December 8, 2025

What Does Blue Mean to You?: The Top Songs of 2025

December 8, 2025

I’m baffled by the spiteful allegations of cynics regarding malevolent algorithms. I intentionally select everything I hear on streaming services. The playlist of my fifty favorite songs of the year is the result of deliberate exploration. Mainstream country, spiritual jazz, regional Mexican music, party anthems, alternative gospel and political screeds are unruffled bedfellows on my bespoke sound system. I’ve ordered the tracks to attain a semblance of continuity, but I tend to love the songs at the top a bit more than the selections near the end. Salvant’s indispensable Toni Morrison-inspired composition, however, is in first place for a reason. As always, none of the lead artists featured here appear on the ranking of my favorite albums of 2025.

1. Cécile McLorin Salvant- “What does blue mean to you?”

2. Sault- “L.U.”

3. BadBadNotGood featuring V.C.R- “Found a Light (Beale Street)”

4. Nathy Peluso featuring Rawayana- “Malportada”

5. Carin León, Diego El Cigala and Chanela Clicka- “Te Quiero Y Me Miento”

6. Charlie Hunter and Ella Feingold- “Shirley Chisholm”

7. Gabriel Jacoby- “Be Careful”

8. Okonski- “October”

9. Damon Locks- “Holding the Dawn in Place (Beyond, Pt. 2)”

10. SML- “Chicago Four”

11. DJ Koze- “Aruna”

12. Emma-Jean Thackray- “Thank You For the Day”

13. Sherelle- “Don’t Want U”

14. Danny Brown featuring Quadeca- “Book of Daniel”

15. Horsegirl- “Where’d You Go?”

16. Kali Uchis- “Sugar! Honey! Love!”

17. Saya Gray- “...Thus Is Why (I Don’t Spring 4 Love)”

18. Alfa Mist- “Avoid the Drones”

19. Larry June, 2 Chainz and the Alchemist- “Bad Choices”

20. MC Yallah- “Tunyedde”

21. PremRock featuring Cavalier and Eludid- "A Good Man Is Hard to Find"

22. Speed- “Peace”

23. Charli xcx featuring John Cale- “House”

24. Lorde- “What Was That”

25. Mackenzie Carpenter featuring Midland- “I Wish You Would”

26. Morgan Wallen- “I’m the Problem”

27. Evan Bartels- “Montana”

28. Jordan Davis- “Bar None”

29. Lorna Kay- “I’m Never Drinking Again (Again)”

30. Black Country, New Road- “Happy Birthday”

31. Marshall Allen featuring Neneh Cherry- “New Dawn”

32. Lonnie Holley- "That's Not Art, That's Not Music"

33. Chance the Rapper featuring Jamila Woods- “No More Old Men”

34. Key Glock- “Watch Da Throne”

35. TheBabeGabe featuring Monogram- “1999”

36. Burna Boy- “Sweet Love”

37. Little Simz- “Free”

38. Gabito Ballesteros and Fuerza Regida- “Chrome Hearts”

39. Mekons- “Before the Ice Age”

40. СОЮЗ featuring Tim Bernardes- “Lingua Do Mundo”

41. Lil Wayne- “Welcome to Tha Carter

42. Mobb Deep- "Against the World"

43. Viagra Boys- “You N33d Me”

44. Sam Gendel and James McAlister- “Stair 1”

45. Brandee Younger- “Gadabout Season”

46. Bon Iver featuring Dijon and Flock of Dimes- “Day One”

47. Margo Price and Tyler Childers- “Love Me Like You Used Do”

48. Lana Del Rey- “Henry, come on”

49. Colter Wall- “Memories and Empties”

50. Bonnie “Prince” Billy- “Turned To Dust (Rolling On)”

and

The Top Albums, EPs and Reissues of 2024, The Top Songs of 2024, The Top Performances of 2024

William Brownlee

December 4, 2025

The Top Performances of 2025

William Brownlee

December 4, 2025

Original image of Jake Heggie at Grant Recital Hall by There Stands the Glass.

I attended 154 concerts at 72 venues on 140 days during the first eleven months of 2025. Club-hopping accounts for the discrepancy. I didn’t attend any major festivals. The most expensive ticket I purchased cost $65. My total outlay for tickets, cover charges and tips for musicians was more than $2,500. A significant change in my personal life as well as the likelihood of my health insurance premiums tripling next year could mean that 2025 was my last hurrah as an avid concertgoer. If that proves to be the case, the fifty performances listed here are all the more meaningful.

1. Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

2. Callie Day and Isaac Cates at Grant Recital Hall
My Instagram clip.

3. Wayne Hancock and IV at Live at the Divide (Bozeman)
My Instagram clips are here and here.

4. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Speed, Whispers, Spine and Stakes Is High at the Ship
My Instagram clips are here and here.

6. Swamp Dogg at the Lawrence Arts Center
My review.

7. 10cc at Ranch Mart Shopping Center
My review.

8. Terence Blanchard with the E-Collective and Turtle Island String Quartet at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

9. OHMA at the 1905 (Portland)
My review.

10. Branford Marsalis Quartet at the Folly Theater
My review.

11. Jake Heggie’s master class at Grant Recital Hall
My review.

12. Angela Hewitt at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

13. Traxman and Xanna at miniBar
My review.

14. Horsegirl, Sweeping Promises and Godcaster at the Bottleneck
My review.

15. Samara Joy at the Folly Theater
My review.

16. Nick Hmeljak, Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Jordan Faught and Jaylen Ward at Westport Coffee House
My review.

17. Hayden Pedigo and Jens Kuross at the Ship
My review.

18. The Gesualdo Six at Village Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

19. Militarie Gun, Liquid Mike and Public Opinion at the Bottleneck
My review.

20. Butch Hancock, Bonnie Whitmore, My Politic, Aaron Lee Tasjan and BJ Barham at the Woody Guthrie Festival (Okemah)
My review.

21. Dead Heat, Stakes Is High, Failure Drill and Honey at Howdy
My Instagram clip.

22. Leonidas Kavakos and Daniil Trifonov at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

23. Isaiah Collier at the Old Church (Portland)
My review.

24. Destroyer and Jennifer Castle at the Warehouse on Broadway
My review.

25. David Chael, Danny Embrey, Gerald Spaits and Brian Steever at Green Lady Lounge
My Instagram clip.

26. Robyn Hitchcock and Emma Swift at Knuckleheads
My review.

27. Elvis Costello at the Uptown Theater
My Instagram clip.

28. Deborah Brown and George Colligan at Upcycle Piano Craft
My Instagram clip.

29. Alexander Adams, Seth Andrew Davis and Jeff Goulet with Shanté Clair and Krista Kopper at Grand Avenue Temple
My Instagram clip and snapshot.

30. Maria Ioudenitch and Navo Chamber Orchestra at Southminster Presbyterian Church
My Instagram snapshot.

31. Leonkoro String Quartet at the 1900 Building
My Instagram snapshot.

32. Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds and Dan Jones and the Squids at recordBar
My Instagram clip.

33. Made in France at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

34. Lil Wayne and Tyga at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

35. Bachathon at Village Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

36. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Becoming a Redwood: The Songs of Lori Laitman and Dana Gioia” at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church
My Instagram snapshot.

37. Vanessa Thomas, Kara Smith, Michael Pagán and Steve Rigazzi at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

38. Crystal Gayle at Ameristar Casino
My review.

39. Joseph Genualdi and Sean Chen at White Recital Hall
My review.

40. Isaac Cates, Oleta Adams and Callie Day at the Church of the Resurrection
My Instagram clip.

41. claire rousey and Gretchen Korsmo at Holocene (Portland)
My review.

42. Garibaldi Trio at the 1900 Building
My review.

43. Les Arts Florissants with Théotime Langlois de Swarte at the Folly Theater
My Instagram clip.

44. Bram and Lucy Wijnands with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestraa at the Folly Theater
My review.

45. Vine Street Rumble at Shawnee Town
My Instagram snapshot.

46. The Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s “Cruzar” with Mariachi los Camperos at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

47. David Finckel and Wu Han at the Old Church (Portland)
My Instagram snapshot.

48. Devin Gray at the Ship
My review.

49. Steve Cardenas, Forest Stewart and Brian Steever at Westport Coffee House
My Instagram clip.

50. Deftones, Idles at the Barbarians of California at the T-Mobile Center
My review.

Last year’s concert ranking is here.

William Brownlee

September 1, 2025

August 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

September 1, 2025

Screenshot of the trailer for Národní divadlo Brno’s production of Antonín Dvořák’s Rusalka by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of August 2025

1. Linda May Han Oh- Strange Heavens
My review.

2. Aruán Ortiz- Créole Renaissance
Créolité.

3. Emily D’Angelo, Ben Bliss, Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Metropolitan Opera- Tesori: Grounded
My review.

4. Oren Ambarchi, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin- Ghosted III
Haunting.

5. Pino Palladino and Blake Mills- That Wasn’t a Dream
Too good to be true.

6. Sara Ruiz- Telemann: Fantaisies Pour La Basse de Violle
Viola da gamba.

7. Endlings- Parallel 03
End times soundtrack from Raven Chacon and John Dieterich.

8. The Good Ones- Rwanda Sings with Strings
Rapturous.

9. Miguel Zenón Quartet- Vanguardia Subterránea
Basement tapes.

10. Deftones- private music
Public record.

The Top Three Reissues, Reimaginings and Compilations of August 2025

1. Woody Guthrie- Woody at Home, Vol. 1 + 2
My review.

2. Anat Fort- The Dreamworld of Paul Motian
My review.

3. Antone’s 50th Allstars: 50 Years of the Blues
Tough Texas blues.

The Top Ten Songs of August 2025

1. Cécile McLorin Salvant- “What does blue mean to you?”
All blues.

2. Gabriel Jacoby- "Be Careful"
Voodoo.

3. Earl Sweatshirt- "Gamma"
Everybody loves the sunshine.

4. Patricia Brennan- "Antlia"
Lost in the stars.

5. Sam Gendel- "Stair 1"
Spiral.

6. Chance the Rapper featuring Jamila Woods- "No More Old Men"
Wisdom of the ages.

7. Carin León and Kacey Musgraves- "Lost in Translation"
Cómo se dice “fun”?

8. Margo Price and Tyler Childers- "Love Me Like You Used To"
A la Loretta and Conway.

9. Rodney Crowell- “Maybe Somewhere Down the Road”
Perspective.

10. Brad Mehldau- “The White Lady Loves You More”
Elliott Smith as chamber music composer.

The Top Ten Performances of August 2025

1. Horsegirl, Sweeping Promises and Godcaster at the Bottleneck
My review.

2. Seth Davis, Jeffrey Goulet, Alexander Adams, Shanté Clair and Krista Kopper at Grand Avenue Temple
My Instagram clip and snapshot.

3. Lil Wayne and Tyga at T-Mobile Center
My review.

4. Ann Pham, Sherry Dou and Ann Marie Rigler at the 13th Annual French Organ Music Festival at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
My Instagram snapshot.

5. Aaron Sizemore, DeAndre Manning and Brian Steever at the Music House
My Instagram clip.

6. Adam Galblum and Eddie Moore at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram snapshot.

7. Bobby Watson at Jay McShann Pavilion
My Instagram clip.

8. Kitty Degler and Robert Pherigo at All Souls Unitarian Church
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Mike Bourne & KC Boogie at Black Dolphin
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Moon City Big Band at Franklin Park
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

William Brownlee

August 7, 2025

Concert Review: Horsegirl, Sweeping Promises and Godcaster at the Bottleneck

William Brownlee

August 7, 2025

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I dedicated Wednesday, August 6, to questioning my taste in music. Having struggled to formulate a conclusive opinion on Horsegirl’s latest album since offering an indecisive review of Phonetics On and On in February, I drove to Lawrence, Kansas, to hear the band at the Bottleneck.

The Dream Syndicate provided the soundtrack to my 40-mile drive toward the setting sun. I have an opportunity to attend a date by the reunited band during an upcoming trip to the West Coast. I liked the Dream Syndicate in the early ‘80s but I was surprised to find its psychedelic guitar rock now repulses me. I’ll pass on the upcoming tour.

Godcaster was on stage when I walked into the Bottleneck. (I paid $28 for a ticket in advance to be part of the audience of more than 200.) I initially thought the Brooklyn collective was the worst touring band I’d seen in years. Although an excess of musicians never stopped playing at crosspurposes, I eventually succumbed to Godcaster’s art-rock spell.

Unconvinced by Sweeping Promises’ recordings, I hadn’t previously bothered to catch the Lawrence based trio live. I get it now! Its two albums don’t come close to doing Sweeping Promises justice. The unapologetically geeky band’s riveting outing made me regret not attending Gang of Four’s show at Knuckleheads in May.

Horsegirl didn’t attempt to match the high voltage energy of Sweeping Promises. Nora Cheng and Penelope Lowenstein are such reticent frontpersons that the only sound during the breaks between several songs came from oblivious revelers at the venue’s exit.

Their aloofness may be warranted. Playing to an audience dominated by weird old men (ahem) who’d seen Horsegirl antecedent the Feelies perform at the same space in 1986 had to be disconcerting. My two takeaways: the trio’s songs were sadder than anticipated and its vocals were even more delectable than on record.

I listened to Richard Strauss’ "Simfonia Domestica" while driving home. Having recently read Barbara Tuchman’s essay about Strauss in The Proud Tower, I was eager to hear the composer’s poorly reviewed 1903 piece. For the first and only time on August 6, I agreed with the critical consensus.

William Brownlee

March 1, 2025

February 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

William Brownlee

March 1, 2025

Screenshot of the trailer for La Monnaie’s production of Richard Wagner’s Götterdämmerung by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of February 2025
1. James Brandon Lewis- Apple Cores
Golden delicious.

2. John Glacier- Like a Ribbon
Knotty.

3. Maruja- Tír na nÓg
My review.

4. Kelela- In The Blue Light
Radiant.

5. Larry June, 2 Chainz and the Alchemist- Life Is Beautiful
It’s also quite funny.

6. María Dueñas- 24 Caprices by Paganini
Fiddle.

7. Frieder Bernius und the Kammerchor Stuttgart- Louis Spohr: Des Heilands letzte Stunden, Passionsoratorium
A post-Bach Passion.

8. Oren Ambarchi and Eric Thielemans- Kind Regards
A farewell trip.

9. Horsegirl- Phonetics On and On
My review.

10. Damon Locks- List of Demands
Urgent.

The Top Three Reissues, Repackagings and Reimaginings of February 2025
1. Strata-East: The Legacy Begins
A pivotal digital holdout relents.

2. Joe Ely- Love and Freedom
Previously unreleased gems.

3. Ella Fitzgerald- The Moment of Truth: Ella at the Coliseum
Energetic 1967 concert.

The Top Ten Songs of February 2025
1. Mekons- "War Economy"
Moral deficit.

2. Mackenzie Carpenter featuring Midland- "I Wish You Would"
Back to the barrooms.

3. Natti Natasha featuring Ozuna- “Ya No Comparto”
Not sharing.

4. J Noa and Lowlight- "Traficando Rap"
Atención!

5. The Popper featuring Tech N9ne, KStylis and Zaytoven- "Dumb Booty"
Landmark that!

6. Terrace Martin featuring Ogi- "Not Sharing"
Sound of Crenshaw.

7. Gucci Mane- "Preference"
Choice.

8. Saya Gray- “Thus Is Why (I Don’t Spring 4 Love)”
Perfect pop (4 2025).

9. Lonnie Holley- "That's Not Art, That's Not Music"
People tell me this all too often.

10. Okanski- "October"
Bewitching.

The Top Ten Performances of February 2025
1. The Gesualdo Six at Village Presbyterian Church
My Instagram clip.

2. Nikolai Lugansky at the Folly Theater
My Instagram snapshot.

3. Isaiah Collier at the Old Church (Portland)
My review.

4. Deborah Brown and George Colligan at Upcycle Piano Craft
My Instagram clip.

5. David Finckel and Wu Han at the Old Church (Portland)
My Instagram snapshot.

6. Sarah Ghazal Ali at Arrupe Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

7. Aaron Sizemore, Forest Stewart and Mike Warren at the Music House
My Instagram clip.

8. Made in France at the Market at Meadowbrook
My Instagram clip.

9. Josiah Austin at the Portland International Airport
My Instagram clip.

10. Cesar Rosas and the Chi-Town Playboys at the Folly Theater
My review.

The previous monthly recap is here.

William Brownlee

February 18, 2025

Album Review: Horsegirl- Phonetics On and On

William Brownlee

February 18, 2025

Succumbing to nostalgia is just as dangerous as playing Russian roulette. I’ve always known that allowing myself to wonder if things were better “back then” would automatically hasten my demise.

I was gratified, consequently, at my revulsion upon revisiting R.E.M.’s debut album for the first time in more than a decade last month. I once savored Murmur. Having fully absorbed it in the 1980s, the album annoys me in 2025.

Imagine my surprise at my instant adoration of Horsegirl’s evocation of Reagan-era indie-rock on its new album Phonetics On and On. My long-suppressed affection for slightly twee bands like Camper van Beethoven, the dBs, the Feelies, Let’s Active, the Windbreakers came rushing back to me.

Now I’ve done it. This post serves as an inadvertent invitation for death to come a-knockin’. And when he arrives, I suspect he’ll be wearing a Horsegirls t-shirt.

William Brownlee

December 11, 2024

Burning Brains: The Top Fifty Songs of 2024

William Brownlee

December 11, 2024

My musical predilections were more informed by recent obsessions than by global events this year. I traced the footsteps of Mozart, flirted with Catholicism, read compulsively and watched the lines in my face deepen into chasms. Creeping maturity is evinced by several of the selections below. Yet my affinity for carefree fun clearly has yet to evaporate. As always, there’s no artist overlap on my songs and albums lists. A corresponding Spotify playlist is here.

1. Tierra Whack- “Burning Brains”

2. Charli XCX and Lorde- “Girl, so confusing”

3. Heems featuring Vijay Iyer and Sid Vashi- "Manto"

4. Meshell Ndgegeocello- "Travel"

5. Joel Ross- “bach (God the Father in Eternity)”

6. Tank and the Bangas featuring Samara Joy and Robert Glasper- "Remember"

7. Maxo Kream and Tyler, The Creator- "Cracc Era"

8. Sexyy Red- "Get It Sexyy"

9. Tinashe- "Nasty"

10. Joaquín Sabina- “Un última vals”

11. Mary J. Blige- “Here I Am”

12. A$AP Rocky featuring Jessica Pratt- “Highjack”