That Jim Legxacy album is great and I keep forgetting to revisit the superb The Casper Fight Scene album
Top 15 Favorite Albums (alphabetical order) Arms Length - There’s A Whole World Out There Avery Anna - Let Go Letters Benjamin Dakota Rogers - This Ol' Way Bore - Feral The Callous Daoboys - I Don’t Want to See You in Heaven The Casper Fight Scene - Self Titled Dying Wish - Flesh Stays Together Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow Jensen McRae - I Don’t Know How But They Found Me Ken Pomeroy - Cruel Joke Ken Yates - Total Cinema Kerosene Heights - Blame It On The Weather Orthodox - A Door Left Open Ruston Kelly - Pale, Through The Window Ryan Hurd - Midwest Rock & Roll Top 5 Favorite EPs Currents - All That Follows Evan Bartels - To Make You Cry Katie Pruitt - The Pleasantville Sessions Kelsea Ballerini - Mount Pleasant Thelma & James - Starting Over
Man, I need this echo chamber and many others do too hahh! I had wanted to suggest more of a broad perspective on all that, but it has already been stated - foremostly, there's a lot of people coming here to see if they might have missed out on something obvious out of our niche. There's still all the individual lists and the forum. I usually only agree with just a % of the general list, but I always wait for it prior to coming up with mine (there's always something new for me that I might want to take into the account - and I've listened to around 800 releases from 2025 myself)
Please try and ignore any negative comments and keep listening to the inbox and DMs talking about the new discoveries - I am honestly flabbergasted by any criticism of a compiled list where you clearly explain how you collate it. I mean, nothing is perfect, but I’ve always appreciated the diversity and originality when you dive into each person’s list. I’ve been around since 2006ish I think and I have always appreciated these end of year lists - they inspired me to do my own write ups so I’ve now got my own 20 year personal record. Alongside that I have discovered so many unique, different and diverse artists I would have never have engaged with without the lists and summaries. Thanks for all your efforts compiling it this year, particularly with limited time and short deadlines. Can’t wait to dive in tonight.
swboyd's annual unranked list of music that didn't suck in 2025 you probably won't check out: C4 - Payback's A Bitch Neolithic - Barbarism Pissgrave - Malignant Worthlessness Grand Scheme - EP Identity Shock - Traces Scarab - Burn After Listening Hacked Apart - s/t Phrenelith - Ashen Womb Danny Go! - Airplane Mode Deadguy - Near Death Travel Services Caustic Wound - Grinding Mechanism of Torment Mephitic Corpse - Sickness Attracts Sickness Militarie Gun - God Save The Gun Thrice - Horizons/West Bulls Shitt - s/t Godskin Peeler/Silver - split Home Front - Watch It Die Clipse - Let God Sort Em Out Stomach - Low Demon Lunar Sorcery - s/t Full of Hell - Broken Sword, Rotten Shield Private Hell - To Dust You Shall Return
I know a lot of ya'll like geese but what am i missing? Very few genuinely catchy hooks, and so many noisy layers that it sounds disjointed, messy and unfocused and like a purposeful lack of restraint - 'lets cram another track on top of it all' type vibe. I also don't really vibe with the mopey, often spoken sound, vocals. Might just be a case of not for me, but ive given the album a spin with headphones, and besides odd moments here and there, it hasnt clicked yet. I hear they're great live, but i hope thats because its stripped down and toned back. Maybe i'll catch them next run. Husbands might be the only song i genuinely like though the vocals still arent my favorite.
If its hooks you’re after, I might recommend their previous album, 3D Country It sounds like Getting Killed may just not really be your thing, but I’ll toss this your way because I know I’m not alone in watching this session and being like “ohhhh, I get it”
I’m not going to argue about the vocals - it’s a very specific thing. It works for me, I get it not working for others. The songwriting and production are undeniably fantastic though. my only real gripe with my favorite record of the year is compared with 3D country the guitar is barely present but it makes the riffs that do stand out that much better
Best Albums: 1. Herrenmagazin - Du hast hier nichts verloren 2. ZSK - Feuer & Papier 3. Yellowcard - Better Days 4. Betterov - Große Kunst 5. Team Scheisse - 20 Jahre Drehorgel 6. Dave Hause - ... And The Mermaid 7. Motion City Soundtrack - The Same Old Wasted Wonderful World 8. PUP - Who Will Look After The Dogs? 9. Tim Hause - Pre-Existing Conditions 10. Bad Cop Bad Cop - Lighten Up Best Songs: 1. Spanish Love Songs - Berlin 2. Joyce Manor - All My Friends Are So Depressed 3. ZSK - Keine Liebe Für Berlin 4. Herrenmagazin - Mit halbleeren Worten 5. Joyce Manor - Well, Whatever It Was 6. Spanish Love Songs - Lifers Too 7. Feine Sahne Fischfilet - 15 Jahre 8. Alkaline Trio - Surprise, Surprise 9. Betterov - Du hast in mein Herz gemalt 10. Herrenmagazin - Fragment
To clarify, there are definitely hooks! Just think 3D would grab someone a lot easier if that’s what they were going into Geese looking for
I still like 3D better, I think. Also, I think I am more into Getting Killed than I would be if they hadn’t previously done a comparably great record with a completely different sound, plus an arguably better solo record with a third, distinct sound. And knowing how young and good live they are. Not grading them on a curve exactly, but context and anticipation of future work definitely adds to the record for me
Oh yeah I was more referring to the original comment about thinking it was hookless outside of husbands
I actually have been listening to that record for the first time the last week and his recent solo album. Absolutely loving it.
Here's my list for 2025. First 5 to 10 places are right; the others are not finally ordered: Best of (Re-Recordings) or in one case combination of EPs with new songs are fully embraced with round brackets. Motorjesus - Streets of Fire Warkings - Armageddon Mob Rules - Rise of the Ruler Rage - A New World Rising Sabaton - Legends Brainstorm - Plague of Rats Manegarm - Edsvuren Fabula Rasa - Tome II: The Beyond Grave Digger - Bone Collector Lord of the Lost - Opus Noir (1 & 2) The Halo Effect - March of the Unheard Primal Fear - Domination Bloodbound - Field of Swords Terra Atlantica - Oceans Eisbrecher - Kaltfront°! Enemy Inside - Venom Arion - The Light That Burns the Sky Trold - I Skovens Rige Eluveitie - Ànv (Annisokay - Abyss: The Final Chapter) Crimson Shadows - Whispers of War Warwolf - The Final Battle Swiss & die Andern - Punk ist tot Smash into Pieces - Armaheaven Grailknights - Forever (Five Finger Death Punch - Best Of 1 & 2 [2025]) (Iron Savior - Reforged: Machine World) Helloween - Giants & Monsters Battle Beast - Steelbound Feuerschwanz - Knightclub Dynazty - Game of Faces Hammer King - Make Metal Royal Again Rigorious - Kingdom Unfold Thorondir - Wächter des Waldes Equilibrium - Equinox Santiano - Da braut sich was zusammen Rise Against - Ricochet Phoenix Barde - Unter dem Eis: Lieder aus der Dunkelheit, Part 2 AFI - Silver Bleeds the Black Sun... Chris Harms - 1980