Top Albums 2025

Here is my annual favourite albums list. As ever, I've given on consideration to critical opinion elsewhere, these are simply those of the many I've listened to in 2025 that have given me the most pleasure, or moved me the most.

1) Alan Sparhawk with Trampled by Turtles

2) Heartworms Glutton for Punishment

3) Kelly Moran Don't Trust Mirrors

4) Saya Grey SAYA

5) The Weather Station Humanhood

6) Caroline Caroline2

7) CMAT Euro Country

8) Divorce Drive to Goldenhammer

9) Darkside Nothing

10) Anna B Savage You & I Are Earth

11) Anna von Hausswolff Iconoclasts

12) Florence + Machine Everybody Scream

13) These New Puritans Crooked Wing

14) Other Lives Volume V

15) Smerz Big City Life

16) Sarah Klang Beauitful Woman

17) Brandi Carlile Returning to Myself

18) Rosalia Lux

19) The New Eves New Eve is Rising

20) Beirut Study of Losses

Honourable Mentions

Alison Krauss & Union Station Arcadia

Austra Chin Up Buttercup

Bon Iver Sable, fable

Flock of Dimes The Life You Save

The Last Dinner Party From the Pyre

Lapsley I'm a Hurricane

Lorde Virgin

Of Monsters and Men All is love and pain

Tuung Love You All Over Again

Wolf Alice The Clearing

Top Albums 2024

 Here are the albums that gave me the most pleasure in 2024:

1) The Last Dinner Party Prelude to Ecstasy

2) Bonny Light Horseman Keep Me on your Mind / Set You Free

3) The Smile Wall of Eyes

4) Michael Kiwanuka Small Changes

5) Cassandra Jenkins My Light

6) Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Wild God

7) Aroj Aftab Night Reign

8) Beth Gibbons Lives Outgrown

9) The Smile Cutouts

10) Waxahatchee Tigers Blood

11) Billie Eilish Hit Me Hard and Soft

12)  Efterklang Things We have in Common

13) The War on Drugs Live Drugs Again

14) Laura Marling Patterns in Repeat

15)  Phosphorescent Revelator

16) English Teacher This Could be Texas

17) Kendrick Lamar GNX

18) Nubya Garcia Odyssey

19) Saint Etienne The Night

20) Kelly Lee Owens Dreamscape

Honourable Mentions

Still Corners Dream Talk

Florence Symphony of Lungs (BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall)

Ezra Collective Dance, No one’s watching

Hurray for the Riff Raff The Past is still Alive

Lucy Rose This Ain’t the way you go out

Vampire Weekend Only God was Above us

Ray LaMontagne Long Way Home

Johnny Blue Skies Passage du Desir

King Hannah Big Swimmer

Top Albums 2023

Once again, here is my annual round up of the albums which gave me the post pleasure in 2023. I may be no longer active on Twitter, and I long since abandoned other social media, but my love and passion for music is undimmed.

1) Israel Nash Ozarker

2) Lana Del Rey Do You Know There's a Tunnel

3) Christine and the Queens Paranoia, Angels, True Love

4) Margo Price Stays II

5) Caroline Polachek Desire, I want to turn into you

6)  Raye My 21st Century Symphony (live at Royal Albert Hall) 

7) Hiss Golden Messenger Jump for Joy

8) Janelle Monae The Age of Pleasure

9) Sufjan Stevens Javelin

10) M83 Fantasy

11) Arroj Aftab Arrow After Love in Exile

12) Daughter Stereo Mind Game

13) Kelela Raven

14) Jonathan Wilson Eat the Worm

15) Romy Mid Air

16) Jorja Smith Falling or Flying

17) Molly Tuttle City of Gold

18) Braids Euphoric Recall

19) Natalie Merchant Keep Your Courage

20) The Rural Alberta Advantage The Rise & The Fall

Honourable mentions

Slowdive Everything is Alive

Beirut Hadsel

Smoke Fairies Carried in Sound

GoGo Penguin Everything is going to be OK

The National Laugh Track

Bombino Sahel

Jess Williamson Time Isn't Accidental

Lucy Farrell We are the Only Sound

Angie MacMahon Light, Dark Light Again

Lankum False Lankum