnymen "Do It Clean"
1981	Soft Cell "Tainted Love"	Depeche Mode "Just Can't Get Enough"	Mission Of Burma "That's When I Reach For My Revolver"	The Stranglers "Golden Brown"	The Specials "Ghost Town"
1982	New Order "Temptation"	Pretenders "Back on the Chain Gang"	The Jam "Town Called Malice"	Queen & David Bowie "Under Pressure"	Grandmaster Flash "The Message"
1983	The Chameleons "Up the Down Escalator"	Depeche Mode "Everything Counts"	The Smiths "This Charming Man"	Big Country "In a Big Country"	New Order "Age of Consent"
1984	The Smiths "How Soon Is Now?"	Talk Talk "It's My Life"	Echo & the Bunnymen "The Killing Moon"	Minutemen "History Lesson: Part 2"	Prince "When Doves Cry"
1985	New Order "The Perfect Kiss"	The Cure "In Between Days"	Tears For Fears "Everybody Wants To Rule the World"	The Jesus and Mary Chain "Just Like Honey"	Simple Minds "Don't You (Forget About Me)"
1986	Peter Gabriel "In Your Eyes"	The Chameleons "Swamp Thing"	Billy Bragg "Levi Stubbs' Tears"	Siouxsie and the Banshees "Cities In Dust"	Prince "Kiss"
1987	New Order "True Faith"	U2 "With Or Without You"	Belinda Carlisle "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"	Depeche Mode "Never Let Me Down Again"	R.E.M. "The One I Love"
1988	Sonic Youth "Teen Age Riot"	The Waterboys "We Will Not Be Lovers"	The Pogues "Lullaby Of London"	Tracy Chapman "Fast Car"	The Church "Under the Milky Way"
1989	The Stone Roses "I Wanna Be Adored"	The Cure "Pictures of You"	Neil Young "Rockin' in the Free World"	Pixies "Debaser"	Neneh Cherry "Buffalo Stance"
1990	Depeche Mode "Enjoy the Silence"	Alice in Chains "Man in the Box"	Cocteau Twins "Heaven or Las Vegas"	Sonic Youth "Dirty Boots"	Spirit of the West "Home For A Rest"
1991	Chapterhouse "Breather"	Nirvana "Smells Like Teen Spirit"	Pearl Jam "Jeremy"	R.E.M. "Losing My Religion"	Kitchens of Distinction "Drive That Fast"
1992	Catherine Wheel "Black Metallic"	Blind Melon "Change"	Alice in Chains "Rooster"	R.E.M. "Man On the Moon"	Buffalo Tom "Taillights Fade"
1993	Mazzy Star "Fade Into You"	Bettie Serveert "Kid's Allright"	Morphine "Cure For Pain"	Pearl Jam "Rearviewmirror"	The Cranberries "Dreams"
1994	Blur "This Is a Low"	The Cranberries "Zombie"	Portishead "Sour Times"	Neil Young "Harvest Moon"	Oasis "Slide Away"
1995	The Smashing Pumpkins "Bullet With Butterfly Wings"	Radiohead "High and Dry"	Oasis "Some Might Say"	Aimee Mann "You Could Make a Killing"	Matthew Sweet "Sick of Myself"
1996	The Brian Jonestown Massacre "Anenome"	Pearl Jam "Present Tense"	R.E.M. "Electrolite"	Modest Mouse "Dramamine"	Sloan "The Good In Everyone"
1997	Foo Fighters "Everlong"	Radiohead "Paranoid Android"	Natalie Imbruglia "Torn"	Built To Spill "Kicked It in the Sun"	Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds "People Ain't No Good"
1998	Silver Jews "People"	The Beta Band "Dry the Rain"	David Gray "Babylon"	Placebo "Every You Every Me"	Dirty Three "Sea Above, Sky Below"
1999	Filter "Take A Picture"	Blur "Coffee & TV"	Beth Orton "Stolen Car"	Silverchair "Emotion Sickness"	Matthew Good Band "Load Me Up"
2000	Doves "Rise"	PJ Harvey "Good Fortune"	Deftones "Change (In the House of Flies)"	U2 "Beautiful Day"	A Perfect Circle "3 Libras"
2001	The Shins "New Slang"	The Strokes "Last Nite"	Radiohead "Pyramid Song"	Michelle Branch "Everywhere"	The Rapture "Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks"
2002	...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead "How Near, How Far"	Queens of the Stone Age "No One Knows"	Interpol "Obstacle 1"	Wilco "Jesus, Etc."	Alexisonfire "Pulmonary Archery"
2003	Yeah Yeah Yeahs "Maps"	The White Stripes "Seven Nation Army"	The Wrens "This Boy Is Exhausted"	The Weakerthans "One Great City!"	South "Colours In Waves"
2004	Arcade Fire "Rebellion (Lies)"	The Killers "Somebody Told Me"	Feist "One Evening"	Chad VanGaalen "Clinically Dead"	Regina Spektor "Us"
2005	Doves "Snowden"	Bloc Party "Banquet"	M83 "Teen Angst"	Sufjan Stevens "Casimir Pulaski Day"	Coldplay "Speed of Sound"
2006	Peter Bjorn and John "Young Folks"	The Killers "When You Were Young"	Arctic Monkeys "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor"	The Hold Steady "Stuck Between Stations"	Band of Horses "The Funeral"
2007	MGMT "Time To Pretend"	Arcade Fire "No Cars Go"	Paramore "Misery Business"	Wilco "Impossible Germany"	Yeasayer "2080"
2008	Frank Turner "I Knew Prufrock Before He Was Famous"	Portishead "The Rip"	Blitzen Trapper "Furr"	Foals "Cassius"	M83 "Kim & Jessie"
2009	Phoenix "Lisztomania"	Kasabian "Fire"	Florence + the Machine "Dog Days Are Over"	Grizzly Bear "Two Weeks"	Ohbijou "Black Ice"
2010	Foals "Spanish Sahara"	Arcade Fire "The Suburbs"	Robyn "Hang With Me"	This Is the Kit "Earthquake"	Titus Andronicus "A More Perfect Union"
2011	M83 "Midnight City"	The Horrors "Still Life"	Ben Howard "Only Love"	Frank Turner "I Am Disappeared"	The Kills "Future Stars Slow"
2012	The Lumineers "Stubborn Love"	Of Monsters and Men "Little Talks"	Japandroids "The House That Heaven Built"	Grimes "Oblivion"	Lana Del Rey "Off To the Races"
2013	Junip "Line Of Fire"	St. Lucia "Elevate"	Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds "Jubilee Street"	FEMME "Fever Boy"	Lorde "Royals"
2014	Courtney Barnett "Avant Gardener"	The War on Drugs "Red Eyes"	Ben Howard "I Forget Where We Were"	Alvvays "Archie, Marry Me"	Future Islands "Seasons (Waiting on You)"
2015	Lord Huron "Meet Me in the Woods"	Kurt Vile "Pretty Pimpin"	Foals "Mountain At My Gates"	Grimes "Flesh Without Blood"	Beck "Dreams"
2016	Car Seat Headrest "Drunk Drivers/Killer Whales"	David Bowie "Lazarus"	Angel Olsen "Shut Up Kiss Me"	Jim James "Here In Spirit"	DIIV "Dopamine"
2017	Lorde "Green Light"	Phoebe Bridgers "Emotion Sickness"	Ride "Lannoy Point"	The War on Drugs "Strangest Thing"	Slowdive "Star Roving"
2018	Tash Sultana "Cigarettes"	Ben Howard "The Defeat"	Iceage (w/Sky Ferreira) "Pain Killer"	Natalie Prass "Short Court Style"	Robyn "Honey"
2019	Drab Majesty "Oxytocin"	Big Thief "Not"	Nilufer Yanya "In Your Head"	Angel Olsen "Lark"	Foals "Sunday"
2020	The Killers "Caution"	Phoebe Bridgers "Chinese Satellite"	Arlo Parks "Hurt"	The Beths "Out of Sight"	J. Laser "Blood Moon"
2021	Japanese Breakfast "Be Sweet"	The War on Drugs (w/Lucius) "I Don't Live Here Anymore"	Ben Howard "What a Day"	Flock of Dimes "Two"	Yves Tumor "Jackie"
2022	Hatchie "Lights On"	Angel Olsen "Big Time"	Foals "2am"	Momma "Speeding 72"	Kevin Morby "This Is a Photograph"
2023	Ben Howard "Days of Lantana"	M83 "Amnesia"	Slowdive "kisses"	Arlo Parks "Weightless"	Carly Rae Jepsen "Shy Boy"
2024	Charli xcx (w/Lorde) "Girl, so confusing featuring lorde"	Clairo "Add Up My Love"	Caroline Polachek "Starburned and Unkissed"	Marika Hackman "Slime"	Royel Otis "Sofa King"

Really love seeing this!
So many great classics on here!

Can't wait for your list this year!

That’s an excellent list, all great songs there! Looking forward to your 2025 list.

There are so many fantastic songs on that list. One that I'd like to pick out is your favourite from 1983, 'Up The Down Escalator', as it's not well known. I entered 'A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days' from the same album into one of the song contests on here.

2 minutes ago, Sausage Rollo said:

There are so many fantastic songs on that list. One that I'd like to pick out is your favourite from 1983, 'Up The Down Escalator', as it's not well known. I entered 'A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days' from the same album into one of the song contests on here.

Fantastic track, and what immediately attracted me to The Chameleons sound. Quite likely my most listened to song over the years. The atmosphere Burgess & Co are able to create on 'Script of the Bridge' is unparalleled. "A Person Isn't Safe Anywhere These Days" is one of the two or three top songs on that album. The delivery at ~2:06 and the drum change-up before that "you can hear a pindrop" outro are just sublime. Glad to hear there are still people campaigning for them. :)

I was glad to see that they were able to rekindle hints of that magic on their surprise release from earlier this year.

Oh, I didn't know they released a new album this year. I'll have a listen some time.

There's no point in wasting any more time; let's get the countdown started! Will add standout moments, but leave commentary to a minimum.

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#50:
Yumi Zouma:

"Bashville on the Sugar"
non-album single

Favourite moments: that synthy guitar sound at 1:00 (and passim throughout), my god.

Allegedly about public transport in New York, you can feel a constant state of movement with the world rushing past. Perpetual chart darlings on my end, Yumi Zouma are constantly reinventing themselves, always seemingly a couple years ahead of the norm, but never really breaking through. Not their last appearance.

---

#49:

Witch Post

"Dreaming"
Beast (EP):

favourite moments: Intro guitar sound; pre-chorus duet, line three with Alaska's falsetto

I'm a sucker for male/female duets against an indie backdrop. Reminiscent of Sunflower Bean's work. Swirling fuzzy guitars, sweet lyrics. Reminds me of walking or driving at twilight.

---

#48:

Tunde Adebimpe

"Somebody New"

Thee Black Boltz

favourite moments: delivery on the lines "Is there nothing in the world that we can say a-bout this?" and "How can we feed this love?"

I was never much of a TV On The Radio fan, so this track catching my attention was a surprise. I'd actually given it a few weeks before giving it a try, and it's just a beautiful earworm with a catchy chorus. Lovely album, glad I gave it a chance. Gotta love the unhinged "in the upside-down version of Soul Train" nature of the video.

---

#47:
Alexandra Savior
"Unforgivable"

Beneath the Lilypad

favourite moments: horns in the chorus

One of my favourite under-the-radar songstresses, she's delivering Angel Olsen by way of Debbie Reynolds on this, the first song on 'Beneath the Lilypad'. Glorious arrangements, just majestic stuff. Her entire discography is worth a visit.

---

#46:
Smerz

"You got time and I got money"

Big city life

favourite moments: right from the jump, "Put your hands around my body" delivery; "Baby, can I see you naked? Even though I love how you dress, yeah" is up there for the best lines of the year; odd theremin sound ~2:35-2:50

I resisted checking out the album because the band name sounded dumb. What a mistake, shan't make that again. Haven't heard much like this release this year. Late night mellow jam. Gorgeous song, lovely album.

50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar"

49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming"

48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New"

47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable"

46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money"

Edited December 10, 2025Dec 10 by plaugher

35 minutes ago, Sausage Rollo said:

Oh, I didn't know they released a new album this year. I'll have a listen some time.

Review of the new album, "Arctic Moon", which was released in September: https://theindyreview.com/2025/09/11/album-review-chameleons-arctic-moon/

They'd released a couple of one-offs in 2024 which appear on the album ("Where Are You?", which was a bit of a deviation from their norm, and I think one other). "Saviors Are A Dangerous Thing" and "Lady Strange" definitely hearken back to their early roots. Worth a listen for sure, but a step below their mid-80s peak.

Edited December 10, 2025Dec 10 by plaugher

#45:
My Morning Jacket
"Time Waited"

Is
favourite moments: that timeless piano intro; powerful vocal delivery during the bridge

Just a beautiful offering from Jim James and the jammy lads of My Morning Jacket. About making sure not to miss the little moments of beauty in life as they will pass us by and never return. I think the performance of this song might be too much live.

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#44:

Florence + the Machine
"Everybody Scream"
Everybody Scream

favourite moments: "I dont have to be quiet and i dont have to be kind"; "SCREAMING MY NAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMME"; the outro

Just when we needed her most, here comes Florence Welch with an absolute banger that begs to be the first song of a set. Full of authority. And oh my god the bone-chilling delivery of that outro harmony. Just a killer song on an album full of killer songs.

---

#43:
Japanese Breakfast
"Mega Circuit"

For Melancholy Brunettes (and Sad Women)

favourite moment: Her delivery is always amazing; that simple piano refrain at the beginning; driving drums

Always a welcome time for Michelle Zauner to make a return. While others lamented the new album not picking up the mantle from 'Jubilee', I saw it picking up on the parts that I didn't like from 'Jubilee', though this is reminiscent of a 'Soft Sounds...' b-side and right in my wheelhouse. A critique on the "[decline of] contemporary masculinity [...and the] absence of positive role models" contributing to our, well, present state.

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#42:

Sam Fender

"Tyrants"

People Watching (b-side to deluxe version)

favourite moments: harmony in the chorus; that first guitar lick and that solo in the bridge is just delicious

You know from the first note that it's going to be another straight ahead rocker. Sam's a true talent, the pairing with Adam Granduciel is just what the doctor ordered for me. When your non-album tracks are this strong... While released as a b-side on vinyl last year, I'm counting it for this year given its presence on deluxe version of 'People Watching'. (That one's on me, I'm not changing its placement. :P)

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#41:

Suki Waterhouse

"Dream Woman"

Memoir of a Sparklemuffin (b-side to the deluxe edition)

favourite moments: menacing hazy nature; the waviness of the "I don't ever wanna feel another f'n way" delivey

What a monster of a song. Magnificently lush, kinda menacing, and generally hypnotic. If this is the route she's going, doing things Lana isn't against a slightly shoegazey backdrop, then I'm all for it.

50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar"

49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming"

48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New"

47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable"

46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money"

45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited"

44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream"
43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit"

42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants"

41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman"

Nice to see "Everybody Scream" from your list so far!

Great seeing Witch Post in your list, I’ve loved all their singles so far. Their debut ‘Chill Out’ was in my Top 20 last year. They’re just the kind of upcoming artists the ‘Radio 1 Sound of’ should be highlighting.

Smerz are also in my list this year, lovely to see some Trip Hop getting acclaim. Fantastic album too!

#40

Alison Goldfrapp

"Sound & Light"
Flux

favourite moments: absolutely delicious chorus synth; 1:43 just bringing the frisson...

Ethereal, dreamy synth-pop. Her music exudes summer feels and makes me want to flail.

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#39:

Wednesday

"Townies"

Bleeds

favourite moments: “I never yelled at you about it because you die-ie-ie-ie-IE-IED" delivery is just phenomenal. 2:30 tempo change sublime.

When their previous album came out, and it received such critical acclaim, I tried with Wednesday. I really tried, and determined they weren't for me. (Sidebar: Similarly, I've tried with other critical darlings/next big things they've been likened to, namely Black Country New Road and Geese; neither are for me. Don't expect a Geese appearance.) They kept showing up on mixes and playlists and were hard to avoid, and started to grow on me. Then MJ Lenderman's solo album came out, and I was able to connect the dots, revisit the previous record, and appreciate it a bit more. "Bleeds" blew me away and is probably my most listened-to record this year, and "Townies" was one of the high points. Not their last apperance.

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#38:

Wunderhorse

"The Rope"

[non-album single]

favourite moments: the chorus guitar loop; "And I stared right down that barrel / Into the bottom of the world / Don't let go"; the quiet little "f*** off" at the end

Just a straightforward rocker, passion and drive. Gravelly, raw vocals supplemented by earnest and emotional lyrics and swirling guitars. An absolute banger of a song that would be a thrill live.

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#37:

Men I Trust
"I Come With Mud"
Equus Asinus

favourite moments: Slide pedal work; delicate vocals

I adore how versatile Men I Trust is. Sometimes moody shoegaze-adjacent, sometimes folky, sometimes jazzy. Always interesting. When the slide guitar comes in around 0:40, it's just bliss. Slow drive on a dark night.

---

#36:

Sea Lemon

"Stay"

Diving For A Prize
favourite moments: Catchy chorus; gorgeous reverb

What a great year for dream pop. This song was an immediate love, so warm and fuzzy, just exuding summer rays. Solid album as well. Blissful, atmospheric song.

50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar"

49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming"

48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New"

47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable"

46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money"

45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited"

44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream"
43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit"

42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants"

41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman"

40 -- Alison Goldfrapp - "Sound & Light"
39 -- Wednesday - "Townies"
38 -- Wunderhorse - "The Rope"

37 -- Men I Trust - "I Come With Mud"

36 -- Sea Lemon - "Stay"

Edited December 17, 2025Dec 17 by plaugher

Gotten a little lax; let's pick this up again.

#35:

Royel Otis

"moody"

hickey

Favourite moments: I just adore their harmonies; catchy chorus. That delightful noodle during the bridgeDigging the 90s slacker ethos of their summery sound.

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#34:

Bartees Strange

"Wants Needs"
Horror

Favourite moments: He often seems to go 110% -- sometimes to the detriment -- but the passion and drive of the chorus just kills, with the "I NEEEEEEEEED YOU TO MYSELF". "How you feeling? / F*cking fantastic". The bridge change of pace allows the song time to breathe as well. Great solo in the outro. Debated "Backseat Banton" in this place. Some quality songs on this album.

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#33:
Racing Mount Pleasant
"Racing Mount Pleasant"

Racing Mount Pleasant

Favourite moments: Just gorgeous orchestration. Love the sludgy guitar at the start, leading into the horns. The build into the return of the horns at 1:58 is simply sublime, coupled with silence and "I DON'T KNOW THE REASON WHY" at 2:20 is a dynamite sequence. Compared with Black Country, New Road, whom I've not felt in the slightest, but I really enjoy this album. I guess I should revisit with a more open mind.

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#32:

Big Thief

"Incomprehensible"

Double Infinity

Favourite moments: No better songwriter at the moment in my mind than Adrianne Lenker; no more emotionally powerful frontperson either. BUT..... I sometimes find them a little too restrained at times. I would love to see them build and build and build into a cacophony occasionally, rather than rising and maintaining at 75% (if that makes any sense). Give me a good roadtrip song any day of the week. "So let gravity be my sculptor, let the wind do my hair / Let me dance in front of people without a care / Let me be naked alone with nobody there" is such a gorgeous sequence.

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#31:
Greet Death
"Country Girl
Die in Love

Favourite moments; Those Cure-esque shoegazey guitar parts at the beginning; nostalgic echoey vocals. That solo at 3:50 feeding into an eventual hazy jam to close the song is everything. This entire album is just staggeringly beautiful and riddled with melancholy and wistfulness. One of my favourites of the year. One review I encountered describe the album thusly: "Die in Love feels like sharing a crisp autumn morning joint and coffee on the porch with the person you love the most while the sunrise is soundtracked by chirping birds and the bustle of the city waking up around you." If that isn't living, folks, I don't know what to tell you.

50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar"

49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming"

48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New"

47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable"

46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money"

45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited"

44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream"
43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit"

42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants"

41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman"

40 -- Alison Goldfrapp - "Sound & Light"
39 -- Wednesday - "Townies"
38 -- Wunderhorse - "The Rope"

37 -- Men I Trust - "I Come With Mud"

36 -- Sea Lemon - "Stay"

35 -- Royel Otis - "moody"

34 -- Bartees Strange - "Wants Needs"
33 -- Racing Mount Pleasant - "Racing Mount Pleasant"
32 -- Big Thief - "Incomprehensible"
31 -- Greet Death - "Country GIrl"

Edited January 6Jan 6 by plaugher

#30:

Olivia Dean
"Man I Need"
The Art of Loving

Favourite moments: There is such warmth and authenticity in her voice and delivery. The chorus is just dynamite, and akin to a neo-Whitney. Simple lyrics. Delivery of "I kinda like it when you call me wonderful" just fills me with joy. I can't wait to hear more.

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#29:

Hatchie

"Lose It Again"
Liquorice

Favourite moments: Hooked from the initial bar. Oozes warmth. Sounds like it should be the lead single of 'Heaven or Las Vegas, pt. 2'. What a revelation. I'm so happy she continues to reinvent herself while staying close to her dreampop roots. The lead-in to the chorus is what summer sounds like to me, two minutes before sundown. That bending guitar bit after the first chorus, oh man. One of my favourite albums of the year and this is a cornerstone.

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#28:
Turnstile

"NEVER ENOUGH"
NEVER ENOUGH

Favourite moments: I'm not going to say this album was a disappointment, but I will say that what drew me in was the raw unbridled intensity. There isn't as much of that on this album, but there are flashes of earlier work on this song, the lead single. This song is just an aural symphony on good headphones. This should be utterly belted in a echoey hangar. Guitars kicking in a ~1:10 give me life. Solo around 2:15 coupled with those crystaline synths is magnificent. Not as much passion from Brandon's vocals on this song as on others, but that's ok. Musically dynamic. I remember being so excited to find out what was coming after that transitional outro.

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#27:

Stereolab

"Aerial Troubles"
Instant Holograms on Metal Film

Favourite moments: My goodness, what a surprise to hear a new Stereolab album in this the year of our lord 2025. They never missed a beat. Intro ropes you in, and those synths at 0:25 immediately transport back to their late-90s heyday. Delicate vocals, always interesting instrumentation. Timeless sound, as fresh today as when they initially emerged.

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#26:

Dope Lemon

"Golden Wolf"

Golden Wolf

Favourite moments: I just adore Angus Stone's works. His Dope Lemon moniker has been the soundtrack of many hazy fuzzy evenings with my partner, but this is a change back to his poppier roots. "Be it this life... or the next one", transitioning into the earlier 2010s "Oooh ooh ooh" sequence is just magical and drips nostalgia for me. Beautiful high point to an up-and-down album.

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50 -- Yumi Zouma - "Bashville on the Sugar"

49 -- Witch Post - "Dreaming"

48 -- Tunde Adebimpe - "Somebody New"

47 -- Alexandra Savior - "Unforgivable"

46 -- Smerz - "You got time and I got money"

45 -- My Morning Jacket - "Time Waited"

44 -- Florence + the Machine - "Everybody Scream"
43 -- Japanese Breakfast - "Mega Circuit"

42 -- Sam Fender - "Tyrants"

41 -- Suki Waterhouse - "Dream Woman"

40 -- Alison Goldfrapp - "Sound & Light"
39 -- Wednesday - "Townies"
38 -- Wunderhorse - "The Rope"

37 -- Men I Trust - "I Come With Mud"

36 -- Sea Lemon - "Stay"

35 -- Royel Otis - "moody"

34 -- Bartees Strange - "Wants Needs"
33 -- Racing Mount Pleasant - "Racing Mount Pleasant"
32 -- Big Thief - "Incomprehensible"
31 -- Greet Death - "Country GIrl"

30 -- Olivia Dean - "Man I Need"

29 -- Hatchie - "Lose It Again"

28 -- Turnstile - "NEVER ENOUGH"

27 -- Stereolab - "Aerial Troubles"

26 -- Dope Lemon - "Golden Wolf"

It is really funny that "Dream Woman" has the same position in my and your end-year chart. Also like the songs from Turnstile, Hatchie, Royel Otis, Alison Goldfrapp, Florence and Japanese Breakfast. Except for Florence, I had other songs from their albums charted.