Best Music of 2025 - Part 5

Usually I write something about the past year here, and I guess I will keep with that theme, although 2025 was certainly a bittersweet year.

As I said earlier, my father passed away. He lived a terrific long life, despite an upbringing that wasn't so great, so the fact that he modeled for me what it's like to be a strong father figure and family man is certainly something to be celebrated. My mom died over 30 years ago, so it's definitely strange no longer having a living parent, but I'm obviously not the first person to feel that emotion. 

Shortly after my father's passing, LC broke his leg in a skiing accident. That made his life difficult for a few months and ruined his entire baseball season, but he handled it well overall and it didn't stop us from seeing AC/DC live in May. In fact, it allowed us to obtain ADA seating and handicapped parking, which made the whole experience significantly easier than it might have been. 

So, politics aside, 2025 wasn't bad and it probably helped me learn to see the bright side and make the most of an otherwise not great situation. Happy New Year to all who made it this far!

5. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Massage Parlor

This album is a mostly instrumental companion piece to 2024's My Light, My Destroyer, yet somehow I enjoyed this even more than that album, and it's her second top five in the past five years. 

4. Julien Baker & Torres - Send a Prayer My Way

Julien Baker's second top ten appearance and Torres's first, this is definitely my country album of the year. 

3. Hamilton Leithauser - This Side of the Island

Another entry to the "second top five in the past five years" category, I've been really taking to The Walkmen frontman's solo material. 



2. Craig Finn - Always Been

I'm pretty sure I've ranked this album higher than probably anyone else, but the addition of The War on Drugs -- the album was produced by Adam Granduciel and features several of this band mates -- to Finn's wonderful storytelling puts this one on another level for me. 



1. Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow

This one has essentially been in my top spot since it came out in March. I really expected something else to come along and bump it down, but that never happened. Not to take anything away from this effort, it's really a great album, but 2023's Weathervanes is significantly better. Regardless, with two #1s and a #2 at just past the halfway point of the decade, Isbell is well on his way to artist of the decade status. 

Best Music of 2025 - Part 4

10. Mike Reid & Joe Henry - Life and Time

Continuing the 30th year celebration theme, my inaugural list featured Joe Henry's Trampoline as the #1 album of 1996. He hasn't made an appearance in the top ten since, until this year. This album is also the best thing to come out the Penn State football program this year. 



9. Heartworms - Glutton for Punishment

I owe a little of my interest in this album to my pal el squared's obsession with Wet Leg. When I first heard it, I thought it would be a good album to recommend to him, because they were both produced by Dan Carey (not the Tool drummer) and seemed to have fans in common. But, with each subsequent listen, it continued to grow on me and became a bit of my own obsession. 



8. Laura Stevenson - Late Great

This year's top five is all familiar faces, but this round of five is mostly newcomers, with Laura Stevenson being one of two solo artists to make their first top ten appearance. 



7. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes are the Ghost Nation

The Besnard Lakes join some pretty select company with their third consecutive top ten album. 



6. Lucy Dacus - Forever is a Feeling

Come to think of it, Lucy Dacus is not a first timer to my top ten, having appeared here with boygenius in 2023, but this is Lucy's first time as a solo artist. 

Retrospective Albums of the Year: 1995

As I mentioned earlier, 2025 is the 30th year of this list, so to commemorate I'm going to squeeze in an extra post which hearkens back to the inception of this annual tradition. 

I've been compiling a list of at least my ten favorite albums of the year since 1996. It's part ritual, part obligation, but still is something I find enjoyable. 

You could argue that, although this is the 30th year, next year is actually the 30th anniversary of the list since it started in 1996. But 1995 was really the year the idea for this list was conceived, as I basically had a top 7 in my head that year. So, I thought it would be appropriate to revisit my 1995 list with the benefit of a little hindsight, although each of the original top 7 I still consider worthy.  

10. Space Needle - Voyager

One of two albums in this top ten by artists who were and still are friends of mine, this was Space Needle's debut and remains frontman Jud Ehrbar's best work, in my opinion. 



9. Varnaline - Man of Sin

My awareness of most of the music that appears on this list I owe to the brainchild  behind this band, who grew up on the other side of the apple orchard from me. 



8. Emmylou Harris - Wrecking Ball

The first of three albums on this list that I didn't hear until a year or two later, this one has really grown on my since. 



7. Radiohead  - The Bends

You've probably heard of this band. 



6. Palace Music - Viva Last Blues

Will Oldham's discography is pretty extensive, and there are quite a few of his albums that are much more critically acclaimed, but this is easily my favorite. 



5. Blue Mountain - Dog Days

I would honestly say that Blue Mountain hasn't aged as well as some of my other alt-country favorites, but this is still easily their best album. 



4. Wilco - A.M.

Not quite as impressive a debut as his Son Volt counterpart, but Jeff Tweedy's career certainly benefited from his break from Jay Farrar. 

3. Whiskeytown - Faithless Street

This would be the highest ranking album that wouldn't have made my list back in 1995, as I didn't get turned onto Whiskeytown until two years later when I read an article in No Depression magazine that described them as Country and Westerberg.

2. The Jayhawks - Tomorrow the Green Grass

I had been a fan of The Jayhawks for a couple years when this album came out, but it blew me away almost as much as the next album on this list. There's really no match for the harmonies of Gary Louris and Mark Olson in their primes.  



1. Son Volt - Trace

I can still remember how excited I was to hear this album for the first time after obsessing over all four Uncle Tupelo albums for at least several months prior. It might sound strange, but I was also thrilled at the opportunity to use a urinal next to Son Volt drummer Mike Heidorn during their show at Bogie's in Albany that year. 

Best Music of 2025 - Part 3

It actually just occurred to me that this is my 30th year compiling this list. More on that, and what reminded me of it, in the next post.  

20. Matt Berninger - Get Sunk

19. Margo Price - Hard Headed Woman

18. Snocaps - Snocaps

This is the highest ranking album that I hadn't heard of until earlier this month. 

17. Blondshell - If You Asked for a Picture

16. Jens Lekman - Songs for Other People's Weddings

15. Midlake - A Bridge Too Far

Perhaps their best album since Tim Smith's departure over a decade ago...or, have I said this before? 

14. Big Thief - Double Infinity

13. The Swell Season - Forward

This is definitely the best material Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová have produced together since the Once soundtrack. 

12. Bon Iver - SABLE, fABLE

11. Bob Mould - Here We Go Crazy

Best Music of 2025 - Part 2

Some old and some very old friends make an appearance in this installment. 

30. Patterson Hood - Exploding Trees & Airplane Screams

29. Horsegirl - Phonetics On and On

28. Mumford & Sons - Rushmere

27. Willie Nelson - Oh What a Beautiful World

Some years ago, I started a bit of a Christmas tradition where I gifted my dad a CD that most closely represented the intersection of our musical tastes. Dad passed away this year, but this is the album that would have fit the bill. 

26. Sun Kil Moon - All the Artists

25. Jakko M. Jakszyk - Son of Glen

Somewhat fitting that the album written by the current King Crimson lead singer about his father makes an appearance in this round of ten. 

24. Brown Horse - All the Right Weaknesses

23. Kathleen Edwards - Billionaire

Continuing with the somber theme, it wasn't until I saw her live this year that I realized this album's title track is about a friend she lost recently. 

22. Alan Sparhawk - With Trampled By Turtles

21. James McMurtry - The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy

Best Music of 2025 - Part 1

2025 wasn't quite as strong for new albums as 2024 in my opinion, but I still managed to compile a top 40. 

2025 was also a great year for live music, particularly for LC, as it was the year he upgraded from almost exclusively seeing tribute acts to seeing the real deal on a few occasions.

As they were his first favorite band, AC/DC in May was a long time coming for us, although he broke his leg two months prior so it was a bit of a challenge. His personal highlight, though, was Judas Priest and Alice Cooper in September. We also saw Zakk Sabbath twice, and of course, we watched Back to the Beginning on simulcast in July. Unfortunately, we didn't make it to Birmingham for that one, which I kind of regret now.  

40. Jeff Tweedy - Twilight Override

39. Califone - The Villager's Companion

38. Neil Young and The Chrome Hearts - Talkin' to the Trees

37. Explosions in the Sky - American Primeval (Soundtrack)

36. The Reds, Pinks and Purples - The Past is a Garden I Never Fed

35. Wet Leg - Moisturizer

34. Flock of Dimes - The Life You Save

33. Mavis Staples - Sad and Beautiful World

32. Will Johnson - Diamond City

31. The Black Keys - No Rain, No Flowers

Retrospective Albums of the Year: 1984

I actually intended to finish this list (and 1994) last year, to mark the 40th anniversary of these albums. But, the post was nearly done, so I'll see it through, albeit a little late. 

1984 is a much weaker year than 1974, in my opinion, although as I've never been a huge fan of the '80s in general, I don't know if you should trust my opinion. It is, however, a year in music that I remember much better than 1974, that is the parts that aren't clouded by alcohol consumption.

10. Bryan Adams - Reckless

I was briefly a fan of Bryan Adams. I even saw him in concert on this tour, I believe. Younger me probably would've been embarrassed to admit this, but I honestly feel like this album and Cuts Like a Knife both hold up pretty well.

9. Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A.

The highest selling album in Bruce's career certainly isn't his best, but it has more than a handful of really accessible, and enjoyable, songs.

8. The Smiths - The Smiths

This is one of two albums in this top ten that I didn't listen to in 1984, and is the only one that I listened to for the first time in the process of making this list. That fact probably speaks more to the relative weakness of this list than to the greatness of Morrissey, but this is a really enjoyable listen.

7. R.E.M. - Reckoning

I'm not sure if I'm ready to call R.E.M. the best band of the '80s, but I'm willing to guess if I see this project all the way through, they will make the most appearances in my top ten.

6. Iron Maiden - Powerslave

This album came out at the end of my heavy metal phase, which I've revisited in recent years due to Little Chuck's musical taste. Number of the Beast and Piece of Mind are better, in my opinion, but this is a very solid album. 

5. U2 - The Unforgettable Fire

I was never a huge U2 fan. I own a couple of their albums, but not this one, which is better than I realized back in the day. Perhaps I should've waited about nine days to post this...

4. Judas Priest - Defenders of the Faith

I've always been a bigger Iron Maiden fan than a Judas Priest fan. In fact, despite how good Screaming for Vengeance was, I can't remember even purchasing their follow up. Needless to say, I was surprised at how good this one is. 

3. Triumph - Thunder Seven

I'm sure I'm a bigger Triumph fan, and a bigger fan of this album, than most people. Critically speaking, it's no Allied Forces, but sometimes I like it even better. 

2. The Replacements - Let It Be

This is the other album that I didn't actually listen to in 1984, but "Unsatisfied" and "Answering Machine" are perhaps my two favorite Replacements songs, and while this album is not as consistent as Tim, it's easily one of their two best. 

1. Rush - Grace Under Pressure

I was a huge Rush fan back in 1984, and I'm still a pretty huge Rush fan today. I consider this to be perhaps their most under-rated album.

Best Music of 2024 - Part 5

2024 was a year I attended more live shows than I have in any year in recent memory; and with tickets to four upcoming 2025 events in hand already, it looks like next year will continue that trend. 

Three of the upcoming shows will involve LC, so his interest in music is definitely part of the reason for the upsurge in seeing live music. It has also revived my interest in some of the music I listened to in my youth, so that's a huge plus. 

I'd have to say that overall 2024 was a pretty good year, with one major exception that I won't discuss here. I hope it was a good one for you too, and that 2025 is even better. Thanks again to the two or three of you who have paid attention this far, and I hope you continue to remain interested. 

5. The Cure - Songs of a Lost World

A good portion of my youth took place in the '80s, but I never was a fan of The Cure or pretty much anything new wave related, so this album's ranking should be quite the surprise. 

4. Zach Bryan - The Great American Bar Scene

This one was quite a surprise as well, but for different reasons. When I heard Jason Isbell was opening for him on tour, I assumed Zach Bryan was just another mainstream country artist...perhaps I pictured a cross between Zac Brown and Luke Bryan. But, the guest appearances on this album -- namely Bruce Springsteen and John Moreland --- prompted me to give it a chance. I'm glad I did. 

3. Phosphorescent - Revelator

My top two albums are both by artists who have one prior top ten appearance each, so this is the highest ranking newcomer to my top ten. 

2. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future

This is not meant as a knock on Big Thief, but I'm a much bigger fan of her solo work than I am her main gig. 

1. Waxahatchee - Tigers Blood

I can't remember the last time I've been this certain of an album of the year, not to mention that Waxahatchee's concert at the Orpheum in April was my show of the year, and this amazing duet with MJ Lenderman is my song of the year. 

Best Music of 2024 - Part 4

 
10. Jon Anderson & The Band Geeks - True

Jon Anderson turned 80 this year. I'm quite certain this makes him the oldest artist to land in my top ten, although there is one artist in my top five whose heyday was also in the 20th century. 

9. Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us

8. Cloud Cult - Alchemy Creek

7. Bonny Light Horseman - Keep Me On Your Mind/See You Free

6. John Moreland - Visitor

While a few of the albums rounding out this top ten are not their bands' best albums, the top six are all my absolute favorites by the artists in question. 
 

Best Music of 2024 - Part 3

20. Hurray for the Riff Raff - The Past is Still Alive

19. Nada Surf - Moon Mirror

18. Soccer Mommy - Evergreen

17. American Aquarium - The Fear of Standing Still

16. MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks

15. Cassandra Jenkins - My Light, My Destroyer

14. Jonsi - First Light

13. J Mascis - What Do We Do Now

12. Pedro the Lion - Santa Cruz

11. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Wild God

Best Music of 2024 - Part 2

30. Rosali - Bite Down

29. Dirty Three - Love Changes Everything

28. The Reds, Pinks and Purples - Unwishing Well

27. Torres - What an Enormous Room

26. Roger McGuinn, Chris Hillman with Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Sweetheart of the Rodeo: Live!

25. Real Estate - Daniel

24. Judas Priest - Invincible Shield

23. Lydia Loveless - Something Else

22. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - FU##IN' UP

21. Nap Eyes - Neon Gate

Best Music of 2024 - Part 1

2024 was a very good year in music, in my opinion, probably the best in recent memory. For that reason, I'm doing a top 40 for the first time since 2018, a year when I actually recognized my 50 favorite albums. 

2024 was also the year that Black Sabbath took over the reigns from AC/DC as Little Chuck's favorite band. In fact, we have tickets to see Zakk Sabbath just after the new year, so we're pretty excited about that. I doubt we'll ever get to see the real deal, although if a reunion ever happens, I hope they choose Zakk Wylde over Tony Martin as the lead singer...assuming Ozzy is no longer an option. 

Speaking of the real deal, please keep this quiet for a few more days (not that anyone's going to be talking to LC in the meantime). 

I'll probably have more to say in later posts, but for now, let's get to the list: 

40. Rick Wakeman - Yessonata

39. Iron & Wine - Light Verse

38. Gillian Welch & David Rawlings - Woodland

37. Kim Richey - Every New Beginning

36. Middle Kids - Faith Crisis Pt 1

35. Johnny Blue Skies - Passage Du Desir

34. Jack White - No Name

33. Brown Horse - Reservoir

32. Horse Jumper of Love - Disaster Trick

31. Pernice Brothers - Who Will You Believe

Retrospective Albums of the Year: 1974

I basically teased this idea in my Best Music of 2023 post. I've decided to retrospectively work on my top ten albums of years that preceded my annual list, which began in 1996. I'll be doing so by celebrating the 50th, 40th and 30th anniversaries of said albums. If I keep this up, I'll eventually be marking some 60th anniversaries as well, but since my 1964 list would be pretty weak, I'll be holding off on that for now.

For all of these lists, I'll allow for the benefit of hindsight, but for the years in which I actually listened to some of these albums, nostalgia will be a factor. 1974 was not one of those years.

10. Kiss - Kiss

My first favorite band's music hasn't aged really well, but their debut remains their best work, and evidence they know how to write melodic hard rock songs.

9. Tom Waits - The Heart of Saturday Night

This is actually the only Tom Waits album I've ever bought -- and I was turned on to it by Shawn Colvin's cover of the title track -- but it's a good one nonetheless.

8. Steely Dan - Pretzel Logic

My pal Lee once said you could arguably rank the first six Led Zeppelin albums in any order. I basically feel the same way about Steely Dan.

7. Gram Parsons - Grevious Angel

The Godfather of Country Rock's posthumously released final album was as great as everything that came before it.

6. Electric Light Orchestra - Eldorado

ELO is one of two bands in this top ten that I was a fan of in the '70s, Kiss being the other. But, I didn't discover the beauty of Eldorado until many years later, perhaps because "Can't Get it Out of My Head" is the only really big hit on this album. Obviously, I came around because I ranked it second in their discography back in 2010.

5. Big Star - Radio City

Not that you really have to choose one over the other, but I've always been an advocate that Chris Bell was the superior co-leader of this band. Considering this album was released after his departure, and is strictly an Alex Chilton affair, I probably don't have a leg to stand on there. Still, you should probably read this post about the Big Star documentary, and check out the film, to fully appreciate where I'm coming from.

4. Blue Öyster Cult - Secret Treaties

I became a BÖC fan in the early '80s. Their late '70s and early '80s output were my most frequent listens at the time, but when I decided to go back further, Secret Treaties was my first purchase. For a young fan, it was a bit of an acquired taste, but I now consider it the best album of their black-and-white era (so named for their first three album covers), and their second best overall.

3. Joni Mitchell - Court and Spark

For some reason, I kind of forgot how fantastic this album is. Probably my second favorite Joni album, which seems to be a recurring theme on this list.

2. Neil Young - On the Beach

I've never gotten around to completing my project ranking the entire Neil Young discography. It's pretty safe to say this one falls just outside of the top five, but easily makes the top ten.

1. King Crimson - Red

At the start of the pandemic, while I was working in my basement, I embarked on a project ranking my top 100 albums of all-time. For once, I actually saw it through to the end and in June of 2020, I completed the list but never posted about it. Nearly four years later, I'm sure the list needs some updating, so maybe you'll see it here eventually. Anyway, my point is Red is one of two King Crimson albums to make that list, and the only top 100 album from 1974.

Best Music of 2023

I can't really discuss the year in music of 2023 without bringing up Little Chuck.

As I mentioned last year, he started playing guitar and I'm really excited about the progress he's made. This year, he branched out from exclusively an AC/DC guy to also being a fan of everything Black Sabbath, including Ozzy and Dio solo, the short-lived band Heaven & Hell and some of the early Rainbow material.

We also saw our third AC/DC tribute band this year, so perhaps look forward to a post ranking them (Spoiler alert: they're all good). Maybe this year will be the year we get to see the real deal.

This year, I also started on an idea of retrospectively ranking my top ten for each year that preceded my annual ritual (which started in 1996), based on round number anniversaries. In other words, I worked on my lists for 1973, 1983 and 1993, but really only finalized two of three of them and never got the motivation to post about it. This might be another thing to expect in 2024, although my imagination is sometimes more ambitious than my actual motivation for following through.

Anyway, I'm going to roll out this year's top 25 albums by continuously updating this post, so stay tuned for more...

25. Runnner - Like Dying Stars, We're Reaching Out

24. Death Cab for Cutie - Asphalt Meadows (Acoustic)

23. The Ducks - High Flyin'

22. Neil Young - Before and After

21. Will Johnson - No Ordinary Crown

20. The Reds, Pinks and Purples - The Town That Cursed Your Name

19. The New Pornographers - Continue as Guest

18. Jess Williamson - Time Ain't Accidental

17. The Hold Steady - The Price of Progress

16. Sparklehorse - Bird Machine

This one gets my vote for saddest song of the year.

15. Califone - Villagers

14. Julie Byrne - The Greater Wings

13. The Lemon Twigs - Everything Harmony

12. Margo Price - Strays

11. Glen Hansard - All That Was East is West of Me Now

10. Anohni & The Johnsons - My Back Was a Bridge for You to Cross

9. Explosions in the Sky - End

8. Boygenius - The Record

7. The National - Laugh Track

The National enters some seriously uncharted territory with this one. More on that later...

6. Harp - Albion

This album by the former Midlake frontman was over a decade in the making. I'll say it was definitely worth the wait as a fan, but I can't speak for him.

5. The Natural Lines - The Natural Lines

Perhaps it was a mistake, but this album was initially attributed to Matt Pond PA by Spotify. Needless to say, I was confused when I later searched for it and had some difficulty finding it, but it is quite possibly his best effort yet.

4. Darlingside - Everything is Alive

Not sure if it's a first, but two local artists earned their way into my top five this year.

3. The National - First Two Pages of Frankenstein

I didn't realize it when I first decided that both albums by The National this year are top ten worthy, but this one established a new record as their 6th consecutive release to land in my top ten (breaking a tie with the Drive-By Truckers). Laugh Track, released after this one, makes it seven. Spoiler alert: my top two are also by artists who presently fall into this "can do no wrong in my book" category.

2. Lori McKenna - 1988

This Stoughton, Massachusetts native is this year's highest ranking local artist on her third consecutive top five album full of songs that really hit close to home, but probably none more than this one.

1. Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Weathervanes

It was quite the year for Mr. Isbell. Early in the year, he released "Running With Your Eyes Closed," which is perhaps the greatest music documentary I've ever seen. A little later came this, which just might be his best album; and is, of course, his first to top my list.

A covers album, which was a thank you to the citizens of Georgia for helping elect Joe Biden, is the only thing standing in his way of what would be five consecutive top tens.

Thanks again for paying attention to what I have to say. Happy Holidays and best wishes for a happy, safe and prosperous 2024!

Best Music of 2022 - Part 3

I usually wrap up this list on New Year's Eve. This year, I actually tried to write this post on Christmas Eve, but then I got too busy and was traveling over the holidays. So, here I am finalizing this thing a couple days into the New Year.

As always, thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

5. Bonny Light Horseman - Rolling Golden Holy

My top two candidates for show of the year were Dirty Deeds (an AC/DC cover band) at the Breakaway in Danvers and Bonny Light Horseman at the Sinclair in Cambridge. The latter was an amazing show, and probably worthy of the honor, but the Dirty Deeds show was Little Chuck's first and he met the lead singer and lead guitarist.



4. American Aquarium - Chicamacomico



3. Pedro the Lion - Havasu



2. Cloud Cult - Metamorphosis

Cloud Cult's fifth top ten album ties them with The National, Wilco and Drive-By Truckers for the most in the history of this list. 



1. Anais Mitchell - Anais Mitchell

Anais Mitchell (also a member of Bonny Light Horseman) becomes the fifth person to make the top ten twice in the same year, and the first since Jay Bennett in 2002.

Best Music of 2022 - Part 2

And now for the top ten: 
 
10. Spiritualized - Everything Was Beautiful



9. First Aid Kit - Palomino



8. Craig Finn - A Legacy of Rentals



7. Death Cab for Cutie - Asphalt Meadows



6. Spoon - Lucifer on the Sofa

Best Music of 2022 - Part 1

2022 was another year that I placed less emphasis on new music than usual. It's probably because I'm getting old, but I've also reached a point where one partial listen to a new album is sometimes enough for a quick dismissal. It's possible I'm overlooking growers, but I've just reached a point where I just feel like spending more time with music I know I like.

Little Chuck's interest in music is another reason. He's still only into one band really -- AC/DC -- but he seems to be finding an appreciation for other music as well. But perhaps my musical highlight of the year is he started guitar lessons in March and has made amazing progress. I'm really excited to live vicariously through him on this one. 

All that being said, I still found 22 albums worth ranking in a year end list. So, without further ado, on to the first installment of my top 22 albums of 2022. 

22. Def Leppard - Diamond Star Halos

21. The Smile - A Light for Attracting Attention

20. Wilco - Cruel Country

19. Tomberlin - I Don't Know Who Needs to Hear This…

18. Camp Cope - Running With the Hurricane

17. MJ Lenderman - Boat Songs

16. The Reds, Pinks & Purples - Summer at Land's End

15. Pinegrove - 11:11

14. Stars - From Capelton Hill

13. Momma - Household Name

12. Drive-By Truckers - Welcome 2 Club XIII

11. Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You

Best Music of 2021

Well, 2021 was a little better than 2020. 

Actually, it was probably quite a bit better, but the thing that brings it down a notch is that "Is this thing ever going to end?" question that keeps hanging over our heads. I honestly don't know the answer, but that's all I'm going to say about it. 

I do, however, want to point out one more pandemic upside that I neglected to mention last year. I really bonded with my sister, to the point that she pretty much texts me about the Yankees every night during baseball season. In fact, I'm not really sure if she realizes I live out of market and don't have an MLB.TV subscription -- although maybe I should -- so I don't watch every game. But, beyond her newfound baseball obsession, she really has become my best friend. Not that we weren't close before, but I really feel like we've become even closer and that's pretty awesome, because she's my only sibling. 

2021 was also the year Little Chuck really developed an interest in music. Well, in one band, that is. He's become an AC/DC fanatic, and he and I have really bonded over that. He's even helped me decide that, while I've always been partial to Bon Scott over Brian Johnson, I like the latter as a singer better. It's just that the Bon Scott material is more consistent and stronger overall. 

While I'm on the subject of AC/DC, another thing I missed last year was that Power Up, AC/DC's 2020 release, was probably their best album since Back in Black, and probably year-end list-worthy. 

Anyway, on to the music of 2021. I'm only ranking the top 20 this year. My philosophy for the past I-don't-know-how-many years has been to just cut off the rankings at the point where I feel the albums are worthy of acknowledgment...although I have to admit a predilection toward round numbers, so that's why it's not a top 18 or a top 21. 

As I've done in recent years, I'll present this as one continuously updated post, so be sure to check back for more. Oh, and I hope you and yours have a happy and healthy new year. Thanks again for paying attention. 

20. The Black Keys - Delta Kream



19. The Hold Steady - Open Door Policy



18. The Weather Station - Ignorance



17. Middle Kids - Today We're the Greatest



16. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah - New Fragility

15. Sturgill Simpson - The Ballad of Dood & Juanita



14. David Crosby - For Free

I was as surprised as you are. 



13. Hiss Golden Messenger - Quietly Blowing It



12. Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Way Down in the Rust Bucket (Live)



11. Lucy Dacus - Home Video



10. CHVRCHES - Screen Violence



9. Nick Cave & Warren Ellis - Carnage



8. The Reds, Pinks and Purples - Uncommon Weather



7. Big Red Machine - How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? 



6. James McMurtry - The Horses and the Hounds



5. Julien Baker - Little Oblivions



4. Cassandra Jenkins - An Overview on Phenomenal Nature



3. Pinegrove - Amperland, NY

My pal el squared says I turned him on to Pinegrove back when Cardinal was my #3 album of 2016, but his early year obsession with this album influenced me to become somewhat obsessed with it as well. It spent most of the rest of the year as my #2 album, although I occasionally considered bumping it up to #1.
 


2. The Besnard Lakes - The Besnard Lakes Are The Last of the Great Thunderstorm Warnings

At one point during the pandemic, I decided I should mail order some albums from a different indie band each month. The each month thing didn't last, but The Besnard Lakes were the first purchase I made, and this album was my frontrunner for album of the year from the day it was released until it was bumped from the top spot by a late October release. 



1. The War on Drugs - I Don't Live Here Anymore

The aforementioned late October release puts The War on Drugs in a category with Pernice Brothers and Cloud Cult as the only bands to reach album of the year status twice in the 26 year history of my list. 

All-Time Teams #21: Philadelphia Phillies

This is part of a really long ongoing series where I'm naming an all-time team for each of the current 30 MLB franchises.

Franchise History

Philadelphia Phillies (1890- )
Philadelphia Quakers (1883-1889)

An asterisk (*) denotes a Hall of Famer.

Starters
C - Darren Daulton (1983, 1985-1997)
1B - Ryan Howard (2004-2016)
2B - Chase Utley (2003-2015)
SS - Jimmy Rollins (2000-2014)
3B - Mike Schmidt* (1972-1989)
LF - Ed Delahanty* (1888-1889, 1891-1901)
CF - Richie Ashburn* (1948-1959)
RF - Chuck Klein* (1928-1933, 1936-1944)

A bunch of fairly obvious choices here. The advanced stats like Bobby Abreu over Klein in right field, but I decided to give the nod to the Hall of Famer who played most of his career in Philadelphia. 

Rotation
Steve Carlton* (1972-1986)
Robin Roberts* (1948-1961)
Pete Alexander* (1911-1917, 1930)
Cole Hamels (2006-2015)
Jim Bunning* (1964-1968, 1970)

The top three are obvious, but Hamels was a pretty easy choice as well, with his 2008 World Series MVP boosting his case.

Closer
Tug McGraw (1975-1984)

Reserves
C - Carlos Ruiz (2006-2016)
1B/3B/LF - Dick Allen (1963-1969, 1975-1976)
2B - Nap Lajoie* (1896-1900)
SS - Larry Bowa (1970-1981)
3B - Scott Rolen (1996-2002)
OF - Billy Hamilton* (1890-1895)
OF - Bobby Abreu (1998-2006)

I was as surprised as you about Nap Lajoie, but his five seasons in Philadelphia were enough to earn a backup role over the likes of Juan Samuel and Mickey Morandini. Billy Hamilton is another Hall of Famer who didn't play in Philadelphia long, but the team needs a backup center fielder and he's the best choice for that role. 

Sherry Magee is easily the toughest omission here. I think he's a highly underrated player who only falls a little short of being worthy of Hall of Fame discussion, but Dick Allen gets the nod as a guy who can backup at both 1B and LF. 

Bullpen
Curt Schilling (1992-2000)
Chris Short (1959-1972)
Ron Reed (1976-1983)

Curt Simmons (1947-1950, 1952-1960)

Manager
Charlie Manuel (2005-2013)

I figured a team that's been around as long as this team has would have a more celebrated manager, but I was wrong.  

Next Up: Pittsburgh Pirates

Best Music of 2020

So, 2020 is almost over. 

You don't need me to remind you of what a crappy year 2020 was, especially in the context of a post about my favorite albums of the year. 

But, here's the thing I will tell you about, and which you can feel free to skip over if you just want to get to the music. 2020 had some redeeming qualities. More than anything, it made me realize what I have to be thankful for, and it helped me and KJ teach Little Chuck the same. 

So, before I get to the music, that's what I'm going to talk about. The things that I truly am grateful for, some of which were actually the result of this god-awful pandemic we're all going through. 

First and foremost, I got to spend so much more time with my family than I have in years. Of course we drove each other crazy at times, but overall it was definitely a net positive.

Little Chuck's baseball season was cancelled, but back in the spring, he came up with the idea of designating two days a week for us to play baseball together. On those days, we rode our bicycles to a local field, and I pitched batting practice to him. Then, we played catch and kept track of our record of consecutive catches without a miss. 

I also seized the opportunity to get back in touch with some college friends that I hadn't spoken to in years, and my old pal Stein and I have been playing Strat-O-Matic baseball via Zoom once a week since May. 

Of course, just like everyone else, my lack of a commute has made managing the home life a little easier, but considering my wife is in grad school right now, it really has made all the difference in the world. 

Last, but certainly not least, I'm grateful that we're among the lucky ones who haven't been impacted financially by the pandemic. To this point, my one resolution for 2021 is to make sure my son appreciates how truly lucky we are. and to find ways to teach him how important it is to help others who are not so fortunate. 

Anyway, on to the music. 2020 was a pretty good year, probably better than last, in my opinion. This year, I feel like a top 25 is warranted, but I'll be honest the top seven are really the ones that made a huge impact on me. 

Since I'm usually inclined to reveal these as a countdown, I'm going to post a few at a time, but I'm just going to keep adding to this post as I do so. Once again, thanks for caring what I have to say, and I hope you and your family are healthy and safe, and that 2021 is a banner year for you by comparison. 


25. Bill Fay - Countless Branches



24. Bruce Springsteen - Letter to You



23. Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - Sideways to New Italy



22. Darlingside - Fish Pond Fish



21. Torres - Silver Tongue



20. Haim - Women in Music Pt. III



19. Mark Kozelek, Ben Boye, Jim White - Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White 2

18. The Flaming Lips - American Head



17. Pinegrove - Marigold



16. Owen - The Avalanche



15. Woods - Strange to Explain



14. Fleet Foxes - Shore



13. Kathleen Edwards - Total Freedom



12. Matt Berninger - Serpentine Prison



11. Wolf Parade - Thin Mind

10. Adrianne Lenker - Songs



9. Nada Surf - Never Not Together



8. Phoebe Bridgers - Punisher



7. Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud



6. American Aquarium - Lamentations

5. Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman



4. Lori McKenna - The Balladeer



3. Nap Eyes - Snapshot of a Beginner



2. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit - Reunions



1. Hamilton Leithauser - The Loves of Your Life