Some years I write a big review of the year, because they are vast magnificent years, and sometimes my rundown is quite desultory, as I felt there just wasn't that much that really stood out.
This year is somewhat in between. I'm not sure there are many classic albums this year - there may be one. There are a lot of songs I enjoyed. I found myself listening to a lot of old music in quite specific ways. So, for the first month or so, I was basically listening to Bob Dylan entirely, then in the middle of the year, I listened to all the UK Number 1 singles ever that I didn't know, and lately I've been listening to acclaimed American songs from this century I didn't know.
I have also tried to stay on top of good new music, but with a lot of albums, I realised I listened to them to the point of saying to myself "I recognise this is a good album", but then not that much more.
So, all that being said, I'm going to list
a) my 25 favourite new songs
b) 25 old songs I loved this year
c) 25 albums which made me go "this is a good album"
So here are my 25 favourite songs. There'll only be one by each artist
- Anthem - Mavis Staples. Well, it's taken 30 years for Hallelujah by Jeff Buckley to no longer be my favourite Leonard Cohen cover that mentions the holy dove, but here we are. This is miraculous, really, the perfect meeting of singer and song. Moving beyond any words.
- Where is My Husband - Raye Just a huge, joyous burst of talent and charisma. I'm not sure I'll still be listening to it in a few months, but this feels like something like Doo Wop (That Thing) or Crazy in Love, just a major announcement of stardom.
- Invisible Thread - The Divine Comedy
- Knocking Heart - Hamilton Leithauser
- wayne rooney '06 - jim legxacy Just the most unexpected indie pop anthem of the year.
- Elderberry Wine - Wednesday This was probably the song most like the thing I like all year.
- Be Kind - Annahstasia
- mangetout - wet leg
- I Love You - Tobias Jesso Jr
- Remembering Now - Van Morrison He really did a good, moving album this year, that old grump Morrison the Vorrison.
- Music by Men - Florence and the Machine
- 16 Chapters - Dave ft Kano This is charming, funny, for me the standout track on the album which is good but has had quite a lukewarm reception.
- Days Gone By - Midlake
- Nice to Each Other - Olivia Dean
- When a Good Man Cries - CMAT
- Westerberg - Blood Orange
- Lou Reed was My Babysitter - Jeff Tweedy
- Taxes - Geese
- Opalite - Taylor Swift Funny the Taylor Swift album, which has been listened to a fair bit in this house. Probably some of her catchiest tunes, but I'd wager the day it was released was one of the world's all-time cringe days. Hard to get through most of the songs. To me, Opalite is clearly the best tune and the least wincing lyric.
- The Subway - Chappell Roan
- Golden - Huntr/x
- Wasteland - Snocaps
- Divinize - Rosalia
- House - Charli XCX ft John Cale Bit of fun.
- Background Noise - Pulp
OK, and 25 of the non-2025 songs I loved listening to this year
- Why Do Fools Fall in Love? - Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers
- Love it if We Made It (Live from Madison Square Garden) - The 1975
- Caravan (live from The Last Waltz) - Van Morrison
- Ruby Falls - Waxahatchee
- Something Like Happiness - The Maccabees
- Doll Parts - Hole
- Diamonds - Rihanna
- Concrete and Clay - Unit 4 + 2
- Silver Lady - David Soul
- Novacane - Frank Ocean I listened to Channel Orange and Blonde when they came out, and although I heard the talent, I just didn't hear one great song, so I've never really been on the Frank Ocean train, and I only heard Novacane, his debut single, this year, and it's brilliant, a proper tour de force (contains one of the great "Yikes!"), and I reckon if I'd heard this first, I might have heard the rest in a different light.
- Save it for Later - The Beat
- Isis (live from Montreal) - Bob Dylan
- Place to Be - Nick Drake
- Hasta La Raiz - Natalia Lafourcade
- Doo Wop (That Thing) - Lauryn Hill
- I Can't Give You Anything But My Love - The Stylistics
- There Must Be An Angel - Eurythmics
- Werewolf - Fiona Apple This is one of the best lyrics ever written.
- Suite: Judy Blue Eyes - Crosby, Stills and Nash
- Don't Let Go (Love) - En Vogue
- Surf - Roddy Frame
- Cranes in the Sky - Solange
- What a Fool Believes - Doobie Brothers
- Chop Suey - System of a Down
- Treaty - Leonard Cohen I've listened to a lot of Lenny in the last month. This is a song from his last album. I can't get enough of him singing "I'm angry and I'm tired all the time", because like a prophet, he really pre-empted the era when everyone in their right mind is angry and tired all the time.
And 25 albums I thought were good (there are others, actually, but, here are 25)
- This Side of the Island - Hamilton Leithauser I think this is the album I've listened to most, and, since it looks like the Walkmen might not be following up their reunion tour with new music, it's very nice to hear the singer from the Walkmen giving it a bit of Walkmen
- Lux - Rosalia Though this is, I think, the classic album of the year.
- Eurocountry - CMAT.
- Songs for Nina and Johanna - James Yorkston with Nina Persson and Johanna Soderberg I obviously love Yorkston, but it's also very nice to hear Johanna Soderberg taking lead vocal on songs.
- Sad and Beautiful World - Mavis Staples
- black british music - jim legxacy
- Everybody Scream - Florence and the Machine. Very funny, acerbic lyrics.
- Bleeds - Wednesday
- Tether - Annahstasia
- The Art of Loving - Olivia Dean Great album, hits all the way through.
- Remembering Now - Van Morrison
- moisturiser - wet leg
- Interior Live Oak - Cass McCombs
- Who Believes in Angels? - Elton John and Brandi Carlile
- snocaps - snocaps
- A Bridge to Far - Midlake
- Getting Killed - Geese I like the Geese, but just can't quite get there. It's been interesting reading a lot of people split on the vocals of Cameron Winter. Some absolutely love him, some, like me, find that the main stumbling block. It's one of those ones, like, say with Yeasayer, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, even Julian Casablancas, where the singer sounds both passionate and bored, and it doesn't quite work for me. It sounds like a bit of a bit. I think it might take seeing this band live to really get them.
- Essex Honey - Blood Orange
- Antidepressants - Suede
- The Boy with the Harp - Dave
- Virgin - Lorde
- Love, Death and Dennis Hopper - Waterboys
- Straight Line was a Lie - The Beths
- Baby - Dijon
- More - Pulp
And what else? I've seen not many films this year but I loved
The Ballad of Wallis Island.
Have read slowly and steadily and my one 10/10 was William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying, but also loved Donal O'Ryan's The Spinning Heart and Heart, be at peace, and Paul Lynch's Prophet Song.
Favourite TV show ... dunno, I'm going to say
The Bear - though Season 4 really got it back on track. Damn, Rob Reiner ...
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