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tiny_voices) wrote2025-12-27 05:02 pm
tiny_voices) wrote2025-12-27 05:02 pm
Sound System - Albums I Listened to in 2025
i haven't forgotten about this little webbed site. there have been multiple times over these last few months where i thought about writing a post, but the ideas were never good enough or it just wasn't a priority. i've been through some heavy things this fall, and i may very well not ever post about that here. but anyway, i've also not forgotten about my weekly new album listen-through. i've kept up with the albums i've listened to for the first time in my little spreadsheet, and as of today i've reached the 52nd line. technically, i didn't listen to new music every week; sometimes i doubled up, and sometimes i missed a week. but the average is there! i actually fully kept up with a new years resolution. i might not have ever done that before.
just for the sake of seeing it, here's the full list of albums i hadn't listened to before that i listened to in the year 2025:
1. Muse - Absolution (2003)
2. The Garden - haha (2015
3. Finch - Say Hello to Sunshine (2005)
4. Witch - Witch (2006)
5. Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview (1998)
6. The Cure - Pornography (1982)
7. Linkin Park - From Zero (2024)
8. Jets to Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary (1998)
9. Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward (1984)
10. Straight Line Stitch - To Be Godlike (2006)
11. Story of the Year - Page Avenue (2003)
12. The Clash - London Calling (1979)
13. AFI - Sing the Sorrow (2003)
14. Nirvana - Bleach (1989)
15. Origami Angel - Feeling Not Found (2024)
16. Joan Jett & Blackhearts - Bad Reputation (1981)
17. Fugazi - Red Medicine (1995)
18. Sponge - Rotting Pinata (1994)
19. Hum - You'd Prefer an Astronaut (1995)
20. Embrace - Embrace (1987)
21. Finch - Back to Oblivion (2014)
22. One Last Wish - 1986 (1999)
23. Senses Fail - Let It Enfold You (2004)
24. Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)
25. Sisters of Mercy - Floodland (1987)
26. Failure - Fantastic Planet (1996)
27. Snoop Dogg - R&G: The Masterpiece (2004)
28. Crass - Penis Envy (1983)
29. Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out (1982)
30. Abandoned Pools - Somnambulist (2013)
31. American Football - American Football (1999)
32. Armor for Sleep - Dream to Make Believe (2003)
33. Voodoo Glow Skulls - The Band Geek Mafia (1998)
34. Jawbreaker - Dear You (1995)
35. Horror Vacui - In Darkness You Will Feel Alright (2012)
36. AFI - AFI (2004)
37. Death Cab for Cutie - We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes (2000)
38. Audio Karate - Space Camp (2002)
39. Cemetery - Collection (2014)
40. Hum - Downward is Heavenward (1998)
41. Senses Fail - Still Searching (2006)
42. Gwar - This Toilet Earth (1994)
43. Deftones - Around the Fur (1997)
44. Coal Chamber - Chamber Music (1999)
45. Strike Anywhere - Exit English (2003)
46. The Cars - Heartbeat City (1984)
47. Superheaven - Ours is Chrome (2015)
48. Local H - Pack Up the Cats (1998)
49. System of a Down - Steal This Album! (2002)
50. Underoath - They're Only Chasing Safety (2004)
51. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (1994)
52. Saves the Day - Can't Slow Down (1998)
i didn't branch out as much as i could've, but i dug deeper into my niches, which is its own boon. i'm like a specialized weapon when it comes to pop punk / emo jams. some of my faves, or in other words, the albums that i got good mileage out of, include Say Hello to Sunshine, You'd Prefer an Astronaut, Still Searching, and Let It Enfold You. i don't think i fully disliked any of the albums i listened to this year, and enjoyed at least one or two tracks from each of them. i kinda fell off with reading the lyrics along with the songs, depending on how invested i was in the music at that time. therefore, in some cases, i was listening/engaging as deep, but eh. i also just stopped even attempting to prepare to write up reviews for anything i listened to. this is partly because i prioritized my creative writing at some point.
for most of the year i was chronicling this music in my liked songs playlist on spotify, but then spotify started running ICE ads, so my roommate who was paying for the family plan, cancelled that shit, and the house has cut ties with the service. i've gone back to pandora radio, with a fresh account. it's definitely nicer on desktop where my adblocker cleans up the experience, but even on the phone it's nice for when i don't want to queue up a playlist manually. my stations need some tweaking, mainly the goth station i made, because it's become about 75% depeche mode. and like, depeche mode is good, i enjoy the fruity beats, but they don't feel super goth to me, you know? i want more deathrock and shit anyway, so i may make a new station to differentiate.
here are the albums i made a note to listen to at some point, but never got around to:
- Rancid - ...and Out Come the Wolves (1995)
- Notorious BIG - ready to die (1994)
- Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (1968)
- Bush - Sixteen Stone (1994)
- Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)
- Pierce the Veil - A Flair for the Dramatic (2007)
the reason i didn't get around to these most of the time was their runtime. a lot of times it'd be sunday night and i'd realized i hadn't listened to an album yet, and so i'd go for a shorter one rather than a longer one. i didn't always check the "to listen" list anyway because i was just following the vibe of that moment. i should try and branch out more later though.
so now the question is: am i going to do this again in 2026? i'm leaning toward no, while still making it a point to listen to new music every once in a while. i just don't wanna hold myself accountable to the routine, really. but something that i'd like to do more of is burning my own CDs. i did this with a few albums, to just have a physical copy and to add music to my phone that's independent of an internet connection. not to be all "go analogue maaaaan" but in the age of subscription services, ads everywhere, and the general malaise of late stage capitalism, there's something cool about the ritual and permanence of have your own physical media.
overall, i would recommend doing something like this. take 45 minutes or so each week to just listen to something you haven't heard before. expand your horizons. learn your faves even more deeply. some other third thing. music good.
just for the sake of seeing it, here's the full list of albums i hadn't listened to before that i listened to in the year 2025:
1. Muse - Absolution (2003)
2. The Garden - haha (2015
3. Finch - Say Hello to Sunshine (2005)
4. Witch - Witch (2006)
5. Less Than Jake - Hello Rockview (1998)
6. The Cure - Pornography (1982)
7. Linkin Park - From Zero (2024)
8. Jets to Brazil - Orange Rhyming Dictionary (1998)
9. Depeche Mode - Some Great Reward (1984)
10. Straight Line Stitch - To Be Godlike (2006)
11. Story of the Year - Page Avenue (2003)
12. The Clash - London Calling (1979)
13. AFI - Sing the Sorrow (2003)
14. Nirvana - Bleach (1989)
15. Origami Angel - Feeling Not Found (2024)
16. Joan Jett & Blackhearts - Bad Reputation (1981)
17. Fugazi - Red Medicine (1995)
18. Sponge - Rotting Pinata (1994)
19. Hum - You'd Prefer an Astronaut (1995)
20. Embrace - Embrace (1987)
21. Finch - Back to Oblivion (2014)
22. One Last Wish - 1986 (1999)
23. Senses Fail - Let It Enfold You (2004)
24. Slayer - Reign in Blood (1986)
25. Sisters of Mercy - Floodland (1987)
26. Failure - Fantastic Planet (1996)
27. Snoop Dogg - R&G: The Masterpiece (2004)
28. Crass - Penis Envy (1983)
29. Bauhaus - The Sky's Gone Out (1982)
30. Abandoned Pools - Somnambulist (2013)
31. American Football - American Football (1999)
32. Armor for Sleep - Dream to Make Believe (2003)
33. Voodoo Glow Skulls - The Band Geek Mafia (1998)
34. Jawbreaker - Dear You (1995)
35. Horror Vacui - In Darkness You Will Feel Alright (2012)
36. AFI - AFI (2004)
37. Death Cab for Cutie - We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes (2000)
38. Audio Karate - Space Camp (2002)
39. Cemetery - Collection (2014)
40. Hum - Downward is Heavenward (1998)
41. Senses Fail - Still Searching (2006)
42. Gwar - This Toilet Earth (1994)
43. Deftones - Around the Fur (1997)
44. Coal Chamber - Chamber Music (1999)
45. Strike Anywhere - Exit English (2003)
46. The Cars - Heartbeat City (1984)
47. Superheaven - Ours is Chrome (2015)
48. Local H - Pack Up the Cats (1998)
49. System of a Down - Steal This Album! (2002)
50. Underoath - They're Only Chasing Safety (2004)
51. Sunny Day Real Estate - Diary (1994)
52. Saves the Day - Can't Slow Down (1998)
i didn't branch out as much as i could've, but i dug deeper into my niches, which is its own boon. i'm like a specialized weapon when it comes to pop punk / emo jams. some of my faves, or in other words, the albums that i got good mileage out of, include Say Hello to Sunshine, You'd Prefer an Astronaut, Still Searching, and Let It Enfold You. i don't think i fully disliked any of the albums i listened to this year, and enjoyed at least one or two tracks from each of them. i kinda fell off with reading the lyrics along with the songs, depending on how invested i was in the music at that time. therefore, in some cases, i was listening/engaging as deep, but eh. i also just stopped even attempting to prepare to write up reviews for anything i listened to. this is partly because i prioritized my creative writing at some point.
for most of the year i was chronicling this music in my liked songs playlist on spotify, but then spotify started running ICE ads, so my roommate who was paying for the family plan, cancelled that shit, and the house has cut ties with the service. i've gone back to pandora radio, with a fresh account. it's definitely nicer on desktop where my adblocker cleans up the experience, but even on the phone it's nice for when i don't want to queue up a playlist manually. my stations need some tweaking, mainly the goth station i made, because it's become about 75% depeche mode. and like, depeche mode is good, i enjoy the fruity beats, but they don't feel super goth to me, you know? i want more deathrock and shit anyway, so i may make a new station to differentiate.
here are the albums i made a note to listen to at some point, but never got around to:
- Rancid - ...and Out Come the Wolves (1995)
- Notorious BIG - ready to die (1994)
- Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (1968)
- Bush - Sixteen Stone (1994)
- Pearl Jam - Ten (1991)
- Pierce the Veil - A Flair for the Dramatic (2007)
the reason i didn't get around to these most of the time was their runtime. a lot of times it'd be sunday night and i'd realized i hadn't listened to an album yet, and so i'd go for a shorter one rather than a longer one. i didn't always check the "to listen" list anyway because i was just following the vibe of that moment. i should try and branch out more later though.
so now the question is: am i going to do this again in 2026? i'm leaning toward no, while still making it a point to listen to new music every once in a while. i just don't wanna hold myself accountable to the routine, really. but something that i'd like to do more of is burning my own CDs. i did this with a few albums, to just have a physical copy and to add music to my phone that's independent of an internet connection. not to be all "go analogue maaaaan" but in the age of subscription services, ads everywhere, and the general malaise of late stage capitalism, there's something cool about the ritual and permanence of have your own physical media.
overall, i would recommend doing something like this. take 45 minutes or so each week to just listen to something you haven't heard before. expand your horizons. learn your faves even more deeply. some other third thing. music good.