{"id":47992,"date":"2025-12-15T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/2025-in-review\/"},"modified":"2026-07-25T07:31:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-25T07:31:33","slug":"2025-in-review","status":"publish","type":"feature","link":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/features\/2025-in-review\/","title":{"rendered":"2025: In Review"},"content":{"rendered":"


THE GOOD<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"turnstile_neverenough_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n

Turnstile \u2013 Never Enough<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

The band\u2019s fourth album is one of the best of the year. Turnstile transcends but does not forget their punk roots, turning in an album full of smart, hooky alt-rock with swagger and space in equal measures. \u201cSeein\u2019 Stars\u201d is a phenomenal hit single (especially for those who like album tracks by The Police), but \u201cSlowdive\u201d and \u201cLook Out For Me\u201d are equally noteworthy.\u00a0<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"iggypop_liveatmontreux_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n

Iggy Pop \u2013 Live At Montreux Jazz Festival 2023<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Took a minute to release this one, but it was worth the wait. I called Iggy a \u201cpumping, raging, ragged, profane piston that just won\u2019t quit,\u201d much like the finest cars produced out of his (and my) home state of Michigan. The set is divided between Stooges and solo efforts; it\u2019s a fun and energetic set, with the biggest surprise being the forgotten \u201cSick Of You\u201d and the ongoing staying power of the tracks from Fun House.\u00a0<\/b><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"stevenwilson_theoverview_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n

Steven Wilson \u2013 The Overview\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/b>Pulling a trick from the old prog-rock playbook, Wilson\u2019s newest effort is a two-song, 40-minute album. The first track is heavier on the rock and has some fine individual parts, though it doesn\u2019t quite cohere as a whole. The second track is more electronic and chilly, more on par with Wilson\u2019s current songwriting. Might be reductive to say side 1 is Porcupine Tree and side 2 is Pink Floyd, but either way, you can get lost here for a while.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"joebonamassa_breakthrough_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n

Joe Bonamassa \u2013<\/b> Breakthrough\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>
Don\u2019t be fooled by the title; nothing about this blues-rock album is a breakthrough, but rather another solid entry in Joe\u2019s deep catalog. It\u2019s never less than good; it\u2019s direct and propulsive; and there\u2019s little to make it stand out apart from the very good singles \u201cTrigger Finger,\u201d \u201cShake This Ground\u201d and \u201cYou Don\u2019t Own Me.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"dreamtheater_parasomnia_150\"<\/td>\n\n

Dream Theater \u2013 Parasomnia<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n

He\u2019s back! Original drummer Mike Portnoy returns after a 15-year absence, and in time to celebrate the band\u2019s 40th anniversary with its 16th album. It\u2019s a return to the band\u2019s progressive glory days; tricky time signatures, a concept tying the long songs together, plenty of virtuoso playing. There\u2019s nothing really groundbreaking, but it\u2019s a joy to have the guys back together again.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"deftones_private_150\"<\/td>\n\n

Deftones \u2013 private music<\/i><\/b>\u00a0<\/p>\n

The band\u2019s first album in five years and second since 2016 is as good as anything they\u2019ve ever done, though the lack of variation in the aural assault starts to wear after a while. \u201cLocked Club\u201d and opener \u201cMy Mind Is A Mountain\u201d make a killer one-two punch though.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\"cheaptrick_allwashedup_150\"<\/td>\n\n

Cheap Trick \u2013 All Washed Up<\/i><\/b>\u00a0
<\/i>
The original kings of power pop\u2014along with the less commercially successful Big Star, of course\u2014still can\u2019t stop being cool, with another set of great, hooky rockers and a winking sense of humor (from the title to the lyrics of \u201cThe Riff That Won\u2019t Quit.\u201d A couple of goopy ballads aside, it\u2019s a finely crafted and fun album that would have been a big hit in another era.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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THE DECENT<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\"squid_cowards_150\"<\/a> <\/td>\n\n
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Squid \u2013 Cowards<\/i>\u00a0
<\/b>
Off-kilter, abrasive British post-punk, with the creepiest lyrics of the year. Ollie Judge narrates a series of vignettes that leave serial-killer vibes, with religious fanatics, cannibals and killers taking up space alongside a rather cutting takedown of the U.S. Reduced to dogs and rats, Judge says; Roger Waters would be proud.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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\"mogwai_thebadfire_150\"<\/td>\n

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Mogwai \u2013 The Bad Fire\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>
This band has been around for three decades now, and this is a solid effort in a long line of them. Mogwai are pros at creating intricate worlds in each mostly-instrumental song (as on the Sonic Youth-esque \u201cHi Chaos\u201d), at building up tension into release (as on \u201cIf You Find This World Bad, You Should See Some Of The Others\u201d), and evoking atmosphere (as on \u201cFact Boy\u201d). It\u2019s not that dissimilar from the Cure\u2019s excellent 2024 comeback album, although more fun and with better song titles.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\u00a0\"yungblud_idols_150\"<\/td>\n\n
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Yungblud \u2013 Idols\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>
I wanted not to like this ambitious rock album, the fourth effort from the British pop-punk-dance star, but he won me over by the third track \u201cLovesick Lullaby.\u201d It\u2019s a conscious throwback to the Madchester scene of the late \u201980s and the beginnings of Britpop, and it\u2019s quite fun. Much of the album is the singer paying tribute to his British rock heroes on purpose, so strong influences from Radiohead, Elton John, U2 and the Stone Roses abound. It should be noted this is the first in a two-album set, so one must assume the second half will synthesize these influences into Yungblud\u2019s previously-established sound. Based on strong tracks like \u201cThe Greatest Parade\u201d and the nine-minute album opener \u201cHello Haven, Hello,\u201d it should be his best work yet. As it stands, Idols <\/i>now has that title. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

\u00a0\"mammoth_theend_150\"<\/td>\n\n
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Mammoth \u2013 The End<\/i>\u00a0
<\/b>
Wolfgang Van Halen\u2019s third album in five years is another solid rock album, not to mention a tour de force; the man plays every instrument, and considerably well. As usual, most of the music is modern rock inspired (Foo Fighters and late-period STP are noticed), though Wolf is not afraid to haul out his dad\u2019s iconic Frankenstein guitar for the lightning-fast hammer fills of the title track.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

MEH<\/b> <\/p>\n

Arcade Fire \u2013 <\/a> Pink Elephant\u00a0<\/a>
<\/i><\/b>Public feuds are notoriously messy, especially when the artists work together and\/or one of them has a microphone. You may end up with a Rumours <\/i>or, more likely, a Here My Dear <\/i>or Paula<\/i>, and the latter is where this album ended up. Win Butler did some bad stuff, and though his wife tried to stand by him, as of late 2025 it seemed that both the band and the Butler\/Regine Chassagne marriage was over. Much of this feels like a Butler solo album, but one that\u2019s disjointed and facile, never letting the audience in.<\/p>\n

Franz Ferdinand \u2013 The Human Fear\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>I haven\u2019t paid much attention to these guys since their 2004 debut, so to my ears, this newest offering isn\u2019t that different from what they have been doing; breezy garage pop-rock but now with some electronica overtones (see: \u201cHooked\u201d) and lyrics that have matured somewhat. <\/p>\n

Alpaca Sports \u2013 Another Day\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>Shiny, cheerful Swedish power-pop with \u201980s overtones; it\u2019s charming and a little too precious, though indie pop fans will probably enjoy it. <\/p>\n

Jethro Tull \u2013 Curious Ruminant\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>I honestly had no idea Tull was still a thing, but evidently Ian Anderson has released occasional albums under his old band\u2019s name, though I don\u2019t think any of them are around anymore. There\u2019s nothing here even close to the band\u2019s \u201970s heyday, though that would be asking a lot for someone of Anderson\u2019s age and health. Longtime fans of the signature Tull sound set to a pastoral feel, buffeted by plenty of flute, will like it; think Songs From The Wood <\/i>era. Although kudos must be given to the multi-part, 17-minute piece \u201cDrink From The Same Well,\u201d proof that Anderson still has that prog-rock flame in there somewhere. <\/p>\n

Robert Plant \u2013 Saving Grace\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>Another slow-moving, folk\/Americana collaboration, with a new cast of characters different from Plant\u2019s previous bands in this vein. The restless artist is not afraid to collaborate, and there\u2019s a Western expanse to some of the songs; you could picture them as background music in Yellowstone<\/i>. But it rarely feels vital. <\/p>\n

Neil Young & the Chrome Hearts \u2013 \u00a0Talkin\u2019 to the Trees\u00a0
<\/i><\/b>Billed as a new band for Young, the Chrome Hearts are actually three guys from Promise Of The Real and a keyboard player that Young has worked with since the \u201970s. There\u2019s nothing here that Young hasn\u2019t already done many times over, but that ragged, ramshackle, iconoclastic approach is why his fans love him.<\/b><\/p>\n

THE \u201cSQUEEZE FANS FOR EVERY LAST DROP\u201d SECTION<\/b><\/p>\n

Oasis \u2013 (What\u2019s The Story) Morning Glory 30th Anniversary<\/i>\u00a0<\/a>
<\/b>The laziest excuse for a reissue that I have encountered in quite some time, this effort jacks up the price by expanding the original album to a double and then including only five songs on an entire third album. Worse: the reissue is of the 2014 remaster, while the five bonus acoustic tracks are the originals with Liam\u2019s vocals intact and other instruments stripped away, making it a Frankenstein-like studio effort instead of something fans would actually want. <\/p>\n

The Beatles \u2013 <\/a> Anthology 4<\/a> \u00a0
<\/i><\/b>We did not need another Anthology<\/i>, but to justify having some sort of Beatles product on the market, Apple decided to take a couple dozen previously-released tracks and slap them together with reissues of the \u201cnew\u201d Beatles songs of the last 30 years (\u201cNow and Then,\u201d \u201cFree As A Bird\u201d and \u201cReal Love\u201d). They then raided the vaults for another 12 or tracks. This being the Anthology<\/i>, all of these songs are outtakes, early takes and one-offs. I know it\u2019s the Beatles and it\u2019s fitfully entertaining, but you can\u2019t spend the money on this, listen to the \u201corchestra-only\u201d version of \u201cI Am The Walrus\u201d and the rehearsal for \u201cOctopus\u2019 Garden,\u201d and feel like you\u2019ve been had. (Saving grace: the studio patter\/jokes are always welcome, as is the too-brief snippet of \u201cYou\u2019re So Square Baby I Don\u2019t Care.\u201d Where was that <\/i>energy during the rest of the White Album<\/i> sessions?).<\/p>\n

The Stooges \u2013 <\/a> The Stooges<\/a> <\/i>and Van Halen<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>\u2013<\/a>\u00a0<\/a>Fair Warning<\/a> <\/i>(MoFi reissues)\u00a0
<\/b>If you\u2019re going to pay $60 for a record, it needs to be worth it, and a raw rock album that\u2019s originally 34 minutes long does not <\/i>justify the price nor being stretched to a double album that you have to listen to at 45rpm. I\u2019m not saying Van Halen\u2019s fourth album is bad\u2014it\u2019s dark and driving\u2014or about half of the Stooges\u2019 debut is primal, raw Detroit rock that helped invent punk and grunge. I\u2019m just saying I don\u2019t have $120 to spend on just over an hour of music simply because it\u2019s remastered very well. This kind of sonic treatment should be reserved for prog-rock epics, groundbreaking jazz efforts, Led Zeppelin and, of course, Sabrina Carpenter. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Metallica \u2013\u00a0 <\/a> Load (Deluxe Box Set)<\/a> \u00a0
<\/i><\/b>I stand by Load <\/i>as being underrated. Stop expecting Master of Puppets <\/i>every damn time and just experience a Metallica album as is, and you\u2019ll find plenty of good songs. That said, the album isn\u2019t that <\/i>good as to warrant this absolutely massive box set, although it\u2019s interesting to hear how the album develops (kind of like the Beatles\u2019 Anthology 2<\/i>) on some of the tracks, and live shows are always great to get.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

THE GOOD Turnstile \u2013 Never Enough The band\u2019s fourth album is one of the best of the year. Turnstile transcends but does not forget their punk roots, turning in an album full of smart, hooky alt-rock with swagger and space in equal measures. \u201cSeein\u2019 Stars\u201d is a phenomenal hit single (especially for those who like […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":48107,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"tags":[],"feature_type":[5609],"class_list":["post-47992","feature","type-feature","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","feature_type-best-of"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47992","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/feature"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature\/47992\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47992"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47992"},{"taxonomy":"feature_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyvault.adishjain.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/feature_type?post=47992"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}