By Jimmy
This past year, 2025, was an epically shitty year. I won’t go into detail about politics and economics; you have heard enough about those already. I also won’t bother you with my personal problems. Fortunately, there is always musical discoveries or rediscoveries to build a temporary wall between the shitstorm and me and hopefully you.
Led Zeppelin, II (1969).
I had this album on CD for decades. I never devoted the time to it that it deserved. I decided to replace my CD with vinyl, and I was blown away (finally!) by what a great album this is. I believe it is Zeppelin’s best album.
Damo Suzuki & Spiritczualic Enhancement Center, Arkaoda (2022).
Some of you realize that Damo Suzuki was the second vocalist for the krautrock band CAN. You might not realize that Damo, who is Japanese, didn’t speak passable English or German. The result of this is that much of what you hear on CAN records featuring Damo is gibberish that sounds like words. The band invented lyrics to put on the lyric sheets, which bore little resemblance to what Damo sang. This seems to be true of Arkaoda as well; I can’t pick out any words. On this album, Damo did not reinvent himself. The music is artistic and progressive and should appeal to CAN fans.
Supersister, Nancy Never Knew (2025).
Supersister, in my self-centered opinion, is one of the great prog bands. They only put out a handful of records in their career, most of them in the early 1970s. Nancy Never Knew is their latest, and hopefully not last. This album is a little more modern (not quite as heavy on the prog) as their earlier releases, but it is damn good, and has better production if that matters to you.
Coroner, Dissonance Theory (2025).
This is the metal release of 2025 for me. Until a few months ago, I didn’t consider myself a Coroner fan. I liked them, but not enough to bother buying their albums. I considered skipping this one, but there was so much hype around it that I felt like I would be missing out if I didn’t give it a shot. I am now a fan.
love unfold the sun, explode yourself (2025).
This is one of those odd albums that seem to make my list every year; I am at a loss to describe the genre or who they might sound like. There is a guitar player who likes to play metal riffs; a drummer who, with every strike, is firmly embedded in jazz rhythms; a trumpet player who aids in the jazz feel, and a bass player who keeps a progressive rock groove going.
Evil Blizzard, The Dangers of Evil Blizzard (2013).
One of the dudes in this band was in Hawkwind at some point, although I am not sure which dude. Evil Blizzard plays a slightly industrial style of hard rock. I think this is mostly due to the vocal phrasing, which reminds me of Jaz Coleman. All Evil Blizzard’s albums are good, but this one is my favorite.
Greg Foat, The Rituals of Infinity (2024).
A friend sent me a YouTube link to this album. I chased down a physical copy. This album is atmospheric and a little light on the fusion that I normally look for in a jazz record. But it is fucking great.
Unleashed, Fire Upon Your Land (2025) and Where No Life Dwells (1991).
This isn’t the first time an Unleashed album has made my year-end list. They have joined a small group of post-1980s metal bands that I follow. Of the two albums, Where No Life Dwells is slightly favored.
Punkadelic, Run Whiteboy Run (2025).
I have never been one of those guys who really cares about meeting musicians; I assume they are going to be assholes, and I only care about their music, not the personnel. Mike Dillon is among the nicest touring musicians I have had the pleasure to converse with. This alone is enough to make me a fan. But it doesn’t have to be enough because these energetic fuckers can play. If you think drums, vibraphones (Mike Dillon), and keyboards might interest you, then go see Punkadelic play live; you won’t regret it.
M. Chuzi, Papara (2023).
If this album had been released in 2025, I would call it the jazz album of the year. I will instead call it the best jazz album I purchased in 2025.
Ring Van Mobius, Firebrand (2025).
A band with this style and name has no business releasing an album in 2025. They are clearly influenced by Emerson Lake and Palmer, but unlike ELP they are not boring. This album is only going to appeal to listeners who progressive rock.
The Goddamn Gallows, The Trial (2018).
I have been a Jayke Orvis fan for a long time. I think he is one of the great young(ish) country/bluegrass artists. The Goddamn Gallows is not a country band, it is country adjacent. The Trial is also metal adjacent. This album is more varied and has better production than their previous records. If you like the more noisy albums by Hank III or the Phantoms of the Black Hills, this might appeal to you. It is definitely not for everyone.
Miasma and the Carousel of Headless Horses, Periles (2005).
This is another one of those genre busting bands and albums that I am drawn to. It reminds me of Neurosis. It’s dark and brooding. Even where the band is seemingly attempting something light and bouncy, the darkness creeps in.
Soft Machine, Original album classics (2010).
I purchased this box set out of curiosity. Soft Machine are one of the more influential krautrock bands. This box set contains five of their classic records on CD. I wasn’t sure what to expect. I hoped for progressive rock like CAN, and not to be like Amon Düül’s noise albums. I was really pleased to hear five albums of jazz fusion. It is some of the better European jazz fusion in my collection.
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