Connected and Disconnected

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Top Albums and Singles of 2025

Despite the fact that we are currently living in the Age of Cultural Stagnation and the Wild West of AI, there are still signs of artistic life. Check out my list of favorite albums and singles below and don't forget to share your favorite 2025 discoveries that are giving you hope for the future.

Top Albums

1. Sharon Van Etten & The Attachment Theory - Sharon Van Etten

2. Moisturizer - Wet Leg

3. From the Pyre - The Last Dinner Party

Top Singles

1. pokemon - Wet Leg

2. Summer Is Almost Over - Polo and Pan

3. My Full Name - Madison Cunningham

4. Church & State - Brandi Carlile

5. Trouble - Sharon Van Etten

6. Cut & Rewind - Say She She

7. to be a man - Martin Luke Brown

8. Second Best - Last Dinner Party

9. Dracula - Tame Impala

10. Of Amber - Jacob Alon

11. Winter in LA - Japanese Breakfast

12. Unoriginal - Magdalena Bay

13. Freak Out City - Bret McKenzie

14. Tell Me I Should Stay - Franz Ferdinand

15. Bounce House - Gelli Haha

16. Lover's Holiday - Durand Jones & The Indications

17. Listen2Me - Foxwarren

18. Le sel - Antonin

19. Run Free - Soulwax

20. October - Okonski

21. I Want You - The Divine Comedy

22. Home - Mac DeMarco

23. Berghain - ROSALIA, Bjork, Yves Tumor

24. Certain Things You Can't Explain - Kit Sebastian

25. Cally - The Doves

26. Les Desire Fatigues Des Navires D'Argent - Keren Ann

27. Winchester Mansion of Sound - Neko Case

28. Sous La Lune Mandarine - Pearl & The Oysters

29. Inside the Lines - Chaparelle

30. Does This Song Sounds Familiar - Pearl Charles

31. I Can Hear Your Love - My Morning Jacket

32. Keep Me Satisfied - Jungle

33. NO CAP - Disclosure, Anderson .Paak

34. Riverside - The Oracle Sisters

35. Davina McCall - Wet Leg

36. Dallas Major - Lily Allen

37. California - The Olympians

38. Knocking Heart - Hamilton Leithauser

39. Ghosts of Tennessee - Beatrix

40. White Horses - Wolf Alice

Top Albums and Singles of 2024

Top Albums and Singles of 2023

Top Albums and Singles of 2022

Sunday, December 15, 2024

Top Albums and Singles of 2024

In the last few decades, most musical acts have had to support themselves primarily through touring. Post-pandemic though, most artists have struggled to make ends meet through live music. How are 99% of acts supposed to survive financially in this desolate landscape? Hell if I know.

Unfortunately, I don't have any answers, but I do have some killer albums and singles to share with you! Let's keep the discussion going and let me know who you've been listening to this year - whether on vinyl or in-person.

Top Albums

1. Only God Was On Our Side - Vampire Weekend

2. Prelude to Ecstasy - The Last Dinner Party

3. All Born Screaming - St. Vincent

4. Here in the Pitch - Jessica Pratt

5. Mahashmashana - Father John Misty

Top Singles

1. Prep School Gangster - Vampire Weekend

2. Patterns - Laura Marling

3. I Guess Time Makes Fools of Us All - Father John Misty

4. Sweetest Fruit - St. Vincent

5. My Lady of Mercy - The Last Dinner Party

6. Wild God - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

7. One Night/All Night - Justice, Tame Impala

8. Payback - Aaron Frazer

9. My Fun - Suki Waterhouse

10. All in Good Time - Iron and Wine, Fiona Apple

11. Life Is - Jessica Pratt

12. All to the Good - John Cale

13. God Gave Me Feet for Dancing - Ezra Collective ft. Yazmin Lacey

14. Burial Ground - The Decemberists, James Mercer

15. Missing Out - Maya Hawke

16. Lovers' Leap - Elbow

17. Floating on a Moment - Beth Gibbons

18. Time Flies When You're Having Fun - Dent May, Pearl & the Oysters

19. Sweet Smile - The Eels

20. Worthy - Mavis Staples

21. Peaceful Place - Leon Bridges

22. But I Did Not - Jesca Hoop, John Parish

23. Step Into Your Power - Ray LaMontagne

24. Mom Does the Washing - Joshua Idehen

25. Renegade - The Doves

26. Green Ivy Tapestry - Claude Fontaine

27. Let's Go Back - Jungle

28. Metropolis - Kit Sebastian

29. Don't Let Me Down Again - Andrew Bird, Madison Cunningham

30. Fear When You Fly - Cleo Sol

31. Tie Your Shoes - Beatrix

32. Back 4 More - Tuxedo

33. Cinderella - Remi Wolf

34. Workin' On It - Brijean

35. Big Feelings - Willow

36. The Moon Is In The Wrong Place - Shannon & the Clams

37. We're Gonna Make It In a Man's World - Camera Obscura

38. A Love International - Khruangbin

39. Bodyguard - Beyonce

40. Afterlife - Sharon Van Etten

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Top Albums and Singles of 2023

Is the album officially dead? I should hope not - but because most of my peers's listening habits include unearthing new (and old) songs via TikTok and Instagram reels, I'm not so sure.

I'm here to say the album is not dead - just our attention span. Below are my favorite albums of 2023 that I'm certain will hold your interest from start to finish.

Top Albums

1. That! Feels Good! - Jessie Ware

2. Why Does the Earth Give Us People to Love? - Kara Jackson

3. Joy'All - Jenny Lewis

Top Singles

1. Fingers of Steel - shame

2. Slugs of Love - Little Dragon

3. Wait for the Summer - Benny Sings

4. The Pool - Mayer Hawthorne

5. Stay Right Here - Allison Russell

6. Close to You - Sharon Van Etten

7. This Year - Emily King

8. Now and Then - Beatles

9. Cool About It - Boy Genius

10. Pearls - Jesse Ware

11. Borrow Trouble - Feist

12. Joy'All - Jenny Lewis

13. Pawnshop - Kara Jackson

14. St. Charles Square - Blur

15. Our Hearts Didn't Go That Way - 79.5 ft. Durand Jones

16. What Are You Waiting For - Kendra Morris

17. Thinking About You - Beck

18. Let the Light In - Lana Del Rey ft. Father John Misty

19. Where My Wild Things Are - Ryan Bingham

20. Twelve-Thirty (Young Girls Are Coming to the Canyon) - Rufus Wainwright ft. Susanna Hoffs, Chris Stills, Sheryl Crow

21. Fairlies - Grian Chatten

22. Halloween Store - Andy Shuaf

23. C'est Si Bon - Say She She

24. Grim Generation - Portugal. The Man

25. Kristine From the 7th Grade - Ben Folds

26. Back on 74 - Jungle

27, Love Bomb - Baby Rose

28. In My Head - The Lemon Twigs

29. New Kerrang - M. Ward

30. Konami - Pearl and the Oysters

31. Why Am I Alive Now - ANOHNI

32. It's Fine - Bethany Cosentino

33. drive ME crazy! - Lil Yachty

34. transit - always centered at night, Moby, Gaidaa

35. Born For Loving You - Big Thief

36. Highway - Lewis OfMan, Empress Of

37. Will Anybody Ever Love Me? - Sufjan Stevens

38. On and Ever Onward - Dirty Projectors, Bjork

39. High on a Rocky Ledge - Rufus Wainwright ft. David Byrne

40. Act Natural - Margaret Glaspy

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Top Albums and Singles of 2022

So...I finally gave in and subscribed to Spotify Premium in January. According to Spotify Wrapped, I explored 89 genres and listened to 1,887 different artists in 2022. None of this data is particularly surprising, but it confirms what I already know to be true: I listen to an awful lot of music. Below are the albums and singles that really 'stuck' with me this year. Let me know what your 2022 picks are in the comments below.

Top Albums

1. Lucifer On The Sofa - Spoon

2. And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow - Weyes Blood

3. Inside Problems - Andrew Bird

Top Singles

1. It's Not Me, It's Everybody - Weyes Blood

2. Satelite - Spoon

3. In From Japan - Madison Cunningham

4. Postman - Toro y Moi

5. Romance with a Memory - Oliver Sim

6. Chloe - Father John Misty

7. Underlands - Andrew Bird

8. Turn Up the Sunshine - Diana Ross/Tame Impala

9. Forget Me Not - Say She She

10. Angels & Queens - Gabriels

11. Stop Making Sense - Charlotte Adigery, Bolis Pupul

12. No Gold Teeth - Danger Mouse/Black Thought

13. Good Man - Miles Francis

14. Sacatela - La Femme

15. Alone in the Night - Sondre Lerche/AURORA

16. Good Times - Jungle

17. Amber -Steve Lacy

18. My Mind is a Mess in the Morning - Nick Leng

19. Becoming All Alone - Regina Spector

20. Down - Hot Chip

21. All the Good Times - Angel Olsen

22. Pacific Ave - Pearl and the Oysters

23. About Damn Time - Lizzo

24. Wild - Spoon

25. Tunnel of You - Cannons

26. Looking for Moses - Mama's Gun

27. Angelica - Wet Leg

28. Now - Unloved

29. Atomized - Andrew Bird

30. Go On - Panda Bear, Sonic Boom

31. Always Together With You - Spiritualized

32. Right On Time - Metronomy

33. A Rose for Every Puppet - Zannie

34. Nattens Sista Strimma Ljus - Dungen

35. Grapevine - Weyes Blood

36. Over the Hill - Ginger Root

37. Darlin' - She & Him

38. Sunset Boulevard - Renata Zeiguer

39. Pharmacist - Alvvays

40. Midnight Legend - Special Interest, Mykki Blanco

Monday, December 13, 2021

Top Albums and Singles of 2021

I may not have a Spotify account to expose my listening habits, but that's alright. I already know these tracks have been creeping into my consciousness since January 1st.

Check out my DIY year-in-review and let me know what you've been listening to this year. And no, I won't judge you if you spent over 300 hours listening to BTS. They really are smooth like butter.

Top Albums

1. Collapsed on Sunbeams - Arlo Parks

2. Mercy - Natalie Bergman

3. Daddy's Home - St. Vincent

Top Singles

1. Be Sweet - Japanese Breakfast

2. Spanish Doors - Liz Phair

3. Shine Your Light on Me - Natalie Bergman

4. Witchoo - Durand Jones and the Indications

5. Get Sun - Hiatus Kaiyote

6. Right on Time - Brandi Carlile

7. Hurt - Arlo Parks

8. Animal - Lump

9. You Slipped Away - Andy Shuaf

10. Keep Moving - Jungle

11. Pay Your Way in Pain - St. Vincent

12. Rocky Trail - Kings of Convenience

13. Pink Funeral - Beach House

14. Me, Myself and Dollar Hell - Mild High Club

15. In Our Dreams - Teenage Fan Club

16. Better Distraction - Faye Webster

17. Watching Cartoons - La Luz

18. The Balcony - Fruit Bats

19. Chaise Longue - Wet Leg

20. Tumbleweed - Early Jones

21. Honest Man - Oracle Sisters

22. Bitter Streets - Sault

23. Life's Not the Same - James Blake

24. Like I Used To - Angel Olsen & Sharon Van Etten

25. Doctor Says - Midnight Sister

26. Give A Little - Matthew Sweet

27. The Hardest Cut - Spoon

28. Find My Way - Paul McCartney, Beck

29. I See You - Aimee Mann

30. Working for the Knife - Mitski

31. Besides April - BADBADNOTGOOD

32. Little Bird - Mia Doi Todd

33. Days Like These - Low

34. Moderation - Cate Le Bon

35. Knots - Coco

36. Once Twice Melody - Beach House

37. Carnage - Nick Cave & Warren Ellis

38. Road of the Lonely Ones - Madlib

39. Can't Let Go - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

40. That Funny Feeling - Bo Burnham

Monday, December 28, 2020

Top Albums and Singles 2020

2020....what a year! Not to sound hyperbolic, but I know I certainly used music not just as a luxury but as a means of survival. Without concerts and jam sessions, I experienced music strictly as a solitary endeavor. Whether I played records at home, or listened to my perfectly curated playlists on my headphones on yet another hike, I know I sought music to feed all of my individual needs:

escapism
healing
relief
spirituality

Fortunately, this year's selection of new albums and singles didn't disappoint, unlike 2020 itself. Although quite a few of these albums were written and recorded prior to the global pandemic, so many of these tracks still remain relevant despite how erratic this year truly was.

Top Albums

1. Song for Our Daughter - Laura Marling

2. Shore - Fleet Foxes

3. Neon Skyline - Andy Shauf

4. Fetch the Bolt Cutters - Fiona Apple

5. Unfollow the Rules - Rufus Wainwright

Top Singles

1. Why Would I Let You Go? - Sondre Lerche

2. Sunblind - Fleet Foxes

3. Time (You and I) - Khruangbin

4. Damsel In Distress - Rufus Wainwright

5. Turn Me Up - Jose James ft. Aloe Blacc

6. Turntables - Janelle Monae

7. Unreal City - M. Ward

8. Energy - Disclosure

9. Shemeika - Fiona Apple

10. Neon Skyline - Andy Shuaf

11. Fortune - Laura Marling

12. It Might Be Time - Tame Impala

13. Good Life - Devon Gilfillian

14. Prisoners - The Doves

15. Hello Hello Hello - Remi Wolf

16. Another Space and Time - Laura Veirs

17. Losing My Grip - Junior Mesa

18. Bloom - Gabriel Garzon-Monano

19. Rare Changes - Mayer Hawthorne

20. C-Side - Khruangbin & Leon Bridges

21. Something In My Eye - Matt Berry

22. May Later - Blake Mills

23. The Adults Are Talking - The Strokes

24. In Loving Memory - Gabriels

25. Beautiful - Rhye

26. Around The Sun - Poolside ft. Amo Amo

27. Red Lights - The Avalanches ft. Rivers Cuomo & Pink Sifu

28. Wildfires - SAULT

29. Bittersweet - Lianne La Havas

30. I Contain Multitudes - Bob Dylan

31. Lockdown - Anderson Paak

32. Sugar - Sufjan Stevens

33. Desolo - Gorillaz ft. Fatoumata Diawara

34. Remember Where You Are - Jesse Ware

35. Music To Clean The House To - Nick Leng

36. If Love is Overrated - Gregory Porter

37. Walk The Streets Of Love - Charlie Bereal

38. Only One - Phantom Planet

39. Trust - Xinxin

40. A Hero's Death - Fontaines D.C.

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Top Albums and Singles 2019

I have officially reached the age where most of my peers have stopped listening to new music. They have surrendered to the daunting task of tirelessly searching for new musical signs of life. Instead, they are complacent returning to the music that defined their youth. (And hey, who doesn't like dig up those old mix tapes and CDs from days of yore?)

Sure you could blame it on nostalgia. You could even rotate out one of these many excuses:

"I don't have enough time."
"There's too many choices."
"I'm too old to relate to pop music."

Those excuses may sound valid, however, I don't seem to hear them complaining about not having enough time to binge-watch all of their favorite TV shows.

Fortunately, I've done all of the heavy-lifting for them. I've selected my favorite albums and singles of the year. Maybe I'm a little bias, but I believe that there is something for everyone, regardless of age, or even musical preference. What were your favorite new albums and singles of 2019?

Albums

1. Titanic Rising - Weyes Blood

2. Heartbreak - Unloved

3. All Mirrors - Angel Olsen

Singles

1. Andromeda - Weyes Blood

2. True Blue - Mark Ronson ft Angel Olsen

3. Empires - Elbow

4. Faraway Look - Yola

5. You Ain't the Problem - Michael Kiwanuka

6. Looking Alive - Madison Cunningham

7. Bloodless - Andrew Bird

8. Red Bull & Hennessy - Jenny Lewis

9. Everyday - Weyes Blood

10. Patience - Tame Impala

11. Heartbreak - Unloved

12. Why, Why, Why - Sault

13. Quiet Amplifier - Wilco

14. Mama - Lola Kirke

15. I Love You - Billie Eilish

16. It Might Be Time - Tame Impala

17. Suddenly - French Vanilla

18. Ain't Talking 'Bout Love - The Bird and the Bee

19. I'm Due (For a Heartache) - Nick Waterhouse

20. All Night - Marika Hackman

21. Hit the Back - King Princess

22. Falling Down the Stairs of Your Smile - The New Pornographers

23. Goat Head - Britney Howard

24. Things I Do - Andy Shauf

25. All Mirrors - Angel Olsen

26. Juice - Lizzo

27. Tyranny 20 - Kit Sebastian

28. I Get No Joy - Jade Bird

29. Cookie Crumble - Phony PPL

30. Seven - Men I Trust

31. The Great Divide- Mayer Hawthorne

32. Taking a Page - Devendra Banhart

33. Summer Girl - Haim

34. Pais Nublado - Helado Negro

35. Calling It - Automatic

36. Not Enough - Benny Sings

37. Nobody - Mac DeMarco

38. Yellow is the Color of Her Eyes - Soccer Girl

39. Dark Places - Beck

40. Migration of Souls - M. Ward

Connected and Disconnected

Categories

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Top Albums and Singles of 2025

Sunday, December 15, 2024

Top Albums and Singles of 2024

Tuesday, December 26, 2023

Top Albums and Singles of 2023

Saturday, December 10, 2022

Top Albums and Singles of 2022

Monday, December 13, 2021

Top Albums and Singles of 2021

Monday, December 28, 2020

Top Albums and Singles 2020

Sunday, December 8, 2019

Top Albums and Singles 2019

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