Music is a mnemonic device for me. Certain songs immediately take me back to my childhood or when Sunny and I started dating or when the kids were born. I think that’s why I like new music so much; it often serves as the backing soundtrack for that particular year.

This year, I didn’t find as much new music that really captivated my imagination. Some years, I have a hard time paring down the list; this year, it was pretty much a two-horse race. 2025 will go down as the year I fell in love with the music of Beirut. And I’ll also remember it for Bon Iver’s most recent (and final?) masterpiece.

Best Albums of 2025

1. Bon Iver, SABLE, fABLE
2. Beirut, A Study of Losses
3. Sam Fender, People Watching
4. Amble, Reverie
5. Scott Ballew, Paradiso

The Triumph of Bon Iver

I’ve been a Bon Iver fan for a long time, but not from the very beginning. When he burst onto the scene in the late aughts with a sparse, acoustic heartbreak album recorded in a Wisconsin cabin, I didn’t jump on the hype train along with everyone else. I didn’t really become a fan until 2011’s self-titled release — and “Holocene,” in particular. But Justin Vernon’s project remains the most consistently excellent band in all the land. Everything they record is just incredible.

I didn’t know what to make with last fall’s surprise EP consisting of only three songs. SABLE had that same stripped-back vibe and dark tone as For Emma: “I would like the feeling gone.” “How am I supposed to do this now?” “I know now that I can’t make good.” The guy was seriously grieving something, that much was evident.

But SABLE’s fall release was just an initial launch — and a bit of a setup, too. It’s no accident that Vernon waited until spring to release the second part of the record: fABLE, with its explosion of joyful sounds and color. And there it was, teased out all along in the lines of “AWARDS SEASON”: “You can be remade / You can live again / What was pain now’s gained / A new path gets laid.”

That new path was toward something warmer, lighter, more joyful. Disc One recalls the past, keeping the attention on Vernon’s baritone vocals with little accompanying instrumentation. This is clearly a signal that we’re starting in our own head — ruminating on loss and regret. But Disc Two of the album is like Dorothy opening up the door to step into a world of color. The tone immediately becomes lighter — “radiant pop” in the words of one reviewer. And Bon Iver kind of throws the kitchen sink at you: R&B, funk, gospel….it’s all here. There’s also very little of the auto-tune of previous albums; Vernon’s register is more immediate and soulful and he surrounds his voice with a variety of collaborators (Danielle Haim, Dijon, Jacob Collier, Jenn Wasner), giving the record an important sense of community.

For most of 2025, I’ve been pursuing a deeper sense of joy — as I make my way through “mid-life,” this seems more essential than ever before. And this record has been a meaningful part of that search for me. Vernon has said that this record is an intentional departure from “the guy in a cabin” persona, the primary black of SABLE giving way to the salmon pink of the whole record. This shift represents a shift away from mourning in order to step into the light of healing. “Everything Is Peaceful Love” signals this shift; the song is absolutely rapturous. Same for “From” and “Day One,” two of the standout tracks from the second half of the album. “There’s a Rhythm” talks about finding a land of palm and gold to replace the snowier terrain of the past. In a way, this is the sound of an artist breaking up with his former self. Bon Iver no longer has to play the “sad guy” — and I’m there for it.

An Album for a Circus based on a Book

I’ll admit: I had a really hard time choosing between these two records for my Album of the Year. Beirut is the brain child of Zach Condon; although there are other players involved, Beirut is essentially a one-man band. Back in the spring, I got on a kick of listening to Beirut’s back catalog and I kept it on constant repeat throughout the month of March. In April, Condon released A Study of Losses, an album of new music he recorded as the soundtrack to a circus which is based on Judith Schalansky’s book “An Inventory of Losses.” If that sounds bonkers, it’s because it is. Victoria Dalborg, the director of the Swedish circus Kompani Giraff, approached Condon about creating a soundtrack for the acrobatic stage show. The inspiration for all of this was Schalansky’s book about things that have disappeared from our world: art, extinct animals, sunken islands, etc. Condon was intrigued by the idea and went to work reading the book and writing and composing these 18 tracks for a new album.

Even if you don’t know the backstory, the music is undeniably beautiful. Songs like “Moon Voyager” and “Tunaki Atoll” and “Villa Sacchetti” will be in heavy rotation for me for years to come. And I have a feeling if I ever go back and re-evaluate my Album of the Year winner for 2025, it will be due to the fact that this album continued to capture my heart.

The Oasis Farewell Tour (maybe)

I also spent a good deal of time listening to Oasis in anticipation of seeing them on their North American tour. After years of estrangement, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher were able to patch up their differences long enough to tour the world in celebration of the 30th anniversary of their landmark album What’s the Story, Morning Glory? Seeing them live in Chicago was a “bucket list” moment for me and I’ve enjoyed replaying their best songs throughout the year.