2025 Album Showdown Results: Tier 4, Part 1

Many other music critics pride themselves on the sheer amount of music that they go through.  As a voracious, possibly pathological consumer of music, I can see the appeal.  I also, however, am a person who uses music as a soundtrack to life.  This requires “living with” an album for a period of time to allow it to attach to experience.  If you look back through this blog, you can see that for a long time, I struggled with balancing my hunger for new music with the potential for creating future nostalgia, a situation which led to this convoluted showdown bracket structure that you’ve chosen to follow along with.

It's my goal to provide every album I listen to with the opportunity to become my favorite, but the system is imperfect.  For example, in the Summer, I have to acquaint myself with a whole lot of new music very quickly in order to set up the brackets for the Fall.  If these albums get eliminated, they really don’t have much of a chance to speak.  Similarly, I like to continue to listen to new albums in December, but realistically, this music doesn’t really have the chance to take root  within its given calendar year.  Putting them into consideration for Album of the Year seems unreasonable.

This is the reason for Tier 4.  By this point, it's pretty much a given that any album from this year that makes it this far is quality, but pulling albums from these two resources as a final check before finalizing the mid-year Top 12 inevitably results in some upsets - as you will see below.

This also results in some very divergent showdowns in the viewer’s bracket, as both last year’s Tier 5 and surviving finals titles may not be the same as the prime.  Also, style matching is a ballpark estimation, and is sometimes impossible given the surviving titles.  

88Kasyo Junrei - Genma Taisai VS. Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up Here

88Kasyo Junrei - Genma Taisai

I’ve been trying for a while with Black Country, New Road, and although I like (perhaps, at times, even love) them, the melodrama sometimes takes a toll.  88Kasyo Junrei leaps over the language barrier with catchy tunes and a quirky identity.

clipping. - Dead Channel Sky VS. Master Boot Record - Personal Computer

clipping. - Dead Channel Sky

Do not, under any circumstances, sleep on Master Boot Record.  Personal Computer is an impossibly great and consistent album, but one in which the focus is so narrow as to squash variety.  The songs are pretty interchangeable, but they are all great.  Dead Channel Sky is a full-album experience, and while I have made a lot of fuss about Dahveed Diggs’ incomparable vocal talents, the more experimental and avant-garde moments on the album keep its overall narrative fresh.

Opeth -  The Last Will and Testament VS. Blood Incantation - Elsewhere

Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

This is a huge, huge upset that I did not expect.  I’ve been a staunch advocate of The Last Will and Testament all season, and I absolutely maintain that it is a brilliantly conceived and executed album.  If not one of Opeth’s finest, certainly a big step forward in their progression.  Absolute Elsewhere, however, made a similar impression on me last December, and I have been sleeping on it ever since.  In many ways, it is at the very least the technical and conceptual equal to The Last Will and Testament.  Absolute Elsewhere gets the edge with me personally, however, from its cosmic space-rock tone and unhinged performances.

Monika Roscher Bigband - Witchy Activities and the Maple Death VS. Cate le Bon - Pompeii

Monika Roscher Bigband - Witchy Activities and the Maple Death

I know that a lot of critics love this Cate le Bon album, but its pervasive mid-tempo pacing challenges my interest.  Conversely, Witchy Activities and the Maple Death is a serious contender for my Album of the Year.  Shutout.

Meer - Wheels Within Wheels VS. All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Light

Meer - Wheels Within Wheels

This showdown rests largely on how experimental and challenging you like your progressive rock.  While technical, avant-garde prog certainly resonates with me, I have always leaned towards projects that employ the progressive rock paradigm to expand on accessible song structures.  A Drop of Light is electrifying and complex - certainly worthy of respect! Its pervasive twists and turns, however, require significant attention from the listener.  There is inarguably a payoff from that investment, but Meer’s reimagined neo-prog approach puts singability, and therefore this showdown’s win, within reach.

Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time VS. Glass Beams - Mahal

Count Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time

The temptation here is to say “well, its Basie” and give One More Time the win on its own recognizance.  It would be a mistake, however, to dismiss Mahal.  It’s “Wallpaper funk goes to Persia” tone and androgynous anonymity carry a lot of weight that shouldn’t be ignored.  It is, however, clearly an EP, and it finishes way before it feels like it is done saying what it needs to say.   Besides - its Basie!

Viewer’s Choice Results

Soft Machine - Bundles VS. Black Country, New Road - Ants From Up Here

Soft Machine - Bundles

Missing Persons - Spring Session M VS. Master Boot Record - Personal Computer

Missing Persons - Spring Session M

Dream Theater - Parasomnia VS. Blood Incantation - Absolute Elsewhere

Dream Theater - Parasomnia

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac VS. Cate le Bon - Pompeii

Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac

Meer - Wheels Within Wheels VS. All Traps on Earth - A Drop of Light

Meer - Wheels Within Wheels

Count Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time VS. Kofi Flexxx - Flowers in the Dark

Count Basie and Quincy Jones - Basie One More Time

Peter Gabriel's I/O: The Power of the Dark Side

An extended discussion with musician and producer Dave Randolph comparing and contrasting the features of the two commercially released mixes of Peter Gabriel's 2023 album I/O.

Expect some science

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2025 Album Showdown Results: Tier 3, Part 2

This post documents the final set of Tier 3 showdowns!  At this point, we have narrowed down over 120 albums to just 12, with the final list revealing, but not finalizing, itself.  There is one more round of refinement to address in the coming weeks. Prepare for Tier 4!

Tier 4 could be considered the “sudden death” round.  Here, we will reintroduce a few previous albums that, due to their timing, may have not gotten a fair shake.  Half of this tier is composed of all the new music that was introduced at the end of November but did not make last year’s Top 20.  Often, great albums get lost in the shuffle as attention is focused on the finals during the last month of the year.  They are given a second chance in Tier 4.

Also, the top rated albums that were introduced in last year’s Tier 5 will fill out the Tier 4 bracket.  As you will see in the coming months, there is a “speed-dating” aspect to Tier 5.  Over the course of a couple of weeks, we will need to familiarize ourselves with 24 new albums that will go up against the 24 eliminated albums from Tier 1, with January’s music having the clear advantage of familiarity and momentum.  New music that needs time and investment often doesn’t have the luxury of either, and the inclusion of these albums in this year’s Tier 4 is intended to open up some space for this music to reveal itself.

But I am getting ahead.  Here’s Tier 3:

Todd Rundgren - 2nd Wind VS. XTC - Black Sea

XTC - Black Sea

Some interesting juxtapositions arise when comparing these albums. Whereas  Black Sea documents the distinctive live chemistry that XTC had in their early years before submitting to the potentials of the studio-as-instrument, 2nd Wind shows Todd Rundgren trying to capture a similar liveness by recording in front of a live audience in a setting intended to maintain the clarity of studio recording.  While one might argue that Rundgren’s songs are more compositionally advanced, XTC’s songwriting was definitely coming into its own on Black Sea,  but with lightning-in-a-bottle energy that is largely flattened out on 2nd Wind

Karate - Make it Fit VS. The Marvelous 3 - The Hey! Album

Karate - Make it Fit

Although The Hey! Album is a pristine example of late 90’s power pop, its cookie-cutter stylistic boundaries and production work against it in comparison to Make it Fit.  At their best, Karate has always been unflinchingly sincere and subtly virtuosic, and this most recent release succinctly captures that dynamic.

Brendan Byrnes - Transfigured Earth pts. I & II VS. Mount Eerie - Night Palace

Brendan Byrnes - Transfigured Earth pts. I & II

Night Palace is great, and an album that clearly reveals itself upon multiple listens.  It's thought-provoking and intimate, and is probably better appreciated when “lived with” rather than “listened to.”  Brendan Byrne’s wide-eyed and enthusiastic experimentation with microtonality, however, is impossible to ignore.  Most microtonal artists showcase the disorienting oddness of their work over its actual content, but Byrnes sets the comprehensibility of the music first, using unique flavors to infuse his music with deeper emotional potential.  

Bill Rieflin, Trey Gunn, & Robert Fripp - The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior VS. Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Midnight Tangerine

Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Midnight Tangerine

King Crimson, and by association, its many side ProjeKCts, is the prototypical “progressive rock” band.  They are distinguished from many of their contemporaries, however, by their avant-garde aspects.  The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior predicts the 2000 iteration of King Crimson as a set of improvised b-roll tracks that came out of the sessions for Bill Rieflin’s solo album, Birth of a Giant, and leans very hard into abstractions.  The high level of musicianship is a given, but what is far more impressive is the level of instinctive interaction between the three of them.  It's like listening to a musical discussion between Foucault, Chomsky, and Merleau-Ponty.  Its experimental scope, however, does result in some meandering that requires significant focus.  Midnight Tangerine is not without its own adventurousness, but its emphasis on somnambulistic melancholy is much more engaging and accessible.  Interestingly, this liminal tone is shared by The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior to an extent, leading me to imagine what would happen if Rieflin, Gunn, and Fripp collaborated with Death’s Dynamic Shroud, adding their distinctive instrumental voice to Midnight Tangerine’s introspective atmospheres.

Steven Wilson - The Overview VS. David Gilmour - Luck and Strange

Steven Wilson - The Overview

At this stage in his career, David Gimour owes us nothing.  As a guy who took part in some of the most musically creative rock albums in the style’s history, one could hardly blame him for simply enjoying a simpler life in his retirement.  With this in mind, Luck and Strange could arguably be seen as lacking ambition.  Gilmour doesn’t tread much new ground here - the songs border on the predictable and his voice shows wear.  His guitar playing, however, is simply phenomenal, and is easily worth the price of admission.  Steven Wilson, on the other hand, can in no way be accused of having a lack of ambition.  The Overview is his most progressive outing in decades, and he realizes the huge scope of the album with almost otherworldly ease.

Ghost - Skeleta VS. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

Ghost - Skeleta

This one was easily the most problematic choice of this entire tier - maybe of the whole season.  Although there are dedicated fans of The Cure who have expressed disappointment with Songs of a Lost World, its atmospheric, sensual reinterpretation of the band’s gothic roots, I have no such association.  I absolutely love its meditative tone and abrasive edges, and I have since its introduction in January. Allowing Ghost to advance in its stead is a huge upset, but kicking and screaming, Skeleta has won me over with its pervasive melodicism and songcraft.  There is not a moment on the album that is bereft of a memorable hook, and as a fan of 80s AOR, I probably have more of a nostalgic connection with its “Bo Burnham meets Asia” approach than I do to The Cure’s somber tone.  

Viewer’s Choice Results

Field Music - Limits of Language VS. XTC - Black Sea

XTC - Black Sea

Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model VS. Squid - Cowards

Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model

Noah Kahan - Stick Season VS. Mount Eerie - Night Palace

Noah Kahan - Stick Season

Bill Rieflin, Trey Gunn, & Robert Fripp - The Repercussions of Angelic Behavior VS. Timecop 1983 - Night Drive

Timecop1983 - Night Drive

Steven Wilson - The Overview VS. Prince - Controversy

Prince - Controversy

System of a Down - Toxicity VS. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

2025 Album Showdown Results: Finalizing Tier 2 (Finally!)

This post sees us, after several months, finalizing Tier 2. Albums that advance here will go on to Tier 3 in head-to-head showdowns with others from Tier 2, reducing our total number of contestants from 24 to 12. This particular post is a bit lengthy, as it compiles the results of a couple of last cycle’s stragglers with the expanded list of six showdowns from this cycle.


Randy McStine - Mutual Hallucinations VS. Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - Arcana

Randy McStine - Mutual Hallucinations

I think both of these albums are equally great, but I found myself drawn to the more contemporary prog sounds offered up by Mutual Hallucinations over the borderline retro-prog approach to Arcana, as well as a few devastatingly relatable lyrics.

The Bee Gees - Main Course VS. XTC - Black Sea

XTC - Black Sea

Very tough choice, but fair from a certain perspective.  Both these albums show an incredible songwriting team on the brink of evolving into their most realized form.  This is the era of XTC that I have really been looking for, though.  The band’s energy is still angular and live, but the nuances of songwriting haven’t entirely been integrated into the florid production that the band’s later work would be known for.  In short, they have great energy, great songs, and great performances on Black Sea. I can’t ask for much more than that.

Ghost - Skeleta VS. System of a Down - Toxicity

Ghost - Skeleta

Easily the most contentious showdown in this run.  Despite its arguable status as a historically important metal album, I have no personal or nostalgic connection to Toxicity or System of a Down.  I really came to love it, however, over the course of the Spring.  The band’s unique chemistry and the subtle Armenian flavors of their music were a quick sell, and their Bush-era political overtones feel particularly relevant right now.  Ghost’s pervasive melodicism and deference for the AOR arena rock of days gone by kept Skeleta planted firmly in my mind’s ear, though.  It may seem socially irresponsible to give them the win, but, kicking and screaming, they’ve won me over.  

Girlfriends and Boyfriends - Fallacy of Fairness VS. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

A quick listen will make it apparent as to why these albums ended up in a showdown together.  I’ve had Fallacy of Fairness in my wishlist for quite a while, and its clear reverence for gothy new wave made it a logical match for The Cure’s most recent album.  Songs of a Lost World, however, shows the band aging extremely well, weaving alluring melodies within lush textures.  

Mount Eerie - Night Palace VS. Devin Townsend - Powernerd

Mount Eerie - Night Palace

Poor Devy just can’t get a break with me.  I have a HUGE amount of respect for him, both as a musician and a person, and I would really like to see him make it onto the Top 20 some year.  I really had hoped that the more straightforward approach to Powernerd would have provided an opportunity, because I really, really like its positive energy.  He got stuck up against several weird contenders this Spring, however, in a field with an unusually pronounced number of metal-adjacent albums (Dream Theater, Opeth, Tongue of Eden, and System of a Down, to name a few).  This environment didn't allow Powernerd to quite get the traction that it probably deserved.  Ending up against this uniquely intimate and arresting album from Mount Eerie was the final straw.

The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You VS. David Gilmour - Luck and Strange

David Gilmour - Luck and Strange

While Luck and Strange probably doesn’t touch the deep wells of creativity present in Pink Floyd’s most notable work, I think it is comparable to the Gilmour years, especially The Division Bell.  That is, in my estimation, more than enough to award it a win over We WIll Always Love You.

Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Midnight Tangerine VS. Timecop1983 - Night Drive

Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Midnight Tangerine

Night Drive is an excellent example of the stylistic intentions of synthwave.  It very clearly and articulately outlines the aesthetics of mainstream 80s music and nostalgically renders them in a current production setting.  The downside of this is that it succeeds too well at sounding like other successful synthwave projects.  For folks trying to deepen their understanding of the style, it feels like the album has already been done by groups like FM-84 and Gunship.  Death’s Dynamic Shroud, in comparison, includes and transcends synthwave standards by reaching for a more distinctively nuanced and melodramatic aethsthetic.  

Marvelous 3 - The Hey! Album VS. Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model

Marvelous 3 - The Hey! Album

Probably the most controversial take of the bunch, particularly considering the historical importance of This Year’s Model to Elvis Costello’s career.  Certainly, as is often the case with showdowns like this, it is necessary to acknowledge the contributions of one album to the other.  The Hey! Album would most likely not exist in the same form without This Year’s Model. Costello’s intention to keep things spontaneous and energetic came at a melodic cost, however, and melodicism happens to be the overriding strength of The Hey! Album.  

Viewer’s Choice Results

Randy McStine - Mutual Hallucinations VS. Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - Arcana

Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - Arcana

The Bee Gees - Main Course VS. XTC - Black Sea

XTC - Black Sea

Ghost - Skeleta VS. System of a Down - Toxicity

System of a Down - Toxicity

Girlfriends and Boyfriends - Fallacy of Fairness VS. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

Mount Eerie - Night Palace VS. Colin Stetson - The Love It Took To Leave You

Mount Eerie - Night Palace

The Avalanches - We Will Always Love You VS. Prince - Controversy

Prince - Controversy

Death’s Dynamic Shroud - Midnight Tangerine VS. Timecop1983 - Night Drive

Timecop1983 - Night Drive

Marvelous 3 - The Hey! Album VS. Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model

Elvis Costello - This Year’s Model