Thanks to all subscribers and others for following along on this wild ride that was 2025 on Substack, whether you’ve known my work for years or only recently discovered me through the Iowa Writers Collaborative.
I couldn’t help but record a short holiday video to convey my gratitude (and a handful of recommendations) more directly:
The best music of 2025
As I mention in the video, Americana duo Weary Ramblers (Iowans Chad Elliott on guitar and Kathryn Severing Fox on fiddle) captivated the audience when they performed earlier this month at our Iowa Writers Collaborative holiday party in Des Moines. Grab a copy of their new LP, “Driftwood.”
When it comes to year-end music list-making and recommendations, old habits die hard: In the late 1990s and early 2000s I was part of the music-critic media establishment, where we shared in rituals such as the annual “Pazz & Jop” poll to foster critical consensus around a small set of albums and perpetuate a gleefully snobbish tastemaker culture.
Today we have more thorough and automated aggregators like Metacritic, but by and large the monoculture (in all things, not only recorded music) has splintered into endless options where everybody can meander down their own digital cul-de-sac of micro-specific interests. I welcome this. More awareness for wildly different kinds of music, while breaking down traditional genres, is a good thing.
But one of my favorite albums of the year, New York rock band Geese’s “Getting Killed,” feels a little like a throwback to the ‘90s pre-social media era. It has been a long while since I’ve noticed an album attract such universal acclaim and land on so many lists.
I’ll make a small plea for you to also pay attention to the band’s previous album, “3D Country.” It was my favorite of 2023 and one I discovered thanks to my son. It’s a little rowdier but no less catchy and memorable.
Some of my other favorite music of the year, in no particular order (including an unintended double dose of Swedish artists):
Anna von Hausswolff, “Iconoclasts”
This may defy classification (again, a good thing) except to say the Swedish singer-songwriter’s sixth album is majestic, epic, and features a guest turn by none other than punk godfather Iggy Pop.
Destroyer, “Dan’s Boogie”
This may be my favorite album of the year—another high point from the poetic, off-kilter mind of amusingly aloof indie-rock mainstay Dan Bejar.
Deftones, “Private Music”
I didn’t expect to care about this metal band’s 10th album, but their atmospheric squall kept pulling me back in for repeat listens.
Hayes Carll, “We’re Only Human”
This Texas troubadour is one of our finest active songwriters, with this album perhaps the most polished and serene entry in his catalog.
Donny McCaslin, “Lullaby for the Lost”
My introduction to saxophonist McCaslin was his work with David Bowie on the latter’s landmark swan song, “Blackstar.” Don’t get scared away when I describe this album as an “art-jazz-rock” gem.
Molly Nilsson, “Amateur”
What’s not to love about catchy Swedish synth-pop?
Kieran Hebden and William Tyler, “41 Longfield Street Late ‘80s”
This collaboration between an English electronic artist (Hebden) and “cosmic country” guitarist from Nashville (Tyler) was the year’s ambient classic I didn’t realize I was waiting for.
One book recommendation from my 2025 reading
Let’s stick with a music theme for one of my favorite (and most surprising) books of the year.
Journalist Sam Quinones’ usual beat is America’s illegal drug trade and our opioid epidemic. But for his latest book he turned his reporting chops to the world of … America’s tubists.
I would do you a disservice to try and sketch the scope of this lovely book instead of just imploring you to read it. Rest assured you don’t need to be a tubist (I’m not) to enjoy it. You also may not need to care much for marching band, the symphony, or music in general.
“The Perfect Tuba” is one of those rare books capturing the flawed beauty and exuberance of life from a fresh and entirely unexpected angle.
You can also find and follow Sam here on Substack, with his “Dreamland” newsletter.
One 2025 documentary film to watch
I don’t claim the new Netflix documentary “The New Yorker at 100” is the best film or doc of the year or even my favorite. (I may have to choose “Sinners” as my top 2025 movie—and, yes, I prefer “Eddington” over “One Battle After Another,” which makes me some sort of misguided heretic.) I certainly enjoyed it. Earlier this year I wrote about my affection for the New Yorker and decades-long subscriber status.
I’d encourage you to watch the documentary if for no other reason than to appreciate a style of rigorous journalism that’s sadly endangered in our modern media ecosystem. One section of the doc is dedicated to the New Yorker’s fact-checking department, where staffers second-guess every last word and punctuation mark—even every seemingly innocuous cartoon.
As much as I love Substack, our drift from the era of media institutions to that of influencers is sacrificing rigor and place-based coverage in our news diet. I can’t help but mourn—and do what I can to help support the sort of news we Americans deserve.
Share your own 2025 recommendations
What were some of your favorite creative works this year?
Leave a comment below. For this post, comments are open to everybody.
Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
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One of my favorite documentaries I watched was played at the Varsity Cinema: Eno
I left literally taking notes from nearest piece of paper I could find in my purse to write ideas, music influences, and Brian Eno's short but impactful musings of creative wisdom.
The highlight of my year was writing a story about my life for the Iowa Storytellers Project, and telling it on stage at my favorite venue, Hoyt Sherman, and meeting some of my favorite journalists like this guy Kyle Munson. Unforgettable experience. I’m glad you were there to witness it and offer such positive remarks. 🙏