2025 New Music Summary

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

This year’s lists start with the albums I added to my collection. Not the best or my favorite, just the ones I bought in support of the artists. Following the albums there’s a long list of songs. For the shufflers, there’s a YouTube Music Playlist of the full list. For the curious (or bored), I listed the songs in chunks of 25 and included notations.

There is not a ranking order to anything. The order comes from whatever force of nature presented the ticket, the album, or song to me at the time. I hope you find something you like. If you do, consider looking it up on Bandcamp, grip it at your local record shop, or mine it on Discogs.

I also hope you will send me some music from this year and please share this list far and wide!

Keep music real, go see live music, tune-in to community radio and resist the AI invasion!

RIP Todd Snider

New this year - the last list archives most of the music I saw live in concert.

Peace,
Darren

The Albums:

KEY: ^ rock, pop, independent | & americana, country, folk | ? jazz, creative improvised music

  • The Natural Yogurt Band and the Oracle - Nebulous (2025) ^ ?

  • Psychedelic Source Records - Psychedelic Riffage from Under the Ground of Budapest (2025) ^ ?

  • Bonnie “Prince” Billy - The Purple Bird (2025 no quarter) ^

  • Billy Mohler with Jeff Parker, Damon Reid, Devin Daniels - The Eternal (2025 Contagious Music) ?

  • Jon Cleary - The Bywater Sessions (2025 F. Hq.) ^ & ?

  • Rose City Band - Sol y Sombra (2025 Thrill Jockey) ^ & 

  • JD Clayton - Blue Sky Sundays (2025 rounder) &

  • Nicole Lawrence - Time in Love (2025) &

  • Benmont Tench - The Melancholy Season (2025 dark horse) ^ &

  • Todd Snider - High, Lonesome and then some (2025 aimless, thirty tigers) &

  • Chaparelle - Western Pleasure (2025 mom+pop) &

  • Galactic and Irma Thomas - Audience with the Queen (2025 thirty tigers) ^ &

  • Ernie Francestine - Alternate Place (2025 warhen) &

  • SG Goodman - Planting by the Signs (2025 slough water records, thirty tigers)

  • Circles Around the Sun - Interludes for the Dead Vol 2 (2025) ^ ?

  • Orions Belte - Pur Jus (2025) ^

  • Melvin Gibbs - Amasia Anamibia sessions II (2025 architect, BMI) ?

  • Ben Garnett - Kite’s Keep (2025 padiddle records) &

  • Glyders - Forever (2025 drag city) ^

  • Chuck Prophet - Wake the Dead (2024 yep roc) ^


The songs:

KEY: ^ rock, pop, independent | & americana, country, folk | ? jazz, creative improvised music | ** worthy of a third and fourth spin | A album | C concert | YouTube Music Playlist 

  1. Jim Lauderdale - Artificial Intelligence & **

  2. Matt Berry - I Gotta Limit ^

  3. Bonnie “Prince” Billy (3) - The Water’s Fine, Sometimes It’s Hard to Breathe, New Water ^

  4. Horsegirl - Information Content ^

  5. Sunny War - Bad Times ^

  6. Jupiter Coyote - Wake Me Up ^

  7. Kendall Street Company - Dust Mites ^ ** C

  8. Tortoise - Oganesson ? A

  9. Raw Poetic - Liquid Soul, Once I Was ^

  10. Shadez of Brooklyn - Change ^

  11. My Morning Jacket (3) - Everyday Magic, Time Waited, Beginning from the Ending ^

  12. Little Barrie & Malcolm Catto - Electric War ^ **

  13. Jon Cleary - So Damn Good ^ & ? A

  14. Esther Rose - Want & 

  15. OK Go (2) - A Good, Good Day at Last ^ **

  16. Mike Frazier - World Without Empires &

  17. Nels Cline - Allende ?

  18. Benmont Tench - Pledge ^ ** A

  19. TAUK & Neighbor - Holy Ghost of New Orleans ^ ** C

  20. Hannah Cohen (2) - Summer Sweat, Draggin’ &

  21. Surprise Chef (2) - Bully Ball, Dangerous ^ ? **

  22. Rose City Band - Open Roads ^ & ** A C 

  23. Bobby Rush & Kenny Wayne Shepherd - Make Love to You ^ &

  24. Phil Cook - I Made a Lovers Prayer & ** A

  25. Son Volt - Angel of the Blues & **


KEY: ^ rock, pop, independent | & americana, country, folk | ? jazz, creative improvised music | ** worthy of a third and fourth spin | A album | C concert | YouTube Music Playlist

  1. The Reverend Peyton’s Big Damn Band - The Good Die Young ^ & 

  2. The Delines - JP & Me &

  3. Unknown Mortal Orchestra - Earth 3 ^

  4. Jim White and Trey Blake (2) - Down to the River We Go, The Long Road Home ^ &

  5. Band of Heathens - Look at Miss Ohio ^ & **

  6. Leftover Salmon - Good Dog, Shine On & ** C

  7. Benmont Tench - Back ^ A

  8. Tune-Yards - Sanctuary ^ 

  9. Nicole Lawrence (2) - Dayz Were Dancing, When I Get Home & A

  10. JD Clayton (2) - Dirt Roads of Red, Give Me One Reason & ** A 

  11. Patterson Hood - Pinocchio ^ & ** 

  12. White Denim - Light On ^ C

  13. The Altons - Tangled Up in You ^

  14. The Weather Station - Body Moves &

  15. Rose City Band - Seeds of Light ^ & A

  16. Flipturn - swim between trees ^ 

  17. Sunny War - No One Calls me Baby ^

  18. Takuya Kuroda - Car 16 15 A ?

  19. David Lowery (2) - Disneyland Jail **, Yonder Distant Shore ^ 

  20. Peter Rowan - I’m Gonna Love You Like There’s No Tomorrow & **

  21. Little Simz - Lotus ^ ?

  22. The Freedom Affair - Coming Home ^ **

  23. Nicole Lawrence - Way It Is & A

  24. Saba and No ID - Stomping ^

  25. Dave Spencer - Blues From the Inside Out ^


KEY: ^ rock, pop, independent | & americana, country, folk | ? jazz, creative improvised music | ** worthy of a third and fourth spin | A album | C concert | YouTube Music Playlist

  1. Giacomo Smith and Mozes Rosenberg - Begin the Bequine ?

  2. Chaparral - Devil’s Music, All Things Considered & ** A

  3. Tyler Childers - Nose on the Grindstone & A C

  4. James McMurtry - Sons of the Second Sons & ** A

  5. EmiSunshine - Too Good for the Radio ^ 

  6. Buddy Guy - I Don’t Forget & A

  7. Jon Cleary and Curley Taylor - I’m on the Wonder & A

  8. David Hidalgo and CJ Chenier - Hot Rod & A C

  9. Shannon McNally, Keith Frank, and Molly Tuttle - Tout Le Temps en Temps & ** A

  10. Robert Glasper - Say Less, Rm 112 ? 

  11. Kendall Street Company - Song for Colorado ^ C

  12. Southern Avenue - So Much Love ^

  13. Polyrhythmics - Chophouse ^ ?

  14. Orions Belte - Spark ^ ** A

  15. Hayes Carll - One Day & A

  16. Jon Batiste (2) - Lonely Avenue, Pinnacle, Angels ^ & A 

  17. Durand Jones (2) - Flower Moon, If Not For Love ^

  18. Galactic and Irma Thomas - How Glad I Am & ** A

  19. Chuck Prophet - Red Sky Night ^ ** A

  20. Nicki Bluhm (2) - Trying to Survive, Long Time To Make Old Friends & **

  21. The Autumn Defense (2) - Hearts Arrive, Underneath the Rollers ^

  22. Madi Diaz - Feel Something ^ A

  23. The Barr Brothers - Naturally & A

  24. Jonny Fritz - Debbie Downers ^

  25. Todd Snider - Older Women & A


KEY: ^ rock, pop, independent | & americana, country, folk | ? jazz, creative improvised music | ** worthy of a third and fourth spin | A album | C concert | YouTube Music Playlist

  1. Sunny Sweeney - As Long as There’s a Honky Tonk & 

  2. Melvin Gibbs (2) - Gullah Jack Style, Luigi Takes a Walk ? A

  3. Todd Snider - The Temptation to Exist & A

  4. Galactic and Irma Thomas (2) - Love’s Gonna Find A Way Again, Lady Liberty & A

  5. Ben Garnett - Post Office Prodigies & **

  6. Aaron Lee Tasjan - The Trouble With Drinkin’ & **

  7. Drink the Sea - Tuareg Asteroid ^ A

  8. Phil Cook - Ambassador Cathedral & A

  9. Awich and RZA - Fear Us ^

  10. Luther Dickenson - Who Do You Love & **

  11. Jon Cleary - Just Kissed My Baby ^ & ? ** A

  12. Chris Cheek - Kino’s Canoe ? A

  13. Kal Banx - Sequoia ^ 

  14. Ryan Davis and the Roadhouse Band - New Threats from the Soul ^ & A

  15. Jerome Sabbagh - Michelle’s Song ? A

  16. Brandi Carlisle - Joni ^ &

  17. Adam Amram - Get in Line &

  18. Margo Price - Don’t Let the Bastards Get You Down ^ & 

  19. SML - Taking Out the Trash ^ ? 

  20. SG Goodman - Planting By the Signs & A


The Concerts:

KEY: !! highly recommended | $ favorite 
  1. Phish, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 12/29/24 $
  2. Phish, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 12/30/24 $
  3. Phish, Madison Square Garden, New York, NY 12/31/24 !! $
  4. Kendall Street Company, The Camel, Richmond, VA 2/21/25
  5. Kendall Street Company, The Southern, Charlottesville, VA 2/27/25
  6. Donna the Buffalo, The Jefferson, Charlottesville, VA 3/8/25 !!
  7. Butcher Brown, The Southern, Charlottesville, VA 4/11/25
  8. Dogs in a Pile, The Jefferson, Charlottesville, VA 4/18/25
  9. Jim Lauderdale and the Game Changers, The Southern, 4/22/25 $
  10. Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, The Paramount, Charlottesville, VA 5/13/25 !! $
  11. eXTC, Richmond Music Hall, Richmond, VA 6/1/25
  12. Neighbor, The Broadberry, Richmond, VA 6/5/25
  13. The Southern Belles, The Pavilion, Charlottesville, VA 6/27/25
  14. Phish, Folsom Field, Boulder, CO 7/4/25 $
  15. Phish, Folsom Field, Boulder, CO 7/5/25 $ 
  16. White Denim, The Southern, Charlottesville, VA 7/12/25 !!
  17. J Roddy Walston, The Pavilion, Charlottesville, VA 7/18/25
  18. Rose City Band with Powers Rolin Duo, Richmond Music Hall, Richmond, VA 7/21/25 !! $
  19. Todd Snider, Variety Playhouse, Atlanta, GA 7/25/25 $
  20. No BS Brass Band, The Southern, Charlottesville, VA 8/2/25
  21. Tyler Childers, JPJ Arena, Charlottesville, VA 9/22/25 !! $
  22. Leftover Salmon, The Jefferson, Charlottesville, VA 10/5/25
  23. Don Was and the Pan-Detroit Ensemble, The Jefferson, Charlottesville, VA 10/16/25 !! $
  24. High Fade, The Southern, Charlottesville, VA 10/28/25 !!
  25. Thievery Corporation, The Jefferson, Charlottesville, VA 12/16/25 !! $
  26. Kendall Street Company, Fry Spring Beach Club, Charlottesville, VA 12/23/25

2026 new year of music resolution (dream) is to share music across the air waves of WTJU 91.1 FM Charlottesville www.wtju.net.  We’ll see!


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