Counting Crows - Butter Miracle, the Complete Sweets!: 7/10

Musically doesn't seem that new, but Duritz is a great lyricist and shows it again on this album with some pretty dense Americana type songs with metaphors I'll have to look up what they mean (and going full Bob Dylan/early Springsteen title wise with songs like Angel on 14th Street and Bobby and the Rat-Kings). Under the Aurora is probably the best song on the album with him letting out his unsurprising lib views out a bit after not releasing an album since before Trump 1, and Spaceman in Tulsa is a catchy single, Elevator Boots would be worse than it would be worse than it but has one of my favorite lines from the album "I remember her, I don't remember me." Still waiting for some of the other songs to grow on me but not bad overall.

40. ClubLiminal by Charlotte Plank* - 5.5

-I forgot about this one too apparently. It's just some dance pop and its ok I suppose. Was in the mood for that sound and it delivered on it, and was really short at under 25 minutes.

41. Golliwog by Billy Woods* - 3.5

-Damn, me and hip-hop are just not having a good time together this year. And this one is getting rave reviews too (current #1 on adm with an 8.5). It is all the rage on the scene right now. I thought it was dreadfully boring though.

42. Unatoned by Machine Head - 7.9

-Another case where I'm way off from the common opinion (has a 2.8/5 on musicboard) but in good way this time. I just find that the veteran metal heads are still doing a great job and putting on great shows. This album is a good time. I guess old fans don't like how it's trying to sound like modern metal? Well some things never change ... and some things do.

43. Glockaveli: The Don by Key Glock - 6.7

-Hip-hop is finally on the board with a positive score in 2025! Not that this album is anything amazing, its totally carried by two great songs No Sweat and Don Dada, but the rest is fine and acceptable trap rap. I'll take it though.

44. Bite Down by Ribbon Skirt* - 8.5

-This French-Canadian art-punk group used to go by the name Love Language, but I never heard of that either and the name Ribbon Skirt is way better anyways. If the words canadian art-punk didn't already make it obvious, this one was right up my alley with clear influences from Metric (one of the my very favorites ever) and other cool stuff like that.

45. Pretty Evil by Ellise* - 6.9

-This is one of those cases where the album cover grabbed my attention and I just had to see what it was all about. Sexy goth pop girl? Sign me up. I was expecting her to just be another Billie ripoff (there are LOADS of them out there), but really it is more like euro-dance-pop with macabre lyrics. Her singing reminds me of Grande, her style reminds of me Maisie Peters or Angele while her lyrics remind me of Rob Zombie. It is different and the same all at once. And she manages to pull it off, kind of. Though some of the songs are kinda dull, most of them are not. And again ... love the look. Definitely gained a new instagram account to follow if nothing else.

46. Zenith by Bleed From Within* - 7.5

-Happening upon these Scottish metal fellas was a happy coincidence. At the Sonic Temple festival, they were originally scheduled at the same time as Hoobastank and I was gonna go for that nostalgia kick with the Hoob. However, Incubus cancelling at the last minute switched all the times around and suddenly Bleed From Within is playing unopposed. Lets check them out, said me from two weeks ago. Great idea, past self! They sounded fucking great. This album is pretty cool, but I'll admit that it does get a little too Parkway Drivey at points. I mean, if you're gonna sound like another band then you can't pick much better, but these songs mixed in with their old ones gave a more unique vibe. Again though, this album and band are both super badass.

47. Viagr Aboys by Viagra Boys - 8

-If you couldn't tell by the name, these guys think they are funny. And they are! The lyrics are always humorous, sometimes with biting satire and sometimes with just goofy gusto. I think this is their best record, the music just feels right. Being an alt-punk-jam band usually translates much better to a live show , but they seem to have cracked the code. Not that their old albums were poor or anything, but this one feels the most whole. Man Made Of Meat is the best song.

48. A Complicated Woman by Self Esteem* - 4

-I'm not sure if this is a solo artist or a band and quite frankly I don't really care. While normally I would enjoy a complicated woman's sound that bounces all over the place on her album, this is an exception. Mostly cause the Charli XCX-like bops are the only good songs on here. She/they/it are channelling a lot of different types of singers here but most of them don't work. Doing a spiritually uplifting Lauren Daigle type song with the same exact lyrical content as the filthy dance club songs ... I smell what you're cooking but I don't like what I smell. It's just weird.

49. Black Samson, the Bastard Swordsman by Wu-Tang Clan - 6.5

-Wu Tang Clan aint what they used to be (Cream was my #1 song on the 90s list and 36 Chambers has an argument for best rap album ever) but they also still aint nothing to fuck with. Executioners From Shaolin and Mandigo are both great songs and the rest are mostly fine, maybe a bit dull sometimes. I'm also glad Meth is back with the group as he did not appear during their tour a few years ago, opting to do his own tour with Redman instead.

50. Evangeline vs. The Machine by Eric Church - 6.8

-Church has the distinct honor of being one of two country bros that I kinda-sorta like (the other being Stapleton.) Though usually I prefer his more progressive, Rolling Stone style of country music. This is 100% the type of 'ya'll are so wholesome" country that makes me cringe .... yet Eric kinda makes it work. Enough to earn a positive score anyway. "Johnny" is the best song where he talks to a kid about how things used to be better. Again, corny, but it hits the emotional sweet spot and for atleast a few moments I understood why people listen to this stuff.

51. Forever Howlong by Black Country New Road - 5

-I guess I see the appeal. Hip youngsters can see them as a fresh, less problematic version of Arcade Fire. But to me they give off more of a "we have fiona apple at home" vibe.

52. D r e a m s i c l e by Maren Morris - 7.5

-More country! Though if that community was as gatekeepy as certain others, they'd be all like "NO its not country its pop with a southern twang on it rawr!!!" Maren will probably never hit the highs of her debut album Hero , but she has proven herself to be consistently enjoyable. Cut! is probably my fav here.

53. If You Asked For A Friend by Blondshell - 6.3

-Blondshell, aka Sabrina Teitelbaum, is the exact sort of indie pop rockish type gals / bands that would have opened up the ERAs tour and all the girls would be like "ohhhh my god this is amazing and maybe even better than the other 8 eight artists I've heard in my life" but then go home, see her real name and start shouting things like "genocider!" Not bad at all, T&A is the best song, but she never really rises above either generic singer/songwriter music or generic 90s throwback music. Not here not ever.

53. If You Asked For A Friend by Blondshell - 6.3

-Blondshell, aka Sabrina Teitelbaum, is the exact sort of indie pop rockish type gals / bands that would have opened up the ERAs tour and all the girls would be like "ohhhh my god this is amazing and maybe even better than the other 8 eight artists I've heard in my life" but then go home, see her real name and start shouting things like "genocider!" Not bad at all, T&A is the best song, but she never really rises above either generic singer/songwriter music or generic 90s throwback music. Not here not ever.

54. Lucius by Lucius - 2

-I had listened to their discoish indie rock record that came out before this, it was ok. This was suppsoedly a return to form ... but I think that phrase needs to be reevaluated. No way "form" could be as boring as this album was.

55. At Peace by Propaghandi - 3.7

-These 90s Canadian punks return after a nearly ten year hiatus to tell the fascists exactly what they think of them. But, since they are Canadian, they don't really know a thing about fascism and it has about the same weight as someone like late era Green Day but without the catchy riffs and hooks. Just kinda boring overall. Shame. Such a great band name.

56. Caviar by Heavy Lungs* - 6.5

-I must have found this band in the "Similiar To" page on the page of Idles or Viagra Boys or Parquet Courts or someone like that (sometimes/often I take so long to listen to an album that I forget why I added it in the first place.) Looking up some details ... it was probably Idles. In fact, Idles even have a song by the name of "Danny Nedelko" who is the lead singer of this band! Fun. They definitely have the same vibe as all those people. It's technically called post-punk, but its more like punk with a darker edge, a flamboyant singer and somewhat humorous lyrics. What do you call someone who is punk, goth and gay? That's just too many cliques at once. Stop trying to make fetch happen.




Speaking of gay, goth punks ... I've decided to finally give Mayhem a try sometime this week. I want to clear out as much stuff as possible before Friday where Turnstile, Little Simz and Volbeat all release new albums. Gonna be awesome!

57. There's A Whole World Out There by Arm's Length - 9.8

-Wow! I enjoyed their first album, and thought all the songs sounded better live (when they opened for Origami Angel), but they still didn't think these Ontarian (of course they're from there) emo punkers had this kind of level-up in them. Basically every song,even the slower ones, hits the feelings in the way that only the best members of the genre can do. Big things ahead for these fellas.

58. Mayhem by Lady Gaga - 6

-Well I'm glad I listened, but its a tough one to grade. If the album began with Perfect Celebrity and ended with Don't Call Tonight I'd have it right there with Tate as the best pop album of the year. Cause those are some catchy pop songs, especially How Bad Do You Want Me which is one of her best songs ever. Unfortunately there are more songs than that, and the first 3 and last 4 (which include the two lead singles) are auto skips. Abracadabra ooh na na la la lo xo po re li mo do fe. I'm like "is this chick allergic to real words?" So it's a mixed bag with some high highs and low lows, but I'll take it and would recommend to anyone on the fence.

Boo at putting Garden of Eden in the bad camp.

I didn't like Disease at first but it ended up growing on me.

Ehh GoE is better than Abra or Die With A Smile, but still closer to those than Perfect Celebrity. So yeah its gotta remain on Team Mehhem.

59. Like Cartoon Vampires by The Conveinance* - 6.5

-This felt like a throwback to a time that I can't quite pinpoint. Groovy riffs, tuned down vocalist, islandy vibe (they're from New Orleans and it don't sound very swampy). Kinda like 70s psychadelic mixed with mid 00s indie/alt rock? Something that you'd hear in a summer indie movie and think "wow who makes this song" and the answer would be these guys.

60. Beyond by Moonlight Haze* - 7.5

-An Italian band here! They even have a song in their native language, L'Eco Del Silenzio if you didn't believe them. Northern Italy at that ... which makes sense. Normally I'd describe this type of music as viking metal, with a lead single named Tame The Storm, but that didn't really fit. It has a female singer named Chiara Tricario, so she is off the hook, but I have a hard time believing the others, presumably men, have beards either. Nah, this is more like pirate metal, sailing the Mediterranean with power riffs and symphonies. Trans-siberian without Christmas (though they do love that guy in Italy.) Nightwish with the rock vocals sounding like the new singer and the opera vocals sounding like the old singer. Something that a lapsed member of ours would really enjoy, hint hint.

Addison Rae - Addison: 5.5/10

She's had my attention since the smoking hot Diet Pepsi video, though musically it's ok for me, she obviously grew up listening to Lana Del Rey though she's a more hollow club version. Maybe the album before she works with the big shot hit makers and producers and becomes a superstar name. Best songs: Diet Pepsi, Fame is a Gun, New York