2025 Spin-Off Results: Tier 5, Week 1

And so it begins! We kick off Tier 5!

Tier 5 consists of Spin-Off challenges between eliminated Tier 1 albums and new music from this Summer.  In my opinion, the Summer albums have a disadvantage here due to general familiarity and momentum from this earlier exposure.  These new albums, however do have the benefit of novelty and immediacy. 

Samaris – Samaris VS. London Grammar – The Greatest Love

London Grammar – The Greatest Love

In terms of mood, this Spin-Off is a dead heat.  Certainly, fans of London Grammar’s twilight urban landscapes will find a lot of common ground with Samaris’ glacial somnambulism.  London Grammar only wins out due to their expanded dynamic and sonic palate.

 

Lucy in Blue – Lucy in Blue VS. Amythyst Kiah – Still + Bright

Amythyst Kiah – Still + Bright

My initial impression of Lucy in Blue was that it was a very solid tribute project to Pink Floyd and that Amythyst Kiah’s kinetic crossbreeding of blues, folk, and indie rock would easily shut it down.  Lucy in Blue, however, revealed itself to be much more than a mere Floyd clone and almost caused a major upset out of the gate.  It was only a couple of minor production quibbles that ended up giving Still + Bright the edge.

 

Heilung – Lifa VS. Magma – Udu Wudu

Magma – Udu Wudu

Magma is inarguably an acquired taste, and there are certainly justifications for critique of their material despite the obvious musicianship and craft that they invested in their work.  Lifa definitely had a path to advance.  I have, however, acquired the taste and find their work fascinating.  Add to that the fact that Heilung is best conceived of as an interdisciplinary project that includes drama and stagecraft and that Lifa doesn’t express these aspects of the overall concept in full, and I think a picture forms that puts Udu Wudu in the lead.

 

Taugadeildin - Þegar dauðir rísa upp VS. Clarence Clarity – Vanishing Act II

Taugadeildin - Þegar dauðir rísa upp

Vanishing Act II starts out incredibly strong.  Its melodic, funky, disorienting, and fun, and superficially it would seem to easily unseat Þegar dauðir rísa upp.  The issue is that the album’s intensity holds at an incredibly high level throughout, to the point where songs begin to blend into one another and become interchangeable, rather like propping one’s eyelids open and staring into a strobe light for 45 minutes.  Taugadeildein instead relies on straightforward, stripped-down, energetic songwriting that seems to transcend the inevitable language barrier.

 

Viewer’s Choice

Samaris – Samaris VS. London Grammar – The Greatest Love

London Grammar – The Greatest Love

Lucy in Blue – Lucy in Blue VS. Amythyst Kiah – Still + Bright

Lucy in Blue – Lucy in Blue

 

Heiling – Lifa VS. Magma – Udu Wudu

Magma – Udu Wudu

 

Taugadeildin - Þegar dauðir rísa upp VS. Clarence Clarity – Vanishing Act II

Clarence Clarity – Vanishing Act II

Albums of Summer 2025: Part 1 - Return to "Icelandicness"

 A hearty, double-sized post that examines a wide variety of current Icelandic artists, including work from:

Hjaltalín - Enter 4 (2012) Eldberg - Þar Er Heimur Hugans (2018) Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson - Börn Náttúrunnar - Children of Nature (2011) Kiasmos - II (2024) Lay Low - Brostinn Strengur (2011) Lucy in Blue - Lucy in Blue (2016) Teitur Magnússon - Orna (2018) Misþyrming - Með hamri (2022) Samaris - Samaris (2013) Taugadeildin - Þegar dauðir rísa upp (2024) Vök - In The Dark (2019) Heilung - Lifa (2017)

Plus, new music to expand that ever-expanding playlist...

2025 Mid-Year Favorites: Roundtable Album Review

Welcome to our mid-year Top 12 Roundtable, an extended length podcast-type video where we dive into discussion about the Viewer’s Choice curated list:

Fleetwood Mac – Fleetwood Mac Count Basie and Quincy Jones – Basie One More Time Lisa Bella Donna – Electronic Voyages The Cure – Songs of a Lost World Dream Theater – Parasomnia Noah Kahan – Stick Season Meer -Wheels Within Wheels Missing Persons – Spring Session M Prince – Controversy Soft Machine – Bundles Timecop1983 – Night Drive XTC – Black Sea

Grab some coffee and give it a listen.

The Disc Course 2025: 12 Favorite Albums - Viewer's Choice

 The viewer-curated list for 2025!

And a representative playlist.

The Disc Course 2025: 12 Mid-Year Favorites

Recorded on location on vacation in San Antonio! The results of my Spring spin-off! 12 meticulously curated albums from as far back as 1978 to add to your playlists.

This playlist has representative tracks from all these albums, with the exception of 88Kasyo Junrei. Check them out below.

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

.