Another year, another shit-ton of great new music. Some folks liked me sharing the 2024 version of my personal Great Choons playlist, so let me do so again.
I apologise for the Spotify, fuck them and their warmongering anti-artist AI-fuelled capitalism, but I also drink Coke. And while I’m owning up to Shitifying I may as well make a late Wrapped humblebrag that my listening age is 27 while my 17-year-old’s was 78. Insert Steve Buscemi Fellow Kids meme that in itself gives away my true age.
I might call this playlist carelessly curated, as it is basically a holding place for songs that I’d like to listen to quite a lot. There has been shuffling around over the course of the year, but some of the more recent stuff sits towards the bottom waiting for my attention to be drawn to it.
The playlist above, as with every year, includes a few standalone singles but is mostly culled from my massive 2025 playlist, which is at the time of writing 1820 songs long.
It’s all part of my process. Every time I hear a song I like, I track down the parent album and add it to that collection (if, of course, it’s available at the evil empire). Eventually, hopefully, I get around to listening to them all.
That long list is basically in order of my exposure. So musos, a hint for grabbing my attention: release something that catches my ear in January and I’ll have to at least scroll past your whole album for 12 months.
Thanks to the world’s best radio station, RRR, for continuing to play ear-catching tunes that lead me to new discoveries. Although, yes, sometimes they come through the algorithm.
Some albums I liked
While there has been shitloads of terrific music released this year, no albums quite tweaked my buttons all the way through. Last year was a year where I really dug lots of albums: St Vincent, Beth Gibbons, The Smile, Nilüfer Yanya (very excited about seeing her in Feb).
But this year I feel less like I can honestly make a top 10 albums or anything like that. My last.fm profile seems to be widely spread and I don’t seem to have listened to any albums more than about 4 or 5 times. So it may just mean I haven’t given them the time. Here’s a few that made an impact, all of which should have some sample tracks in the playlist.
Last.fm tells me that the album I’ve listened to the most tracks from this year is FKA twigs’ EUSEXUA, but I’m not quite sure how to read that because there are now two versions of EUSEXUA (not to mention EUSEXUA Afterglow)… Regardless, some bangers that rocked my world on all of them.
Steven Wilson’s The Overview is a great electro-prog experience, particularly live when combined with the incredible film. The album alone can’t compete (even in surround) but if a two song, 42 minute album is your kinda thing, then I recommend.
I also recently saw King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard supported by Folk Bitch Trio, and they both put out cool albums this year (and were great live). FBT’s harmonies are just perfect and their debut album is right up there for me. Looking forward to what comes next from them.
Speaking of harmonies, Panda Bear’s Sinister Grift kept Brian Wilson’s spirit alive even in the year we bid him farewell. Maddison Cunningham’s Ace was another winner, earlier in the year I got into her via the 2022 Revealer album, also recommended. She mixes folk, pop and rock in a really interesting and creative way.
Maruja’s Pain to Power was a good reminder that I really like a bit of angry man barking rock when it’s done well.
I listened to lots of instrumental music, much of it electronic, Theodore Shapiro’s Severence S2 soundtrack was great again and I am digging Oneohtrix Point Never’s Tranquilizer as I’m writing this sentence. The Black Dog’s Loud Ambient also hit me in the good place.
Post-rock legends Tortoise were back with their best album for at least two decades, hopefully the gig next year will live up to my previous experiences. Mogwai released a ripper that sounds like Mogwai.
McKinley Dixon’s Magic, Alive! and Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out were two amazing hip hop albums that went way way beyond just hip hop. Looking forward to spending more time with them both. Old fave Aesop Rock dropped two albums of monster hooks.
Another year, another great Motorpsycho album, and if releasing a self-titled one was a statement of intent for these Norweigan psych-rockers, it lived up to the hype, the best for a few years to these ears.
Psych-rock of a local, instrumental flavour came from Brown Spirits’ awesome Cosmic Seeds and I’m sorry I didn’t get to see them – next year for sure. And more psychish local stuff came in the form of cool albums from Tropical Fuck Storm and Psychedelic Porn Crumpets (twice).
The Young Gods returned with Appear Disappear, an album that lived up to their wonderful back-catalogue of samples-drums-vocals industrial rock. And then there was Cardiacs’ final album LSD, Jim Smith posthumously finishing the work of his legendary brother Tim and the end results being beautifully Cardiacs.
The debut release from TV On The Radio’s Tunde Adabimpe was a good ‘un I thought, great to hear his voice again. Chris Ballew is releasing solo material at a fairly prodigious rate, all with an unmistakable cover art aesthetic and filled with delightful, smart pop tunes that I personally prefer to his former band (The Presidents of the United States of America).
Being an audient
Live stuff I saw this year:
- Steven Wilson took us on the mind-blowing audio-visual spectacle of The Overview, a trip through the universe for which the star-spangled roof of The Forum made the perfect venue. I got full body goosebumps.
- Beth Gibbons delivering songs from her amazing solo album Lives Outgrown and a couple of Portishead classics with a killer band of multi-instrumentalists.
- Kamasi Washington and his incredible outfits (both band and attire) dominated the Palais Theatre.
- Ocean Sounds was a relaxed and friendly festival of local talent at Churchill Island, surrounded by wildlife and indeed the ocean. The Cat Empire’s refreshed lineup was a fun headliner, other highlights being Cool Out Sun and Sunshine and Disco Faith Choir, good times all around! We’ll be back there next weekend.
- King Gizzard played an epic set with Orchestra Victoria, with a single epic Robot Stop jam in the middle that may just have been the highlight. And Folk Bitch Trio as opening act was absolutely divine icing.
- Flaming Lips playing my personal favourite album Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots in full, which was so much fun. The whole gig was a huge spectacle, and ran through all the emotions: Waiting For A Superman brought me to tears, while Wayne Coyne running out with a huge inflatable reading “Fuck Yeah Melbourne” was part of an ecstatic finale.
Surrounded by old shit
Of course I was listening to lots of old stuff too. I’m unsurprised to see Pink Floyd and King Crimson on top of my artist chart, partly because they keep releasing surround discs that I love to lose myself in and/or write to. (Listens which Shitify Wrapped will never know about.)
And there’s been a flurry of other new surround mixes of old albums, from Split Enz to Frankie Goes To Hollywood to Joni Mitchell. Occasionally the old record player even gets a go to listen to what kids today call “vinyls”. CDs, cassettes, our home tries to be format-agnostic.
In the last couple of weeks I’ve been delighted to see the back catalogue of the mighty NoMeansNo hit the streaming services, I’m enjoying getting acquainted with the corners of their discography I’m not familiar with.
The next generation
But the most important music in my life came from my family. My partner Catherine is a piano teacher, so there’s always been a steady stream of music through the house. But now my kids are at an age when they are really becoming musos and there’s no shortage of rhythm and melody all around me. (Whether I like it or not.)
Ben completed the first year of a Bachelor of Music Performance, doing music composition and production alongside his core instrument, the drum kit. It was certainly a proud parent moment to see his recitals, the mid-year one with a band:
…and the end of year one as a solo drummer:
Meanwhile Xander completed year 11, doing an early year 12 Music Repetoire Performance subject in the trumpet. Not only that, Xander had the extreme good fortune to perform at the illustrious Lincoln Center in New York with the Blackburn High Senior Jazz Orchestra, which was preserved in this pro shot and cut video. A once in a lifetime moment.
The SJO followed it up with some more big gigs, at Victorian Parliament House, providing lunchtime entertainment for the pollies, and at the Melbourne Recital Centre.
As the year wrapped up, my Mum had a final performance with her choir The Melbourne Singers, who are ringing down the curtain after 93 years. Mum has been President of the choir for several years and it’s been a wonderful institution, all involved should feel very proud.
So my ears have been full! (And are possibly losing their capacity now that I have spent a full year wandering around with my wireless Sennheisers, cranking up the volume, oblivious to the outside world.) Still, I reckon they’re ready for ’26.
