I didn't do much Writing About Music in 2025, for this newsletter or for work! I've missed it. My new role at NPR Music, series editor of Tiny Desk, kept me busy, as did family life and trying to live in Washington, D.C., during a (still ongoing, seemingly no end in sight) occupation. Still, there were some records I kept coming back to — not necessarily the ones you saw on other year-end lists, but had a certain je ne le choix des Vikings. 

These are them, them are those, in no particular order, with a mixtape to match.