Music Week 2025

As mentioned in the group chat earlier, this was a big albums year for me. A lot of great music released this year, and I had a tough time pulling it out of its context and into a playlist. There’s at least one track from the albums below on my playlist. You can listen top to bottom or shuffle it - either will get the vibes going. Track 31 is a bonus cause I couldn’t leave out the boys from the Lou.

Albums

in no particular order

I don’t usually include albums from outside the MW year, even re-releases, but this one had to be an exception. It was previously unavailable outside of rips on YouTube or somehow owning an original pressing of the record from 1973. It was a commercial flop that Mick Fleetwood happened to hear while touring recording studios in LA and it led to Stevie & Lindsey joining Fleetwood Mac. The thing about Buckingham Nicks that strikes me is that you can hear the direct line from this to what Fleetwood Mac later becomes. The base of Fleetwood Mac, Rumors, & Tusk are all on this album in various ways. Mick heard this album and saw what the future of his band could be. Go back to pre-Buckingham / Nicks (e.g. Mystery To Me) and it’s a different band.

I’ll admit that when I heard Rosalía was dropping a pop-opera album performed in 14 languages that I thought it might come across as pretentious. I’ll also admit that after listening to it I was wrong. It’s performed at a grand scale but it all reads very intimate. And the multilingualism isn’t just a novelty. It all conveys different emotions and topics depending on the language she’s using. A really well put together record that’s worth the hype.

Anna & I saw Oklou when she opened for Caroline Polacheck in 2021 and we thought she was god awful. I’d never heard a single thing from her before that evening. She talk-sang the entire time into a mic that made her sound like Charlie Brown’s teacher, everyone sat for the full performance and when it was done, the guy beside me turned and said “is it finally over?”

When I listened to choke enough for the first time, it didn’t even register that it was the same artist. Fairly stripped down instrumentals, quick but soft vocals. Feels like an album you could put on top to bottom at a cocktail bar and everyone would just vibe with it.

Anna introduced me to Penny and Sparrow. We saw them at the 9:30 Club and they grabbed the audience's attention in a way I haven’t seen a lot of artists do. The first time I listened through Lefty I looked back at my phone at least 3 times to check if it was the same album. They fly through several genres over the course of just an hour, but it’s emotionally honest to the two song writers.

Hayley dropped 17 separate singles and I listened to every one of them. I thought, “man this would be a great album.” And then 3 weeks later it was one. This is probably the album I had the hardest time picking out a single song from - though I did go with the title track.

This album is cozy as hell. It’s mostly Kelly Zutrau crooning over soft piano and the occasional hi-hat. The song I pulled from this one is the intro - “Coffee In The Morning” - and it’s kinda the perfect A) intro to the album, and B) intro to Wet. If you like this track, listen to the album and you won’t be disappointed. It’s all so introspective and emotional.

At first a man, now a band, Bon Iver has captivated my attention since the circa 2013 Room 7 Christmas Bear, aptly named Bon E. Bear. Lots to love about this album: def some of his most upbeat music in a while, fun melodies, interesting harmonies, etc. Great features in the form of Dijon and Danielle Haim. Also easily one of the greatest album rollouts and marketing campaigns of the past decade.

I said this last year and it’s true this year too - there’s never enough guys clipping a mic over the loudest 808 you can stomach. Carti’s a little bit all over the place on this record, but it’s still more cohesive than some of his other work. It’s probably my favorite of his projects since 2018’s Die Lit. Lots of great features on this album too - Travis Scott, Kendrick Lamar, Young Thug, & Future to name a few of my faves.

The opposite of Bon Iver - this is a man, not a band. I haven’t historically been big on Tame Impala, but this record did it for me. Could have been album of the summer if it wasn’t released in October. On the same note as my choke enough comment, Anna & I actually were at a bar that played this top to bottom and it was, in fact, a vibe. But maybe the most telling point to this being a great album is Fantano giving it a light 2 lmao.

Gotta put this in the same breath as choke enough & Two Lives. This album is so smooth and relaxing that the first time I put it on at work I just zoned out to listen. Vocals are really strong and the melodies catchy as hell. The band’s been around for a while and had a couple of modest hits, but this album feels like “next up,” material.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps w/ Prince

I think subconsciously my goal for the live music thing this year was to share this video. It contains possibly the greatest guitar solo in recorded history. 2004 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (s/o Eliah Cappi) induction for George Harrison (& others), the crew includes Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, Marc Mann, Dhani Harrison, Steve Ferrone, and Prince (also inducted in 2004).

Two personal anecdotes about this vid: 1) watching it so many times this year was a catalyst for buying the electric guitar I now own and am slowly trying to learn, and 2) Anna & I saw this exact Prince guitar at his house in Minneapolis this summer and it was honestly one of the highlights of the trip for me.

The whole thing is great, but when Prince pops out is the real start of the show for me.

Cheers and happy MW friends!
Trey