For those of you who are new to this podcast (or as a friendly reminder), I'm Mike Bankhead, bass player and songwriter from Dayton, Ohio. I'm an indie musician, not a journalist. My two esteemed guests on this episode are journalists. Juliet Fromholt is Music Director at WYSO, which is an NPR affiliate in Southwest Ohio. She hosts two music shows on the station, Alpha Rhythms and Kaleidoscope. Taylor Ruckle is a freelance music journalist whose work has appeared in FLOOD Magazine and Under the Radar, among other places. We have a tradition of talking about our favorite albums of the year each December.
I'm sure that you've heard people say there isn't good music being made anymore. Maybe you even feel that way yourself. I hope that listening to this episode changes your mind. There is plenty of high-quality music being made in a dazzling array of different genres. Finding something that speaks to you might require a little digging. Juliet, Taylor, & I have used our shovels, and we are glad to share the best of what we've found with you.
Of course, you can stream these albums for free wherever you happen to find music. If you'd like to support any of these artists in a more impactful way, I have included Bandcamp links to the albums anywhere I could, and you can buy physical copies or digital downloads at these links.
I'd be remiss if I didn't mention that I released a single called “Something That I Can't Explain” this year, which you can find on Bandcamp or anywhere music is streamed. There's also a music video right over here.
What was your favorite album of 2025? I invite you to leave a comment and let me know.
Juliet's top ten albums of 2024
10. Nightmares on Wax - Echo45 Sound System (Warp Records)
09. Erika de Casier - Lifetime (Independent Jeep)
08. Neko Case - Neon Grey Midnight Green (ANTI-)
07. Aesop Rock - Black Hole Superette (Rhymesayers)
06. Mereba - The Breeze Grew a Fire (Secretly Canadian)
05. Geese - Getting Killed (Partisan)
04. Sudan Archives - THE BPM (Stones Throw)
03. Lido Pimienta - La Belleza (ANTI-)
02. Blondshell - If You Asked For A Picture (Partisan)
01. Tune-Yards - Better Dreaming (4AD)
Taylor's top ten albums of 2024
10. Night Hawk - Before We Begin
09 Straphanger - From the Hot Air Balloon
08. Ganser - Animal Hospital
07. Snocaps - Snocaps
06. Beach Bunny - Tunnel Vision
05. Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
04. Kelela - In the Blue Light
03. Clipping - Dead Channel Sky
02. Pretty Bitter - Pleaser
01. Home Is Where - hunting season
Mike's top ten albums of 2024
Cloakroom - Last Leg of the Human Table
Pictoria Vark - Nothing Sticks
Maneka - bathes and listens
Valerie June - Owls, Omens, and Oracles
Tunde Adembipe - Thee Black Boltz
Jensen McCrae - I Don't Know How But They Found Me!
Deftones - private music
Vundabar - Surgery and Pleasure
Momma - Welcome to My Blue Sky
Die Spitz - Something To Consume
Taylor's review of Nothing Sticks for Flood Magazine
Taylor's article about Jensen McCrae for Flood Magazine