October 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Vincenzo Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of October 2025*
1. Clarice Jensen- In holiday clothing, out of the great darkness
Bach-based drones.

2. Patricia Brennan- Of the Near and Far
Infinite.

3. Laura Jurd- Rites & Revelations
New rituals.

4. Charles Lloyd- Figure in Blue
Rapturous sketches.

5. Jakob Bro, Wadada Leo Smith and Marcus Gilmore- Murasaki
Wadada #1.

6. Sylvie Courvoisier and Wadada Leo Smith- Angel Falls
Wadada #2.

7. Militarie Gun- God Save the Gun
Firepower.

8. Yazmin Lacey- Teal Dreams
Think Jill Scott, not KC Current.

9. Meredith Monk- Cellular Songs
Primordial.

10. The Necks- Disquiet
Unsettling.

*October 31 releases excluded.

The Top Three Reissues, Reimaginings and Compilations of October 2025
1. Bruce Springsteen- Nebraska ‘82: Expanded Edition
Reasons to believe.

2. Peggy Lee- Mirrors: Expanded Edition
Existentialism courtesy of Leiber and Stoller.

3. JPEGMAFIA and Danny Brown- Scaring the Hoes: Director's Cut
Refreshed version of the disruptive 2023 classic.

The Top Ten Songs of October 2025
1. Nathy Peluso featuring Rawayana- “Malportada”
Bad behavior.

2. Gabito Ballesteros and Fuerza Regida- “Chrome Hearts”
Shiny.

3. Amadou & Mariam- “Bienvenue à la maison”
A fond farewell.

4. SML- “Chicago Four”
Big shoulders.

5. Say She She- “Shop Boy”
C’est chic.

6. Robert Glasper featuring Norah Jones- “Prototype”
Two of a kind.

7. СОЮЗ featuring Tim Bernardes- “Lingua Do Mundo”
Belarus meets Brazil.

8. Silvana Estrada- “El Alma Mia”
Ooh! My soul.

9. Mobb Deep featuring Clipse- “Look at Me”
Seen.

10. Dave- “My 27th Birthday”
The party’s over.

The Top Ten Performances of October 2025
1. Brad Mehldau and Christian McBride at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

2. Terence Blanchard at Muriel Kauffman Theatre
My review.

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

4. Militarie Gun, Liquid Mike and Public Opinion at the Bottleneck
My Instagram clip.

5. Destroyer and Jennifer Castle at Warehouse on Broadway
My review.

6. Matt Villinger, Peter Schlamb, Sebastian Arias and Matt Robertson at the Blue Room
My Instagram clip.

7. Pete Escovedo at the Folly Theater
My notes.

8. Michael Shults, Dan Velicer, Dawson Coleman and Andrew Ouellette at Polsky Theatre
My Instagram snapshot.

9. Angela Hewitt’s masterclass at White Recital Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

10. Susan and William Goldenberg at Asbury United Methodist Church
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Album Review: James McVinnie- Dreamcatcher

I occasionally use archival Sviatoslav Richter recordings as references to evaluate the interpretations of the classical pianists of today. In addition to admiring Richter’s no-nonsense approach, I’m morbidly intrigued by the ill-timed coughing and squeaking of chairs of sickly and uncomfortable Russians through the muffled audio of the Soviet-era documents. Dreamcatcher, the new solo album by keyboardist James McVinnie, comes from a universe Richter almost certainly couldn’t have imagined. In addition to the transgressive piano and organ works of living composers including Meredith Monk and Nico Muhly, Dreamcatcher is notable for excruciatingly intense sound fields that are damaging to both my playback mechanisms and my mind. When I wrote about my recent fixation on the sounds of organs last month, I had no idea I’d soon find it necessary to wrap my head around landscapes like this. It’s entirely possible I’ll come to reject these inside-the-instrument recordings, but until then, I can’t stop listening.

Bad Bunny: There Stands the Glass' Artist of the Year

Screenshot of the music video for “Yo Visto Así” by There Stands the Glass.

The sound of doomsday filled my ears this year.  Listening to anything other than harsh ambient noise during a period of societal tumult, political chaos and deadly pandemic felt like escapist folly.

My forthcoming list of the year’s top albums is loaded with foreboding instrumental works echoing the harrowing tenor of the times.  Yet all is not lost.  I’m quarantined with my life partner, the sun still rises every morning and the memory of January’s trip of a lifetime is fresh.  The music released by Bad Bunny in 2020 reflects everything good in my life.  And there’s a lot of it.

Three outstanding Bad Bunny albums- February’s YHLQMDLG, May’s Las Que No Iban a Salir and November’s El Último Tour Del Mundo- operated as essential sonic mood elevators.  The Puerto Rican’s delirious stylistic range extending well beyond reggaeton averted musical monotony as I managed my mental health through his music.

Bad Bunny is a goofball and his odd vocal tics may repel less forgiving pop fans.  Yet his joyous songs helped me steer clear of an emotional abyss in 2020.  Toss in a slew of excellent music videos and the year’s most exciting livestream event and Bad Bunny is the obvious choice for my artist of the year.

Honorable mention: Moor Mother, Westside Gunn, Megan Thee Stallion, Blackstarkids and Meredith Monk.