September 2025 Recap: A Monthly Exercise in Critical Transparency

Screenshot of the trailer for Welsh National Opera’s production of Giacomo Puccini's Tosca by There Stands the Glass.

The Top Ten Albums of September 2025

1. Trio of Bloom- Trio of Bloom
Nels Cline, Craig Taborn and Marcus Gilmore.

2. Vox Clamantis- Pärt: And I heard a voice
Spectral spirituality.

3. Olivia Dean- The Art of Loving
Near-perfect pop.

4. Satoko Fujii and Natsuki Tamura- Ki
Spartan piano and trumpet duo.

5. Cécile McLorin Salvant- Oh Snap
My kind of mixtape.

6. Atmosphere- Jestures
My review.

7. Mulatu Astatke- Mulatu Plays Mulatu
Ethiopian twilight.

8. Rochelle Jordan- Through the Wall
Don’t stop ‘til you get enough.

9. Les Arts Florissants- Gluck: Orphée et Eurydice
Oui français.

10. Jeff Tweedy- Twilight Override
One’s too many and thirty ain’t enough.

The Top Three Reissues and Reimaginings of September 2025

1. Joni Mitchell- Joni’s Jazz
One side now.

2. Kassa Overall- CREAM
My review.

3. Gary Bartz- The Eternal Tenure of Sound: Damage Control
Slow jamz.

The Top Ten Songs of September 2025

1. El Michels Affair featuring Norah Jones- "Carry Me Away"
Surf.

2. Kali Uchis featuring Raven Lenae- “Cry About It!”
Rainin’ in my heart.

3. Mariah Carey featuring Anderson Paak- “Play This Song”
Grown-and-sexy.

4. Rauw Alejandro featuring Mon Laferte- "Callejón de los Secretos"
Boulevard of broken dreams.

5. Tortoise- “Layered Presence”
Slow and steady.

6. Danny Brown- “Starburst”
Glitchy and twichy.

7. Black Lips- “Sx Sx Sx Men”
Filthy numerology.

8. Speed- "Peace"
Only one mode.

9. Lorna Kay- “I’m Never Drinking Again (Again)”
Hair of the dog.

10. Mike Reid and Joe Henry- “History”
Lovely lament.

The Top Ten Performances of September 2025

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

2. 10cc at Ranch Mart Shopping Center
My review.

3. Kid Congo Powers and the Pink Monkey Birds and Dan Jones and the Squids at recordBar
My Instagram clips here and here.

4. Isaac Cates’ Affirmations: A Night of Worship with Oleta Adams, Callie Day, Angela Crawford, Alicia Peters-Jordan and Chrystal Rucker at the Church of the Resurrection
My Instagram clip.

5. Devin Gray at The Ship
My Instagram clip.

6. Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda and Antonio Sánchez at Helzberg Hall
My Instagram snapshot.

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

8. Henry Scamurra, Isaiah Petrie, Spencer Reeve and Jade Harvey at the Prairie Village Jazz Festival
My Instagram clip.

9. Nathaniel Gumbs at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
My Instagram clip.

10. Rex Hobart and the Honky Tonk Standards at SarKoPar Trails Park
My Instagram clip.

The previous monthly recap is here.

Concert Review: Deftones, Idles and Barbarians of California at T-Mobile Center

Original image by There Stands the Glass.

I had ninety minutes to slap together a 400-word concert review of Deftones’ performance at a Kansas City casino in 2011. Assigned a general admission pass by the daily newspaper, I had no choice but to immerse myself in the ecstatic ebb and flow of the pit.

The debilitating volume and turbulent physicality rendered me insensible. My assessment was almost certainly incoherent. Deftones’ headlining appearance at the T-Mobile Center on Wednesday, September 17, made me realize I needn’t have felt inadequate about the tight deadline 14 years ago.

The ephemeral sludge and psychedelic crunch of Deftones’ performances is rooted in vibe rather than intellect. Much as it did for 1,200 fans in 2011, the band induced 12,000 people into a narcoleptic trance last night. (My seat in a remote corner of the arena was comped.)

I had a similar experience at Dia de los Deftones in San Diego in 2018. My memory of sets by Future, Ho99o9 and Doja Cat is more distinct than my recollection of Deftones’ metallic impressionism.

The punks in Idles don’t share Deftones’ murkiness. In addition to explicitly addressing immigration and fascism, front man Joe Talbot led the crowd in a chant of “Free Palestine.” Here’s a clip of "Gift Horse".

If Idles embodies the spirit of ‘76, The Barbarians of California represent the crassness of television beer commercials. The magnificence of the band’s stoner rock riffs was negated by the cheesiness of vocalist Aaron Bruno. Most everyone lapped it up.