Our Top 10 Lists have been named in honor of late Blog Director and DJ Clarence Ewing, who pioneered and published this annual feature for nearly a decade.
Our next list is from Al Gabor.
10. Super Pedestrian by Annie DiRusso (Summer Soup Songs)
Life is crazy. Life in your twenties is crazier. Annie DiRusso’s lyrics nail what it’s like to be young and making stupid mistakes, knowing they are dumb mistakes even while you’re making them.
Listen: Annie DiRusso webstore
9. Send a Prayer My Way by Julien Baker + Torres (Matador)
Torres floated the idea of collaborating on a country album to Julien Baker five years ago. The idea was a bit of lark, but this album is anything but a knock-off. Their voices meld well together and their songwriting is top notch.
Listen: Bandcamp
8. Better Dreaming by Tune-Yards (4AD)
My go-to song of the year was “Get Through,” with Merrill Garbus’s vocal line, “We don’t know how we get through, but we do” looped into a gorgeous chorus. She is ably supported by her partner and producer Nate Brenner, who provides the bass foundation for their songs.
Listen: Bandcamp
7. Sinister Grift by Panda Bear (Domino)
I was listening to this album when I heard that Brian Wilson died, which led to a couple of days of alternating Pet Sounds with Sinister Grift. They sounded great together. Noah Lennox learned a lot from Wilson—and learned well.
Listen: Bandcamp
6. Radio DDR by Sharp Pins (Perennial/K)
The first of two albums released in 2025 by Sharp Pins, the solo project of Lifeguard guitarist Kai Slater. Radio DDR is filled with jangly power pop and Beatlesque melodies. A welcome jolt of energy.
Listen: Bandcamp
5. Headlights by Alex G (RCA)
Alexander Giannascoli’s first album on a major label (after nine other albums) shows no signs of corporate blanding down. The melodies are as strong as ever. His songs start from a folk-rock base, but often include quirky instrumental grace notes.
Listen: Bandcamp
4. Getting Killed by Geese (Partisan)
No, I don’t think this album will reinvent, transcend, upend, or change the direction of rock. But once you get past the hype—tough to do because it came in buckets—you are listening to a weirdly entrancing album. Frontman Cameron Winter’s lyrics seem like a series of non sequiturs at first, but pack an emotional wallop on repeated listens.
Listen: Bandcamp
3. Bleeds by Wednesday (Dead Oceans)
Karly Hartzman’s musical depiction and dissection of small-town life is as sharp here as ever. Less angsty and sweeter than 2023’s Rat Saw God, but Bleeds never loses its edge.
Listen: Bandcamp
2. Snocaps by Snocaps (Anti-)
Katie Crutchfield (Waxahatchee) and her twin Alison played in bands together in their teens, then pursued their separate music careers. Snocaps is the result of a recent musical reunion. Helped out by MJ Lenderman and Brad Cook, the Crutchfield sisters push and insprire each other. The result is some of their strongest work yet.
Listen: Bandcamp
1. Phonetics On and On by Horsegirl (Matador)
Horsegirl’s sophomore album is a marvel. Producer Cate Le Bon pushed the trio to innovate (playing instruments they’d never played before), then simplify. The result is a folk punk album that evokes the Feelies, the Violent Femmes and Yo la Tengo in Fakebook mode. I can’t wait to see what Horsegirl does next.
Listen: Bandcamp