2025 Overview of Tier 1 Albums: Part 10 of 12 - The Metal Post

This is the post for the metalheads out there, including music from:

Opeth - The Last Will and Testament (2024) The Tongue of Eden - Fallow (2024) Devin Townsend - Powernerd (2024) System of a Down - Toxicity (2001)

The 2025 playlist

2025 Overview of Tier 1 Albums - Part 9 of 12: The Jazz/Ambient Continuum

This post explores the space between "jazz" and "ambient" as idealized genres, including:

Count Basie and Quincy Jones - One More Time (1959) Nala Sinephro - Space 1.8 (2018) Dawn Richard and Spencer Zahn - Pigments (2022) Colin Stetson - The Love It Took To Leave You (2024)

And for your listening enrichment:

2025 Overview of Tier 1 Albums: Part 8 of 12 - 80s Adjacent Artists

An interesting collection of albums from and about the 80's (well, mostly); The Cure - Songs of a Lost World (2024) Timecop1983- Night Drive (2018) Clarence Clarity - Vanishing Act II: Ultimate Reality (2024) Missing Persons - Spring Session M (1982)

Current playlist

2025 Overview of Tier 1 Albums: Part 7 of 12 - Prog Stuff

What can I say? I like the prog.

Circe Link & Christian Nesmith - Arcana (2024) Meer - Wheels Within Wheels (2024) Soft Machine - Bundles (1975) Jethro Tull - Thick as a Brick (1972)

Glerg.

2025 Overview of Tier 1 Albums: Part 6 of 12 - Deep Listening

Its time for some weirder stuff, including:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor - No Title as of 13 February 2024 28,380 Dead (2024) Nick Millevoi - Digital Reaction (2023) TU-Ner - TU-Ner for Lovers (2024) Magma - Üdü Ẁüdü (1976)

And you know....that thing....

Overview of 2025 Tier 1 Albums: Part 5 of 12 - Guitar Pop Rocks

Guitar-based songwriting is the name of the game for this post: Karate - Make it Fit (2024) Tinted Windows- Tinted Windows (2009) Hotline TNT - Cartwheel (2023) Elvis Costello - This Year's Model (1978)

And the growing playlist grows...

Overview of 2025 Tier 1 Albums: Part 4 of 12 - Viewer's Recs

These are all suggestions from my Patreon subscribers. Cool stuff, including:

Clutch - Blast Tyrant (2004) Restorations - Restorations (2024) London Grammar - The Greatest Love (2024) Noah Kahan - Stick Season (2022)

And, of course, the 2025 playlist

2025 Overview of Tier 1 Albums: Part 3 of 12 - The Floyd Factor

This post posits that these artists have a level of aesthetic overlap with Pink Floyd. What say you?

David Gilmour - Luck and Strange (2024) Brandon Byrnes - Transfigured Earth I & II (2024) Gazpacho - Bravo (2003) Fleetwood Mac - Fleetwood Mac (1975)

The current playlist

2024 Tier 1 Overview: Part 2 of 12 - Genre-Bending Albums

Another round of fun and thought-provoking music from artists that create in the spaces between:

Amythyst Kiah - Still + Bright (2024) Spellling - The Turning Wheel (2022) Jhariah - Trust Ceremony (2024) Prince - Controversy (1980)

And an updated Dr. Spin's radio list.  Most recent artists get moved to the top.

2025 Tier 1 Albums Overview: Part 1 of 12 - Quirky Pop

Kicking off 2025 with the annual Tier 1 festival of albums. Now with more classic albums and returning favorites: Field Music - Limits of Language (2024) Alan Sparhawk - White Roses, My God (2024) SlapSlap - Bad Idea, Good Execution (2023) XTC - Black Sea (1980)

And an all-new playlist for 2025!

2024 Viewer's Choice Roundtable Review!

 Its up - with only minor editing to ensure authenticity...

2024 Favorite Albums: The Viewer's Choice List!

 Painstakingly curated throughout the year, this list is sure to include your new favorite album:

And here's a playlist of some outstanding tracks from each album: