2025 YEAR IN REVIEW: Lists! Lists! Lists! Best EPs, Reissues, and Anything Else We Could Think Of...

Favorite EPs

20 More Excellent Albums Not on Our Top 50 List

Our 10 Favorite Americana Records

Our Favorite Album Titles

Our Favorite Long Songs

A Mixtape With Our Favorite Song Titles of the Year

Our Favorite New Vinyl Acquisitions

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OUR 20 FAVORITE EPs OF 2025

An abbreviated list for an abbreviated format

20 MORETTI, NILE RODGERS & THE-DREAM

OPUS: The Moretti EP

(A24)

John Malkovich, in his role as aging pop icon Moretti, contributed vocals for this EP of music from the film OPUS, a commercial flop and critical punching bag with a Rotten Tomatoes score of 39% last time I looked (also the only time I'll look). The less you know about the plot the better. All this sounds like a recipe for disaster, but the three-song EP of Moretti's music ain't half bad, likely due to the involvement of Chic's Nile Rodgers and artist/producer The-Dream. I particularly dig opener "Dina, Simone (OPUS)" which has a certain robotic disco sexiness to it. The whole thing is a bit of a lark, but I have to admit I listened all the way through a few times and found myself digging what they were laying down. Still haven't see the movie though. Don't hold your breath either.

19 FAN CLUB

Ain't No Saint

Stimulation

(Fan Club Records)

A staple on our new music mixtapes every time they drop a new EP, currently a bi-annual cadence, Seattle’s Fan Club gave us two more in 2025 and there's really no use picking one or the other. Simple math tells me the sum total of both is 10 punk rippers in 12 minutes and we all have time for that. Especially when it packs this much 'tude.

18 DRAGNET

Dragnet Reigns!

(Spoilsport)

It's not technically an EP, but since it's a quicksilver 9 tracks in 19 minutes, it more than qualifies. Australia knows how to package snarling and Dragnet wastes little time proving that fact, ma'm.

17 NO PEELING

No Peeling

(Feel It Records)

Nottingham post-punkers you want to hate, but can't. Especially with tracks like "Can I Pet That Dog?" and six others than come and go in 8-minutes or so. Their bio claims there are 154 ideas included on the EP, which amounts to 19 per song, so I contest that claim. That said, they'd be a blast to hang out with in some dirty basement with bad plumbing for about 15-minutes at a crack.

16 SWIMMING BELL

Somnia

(Perpetual Doom)

After three EPs of punk varietals, we calm you back down with some real dreamy folk-pop from New York's Swimming Bell, aka Katie Schottland. The cover shows her underwater and that's about right, there's a bit of a sunlight shimmer to these tracks, even a little pedal- and lap-steel guitar added to keep the songs grounded while they slowly become submerged.

15 54 ULTRA

First Works

(54 Ultra)

While we're in a dreamy mood, here's some super smooth Latin soul-pop that sounds sourced from Fania Records sometime in the early 70s. 54 Ultra is John Anthony Rodriguez, a Jersey boy, and he's caught on out East and seems destined for cult audiences elsewhere. I can picture him on the stage of a local street festival on a hot night absolutely entrancing everyone in listening distance with his languid synth-soul. Save me a churro.

14 SWERVEDRIVER

The World's Fair

(Outer Battery)

Swervedriver? At this point, why the fuck not? Everybody's coming back for a taste of the 90s pie and they still sound as gauzy and dreamy as ever, teaching the kids how to shoegaze without losing sight of a real song underneath their dramatic swirl of instrumentation. This EP sounds of a piece with their best 90's records and that's a high compliment.

13 MAGANA

Bad News

(Audio Antihero Records)

Jeni Magaña is Mitski's touring bassist and background singer and that tracks with her recent solo EPs, which are gorgeous little dreams set to music, often with a fluttering cello or violin to accent their spare yet intricate construction. I knew from the first moments of EP opener "Half to Death" that I was in for the whole thing. Her music makes you feel like something special is hovering in the air.

12 BASIC

Dream City

(No Quarter)

Seeing BASIC play live earlier this year really brought home how impactful their repetitive, trance-like rhythms could be on a room full of people. The human brain can learn patterns pretty quickly and that's how this music initially locks you in and takes hold. Then they vary it slightly here and there to rattle your cage. Adapting is your job, but that's what makes it all so engaging.

11 MAKAYA MCCRAVEN

Hidden Out!

Techno Logic

PopUp Shop

The People's Mixtape

(International Anthem)

Four EPs, each different, released simultaneously, and then compiled together as Off the Record after the fact, McCraven shows what we all already knew—that he's a fountain of creativity. One day playing improv gigs, the next day going techno, and the rest of his waking hours are spent collaborating with modern jazz giants while remaining a focal point in each. I personally like Hidden Out! the best, recorded live at Chicago's Hideout, but letting them play all back-to-back never gets old because nothing remains the same for too long. This year's EPMVP, for sure.

10 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND

Land of Hope & Dreams

(Columbia)

For speaking his mind about Trump, a protected right, Bruce was petulantly criticized by the President for being “highly overrated…not a talented guy...just a pushy, obnoxious JERK." Of course, that's his right to say, too, but the real Boss wasn't fazed by our our egomaniacal "leader." He released the live version of his comments so they could be more than just a short-term annoyance to the Donald. Since the songs (title track, "Long Walk Home," "My City of Ruins," and "Chimes of Freedom") have been released before, I didn't put this high in our Top 10, but the new context certainly adds additional importance and power to each song, making them new again for many, particularly those in attendance at this Manchester performance where they were recorded. Not bad for a guy with no talent.

09 PERENNIAL

Perennial '65

(Ernest Jenning)

Perennial made our Top 10 Songs list this year with their single "Baby, Are You Abstract?" and now we have an excellent EP modeled after the American release of Beatles '65. It's a bit of a mishmash, including their cover of the Kinks "All Day and All of the Night," which made my Best Covers List. The rest includes a couple remixes of older tracks and a couple new ones, each showing a side of a band that has a promising future to go with their impressive past.

08 THE KEVIN FINGIER COLLECTIVE

The Boogaloo EP

(Fingier Records)

Kevin Fingier is not the name you'd expect to be attached to a renowned Argentine soul, R&B, and funk music producer, yet here we are, celebrating an EP's worth of some of his best Latin boogaloo tracks from the last few years. Most have been released as rare singles (they sell out fast), but they've never before been put out on a thematic EP before. This is the good stuff, too. No wonder collectors storm the castle every time something he touches comes up for sale.

07 ARKAYLA

Don't Look for Answers

(AMF)

Nobody comes right out of the gate sounding like an arena act quite like the UK band du jour, so it's not a surprise Arkayla are expected to be a big deal in the very near future and already sound like one. Immediately, the press was trying to label them as the new Arctic Monkeys crossed with Vampire Weekend, and while I hate criticism by comparison, that's not far off.

06 DEAD THINGS

Rum Do

(Crackedankles)

We see dead people. That should be the motto of this London punk band, at least if their new 10-minute EP, Rum Do, is any indication. Each song is based on the story of an English murderer from the early 20th century and the tales can be harrowing. For example, “Max Haslam” is about a psycho dwarf who killed a "well to do" 74-year-old woman and, sadly, her dog, in shocking fashion in 1937. All for a fucking jewelry collection, no less. The music, thankfully, doesn’t come off as exploitative. In fact, I hear a type of incredulous anger, with key facts repeated again and again almost in disbelief. This all amounts to riveting punk music, but I hope their next album isn’t more of the same. The concept is a brilliant one for a short EP, but let’s not beat it to death.

05 THE DREAM MACHINE

Fort Perch Rock

(Run On)

A young band from Brighton who claim influences as diverse as The Stooges, The Coral, R.L. Burnside, and Jim Henson, which wreaks of trying a bit too hard, these Brits have a ramshackle sound that pleases the side of me that likes their music a bit on the sloppy side. The name of the band certainly sounds like something from the late-60s garage/psych scene, that's for sure.

04 MARIANNE FAITHFULL

Burning Moonlight

(Decca)

Marianne recorded one last EP of material before she expired for good in January of this year and its title-track alone would've put her on this list. It seems like a fitting elegy for a storied life.

I'm walking in fire

I'm burning moonlight

Burning moonlight to survive

Walking in fire is my life

Her voice has a diminishing coarseness to it, as you might expect from someone whose life is coming to an end, and it's beautiful in its own imperfect way. Next up comes the spare, wise "Love Is," and a couple folk songs to round things out, bringing her career full circle. We should all get one more dignified bow like this before we go.

03 FIELD HOSPITALS

Ethel Green

(Subjangle)

Sure way to lure me in if you're interested: Tell me a band's songs "wouldn't have sounded out of place next to those of R.E.M." on college radio back in the early-mid 80s. Usually such claims don't hold water, but this time they kinda do. Of course, they ain't R.E.M. level, and they're from Minneapolis, but nobody said they breathed the same air, just that they could've co-existed at some time in the past.

02 BIG MESS

Terry

(Specialist Subject)

Fresh off making our #2 cover song of 2025, this Danish band is clearly more than a one-cover wonder. While the entirety of their EP is named after their inspired take on the titular Kirsty MacColl single, you get two originals on the 7" inch, plus four more songs when you buy the EP on Bandcamp (including three more covers: "Cover Band" by Redd Kross, "Mystery" by the Wipers, and the Serge Gainsbourg-penned "Lille Dukke" which was recorded by a fellow Danish singer named Gitte Hænning) all of which nail that girl-punk sound cold (well, two girls & two guys actually) while adding a strong pop sensibility to their need for speed.

01 THE STATES

Gimme Joy

(Legless Records)

Melbourne is an endless fount of talent, particularly when it comes to punk-injected rock. Most of these bands aren't of the hardcore variety, instead coming with some dirt and oil under their fingernails, like they've been working on a car all Saturday afternoon. Scarlett Maloney, the band's lead singer, has some serious moxy. You just know a Scarlett Maloney is gonna bring it live. The EP starts with some isolated power chords and then rips out of the driveway for seven straight joyful tracks, more than delivering on the EP's title request. "Carol" made our Top Songs list this year and "Johnny" was also in consideration. Well worth the import cost, to say the least. Or buy on Bandcamp. But don't stream it. If you do, don't expect great bands like this to last long.

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20 EXCELLENT LPS THAT SHOULD'VE FIT

INTO OUR TOP 50 LIST, BUT DIDN'T (AND WHY)

Note: List in random order

CASS MCCOMBS

Interior Live Oak

(Domino)

If trimmed down from its 16-song, almost 75-minute run time, it would've been in our Top 25 this year (My best and final offer is 11 songs, 44 minutes). As is, it falls in the High Honorable Mention category because a full handful of the year's best songs are included.

PERFUME GENIUS

Glory

(Matador)

The last record to be painfully cut from the Top 50, it could've used one more ringer on side two, but Mike Hadreas remains one of our very best, and most original, songwriters.

ELI WINTER

A Trick of the Light

(Three Lobed Recordings)

Eli joins the ranks of the elite guitarists with this ambitious record that includes two bookend instrumental tracks that will drop some jaws. The middle shows other sides of the Chicago-based artist.

NEKO CASE

Neon Grey Midnight Green

(Anti-)

After reading her great book this year, The Harder I Fight the More I Love You, everything she writes and sings now hits different to me. Never tell yourself something she releases is non-essential. She'll soon prove you wrong.

YVES JARVIS

All Cylinders

(In Real Life)

Yves, not a British butler, won the Polaris Prize this year (Best Album by a Canadian artist) with a sub-30:00 record. That's how good it is. In my opinion, it would've been even better if he expanded some of his best ideas a bit more, which is a rare request from the minimalists here at Pickled Priest. These tracks blend elements of familiar genres (soul, jazz, folk, rock), but somehow don't sound beholden to any of them.

DEEP SEA DIVER

Billboard Heart

(Sub Pop)

Really great Sub Pop signee from Seattle, which makes sense. Fish off your own pier. They've got a big sound that could wreck a small room or rock a large festival with ease. Thank powerful singer/guitarist Jessica Dobson for that—she's a force to be reckoned with.

CELESTE

Woman of Faces

(Polydor)

We loved Celeste's last record, Not Your Muse, but this time she's stripped her sound down to the bare essentials and it's a completely different, but equally impressive, kind of revelation. A late-night jazz/soul record that will be at the peak of its powers starting at around 1:00 am. or so. When you first hear this voice, nobody in the room will be getting sleepy-eyed anytime soon. Talent like this tends to give you a second wind. Wish it didn't come out in late-November, though.

CAR SEAT HEADREST

The Scholars

(Matador)

Will Toledo knows what he's doing even when he releases a 65-minute rock opera with a difficult-to-follow plot line, even when he drops three tracks in a row late in the record that exceed 10-minutes in length. He's not a compromiser. There's a method to his madness and a stubbornness, too. That's his MO to a fault sometimes, but somewhere in this sprawling epic is a Top 25 record. I just didn't have enough time to find it.

CMAT

Euro-Country

(CMATBaby)

Adored everywhere, but I wasn't always won over, especially because she has a tendency to over-tax her vocals now and then. The good stuff is top-tier and Euro-Country is a must-buy for those moments alone. Your favorites might be different than mine, too. Either way, I think she's more than earned the right to create a new genre for her music.

JONATHAN RICHMAN

Only Frozen Sky Anyway

(Blue Arrow)

As wonderfully weird and sensitive and playful as ever, often touching your heartstrings when you least expect it to.

BUDDY GUY

Ain't Done With the Blues

(Silvertone)

The title sums it up. You tell him he has no right being this good and pure-voiced at 89-years. He continues to be a marvel and this album will stand with his career (and what a career) highlights.

THIQ

The New Cats

(Grape Street, Inc.)

Earlier this year, I called this record "my latest micro-addiction" and I couldn't pin down the reason why. To find out, I let it play on repeat for a few days, allowing it to circulate through the room like some kind of electro-minimalist meteor. I then realized that some things are better when you don't explain them at all.

HEARTWORMS

Glutton for Punishment

(Speedy Wunderground)

The amazing vocalist on display throughout this album is my resident queen of darkness, JoJo Orme. She's been on our radar since 2023 when the band's superb debut EP, A Comforting Notion made our Top 10 EPs list that year. It's a voice that attracts like the irresistible pull of a convincing dominatrix. This is exactly what I wanted and needed this year whether I knew it or not.

ROBERT PLANT

Saving Grace

(Nonesuch)

I was totally down with this album of inspired covers this year. It's an earthy affair, restrained and atmospheric like his two similar acclaimed releases with Alison Krauss. This time he paired up with relatively unknown folk singer Suzi Dian and the results were captivating. He has a way of settling into a dreamlike mood like almost no other person, just like he did back in his heyday. I really like the consistency of Saving Grace, too, despite the variety of source material. It just floats by like a blast of summer wind on a hot, muggy day. Even in winter, it turns out.

JEB LOY NICHOLS

This House is Empty Without You

(Timmion)

My latest arrival finds Pickled Priest favorite (and maker of our #1 Record of 2017, Country Hustle) Jeb Loy Nichols at the top of his game, making some of the best American-influenced music from his remote home in Wales. Whenever he comes out to play, it's a cause for celebration. Especially true this time. Would've made my Top 50 list if it didn't drop after our list was made.

PÔT-POT

Warsaw 480km

(felte)

A great find by Rockin' the Suburbs' all-star scout, Paul Hayden, is this Irish/Portuguese quintet who ride really insidious grooves down hazy German highways throughout their new record, seemingly on the way to Warsaw I gather. Paul mentioned that the band was influenced by James Brown (groove repetition) and I was on board shortly thereafter. Talk about baiting my hook! Sometimes that's all you need to get you onboard for a new record. I can see myself playing this record for the entire 480km trip on repeat.

THE GNOMES

The Gnomes

(Dogmeat Records)

Another late arrival that might've made our Top 50 if it didn't come out after our cutoff, this November release is an absolute corker that any fan of garage-pop will adopt on first listen, at least temporarily, as their new favorite Aussie find. The record looks and sounds old and the band look like time-traveling 70's porn stars, but rest assured they live in the now. Your now.

LILY ALLEN

West End Girl

(BMG)

I am just getting through this one, and I wasn't sure I needed another brutal breakup record after Amanda Shires' Nobody's Girl, but it turns out I did. Thematically similar, but totally different. Lily's perspective on life has always been delightfully skewed and West End Girl shows she hasn't lost any of the qualities that made her so interesting in the first place, a hard thing to do especially when you're in the middle of something this heavy.

ROSALÍA

Lux

(Columbia)

Too acclaimed to ignore in the end, which I did merely based on a suspicion, based on a gut feeling, based on past history, but I have found myself impressed with the scope of it. Truly epic. And I'm not even done with it yet.

AESOP ROCK

Black Hole Superette

(Rhymesayers)

The first of two excellent records this year from one of the cleverest rappers on the planet. Every song has great moments that'll reveal themselves on the first listen or the tenth, but you'll get there eventually.

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OUR 10 FAVORITE AMERICANA RECORDS OF 2025

Nobody knows where it begins and ends...

10 JAMES MCMURTRY

The Black Dog and the Wandering Boy

(New West)

His monotone singing style sometimes makes his songs feel similar, but it's the lyrics that really differentiate each and every song. So pay close attention.

09 JASON ISBELL

Foxes in the Snow

(Southeastern)

Ex-wife Amanda Shires might've put out the better record this year, but Jason's is no slouch either. Predictably full of lines you wish you could've written yourself, but cannot.

08 JESSE SYKES & THE SWEET HEREAFTER

Forever, I've Been Being Born

(Southern Lord)

A very late arrival that I haven't stopped listening to. I think Jesse has finally hit my sweet spot. The cover has a bit of a Black Sabbath feel, too.

07 TOBACCO CITY

Horses

(Scissor Tail)

When I think Chicago alt-country, and by default Bloodshot Records, this is the sound that comes immediately to mind. A hidden gem.

06 RHETT MILLER

A Lifetime of Riding By Night

(ATO)

The key to the Old 97's enduring popularity is the songwriting of Rhett Miller and he's really put together a great collection of songs this year, even better than usual. His best solo record to date.

05 KEN POMEROY

Cruel Joke

(Rounder)

Five amazing songs, the rest pretty good. But, those songs that really stand out will stick with you forever.

04 JULIEN BAKER AND TORRES

Send a Prayer My Way

(Matador) 

The chemistry between these boygenius bandmates is undeniable, making this country excursion one of the best records of the year in the genre, although nobody on the inside will likely admit it.

03 GWENIFER RAYMOND

Last Night I Heard the Dog Star Bark

(We Are Busybodies)

Fresh from our Top 50 Albums of 2025 list (#38). I am simply awestruck by her instrumental prowess.

02 AMANDA SHIRES

Nobody's Girl

(ATO)

Also from our Top 50 Albums list (#35). Pair this with the new Lily Allen record and have a dark night of the soul on us.

01 BONNIE "PRINCE" BILLY

The Purple Bird

(No Quarter)

Our highest ranking Americana record of 2025 (#28). The first half has the most memorable songs, the second half is subtly brilliant.

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OUR 10 FAVORITE ALBUM TITLES OF 2025

Ranked in Order of Preference

10 JENS LEKMAN | Songs for Other People's Weddings

The best weddings are other people's weddings.

09 MCLUSKY | The World Is Still Here and So Are We

Cockroach analogy fitting.

08 CMAT | Euro-Country

How many records come with their own filing instructions?

07 DES DEMONAS | Apocalyptic Boom! Boom!

Didn't the Hives already use this title?

06 HORSEGIRL | Phonetics On and On

It sounds like a chapter in a college linguistics textbook, which I like

05 CLIPSE | Let God Sort Em Out

I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. It sounds like the big guy is overwhelmed anyway.

04 JAPANESE BREAKFAST | For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)

Doesn't "sad women" about cover it?

03 STEREOLAB | Instant Holograms on Metal Film

Sounds like a study you'd find on the floor in an abandoned product testing facility

02 PIGS PIGS PIGS PIG PIGS PIGS PIGS | Death Hilarious

The best case scenario, I would think.

01 SUNNY WAR | Armageddon in a Summer Dress

Your ultimate demise could come from anywhere/anyone.

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OUR FAVORITE LONG SONGS OF 2025

Length matters (8:00 to qualify)

Life's a long song

If you wait then your plate I will fill

-Jethro Tull, "Life is a Long Song"

15 VAN MORRISON | "Stretching Out" (8:55)

On an impressive record of short single-length songs, Van finally takes the time to, uh, stretch out a bit and few do it better.

14 SWANS | "I Am A Tower" (19:18)

Inaugural Long Song Hall of Famers, Swans, return with proof of their credentials. Extending songs to this level without losing listener interest is a gift.

13 THE NECKS | "Ghost Net" (74:01)

No, the listed length isn't for the album. It's for one song on an album that stretches past the three-hour mark. I'll never run a marathon and I'll never listen to the band's new album, Disquiet, in one sitting, but I let "Ghost Net" play in its entirety the other day and it sounded magnificent.

12 HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO | "Apocalypse Slow" (8:15)

Why does the apocalypse always have to rush in and rush out before you get the chance to enjoy it a little bit more?

11 JUANA MOLINA | "Miro Todo" (8:53)

Juana's record is full of organic/electronic grooves, so it makes sense the longer she extends them, the better they get.

10 JEREMIAH CHIU & MARTA SOFIA HONER | "Before and After Signs" (8:01)

Their album, which pairs electronics with live instrumentation is captivating, but most of the songs are unexpectedly short. This one exception proves how great it can be when they spread out a little bit. Also appreciate the subtle Eno reference.

09 UGLY MUG | "Heavy Water" (9:22)

It's rare for a long song candidate to be found on an EP but this Sydney, Australia band did just that. And the entirety of the EP was only 25-minutes at that! “Heavy Water” is that rare nine-minute epic that justifies all of its run time. The track isn’t just a guitar freak-out, it structures its time wisely, employing shifting dynamics masterfully. It opens with the band floating through a cosmic wilderness until a sitar joins in to accelerate and expand the trip just when we were settling in for a peaceful space voyage. From there, an unexpected vocal segues into the song’s final third, which brings on the stomping crunch until its city-smashing conclusion.

08 WATER DAMAGE | "Reel 28" (41:27)

The entirety of their Live at Le Guess Who? album is this one track that, if I may quote a close friend, "may give you the feeling that you have reached a higher power."

07 BASIC | "Changes, Changing" (9:56)

There's a riff repeated throughout that'll make you think you've heard it somewhere before. But I still haven't placed it, so it's probably an original. It could go on all day as far as I am concerned.

06 ELI WINTER | "Arabian Nightingale" (16:41)

From our Top 25 Covers list, we return once again to Eli Winter's awesome take on this Don Cherry piece. And I've got to think the late Don Cherry would've loved this.

05 THEON CROSS | "Radiation" (9:04)

One of many highlights on Theon's live ensemble album, Affirmations, from this year, that will blow your mind if this is even remotely your bag.

04 ANNIE & THE CALDWELLS | "Can't Lose My Soul" (10:17)

This a ten-minute gospel song that really has no business ending. Perhaps it didn’t. Perhaps it shouldn’t. That’s a characteristic I like about gospel music—no person left behind. Annie & the Caldwells are perfectly willing to keep singing until the last soul is saved.

03 CAR SEAT HEADREST | "CCF (I'm Gonna Stay With You)" (8:12)

Our #73 song of 2025. One of the shorter songs on CSH's The Scholars, this more a term paper than a thesis, but its slow build sets the tone for an album that might someday be the subject of its own class at Harvard.

02 ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF | "Struggle with the Beast" (8:45)

Our #49 song of 2025, from Anna's new album, Iconoclasts, is a song that explodes with "holy shit" moments for almost nine-minutes. If you're looking for a song that sounds exactly like someone struggling with a beast, real or internal, you've found it.

01 ORCUTT SHELLEY MILLER | "A Long Island Wedding" (8:19)

Our #36 song of 2025, but I wouldn't recommend using it for the father-daughter dance. The power-trio of Bill Orcutt, Steve Shelley (Sonic Youth), and Ethan Miller (Comets on Fire) end their new record with its most brilliant track, sounding like they've been playing together for years and not just a half hour. It's amazing what can result when you put three likeminded noisemakers in the same room.

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FICTIONAL MIXTAPE: 26 SONGS FROM 2025 WITH GREAT TITLES

Song quality optional, but encouraged

SIDE A

01 "Guns Are For Cowards" | Bonnie "Prince" Billy

02 "Afraid of Guns" | Motorbike

03 "Miles Davis Headwound Blues" | Des Demonas

04 "Captain Kangaroo Won the War" | Guided By Voices

05 "Sibling Fistfight at Mom's Fiftieth" | La Dispute

06 "Kafka-esque Novelist Franz Kafka" | Mclusky

07 "Death the Bludgeoner" | The Minus 5

08 "Lord, Let That Tesla Crash" | CMAT

09 "Baby, I'm Not (a Werewolf)" | Neko Case

10 "Lou Reed Was My Babysitter" | Jeff Tweedy

11 "Sunshine Felt the Darkness Smile" | Dax Riggs

12 "Carl Wilson's Morning Routine" | Penza Penza

13 "Prayer for My Sovereign Dignity" | Alabaster DePlume

SIDE B

14 "Himalayan Yak Chew" | Aesop Rock

15 "Outer Spaceways, Inc." | Flying Vipers

16 "Bonfire of the Billionaires" | Gwenifer Raymond

17 "The Sadness of King Kong" | His Lordship

18 "Paperback Reader" | The Perfect English Weather

19 "Slovenian Fighting Jacket" | Kinski

20 "Respected Calligraphy" | Preservation & Gabe 'Nandez

21 "The Only Marble I've Got Left" | Julien Baker & Torres

22 "Vampire from Havana" | Tav Falco

23 "But We Might Try Weird Stuff" | Jonathan Richman

24 "Attempted Martyr" | Prostitute

25 "Consensual Neglect" | Anna von Hausswolff

26 "Baby, Are You Abstract?" | Perennial

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OUR 12 FAVORITE VINYL ADDITIONS IN 2025

Believe it or not, our record collection got even better

(unranked)

01 THE COMPLETE STAX/VOLT SINGLES

VOLUMES 1-6

(Rhino)

STAX Revue

Live in '65

(Craft)

The holy grail of my record collection has always been the Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968, previously only available as a 9-CD box set. For years, it has been the one major part of my collection just screaming for a full vinyl reissue. Well, this year Rhino completed their long reissue process with the final two volumes in the series and now that the set is finally in my grubby paws, I can finally move on to my next dream reissue, The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1968-1971!

Also on the docket this year was a two-LP set of prime live material from the Stax Revue in 1965 (Booker T. & the MGs, David Porter, Wendy Rene, The Mar-Keys, William Bell, Carla Thomas, Wilson Pickett et al), one from a gig in the label's Memphis hometown, the other out in L.A. Each has merits, but the West Coast shows were fabulous as one listen will confirm.

02 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Tracks II: The Lost Albums

(Columbia)

Springsteen fans had to mortgage their homes this year to front the costs of his massive reissue campaign, led by this behemoth, doorstop-worthy release, which after a short inner battle, I picked up on vinyl at an ungodly price. At least I set my new record for hovering over the "BUY button on my computer. At that cost, you need the material to be worth it, and it exceeded my expectations in every way. There was not an album in the bunch that didn't make me scratch my head wondering why it wasn't previously released. I really meant to do a full debrief post, but it got away from me. I might love the crooning Twilight Hours the most because it is the biggest departure from his usual style, but there's so much here to digest I would've voted for it be released as individual albums over a period of time instead of all at once.

03 BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

Nebraska '82: Expanded Edition

(Columbia)

I was nowhere close to finishing Tracks II when Nebraska '82 was delivered to my doorstep, but it too is an excellent reissue that is actually merited. In a day and age where every record of note will eventually get its own 5-20 LP version for fans with available liquid income, this one actually made sense. Live versions, band versions, outtakes, a remaster, all of it. The movie, which I didn't dislike as I thought I would, was perhaps a little much, but I am following Bruce's philosophy of life from this point forward. When asked why he allowed the movie: "I'm old and I don't give a fuck what I do anymore." Amen.

04 THE REPLACEMENTS

Let It Be (Deluxe Edition)

(Rhino)

Everything about the Replacements attitude and approach to music seems to spit in the face of a thoughtful, considered, multi-LP approach to their wonderfully ragged back catalog, but I'm still overjoyed to have each and every release. This album is their finest work, although Tim was their best reissue to date. Each amasterpiece in its own way. Also appreciate the bonus 10". A nice bonus for true fans.

05 HÜSKER DÜ

1985: The Miracle Year

(Numero Group)

Live Hüsker Dü in their prime means it's one of the best reissues of 2025, if not #1. With a budget crisis mid-year, I opted for the CD version (gasp!). I wasn't quite old/cool enough in 1985 to be into them yet (and I am not cool now either, but who cares anyway), but I can experience it now, which is better than nothing.

06 NICK DRAKE

The Making of Five Leaves Left

(Universal Music)

This difficult-to-find box set was on my radar, but not seriously so due to its high price tag. Until one day, I saw it for sale on Amazon for sub-$90 bucks on vinyl. Sensing a limited opportunity, I just grabbed it and wrapped it up for Christmas "from Santa." It's the least he could do. I haven't fully soaked it all up yet, that's what Januarys are for, but you can tell it was lovingly curated, offering us a rare view of a legend at work. So far, very impressive.

07 SPLIT ENZ

ENZyclopedia, Volumes One & Two

(Chysalis)

I love that we're starting to get to some unexpected topics for our box set treatments lately. The early years of Split Enz certainly qualifies, especially because you'd think their pop years would be the most marketable, not their early "progish" work. But that's what makes this project of such interest to me. An extensive window into a weird pop band's odd entry into the world. You can tell someone cared deeply about getting this project right. And it looks like there will be more volumes if the title is any indication. Can't wait.

08 THE SAINTS

(I'm) Stranded (Deluxe Reissue)

(In the Red)

Perhaps my favorite reissue of the year is this Saints box set from In the Red Records (a label I never expected to get into the box set game, but good for them). It covers the band's legendary debut album, (I'm) Stranded from 1977, and adds bonus content sourced from around the time of the record's release. It's the usual remaster, alternate mix, outtakes, EPs, live material deal and that's exactly what I wanted. More, more, more. We even got a tour that included two original members this year which featured several songs from this fertile era. Can Eternally Yours be far behind for the next full box treatment? It had better be. More, more, more!

09 TSUNAMI

Loud Is As

(Numero Group)

I felt a little weird popping for this box set covering the career of DC indie stalwarts, Tsunami, especially because I already owned their two best records (on CD). But sometimes I am just thrilled when undervalued bands get their just due I can't stop myself. Truth be told, if it wasn't on Numero, a label who does it up right, I might not have gone down this road. But I must say, it has been well worth the investment. It's a beautiful project that puts the band into historical context and refreshes all on the great music they made together back in the alternative 90s. I had even forgotten how much I fell for A Brilliant Mistake when I first bought it back in 1997 (here on vinyl for the first time). I liked it so much I went back for The Heart's Tremelo next. Now, we get it all on well-pressed vinyl once and for all. In the bargain, you get demos, a compilation of 7" singles, and all three of their records in one go. Overkill? Perhaps. But the good kind.

10 IRIS DEMENT

Infamous Angel (Reissue)

Yep Roc

My Life (Reissue)

Yep Roc

With the voluminous number of reissues out there, you can get buried. But from within the giant pile of new vinyl sometimes an album, in this case a couple of albums, emerge that immediately demand to be in your collection. These two Iris DeMent albums are among those special albums that have affected me deeply as a listener and as a human being over the years. They are as close to perfect as you can get. Records will come and go and get lost, but these will always be close at hand for me. As essential as any records I own.

11 TEARS FOR FEARS

Songs From the Big Chair (40th Anniversary Edition)

(Mercury)

If you can believe it, this is the first time I've purchased Tears for Fears' Songs From the Big Chair in any format. In the UK, you can be excommunicated for such an admission. I guess I had to wait until its 40th anniversary to do so, one where they use the original unused artwork no less. The one where they include remixes and demos and all that kind of drivel and make it a two-LP deal for die-hard fans to eat up. What is wrong with me? The hits still sound amazing, of course, and the off-tracks are also excellent. The rest? I'll get back to you no later than 2065.

12 CARL PERKINS

Dance Album of Carl Perkins

(Intervention Records/Sun)

Is there anything better than a new record gifted by a beloved friend at Christmas? Yes. A new record gifted by a beloved friend at Christmas who also has great taste in music! Well, that gift was a 70th anniversary reissue of Carl Perkins' Dance Album out on Intervention Records, a group that knows how to reissue records. And not all do. Holding it in your hands you can feel the love that went into every inch of it. Playing the record, you can relive the early days of rock & roll with a brilliant cut from the master tapes.

 

ONE LAST SONG BEFORE WE GO...

-Fin-

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Well, that's a wrap (up)! See you in 2026!

Cheers...in maximilization.

The Priest

© 2025 Pickled Priest