Usually I complete my music survey for a year, by March the next year. This year was different, as other commitments have reduced the time left for my hobbies ( my reading is totally in disarray). However as usual, I have taken the time to look deeply at the music that I was impressed with - for the impressions made, were of a lesser intensity than previous years. Plus, as stated earlier, other more pressing commitments have made it difficult for me to look at all the albums consistently. Half way through the new year (i.e. 2026), I am finally though 2025 ( I think). Here is the top 20:
I should've checked out Franz Ferdinand albums of 2013 and 2018 at least, for by 2013 I was well into exploring new bands - or rather bands that have been around but I haven't had the chance to listen to. Instead I find myself listening to them for the first time now, and as per some reviews their not so great album of 2025 (3.5 stars on AMG). It is possibly telling that it is such an album that took my fancy for 2025 - because this year to me come across as not one of the best years for music, overall.
No. 2, is a relatively familiar name but this is the highest she's scored so far. Two of her last three albums have hit the top 20 ( No. 12: How Big, How
Blue, How Beautiful in 2015, and No. 16 Dance Fever in 2022) Easily one of the most powerful voices of the current era, South London's Florence Welch has at times over emphasized her signature sound. But this release is where she brings in a little variety ( alongside her signature singing style), and in an year where there are no outstanding top contenders for the top spots, her consistent set of more than decent songs, does the trick given that powerful delivery,.
Ty Segall grabs the third slot for his solid, interesting, but hooky album. A second time returnee, he possibly releases music too often, for each to be considered for one's attention. He first caught my ear in 2018, when he reached no. 7 with "Freedom's Goblin". Since then he has not made it to the top 40 although my records show that I have listened and considered at least one other album of his.
Andy Bell is a first time entrant into my charts. He was part of the shoe gaze band Ride ( and still is, if the credits for Ride's 2024 album is anything to go by), as well having played in Oasis as bassist. "Pinball Wanderer" is a solid dreamy pop album, and it was quite honestly a welcome addition to a year, which didn't have much of those pleasant surprises.
Turnstile's album "NEVER ENOUGH" is both melodic, and loud enough, which together bring an element of freshness to this year's music, and closes the top 5. True, there are several Indie bands which sound broadly the same, that at times it is difficult to distinguish between them. But from this year's lot, Turnstile clearly has an interesting set, which keeps the listener's attention sufficiently across the album. While I have missed their 2021 effort for evaluation, this year's album is a consistently good one which will ensure that I will not miss their future releases.
Wetleg's second album is as spunky, if not spunkier than their first and is as fun as that was. The difference is that they have the no. 6 album in contrast to the no. 5 album three years back. Clearly an album I enjoyed listening to irrespective of it not being much different from their self titled, in style.
At no. 7, the self-titled album by The Thing (not to be mistaken with Jazz Group which worked with Neneh Cherey some years ago), is indeed one of the highlights of this year, although most of the world hasn't really noticed them (e.g. no entry for them AMG - and this is their third album). While sounding like a more nuanced Black Keys, with a more wider array of ideas, it is proof that the demand for blues infused rock is still much in demand.
The Modfather is not resting in his laurels, and almost each of his albums have been considered over the years. His latest is at a very respectable No. 8, and even if it was a year well bathed in good albums (which 2025 wasn't) this album has the potential for a top 15 score. A glimpse at his past - back in 2000, when mostly listening to an album meant that you had to have the CD (or in rare cases a cassette - for they were still around, and places like Trax, still sold them) I recall Weller's Heliocentric as being the best album for the year - I still have the CD. Recalling the recent years, he managed to hit, No. 26 in 2015 with 'Saturn Returns', No. 20 in 2017 with 'A Kind Revolution', No. 6 in 2018 with 'True Meanings', No. 22 in 2020 with 'On Sunset', No. 8 in 2021 with 'Fat Pop I', and No. 33 in 2024 with '66' (which incidentally was his age in 2024).
Like Weller, Black Keys too are a very consistent duo, and most of their albums have been considered over the years, irrespective of a broadly 'samey' sound, which to their credit I am not quite bored of yet. If I was, then the chances of a top 10 album in 2025 would've been unlikely. Their past performance - No. 15 in 2011 with 'El Camino', No. 4 in 2015 with 'Turn Blue', No. 19 in 2019 with 'Let's Rock', No. 32 in 2021 with 'Delta Kream', and No. 26 in 2024 with 'Ohio Players'. Their 2022 album 'Drop Out Boogie' did not reach the top 30, and although I haven't rated the albums beyond 30 that year, I know I listened to it.
Sweden's Ghost, while sounding so melodic, their vocals are not quite the typical metal gruff that one expects of a death metal band. They offer enough in it for listener's attachment, and hence has a top 10 album in a lean year. Am yet to listen to their 2015 classic, Meliora, or the next album (2018), but I know that I listened to their 2022 album 'Impera' (which didn't chart within the top 30).
Doves has a decent album at no. 11. I remember listening to "The Last Broadcast" back in 2002, and being quite impressed with it. I have it on CD to date (and maybe "Some Cities" too.) They appear to have had a 11 year break after their 2009 release. Their return in 2020 "The Universal Want" reached no. 17, and this year they have clearly done better.
Just outside the top 10, Jason Isbell returns to my charts, as he's been doing for some years now - since 2017. This is largely an acoustic set, and has some strong tunes, and the song writing is at times vulnerable, for better or for worse. This is Isbell's highest chart position to date (No. 19-Nashville Sound, 2017; No. 28-Reunions, 2020; No. 24- Georgia Blue, 2021; No. 18, Weathervanes, 2023)
No. 13 is one of my favorite artistes, and is an artiste who has had two No. 1 albums. The Porcupine Tree lead singer has been a constant visitor to these charts and all his efforts since 'The Raven', and has featured in my charts to date (No.1- The Raven that refused to sing, 2013; No.1-Hand.Cannot.Erase, 2015; No.5 - 4 1/2, 2016; No. 13- To the Bone, 2017; No. 17- Future Bites, 2021; No.11-Harmony Codex, 2023)
Idlewild is another Indie-rock act which (as I said on Turnstile above) has caught the attention of rock fans, who are forever awaiting with hope for the next Queens of the Stone Age, the Next Arctic Monkeys, the next Arcade Fire. Maybe I am yet to grasp the difference of the sounds between each of the new indie bands - Fontaines DC, Idlewild, Cola, Turnstile etc. But when listening to this album by itself is is strong enough for a top 20 position, that how we find them.
Sounding more sunny than Idlewild is Circa Waves as they register their first charting for me.I noted that their first album came out more than ten years ago, but this is indeed the first time they came onto my radar.
Mr. Duritz and his band make an appearance at no. 16. While it is a given that by now Counting Crows are nothing more than a band with a small cult following, it is always a pleasure to listen to them. Back in the day, 'August and Everything After' was one of the first two CDs that I ever bought with my own money ( the other being Alice in Chains' Tripod).* While the first 2-3 Counting Crows albums were the best, they managed to squeeze in most of their albums into my top 20, ever since I got into doing this methodically. ( No.15 - Underwater Sunshine, 2012; No. 15 - Somewhere under wonderland, 2014 )
While Suzanne Vega made a name for herself with the Tom's Diner back when we were schooling, I loved her 'divorce album', 'Songs in Red and Gray'. Back in 2001, it was my one of my favourite album. The lines "Daddy's a dark riddle/Mama's a headful of bees/you are my little kite /carried away in the wayward breeze," has stayed with me since then. Back then. listening to albums was a challenging task as it was a best effort basis task of lining up a collection through pirated CDs, torrent downloaded albums mainly - the buying power of original CDs has declined with the larger number of albums being considered . However I don't think any of her subsequent albums made much of an impact. Maybe I listened to one or two, but the charts I have doesn't show - as most of the older ones don't list the positions above 20. Point to note - Songs in Red and Grey had the response song 'I'll never be your Maggie May' and 'Flying with Angels' has 'Chambermaid', another response song. However it cannot be denied that despite the organic sound of the songs, her singing style has changed little, and the mild story telling style has remained from the days of 'Luka' and 'Tom's Diner'.
Tame Impala is another musical act which has lingered in the 11-25 region across the last few albums, ever since they came into my notice as a musical band within my taste (No.12: 2012, No.21: 2015, No. 15: 2020). This particular set of songs I felt were more catchy, and indeed carries the tag "alternative dance" among the genres observed. As I've said over and over again, its a lean year, and Tame Impala had done enough to get a slot.
Seattle's Deep Sea Diver delivers a melodic, emotional set of songs, and there lies the difference of most of the Indie rock music mentioned elsewhere in this write up, with this album.My first experience with them finds the band within the top 20.
Brighton's Lambrini girls close up the top 20 with easily the most explosive record in the lot.
As a demonstration, how's this for a verse:
"Palatable, unthreatening, 'cause all men know better than me
The glass ceiling ahead of me, so I'll take a backseat
Smile and ignore that my boss wants to fuck me
The wandering eyes at all times in the office"
The delivery is monotonous, outraged, and takes on subjects like gender inequity, political and cultural atrocities. At just under 30 minutes, I think is is a must listen for any follower of rock music.
Here's how it works. Sometime when you compile these rated lists, you find mediocre album that you'd rather not see sneaking into the top 20. This was common in the first half of the 2010, when I look back at the ratings. But this tendency has gone away, and I've had the feeling that some of the good albums had to in fact miss out on the top 20 in recent years. For example in 2024, The Decemberists, Crowded House, and Judas Priest sat out in the outside locale of the top 20. In 2023 it was Smashing Pumpkins, Gov't Mule, and Cowboy Junkees.
Let's look at hose who just missed the top 20 this year. Back in the hey days of grunge, I never cared for Bush. I felt that
they overdid the growl-like vocals, and indeed, songs like "Glycerene"
and "machinehead" were never in my pallet (maybe "swallowed" had me
interested a tad bit.) Looking at their discography their releases in
the 2010s haven't been highly rated (source: allmusic), and they've
taken a 10 year break in the 2000s. But I did listen to "The Art of
Survival" a couple of years back ( No.13, 2022), and as I recall there
were quite a few tunes that I dug. They've managed to cling on outside the top 20 with "I Beat Loneliness" at no. 21.
I listened to Shame for the first time, and they are part of the
Indie-rock groups that I previously mentioned earlier, as they check in
no. 22, with the first album of theirs I listened to. The differences of
sound between these bands, definitely exist, but so far I see them as
one set. Maybe a careful scrutiny of these bands (and their sounds) is a
work for another day.
Stereophonics also find themselves just outside the top 20 (no. 23) for 2025, as did their their 2019 managed as high
as 2027. Although the band has been around for a long time, these are the
only two albums that I've listened to in full.
The rest of the top 30 in the order of the ranking comprises of Little Feat, Suede, Arcade Fire, Ill Considered ( a very different Jazz album, "Balm", which leaves a troubling after feel), Richard Ashcroft, Van Morrison, with the Thom Yorke & Mark Pritchard collaboration closing the top 30.
* Back in the day the music videos mattered and the last such I remember is "Hangin' Around" from the 'This Desert Life' album, I specifically remember it because my room mate mentioned certain blurred parts in the music video - and that was my first even overseas visit back in December 1999.
