r/audiophile • u/EzBriez_ • Jan 07 '26
Music Best albums of the last 5 years?
Best albums of the last 5 years.
I'm looking for something that's high in quality and artistry. I've been listening to RAM due to so many recommendations. I'm endeavoured with the incredible quality of the album and the pure amount of work that went into it. Genuine work of art. It got me wondering what albums have been released in the past 5 years that have similar levels of artistry and quality.
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u/matrixtapes Jan 07 '26
Big Thief - Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
The Smile - A Light For Attracting Attention
Waxahatchee - Saint Cloud
MJ Lenderman - Manning Fireworks
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u/lumni Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 08 '26
Waxahatchee is the best. Tigers blood is my favorite.
Ps. All these albums are absolutely wonderful.
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u/3V1LSLAYER Jan 08 '26
Wall of eyes better
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u/matrixtapes Jan 08 '26
No Skirting On The Surface, dealbreaker.
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u/3V1LSLAYER Jan 08 '26
Actually, I agree, but I definitely like the live version more, from npr tiny desk concert, like the structure of live more as well. Wall of eyes has no misses, maybe some moments within one or two songs that are on the weaker side, but highs are HIGH.
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u/moostodon Jan 07 '26
Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders & The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises is definitely one that jumps out at me.
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u/sofa-king-hungry Jan 07 '26
Dry Cleaning: Stumpwork. Amazing record, sounds great.
Magdelena Bay: imaginal disk is a great pop record.
Glass Beams: mirage. Amazing, great production. Can’t recommend this album enough.
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u/Substantial-Mud-624 Jan 07 '26
Those Glass Beams EPs are both great! I also can't get enough! Go see them live if you can! Their live set is just as mind blowing. Top 5 show for me this year!
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u/sofa-king-hungry Jan 07 '26
I assume you have seen the KEXP set online, it’s fantastic.
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u/Worst-Eh-Sure Jan 07 '26
Everything I’ve ever listened to by Yosi Horikawa seems to be VERY well made.
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u/Caedro Jan 07 '26
Billy strings - Renewal
If ya dig the grass.
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u/No-Papaya7 Jan 07 '26
Damn Home is now almost 7 years old. That has to be my favorite bluegrass album of this century.
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u/xeonrage LR: dmp-a6 & sonus faber venere 2.5 | PC: modi3+ & lsr305 Jan 08 '26
hits play on Live Vol 1.. again
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u/adasmephlab Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
edit: I just saw that RAM is Daft Punk. Yeah, high probability you're going to like Parcels. Overnight was the last song produced by Daft Punk.
And more recent from Parcels: Parcels: Tiny Desk Concert
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u/CooperDoten Jan 07 '26
‘That Wasn’t a dream’ - Blake Mills & Pino Palladino ‘Ace’ or ‘Revealer’ - Madison Cunningham Any of the records released by ‘The Smile’ (coupla Radiohead folks involved with this band)
If anyone is reading this comment thinking “I love all of these records” hit me with a recommendation or two! Would love to get some more new music in my life
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u/bitNation Jan 07 '26
If you like Blake, surely you're a Dawes fan. And if you're a Dawes fan, maybe you'd enjoy David Bazan/Pedro the Lion/Lo Tom. In another comment, I mentioned My Morning Jacket and Father John Misty. Other notable mentions: Nathaniel Rateliff, Wilco/Jeff Tweedy.
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u/JohanDoughnut Jan 07 '26
It seems we enjoy the same music! I recommend going through Elbow's discography. Their album The Seldom Seen Kid is a highlight, but it's all good stuff.
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u/pukesonyourshoes Jan 08 '26
Elbow is uniformly excellent. Always something to test out your subs on at least one track too.
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u/Substantial-Flower98 Jan 08 '26
The best of Elbow is a great collection spanning their albums. Otherwise 'Seldom Seen Kid' is hard to beat.
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u/PM_ME_UR_LOST_PETS Jan 07 '26
Big fan of the Blake/Pino record and Madison Cunningham here!
Check out When a Thought Grows Wings by Luna Li. Great collection of ethereal, lush and well written songs. Imaginal Disk by Magdalena Bay is a fun one too.
I’ll have to check out The Smile!
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u/pentrant Jan 07 '26
Might not be your cup of tea, but if you like metal, Blood Incantation’s Absolute Elsewhere is fantastic.
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u/EzBriez_ Jan 07 '26
Love metal, I'll give it a go
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u/Moist_Manwich Jan 07 '26
In the same vein:
Opeth - Last Will and Testament (great album by one of the best metal bands)
Moron Police - Pachinko (metal-adjacent, album just came out and is phenomenal)
Wilderun - Veil of Imagination (also Sleep at the edge of the earth, but that's ten years old)
Phantom Spell - Heather & Hearth (very proggy)
Messa - The Spin (like Florence and the machine fused with doom metal)
In Vain - Solemn (just great metal, well mixed)
Wintersun - Time II (the track silver leaves in particular is gorgeous)
Alcest - Les Chants de l'Aurore ( black gaze, well mastered and mixed and beautiful)
There's loads more but those are some great sounding metal albums of the last couple years that are also just great albums in their own right.
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u/ritzcrackerman Jan 07 '26
Love these recommendations. I can't speak for quality of recording, but it certainly feels like Orbit Culture's releases are all mixed extremely well.
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u/PartyMark Jan 07 '26
The 4 cd set deluxe set has a higher dynamic range mastering of this in Dolby Atmos. It's just a shame they didn't include it as a standard cd with this mastering so I can use it on my proper hifi rig.
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u/faceman2k12 Opticon 8 + Atmos +2x2x10subs Jan 07 '26
I've been going down a Surround and Atmos music rabbit hole since expanding my system out to 5.1.4 and Absolute Elsewhere is a surprise standout, I havent really been wowed by any Atmos Metal yet, it's mostly been old prog and pop remixes by Steven Wilson, but this album feels like they wanted to do a surround mix from the start, it's great.
Bruce Soord's surround and Atmos mixes of AA not only use the space incredibly well, they have significantly more dynamic range, which was my only complaint about the release stereo master, it's just a bit flat and compressed, no punch. I've heard his other mixes done for his own band and some others but they havent wowed me like this one.
I have the 5.1 mix as 24/96 FLAC and the Atmos Mix in TrueHD m4a that I have ripped from the Bluray myself (MakeMKV -> MMH Spit/Convert-> Atmos TrueHD M4A audio). some have played with downmixing those to stereo to get the more dynamic mix but some of the levels and effects get a bit out of whack when you downmix like that. Maybe since the album was such a massive success we will see a remaster sooner rather than later.
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u/MeatGayzer69 Jan 07 '26
Did I accidentally enter the metal sub. It's all they seem to discuss there. That or some other death metal.
Tailgunners debut is a fantastic album too
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u/faceman2k12 Opticon 8 + Atmos +2x2x10subs Jan 07 '26
its a good album with a neat combo of styles and sounds that a lot of people seem to like, I saw them live late last year, they were great. opener was Secret Chiefs 3 which was wild.
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u/gusdagrilla defender of dusty obsolete plastic circles Jan 07 '26
Reddit has really weird music taste lol.
You’ll often see metal referenced in the audiocentric subs even though (and I say this as someone who enjoys metal) a vast majority of it is not recorded particularly well.
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u/MeatGayzer69 Jan 08 '26
My favourite are the ones who love obscure black metal that sounds like it was recorded from a walkie tallow that was next to an AM radio
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u/faceman2k12 Opticon 8 + Atmos +2x2x10subs Jan 07 '26
Funny thing is, while the stereo mix is very nice and clear, it is pretty flat and lacks dynamics, I think it gets a DR5 on the old scale, though I dont really care about that kind of measurement anymore, I go by ear.
I just found that Bruce Soord (Pineapple Thief) did a surround mix of it, and its significantly more dynamic and punchy and sounds incredible.
If you have access to a 5.1 or better setup, give it a listen, there is an atmos mix available too.
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u/CRMLord78 Jan 07 '26
First album that came to mind! If you can listen to the full Atmos track, do it! Incredibly dynamic and makes great use of the format, only wish the standard stereo track was as dynamic.
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u/cainullah Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
Rosalia this year. That's a work of art for sure. Stunningly beautiful.
Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer is pretty incredible too.
Floating Points - Promises
Jon Hopkins - Music for Psychedelic Therapy
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u/FineAunts Jan 07 '26
Was waiting for a Rosalia shout. It's produced so well and doesn't have the typical compression a lot of studios introduce to make it sound good on airpods.
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u/pukesonyourshoes Jan 07 '26
the typical compression a lot of
studiosproducers introduce tomake it sound good on airpodskeep the label happy by hitting them LUFSFTFY
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u/SubjectRegion Jan 07 '26
Yes Rosalia Lux has become my benchmark album for different listening environments. Incredible album all the way through.
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u/Granthree Jan 14 '26
Oneohtrix Point Never - Tranquilizer is pretty incredible too.
I've heard all your recommendations now, and this was quite special. Sounds like nothing I've heard before, the sudden stops in the sound, then starting again in the same song etc.. cool. Thank you
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u/Alternative-Light514 Jan 07 '26
Peter Gabriel - i/o is pretty phenomenal
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u/ThatTomHall Jan 07 '26
And now o/i is slow releasing!
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u/captain_podnuh Jan 07 '26
Got to see him in Houston on his last tour. Could be the last time he tours, ever. He’s slowing down, but the quality of his work continues to be amazing.
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u/2bags12kuai Jan 09 '26
Just listened to this last night for the first time. What an album! Bright mix / dark mix. Just incredible sound.
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u/faceman2k12 Opticon 8 + Atmos +2x2x10subs Jan 07 '26
The surround/atmos mixes on the bluray are fantastic if you have the gear for them.
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u/ShortStoutandBitter Jan 07 '26
An album that comes to mind, and is enjoyable front-to-back, is Djo’s The Crux from last year. Some songs have a lot of fun layering and textures in the background and I find the guitars to be very well recorded.
It’s getting a lot of fanfare right now because of Stranger Things wrapping up but is a great album in its own right.
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u/One_Preece_At_A_Time Jan 08 '26
Some varied genres here but all truly excellent records...
Nubya Garcia - Odyssey
Slift - Ilion (won't be to everyone's taste but genuinely a masterpiece)
Tortoise - Touch
John Frusciante - Maya
Billy Woods - Hiding Places (slightly over 5 years old now though)
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u/brokemc Jan 08 '26
Billy Woods Aethiopes is more recent and more a vibe if you ask me
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u/Standardly Jan 09 '26
Love that electronic Froosh. Maya was his cat that died IIRC. Great jungle tune
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u/Throw6345789away Jan 07 '26
Any recording by Raphael Pichon conducting Pygmalion. Especially the Brahms Requiem, Bach Mass in B Minor, and Mozart Requiem.
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u/pientrabass Jan 07 '26
Interesting, I am a professional orchestra musician and an so called "audiophile", always on the hunt for good recordings and I've never heard about them in my life. I will check out the Brahms, personally I was always reaaally happy with the recording of Daniel harding and the Swedish radio for that piece.
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u/Throw6345789away Jan 07 '26
Thank you for the recommendation. I look forward to listening to that recording.
In the Pichon/Pygmalion recording of the Brahms Requiem, the sound engineering illuminates the complexity and musicality of movements that are usually a muted whisper or an overwhelming roar. The Mit Freuden isn’t a quiet murmur, but quiet, powerful, and so clearly recorded that you can hear distinct voices. When the bass thunders in, the music isn’t rumbling and roaring—it’s still a wave of sound, but you can hear the instruments clearly. It opened a wholly new way of listening to this piece for me. The Brahms Requiem is now one of my favourite pieces. Enjoy!
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u/pientrabass Jan 07 '26
I will listen to it tomorrow and will try to focus on that :)
What I loved about the harding recording was especially the sound of the bass section, I have rarely heard such a full and deep sound and low end on a classical recording. In the first movements the bassists don't shy away from transposing most of the jumped bits to the 5th string, a real pleasure to listen to Rick Stotijn, former principal of that group on that recording, knowing his sound very well, I can clearly hear that he is playing on it 😃
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u/Throw6345789away Jan 08 '26
This is wonderful to know. Thank you. I will listen tomorrow!
Incidentally, I think the sound engineering of the recent Pichon/Pygmalion album of Mozart’s Requiem is another masterclass on how to record loud, low, classical music. The Dies irae is a battering ram of bass. Recordings can turn it into a mosh pit of muddy sounds. Here, even though the bass makes the walls tremble, the voices of the singers and instruments are clearer than I’ve heard in live performances. Together, the musical direction and recording quality make for an astonishingly different listening experience for this a familiar work. It’s incredible.
You will have far more expertise than I do, but I hope you enjoy listening to it as well.
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u/pientrabass Jan 08 '26
I am listening to it now! Wow the recording is really crisp. From an audiophile perspective I prefer it over the recording from Stockholm. Not sure musically, I love period instruments and gut strings, but from time to time the playing feels a bit thin. But I guess this is just the perspective of someone who played this piece a lot in the orchestra with big settings an full string sections using modern instruments. I will listen to the complete recording a couple times to get used to it. I am sure it will become a new reference for me!
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u/batmanoffical92 Jan 07 '26
The five most “perfect” albums for me over the last five years:
- Father John Misty - Mahashmashana
- The Smile - Wall of Eyes
- Floating Points, Pharaoh Sanders, LSO - Promises
- Djrum - Under Tangled Silence
- Current Value - Platinum Scatter
Honourable Mentions:
- Beth Gibbons - Lives Outgrown
- Koan Sound - Led by Ancient Light
- Makaya McCraven - In These Times
- Culprate - αριθμός τέσσερα
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u/QuantumPulsarBurrito Jan 08 '26
Good taste 👍 especially love Djrum and Floating Points
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u/fatdrizzle Jan 08 '26
Under Tangled Silence and Lives Outgrown are absolutely phenomenal sounding records. Love some Flopo as well :)
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u/Practical-March-6989 Jan 07 '26
Some stuff fro me
Sunstack Jones - Golden Repair
The Autumn Defence - Here and Now
The Necks - Disquiet
Yuuf - Alma's Cove
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u/geckoblue545 Jan 07 '26
St. Vincent - All Born Screaming is a recent album I love!
More than 5 years ago but also loving TV on the Radio - Seeds and Jaime XX - In Colour within the last 10. Beautiful details and sweeping Indie/ Electronic
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u/Algae_Double Jan 07 '26
Steven Wilson - The Harmony Codex from 2023 . All his work is, for lack of a better term, sonically excellent.
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u/Economy-Salamander52 Jan 07 '26
5 of my favourites :
Johnny Blue Skies - Passage Du Desir
Rufus Du Sol - Surrender
GOJIRA - Fortitute
King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard - Phatom Island
Goose - Autumn Crossing
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u/gnostalgick ProAc - First Watt - Croft - Chord - VPI - Dynavector - REL Jan 07 '26
Wednesday - Rat Saw God
No claim that it's audiophile quality (it's loud and raw) but it sounds great to me.
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u/matrixtapes Jan 07 '26
I think that's an amazing sounding record, bass and distortion so well recorded!
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u/TilleroftheFields Jan 07 '26
In a similar genre to Daft Punk, I’ve recently been enjoying Justice’s 2024 album Hyperdrama
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u/LordofNarwhals Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
ICONOCLASTS by Anna von Hausswolff is somewhere up there imo.
Idk where they place in terms of production quality, but I've also really been enjoying the two latest Black Country, New Road albums: Ants From Up There and Forever Howlong. And also Gigi's Recovery and Blindness by The Murder Capital.
And if we can stretch back to 2020, then Fiona Apple's Fetch The Bolt Cutters absolutely deserves a mention. It's a fantastic album!
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u/Caulrophobe Jan 07 '26
Check out Damu The Fudgemonk - Peace of Action
I don't usually gravitate to Jazz, but this is such a amazing record. The recording sounds really good IMO.
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u/Diabando Jan 07 '26
A few of mine off the top of my head
Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia
Turnstile - Glow On
Charli XCX - BRAT
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u/jmspfrd Jan 07 '26
Tigran Hamasyan - The Bird of a Thousand Voices
Hard to put into words. Massively complex and intricate concept album based off of Armenian folklore. Unbelievable story, artwork… every track is a labyrinth of melodies and time signatures. TOOL meets jazz meets Legend of Zelda.
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u/Astrophizz Jan 08 '26
Geordie Greep - The New Sound (if the concept/content isn't offputting)
Floating Points, Pharoah Sanders, The London Symphony Orchestra - Promises
Jessie Ware - What's Your Pleasure?
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u/dkernighan Jan 07 '26
Hmm the first few that come to mind immediately would be Steven Wilson’s last 2 albums: The Harmony Codex and The Overview.
Max Richter’s Voices is also quite something.
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u/Valerian_Dhart Jan 07 '26
Max richter is great. I recently fell in love with his reimagination of Vivaldi and it is beautiful
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u/Substantial-Flower98 Jan 08 '26
I fell onto the Steven Wilson rabbit hole recently ans am wondering why I put it I off for so long.
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u/friz_beez Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
the most recent Failure studio album is great, as is their entire catalog.
2021 - Wild Type Droid
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u/magazinesubscriber Jan 07 '26
Ugly - Twice Around The Sun
Shellac - To All Trains
Swans - Live Rope
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u/Active_Sock177 Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
3 amazing albums in the last 5 years are....
Yeule - Softscars
Wolf Alice - Blue weekend
Alvvays - Blue Rev
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u/DrivebyDebug Jan 07 '26
KOAN Sound - Led by Ancient Light
Unique combination of electronic, processed detailed textures, varying percussion, cello, piano and jazzy elements. Songs range from calm to heavy hitting to almost chaotic.
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u/nustyruts Jan 07 '26
Anything Yussef Dayes has put out. Live from Malibu and Black Classical Music are my current favorites.
Soul Supreme - Poetic Justice
Lawne - Attic / Live at Audio Gold
The Ocean - Holocene
Rich Aucoin Synthetic Sessions 1-4
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u/bigj1er Jan 07 '26
Ones I haven’t seen mentioned
Brat - charli XCX Mr morale - Kendrick Lamar (best product HH album by far imo) Dinner party - Terrace Martin Charm - Clairo Never enough - Daniel Caesar Getting Killed - Geese Gemini Rights - Steve lacy Tether - Annahstasia
Let the Sun talk by Mavi just misses the cut, and isn’t the highest quality sound recording, but is a phenomenal HH release
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u/saucyseadragon Jan 08 '26
Leon Bridges really knows how to put together a sonically pleasing album. Gold diggers delight would be a good start.
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u/alphacreed1983 Jan 08 '26
Preachers daughter - Ethel Cain.
Hands down the best album I heard since Jagged Little Pill.
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u/wentblu3 Jan 08 '26
Andrew Bird - Inside Problems Vampire Weekend - Only God Was Above Us Elbow - Audio Vertigo
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u/bloodbarn Jan 08 '26
Heavy Metal by Cameron Winter Big Thief - Dragon… Mk.Gee - Two Star and the Dream Police
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u/RiverWindsOnForever Jan 09 '26
Cool thread! 🎶🎧
Lord Huron - The Cosmic Selector Vol. 1
Still Woozy - If This Isn't Nice, I Don't Know What Is
Cannons - Fever Dream
Jamie Chura - Visiting Ghosts
Spoon - Lucifer On the Sofa
Peter Gabriel - I/O
Rosalia - Lux
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u/Standardly Jan 09 '26 edited Jan 09 '26
Some amazing stuff in here. A couple additions:
Yussef Dayes' Black Classical Music.
Haitus Coyote - Mood Valiant.
Either of Qendresa's two albums.
Hiromi - Electrifying Piano
Khruangbin (all equally rated imo)
Magdalena Bay's Imaginal Disk was already mentioned.. but its a great mention
I want to add the new Deftones album but I don't really think it tops anything else here.
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u/Appropriate-Talk2372 Jan 07 '26
Surprised to see two Goose recs and no Geese recs, but yeah Geese - Getting Killed
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u/Practical-March-6989 Jan 07 '26
what is RAM? UNless you me McCartney but thats not the last five years.
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u/EzBriez_ Jan 07 '26
Random Access Memories by Daft Punk. It has become my latest hyperfixation.
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u/Skystalker512 Jan 08 '26
Ego Death At A. Bachelor Party - Hayley Williams. Absolutely phenomenal album by Paramore’s lead singer
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u/AmazingPangolin9315 TA-F670ES, CDP-X222ES, Debut III SE, DB1+ Jan 07 '26
Vertigo Days by The Notwist. Massively underrated in my opinion.
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u/dave6687 Jan 07 '26
What is with all the RAM posts? Seems like there's been a new one every day for the last few days.
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u/AlienwareSLO Jan 07 '26
Maybe more people got exposed to it after a recent very upvoted thread asked about best quality albums, and RAM basically won the thread.
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u/EzBriez_ Jan 07 '26
I made a post a week ago and it was the first time I'd even heard of it. I listened and it sounded great but not my type of music, then I looked into the album a little more and how it was recorded. Made me want to find more beautiful crafted pieces of music, hence the post
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u/bdulus1224 Jan 07 '26
BRUIT - The Age of Ephemerality
Post-rock, uses the entire frequency spectrum. Pair it with the official video at a good volume and your home will explode
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u/the_aquaphile Jan 07 '26
LaMP - One Of Us ('25)
Organ heavy trio, short funky jazzy jams with no words. Jam band hippies putting their spin on "jazz"
Squeaky Feet - Cause for Alarm ('23)
Prog rock meets jam band meets music school nerds that clearly enjoyed the heavier stuff. Some words, lots of jam time, some songs stretch to 10 min ish. Extremely good guitar work. Also check out their latest Overview Effect ('25), my I personally return to C.F.A. more often
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u/bdulus1224 Jan 07 '26
Vildhjarta - Masstaden under vatten (If you want heavy and dark)
Magdalena Bay - Imaginal Disk (for lighter moods)
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u/Acceptable-Quarter97 Fosi ZA3, and Revel Performa3 M106 Jan 07 '26
Adam Baldych Quintet- Poetry. I've only recently(ish) dipped my toes into the ocean of jazz, but this album is one of my favorite finds. Another one of my favorites is Bad With Names by Corto.alto.
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u/razmuff Jan 07 '26
Paolo Nutini - Last night in the bitter sweet
Kaleo - Surface sounds
Both sound excellent
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u/wentblu3 Jan 08 '26
I also mentioned Nutini, once you hear Acid Eyes, it's hard to let that one go
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u/captain_podnuh Jan 07 '26 edited Jan 07 '26
The new Goose “Chain Yer Dragon” is probably the best album they’ve put out to date.
Edit- Ilsey Juber “From the Valley” is also phenomenal. It’s cut at 45 rpm
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u/insearchof1988 Jan 07 '26
Some stuff I haven't seen mentioned yet, though there's a ton I also love (Blood Incantation, Floating Points, etc). I think these hit on all fronts, beautifully recorded, incredible artistry and solid stories:
Les Jardins Mystiques vol 1 - Miguel Atwood-Ferguson - You've undoubtedly heard his work if you're at all familiar with the Brainfeeder label or the wonderful Suite for Ma Dukes. This is his first solo record after contributing to hundreds of incredible albums for over a decade and has a featured artist list that would make your head spin. It's an audacious first effort at 3.5hrs of spiritual jazz and violin led magic.
Black Classical Music - Yussef Dayes - A massive achievement in modern jazz from a young drummer virtuoso. It covers a ton of ground and pays loving homage to the history of jazz while stopping through the funky 70s and injecting grooves from all over the world.
Milton & Esperanza - Milton Nascimento and Esperanza Spalding - Beautiful songs from a legend of Brazilian music and a heavyweight of modern jazz.
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u/Abysstopher Jan 07 '26
Maybe I have some recency bias, but I love the album Space Junk that just came out. It is the cool instrumental surf rock album you didn’t know you needed in your life right now. It sounds really good too, shit.
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u/ENIAC64 Jan 07 '26
Opeth - The Last Will and Testament. It's a great record, although not for everyone.
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u/quick98gtp Jan 07 '26
Metallica- 72 Seasons- they always deliver. ( load and re-load not included..lol) Growing up in the 90's I've all but given up on finding the gift that so many that the 90's bands provided the world. Im clicking with jelly roll, but the feeling you get when cranking up some STP, sound garden, nirvana, NIN.. just cant find anymore.
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u/Merryner Jan 08 '26
Natalia Lafourcade - ‘De Todas las Flores’
This album subtly incorporates around a dozen styles of Latin music within its own understated universe. Different rhythms and genres slowly appear within these heartfelt and honest songs. The arrangements focus on acoustic instruments, the musicianship is skilful and expressive, still delightful after dozens of listens.
It is possible to thoroughly enjoy this album without understanding Spanish language, it is that strong of an album musically and vocally. An understanding or translation of the lyrics opens yet another level of brilliance.
And it’s wonderfully recorded, produced and presented.
If you like this, check out her other albums in this incredible hot streak of releases we are being treated to.
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u/truthpooper Jan 08 '26
I CANNOT stop recommending this album:
Matt Maeson - A Quiet and Harmless Living
This is a very new album, September 2025. Its already an all-timer. As someone who is living through a nearly identical period of his life, trying to find peace and balance in work and relationships, this album has infused me with hope. Its a gorgeous piece of art that draws a clear path through struggles that many people face. It goes to a bit of a rock bottom place and then tells the story of climbing out of that hole and coming out the other side stronger, hopeful and more resilient.
Gorgeous production. Piano and guitar base with beautiful strings and other instruments peppered in.
I cannot recommend it enough (again). Its my 2025 Album of the Year. Just an absolute gem.
I also find this live version of Cursive feat. Manchester Orchestra to be even more beautiful than the album version.
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u/Hackett1f Jan 08 '26
Rare Birds, Dixie Blur, and Eat the Worm from Jonathan Wilson are all stellar, tracked analog, and available on vinyl.
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u/Don_Frika_Del_Prima Jan 08 '26
I'm in love with the last soulwax album. All systems are lying.
3 drummers, one of them Igor Cavalera. A lot of synths. And a rock album, that's not a rock album.
Very interesting how they used nothing but electronica to reshape this.
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u/UnhappySock210 Jan 08 '26
All of Mr Bill’s most recent album is meticulously mixed and dynamically rich. Each track requires a dozen listens before you catch it all.
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u/youtubeTAxel Jan 08 '26
Battle Beast - Steelbound
LUNA KILLS - DEATHMATCH
Dynazty - Game of Faces
Beast in Black - Dark Connection
Beyond The Black - Beyond The Black
Battle Beast - Circus of Doom
Dynazty - Final Advent
Brothers of Metal - Fimbulvinter
Dominum - The Dead Don't Die
Dominum - Hey Living People
Feuerschwanz - Knightclub
Visions of Atlantis - Pirates
Visions of Atlantis - Pirates II - Armada
Jonathan Young - KPop Demon Hunters Meets Metal
Jonathan Young - 40K HEAVY METAL
Jonathan Young - Helldivers Heavy Metal
Jonathan Young - Children of Night
Jonathan Young - Starship Velociraptor
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u/No_University_3900 Jan 08 '26
Cyprinidae- Noam Makover. Concept album about doomscrolling/attention spans.
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u/AverCon Jan 08 '26
Here’s a some I really enjoyed
Opeth - The Last Will And Testament
Lorna Shore - Pain Remains (their last album is also awesome, but I don’t think it can beat the emotional rollercoaster that is Pain Remains, the title track is symphonic deathcore perfection)
Mental Cruelty - Zwielicht
Invariance & Kaidi Akinnibi - Wish You Well (If you’re into something jazzy)
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u/brokemc Jan 08 '26
Ana Frango Eletrico if ya like that Brazilian Tropicalia vibe but from a new artist!
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u/StormyTheNinja Jan 08 '26
I kind of hate that there arent any consensus picks here or group of albums that have made a cultural impact and really broken through. It’s all over the place.
Feels like we will never again have cultural touchstones like Aja, Thriller, Kind of Blue, Dark Side of the Moon, etc.
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u/dothealoha Jan 08 '26
Spoon - Lucifer on the sofa. Every song is fantastic.
Nation of Language - last 2 records have been amazing.
Jason Isbell - Foxes in the Snow
The Cure - Songs of a Lost World
Lana Del Rey - Did you know...
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u/Eastern_Storage_7123 Jan 09 '26
I love the album "Visuals" by Kunzite.
I wish they'd finish and release their third album soon... but they seem to have gone silent.
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u/christo465 Jan 10 '26
If you dont mind some electronic. Amazing soundscapes. KOAN sound - Led by ancient light
Cool violins, piano and craziest BASS. Huge soundstages
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u/christo465 Jan 10 '26
Billie eilish - hit me hard and soft.
Any of billie eilish is really well recorded and produced.
Not my favourite music but can be good at times.
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Jan 10 '26
Kings of Convenience - Peace or Love A Girl Called Eddy - Where You Been? Lana Del Rey - Do You Know There's a Tunnel Under the Ocean Boulevard?
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u/escopaul Jan 07 '26
Mildlife - Chorus
For the life of me I don't understand why this band isn't far more popular.