2025 was a very, very good year for music, so good that cutting it down to just 50 albums feels impossible. Even 100 wouldn't have done the year justice.

These are the 50 that demanded repeated listening or stirred something inside me that wouldn't let go, even if I only played them once or twice. The first ten could easily be albums of the year, but you'd have to take into consideration some of the albums I've posted about already. Consider this list less a definitive ranking and more another snapshot of my personal listening habits, which is why you'll find a lot more metal here than I usually share in this group.

From Chat Pile's harrowing collaboration with Hayden Pedigo to Širom's ritualistic folk, from Blood Abscission's blackened fury to Mark Ernestus' Ndagga Rhythm Force's hypnotic sabar rhythms, from Goldie's resurrection of Rufige Kru to Nadah El Shazly's experimental songcraft, 2025 refused containment.

And even though the circumstances and economics for creating experimental and transgressive are more uncertain and precarious than ever before, the creative output from artists globally remains second to none.

If this is what 2025 delivered, I'm more than excited to hear what 2026 will bring!